Closure Device for Reclosable Bag
A reclosable bag comprising a first bag wall and a second bag wall joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom of the reclosable bag. The reclosable bag having a top that is generally open to allow contents to be placed therein. The reclosable bag has a first closure which further comprises a first male closure element and a first female closure element. The first male closure element and the first female closure element are disposed in an opposing configuration on the first bag wall and the second bag wall. The first male closure element has a first hook portion and a second hook portion. The reclosable bag has a second closure which further comprises a second male closure element and a second female closure element. The second male closure element and the second female closure element are disposed in an opposing configuration on the first bag wall and the second bag wall. The second male closure element has a third hook portion and a fourth hook portion. The first closure defines a first interior opening force and a first exterior opening force. The second closure defines a second interior opening force and a second exterior opening force. The second exterior opening force is not equal to the second interior opening force.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved closures for use with reclosable bags. Particularly, the present invention relates to closure mechanisms with male and female closure elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reclosable plastic bags are available in a variety of different sizes and configurations. Most commonly, reclosable plastic bags have one or more pairs of opposing, interlocking closures near the top opening of the reclosable bag. The closure may generally be opened and closed many times and are typically designed to ensure that the contents of the reclosable plastic bag are securely contained within the bag when the opposing closures are mutually engaged.
The closures of reclosable bags can be opened and closed in a number of different ways. For example, a slider or zipper device can be incorporated into the bag design to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the opposing closures. However, many reclosable bags have closures that are designed to be opened by physically pulling the closures apart. The present invention provides improved closure profiles for reclosable bags which are physically disengaged by pulling the closures apart and engaged by pressing the corresponding closure profiles together.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,147 discloses a plastic bag having male and female resealable interlocking elements integrally incorporated for selectively opening and closing the top of the bag. The bag further includes a pair of stiffener ribs formed integrally with the bag and disposed below the resealable elements to provide increased rigidity along an open end of the bag to prevent inadvertent separation of the elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,329 discloses a reclosable bag having an assembly that includes two male arrow-shaped profiles extending from a first base. Corresponding first and second female members are provided to engage the two male arrow-shaped profiles. Each male arrow-shaped profile includes first and second prongs extending away from the male arrow-shaped profiles. The male arrow-shaped profiles are both symmetrical along a longitudinal center-line of the male arrow-shaped profiles with both prongs of the second male arrow-shaped profile being longer than the prongs of the first arrow-shaped profile.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,597 discloses a plastic bag with two parallel closure mechanisms, each closure mechanism featuring respective male and female closure elements. The disclosed male closure elements are identical to one another, both male closure element being asymmetrical and adapted to engage the corresponding female closure element.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,298 discloses several embodiments of a reclosable plastic bag with generally parallel closures. Each closure is comprised of respective male and female elements designed to engage each other when the respective closures are pressed together. Each female element is both symmetric and identical in shape to other female element. The first of the two male members features two hook portions for engaging the two extending arms of the first female member. The second male member is asymmetrical and has only one hook portion and therefore engages only one of the two arms of the second female member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention encompasses various embodiments of a reclosable plastic bag including reclosable profiles for plastic bags.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a reclosable bag is comprised of a first bag wall and a second bag wall. The first bag wall and the second bag wall are joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom of the reclosable bag. A top of the reclosable bag is generally open to allow contents to be placed within the reclosable bag. A first closure comprises a first male element and a first female element. The first male element and the first female element are disposed in an opposing configuration on interior surfaces of the bag walls. The first male element has a first hook portion and a second hook portion. A second closure comprises a second male element and a second female element. The second male element and the second female element are disposed in an opposing configuration on interior surfaces of the bag walls. The second male element has a third hook portion and a fourth hook portion. The second closure has an exterior opening force which is different than an interior opening of the second closure.
Additional embodiments of the present invention may include the first exterior opening force being substantially the same as the first interior opening force and/or the second exterior opening force being less than the second interior opening force. Additionally, in some embodiments the first hook portion and the second hook portion may have substantially identical lengths while the third hook portion and fourth hook portion may have different lengths. In some embodiments, the first male closure may be substantially symmetrical or asymmetrical and the second male closure element may be substantially symmetrical or asymmetrical. Additionally, the first female closure may be substantially symmetrical or asymmetrical and the second female closure element may be substantially symmetrical or asymmetrical.
It is contemplated that the present invention may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present invention is intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such uses are not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the present invention should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and the appended claims.
A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the present invention and preferred embodiment when viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be briefly described as follows.
The present disclosure illustrates one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all embodiments contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the present invention contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that innumerable modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise included within the present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed herein. The appended claims are intended to more fully and accurately encompass the invention to the fullest extent possible, but it is fully appreciated that certain limitations on the use of particular terms is not intended to conclusively limit the scope of protection.
In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in
Looking still at the embodiment of
Like the first closure 120, the second closure 122 is comprised of a second female closure element 260 and a second male closure element 240. The second female closure element 260 is comprised of a third arm 262 and a fourth arm 264 extending away from the first bag wall 102. The third arm 262 and the fourth arm 244 each curl inward at the respective distal end of each arm 262, 264. The distal portions of the respective third arm 262 and fourth arm 264 are designed to engage the second male closure element 240. The second male closure element 240, which extends in a generally perpendicular direction away from the second bag wall 104, has a third hook portion 242 to engage the third arm 262 of the second female closure element 260 and a fourth hook portion 244 to engage the fourth arm 264 of the second female closure element 260.
The size and shape of the male closure elements 200, 240 can be chosen to provide desirable properties when disengaging from the respective female closure elements 220, 260. In particular, certain embodiments of the present invention the male hook portions 202, 204, 242, 244 provide desirable disengagement characteristics when used in combination with particular arrangements of the arms 222, 224, 262, 264 of the female closure elements 220, 260. Specifically, adjusting the shape and properties of the respective hook portions 202, 204, 242, 244 and arms 222, 224, 262, 264 can change the force required to disengage the respective closures 120, 122. Embodiments of the present invention are primarily concerned with symmetrical and asymmetrical elements for particular closures. As a general matter, the opening force of a particular closure that has asymmetrical elements is easier to open from the top rather than the bottom. On the other hand, a closure that has symmetrical elements requires, generally speaking, substantively the same force when opened from the top or bottom.
To understand the opening forces resulting from symmetrical and asymmetrical elements in more detail,
Looking back at
In the embodiment depicted in
As previously noted, the specific embodiments depicted herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, it is contemplated that any number of different embodiments may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to more fully encompass the full scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A reclosable bag comprising:
- a first bag wall and a second bag wall joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom of the reclosable bag, a top of the reclosable bag being generally open to allow contents to be placed therein,
- a first closure, the first closure comprising a first male closure element and a first female closure element, the first male closure element and the first female closure element disposed in an opposing configuration on the first bag wall and the second bag wall, the first male closure element having a first hook portion and a second hook portion,
- a second closure, the second closure comprising a second male closure element and a second female closure element, the second male closure element and the second female closure element disposed in an opposing configuration on the first bag wall and the second bag wall, the second male closure element having a third hook portion and a fourth hook portion, and
- the first closure defining a first interior opening force and a first exterior opening force, the second closure defining a second interior opening force and a second exterior opening force, and
- wherein the second exterior opening force is not equal to the second interior opening force.
2. The reclosable bag of claim 1, further comprising:
- the first exterior opening force being substantially the same as the first interior opening force.
3. The reclosable bag of claim 1, further comprising:
- the second exterior opening force being less than the second interior opening force.
4. The reclosable bag of claim 3, further comprising:
- the first exterior opening force being substantially the same as the first interior opening force.
5. The reclosable bag of claim 1, further comprising:
- the first hook portion of the first male closure element and the second hook portion of the first male closure element having substantially the same length, and
- the third hook portion of the second male closure element and the fourth hook portion of the second male closure element having different lengths.
6. The reclosable bag of claim 5, further comprising:
- the first male closure element being substantially symmetrical, the second male closure element being substantially asymmetrical.
7. The reclosable bag of claim 6, further comprising:
- the first female closure element being substantially symmetrical, and
- the second female closure element being substantially symmetrical.
8. The reclosable bag of claim 1, further comprising:
- the second female element being asymmetrical.
9. The reclosable bag of claim 8, further comprising:
- the first female closure element being substantially symmetrical.
10. The reclosable bag of claim 9, further comprising:
- the first male closure element being substantially symmetrical.
11. The reclosable bag of claim 10, further comprising:
- the second male closure element being substantially symmetrical.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 21, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 22, 2011
Applicant: POLY-AMERICA, L.P. (Grand Prairie, TX)
Inventor: George M. Hall (Colleyville, TX)
Application Number: 12/819,333
International Classification: B65D 33/30 (20060101);