EASY TO OPEN BAG AND A METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME
A bag is provided having a first end and a second end. The bag has a generally tubular shape, with the first end configured to remain sealed and the second end configured to be opened. The second end defines a recess, and the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag has a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end. The bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. One or more bags may be provided as a sheet. Methods for making the bags and for opening the bags are also provided.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/111,268, filed on Nov. 9, 2020, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to an easy to open bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONBags such as produce bags, trash bags, or other similar bags are often difficult to open. Before being used, the bags are often provided as part of a roll with a large number of bags connected together. For packaging purposes and due to space constraints, the bags are often packed tightly together, and each individual bag may be folded as well. Additionally, some bags include adhesive material to help adhere the folds of an individual bag together, and many users may have difficulty in locating the folds of a bag. For each of these reasons, users may have great difficulty in unfolding bags and then opening the bags.
Because of the difficulty with opening bags, other consequences frequently occur. Users may grow frustrated and change their mind about purchasing an item after having trouble opening a produce style bag. Further, where users are unable to open bags, they may throw the bags away without ever using the bags.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a bag that may be easily opened so that groceries and/or other objects may be placed within the bag. In various embodiments, the bag has locations where a user may pinch and pull the bag material so that the bag may be opened. These locations may be provided at the edges of the bag, where users typically attempt to open a bag. An indication such as text, coloring, or markings may be provided on the bag or on a container holding the bag to inform the user about where the bag should be pinched and pulled in order to easily open the bag. The bags may beneficially be folded when stored and may be implemented into sheets comprising a large number of individual bags that are removably secured together. In this way, a large number of bags can be packed into a small volume, but the bags may still be easily opened even after they have been tightly packed together. The easy to use bag is convenient and causes less frustration for the user. Further, because the bag is easier to open, users are less likely to throw these bags away and attempt to open another bag.
One aspect of the invention is directed to a bag for the containment items. The bag comprises a first end and a second end and has a generally tubular shape. The first end is configured to remain sealed, the second end is configured to be opened, and the second end defines a recess. The bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, and the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a sheet of bags. The sheet of bags comprises at least two bags, with each of the at least two bags having a generally tubular shape. Each of the at least two bags also comprises a first end and a second end, with the first end being configured to remain sealed. The second end of each of the at least two bags defines a recess and is configured to be opened. Each of the at least two bags is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. Each of the at least two bags comprises a first cross-section at a location between the first end and the second end. Each of the at least two bags is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. The at least two bags comprises at least a first bag and a second bag, and the first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag are removably attached to each other. The first bag and the second bag are configured to be separated from each other upon the application of force by a user.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method for opening a bag. The method comprises providing a bag having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end. The first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened. The second end defines a recess, and the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end. The bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, with at least one inner ply being formed, with at least two outer plies being formed. A first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. The method further comprises pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pulling the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
Another aspect of the invention is related to a method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging. This method comprises providing at least two bags and folding the at least two bags to form at least three plies, wherein two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed. The method also comprises exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies and removably securing the at least two bags together to form a sheet comprising multiple bags.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, wherein:
The following description of the embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. The following description is provided herein solely by way of example for purposes of providing an enabling disclosure of the invention, but does not limit the scope or substance of the invention.
The bag 100 may be a star seal bag, and this star seal may be provided at the first end 102 to assist with maintaining a seal. The “star seal” design (a bag having multiple layers and longitudinally folded over on itself and sealed at the bottom so that when it is opened up, the bottom of the bag viewing from the inside resembles a star) offers excellent bottom seal strength with thin gauge films. These bags are strong and may distribute load more evenly in comparison to other types of bags. Further, star seal bags may conform to the shape of another container more easily, making the bags particularly useful for use as trash bags and liners placed within a rigid or semi-rigid container. While a star seal bag will preferably be used, other types of bags may also be used. For example, a flat seal or a gusseted seal may be provided at the first end 102 to seal the bag 100. Grocery produce bags of this star seal type are somewhat easier to open than the traditional roll produce bags. Openability of this star seal type bag is improved due to the increased number of layers of film at the bag mouth.
As shown in
The first end 102 of a bag may be removably secured to other bags at the edge 110. For example, perforations may be provided at edge 110, and two bags may be separated from each other by tearing the perforations at the edge 110. However, other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc.
As demonstrated in
As shown in
As shown in
While the sheets may be packed and stored with the bags formed into a bag-on-a-roll, the sheets may also be packed in other manners as well. For example, the sheet may be folded so that parallel layers are formed. In some embodiments, the bags are not removably secured to form sheets, and the individual bags may be packed together as a group into parallel layers as well.
The bag 300 has an additional tab 322. Thus, to open the bag 300, a user may pinch and pull an exposed first portion 320 at one or more of the inner plies 316 and the user may also pinch and pull the tab 322 in the opposite direction. By using this tab 322, the bag 300 may provide the user with a distinctly evident location where they are supposed to pinch the bag 300 so that the bag 300 may be opened. The location of the tab 322 allows for the bag 300 to be efficiently opened because pinching and pulling the tab 322 will cause both of the outer plies 314 to be unfolded simultaneously and in parallel, enhancing the ease of opening the bag 300. However, in other embodiments, the tab 322 may be positioned elsewhere on the bag 300 as desired to improve the bag opening function. The tab 322 may be an additional material that is added or affixed to the bag 300 so that the bag 300 may be easily opened, or the tab 322 may not be made of an additional material and may instead be created by folding the bag 300 to provide the tab 322. In some embodiments, tab 322 may be created by configuring a piece of material of bag 300, such as from a die-cut flap, vent, or aperture in bag 300.
A person may pinch the first portion 320 with one hand, pinch a second portion 318 (
In some embodiments, the bag 300 may be marked or the user may be instructed to pinch and pull the tab 322 so that the bag 300 may be opened. In some embodiments, instructions or indications may be printed on the bag 300 to show the user where the bag 300 should preferably be pinched and pulled. These instructions or indications may be provided through the use of coloring, text, images, etc. In some embodiments the first portion 320 and/or the second portion 318 may have a textured consistency different from the rest of the bag 300 material to aid in viewing the pinching area and in pinching or grasping the bag 300. The first portion 320 and second portion 318 may have a higher coefficient of friction than the other areas on the bag 300 in some embodiments, which may assist with pinching or grasping the bag 300.
At operation 1206, the sheet or the plurality of bags having at least two bags are rendered to be removably secured together. In this way, the bags are configured so that the user may quickly and easily remove an individual bag from the remainder of the sheet. The bags may be removably secured, for example, through the use of perforations or lines of weakness located between the first end of one bag and the second end of another bag. However, other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc.
At operation 1208, at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies is exposed. In some embodiments, the act of folding the bags at operation 1204 may expose at least some portion of at least one inner ply. However, in other embodiments, material may be removed from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet. An example of this is illustrated in
At operation 1210, the sheet is configured around a central axis. Doing so may form a bag-on-a-roll that may be easy for customers to use. This bag-on-a-roll arrangement may enable customers to pull on an individual bag or the sheet to pull a first bag off of the roll. This bag-on-a-roll may be similar to the embodiment shown in
The operations described above in reference to
The bags may be packed so that the folding described above may be maintained. The bags described herein may comprise a plastic material, but other materials such as paper, cloth, or synthetic fiber may be used instead of or alongside the plastic material. The material of the bags may comprise a virgin resin material such as polyethylene, HDPE, polypropylene, PLA, or synthetic polymer. This resin material may be disposable resin. The material of the bags may alternatively comprise paper material such as kraft paper or paper pulp material. The primary material within the bag will preferably comprise materials with a low coefficient of friction such as HDPE, and this may assist in preventing outer and inner plies from locking together when pinched and pulled. However, the bag may also comprise materials with a higher coefficient of friction. Materials with a higher coefficient of friction may be used at certain areas, such as at a first portion and a second portion where a customer may pinch and pull the bag. The bags may contain any ratio from 0-100% of virgin material to recycled content such as post-consumer or post-industrial recycled content. The bag material of the invention may consist of a single layer or ply of material or alternately may be multiwall and consist of multiple layers of either the same material or alternately any desired combination of different layer materials. Each single layer or ply of material or substrate may consist of a single material or may consist of any combination of one or more materials forming a composite of material types, fillers, and/or coatings forming each layer. The bags and material of the bags of the invention may be a combination of one or more of recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, water-resistant, grease-resistant, or water soluble.
It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. This specification is not intended to be exhaustive. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements. The claimed subject matter includes any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof, unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. In particular, the limitations presented in dependent claims below can be combined with their corresponding independent claims in any number and in any order without departing from the scope of this disclosure, unless the dependent claims are logically incompatible with each other.
Claims
1. A bag comprising:
- a first end and a second end, the bag having a generally tubular shape, wherein the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened, wherein the second end defines a recess, wherein the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end;
- wherein the bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, wherein the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, wherein at least one inner ply is formed, wherein at least two outer plies are formed, and wherein a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
2. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag is configured so that a person may pinch the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinch a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pull the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
3. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag is a starseal bag.
4. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the at least one inner ply comprises two inner plies.
5. The bag according to claim 4, wherein a first inner ply comprises an excess length that extends past the full length of a second inner ply.
6. The bag according to claim 5, wherein the excess length of the first inner ply is folded.
7. The bag according to claim 4, wherein each of the two inner plies comprises an additional length that extends past the full length of the outer plies.
8. The bag according to claim 7, wherein the additional length for each of the two inner plies is folded.
9. A sheet of bags, the sheet comprising:
- at least two bags, wherein each of the at least two bags having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened, wherein the second end defines a recess, wherein each of the at least two bags is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end;
- wherein each of the at least two bags comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, wherein the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, wherein at least one inner ply is formed and wherein at least two outer plies are formed, and wherein a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed;
- wherein the at least two bags comprises at least a first bag and a second bag, wherein the first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag are removably attached to each other, wherein said first bag and said second bag are configured to be separated from each other upon the application of force by a user.
10. The sheet according to claim 9, wherein the at least two bags are star seal bags.
11. The sheet according to claim 9, wherein the at least two bags are removably attached to each other with perforations present between first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag, wherein the perforations are configured to be broken upon the application of force so that the first bag and the second bag may be separated.
12. The sheet according to claim 9, wherein each of the at least two bags is configured so that a person may pinch the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinch a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pull the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
13. A method for opening a bag, the method comprising:
- providing a bag, said bag having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened, wherein the second end defines a recess, wherein the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end, wherein the bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, wherein the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, wherein at least one inner ply is formed and wherein at least two outer plies are formed, and wherein a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed;
- pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply;
- pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies; and
- pulling the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply consists only of pinching the first portion of one inner ply, and wherein pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies consists only of pinching the second portion of one outer ply.
15. A method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging, the method comprising:
- providing at least two bags;
- folding the at least two bags to form at least three plies, wherein two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed;
- exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies; and
- removably securing the at least two bags together to form a sheet comprising multiple bags.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least two bags are star seal bags.
17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:
- configuring the sheet around a central axis.
18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the one or more bags within the sheet are folded so that at least some portion of at least one inner ply is exposed once a bag has been removed from the other bags within the sheet.
19. The method according to claim 15, wherein exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies comprises removing material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet.
20. The method according to claim 15, wherein exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies comprises folding material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 8, 2021
Publication Date: May 12, 2022
Inventor: Harry WILFONG (Hartsville, SC)
Application Number: 17/521,241