Bag and closure

Abstract

A disposable bag formed of thin plastic film and having an accompanying closure therefore also formed of plastic film; the bag being formed with a single pair of openings adjacent the mouth thereof, the closure comprising a pair of tieing strips anchored at one end thereof to the bag, the free ends of the tieing strips being insertable through the openings for manipulation to effect a constriction of the mouth portion of the bag and to permit such free ends to be tied together.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plastic film bags in disposable form are in common usage. However, since such bags are of the open mouth type, suitable constricting means must be provided to form a closure for the bags. Various closure means are in use and in most cases, such closure means are initially separable from the bags, which presents a number of problems in respect to keeping an adquate supply on hand, storing the same, and making the same readily available when needed.

Further, known closure means frictionally grip the mouth of the bag in its constricted condition. The smoothness of the plastic film from which the bag is formed, frequently results in slippage of the closure means and ultimate separation thereof from the bags.

Applicant has devised a combination bag and closure set forth in pending application Ser. No. 133,249, filed Apr. 12, l971,how U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,182, closure means accompanies the bags and positively engages the mouth thereof in a manner to avoid any possibility of separation of the closure means from the bag.

The instant invention represents an improvement on the construction set forth in said pending application Ser. No. 133,249.

Thus, an object of this invention is to provide an improved plastic film bag having an accompanying closure means of plastic film; the details of construction of the bag and the closure means being such as to vastly simplify the manipulation of the closure means when the mouth of the bag is to be constricted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bag of the character described, wherein the closure means takes the form of a narrow strip pf plastic film; such strip being separable into a pair of tieing portions. The bag is formed with a single pair of aligned openings to pass the free ends of the tieing portions to thereby effect a constriction of the mouth of the bag and to provide tieing means for positively retaining the bag in its closed condition.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved disposable bag of the character described; wherein the tieing strip portions are altogether free of the bag except outer end portions thereof which are anchored to one or both panels forming the bag.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a bag of the character described, wherein the strip of plastic film is integral with one of the bag panels but is separable therefrom to provide a pair of anchored tieing strip portions; the free ends being readily passed through the aligned openings in the panels to (1 ) constrict the mouth of the bag, and (2 ) provide suitable tieing means to retain the constricted condition of the mouth of the bag.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide plastic film bag of the character described, wherein the pair of tieing portions are suitably defined by lines of perforations which permits easy and quick separation of the tieing portions from the bag panels, yet leaving outer end portions of the tieing portions anchored to the bag panels.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bag an closure embodying the invention;

FiG. 2 is a plan view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing another embodiment of the invention;

FiG. 3 is a plan view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing still another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The instant invention is essentially directed to plastic film bags of the disposable type; wherein closure means accompanies the bags; such closure means also being formed of plastic film to thereby minimize the weight and bulk of the closure means; the closure means taking the form of a pair of flat tieing strips anchored at one end thereof on the bag; the free ends of the tieing strips being passed through a single pair of registereing openings in the bag panels to allow for easy and quick manipulation to constrict the mouth of the bag.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, 10 designates a bag embodying the invention. The same comprises a pair of opposed plastic film panels 11, 12. The panels 11, 12 are secured together as by cut seaming along side edges 13 and bottom edges 14. Alternatively, such bag structure may be derived from plastic film in tubular form, in a manner known in the art.

The bag 10 is formed with a single pair of centrally located openings 15 in panels 11, 12; said openings being in registering relation and being disposed beneath the unsecured top edges 20, 21 of panels 11, 12, which form the mouth of the bag.

Closure means is provided for the bag 10, in the form of a pair of tieing strips 16, 17 which are formed of plastic film of suitable gauge. Strips 16, 17 are anchored at their outer ends 18, 19 respectively, to the side edges 13 of the bag panels, as by heat seaming or the like. The top edges 16', 17' may coincide with the top edges 20, 21 of panels 11, 12. Thus the strips 16, 17 are free of the panels 11, 12, except at the end edges 18, 19; and the inner end edges 16A, 17A thereof lie adjacent each other.

It will be apparent that when bag 10 is filled; the closure of the same is readily effected. Thus, the strip portions 16, 17 have their free ends passed through registering openings 15 from one side of the bag to the other side of the bag. This pulling of the strip pirtions 16, 17 will result in a constriction of the mouth of the bag at edges 20, 21. The free ends of the strip portions 16, 17 may then be tied together, to thereby positively close the constricted mouth portions.

In FIG. 2, the bag 10B is similar to bag 10 in that it also comprises opposed plastic film panels 11, 12, secured together at side edges 13 and bottom edges 14. Also, panels 11, 12 are formed with centrally disposed, registering openings 15 located below the top edges 20, 21 of panels 11, 12.

Closure means for bag 10B is provided in the form of a pair of flat tieing strips 16B, 17B which form a portion of panel 12. The strips 16B, 17B are defined by horizontal perforations 22 at the juncture of strips 16B, 17B and panel 12; said strips 16B, 17B being anchored at their outer ends 18A, 19A to the side edges 13 of panels 11, 12.

A short vertical line of perforations 20A allow division of the strips 16B, 17B while separating the same from panel 12. The top edges of strips 16B, 17B will thus coincide with the top edges of panel 12, as at 22.

When bag 10B is filed, strips 16B, 17B are split at perforations 20A and separated along perforation line 22, to provide tieing means which may be inserted through registering openings 15 to constrict the mouth of the bag and to be tied together, as previously described.

In FIG. 3, the bag 10C is also similar to bag 10, shown in FIG. 1, being formed of plastic film panels 11, 12 heat sealed together along side edges 13 and bottom edges 14. The tieing means indicated at 25 comprises strip portions 26, 28 extending above the top edge of panel 12. Strip portions 26, 28 form part of panel 11 and are defined by horizontal perforations 27, 29 at the juncture of strips 26, 28 with panel 11. The strips 27, 29 are centrally split by a vertical line of perforations 30 to thereby define free end edges 31, 32 on said strips 26, 28. The horizontal lines of perforations 27, 29 extend toward side edges 13 of panels 11, 12, but terminate about 2 inches from said side edges 11, 12, as at 33, 34. Thus the strips 26, 28 are anchored at their outer ends to panel 11, yet leaving the free ends of strips 26, 28 for insertion into registering openings 15 to constrict the mouth of the bag 10C, as described above. The free ends of the strips 26, 28 may then be tied together to form a closure for the bag.

It is understood that the panels and strips forming bags 10, 10B and 10C may be formed from suitable extruded plastic film such as polyethylene, polypropylyne, polyvinyl chloride and the like. The films may be used in suitable gauges to suit the size and contents of the bags.

With but a single pair of registering openings in the mouth portion of the bags, threading the tieing strip portions is simplified and speeds up the closing operation.

Claims

I claim:

1. A bag comprising opposed plastic film panels, said panels being interconnected at their bottom and side edges, the unconnected top edges of said panels providing a mouth portion, each of said panels being formed with a single opening adjacent the mouth portion of said bag, said openings being in alignment with each other and being disposed intermediate the side edges of said panels, tieing means for the mouth portion of said bag, said tieing means comprising a strip, said strip comprising a pair of strip portions in end to end relation to each other, said strip being disposed adjacent one of said panels at the mouth portion of the bag, said strip being integral with said one panel, said strip overlying the outer surface of said one panel, a horizontal line of perforations defining the juncture of the top edge of said strip and said one panel, said strip being separable along a vertical line of perforations in said strip at a point intermediate the ends thereof to form said pair of strip portions, each having a free end, one free end of one strip portion being in opposed relation to one free end of the other strip portion, the said free ends of said strip portions being insertable through the aligned openings in said panels and drawn in a direction to constrict the mouth portion of the bag, the one free end of the one strip portion being tieable to the one free end of the other strip portion to provide a tied closure for the constricted mouth portion of the bag.

2. A bag comprising opposed plastic film panels, said panels being interconnected at their bottom and side edges, the unconnected top edges of said panels providing a mouth portion, each of said panels being formed with a single opening adjacent the mouth portion of the bag, said openings being in alignment with each other and being disposed intermediate the side edges of said panels, tieing means for the mouth portion of the bag, said tieing means comprising a strip, said strip comprising a pair of strip portions in end to end relation to each other, said strip being disposed adjacent one of said panels at the mouth portion of the bag, said strip being integral with one of said panels, said strip being disposed above the top edge of the other of said panels, the juncture of said strip and said one panel being defined by a horizontal line of perforations extending at their outer ends to points apaced inwardly of the side edges of the bag, said strip being formed with a vertical line of perforations to thereby provide said pair of strip portions, one end of one strip portion being in opposed relation to one end of the other strip portion, said ends of said strip portions being insertable through the aligned openings in said panels and drawn in a direction to constrict the mouth portion of the bag, after said strip is severed along said line of perforations said ends of said strip portions being tieable to each other to provide a tied closure for the constricted mouth portion of the bag.