Abstract: The present invention generally relates to an extruded thermoplastic board having a light weight relative to its thickness, as well as enhanced mechanical strength relative to its weight. More specifically, the present invention relates to an extruded, thermoplastic board that is corrugated (e.g., a board containing internal ribs), that is both thick and light weight, and that has enhanced mechanical strength. The present invention is additionally directed to a process for preparing such a board.

Abstract: The present invention is an extruded hollow thermoplastic sheeting, which is made of a pair of flat and parallel sheets spaced apart and interconnected by extending ribs of shifted patterns, e.g. of a sigmoid pattern, is disclosed in this invention. The thermoplastic sheeting of the invention has stronger tear strength and balanced physical properties as compared to hollow thermoplastic sheeting with extending ribs of straight pattern of the same specification. The present invention also provides a method for production thereof, wherein a fixing and cooling assembly is oscillated relative to a die, or vice versa, to create the ribs of shifted patterns.

Abstract: An extruded hollow thermoplastic board, which includes a pair of flat and parallel sheets spaced apart and interconnected by extending ribs, generally has a plurality of depression bands in the areas where the flat sheets and extending ribs are joined. The bands, which negatively affect the surface flatness, are especially apparent for crystalline thermoplastic materials. A hollow thermoplastic board, which effectively reduces the depth of the depression bands by inclusion of locationally fixed gas pockets in the rib area during production, is disclosed in the present invention. The hollow thermoplastic board of the present invention substantially enhances the surface smoothness and is highly beneficial to applications such as printing, lamination and graphic art. The present invention also provides a method for production of the hollow thermoplastic boards of smooth surfaces.

Abstract: The present invention is an extruded, hollow, thermoplastic board which is made of a pair of flat and parallel sheets spaced apart and interconnected by extending ribs of shifted patterns, eg. of a sigmoid pattern, is disclosed in this invention. The thermoplastic sheeting of the invention has stronger tear strength and balanced physical properties as compared to hollow thermoplastic boards with extending ribs of straight pattern of the same specification. The present invention also provides a method for production thereof, wherein a fixing and cooling assembly is oscillated relative to a die, or vice versa, to create the ribs of shifted patterns.

Abstract: An extruded hollow thermoplastic board, which includes a pair of flat and parallel sheets spaced apart and interconnected by extending ribs, generally has a plurality of depression bands in the areas where the flat sheets and extending ribs are joined. The bands, which negatively affect the surface flatness, are especially apparent for crystalline thermoplastic materials. A hollow thermoplastic board, which effectively reduces the depth of the depression bands by inclusion of locationally fixed gas pockets in the rib area during production, is disclosed in the present invention. The hollow thermoplastic board of the present invention substantially enhances the surface smoothness and is highly beneficial to applications such as printing, lamination and graphic art. The present invention also provides a method for production of the hollow thermoplastic boards of smooth surfaces.

Abstract: A roll mounted T-shirt bag and dispensers for same are described. The bag is designed for fresh produce and includes front and rear panels, first and second side gussets, a bottom seam, a top seam and a U-shaped cutout forming an openable bag mouth and a pair of carrying handles. The bags are joined above and below the upper and lower seams at first and second perforation lines. The bags are wound onto a cylindrical core to form a compact roll. In a variant of the invention, the bags are folded inwardly from the side edges prior to rolling onto the core to form a more compact roll. Dispensers are described that are designed to hold the roll mounted bags in both folded and unfolded form. The dispensers include a separating tongue designed to engage the U-shaped cutout and permit the bags to be dispensed from the bottom of the bag roll. The dispensers are designed for mounting to either vertical or horizontal surfaces and function efficiently in very limited spaces.

Abstract: An adapter for use with dispensing racks having a central mounting hook and T-shirt style bags with tab openings providing a rupturable portion of the tab between the tab opening and the bag mouth is described. The adapter includes a hollow body with a cavity that is sized and shaped to fit frictionally over the central mounting hook. The body has a front surface, a top surface, a bottom surface, first and second side edges and a back surface. The back surface includes a vertically oriented tearing ridge. The adapter's cavity is fitted over the central mounting hook with the front surface facing a direction in which the support arms extend. When a pack of T-shirt style bags that have the tab opening with a rupturable portion mounted on the support arms with the tab openings of the bags placed over the adapter, the tearing ridge will serve to facilitate tearing the rupturable portion of the mounting tab as a bag is removed from the dispensing rack so that the mounting tab will remain attached to the bag.

Abstract: A pack of plastic shopping bags, each being in a rectangular configuration with a central opening below the upper edge to serve as both a means for mounting with other members of the pack on a forwardly and upwardly projecting support arm, and as a handle for the bag when removed from the support arm; and a method for making such bag packs to provide a stiff inner wall and a tacky outer wall for each bag, by co-extruding HMW HDPE of suggested ranges of density and melt index in a specified percentage of the total bag wall thickness with MLDPE of suggested ranges of density and melt index in the complementary percentage of the total wall thickness. The co-extruded tubing is flattened, subjected to corona treatment, may then receive printing and be gusseted, and thereafter cut transversely, sealed at one end of each cut blank, stacked and subjected to a die operation to cut the openings in all stacked blanks.

Abstract: A plastic T-shirt bag pack in which the outer walls of adjacent bags have been corona-treated and each bag is provided with a central rack mounting tab with a pair of angled lines coming together in an apex adjacent the upper edge of the central tab, the lines being readily severable when the tab is placed on the central mounting element of a conventional rack. At their opposite ends the lines are curled inwardly toward each other to prevent their tearing from propagating down into the bag walls. This may be further prevented by providing a sinusoidal cut below the lower extremities of the angled lines. The area between the apex and upper edge of the tab is provided with a tear start so that when the bag is pulled from the rack, the area is severed to permit removal of the tab with the bag. Appropriately disposed pressure points with the corona treatment above, enable the bags of the pack to be self-opening.

Abstract: A pack of registering plastic T-shirt bags in which the walls of each bag are provided with registering central tabs projecting into the bag mouth, the tabs each having a rack retainer mounting orifice comprising a lower transverse cut portion extending between points spaced inwardly from the side edges of the tab with one end of the cut portion curving back and upwardly to extend toward, but terminating before reaching, the upper edge of the tab; and the other end of the cut portion also curving back upwardly and terminating in a segment of the cut extending back parallel to the lower transverse portion for a distance less than half the extent of said latter portion; thereby, the tabs of the bags may be mounted on a rack retainer by passing the retainer through the lower transverse cut portion of the mounting orifice.

Abstract: A stack of plastic T-shirt bags and method of making the same wherein the bags of the stack have been subjected to two corona treatments to increase the adhesion between the back wall of each bag and the front wall of the next ensuing bag with a row of pressure points being provided at the base of the central mounting tab in order to enable each bag as it is pulled open on the rack arms to initiate opening of the next ensuing bag. The mounting tab is cut to provide not only a central mounting slit, but also with a wave-like cut below the mounting slit to enable the mounting tab to be torn for removal from the central mounting element without the tear extending down into the bag walls.