Method of manufacturing carrier web zipper for gusset bags
A method of forming carrier web having discrete lengths of mating zipper profile thereon. The zipper profile is fed from a supply roll to overlie a carrier web, tacked to the web and then severed from its supply roll.
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This invention is relates to methods of manufacturing carrier webs bearing zipper profile for use in making reclosable zipper bags with gusseted sides.
Heretofore reclosable plastic bags with gusseted sides have been made from plastic sheet having essentially uniform thickness for the front, rear and side walls including the gusset areas. While such side gusset bags featuring zippers have been produced, they have never provided a bag that could be opened to the full width of the gusset and also be fully closed by the zipper. In copending application Ser. No. ______, filed Aug. 25, 2000, entitled GUSSETED ZIPPER BAG, a reclosable bag with gusseted sides which overcomes the above mentioned problem is disclosed. This bag makes use of a carrier web bearing discrete sections of zipper profile.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention concerns a new method of manufacturing carrier web bearing discrete sections of zipper profile for use in the manufacture of such gusseted zipper bags. One object is to produce for gusseted zipper bags a carrier web bearing intermittent zipper segments where the gusseted area to be captured by the mated zipper elements is thinner than the original bag film. A further object is to attach these mating zipper profile elements to the carrier web while maintaining the flanges of the mating elements separate and unsealed from each other.
The new method provides for discrete zipper sections to be attached to a carrier web at predetermined intervals lengthwise along the carrier web, which zipper sections may be mating profile elements or may comprise a unisexual element that is folded such that one part releasably engages the other part.
The disclosure further includes a method of folding these elements along the longitudinal axis of the carrier strip to provided mated zipper profiles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In
Beginning at the drum 11, the zipper drive delivers zipper 12 to cutting station 14 for cutting a segment or length of zipper profile. Adjacent drum 11 and below the cutting station is drum 16 on which is wound a supply of lower carrier web 17 in the form of a continuous plastic strip.
This lower carrier web 17 is fed to underlie the segment of zipper profile, and at station 18 the cut off segment of profile is tack sealed by sealer 19 to the carrier web. Next is drum 20 from which unwinds upper carrier web 21 which is fed to bar seal station 22 where the mating portions of the zipper are joined to the upper and lower carrier webs respectively. Next downstream is further seal station 24 (to be described later), and finally carrier web drive 26 pulls the zipper/carrier web combination 27 and directs it onto take-up spool 28 for future use in the manufacture of gusseted bags.
Zipper drive 13 delivers zipper profile to the area 18 where tack seal 19 tacks the profile to lower carrier web 17, and knife 15 cooperating with anvil 29 severs the trailing end of a segment of zipper profile from the front end of the following segment. The lower carrier web then moves the zipper profile segment further downstream to station 22 where upper carrier web 21 delivered from drum 20, is positioned to overlie said zipper segment along with the lower carrier web below it, all of which is now situated between seal bars 32 and 35 at station 22.
The bar seal station 22 is further illustrated in
As evident, when the seal bars 32, 35 converge, upper carrier web 21 becomes sealed to male zipper flange 33 and lower carrier web 17 becomes sealed to flange 34 of female zipper, while the two flanges 33, 34 remain separated from each other because of the guide plate between them, which prevents them from being sealed together. In addition seal bars 32 and 34 are notched in the areas of the male and female profiles so as to prevent any accidental sealing of the profiles to each other. Downstream from seal station 22 is carrier web drive 26 which pulls the resulting carrier web 27 comprising continuous webs 17 and 21 with the intermittently spaced zipper elements, where the male and female profile elements are releasably interlocked together, and the male and female elements respectively are permanently joined respectively to the upper and lower carrier webs 21, 17.
For the sake of clarity and simplicity,
Downstream of drum 11 in
Upon complete folding, as schematically seen in
At the end of this folding phase a cutting element 47 slices the lower carrier web 17 and zipper flanges lengthwise so that the zipper's upper element 44 and lower element 45 are fully separated. After the cutting element 47, a sealing station 49 seal across the carrier webs at a point half way between zipper element sections. Downstream of this slicing phase is a final carrier web drive 48 which pulls the manufactured zipper product and feeds it to a spool for later combination with bag material.
Claims
1-3. (canceled)
4. A method of forming a carrier web assembly with axially spaced discrete sections of zipper profile thereon, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a zipper having mated profiles with one of said profiles above the other of said profiles so as to provide lower and upper profiles;
- b) cutting a first discrete length of said zipper, and at a first station applying said lower one of said profiles of said first discrete length of zipper to a first carrier web;
- c) moving said first carrier web with said applied zipper to a second station and applying a second carrier web onto the upper one of said profiles; and
- d) sealing said lower one of said profiles to said first carrier web and said upper one of said profiles to said second carrier web.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said mated zipper profiles each has a flange and said flanges overlie and are adjacent to each other, and further comprising the step of maintaining said two flanges apart from each other while said zipper profiles are sealed to said first and second carrier webs respectively.
6. A method according to claim 5 comprising the further step of separating said two flanges from each other before either is sealed to either of said carrier webs.
7. A method according to claim 5 comprising wherein said lower and upper profile flanges are sealed respectively to said first and second carrier webs at substantially the same time.
8. A method of forming a carrier web assembly with axially spaced discrete sections of zipper profile thereon comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a carrier web,
- b) providing a zipper element having a plurality of mating profile elements extending transversely there across,
- c) cutting a discrete length of said zipper,
- d) sealing said discrete length of zipper to said carrier web,
- e) folding said carrier webs with attached zipper along a longitudinal axis approximately 180° forming first and second parts thereof, with said profile elements on said first part releasably engaging said profile elements on said second part.
9. A method in accordance with claim 8 comprising the further steps of slicing said carrier web and zipper elements along a longitudinal line to sever said first part from said second part.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 13, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 2, 2005
Applicant:
Inventor: Steven Ausnit (New York, NY)
Application Number: 11/010,689