Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The ~nvention relates to a containes and re
particularly to a container including interlocking inter-
tigitating flexible closure strips.
Generally, containers compr$sing reuseable
closure devices and pouches are well-known in the art.
- In addition, manufacturing methods for such containers are
~ell-known in the art. Generally, the coneainers are made
from plastic material ant the closure devices and pouches
thereof can be made integrally by extrusion as a unitary
piece or can be made as separate components which are sub-
6equently permanently connected together.
Containers of the type considered herein have
wide consumer use a~d usually feature a flexible pouch and
a closure dev~ce which can generally withstand st forces
which would tend to open the cont~iner by accident. There
is a growing need for a container having a recloseable clo-
sure tevice which is particularly resistant to accidental
opening tue to large forces arising from inside the pouch.
The instant invention provides a container
which features a flexible closure device which can be easily
opened by forces applied to the closure device along an ex-
ternal region intented for that purpose whereas the closure
tevice strongly resists being opened by forces arising from
pressure within the pouch portion of the container.
The foregoing criteria for a container are met
by one embodiment of the present ~nvention which embodiment
comprise6 a flexible closure device and a pouch portion in-
cluting two side walls and two s~de etges, the closure device
compri6ing first and second flexible closure strips arranged
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~n confronting relationship to each other and permanently
connectet to cach other at the two site edges, the first
closure strip having two opposite sides, one side of which
is generally flat and connectet to one ~lte wall of the pouc~
portion and the other side of which defines a pair of first
~ooks, each of the first hooks P.xtenting in the tirection
of the interior of the pouch portion, the second closure
~trip having two opposite sides, one side of which is
~enerallv flat and connected to the side wall nf the
pouch portion and the other side of which defines a ridge
and a pair of second hooks, each of the second hooks extend-
ing in a direction away from the interior of the pouch por-
tion, the pairs of first and second hooks being operable for
resiliently engaging and disengaging with each other and the
ridge being positioned on the ~ide of the pair of second
hooks away from the interior of the pouch portion and being
operable to guide the first and second closure strips for
occlusion and to maintain the occlusion.
Another embodiment of the invention is the
aforementioned container wherein the closure device features
the hooks near the interior of the pouch portion having
a relatively high negative angle of engagement.
- A further embodiment of the invention is the
aforementioned container wherein the hooks near the interior
of the pouch portion have a high negative angle of engagement
~nd the other hooks distal from the interior of the pouch por-
tion have a relatively positive angle of engagement.
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A further embot~ment of the invention is the
aforementioned container wherein esch of the closure strips
includes a flange portion extending away from the interior
of the pouch portion.
A still further embodi~ent of the lnvention $~
the aforementioned container including the clo6ure device
wherein the second closure strip includes a flange portion
which extends from a region generally oppos~te the first
hook which is distal from the interior of the pouch portion
0 60 that forces spplied to the flange portion for disengaging
the occluded closure device will be generally displaced from
the center of action of the closure strips.
The invention accordingly comprises features of
construction, combination of elements and arrangements of
parts which will be exemplified in a construction hereinafter
set forth and the scope of the ~pplication of which will be
indicated in the claims.
Generally, the container of the invention and
particularly the closure te~ice, can be made from polyethylene,
polypropelene, nylon, or another thermoplastic material or
the like or a combination thereof.- The dimensions of the
closure tevice would ~ary in accordance with the technology
depending upon the materials used because of the vari~tion
in physical properties such as moduli.
The container of the invention can be manufac-
turet by known methods which lnclude ex~rus~on and the use
of molds. The container can be produced by the integral
extrusion of the film for the container with the closure
etrips. Other nethods include extruding the closure strips
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onto a preformed film or extruting 2 film onto preformed
closure strips. For these methods, the fusion between the
film and closure strips results from the hot extrudate ad-
herLng to a compatible polymer.
~ nown methods for connecting the closure strips
to a plastic film for defining a container ~nclude the use
of thermoelectric dev~ces 6uch BS heated rotary discs, or
resistance heated slite wires, or tr~elling heater bands,
or the like.
The connection between the plastic film and
closure strips can also be established by the use of hot
melt adhesives, or hot jets of air to the interface or
ultrasonic heating, or other known methods.
Another advantage of the present invention is
that it can be cleaned and reused more easily than typical
prior srt containers intended for the same pusposes ~uch as
described in U. S. patent no. 3,054,434 Ausnit et al. This
patent requires one of the closure elements to have a hinged
connection to the pouch in order to resist high forces from
~he interior of the pouch. This hinge could present diffi-
culty in cleaning the container.
~ he present container provides ~any advantages
to consumers, particularly because the closure tevice is
reusable and yet ~urprisingly is resistant to bein~ openet
by relatively large pressures from within the pouch portion.
For a fuller understanding of the ~ature and
ob3ects of the invention, reference should be had to the
following detailed description; taken in connection with
the ~ccompanying drawings, in which:
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9344
Fig. 1 is a perspective ~iew of a c~ntainer
in accordance with the ~nvention;
Figs. 2A and 2B show diagrammatic and sectional
views of Portions of one embo~lment of the ~nven~lon
both ~n the unoccluted and occluded state6;
Figs. 3A, 3B, and 3C 6how diagrammatic and
6ectional views of three e~bodiments of the ~nvention;
Fig. 4 6hows a tiagrammatic and ~ectional view
of a further embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 5 shows a diagrammatic and sectional view
of yet another embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a closure
device of the invention in the form of tapes or strips.
In carrying the lnvention into effect, certain
embodiments have been ~elected for illustration in the
accompanying drawings and for description in this specifi-
cation, reference being h~d to Fig-. 1 to 6.
.
,
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93~4
Fig. 1 æhows a typical flexible c~ntainer 10
formed frDm a thin, plastic film which h~s been folded
at the bottDm pDrtiDn 11 and has been heat sealed alDng
the vertical ~ide edges 12 to form a p~ch pDrtiDn 13.
- Side walls 14 extent beyDnd a closure device 16
to provide mouth portions 17 ant 18 t~ ~im,plify the
opening of the clDsure device 16.
One embodiment of the invention is shDwn in the
open and Dccluded pDSitiDns in Figs. 2A and 2B. A first
lt) flexible clDsure strip 19 has first hDDks 20 and 21
defined Dn one side and extending in the directiDn Df
the interiDr of a pouch portion 22. A generally flat
surface opposite side of the closure strip 19 is
connected to a side wall 23.
A secDnd flexible clDsure strip 24 Dn one side has
~ pair Df secDnd hDoks 26 and 27 defined as well as a
ridge 28. Ihe 6econd hooks 26 and 27 extend in a
direction away from the interior of the pouch pDrtiDn 22
and are operable for res~liently engaging and disengaging
with the first hooks 20 and 21 as shown in the Figs. 2A
snd 2B. The ridge 28 is positioned on the 6ide of the
second hooks 26 snd 27 away frDm the lnteriDr of ehe
pDuch portion 22 and is operable tD guide the closure
strips 19 and 24 for occlusion and to maintain occlusion
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34~
while permitting disengagement. $hat is, when spreading
forces are applied to flanges 29 and 31 the bases 32 and
33 flex to facilitate the disengagement of the closure
strips 19 and 24.
The closure strips 19 and 24 are connected by
connecting means such as an adhesive to sidewalls 23.
As used herein, the angle of engagement is the
angle between a straight line approxima,tely defined by
the flat side of the first closure strip and a straight
line approximately defined by the contact surfaces of
a pair of engaged hooks. Reference is had to Figs. 3A,
3B, and 3C which show various combinations of angles of
engagement for different embodiments.
As used herein, a negative angle of engagement
occurs when the line defined by the contact ~urfaces of
a pair of hooks intersects the line defined by the flat
side of the first closure strip on the side of the
reference pair of contact surfaces towards the interior
of the pouch portion. In Fig. 3A, the angle of engage-
ment Al is defined by lines 34 and 36 and is an exampleof a negative angle of engagement.
As used herein, the positive angle of engagement
occurs when the line defined by the contact surface~ of a
pair of hooks intersects the line defined by the flat side
- of the first closure strip on ~he side of the reference
pair of Gontact surfaces away from the interior of the
pouch portion. In Fig. 3A, the angle of engagement B
. _, . _ .. . _ _ . _ .. _ . _ . ... _ . _ _ .. _ .. _ _ .. _ . . .. . .. . .
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is defined by the lines 34 and 37 and is ~ pDsitive angle
of engagement.
As used herein, a zerD angle of engagement occurs
when the line defined by the contact sur~ce6 Df a pair
of hooks ~ntersects the line tefinet by the flat side of
the first closure trip remotely and, ideally, if the tWD
lines are paral,el. In Fig. 3B, a zero angle of engagement
is indicated by the lines 38 and 39, whereas lines 38 and
41 show a negative angle of engagement, A2.
In Fig. 3C, the angles of engagements A3 and B3
are bDth negative angles of engagement.
It can be readily realizet tbst the fDrce needed
tD disengage hooks having a negative angle of engagement
$s generally greater than the fDrce necessary to tisengage
hDoks ha~ing a zero or positive angle of engagement,
It has nDw been realized a relatively high
negative angle of engagement can be used for the angle
cf engagement between the hooks near the interior of
a pouch portion in order to provide an occluded closure
device highly resistant to disengagement from f~rces
arising from within the pouch pOStiDn. The use, however,
of a pDsitive or negative ~ngle of engageme~t for the
hooks away ~rom the interior of the pouch i~ conjunction
with the afore~entioned relat~vely high negative angle of
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t3~
engagement surprisingly provides a container which both
resists being opened by forces ~rising from the interior
of the pouch portion and ~s relatively easy to open by
the application of forces at the outside flanges of the
closure device.
The opening of an occluded closure device of
the invention as shown in Fig. 2B can be analyzed as
follows. For forces arising from the interior of the
pouch portion 22, the hook 20 tends to rotate into the
hook 26 and thereby tends to maintain occlusion. When a
person wants to disengage the closure strips 19 and 24,
spreading forces are applied to the flanges 29 and 31.
These forces flex bases 32 and 33 so that the ridge 28
is rotated away from the hook 21, thereby allowing the
hook 21 to be released from the hook 27 and then the
hook 20 rotates out of the hook 26.
Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention
in which the closure strips 42 and 43 have been made
through separate operations and connected at flanges 44
and 46 to side walls 47 of a pouch portion 48 using
connecting means such as an adhesive.
Fig. 5 ~hows an integrally extruded embodiment
of the invention which is similar to the embodiment shown
in Figs. 2A and 2B but has the additional feature of
flange 49 being connected to the base 51 of closure strip
52 50 that forces applied to flange 49 for disengaging
closure strips 52 and S3 will be applied below the action
line 50 for the closure strips 52 and 53.
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~93~4
This ombDtiment com~ensates for ~ relatively
high pos~tive angle of engagement for hooks 54 and 56
which ~re tistal tD the pDuch por~ion 57 ~nd provides
the attitional atvantage of $ncreasing the re~i6tance
of the closure 6trlps 52 and 53 frDm accidentally
opening due to frictiDn or pressure against a relatively
filled pouch portion 57.
Fig. 6 shows a perspective view Df the tapes
or strips of the invention with flanges for use ln an
em'oodiment as shown in Fig. 4. ClDsure strip 58 includes
a flange portion 59, while closure stsip 61 inclutes a
flange portion 62.
i I wish it tD be understDDd that I dD not desire
to be limited to exact details of cDnstruction shown
and described, for Dbvious mDdi~ications will occur to a
person skilled in the art.
Having thus described the invention, ~h2t I claim
as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is as
- foll3ws:
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