Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
l'Z~78~i~;3
The present invention relates to shipping bags and more
particularly to flexible bags suited for shipping, storing and
displaying articles.
Various kinds of square cut or square end gusseted bags
have been previously proposed for shipping and displaying art-
icles. The bag usually has a label clearly displaying the type
of product contained in the bag together with the brand name of
the manufacturer. These bags have had certain shortcomings for
particular applications. One of the problems is that the product
can easily shift in the package. Another problem is that while
square ended gusseted bags are inexpensive and have been success-
ful for many applications, they do not provide a flat bottom when
the bag is expanded. Moreover, the gussets at the bottom of such
a bag are held in the transverse seal at the bottom and therefore
project into the center portion of the bag occupying a substan-
tial amoun~ of space that would otherwise be unobstructed. This
can interfere with the product contained in the bag. Thus, in
some applications, after the bag is expanded and the top has been
opened, the ends of the gussets captivated between the bottom
edges of the bag prevent the product inside from moving around
freely. They also prevent a person from removing the product
easily. This is because the gussets form four small pockets at
the bottom of the bag within which the product can become trapped
so that it is difficult to remove. Yet another shortcoming of
the prior bags is the difficulty of forming and filling them at
high speeds on the order of, say, about 100 per minute, while at
the same time providing strong, durable seals including a longi-
tudinal seal to bond the side edges of the sheet from which the
bag is formed, a pair of transversely extending end seals, i.e.,
top and bottom seals and, if desired, one or more transversely
extending product locating seals positioned intermediate the top
and bottom ends of the bag and extending laterally from one side
edge of the bag to the other.
The bag o~ the present invention overcomes these prob-
~;~78S~3
lems. It can be used to ship a variety of products such as per-
sonal and hardware items, articles that are displayed on racks in
retail stores, fresh produce, snacks, soft goods, candies, cook-
ies, plant foods, insecticides, cereals and the like. The inven-
tion is particularly useful for products that expand such aschemicals or foods such as popcorn which should be stored in a
relatively small space but be free to expand into a much larger
volume as it pops. The invention has a variety of other applica-
tions which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Briefly, the present invention provides a gussetea bag
that is formed from a piece of flexible sheet material folded to
form a pair of parallel face panels connected by gusset folds.
While the face panels may be of equal size, it is prefexred that
the front panel is relatively narrow so that its side edges are
spaced inwardly from the side edges of the back panel. Between
the panels are located left and right connectlng gusset folds.
~hen the face panels are of different widths, each gusset has one
narrow and one wide panel positioned adjacent one another and
connected together by a gusset fold. When the bag is in its flat
condition, the gussets extend toward one another preferably
almost to the center of the bag. In this situation, the gussets
are ad~acent to one another and close enough to divide the bag
into two parallel tubes, namely a front tube between the front
panel and the gussets and a back tube between the back panel and
the gussets. The back tube is preferably larger in its dia~eter
than the front tube.
Diagonal seals are preferably provided on at least one
end of the bag. These diagonal seals when present are provided
at least at the bottom of the bag to form a flat bottom surface
for the bag so that, if desired, it can be stood on end once it
is fully expanded. The diagonal seals also cause the gussets to
be folded so that they do not extend into and occupy the center
portion of the bag and possibly interfere with the distribution,
movement or removal of the product in the bag. The d~agonal
-- 2 --
1~'78~;~i3
seals are made between the gussets and the face panels and
comprise a first pair of diagonal seals on one side of the bag
beginning at the center of the bag and extending upwardly and
laterally between each gusset panel and a portion of the adjacent
face panel in contact with it. A second pair of diagonal seals
extend on an incline upwardly and laterally from the center of
the bag towared the right between each of the gusset panels and
the ad;acent face panel. The diagonal seals form folds in the
gussets when the bag is expanded to produce a flat bottom for the
bag as seen from the inside.
The seals between ad;acent plys of the bag are preferably heat
seals for by coating the surface of the sheel material with one
or more layers of heat sealing adjesive followed by the
application of heat and pressure sufficient to bond the panels
together. In one preferred form of the invention, heat sealing
adhesive is provided on both ad;acent surfaces oin face-to-face
contact so that one layer of adhesive is sealed to another to
provlde a secure seal.
In accordance with a prefered form of invention, at least one
product locating seal is provided. The product locating seal
extends transversely across the bag from one side to the other of
at least the smaller tube to divide it into upper and lower
compartments between the product locating seal in the top of the
bag and the product locating seal in the bottom of the bag. In
on form of the invention, two laterally extending vertically
spaced apart parallel product locating seals are provided
intermediate the ends of the bag with substantial space between
them where the product is held during shipment and storage.
one or both of the product locating seals is formed from
thermoplastic adhesives so that it will easily melt and come open
when heat is applied.
-- 3 --
~785~i3
Thus according to one aspect of the present invention there is
provided a square end gusseted bag construction comprising a pair
of opposing front and back rectangular face panels of the same
length having parallel top and bottom edges and parallel side
edges at rlght angles thereto, left and right connecting gussets
extendig between the front and back panels of the bag, each
having a pair of left and right gusset panels respectively
ad;acent each other and connected together by a gusset fold, the
gussets extending toward the center of the bag when the bag is in
a flat condition and the gusset folds being close enou~h together
when the bag is flat to separate the bag into a pair of connected
tubes, top and bottom seals extending across the bg from one side
edge thereof to the other ad;acent to the top and bottom edges of
the bag, permanent diagonal seals at the bottom of the bag to
form a strong permanent seal, the permanent diagonal seals
comprising seals between the gussets and the face panels
including a first palr of diagonal seals on the left side of the
bag begining at the center of the bag and being inclined
laterally between each gusset panel and a portion of an ad;acent
face panel in contact therewith, a second pair of diagonal seals
beginning at the center of the bag and being inclined toward the
right between each of the right gusset panels and an adjacent
face panel, a temporary seal dividing the bag into a plurality of
interconnected communicating compartments comprising at least one
transversely extending product locating seal defined bya
transversely extending band of heating sealing adhesive to
temporarily seal one face panel to ad;acent gussets to initially
hold the gussets in a tuc~ed-in condition adapted to hold a
product in place on one side of said bag between said gussets,
said temporary seal being provided in the bag between at least
one face panel and an adjacent portion of a gusset panel to seal
at least one of the tube transversely at a point located
intermediate to the ends of the bag to separate at least one of
the tubes into at least two separate connected compartments that
- 3a -
A
~'~7~35~i3
communicate with one another between the gusset folds including a
first compartment adapted to enclose said produc-t and a second
compartment, and said temporary seal being adapted to weaken when
the bag and a product contained therein is heated to permit the
gussets to pop out and thereby allow expansion of the bag and
said product, said expansion enabling the product to shift from
said one side of the bag to fill the entire bag, and said
permanent diagonal seals remaininy intact after expansion of the
bag to provide a sealed bag bottom free from confining corner
folds within which if present portions of the product could
otherwise become trapped. Suitably a pair of laterally extending
longitudinally spaced apart transverse temporary seals are
pro~ided sealing the face panels to the adjacent gusset panels to
pr~vide six spaced apart compartments including first and second
top communicating compartments in the connected tubular sections
of the bag between the temporary seal in the top of the bag, a
pair of centrally located communicating compartmentsd within the
connected tubes between the two transverse temporary seals and a
third pair of communicating compartments between the lower
temporary seal in the bottom of the bag in the two connected
tubes. Desirably the diagonal seals comprise bands of heat
sealing adhesive applied to both mating surfaces of the bag to
define two contacting layers of adhesive that are fused together
to form the seal and the temporary seal is composed of a single
band of adhesive applied to one surface of the bag but not to a
corresponding mating surface.
In another aspect thereof the present invention provides a seal-
venting gusseted bag of differential end strength for packaging
products that evolve gas and/or vagor upon being heated within
the bag, said bag comprising a pair of opposing front and back
rectangular face panels having parallel top and bottom edges and
parallel side edges at right angles thereto, left and right
connecting gussets extending between the front and back panels of
- 3b -
~u~
78~;53
the bag, each having a pair of left and right gusset panels
respectively ad~acent ea_h other and connected toyether by a
gusset fold, the gussets extending toward the center of the bag
when the bag is in a flat condition and the gusset folds being
close enough together when the bag is flat to separate the bag
into a pair of connected communicating tubes, a relatively weak
airtight top seal comprising a layer of rupturable thermoplastic
adheslve bonded between the gussets and the face panels and
bonding the face panels to each other, a permanent bottom seal on
the lower end of the bag to form a strong seal in the bag when
the bag is expanded, the permanent seal comprising seals between
each gusset panel and a portion of an adjacent face panel in
contact therewith and between the face panels, said permanent
bottom seal being larger in area than the top seal and being of
sufficient size and strength to resist rupture upon heating
whereby the permanent bottom seal will not open when heated in an
oven, said permanent seal providing a strongèr seal at the bottom
of the bag than the top such that the top seal will vent said gas
and/or vapor directly from the top of the bag after passing
through a melted thermoplastic adhesive layer, said bag thereby
having differential end seal strength whereby internal pressure
will pop open the top seal to form a vent while the bottom seal
remains intact owing to the greater strength of the bottom seal
allowing the bag to perform in a predictable way wherein
thermoplastic layer of adhesive layer will melt when a
predetermined pressure is achieved inside the bag and the bag
will become self-venting therethrough directly to the atmosphere
as internal pressure causes the top of the bag to open enabling
each such bag to open reliably and predicatably at the same
point. Suitably a temporary seal comprising at least one
transversely extending product locating seal defined by a
transversely e~tendiang band of heat sealing adhesive to
temporarily seal one face panel to ad~acent gussets to normally
hold the gussets in a tucked-in condition and holding said
product in place on one side of said bag between said gussets and
- 3c -
~278~$3
said one face panel and said temporary seal being adapted to melt
when the bag and a product contained therein is heated to permit
the gussets to pop out and thereby allow expansion of the bag to
fill the entire bag, said temporary seal being provided ln the
bag between one face panel and an ad;acent portion of a gusset
panel to seal at leas5 one of the tubes transversely at a point
located intermediate to the ends of the bag to separate at least
one of the tubes into at least two separate compartments
including an upper compartment adapted to enclose said product
and a lower compartment. Desirably the outer exposed surface o~
the gussets at the bottom of the bag are sealed to one another to
prevent the gussets from separating at the bottom of the bag and
corresponding gusset portions of the top of the bag are not
sealed together so that the top part of the gussets are free to
spread apart from one another when the bag is expanded thereby
helping to make the top of the bag weaker than the bottom so that
the bottom seal will remain intact when the top pops open from
internal pressure.
The present invention also provides a self-venting gusseted bag
of differential end strength for packaging products that evolve
gas and/or vapor upon being heated within the bag, said bag
comprising a pair of opposing front and back rectangular face
panels having parallel top and bottom edges and parallel side
edges at right angles thereto left and right connecting gussets
extending between the front and back panels of the bag, each
having a pair of left and right gusset panels respectively
ad;acent each other and connected together by a gusset fold, a
rupturable airtight top seal comprising a thin, flat,
substantially uniform layer of rupturable thermoplastic adhesive
bonded across the top of the bag and having substantially uniform
dimensions throughout and being uniformly rupturnable
throughtout, said thin uniform rupturable layer being bonded
between the gussets and the face panels and bonding the face
panels to each other, said thin, flat, substantially uniform
$~
- 3d -
A
~278~i53
rupturable layer of thermoplastic adhesive having a dual function
of a) sealing the gussets to the face panels and the sidewalls
together between the gussets and b) providing a thermally
rupturable seal across the top of the bag of substantially
uniform dimentions throughout, a strong bottom seal on the lower
end of the bag comprising a permanent bottom seal for the bag
when the bag is expanded, the permanent seal comprising seals
between each gusset panel and a portion of an adjacent face panel
in contact therewith and between the face panels, said permanent
bottom seal being larger ~han the top seal and being of
su~ficient size and strength to resist rupture upon heating
whereby the permanent bottom seal will not open when heated in an
oven and when heated said gas and/or vapor is vented directily
from the top of the bag after passing through a melted layer of
said thermoplastic adhesive in the top seal, said bag thereby
having differential end seal strength whereby internal pressure
will pop open the top seal by allowing the panels to move apart
from one another with a peeling action as the seal opens to form
a vent while the bottom seal remains intact owing to the greater
strength of the bottom seal thereby allowing the bay to perform
in a predictable way wherein the thermoplastic layer of adhesive
in the top seal will melt when a predetermined pressure is
achieved inside the bag and the bag will become self-venting
therethrough directly to the atmosphere as internal pressure
causes the top of the bag to open.
The present invention further provides a bag construction
comprising: (a) a panel arrangement having a flat, folded,
configuration and an expanded, unfolded, configuration; said
panel arrangement having first and second ends defined by: a pair
of opposing front and back panels; and, first and second,
opposed, side gussets; (i) each of said side gussets extending
between said front and back panels and having a gusset fold
projecting inwardly of said panel arrangement, when in said flat,
folded, configuration, to divide said bag construction into first
- 3e -
8~53
and second tubes; (b) means for providing an internally flat
bottom across said panel arrangement second end, when said panel
arrangement is in said expanded configuration; and, (c) a top
seal and a bottom seal; (i) said bottom seal enclosing said panel
arrangement second end; and, (ii) said top seal being a
transverse seal extending across and enclosing said panel
arrangement first end, said top seal ~eing weaker than said
bottom seal and being adapted to selectively vent internal gases,
when said bag construction is in a process of heating enclosed
material. Suitably said bottom seal comprises a transverse seal
extending across said panel arrangement second end; said bottom
seal extending generally parallel to said transverse top panel.
Desirably a bag construction wherein: (a) each side gusset
comprises a pair of gusset panels joined to one another along an
associated one of said gusset folds; (b) said panel arrangement
has four corner edges, when in said expanded, unfolded,
configuration, each of said four corner edges extending between
an ad~acent gusset panel and a selected one of said front and
back panels; (c) said means for providing an internally flat
bottom comprises a set of four diagonal seals each seal being
between one of said gussets and one of the front and back panels,
said set of seals including: (i) a first diagonal seal extending
between a central region of said internally flat bottom and a
first corner edge; (ii) a second diagonal seal extending between
a central region of said internally flat bottom and a second
corner edge; (iii) a third diagonal seal extending between a
central region of said internally flat bottom and a third corner
edge; (iv) a fourth diagonal seal extending between a central
region of said internally flat ~ottom and a fourth corner edge.
Preferably including a temporary seal arrangement oriented to
divide one of said first and second tubes into a plurality of
interconnected compartments, when said panel arrangement is in
said flat, folded, orientation; said temporary seal arrangement
including a first, temporary, transverse product-locating seal
oriented between said front panel and ad~acent panels of adjacent
- 3f -
~;~78~3
side gussets; said first, temporary; product locating seal belng
adapted to selectively weaken in use, selectively allowing said
panel arrangement to expand, under internal pressure, from said
flat, folded, configuration to said expanded, unfolded,
configuration. Desirably said temporary seal arrangement
includes a second, temporary, transverse product-locating seal
oriented generally parallel to, and spaced from said first,
temporary, product-locating seal; said second, temporary,
transverse product-locating seal being between said front panel
and adjacent panels of adjacent side gussets.
In one embodiment of the invention said temporary seal
arrange~ent includes third and fourth, temporary, transverse
product-l~cating seals; ta) said first and second product-
locating seals being positioned in said first tube; and, (b) said
third and fourth product-locating seals being positioned in said
second tube; said third and fourth, temporary, transverse
product-locating seals each being between said back panel and
ad~acent panels of said adjacent side gussets. Suita~ly ~a) said
first and third, temporary, transverse product-locating seals are
each positioned a first distance from said panel arrangement
first end; and, (b) said second and fourth, temporary, transverse
- seals are each positioned a second distance from sald panel
arrangement second end, said second distance being different from
said first distance. Preferably (a) each of said gusset panels
has an outer sur~ace; and (b) said construction includes: (i) a
first outer surface seal between ad;acent gusset panels of said
first side gusset, said first outer surface seal being
positioned: between outer surfaces of ad;acent gusset panels of
said first side gusset; and, along said panel arrangement second
end; and, (ii) a second outer surface seal between ad~acent
gusset panels of said second side gusset, said second outer
surface seal being positioned: between outer surfaces of ad;acent
gusset panels of said second side gusset; and, along said panel
$~
- 3g ~
A
~,c~78~3
arrangement second end. Desirably (a) said bottom seal comprises
a band of adhesive of a first area; and, (b) said top seal
comprises a band of adhesive of a seocnd area, said second area
being smaller than said first area.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
A
1'~78~53
way of the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a plan view of the inside surface of ablank sheet of paper from which the bag is formed;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the out-
side surface of the sheet from which the bag is formed;
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a roll from
which bags are formed as the sheet material appears when unwound
and fed into a bag forming machine;
Figure 3a is a perspective view of a complete bag in
accordance with the invention as it appears after being filled;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the completed bag shown in
Figure 3a;
Figure 4a is a diagrammatic side elevational view of
the bag of Figure 4;
Figure 5 is a perspective view having a conventional
square end gusseted bag in accordance with the prior art as it
appears after being expanded;
Figure 6 is an end view of the bag of Figure 4 on a
larger scale;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bag illus-
trating the dual tubular configuration of the bag as it appearswhen partly expanded;
Figure 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on
line 8-8 of Figure 4;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the bag in accordance
~ 27~553
with the invention as it appears in a fully e~panded condition;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the end portion of
the bag cut transversely on line 10-lo of Figure g;
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the end portion of a
bag in accordance with the prior art;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of a bag in accordance
with the invention;
Figure 13 is a partial side elevational view of the top
of the collapsed bag of Figure l;
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a filled bag folded
for shipment;
Figure 15 is a perspective view of another form of bag
containing a product;
Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 16-16
of Figure 15;
Figure 17 i.s a cross-sect1onal view similar to Figure
16 of the kind of bag shown in Figure 12;
Figure 1~ is a view similar to Figure 17 as it appears
when the product expands in the bag;
Figure 19 is a diagrammatic perspective view of one
method of filling the bags in accordance with the invention:
Figure 20 is a partial perspective view of the top of a
modified form of bag in accordance with the invention showing
another means of filling the bag;
12'78~i~3
Figure 21 is a vertical side elevational view of the
filling operation illustrated in Figure 20;
Figure 22 is a perspective view of another method of
filling the bags in accordance with the invention;
Figure 23 is a perspective view of another filling
method;
Figure 24 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on
line 2~-24 of Figure 23; and
Figure 25 is a perspective view illustrating still
another method of filling bags in accordance with the invention.
In overcoming the deficiencies described in connection
with the prior art and to accomplish the foregoing and related
ends, the invention is described by way of example, the following
description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodi-
ments, the invention indicating, however, only a few of the vari-
ations that can be made in the invention within the scope of the
appended claims.
Refer now to the drawings and particularly to ~igures
1, 2 and 3 which illustrate a prewound roll 10 of web material
from which the sheets making up the bag are taken. The roll 10
is unwound at 12 and includes a series of connected sheets 14
from whlch the bags are formed. The sheets are shown separately
in Figures 1 and 2 as they would appear if detached from one
another. Prior to forming the bags, the sheets 14 are part of a
continuous web 16 which passes in Figure 3 over a guide 18 and
then travels downwardly at 20. The web 20 is formed into a tube
22 only a part of which is shown at the bottom of Figure 2 by
bringing the side edges 24 and 26 toward one another in overlap-
ping relationship as shown at 28. The web 16 at this poin-t is
tubular. The equipment for forming continuous webs into a tube
~'78~3
are well known to those skilled in the art. Any suitable co~ner-
cially available equipment used for this purpose can be employed.
Refer now to Figures 1 and 2 which illustrate respec-
tively the inside and outside surface of the sheet sections 14from which the bag 30 is formed. It can be seen that the sheet
14 is generally rectangular in shape and includes parallel upper
and lower edges 32 and 34, respectively with parallel side edges
36 and 38 running at right angles thereto. The edge 32 forms the
top of the bag while edge 34 forms the bottom of the bag. The
side edges 36 and 38 are bonded in overlapping relationship as
will be described below to form a longitudinally extending lap
seal 28.
On the inside surface of the sheet 14 are a pair of
upper and lower thermoplastic adhesive sealing bands 40 and 42,
respectively which can be applied using any suitable adhesive
applying equipment. The adhesive bands 40 and 42 while they can
be formed from any suitable commercially available adhesive, are
preferably formed from a heat sensitive thermoplastic adhesive
such as polyvinyl acetate adhesive. Other adhesives such as dex-
trine or starch base adhesives can be used if desired. Thermo-
plastic heat sealing adhesives are preferred when the bags are
formed on high-speed automatic tubing and filling equipment in
which case seals are produced by holding the adhesive bands 40
and 42 together under heat and pressure.
The bands 40 and 42 can be of various widths but a
fairly wide band, for example a band about 3/4" wide is preferred
so that there is adequate room for "float", i.e., the variations
in the position of the sheet 14 with respect to the heated seal-
ing jaws used for forming the seals.
The longitudinal seal 28 is formed by providing verti-
cally disposed adhesive bands 44 and 48 along the side edges 36
and 38 and on opposite surfaces of the blank sheet 14. The bands
- 7 -
lz7a~s3
44 and 4~ are also preferably ~ormed from thermoplastic adhesive
but a quick-setting dextrine adhesive or a resin type adhesive
can be used, if desired. It will be seen that the layers 44 and
48 contact one another when the tube 22 is formed with an overlap
28. Consequently, a bond is formed between the two face-to-face
adhesive layers. Similarly, with the end seals formed by adhe-
sive bands 40 and 42, an adhesive band is always in contact with
a part of the adhesive band on an opposing surface so that one
layer of adhesive is sealed to another in face-to-face relation-
ship. In this way, a secure bond is formed which is stronger
than one produced with a single layer of adhesive bonded to plain
paper.
The sheet 14 is folded during manufacture along six
lines designated 50-55. The lines 50-55 do not indicate creases
but only lines where folds will be formed when the bag is com-
pletely formed and assembled. Precreasing is not necessary for
most applications. Between fold lines 52 and 53 is a front or
face panel 56. The back of the bag is formed by panels 58,58a on
opposite sides of fold lines 50 and 55, respectively. Between
the front face panel 56 and the back panel 58 are gusset panels,
the one on the left in Figure 1 being designated 60,60a, while
the one on the right is designated 62 and 62a. The gusset panels
are connected by the gusset folds 51 and 54, respectively.
At the bottom of the bag are provided diagonal seals
which correspond in position to diagonal adhesive bands 64-71.
The seal lines corresponding in location to the diagonal adhesive
bands act $ogether to form a flat bottom surface for the bag when
it is expanded as will be described more fully below. The diago-
nal seals comprise seals between the gusset and face panel com-
prising a first pair of diagonal seals on the left side of the
bag where diagonal band 66 is sealed to band 67 and diagonal band
65 is sealed to band 64. Both seals are inclined upwardly from
the center of the bag laterally and serve to bond each gusset
panel to a portion of an adjacent face panel ~front and back) in
~785~i3
contact therewith. The second pair of diagonal seals correspond
in position to the adhesive bands 68-71 and are inclined from the
center of the bag upwardly and toward the right between each of
gusset panels 62 and 62a and one of the adjacent front or back
face panels. Band 68 is sealed to band b9 and band 70 is sealed
to band 71. It should be clear that although adhesive bands have
been shown on both the gussets and the adjacent face panels, it
would be acceptable to use a band on only one of them although a
somewhat less secure bond would be formed. For example, bands
designated 65,67,69 and 71 could be eliminated and yet all of the
seals corresponding to bands 6~,66,68 and 70 would be formed when
heat and pressure is applied to the overlapping plys. It will be
noticed that the diagonal adhesive bands form triangles of two
different sizes, the two outer ones being wider and corresponding
lS in width to twice the width of the wider gusset panels 60,62a
whereas the smaller triangles at the center correspond in width
to double the width of the small gusset panels 60a and 62.
Positioned at vertically spaced apart locations on the
bag intermediate the ends thereof are parallel transversely
extending longitudinally spaced apart product locating seals cor-
responding in position to thermoplastic adhesive bands
72,74,76,78 and 80,82. When the bag is fully formed as shown in
Figure 3a, the gussets are positioned between the front and back
panels. As a result, the product locating seals formed in the
positions corresponding to the adhesive bands 72-82 will not con-
sist of adhesive sealed to adhesive but instead adhesive carried
on the front and back panels will be bonded to the adhesive free
surfaces of the gussets. Accordingly, the product locating seals
will ordinarily not be quite as strong as those formed where a
layer of adhesive is bonded to another layer of adhesive as in
the bottom and top seals.
The product locatlng seals are optional and the most
useful one is the bottom seal corresponding in position to bands
74,78 and 82. With this seal formed and the bag completely
_ g _
~785~3
assembled, a product 84 can be dropped in the open top defined by
the edge 32 and will fall until it strikes the lower product
locating seal corresponding to the adhesive bands 74,78,~2. It
will then be held in this position, in this case at almost the
center of the bag. After the product 84 has been introduced in
this manner, the top product locating seal 72,76,80 is formed,
for example, by forcing a pair of hot sealing bars against the
surface of the bag above the product 84 thereby sealing the bands
72,76,80 to one another.
As can be seen in Figure 2, the lower edges of the out-
side surfaces of the gusset panels 60,60a,62,62a are provided
with adhesive bands 86 and 88. In this way, when the bag is
assembled and a pair of hot sealing bars are brought into contact
with the overlapping layers of the sheet material 14 forming the
bottom of the bag, the outside or exposed surfaces of the gussets
will be sealed to one another. This prevents the gussets from
separating at the bottom edge of the bag 34. The product 84 is
preferably placed in the smaller tube as shown in Figure 8, that
is to say, the one ad~'acent to the front face panel 56 rather
than the large tube adjacent to the back face panel 58,58a.
Accordingly, when the 84 is an expandable product such as a chem-
ical or food to be cooked in the bag, it will be held in a very
small space and is still able to expand volume provided by the
rear tube adjacent the rear panel composed of parts 58,58a. On
the other hand, some products can be placed on both sides of the
gussets, i.e., in both the front and rear tubes. Figures 3a, 4
and 4a illustrate the complete bag filled with product ready for
shipment.
Refer now to Figures 6, 7 and 8. The bag is normally
in a flattened condition while the product is being shipped or is
on display. The gussets 60-62a are in contact with one another,
and the face panel 56 and back panel 58,58a is pressed against
the adjacent gusset panels. ~hen the product locating seals are
used, the product 84 is placed between them and is located in the
-- 10 --
1'~78~3
smaller tube, that is to say, the one between the front face
panel 56 and -the adjacent gussets. I-t will be noted that the
gusset folds 51,S4 are positioned adjacent to one another and in
the embodiment shown in the Figures are almost in contact when
the bag is flattened (Figure 6). When the bag begins to expand
(Figure 7) gusset folds 51,54 separate from one another. The
location of the product 84 in the smaller tube can be clearly
seen in Fi~ure 8, the larger or back tube is fully collapsed
while the adjacent part of the front tube is expanded consider-
ably to accommodate the product.
Refer now to Figures 9 and 10 which illustrate the bagin accordance with the present invention in a fully expanded con-
dition, as it appears just before the product is to be removed
from the bag. When the bag is fully expanded in this way, the
gusset panels will fold along diagonal fold lines extending from
the center 90 of the bag diagonally outward toward the corners as
shown by the folds designated 92-95 (Figure 10). This will form
a flat bottom for the bag indicated generally at B. This elimi-
nates portions of the gussets which might otherwise be trappedbetween the bottom seals and get in the way of the product or
interfere with easy removal of the product from the bag. The
result is that a single large uninterrupted compartment is formed
as clearly shown in the Figure 10 which illustrates bottom por-
tion of the bag as it would appear if it were cut off andremoved.
By contrast, a conventional gusseted square bottom bag
according to the prior art is shown in Figures 5 and 11. The
gussets in the prior art bag are designated 96, only one of which
is shown in Figure 5. From the drawing, it can be seen that both
the bottom and top portions of the gussets 96 are captivated,
entrapped within the folds of the bottom and-top seals 97 and 98,
respectively~ As a result, portions of the gussets 96 (Figure
11) of paper can get in the way of the product and in some cases
cause parts of the product to become trapped or jammed in place,
85~3
for example in the corners 99 (Figure 5). By contrast, inspec-
tion of Figure 10 will show that because the diagonal seals 64-71
cause the gussets to fold as described, the interior of the bag
is unobstructed promoting quick and easy removal of the product
and preventing it from becoming stuck in place as well as allow-
ing an expansible product to expand freely.
The term "diagonal seal~ means a seal that is diagonal
on one edge. The triangular area below seals 64-71 can be
entirely covered with adhesive. Moreover, adhesive can cover the
entire surface of the paper. In this case the position of the
jaws alone can be used to determine where seals are located.
Thus, the heat seal can be determined by the pattern of the heat
seal adhesive or by the pattern of the jaws. The amount of heat
used and the inherent strength of the adhesive can be used to
control the quality of the adhesive joints.
Because of the action of the diagonal seals described,
the fold lines 51,54 can be brought closer together in the pre-
sent invention than in the prior art. This is an advantage sincethe closer the fold lines 51,54 are to each other, the more com-
pletely the bag will be divided into two separate tubes and as a
result, the better the product 84 can be reliably retained in its
assigned location within the front tube ad;acent the front face
56 with none leaking or falling into the tube ad;acent the back
panel.
By inspection of ~'igure 9, it will be seen that the
very top part of the gussets (adjacent the top seal of the bag)
are free to spread apart when the bag is expanded. Because of
this, the top of the bag where it is sealed straight across is
slightly weaker than the bottom where it is sealed all the way
across at 42. Accordingly, if the bag is used to hold an expan-
sible product, the bottom seal 42 will remain intact although the
top pops open from internal pressure. This makes the bag perform
in a more predictable way. For example, in the popping of pop-
iz~8S53
corn, it is important for the bag bottom to remain sealed. Theproduct is removed by manually opening the top of the bag. Con-
sequently, the start of an opening at the top of the bag produced
by internal pressure is acceptable. In this application, the
seal 40, in effect, peels open when internal pressure becomes
excessive. By having the top seal of -the bag weaker than the
bottom seal, the bag will always pop open at the top and can be
thought of as ~self-venting~ and will always open at the same
spot with a peeling action beginning at the point located between
the gusset fold lines 51,54 where they are captured in the top
seal 40. The importance of this in some applications is that the
bag will not burst open tearing along a considerable part of its
length when internal pressure develops but instead will always
open reliably at the same point; the center of the top seal 40.
Diagonal seals similar to those used on the bottom can
also be used on the top if desired although they have not been
shown in the drawings for simplicity of illustration.
By having the gussets close together, a larger volume
is provided to contain an expansible product. For example, in
the case of popcorn the bag must be big enough to hold all of the
popped product, in that case the small tube may have a width of
about 4" while the large tube has a width of about 5 1/2" for a
bag 11" long, the gussets extending to the center or almost to
the center of the bag provide virtually comple-te separation
between the front and rear tubular portions of the bag and are
sufficiently close together to prevent product in the front tube
from transferring readily to the back tube.
The invention has other advantages. Because the bag is
suited for manufacture on high speed automatic forming and fill-
ing equipment, the cost of the bag is reduced and quality control
is improved. Moreover, product placement can be accurately and
reliably controlled by allowing the product to fall against the
lower product locating seal 74,78,82 rather than falling all the
- 13 -
lZ78~3
way to the bottom end of the bag which is undesirable. Moreover,
the bag in the flattened condition of Figures 3a, 4, 4a and 6 can
be easily and rellably fed from one station to another by means
of rollers or the like (not shown) engaging the outer edges of
the bag while the bag is filled with product 84. The upper prod-
uct locating seal 72,76,80 is not needed for some applications
but will hold the product in place even though the bag is shaken
or turned upside down. If the product is large or need not be
accurately positioned, both temporary product locating seals can
be eliminated. The top product locating seal also helps to pre-
vent the product 84 from deforming in case it is partially liquid
or plastic and the bag is laid on its side with the product cap-
able of flowing from the designated position upwardly in the bag.
The diagonal bottom seals while important for some
applications are not needed for other applications and in that
case can be eliminated. It will also be understood that the bot-
tom and top of the bag are interchangeable and that the terms
"bottom" and "top" are relative to one ano-ther.
The sheet material 14 from which the bag is formed can
be any suitable flexible packaging material such as paper, plas-
tic, or special paper such as greaseproof paper or cellophane.
Laminates can also be used such as a laminate composed of 25 lb.
greaseproof paper laminated to a 30 lb. kraft paper.
While the seals at the bottom of the bag have been
shown as diagonal seals, it should be understood that the entire
area below each adjacent diagonal seal can be sealed to the adja-
cent panel, i.e., the entire area under sealing bands 64,65 canbe coated with adhesive and sealed to the adjacent panel.
Refer now to Figures 15 and 16. These Figures illus-
trate a form of the invention in which the bag has face panels of
equal size. In this case, the bag 110 is formed from flexible
sheet material such as paper having front and rear face panels
- 14 -
~;~7~ 3
126 and 124, respectively connected together by gussets 120 and
122. The gussets 120,122 separate the bag into a pair of paral-
lel longitudinally extending tubes 11~ and 116. The tubes 114
and 116 co~nunicate with one another along a central longitudi-
nally extending opening 118 between the central fold lines of thegussets 120,12~. The bottom of the bag is sealed as shown at
128. After being filled, the top 130 is also sealed convention-
ally by means of heat or other suitable adhesive.
As shown in Figures 15 and 16, a product 132 is placed
in the forwardmost tube 116 while the tube 114 is maintained sub-
stantially free of any product. The placement of the product 132
within tube 116 is clearly shown in Figure 16.
Refer now to Figures 12, 13, 14 and 17-19 which illus-
trate another form of the invention. In this case, the bag 140,like the embodiments shown in Figures 1-11, is composed of paral-
lel tubes of different widths. In this case, a pair of colla-
teral tubes designated 142 and 144 extend longitudinally and com-
municate with each other along a mid-line at 146. The front tube
144 is about 2/3 the width of the rear tube 142. The tubes com-
municate with each other along the mid-line at 146 between the
center folds of the gussets 154,156. The bag is sealed by means
of a bottom seal 148 and prior to being filled is open at the top
so that a product can be introduced as shown in Figure 19. After
the product 152 has been inserted, the top is sealed as shown at
149 in Figure 14. After being manufactured, the bag is usually
flattened as shown in Figure 13 with the central fold lines of
the gussets 154a,156a very close together, preferably close
enough to prevent product that is in the front tube 144 from
transferring accidentally into the back tube 142. It will be
seen that the face panel 158 at the rear is larger than the face
panel 160 which comprises the front of the bag. It is preferred
that the panel 160 be about 18-50% smaller that the area of panel
158. It can, therefore, be understood that the tube 144 is
smaller in cross-section than tube 142. The term "cross-section"
- 15 -
~'~78~53
herein has reference to a tube that is fully expanded to a circu-
lar cross-sectional configuration. The bag 140 is preferably
formed from a sheet of paper of one or two plys in thickness
formed into a tube as described above and cut apart at longitudi-
nally spaced intervals to define the top and bottom ends 150 and148, respectively. As shown in Figures 14 and 19, the product is
placed substantially intermediate the ends of the bag. After
being filled and sealed, the bag is folded transversely at 162
and 164 (Figure 14) to divide the bag roughly into three egual
sections for convenient shipment with the product approximately
in the center of the bag as best seen in Figure 14.
The product 15~ is placed in the tube 160 having the
smaller cross-section and as can be clearly seen in Figures 17
and 19, the product 152 is on one side, that is to say, laterally
of the mid-line of the bag 140. This maintains the larger tube
142 substantially free from any product.
Refer now to Figure 19 wherein the same numerals refer
to corresponding parts il~ustrated in Figures 12-14, 17 and 18.
The bags 160 in this case have been folded transversely along the
fold line 162 located at a point about 2/3 of the way between the
top and bottom of the bag. This corresponds to the location of
the lower product locating seal described in the earlier embodi-
ments of the inventionO The bags are located in an upright posi-
tion during filling and are transferred laterally from left to
right in the Figure using any well-known filling machine that is
commercially available. During the filling operation, the bags
140 are carried from left to right by means of a conveyor that is
part of the transfer and filling machine tnot shown). In this
form of the invention, the upper end of the tube 144 is shorter
than the tube 142. This is accomplished by cutting off the top
portion of tube 144, beginning at the marginal edges 154a and
156a of the gussets 154 and lS6. The upper edge of the tube 142
slides within a downwardly opening U-shaped guide rail 176. This
allows the tube 144 to be opened at the proper time by means of a
1'~'78~3
suction cup 178 which engages panel 160 and draws the panel awa~
from the panel 158. A filling spout 180 is placed in proximity
with each successive bag such that its bottom end is aligned with
the upper open end of the small tube 144. As the bag passes
beneath the filling spout 180, a product is inserted and 3S can
be seen, falls entirely within the tube 144 so that the larger '~
collateral tube 142 is maintained substantially free of any prod-
uct. The transverse fold 162 in this case maintains the charge
152 in approximately the center of the bag, that is to say,
intermediate the ends 148 and 150. The function of a fold 162 in
holding the product can be accomplished in other ways, for
example with a clamp placed on the bag. After filling, the top
150 of the bag is sealed in any conventional well-known manner as
by means of adhesive or heat sealing.
Refer now to Figures 20 and 21 in which the same num-
bers refer to corresponding parts shown in previous views. The
bag 140 is the same as previously described except instead of the
entire upper end of the tube 144 being shorter than tube 142, a
cut-out section 184 is provided entirely within the panel 160.
The cut-out 184 may extend downwardly toward the bottom of the
bag about 1/2" to 1" to accommodate a filling spout 186 having
tabs or lateral extensions 188 and 189 which engage the uppermost
edge of the gussets 156 and 154, respectively. The spout and its
extensions 188 and 189 hold the gussets on top of the bag against
the upper edge of the large tube 144 which is, in turn, pressed
against a vertical plate or other surface which for simplicity
has not been shown in the ~igures. After the spout 186 and the
extensions engage the gussets 154 and 156, the panel 160 is
pulled outwardly, for example by a suction cup (not shown) to
open the tube 144. Once tube 144 is opened, the product is
dropped in the spout 186 and allowed to fall into the tube 144
thereby locating it in the desired position entirely within tube
144. The tube which will be maintained in a flattened condition
at this point will be substantially free of any product.
~7855~
Figure 22 illustrates a similar filling method wherein
the same numerals refer to corresponding parts. In this case, a
filling spout 190 is used. The spout 190 is not provided with
tabs and is somewhat longer from top to bottom than spout 186.
In this filling method, the lower open end 192 of the spout 190
is inserted into tube 144 which is then drawn upwardly over the
spout. As can be seen, this will open the tube 144 allowing the
product to be introduced while the collateral tube 142 remains
flattened and free from any substantial quantity of product. It
is to be understood that in all of the embodiments of the inven-
tion, incidental quantities of product may spill over into the
unfilled tube. Such spillover which sometimes happens in high
speed commercial production lines will not depart from the spirit
or scope of the present invention.
Figures 23 and 24 show a similar filling method except
that no spout is employed. In this case, a pair of parallel
downwardly depending fixed retaining arms 194 and 196 are sup-
ported from a stationary framework 198 to hold the side edges of
the flattened tube 142. A suction cup 100 engages panel 160 and
draws it away from panel 158 thereby opening the smaller collat-
eral tube 144. The product is then inserted into tube 144.
Figure 25 shows a somewhat similar arrangement except
that in this case panel 158 is engaged by a stationary suction
cup 202 and a pair of picture arms 204 and 206 engage the side
edges of the panel 160. They are then brought centrally toward
one another in the direction shown by the arrows thereby pinching
the tube 144 to expand it for filling. Once tube 144 has been
expanded as shown in the Figure, the product is introduced.
- 18 -
