U.S. patent application number 12/506670 was filed with the patent office on 2011-01-27 for heavy-duty quad seal plastic bag with side handle holes.
This patent application is currently assigned to HOOD PACKAGING CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Brian Andrew MUNSTERMAN, Kerry Lee RING, Brian John STEINWAGNER.
Application Number | 20110019937 12/506670 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43495915 |
Filed Date | 2011-01-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110019937 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
STEINWAGNER; Brian John ; et
al. |
January 27, 2011 |
HEAVY-DUTY QUAD SEAL PLASTIC BAG WITH SIDE HANDLE HOLES
Abstract
A heavy-duty plastic bag is comprised of a flat front panel, a
back panel and gusseted longitudinal side panels. One of the
gusseted longitudinal side panels has extended opposed gusseted
side walls to form bag carrying end panels. The bag carrying end
panels are sealed with one another and are each provided with three
spaced-apart handle holes for ease of carrying the bag by one or
both ends of a person with the bag disposed horizontally to
facilitate manipulation in carrying of the bag. The bag carrying
end panels provide for reinforced hand holes and comfort to the
hands of a user person. The gusseted side panels and front and back
panels provide a heavy-duty plastic bag with four display
panels.
Inventors: |
STEINWAGNER; Brian John;
(Hudson, WI) ; RING; Kerry Lee; (Elk River,
MN) ; MUNSTERMAN; Brian Andrew; (Coon Rapids,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CANTOR COLBURN LLP
20 Church Street, 22nd Floor
Hartford
CT
06103
US
|
Assignee: |
HOOD PACKAGING CORPORATION
Madison
MS
|
Family ID: |
43495915 |
Appl. No.: |
12/506670 |
Filed: |
July 21, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/10 ; 383/109;
383/120; 383/210 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 33/08 20130101;
B65D 33/2591 20130101; B65D 31/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/10 ; 383/109;
383/120; 383/210 |
International
Class: |
B65D 33/08 20060101
B65D033/08; B65D 30/08 20060101 B65D030/08; B65D 30/20 20060101
B65D030/20; B65D 33/00 20060101 B65D033/00 |
Claims
1. A heavy duty plastic bag comprising a flat front panel, a flat
back panel and gusseted longitudinal side panels, said bag having a
top end and a bottom end adapted to be sealed for containing a
product in said bag, said gusseted longitudinal side panels each
having opposed gusseted side walls collapsible against one another
on a side central fold line, one of said longitudinal side panels
having extended opposed gusseted side walls to form bag carrying
end panels, and seal means to secure said bag carrying end panels
with one another, three spaced-apart handle holes formed in said
bag carrying end panels with said handle holes of each bag carrying
panel aligned with one another, one of said handle holes being
disposed substantially at mid-length of said bag carrying end
panels to constitute a central hand hole, the other two of said
handle holes being substantially equidistantly space don opposed
sides of said central hand hole, said hand holes permitting said
heavy duty bag to be carried forms aid gusseted longitudinal side
panel by the use of one or both hands of a person disposed through
said hand holes with said bag extending horizontally.
2. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the other
of said opposed gusseted side panel which is not provided with bag
carrying end panels has an end sealed strip formed with a
longitudinal side end edge section of a respective one of said
front and back panels to form a reinforced gusseted longitudinal
side panel, said sealed bag carrying end panels also reinforcing
said one of said longitudinal side panels.
3. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 2 wherein said self
means is a heat seal to secure said bag carrying end panels with
one another at least in a surrounding area of said three hand
holes.
4. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 2 wherein each said
bag carrying end panel comprises two plies of multi-layer plastic
films, one ply constituted by a longitudinal side end section of
one of said front and back panels, and the other ply formed by said
one of said extended opposed gusseted side walls, said two plies
being heat sealed to one another along their entire length.
5. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
front and back panels and said gusseted longitudinal side panels
form four distinct display panels for containing printed matter,
said gusseted side walls being visible when said heavy-duty plastic
bag is resting flat on said front or back panel or when stacked
flat on one another whereby to display said printed matter.
6. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of
said front and back panels is provided with a re-sealable opening
formed adjacent one of said top and bottom ends thereof for access
to a product contained in said heavy-duty bag.
7. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 4 wherein said
opposed bag carrying end panels when folded against one another
provides four plies of said multi-layer film to form reinforced
hand holes for carrying a heavy content and provide comfort to the
hands of the person carrying said heavy-duty plastic bag.
8. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
extended opposed gusseted side walls have a reinforcing plastic
film sheet patch disposed longitudinally between an inner surface
of said opposed gusseted side walls and a respective one of a
longitudinal side end edge section of said front and back panels
and secured thereto by said seal mean, said opposed bag carrying
end panels, when folded against one another, provide six plies of
plastic film material to form reinforced bag carrying end
panels.
9. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
opposed gusseted side walls of said opposed gusseted panels are
provided with a tack seal hole adjacent an end thereof, said tack
seal holes of said opposed gusseted side walls being juxtaposed
when said opposed gusseted side walls are collapsed on one another,
said holes exposing a back surface of said back and front panels
for heat welding said opposed back surfaces to one another in the
area of said tack seal holes.
10. A heavy-duty plastic bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
heavy-duty plastic bag is formed from 48 gauge multi-resin
polyester material.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a heavy-duty plastic bag
which is provided with handle holes in an extended gusseted side
wall and wherein the bag has four panels to display printed
matter.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] It is known to form plastic bags with two or three handle
holes provided in the top or bottom panels of the bags to
facilitate carrying the bag or to facilitate pouring the contents
of the bag. For example, a variety of bag constructions with two or
three handle holes is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,402,749,
5,782,562 and 6,361,209. In all instances the handle holes are
provided in top or bottom end flanges of the bags and these are
formed by opposed plies folded on one another. When these bags are
used for carrying heavy contents, the bags are often dragged on the
floor surface by these handle holes due to its weight and this can
damage the bag and spill the contents. Further, these heavy-content
bags are difficult to lift off the floor when lying flat due to
their length. Also, depending on the construction of the handle
holes with only one or two plies of film material, the handle holes
can rip or cause discomfort to the hands of the user person.
[0003] Another disadvantage of these prior art bags is that they
only provide two panels for displaying advertising material, namely
the front and rear panels. However, bags carrying heavy contents
are usually disposed lying flat in a stack placed on a floor pallet
with only the side edges of the bag showing with the exception of
the top bags which display the front or back panels of the bag but
these are not often visible. There is therefore a need to provide a
heavy-duty plastic bag which is easy to manipulate and carry, and
which can display advertising material when the bags are stacked
flat on one another and wherein the manipulation of the bag by the
handles is not damaging to the hands of the user person.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0004] It is therefore a feature of the present invention to
provide a heavy-duty plastic bag which is provided with gusseted
longitudinal side panels capable of carrying display material and
wherein one of the longitudinal gusseted side panels is formed with
end panels having three handle holes to carry the bag horizontally
by one or both hands of a user person.
[0005] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
heavy-duty plastic bag formed with gusseted longitudinal side
panels having handle holes formed in reinforced extended opposed
gusseted end panels thereof which are sealed to one another to form
reinforced carrying end panels.
[0006] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
heavy-duty plastic bag having handle holes in a longitudinal side
gusseted display panel thereof and which permits the carrying of
the bag horizontally with the hands positioned at a comfortable
height.
[0007] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
heavy-duty plastic bag designed to be displayed lying down on a
storage shelf or stacked on a floor pallet.
[0008] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
heavy-duty plastic bag having four display panels and reinforced
gusseted side panels which allows for the bag to carry more
weight.
[0009] According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the
present invention provides a heavy-duty plastic bag comprising a
flat front panel, a flat back panel and gusseted longitudinal side
panels. The bag has a top end and a bottom end adapted to be sealed
for containing a product in the bag. The gusseted longitudinal side
panels each have opposed gusseted side walls collapsible against
one another on a side central fold line. One of the longitudinal
side panels has extended opposed gusseted side walls to form bag
carrying end panels. Seal means is provided to secure the bag
carrying end panels with one another. Three spaced-apart handle
holes are formed in the bag carrying end panels with the handle
holes of each bag carrying end panel aligned with one another. One
of the handle holes is disposed substantially at mid-length of the
bag carrying end panels to constitute a central hand hole. The
other two of the handle holes are substantially equidistantly
spaced on opposed sides of the central hand hole. The hand holes
permit the heavy-duty bag to be carried from the gusseted
longitudinal side panel by the use of one or both hands of a person
disposed through said hand holes with the bag extending
horizontally.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heavy-duty plastic bag
of the present invention provided with bag carrying end panels
formed in a gusseted side wall of the bag and wherein three handle
holes are formed for ease of carrying the bag;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view of the gusseted longitudinal side
panel which does not contain bag carrying handle holes;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1 with the bag carrying end
panels of the gusseted side wall disposed spread apart in an open
position;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a transverse section view of the bag showing the
quad seal design wherein four distinct seals and two large display
gussets are provided on the longitudinal sides of the bag;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a fragmented section view showing the gusseted end
panel formed with extended opposed gusseted side walls to form
reinforced bag carrying end panels;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a section view similar to FIG. 5 but showing a
reinforcing plastic film sheet patch disposed within the gusseted
side panel wherein handle holes are provided;
[0017] FIG. 7A is a fragmented perspective view showing tag seal
holes formed in the opposed gusseted panels;
[0018] FIG. 7B is an enlarged cross-section view showing opposed
gusseted side walls sealed to one another at their ends through the
tag seal holes;
[0019] FIG. 8A is a side view of a heavy-duty plastic bag
constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing a
slider zipper provided adjacent one of the top or bottom ends of
the bag for filling or dispensing material;
[0020] FIG. 8B is a side view of a further heavy-duty plastic bag
constructed in accordance with the present invention and wherein
the opposed top and bottom ends of the bag are sealed;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a side view showing two heavy-duty plastic bags of
the present invention laid flat upon one another and illustrating
opposed gusseted longitudinal side panels displaying advertising
material; and
[0022] FIG. 10 is a side view of the heavy-duty plastic bag of the
present invention disposed in a flat condition and illustrating the
position of the tag seal holes and seal strips.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS.
1 to 4, there is shown generally at 10, a heavy-duty plastic bag
constructed in accordance with the present invention laid on one of
its sides. The bag is formed from a multi-ply plastic film material
and comprises a flat front panel 11, a flat back panel 12 and
gusseted longitudinal side panels 13 and 14, which are better
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively.
[0024] The bag 10 has a top end 15 and a bottom end 16 adapted to
be sealed for containing a product in the bag and particularly
heavy-duty products such as dog food, course salt, or other
granular or heavy material. The gusseted longitudinal side panels
13 and 14 each have opposed gusseted side walls, herein side walls
13' and 13'' for side gusset panel 13, and side walls 14' and 14''
for side gusset panel 14. Each of the side walls 13', 13'' and 14',
14'' are collapsible against one another on side central fold lines
13''' and 14''', respectively.
[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the longitudinal side panel 14
has extended opposed gusseted side walls to form bag carrying end
panels 17 and 17'. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, these bag carrying
end panels comprise two plies of multilayer plastic films. One ply
is constituted by a longitudinal side end section 11' or 12' of the
front and rear panels, respectively and the other ply is formed by
the opposed extended gusseted side walls 17 and 17', respectively.
These two plies of multilayer plastic films are heat sealed with
one another as illustrated by seal 18, whereby to form reinforced
bag carrying end panels comprised of two layers of film sheet
material.
[0026] As better illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, each of the bag
carrying end panels 17 and 17' are provided with three spaced-apart
handle holes 19, herein a substantially central handle hole 19
disposed at substantially mid-length of the bag carrying end panel
17 and 17' and opposed side hand holes 19' disposed substantially
equidistantly spaced on opposed sides of the central handle hole
19. As above-mentioned, these handle holes are formed in reinforced
two-ply bag carrying end panels 17 and 17' and when these two end
panels are brought together in juxtaposition, as shown in FIG. 1
with the hand holes aligned, they form four plies of multilayer
plastic film providing for a reinforced carrying horizontal section
of the bag and further provide comfort to the user person's hands.
Also, because these hand holes are disposed along a horizontal side
gusset of the bag, it does not require high lifting of the arms to
carry the bag off a floor surface as the length of the bag is
disposed horizontally, thus facilitating manipulation of the bag
with its heavy contents.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the seal 18 secures the opposed film
plies of the extended gusseted side walls throughout the length of
the extended opposed gusseted side walls. It is to be understood
that seals could be formed only about the handle holes 19 and 19'
of the bag or they could be formed by spaced-apart seal strips, not
shown but obvious to a person skilled in the art.
[0028] With particular reference to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the
other of the opposed gusseted side panels, herein side panel 13, is
not provided with bag carrying end panels but has end seal strip 20
and 20' formed in a longitudinal side end edge section of a
respective one of the front and back panels 11 and 12,
respectively, whereby to form a reinforced gusseted longitudinal
side panel. The seal bag carrying end panels 17 and 17' also
constitute reinforcement of the side gusset panel 14.
[0029] As is more apparent from FIGS. 4, 8A, 8B and 9, the front
and back panels and the gusseted longitudinal side panels form four
distinct display panels for containing printed matter 25. Because
these heavy-duty plastic bags are usually stacked on top of one
another on a floor pallet 26 or on shelving, often only the
gusseted longitudinal side panels are visible, as shown in FIGS. 2
and 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the bottom bag 10' is visible from
gusseted side panel 13 while the top bag 10'' is visible from
gusted side panel 14. It can be appreciated that when these bags
are filled with material, the gusseted side walls 13 and 14 will
bulge out, thereby providing a display surface. Also, the bag
carrying end panels 17 and 17', because of their reinforcement due
to being welded to one another and having multiple plies, also
maintain an extended position making the display printed material
25 visible, as illustrated in FIG. 9.
[0030] As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, these bags may be provided with
slider zipper openings 27 or other zipper openings. They could also
have a printed score line 28, shown in FIG. 8B, to indicate to the
user person that the bag can be slit open in a top and bottom
corner thereof for dispensing material dependent on the content of
the bag. Of course, the hand holes 19 also provide for ease of
dispensing of the content as it assists in holding the bag in a
lifted position and permitting easy tilting thereof for dispensing
of its material content, and such is known in the art. The
re-sealable opening 27 is usually a heavy-duty zipper capable of
retaining a closed state when these bags are manipulated.
[0031] With reference now to FIG. 6, there is shown a further
embodiment of the construction of the bag carrying end panels 17
and 17'. As herein shown, a reinforcing plastic film sheet patch 28
is disposed longitudinally between an inner surface 29 of the
opposed gusseted side walls 14' and 14'' and a respective one of a
longitudinal side end edges 30 and 30' of the front and back panels
11 and 12, respectively. The reinforcing plastic film patch 28 is
also formed from a multilayer film and is secured between the two
film layers of the extended opposed gusseted side walls by heat
seal. When the opposed bag carrying end panels 17 and 17' are thus
folded against one another, they provide six plies of plastic film
material to form reinforced bag carrying end panels and providing
still more comfort to the hand of a user person as there are now
six plies of film material surrounding the hand holes 19 and
19'.
[0032] As shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 10, the opposed gusseted side
walls, herein side walls 13' and 13'' of side gusset 13, are
provided with a tag seal hole 31', respectively, adjacent an end of
the side gussets 13 and 14. Diagonal seal strips 35 are formed
between side seals 34 and seals 20 and 20' to prevent content
spillage should these tag seals release during filling or during
use. The tag seal holes 31 of the opposed gusseted side walls are
juxtaposed when the opposed gusseted side walls are collapsed on
one another before filling. These holes expose a back unprinted
surface 32 of the front and back panels 11 and 12, respectively,
for heat welding the opposed back surfaces 32 to one another in a
tag seal region 33 as shown in FIG. 7B. This is particularly useful
for handling the bag in filler machines where the bag can be
maintained upright with the end corners of the bag held together by
this tag seal for ease of feeding the top end 15 of the bag in a
sealer whereby to form the top seal line 34, as shown in FIG. 1.
Preferably, but not exclusively, the heavy-duty plastic bag of the
present invention is formed from 48 gauge multi-resin polyester
material or other suitable heavy-duty resin material.
[0033] It can be concluded from the above that the heavy-duty
plastic bag construction of the present invention facilitates the
handling and carrying of the bag by the use of one or both hands
with the longitudinal axis of the bag lying in a horizontal plane.
It also provides for four display panels whereby display material
is visible when the bag is disposed lying flat on its side even in
stacked bundles supported on floor pallets. The quad seal design of
the side gusseted panels also provides reinforcements of these side
panels and the bag carrying end panels of one side gusset is also
reinforced with at least four plies of the multi-ply film providing
for the bag to carry more weight and making it easier on the
consumer hands to carry the bag.
[0034] It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any
obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment described herein,
provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *