Abstract: The closure device includes interlocking fastening strips and a slider. The ends of the fastening strips are heat sealed, melted or otherwise secured together. The fastening strips include a slit near the end of the fastening strips. The slit prevents the separator of the slider from deoccluding the fastening strips when the slider is at the occluded end. The slit allows the top edge of the fastening strips to bend around the separator while the fastening strips remain occluded.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an end stop for a thermoplastic bag having a reclosable fastener at the open top end of the bag. The end stop is configured to facilitate snap fit insertion onto the fastener strips. The end stop further include inwardly directed tab and shoulder structure that engage the reclosable fastener and prevent the end stop from being inadvertently pulled off in a transverse direction in order to hold the end stop in place prior to being bonded to the bag. In the case of the line production of thermoplastic bags wherein a continuous web of plastic material is moved from one station to the next, the invention allows for the positioning of the end stop onto the reclosable fastener at a first station and the bonding of the end stop to the bag at a second station.

Abstract: A closure device for a slider bag with a slider and an end stop operable to releasably latch the slider in the closed position and release the slider with minimal user applied force. The closure device includes first and second interlocking fastening strips arranged to be interlocked over a predetermined length. The slider is slidably disposed on the interlocking fastening strips for facilitating the occlusion and deocclusion of the fastening strips when moved towards first and second ends of the fastening strips. The first and second ends of the fastening strips are secured together and an end stop is provided to the first, closing end of the fastening strips. The end stop is provided with quick release latching structure engagable with cooperating latch-receiving structure provided to the mating or opening end of the slider to secure the slider when it is moved into engagement with the end stop at the closing end of the bag.

Abstract: A pet litter box assembly is provided having an open-ended base into which litter can be placed, a cover which can be latched upon the base in order to seal the base and a waste collecting member mounted within the cover at a position spaced from the underside of the cover. When waste and used litter deposited in the base needs to be separated from non-used litter placed in the base, the cover can be seated upon and latched to the base and the pet litter box assembly can be rotated to cause the contents of the base to flow onto the waste collecting member. The waste collecting member includes numerous filtering orifices that are sized to permit non-used litter granules to readily flow therethrough while waste and used litter is collected in the waste collecting member for disposal. The base and the cover have double-wall constructions and therefore each includes inner and outer wall portions.

Abstract: A disposable pet litter basin is disclosed. The basin includes a bottom and a first sidewall which forms the container for animal litter and a second sidewall spaced apart from the first sidewall by a plateau and trough. The plateau and trough increase the basin's ability to resist spillage of litter by providing increased strength and stability and by providing an area to receive spillage from the container for animal litter which is inside the litter basin. Further, the basin has an anti-tipping feature to stabilize the basin during use.

Abstract: The present invention features a high-speed registration system for the manufacture of plastic bags. The system has a registration apparatus that senses the leading and trailing edge of each sinusoidally-shaped tie pattern from a continuous web. Each sinusoidally-shaped tie is associated with an individual bag entity and, therefore, represents a midway point for each bag to be cut from the continuous web. The leading and trailing edge of each sinusoidally-shaped tie, therefore, is used to determine the center line of each bag. A plurality of center line determinations are averaged upstream of the sizing apparatus.

Abstract: A side-sealed bag with a closure device. The bag has a peripheral bead seal and an upper flat seal extending inwardly from the bead seal between the top and the closure elements and a lower flat seal extending inwardly from the bead seal between the bottom and the closure elements.