Pouch and closure for a pouch

Abstract

A pouch includes pouch walls and a pair of opposed closure strips attached to the pouch walls and which open and close the pouch. A slider is movable between first and second ends of the closure strips. Movement of the slider toward the first end opens the pouch and movement of the slider toward the second end closes the pouch. A plurality of indentations is formed in one of the closure strips, and the plurality of indentations is disposed only adjacent the second end.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

SEQUENTIAL LISTING

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to pouches, and more particularly, to reclosable pouches having sliders movable between ends of the pouch to open or close the pouch.

2. Description of the Background of the Invention

Cisek U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,872 shows in FIG. 1 thereof a pinch-and-seal pouch having closure elements with stepped deflections 126 therealong that provide a tactile sensation indicating opening and closing of the closure elements. Column 10, lines 5-15 describe teeth 306 and 307 (shown in FIGS. 14 and 15) that are used to form the stepped deflections 126, and further disclose that the configuration of and spacing between the teeth 306, 307 may be varied as desired to produce a desirable audible and tactile effect. Specifically, column 10, lines 10-12 disclose: “For example, it may be desired to have a soft clicking sound at the beginning of the pouch and a louder clicking sound at the closing end of the pouch.”

Dais et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,727 discloses a sliderless pouch having indentations formed in a male element of a zipper profile along the entire length thereof. The indentations provide a tactile indication felt by the user as the user opens and closes the pouch.

Herrington et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,764 discloses zipper strips 14 and 15 having protrusions 14p and 15p extending from outside surfaces of the zipper strips 14, 15. The protrusions 14p, 15p are adjacent a closing end of the strips 14, 15 (see FIG. 1). A slider includes notches 21n and 22n that receive the protrusions 15p, 14p when the slider is moved to the closing end. Column 4, lines 30-33 disclose that receipt of the protrusions 14p, 15p into the notches 21n, 22n provides an indication of pouch closure to the user.

Savicki U.S. 2004/0045134 discloses a seal 129 disposed underneath fastening strips 130, 131 at a closing end of the pouch. When a slider 132 is moved in a direction of an arrow 114 to close the pouch, a separator finger 133 of the slider 132 engages the seal 129 as seen in FIG. 7. Paragraph 35 discloses that passing the separator finger 133 over the seal 129 provides a tactile indication of pouch closure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a pouch includes pouch walls and a pair of opposed closure strips attached to the pouch walls and which open and close the pouch. A slider is movable between first and second ends of the closure strips. Movement of the slider toward the first end opens the pouch, and movement of the slider toward the second end closes the pouch. A plurality of indentations is formed in one of the closure strips. The plurality of indentations is disposed only adjacent the second end.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a pouch includes pouch walls and a pair of closure strips attached to the pouch walls which open and close the pouch. A slider is movable between first and second ends of the closure strips. Movement of the slider toward the first end opens the pouch, and movement of the slider toward the second end closes the pouch. A first plurality of indentations is disposed along the length of one of the closure strips and has a first characteristic. A second plurality of indentations is disposed in the one closure strip. The second plurality of indentations is disposed only adjacent the second end, and the second plurality of indentations has a second characteristic different than the first characteristic.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a closure for a pouch includes a first closure strip having a first profile and a plurality of indentation segments. The segments are spaced apart from one another by at least about three inches. Each of the segments includes indentations. A second closure strip has a second profile interlockable with the first profile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a pouch with a slider thereon illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the pouch of FIG. 1 wherein the pouch is closed;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken generally along the lines 3A-3A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3A but showing another embodiment of indentations;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a pouch incorporating a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the lines 4A-4A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken generally along the lines 4B-4B of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a roll of closure material incorporating the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a pouch 20 includes opposed walls 22, 24 sealed along edges 26 and 28. The walls 22, 24 are integral with one another at a bottom edge 30, or alternatively, are sealed to one another at such location. The walls 22, 24 define a mouth 31 therebetween. Movement of a slider 32 along opposed closure profile strips 34, 36 in the direction of an arrow C from a first end 38 to a second end 40 closes the mouth 31 of the pouch. In this regard, the slider 32 includes opposed wall portions 42a, 42b that pinch and thereby interlock profiles 44, 46 of the strips 34, 36 together as is well known in the art. Movement of the slider 32 in the direction of an arrow O opens the pouch. In this regard, a separator finger 48 of the slider 32 separates the profiles 44, 46 during movement in the direction of the arrow O.

Suitable end stops 49 are provided at the ends 38, 40 of the pouch 20, wherein the end stops 49 prevent the slider 32 from sliding off the ends 38, 40 of the pouch 20. The end stops 49 may be regions of the strips 34, 36 that are heat sealed together and deformed. Referring also to FIG. 3A, the strips 34, 36 may include rails 50a, 50b that guide movement of the slider 32. The strips 34, 36 may further include flange portions 52a, 52b that are sealed to the pouch walls 22, 24, respectively.

FIG. 1 shows a plurality of indentations 53a-53e disposed in the strip 34 adjacent the second end 40 of the pouch 20. It should be noted that any number of indentations may be provided adjacent the second end 40 suitable to provide an audible and/or tactile indication of pouch closure when a user slides the slider 32 over the indentations 53. In pouches lacking the indentations 53, a user may have difficulty readily determining whether the slider 32 is moving in a direction to close the pouch 20 or a direction to open the pouch 20. With such conventional pouches, the user might have to visually inspect whether such pouch is closing or has been closed. By positioning the indentations 53a-53e adjacent only the second end 40, a user is provided with a tactile indication of pouch closure as the slider 32 passes over the indentations 53 en route to the second end 40. This can be highly advantageous for persons who are blind or have other visual impairments and cannot visually inspect the pouch 20 to determine whether the pouch is closed. In addition, the indentations 53 are also advantageous even for visually able persons considering such persons need not even look at the pouch 20 to determine whether the pouch 20 is closing or has been closed. The strip 36 may also include indentations 54a-54e similar or identical to the indentations 53a-53e and that function in like manner thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the indentations 53 may be formed in an exterior surface 60 of the strip 34. The indentations 54 may likewise be formed in an exterior surface 62 of the strip 36. FIG. 3A shows indentations 70, 71 formed in surfaces 72, 73 of the profiles 44 and indentations 74, 75 formed in surfaces 76, 77 of the profiles 46. Movement of the slider 32 toward the second end 40 causes the opposed wall portions 42a, 42b to exert pressure on the strips 34 and 36. The pressure varies as the slider 32 moves over the indentations 53, 54, 70, and/or 71 to provide an indication of closure. FIG. 3B shows an alternative embodiment lacking the indentations 70, 71, 74, 75 shown in FIG. 3A.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the indentations 53 or 54 are disposed between a midpoint M of the bag and the closing end 40. The indentations 53 or 54 are preferably spaced a minimum distance D1 from the end 40 and a maximum distance D2 from the end 40, D2 being preferably less than M. Spacing the indentations 53 or 54 from the end 40 allows the user to know whether the slider 32 is moving in the closing direction prior to the slider 32 actually reaching and contacting the end 40.

D1 could optionally range anywhere between about 0.75 inches (about 1.9 cm) and about 3 inches (about 7.6 cm), depending upon the size of the bag. More preferably, D1 could range between about 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) and about 2 inches (about 5.1 cm), and even more preferably between about 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) and about 1.5 inches (about 3.8 cm). D2 could optionally range anywhere between about 1 inch to about 3.5 inches. Preferably, D2 measures about 1.8 inches (about 4.6 cm). It should be noted that in bags having end stops such as the end stops 49, the indentations 53 or 54 could measure a minimum distance D3 measured from an inner periphery or boundary 79 of the end stop 49. In addition, the indentations 53 or 54 could measure a maximum distance D4 from the boundary 79. D3 could range between about 0.3 inches (about 0.8 cm) to about 2 inches (about 5.1 cm), and D4 could range between about 1.5 inches (about 3.8 cm) to about 3.5 inches (8.9 cm).

FIG. 4 illustrates a pouch 80 having a series of indentations 82 disposed generally along the length of the strip 34 and/or 36 as well as a plurality of indentations 86a-86e disposed only adjacent one end 90 of the pouch 80. The indentations 86 may have a characteristic different than the indentations 82 to provide a user with a tactile or audible indication of closure. For example, the indentation 86e shown in FIG. 4B has a depth greater than the indentation 82 shown in FIG. 4A as measured from a surface 92 of the strip 34. It should also be noted that the indentations 86 may be spaced apart from one another differently than the indentations 82 to provide an indication of pouch closure when the slider 32 passes over the indentations 86.

Referring to FIG. 5, a roll 100 of closure material 102 includes opposed closure strips 104, 106 similar or identical to the strips 34, 36 of the foregoing embodiments. One or both of the strips 104, 106 includes portions 108 having indentations similar or identical to the indentations 53, 54, 70, 71, 74, or 75. The centerlines of the portions 108 are spaced apart by a distance d, equal to the width of the bag 20 as measured between the ends 38, 40. The closure material 102 is joined to bag wall material, and the closure material 102 and bag wall material are severed to form a bag such as the bag 20 having the one of the portions 108 adjacent the closing end 40. The distance d may be any suitable distance such as at least about 3 inches (about 7.6 cm). Alternatively, the distance d could be up to about 20 inches (about 50.8 cm) or more, depending upon the desired bag size. Regions 112 are disposed between the portions 108. The regions 112 could optionally include further indentations such as the indentations 82 having one or more characteristics different than the characteristics of the indentations of the segments 108.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The above-described pouches may be used for storing food, chemicals, or other substances with the aforementioned indentations providing a useful indication of pouch closure.

Numerous modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying out same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved.

Claims

1. A pouch, comprising:

pouch walls;

a pair of opposed closure strips attached to the pouch walls and which open and close the pouch;

a slider movable between first and second ends of the closure strips wherein movement of the slider toward the first end opens the pouch and movement of the slider toward the second end closes the pouch; and

a plurality of indentations formed in one of the closure strips wherein the plurality of indentations is disposed only adjacent the second end.

2. The pouch of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations is disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis of the one closure strip.

3. The pouch of claim 1, wherein a further plurality of indentations are formed in the other closure strip.

4. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indentations is five indentations.

5. The pouch of claim 1, further comprising a further plurality of indentations disposed generally along the length of the one closure strip and each of the further plurality of indentations having a depth less than the plurality of indentations at the second end.

6. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indentations are formed on an interior surface of the one strip.

7. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indentations are formed on an exterior surface of the one strip.

8. A pouch, comprising:

pouch walls;

a pair of closure strips attached to the pouch walls and which open and close the pouch;

a slider movable between first and second ends of the closure strips wherein movement of the slider toward the first end opens the pouch and movement of the slider toward the second end closes the pouch;

a first plurality of indentations disposed along the length of one of the closure strips and having a first characteristic; and

a second plurality of indentations also disposed in the one closure strip wherein the second plurality of indentations is disposed only adjacent the second end and wherein the second plurality of indentations has a second characteristic different than the first characteristic.

9. The pouch of claim 8, wherein each of the second plurality of indentations is deeper than each of the first plurality of indentations.

10. The pouch of claim 8, wherein the other of the closure strips includes the first and second pluralities of indentations.

11. The pouch of claim 8, wherein the indentations of the second plurality are spaced apart differently than the indentations of the first plurality.

12. A closure for a pouch, comprising:

a first closure strip having a first profile and a plurality of indentation segments wherein the segments are spaced apart from one another by at least about three inches and wherein each of the segments includes indentations; and

a second closure strip having a second profile interlockable with the first profile.

13. The closure of claim 12, wherein the second closure strip includes a further plurality of indentation segments.

14. The closure of claim 12, wherein the indentations are formed in an exterior surface of the first closure strip.

15. The closure of claim 12, wherein the indentations are formed in the first profile.