Pouch having at least one pleat
A pouch includes first and second opposing walls, a closure mechanism disposed between the opposing walls and at least one pleat disposed laterally across the pouch between the first and second side portions of the pouch, wherein the pleat is adapted to expand the pouch in a direction transverse to an axis of the opposing walls.
Not applicable
REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable
SEQUENTIAL LISTINGNot applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pouches, and more particularly, to pouches that can expand and contract to change the capacity thereof.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
A thermoplastic pouch for the storage of items may include a closure mechanism comprising closure elements disposed on opposed inner surfaces of bag walls. Such thermoplastic pouches oftentimes can be purchased in multiple different sizes and/or shapes. This necessitates the consumer purchasing multiple boxes of thermoplastic pouches for different items and can become very expensive and inconvenient for the consumer.
Bannister U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,976 discloses a pinch closure bag having multiple side gussets. The bag includes a front wall, a back wall, and two side gussets extending between the front and back walls. Each side gusset includes at least two V-shaped infolds that allow the bag to expand along the gussets to increase the volume of the bag.
Price U.S. Publication No. 2002/0168118 discloses a thermoplastic bag having first and second sidewalls and an offset fastener disposed between the sidewalls. The bag further includes an inwardly folded top pleat extending laterally across a width of one of the sidewalls, wherein the top pleat enables the sidewall to expand outwardly. A bottom pleat is disposed in a bottom of the bag to expand the sidewalls away from one another when product is disposed therein. Each of the pleats is formed by folding a portion of the bag inwardly.
Yi Li U.S. Publication No. 2004/0066988 discloses a plastic bag including a bag body, a top opening, a bottom edge, and a trash chamber. The bag further includes a bottom enhancement arrangement that opens to form a rounded bottom when in use. The bag is created by forming a plastic tubular body and thereafter folding portions of the body to form the bottom enhancement arrangement.
Anderson et al. U.S. Publication No. 2004/0058103 discloses a stand-up reclosable package. The package includes a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of gusseted sides, and a flat bottom wall. A reclosable closure mechanism is disposed near a top of the package in the front and rear walls, such that the closure mechanism provides a seal near the top of the package.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect of the present invention, a pouch includes first and second opposing walls and a closure mechanism disposed between the opposing walls. At least one extruded pleat is disposed laterally across the pouch between the first and second side portions of the pouch, wherein the pleat is adapted to expand the pouch in a direction transverse to an axis of the opposing walls.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a pouch includes first and second opposing walls, a first extruded pleat disposed in the first wall, and a second extruded pleat disposed in the second wall. Each of the first and second pleats includes at least one fold, wherein the folds extend laterally across the pouch walls between first and second side portions of the pouch. The pleats expand, thereby expanding the pouch in a direction transverse to an axis of the opposing walls when an item(s) is placed in the pouch and the pleats contract when the items(s) is removed.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a pouch includes first and second opposing walls and an extruded pleat disposed in the first wall. The pleat extends laterally across the pouch between first and second side portions of the pouch. Further, the pleat is welded at first and second side portions of the pouch to the opposing pouch wall, thereby only allowing the pleat to expand along portions of the pouch that are not adjacent the first and second side portions of the pouch to expand the pouch in a direction transverse to an axis of the opposing walls.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the attached drawings, in which like elements are assigned like reference numerals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to
If desired, the first and second closure elements 42a, 42b of the closure mechanism 36 may be replaced with a reclosable fastener of the type wherein a user, after placing one or more products into an interior of the bag, exerts force on outer surfaces of the first and second body portions, respectively, adjacent the first and second closure elements thereby forcing the closure elements into interlocking relation. Preferably, such closure mechanisms may be formed in accordance with the teachings of Geiger, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,248, Zieke et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,789, and/or Porchia et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,561, owned by the assignee of the present application and the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Still further, any known closure mechanism may be utilized with any of the embodiments disclosed herein or the closure mechanism may be omitted entirely.
For illustration purposes, the thermoplastic storage bags of the present invention, including bag walls, optional closure mechanisms, pleats, and folds, are shown larger than reality.
FIGS. 2A-C depict three variations of a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein a thermoplastic storage bag 120 includes optional first and second closure mechanisms 142a, 142b. The slider is omitted in FIGS. 2A-C to show the detail of the thermoplastic bag 120. As discussed above, the closure mechanisms 142a, 142b may be of the type shown or any other known closure for thermoplastic storage bags. The thermoplastic storage bag 120 includes a pleat 160a in and extending laterally across the first bag wall 126 between first and second side portions 30, 32 and a pleat 160b in and extending laterally across the second bag wall 128 between the first and second side portions 30, 32. Each of the pleats 160a, 160b includes multiple small folds 162a, 162b, respectively, that form the respective pleat 160a, 160b. Although the pleats 160a, 160b in
As seen in
In the embodiments of 2A-C, each of the pleats 160 is welded at first and second side portions 130 (not shown), 132 of the bag 120 to the opposing bag wall. Therefore, the pleat 160 is only allowed to expand along portions of the bag 120 that are not adjacent the first and second side portions 130, 132 of the bag 120. The pleats 160a, 160b with multiple folds 162a, 162b therefore allow the thermoplastic storage bag 120 to expand in a direction transverse to an axis of the bag walls, from a first, unfilled position to a second, fully filled position. Therebetween, there are many partially filled sizes or capacities that are possible. The expansion of the pleats 160a, 160b allow the consumer to use a portion of the bag 120 such that the bag 120 is not expanded, or use the entire bag, wherein the bag 120 expands to the maximum capacity thereof in order to hold the items placed in the bag 120 by the consumer.
As depicted in FIGS. 2A-C, the folds 162a, 162b of the pleats 160a, 160b have a cross-sectional shape that is rectangular. Optionally, and as seen hereinafter, the folds 162a, 162b of the pleats 160a, 160b may have a cross-sectional shape that is any geometric shape, including circular, hyperbolic, oval-shaped, square-shaped, triangular, etc.
In a further embodiment, as seen in
The embodiment of
Although the disclosed embodiments that include first and second pleats in the first and second bag walls comprise pleats of similar cross-sectional shape, it is contemplated by the present invention that the first pleat may be of a first cross-sectional shape and the second pleat may be of a second, different cross-sectional shape.
As seen in
Similar to
Additionally, as seen in
In yet another embodiment, as seen in
The closure mechanism of the above-disclosed embodiments is for illustration purposes only. In fact, in any of the above-disclosed embodiments, the closure mechanism may be any suitable closure mechanism or the closure mechanism may be omitted entirely.
Optionally, more than one pleat may be disposed in either or both of the body portions, thereby forming an even larger storage bag.
Any of folds of the pleats as described herein may be extruded having any thickness T, as depicted in
Some of the embodiments disclosed herein may include a single pleat in either the first or second body portion, a single pleat in both the first and second body portions, multiple pleats in either of the first or second body portions, or multiple pleats in both of the first and second body portions. Further embodiments are contemplated by the present invention, wherein any or all of the aspects of the embodiments as described herein are combined.
The first and second bag walls with pleats therein as described herein are preferably made by known extrusion processes. Optionally, the body portions may be blown or formed by any other known process for making thermoplastic pouches. The closure elements of the closure mechanism may also be formed by any known process. Preferably, the bag walls with pleats therein are extruded directly through respective die plates into a water bath, wherein each die plate includes a slot having a shape that is complementary to the cross-sectional shape of respective the bag wall and pleat(s). The optional closure elements may be extruded through the same die plates with the corresponding bag walls or may be attached by known methods to the bag walls after the bag walls are removed from the water bath and properly dried.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYThe embodiments of the thermoplastic storage bag as described herein advantageously provide the consumer with a pouch that is capable of holding smaller and/or fewer items, but is expandable to hold larger and/or more items. An expandable pouch provides multiple uses for a single pouch. Unlike mechanically formed pleats, the extruded pleats as described herein not only allow the pouch to expand, but also advantageously allow the pouch to contract back to its original size and shape.
Also unlike mechanically formed pleats, the extrusion of pleats as described herein allows any size or shape pleat to be formed, including small pleats, that could not be formed mechanically or otherwise.
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:
- first and second opposing walls;
- a closure mechanism disposed between the opposing walls; and
- at least one extruded pleat disposed laterally across the pouch between first and second side portions of the pouch, wherein the pleat is adapted to expand the pouch in a direction transverse to an axis of the opposing walls.
2. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the extruded pleat is disposed laterally across a bottom portion of the pouch between the first and second side portions.
3. The pouch of claim 1, wherein two extruded pleats are disposed laterally across the pouch between the first and second side portions of the pouch.
4. The pouch of claim 3, wherein one of the extruded pleats is disposed in the first wall and the other of the extruded pleats is disposed in the second wall.
5. The pouch of claim 4, wherein at least one of the extruded pleats has at least one fold therein that has a cross-sectional shape that is rectangular.
6. The pouch of claim 4, wherein at least one of the extruded pleats has at least one fold therein that has a cross-sectional shape that is triangular.
7. The pouch of claim 4, wherein at least one of the extruded pleats has at least one fold therein that has a cross-sectional shape that is hyperbolic.
8. The pouch of claim 8, wherein the extruded pleats expand to hold an item(s) therein and contract when the item(s) is removed.
9. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the extruded pleat includes folds extending between the first and second side portions of the pouch and wherein the pleat makes up the first side wall, a bottom portion of the pouch, and the second side wall of the pouch.
10. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the extruded pleat is disposed adjacent the closure mechanism.
11. The pouch of claim 1, wherein the extruded pleat is disposed adjacent a bottom portion of the pouch.
12. A pouch, comprising:
- first and second opposing walls;
- a first extruded pleat disposed in the first wall; and
- a second extruded pleat disposed in the second wall, wherein each of the first and second pleats includes at least one fold and wherein the folds extend laterally across the pouch walls between first and second side portions of the pouch and wherein the pleats expand, thereby expanding the pouch in a direction transverse to an axis of the opposing walls when an item(s) is placed in the pouch and the pleats contract when the item(s) is removed.
13. The pouch of claim 12, wherein the first pleat has a first number of folds therein that have a first cross-sectional shape and the second pleat has a second number of folds therein that have a second cross-sectional shape.
14. The pouch of claim 13, wherein the first number of folds and the second number of folds are different.
15. The pouch of claim 13, wherein the first cross-sectional shape and the second-cross-sectional shape are different.
16. The pouch of claim 12, wherein the first pleat is disposed in the first wall a first distance from a top portion of the pouch and the second pleat is disposed in the second wall a second distance from the top portion of the pouch.
17. The pouch of claim 16, wherein the first and second distances are different.
18. A pouch, comprising:
- first and second opposing walls;
- an extruded pleat disposed in the first wall;
- wherein the pleat extends laterally across the pouch between first and second side portions of the pouch and wherein the pleat is welded at first and second side portions of the pouch to the opposing pouch wall, thereby only allowing the pleat to expand along portions of the pouch that are not adjacent the first and second side portions of the pouch to expand the pouch in directions transverse to an axis of the opposing walls.
19. The pouch of claim 18, further including a second extruded pleat disposed in and extending laterally across the second wall between the first and second side portions of the pouch.
20. The pouch of claim 19, wherein the first pleat has a first number of folds therein and a first cross-sectional shape and the second pleat has a second number of folds therein and has a second cross-sectional shape and wherein the first and second numbers of folds are different and the first and second cross-sectional shapes are the same.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 31, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 10, 2006
Inventor: Robert Turvey (Sanford, MI)
Application Number: 11/048,024
International Classification: B65D 30/20 (20060101); B65D 30/00 (20060101); B65D 33/00 (20060101);