U.S. patent number 3,738,567 [Application Number 05/003,761] was granted by the patent office on 1973-06-12 for draw band closure bag.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Bagcraft Corporation of America. Invention is credited to Raymond J. Ruda.
United States Patent |
3,738,567 |
Ruda |
June 12, 1973 |
DRAW BAND CLOSURE BAG
Abstract
A bag made from pliable sheet material has about its mouth a
flat, folded, tubular lip tunnel with a flat draw band therein
comprising only flexible sheet material. The draw band is adapted
to be grasped at a tunnel opening to pull the draw band partially
through the opening and to draw the tunnel area into puckered
mouth-closing relation on that portion of the draw band which
remains in the puckered area.
Inventors: |
Ruda; Raymond J. (Chicago,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Bagcraft Corporation of America
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
21707456 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/003,761 |
Filed: |
January 19, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/75; 206/554;
383/67; 383/203 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
33/28 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
33/28 (20060101); B65D 33/16 (20060101); B65d
033/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;150/11
;229/63,66,62 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Leclair; Joseph R.
Assistant Examiner: Lipman; Steven E.
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. In a bag made from pliable sheet material and having at least
one side edge, with a mouth at one end of the bag extending normal
to said edge and defined by a lip portion thereabout and providing
a tunnel:
said lip portion having an opening from the tunnel at said one side
edge; and
a flat draw band comprising only flexible sheet material
encompassing said mouth within said tunnel and having a
manipulating portion at said opening adapted to be grasped to pull
the draw band partially through the opening at said side edge of
the bag and thereby draw said lip portion into puckered
mouth-closing relation on that part of the draw band which remains
in the puckered area;
said draw band being initially connected but partially separated
along a longitudinal line along one edge thereof with a strip of
material enclosed within said tunnel and separable therefrom when
the draw band is pulled through said opening as aforesaid.
2. In a bag according to claim 1, said strip of material comprising
a second draw band, said bag having a edge opposite to said
first-mentioned side edge and also providing an opening from the
tunnel, said second draw band having a manipulating portion at said
opposite side edge opening adapted to be grasped to pull the second
draw band partially through that opening in cooperation with said
first-mentioned draw band to facilitate drawing the lip portion
into puckered mouth-closing relation and separation of the draw
bands occurring when they are pulled in opposite directions.
3. In a bag according to claim 2, the material of the bag in said
lip portion having areas thereof partially separated transverse to
said longitudinal line to provide said openings, and said areas
being respectively separable from said lip portion upon pulling
said bands from the tunnel through said openings.
4. In a bag according to claim 3, said partially separated areas
being offset relative to one another along the respective bag side
edges and considered with respect to said mouth end of the bag.
5. In a bag according to claim 3, the respective ends of the draw
bands opposite to the respective openings being fixedly secured to
the bag edge adjacent to the opening through which the companion
draw band is adapted to be pulled.
6. In a bag according to claim 5, the sheet material of the bag and
of said draw bands being heat-sealable plastic material, said side
edges being heat-sealed and said secured ends of the draw bands
being heat-sealed into said side edges, respectively, and
reinforcing heat seals securing said draw bands to the bag material
at the tunnel along lines parallel and in spaced adjacency to the
respective edges to which the draw bands are secured.
7. In a bag according to claim 1, double walls folded over at the
bag mouth end and providing said tunnel and secured together at the
opposite end of the bag to provide a bottom closure.
8. In a bag made from pliable sheet material and having opposite
side edges and a mouth at one end defined by a lip portion
thereabout and providing a tunnel:
two parallel draw bands comprising flexible sheet material
separably connected by tear connections in edge-to-edge coplanar
relation in said tunnel;
said draw bands secured initially to both of said side edges;
the material of the bag in said lip portion having an area thereof
partially separated at one edge in alignment with one of said draw
bands while being solid and permanently retaining the other of said
draw bands at such edge; and
the material of the tunnel at the opposite side edge of the bag
aligned with the other of said draw bands being partially separated
while at such edge the bag material remains solid and permanently
retains the one draw band in secured relation;
said partially separated material and the respective draw bands
with which aligned being adapted to be grasped and pulled away from
the bag to leave a respective opening from the tunnel through which
the aligned draw band is adapted to be pulled to draw the lip
portion into puckered mouth-closing relation.
9. In a bag according to claim 8, said draw bands being made from
common material different from the bag.
10. In a bag according to claim 8, said draw bands being parallel
to the tunnel end of the bag, and said partially separated bag
portions being offset relative to one another considered with
respect to said bag end.
11. In a bag according to claim 8, the bag material and said draw
bands being of heat-fusible material, the material of the bag being
heat-sealed along said side edges and said draw bands being secured
to said side edges by the heat-sealing, and respective tacking
seals impressed across each of said draw bands securing it to the
bag material adjacent to the side edge seams and serving as
auxiliary securing means for the draw bands.
12. In a bag according to claim 8, double walls of the sheet
material folded over at the bag mouth end and providing said lip
and secured together at the opposite end of the bag to provide a
bottom closure and said double walls providing said tunnel at said
lip.
13. In a bag according to claim 8, the bag material being integral
in said lip portion providing a gusset inwardly relative to said
tunnel within said mouth, said gusset having a line of elongated
perforations with intervening spaced narrow tear connections
enabling opening of the gusset for access into the bag by breaking
said connections.
14. In a bag made from heat-sealable plastic material provided with
a mouth at one end defined by a lip portion thereabout and
providing a tunnel, and having opposite side edges formed with
heat-seal seams:
a pair of flat draw bands of flexible plastic heat-sealable sheet
material encompassing said mouth within said tunnel in coplanar
relation to one another and having longitudinal edges contiguous to
one another separated by perforations and intervening narrow tear
connections;
said draw bands being secured in heat-seal relation in the side
edge heat-seal seams;
material of said lip portion at said tunnel aligned with one of
said draw bands at one of said edges being partially separated in
line with said one of said draw bands to provide a draw band
opening when separated from the material of the bag while the
remaining draw band remains in fixed relation to such edge; and
material of the bag aligned with said remaining draw band at the
opposite edge of the bag being partially separated from the
material of the bag to define an opening from the bag through that
edge while said one draw band remains permanently secured at that
edge;
whereby the partially separated material at the respective edges
and the draw bands with which aligned are adapted to be grasped and
pulled to separate the partially separated material and pull the
respective draw bands outwardly through the resulting openings and
relative to one another to separate the connections along the
contiguous edges of the draw bands and to draw said lip portion
into puckered mouth-closing relation on those parts of the draw
bands which remain in the puckered lip portion.
15. In a bag according to claim 14, including respective tacking
seals impressed across each of said draw bands securing it to the
bag material adjacent to the side edge seams and serving as
auxiliary securing means for the draw bands.
16. In a bag according to claim 14, double walls of the sheet
material folded over at the bag mouth end and providing said lip
and secured together at the opposite end of the bag to provide a
bottom closure and said double walls providing said tunnel at said
lip.
17. In a bag according to claim 14, the bag material being integral
in said lip portion providing a gusset inwardly relative to said
tunnel within said mouth, said gusset having a line of perforations
with intervening spaced narrow tear connections enabling opening of
the gusset for access into the bag by breaking said connections.
Description
This invention relates to novel draw band closure bags and a method
of making the same, and is particularly concerned with such bags
made entirely from sheet material.
Draw strings have generally required time-consuming threading or
lacing of cords through loops or grommet eyes, stapling, and the
like after the bags have been otherwise completed. These are costly
and generally prohibitively expensive procedures, especially when
low-cost throw-away bags are involved, such as may be supplied with
consumer products in retail markets, and particularly impractical
for bags made from material having the pliability and heat-sealing
qualities of plastic sheet material of the film type. Customarily
the draw strings have been made of different kinds of materials
from the material of the bags, and generally of a cord structure.
Such draw strings cannot be incorporated with the bags during
continuous process manufacture from thermoplastic material
employing the usual techniques of heat-sealing (including, but not
limited to, heated reciprocating die or roller sealing, so-called
electric welding, hot wire or wheel cut-off and sealing).
Non-plastic materials will not respond to and will interfere with
heat-sealing.
Another disadvantage of equipping bags of the type normally packed
and shipped to the user in collapsed condition with cord-type draw
strings is that the draw strings interfere with compact bundling
when packaging for storing and shipping.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other
disadvantages, short-comings, inefficiencies and problems are
overcome by providing a new and improved, economical draw band
closure bag and method of making the same wherein both the bag and
the draw band are of sheet material.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved
draw band closure bag made from pliable sheet material and having a
flat draw band comprising only flexible sheet material incorporated
therewith in a continuous high-speed production method of
manufacture.
A further object of the invention is to provide a draw band closure
bag in which the materials of the bag and of the draw band are
thermoplastic and adapted to respond with equal efficiency to
heat-sealing techniques.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and
improved method of making draw band closure bags and adapted to be
practiced with utmost economy utilizing high-speed continuous mass
production apparatus.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and
improved method of making draw band closure bags with both the bag
material and the draw band material in sheet strip form fed from
rolls, assembled and joined, completely avoiding any hand assembly
operations, but resulting in complete, ready-to-use bags as
delivered from an automatic high-speed, continuous production
line.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and
improved draw band closure bag which is flat in collapsed condition
and enables compact bundling for storage and shipment.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will be readily apparent from the following description of certain
preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be
effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel
concepts of the disclosure, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmental side elevational view of a draw band closure
bag embodying features of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail view taken
substantially along the line II--II of FIG. 1, and for illustrative
purposes showing the walls of the bag spread apart from the normal
flat condition;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bag showing it after the
draw bands have drawn the area about the month of the bag into
puckered, mouth-closing relation;
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional detail view similar to FIG. 2 but
showing a slight modification;
FIG. 5 is a fragmental schematic view illustrating steps in a
method of making draw band closure bags of the type shown in FIG.
1, but which may readily be adapted to produce the herein
disclosure and other modifications;
FIG. 6 is a fragmental side elevational view of a further modified
form of draw band closure bag embodying features of the
invention;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional detail view
taken substantially along the line VII--VII of FIG. 6 and showing
the walls of the bag spread apart from the normal flat
condition;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing one manner of
closing the bag after filling; and
FIG. 9 is a plan view looking into the mouth of the bag, shown as
filled and demonstrating how access may be gained thereinto.
On reference to FIGS. 1,2 and 3, a bag 10 of generally single ply
construction is depicted embodying features of the invention in a
construction especially adapted to be made from flexibly pliable
plastic film or sheet material. To this end, the bag 10 has
respective wall panels 11, in this instance joined along a bottom
fold 12 where the body of the bag is made from a single sheet of
the pliable material, but which may be a heat-seal seam if the wall
panels 11 are joined along a side fold or made from separate sheets
of material. To complete the pocket provided by the bag, opposite
side heat-seal seams 13 join the walls 11 from the bottom fold 12
to and inclusive of a lip portion about an openable mouth 14 at the
top of the bag. If preferred, the bag could be made with only one
side seam 13, while the opposite side may be a fold.
According to the present invention, a draw band 15 of flat flexible
strip sheet material is provided in the lip portion of the bag
which comprises a flat tunnel 16 conveniently formed by folding
over upper end portion flanges 17 of the respective wall panels 11
to either the outer or inner sides thereof and securing the free
end portions of the flanges as by means of respective heat-seals 18
to neck areas of the associated wall panels. If preferred, of
course, the flanges 17 may be separate sheet material strips
secured both along upper and lower edges to the wall panels.
Although the draw band 15 may be a single strip, it is preferably
of dual strip construction comprising coplanar and coextensive
sections 15.sup.a and 15.sup.b. For manufacturing convenience, the
draw band sections are supplied and incorporated with the bag in
the form of a unitary strip of twice the width of the respective
sections partially separated and connected at their contiguous
edges by spaced tear connections 19 separated by elongated
perforation or nicks 20. Through this arrangement, the sections
15.sup.a and 15.sup.b can be readily separated by pulling them in
respectively opposite directions.
To enable pulling the draw band sections from the tunnel 16,
respective openings 21 and 22 are provided at the respectively
opposite sides of the lip portion of the bag, and more particularly
at the side seams 13. In each instance these openings are large
enough to enable grasping of the accessible portion of the
associated draw band section between the thumb and forefinger for
pulling it out of the tunnel. In respect to the opening 21 a
limited area 23 of the respective wall panels 11 and adjacent parts
of the flanges 17 aligned with the upper draw band sections
15.sup.a at one of the side seams 13 and the adjacent top edge of
the lip portion is at least partially separated as by incising,
perforating or nicking and for convenience is attached at small
tear point connections 24 to the wall panels and flanges so as to
be separable therefrom on pulling the draw band section out through
the opening 21. Similarly, the opening 22 is provided in alignment
with and of a size to permit pulling of the lower draw band section
15.sup.b therethrough and is formed by at least partial separation
of an area 25 from the wall panels 11 and the flanges 17, with tear
separable small connections 27 between the separable area and the
panels and flanges.
By having the draw band 15 constructed of plastic material adapted
to be heat-sealed and cut off by the same mechanism and coincident
with and fusible to the bag material, such as both materials being
polyethylene sheet, the draw band is adapted to be secured in
heat-sealed relation to the material of the bag defining the tunnel
16. More particularly, the draw band material in the tunnel
portions 16 of both of the panels 11 is heat-sealed into and to the
panels in the side seams 13. This also heat-seals together the
contiguous ends of the draw band material at the seams to provide a
draw band structure which, in effect, entirely encompasses the
mouth of the bag. Thereby, in each instance, the respective draw
band sections are secured at one side of the bag fixedly in the
seam 13 while the seam 13 which extends across the draw band
material at the opposite side of the bag secures the draw band
material together to complete the draw band. In order to retain the
draw band 15 in place while the material of the bag is manipulated
into bag form and until the side heat-sealed seams 13 are made and
the material cut from a continuous sheet, respective tacking seals
28 are desirably impressed across the band to secure it to the bag
material adjacent to the seams 13, such tacking 28 also serving as
auxiliary securing means for the draw band sections in the
completed bag.
As thus constructed, the bag 10 is adapted to lie flat, inclusive
of the built-in draw band, which facilitates packing in quantity
for storage and shipment. There are no tag ends of draw band
projecting from the neck of the bag and there are no loops or
exposed portions of the draw band which may be caught or snagged on
one another or other objects. When it is desired to close the bag,
the pre-perforated areas 23 and 25 are grasped between thumb and
forefinger of the opposite hands and then by pulling laterally
thereon such areas are separated from the bag material and the draw
band sections are separated from one another and are pulled out of
the respective openings 21 and 22 while the opposite anchored
portions of the draw bands draw the bag neck into puckered bag
mouth closing relation on the other respective draw band section in
each instance, as shown in FIG. 3. The draw band loops may then be
used as carrying handles. To open the bag, the anchored portions of
the draw band sections are grasped and pulled apart, thus drawing
the draw band sections back into the tunnel 16.
In a double ply draw band closure bag 10' as shown in FIG. 4,
details of structure may be substantially the same as for the bag
10 and are identified by primed reference numerals with the
description applying thereto with equal force and effect. In making
the double ply bag, the principal difference resides in that there
is a double wall panel 17' parallel to the wall panel 11' in each
instance, instead of merely a turned over upper marginal flange or
a tunnel-forming flange portion as in the bag 10. The panels 11'
and 17' are secured together at the bottom seam 12' to complete the
closed bottom of the bag. While, as shown, the wall panels 11' and
17' are of integral construction folded over at the top of the bag,
they may be separate pieces if preferred, or both of the wall
panels 11' may be in one folded piece while the remaining panels
17' are separate pieces or another folded piece and all secured
together at the top and bottom of the bag, or any other initial
arrangement of the panel material, but in which the bag as
completed will have the same characteristics as the bag 10 except
that the tunnels 16' will be part of the between-panel area of the
double ply structure.
By way of example, and to illustrate the simplicity and efficiency
of a method by which draw string bags according to the present
invention may be made, reference may be had to FIG. 5. Thus,
thermoplastic pliable sheet material is fed from a roll 29
supplying a web of the desired width and which if it is to provide
bags according to the specific structure of FIGS. 1 and 2 is wide
enough for the entire material of the bag body. As a first step,
the tunnel openings 21 and 22 are outlined at the proper places in
the respective opposite margins of the web by incising, perforating
or nicking about the areas 23 and 25, respectively, to partially
separate the same but to retain these areas in place by means of
the tear away connections 24 and 27 so as to facilitate subsequent
manipulation of the material. In order to accommodate the double
ply construction of the lip tunnel and the dual draw band sections,
the area 23 of the opening 21 is of twice the width of the draw
band sections and is located to be bisected by the bag mouth fold
line. Since the opening 22 is spaced from the fold line, two areas
25 for the opening 22 are nicked in transverse alignment
equidistantly spaced from the fold line so as to be matched when
the margin of the sheet is folded to provide the bag lip tunnel.
Further, each of the tunnel opening areas 23 and 25 is initially
formed to be twice as long as in the final bag assembly and located
to be bisected by the respective side seams when the bags are
subsequently severed from the web. Of course, if only a single
section draw band is to be incorporated with the bags, only the
tunnel opening areas 23 need be nicked, since only one tunnel
opening will be needed in one upper corner of the bag instead of
two such openings at the opposite sides of the bag, one at the
upper corner and one spaced from the upper corner in accordance
with the dual section draw band construction exemplified
herein.
Material for the draw band 15 is desirably of heavier gauge
flexible plastic or plastic-coated material heavier in gauge than
the material from which the bag body is made so as to provide a
strong band or bands to pull the bag closed or opened and to
provide a carry loop-handle. For each of the subsequently joined
lip tunnel portions of the bag a strip of draw band material is
supplied from a roll 30 for each of the draw band sections, if
preferred, but in a desirable arrangement is supplied from a single
roll for the draw band 15 having the separable sections, with the
strip sheet material either pre-nicked in the roll, or nicked to
provide the partial separation 20 as fed from the roll and before
laminating the strip with the bag body web material and with the
partially separated sections 15.sup.a and 15.sup.b properly
registered on the nicked areas 23 and 25. Then the marginal flange
17 is folded over across the draw band strip 15 and heat-sealed
along the line 18 to the bag body web. Coincident with the
heat-sealing 18, or separately, a spaced pair of the transverse
tacking heat-seals 28 is effected across the draw band strip at
each of the nicked areas 23 and 25. The bag web is then folded upon
itself to bring the folded-over tunnel margins into registering
face-to-face relation, and the thus folded material is heat-sealed
along transverse lines to provide the heat-seal seams 13 and
separation of the folded web into the individual bag units 10. Each
of the heat-seal seams and the cut-off is effected midway across
the respective double-length tunnel opening areas 23 and 25 so that
teach adjacent bag in the series will contain one-half of such area
with the aligned ends of its respective draw band portions sealed
together. As thus finished, the bags 10 are adapted to be packed
flatwise one on the other for storage or shipment.
On reference to FIGS. 6-9, a modified arrangement of a draw band
closure bag 10" is shown which is similar to the bag 10 of FIGS.
1-3 but is constructed and arranged to be supplied in a form to be
loaded through an open bottom and then closed to provide a fully
closed and if desired thoroughly sealed package. To the extent that
there is identity or substantial and at least functional similarity
of elements in the bag 10" double-primed reference numerals
corresponding to the reference numerals applied in FIGS. 1-3 have
been used and it will be understood that description of those
elements thus identified will be the same as for the corresponding
elements in the bag 10, if no specific mention is made as to any
double-primed elements. It will be observed that the bag 10" has
side walls 11" of film plastic, side heat-seal seams 13", a top
mouth 14", a draw band structure 15" having sections 15a" and 15b"
initially connected along spaced tear connections 19" separated by
elongated perforations or nicks 20" and with the sections adapted
to be separated and withdrawn through respective openings 21" and
22" at neck areas 23" and 25", respectively, there being respective
tear connections 24" and 27" connecting the separable area.
As will be observed, the flanges 17" which with the lip portions of
the wall panels 11" provide the tunnels 16" by securement to the
wall panels along the heat-seals 18", are in this instance both
inside the bag assembly and are joined together along a joint 35.
Through this arrangement, the mouth 14" is closed by the joined
flanges 17" inwardly from the seals 18" by what is in effect a
gusset 37. While the joint 35 may be simply a fold, it may, if
preferred, be a heat-seal seam. Further, the joint 35 may be
imperforate where an airtight package is desired. When it is
desired to gain access to contents within the bag, the gusset 37 is
punctured, torn, cu, or otherwise opened, substantially as
indicated in FIG. 9 wherein the gusset is shown illustratively as
partially open. To facilitate opening the gusset 37, where
airtightness is not a factor, the joint 35 may be partially
separated or perforated such as by means of elongated perforations
or nicks 38 with intervening, spaced narrow tear connections 39.
Thereby on separating the opposite sides of the neck or lip
portions of the bag and pulling the flanges 17" away from each
other, the joint will open, and this can be effected with a
generally snap action by proper manipulation. After the bag has
been thus opened and contents partially removed, the mouth of the
bag can be readily closed by manipulating the draw band 15" in
substantially the same manner as described in respect to FIGS. 1-3,
that is by grasping the draw band sections 15a" and 15b" at the
opening areas 23" and 25" and pulling outwardly to pucker the lips
of the bag mouth closed. This not only facilitates handling the bag
through the handles thus provided by the pulled out draw band
sections, but also closes the bag to protect the remaining contents
therein.
In a desirable arrangement enabling automatic or semi-automatic
loading of contents to be packaged within the bag 10", the end of
the bag opposite to the mouth 14" is desirably left open, as
indicated at 40 in FIG. 6, to receive the contents. For easy access
into the open end 40, one of the panels 11" be extended beyond the
other of such panels to provide a tab 41 which may be folded over
the shorter panel 11" and sealed thereto for closing the bag or may
be separable along a perforated line 42 before or after closing the
bag. Where the bag is to be used on a blower type loading machine,
the tab 41 may be provided with suitably spaced wicket holes 43.
After the bag has been filled the open end 40 may be closed by hot
wire or die seal or the adjacent end portion of the bag may be
gathered together and secured as by means of a clip, or wire or
tape or cord tie 44 (FIG. 8). Bags of this type are especially
suitable for packaging bakery products such as bread, rolls,
cookies, and the like.
* * * * *