Pinch bottom bag with easy open feature

Details Pinch bottom bag with easy open feature Pinch bottom bag with easy open feature

1999-12-08

2001-12-11

Pascua, Jes F. (Department: 3727)

Flexible bags

Bag having means to facilitate opening it by severing bag...

Including a separate tearing element which is gripped and...

C383S085000, C383S109000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06328471

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates in general to multiwall pinch bottom bags, of the type, which are typically fabricated as a tube formed from one or more paper plies.
2. Background Of the Invention
Multiwall bags, fabricated as tubes formed from a plurality of paper plies, are known. Typically, the ends of the tubes are cut, so that when the end or ends of the bag are flattened, the plies of the bag, on both sides of the mouth opening of the bag, are provided with steps. The stepped-end cut pattern creates a closure flap on one side (the “high” side) of the mouth opening of the bag. The side of the bag on the opposite side of the mouth opening is the “short” side. Closure of the bag is typically accomplished by applying adhesive (e.g., hot melt or sonically activatable adhesive) to the outer surface of the short side of the bag. In addition to, or alternative to, providing adhesive on the face of the bag, adhesive may be applied to the inside surface of the closure flap. When the closure flap is folded over the mouth opening of the bag, preferably, the stepped plies of the flap substantially align with and overlie correspondingly cut steps in the bag plies on the face of the bag on the short side of the mouth opening.
Closing the bag by simply folding and adhesively affixing the flap provides the pointed, pinch bottom closure. The opposite end of the bag may be likewise provided with a pinch bottom closure, or it may be closed and sealed in a different configuration, such as a diamond- or rectangular configuration, so that the pinch “bottom” may actually be the top of the bag, as may be found commonly in bags containing dry granular material, like dog food or cat litter.
In addition to having paper plies, one or more plies, typically the innermost one or more plies, may be fabricated from a thin plastic material, or may be coated with a resinous material, to provide a degree of moisture resistance to the finished bag.
While the bag may be formed initially as a simple flattened tube, with folded closure flaps, pinch bottom bags are also known, in which typically both sides of the bag are gusseted, so that there are inward V-folds at each side of the bag, prior to folding the closure flap. Often, because of the stepped-end cutting of the bag plies, in the region of the gussets, the bag material extends beyond the topmost edge of the innermost ply of bag material on the “short” side of the mouth opening, so that in folding over and affixing the closure flap, the tops of the gussets are likewise folded over and captured by the closure flap. Such a prior art gusseted pinch bottom bag is disclosed in Goodrich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,850.
When such a bag is closed and sealed, the folded over closure is typically quite strong, and requires cutting of the bag plies, below the folded over and sealed closure, in order to gain access to the contents of the bag.
In order to facilitate opening of such bag structures, multiwall bag structures are known that incorporate tear structures that may be formed by extended perforations, usually in parallel pairs, through one or more plies of the bag, or by providing ripcord structures that are embedded in the bag plies, that lead to pull tabs, that extend to the outer surface of the bag. Such prior art bag opening structures are disclosed in such references as EP 0 596 747 A1; Rodkey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,424; Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,535; Brady et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,955; Vogt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,264; Robinson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,385; Jacobs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,654; Lepisto et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,445; and Thrall, U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,027.
Whether opened by the simple expediency of a cutting or piercing implement, or whether opened through a prior art opening mechanism such as those disclosed in the aforementioned references, typically, opening of the bag either requires substantial effort and/or results in a ragged opening that may include opening the entire mouth of the bag. When the contents of such an opened bag are poured out, because the entire mouth has been opened there is little control over the contents, and undesired spilling of the contents may occur.
It would be desirable to provide a multiwall bag formed from one or more plies of bag material, of which at least the outermost ply or plies is/are formed from paper, that has an easy open feature, to enable facilitated access to the contents of the bag, without requiring the use of a cutting or piercing implement.
It would also be desirable to provide a multiwall bag, such as a pinch bottom closure bag, that is provided with a secure closure, but which is also provided with an easy open feature, which creates a controlled opening of only a portion of the mouth of the bag, for controlled dispensing of the contents of the bag.
These and other desirable features of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present description, claims and drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a bag apparatus for the containment of material. The bag apparatus comprises a tubular bag body fabricated from at least one ply of material. The tubular bag body has a longitudinal axis. The tubular bag body further has at least one end configured to form an elongated mouth opening and having first and second opposing sides adjacent the mouth.
The at least one ply of the tubular bag body at the at least one end is step cut, to define a long step, on one side of the elongated mouth opening, of at least one ply extending above the elongated mouth opening, and a short step, on the opposite side of the elongated mouth opening, of at least one ply extending substantially below the mouth opening.
A portion of at least one of the at least one ply of the long step is operably configured to be folded across the mouth and over and against at least a portion of an outer surface of at least one of the at least one ply of the short step, for enabling sealing of at least a portion of the long step to the short step, following application of an adhesive material to exposed surfaces of at least one of the long step and the short step.
A tab portion is disposed in at least one of the at least one ply in the short step, extending from a side edge of the tubular bag body across a portion of the width of the tubular bag body and terminating in an inner longitudinal edge, the tab portion further extending longitudinally beyond the mouth opening, to overlie a portion of at least one of the at least one ply of the long step, so that upon the application of adhesive material to at least one of the exposed surfaces of the long step and the short step, the tab portion shields a portion of an inner surface of the long step from the adhesive material.
A longitudinally extending cut is disposed in the at least one ply of the long step that has been shielded from adhesive, at a transverse position proximate the inner longitudinal edge, to enable the outer at least one ply of the long step to be torn, in a direction from the longitudinally extending cut, toward the side edge of the tubular bag body, to expose a portion of the mouth opening of the bag to, in turn, create a spout at said side edge of the tubular bag body.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the tubular bag body is fabricated from at least two plies of material, the long step is defined by at least two plies extending above the elongated mouth opening, and the short step is defined by at least two plies extending substantially below the mouth opening.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tubular bag body is formed from at least three plies of material. The long step is formed by at least three plies of material, and the tab portion shields portions of at least two plies of material in the long step. In this embodiment, a longitudinally extending cut is disposed in each of the at least two plies of material in the long step that are shielded from adhesive; and the two longitudinally extending cuts are transversely spaced from one another. The longitudi

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