TAMPER/CHILD RESISTANT BAG

Abstract

A child-resistant tamper-resistant bag is provided, of the type which may be used for prescription medicine and other products. The bag includes front and rear walls with a product-side-only opening zipper which defines a product compartment within the bag. The mouth of the bag includes a one-time close-only zipper thereby allowing a pharmacist or other person to easily and securely fill the bag with product and securely close the bag. A line of perforations or other line of weakness may be provided between the two zippers, in order to provide consumer access to the product-side-only opening zipper. The consumer then grasps the walls of the bag on the product side of the product-side-only opening zipper and pulls the walls away from each other thereby opening the product-side-only opening zipper and providing access to the product compartment.

Description

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/513,001 filed on Jul. 29, 2011, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a child-resistant bag or a tamper-resistant bag wherein a one-time close-only zipper is provided near the opening of the bag, and one or more additional zippers which can be opened only from the inside of the bag (that is, the user pulls apart the bag walls from the product side of the zipper) are provided in the interior of the bag to define a product compartment.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The need for child-resistant and tamper-resistant bottles for medicine and similar substances is self-evident and well-established. In the prior art, representative examples of child-resistant or tamper-resistant pill or medicine bottles can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,055 entitled “Safety Cap and Container”, issued on Aug. 17, 1999 to Philips et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,078 entitled “Combination of a Container and a Safety Cap Therefor”, issued on Sep. 12, 1995 to Akers.

However, such prior art pill bottles are expensive to produce. Additionally, there is the land fill issue. Billions of prescriptions are filled every year in the United States and throughout the world. These bottles, when discarded, take up a substantial volume in land fills. Likewise, this substantial volume adds to manufacturing and transportation costs. Additionally, many prior art pill bottles, with caps, include more than one material thereby increasing recycling costs.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a tamper-resistant, child-resistant container which provides the advantages of prior art bottles, but which has reduced manufacturing, transportation and recycling costs.

This and other advantages are attained by providing a flexible polymer bag or package with at least two zippers. The first zipper, placed more closely to the mouth of the bag, is a one-time close-only zipper. The second zipper (which may be replaced by a plurality of similar zippers) is further away from the mouth of the bag than the first zipper, and is designed to be opened only by pulling on the bag walls on the product side of the package rather than on the bag walls on the consumer side of the package. Additionally, a perforated line or other line of weakness may be provided in the bag walls between the two zippers in order to provide initial access to the bag and further to provide tamper evidence.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the package or bag of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along plane 2-2 of FIG. 1, illustrating a zipper which can be opened from the product side but not from the consumer side.

FIGS. 3-6 are cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of the package or bag of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, one sees that FIG. 1 is a package or bag 10 of the present disclosure. The bag 10 is typically made from co-extensive front and rear walls 12, 14 of polymeric material which are sealed together at their edges along bottom seal 16 and first and second side seals 18, 20. The polymeric material, as well as the thickness and similar characteristics, of front and rear walls 12, 14, depending upon the application, may be chosen to be weak enough to allow for hand tearing of the walls 12, 14, or may be chosen to be strong enough to resist hand tearing. Additionally, in some embodiments, front and rear walls 12, 14 may be provided as a single sheet of polymeric material with a fold replacing one of seals 16, 18, 20. Typically, mouth 22 at the top of bag 10 is left unsealed to provide for initial product insertion. However, one-time close-only zipper 26 is attached to the interior of front and rear walls 12, 14 downwardly adjacent from or proximate to the mouth 22. This allows the bag 10 to be manufactured empty and subsequently transported to a different location, such as a pharmacy, where the contents are placed into the bag 10 and the one-time close-only zipper 26 is closed. The design of a one-time close-only zipper 26 is well known and typically is made from polymeric material and includes female profile elements or other interlocking elements which are so stiff as to not release the engaged male profile elements or corresponding elements without damage to the zipper.

Additionally, inwardly from the one-time close-only zipper 26 is product-side-only opening zipper 28 thereby defining a product area 30 between bottom seal 16 and zipper 28, and likewise bounded by first and second side seals 18, 20. Such a product-side-only opening zipper 28, typically made of polymeric material, can be opened only by grabbing or pinching the front and rear walls 12, 14 in the product area 30 and pulling the walls 12, 14 apart thereby opening the zipper 28. If a child or other person tried to open the zipper 28 by grabbing or pinching the walls 12, 14 on the consumer side, outside of the product area (i.e., in the orientation of FIGS. 1 and 2, above the zipper 28), the zipper 28 would not open thereby providing a child-resistant characteristic. Some embodiments may include a plurality of product-side-only opening zippers 28, placed parallel to each other, to provide additional child resistance. This is illustrated by zipper 28′ in phantom in FIG. 1.

Optionally, first and second gussets 19, 21 may be placed on the sides of the bag 10, proximate to side seals 18, 20, respectively, to allow the bag 10 to stand upright, as may be desired when the consumer places the bag 10 in a medicine chest or similar location. First and second gussets 19, 21 are illustrated as extending the entire height of bag 10, but may likewise be formed only below product-side-only opening zipper 28.

A line of perforations 29, or other line of weakness (such as, but not limited to, laser scoring), may be provided on one or both of front and rear walls 12, 14, between and parallel to zippers 26, 28, to provide for initial tamper-evident consumer access to the product-side-only opening zipper 28 after one-time close-only zipper 26 has been closed (typically by, but not limited to, a pharmacist).

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the product-side-only opening zipper 28, which is typically made from polymeric material. This figure explains the functioning of zipper 28. Zipper 28 includes a male profile 30 and a female profile 32. Product-side-only opening zipper 28 achieves its product-side-only opening characteristics by the asymmetric characteristics of male and female profiles 30, 32. Male profile 30 includes base 36 (illustrated as sealed or otherwise attached to front wall 12, but the walls 12, 14 may be reversed in FIG. 2) with stem 38 extending therefrom, the distal end of stem 38 being attached to enlarged rounded arrowhead-shaped element 40. On the product side of the zipper 28, the rounded arrowhead-shaped element 40 includes a relatively flat external area 42 at the transition between element 40 and stem 38. However, on the consumer side of the zipper 28, the rounded arrowhead-shaped element 40 includes a concave arcuate detent indentation 44. The female profile 32 includes base 50 (illustrated as sealed or otherwise attached to rear wall 14, but the walls 12, 14 may be reversed in FIG. 2) and first and second extending arms 52, 54 for extending around and engaging the rounded arrowhead-shaped element 40 on the product side and the consumer side, respectively. First extending arm 52 terminates in a relatively flat internal area 56. Second extending arm 54 terminates in an inwardly hooked detent element 58. In the interlocked position of the male and female profiles 30, 32 of FIG. 2, relatively flat internal area 56 is positioned against relatively flat external area 42 whereas inwardly hooked detent element 58 detent engages within concave arcuate detent indentation 44. In this configuration, opening forces applied on the walls 12, 14 on the product side of zipper 28 (that is, in the orientation of FIGS. 1 and 2, below zipper 28) cause first extending arm 52 to slide easily around and off the rounded arrowhead-shaped element 40 (with inwardly hooked detent element 58 serving as a fulcrum) thereby disengaging the male and female profiles 30, 32 from each other. However, opening forces applies on the walls 12, 14 on the consumer side of the zipper 28 (that is, in the orientation of FIGS. 1 and 2, above product-side-only opening zipper 28, as a child would be expected to attempt to open the bag 10), would cause inwardly hooked detent element 58 to engage more tightly into concave arcuate detent indentation 44 thereby preventing the male and female elements 30, 32 from disengaging and maintaining the product-side-only opening zipper 28 in the interlocked configuration.

The bag 10 is typically manufactured with zippers 26 and 28 open or not interlocked. The pharmacist or similar person places the medicine (such as pills) or other product within the product area 30 of bag 10 and, first, closes product-side-only opening zipper 28 and then closes one-time close-only zipper 26. The consumer then receives the bag 10 at the pharmacy or other location, and typically takes the bag 10, including medicine, home or to some other location. The consumer then either opens the line of perforations 29 (or other line of weakness) or cuts the front and/or rear wall 12, 14 at a location between the zippers 26, 28. In some embodiments, if the line of perforations 29 (or other line of weakness) is formed in both the front and rear walls 12, 14, then the portion of the bag 10 above the line of perforations 29 may be removed. The consumer then grasps the front and rear bag walls 12, 14 on the product side of zipper 28, within product area 30 and pulls front and rear walls 12, 14 apart thereby opening zipper 28 and providing access to the medicine in product area 30. The user then takes the appropriate amount of medicine, such as, but not limited to, pills, from the product area 30 and recloses zipper 28 until the next dose is required.

FIGS. 3-6 illustrate embodiments with bottom gusset 19′. FIG. 3 is an embodiment with bottom gusset 19′, a single product-side-only opening zippers 28, 28′ and one-time close-only zipper 26. FIG. 4 is an embodiment with bottom gusset 19′, two product-side-only opening zippers 28, 28′ and no one-time close-only zipper (element 26 in other figures). FIG. 5 includes two product-side-only opening zippers 28, 28′ and one-time close-only zipper 26. FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5, but reverses the male-female orientation of product-side-only opening zipper 28.

Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bag or container, including:

a front wall and a rear wall;

the front wall and rear wall being joined together at edges thereof, thereby forming a mouth;

a first zipper attached to the front wall and the rear wall proximate to the mouth, wherein the first zipper is a one-time close-only zipper;

a second zipper attached to the front wall and the rear wall, wherein the second zipper is more resistant to consumer side opening than to product side opening; and

wherein the first zipper is between the second zipper and the mouth, whereby the second zipper defines a product compartment within the bag.

2. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein the front and rear walls are co-extensive with each other and each have a top, first and second sides and a bottom.

3. The bag or container of claim 2 wherein the first side of front and rear walls are sealed together by a first side seal, the second side of front and rear walls are sealed together by a second side seal and the bottom of the front and rear walls are sealed together by a bottom seal.

4. The bag or container of claim 3 wherein the product compartment is bounded by the second zipper, at least a portion of the first and second side seals, and the bottom seal.

5. The bag or container of claim 4 wherein the first zipper is parallel to the second zipper.

6. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein a line of weakness is formed between the first and second zippers in at least one of the first and second walls.

7. The bag or container of claim 6 wherein the line of weakness is parallel to the first and second zippers.

8. The bag or container of claim 7 wherein the line of weakness is a line of perforations.

9. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein a line of weakness is formed between the first and second zippers in the first wall and in the second wall.

10. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein the second zipper includes a male profile and a female profile, wherein the male profile includes a stem terminating in an enlarged element, and further includes a detent groove at an intersection of a consumer side of the stem and the enlarged element.

11. The bag or container of claim 10 wherein the female profile includes a consumer side extending arm and a product side extending arm, wherein the consumer side arm terminates in a detent hook which engages the detent groove of the male profile.

12. The bag or container of claim 11 wherein an intersection of a product side of the stem and the enlarged element includes a first relatively flat portion, the product side extending arm includes a second relatively flat portion, and wherein, when the male and female elements are interlocked with each other, the first and second relatively flat portions are positioned against each other.

13. The bag or container of claim 12 wherein the male profile and the female profile each include a base for attachment to the front and rear bag walls.

14. The bag or container of claim 2 further including first and second gussets on the respective first and second sides.

15. The bag or container of claim 2 further including a gusset on the bottom.

16. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein the front and rear walls are formed from polymeric material.

17. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein the first zipper is formed from material which is sufficiently stiff to substantially prevent opening of the first zipper after the zipper has been closed.

18. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein the second zipper includes a male profile and a female profile, and wherein at least one of the male profile and the female profile is asymmetric.

19. The bag or container of claim 1 wherein the second zipper includes an asymmetric male profile and an asymmetric female profile.

20. The bag or container of claim 1 including a plurality of the second zippers.