PLURALITY OF BAGS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

PLURALITE DE SACS ET PROCEDE DE FABRICATION ASSOCIE

English Abstract

A plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches (10) are detachably joined and
provided on a roll (12). The bags, sleeves, or pouches may be made by joining
or by folding the material and forming spaced seal and tear lines (36) in the
material. The seal and tear lines are formed in the material by a seal bar
(37) having a saw tooth surface which forms alternating sealed and cut
portions and uncut portions in the material.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne une pluralité de sacs, de manches ou de pochettes qui sont reliés détachables et sont disposés sur un rouleau. Ces sacs, manches ou pochettes peuvent être fabriqués par liaison ou pliage du matériau et par formation de lignes d'étanchéité et de perforation espacées dans le matériau. Les lignes d'étanchéité et de perforation sont formées dans le matériau au moyen d'une barre d'étanchéité présentant une surface en dent de scie qui forme en alternance des parties étanches et découpées et des parties non découpées dans le matériau.

Claims

6
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A plurality of rectangularly-shaped bags detachably connected together,
comprising:
material folded over with a first part of said material overlying a second
part of
said material,
a plurality of sealed and tear lines in said first and second parts of said
material,
said seal and tear lines spaced a predetermined distance from each other to
define
individual rectangularly-shaped bags between adjacent seal and tear lines,
each said seal
and tear line being defined by alternating sections of cut and sealed portions
and uncut
portions of said material.
2. The plurality of bags of claim 1 wherein said first part of said material
extends
beyond said second part of said material to define a flap.
3. The plurality of bags of claim 3 comprising adhesive on said flap.
4. The plurality of bags of claim 1 wherein a cavity for holding an object to
be
protected by said bags is defined between said first part of said material and
said second
part of said material.
5. The plurality of bags of claim 1 wherein said rectangularly-shaped bags are
rolled onto a roll.
6. A method of making a plurality of rectangularly-shaped bags detachably
connected together, comprising:
providing bag material,
folding a part of said material onto itself, and
forming in said folded material a seal and tear line having sealed and cut
portions
of said material alternating with uncut portions of said material so as to
form the plurality
of rectangularly-shaped detachably connected together.

7
7. The method of claim 6, said step of forming a seal and tear line in said
material
is repeated to define individual rectangularly-shaped bags between adjacent
seal and tear
lines.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of folding a part of said material
further comprises folding said part of said material to define a flap of
material.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising applying securement means to said
flap for securing said flap to said bag in a bag closed configuration.
10. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a saw tooth configured
seal
bar for forming said seal and tear line in said material.
11. A seal bar for forming a seal and tear line in material to define bags,
sleeves, or
pouches, comprising:
an elongated body, said elongated body having a top surface and a bottom
surface, said bottom surface having alternating raised portions and recesses
in a saw
tooth configuration.
12. The seal bar of claim 11, said elongated body having a tapered
configuration
narrowing from said top surface to said bottom surface.
13. A plurality of rectangularly-shaped bags, sleeves, or pouches
comprising:
a web of material, said material defining first and second side walls,
a plurality of spaced tear lines in said web of material defining said
rectangularly-
shaped bags, sleeves, or pouches between adjacent tear lines, said tear lines
defined by alternating sections of sealed and cut portions and uncut portions
of said web
of material.
14. The plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches of claim 13 further comprising
a flap
on said second side wall extending beyond said first side wall.

8
15. The plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches of claim 14 further comprising
closure
means for releasably securing said flap to said first side wall.
16. A method of making a plurality of rectangularly-shaped bags, sleeves, or
pouches, comprising:
providing material,
forming a first wall of said material and a second wall of said material, and
forming a tear line having sealed and cut portions and uncut portions in said
first
wall of material and said second wall of material to at least partially seal
said first wall of
material to said second wall of material so as to form the plurality of
rectangularly-
shaped bags, sleeves or pouches.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising forming a flap on said second
wall
of said material
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising providing securement means on
said
flap for securing said flap to said first wall of said material.
19. The method of claim 16 further comprising forming said tear line using a
saw
tooth configured seal bar.

Description

CA 02494117 2005-O1-31
WO 2004/012553 PCT/US2003/023479
PLURALITY OF BAGS AND
METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a plurality of bags, sleeves, or
pouches.
More particularly, the invention relates to a plurality of bags, sleeves, or
pouches that can
be separated from each other along tear lines, and the method of making these
bags,
sleeves, and pouches.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mass production facilities such as in the electronic, automotive parts,
furniture,
and small parts manufacturing industries package small items in cushioned
bags, sleeves,
or pouches for shipment and sale. Although the material of the bag can be
film, foam, or
a paper or film laminate, if the item is fragile, the material is preferably
cushioned.
Individual cushioned bags or pouches of this type are disclosed in U.S.
Patents Nos.
4,087,002 and 4,011,798. These prior art individual bags, sleeves, or pouches
require
time and labor to select, fill and seal. To overcome some of these problems in
the prior
art, several bags can be provided on a roll with each bag separated from
adjacent bags by
a line of separation. These bags are formed from a sheet of film folded on
itself or two
separate sheets of film on top of each other. A wide seal or pair of seals are
formed
between each bag with one side of each wide seal or one seal of each pair
forming a side
seal of one of the adj acent bags. A line of separation such as a line of
perforations is
formed between the pair of seals or along the center line of a wide seal. The
wide seal or
pair of seals in the prior art requires a substantial amount of material when
making
several million bags or pouches. It is desirable to use a different
combination seal and
tear line to save material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches
that
are joined together along separation or tear lines. The bags, sleeves, or
pouches are
formed from material such as sheets of multiple sealed air pockets as for
example, Astro-
Cell~ air cushioning made by Pactiv Corporation of Lake Forest, Illinois,
foam, film, or

CA 02494117 2005-O1-31
WO 2004/012553 PCT/US2003/023479
laminates including paper, film and foam laminates. The material is sealed to
form
individual bags or pouches having an open mouth cavity or open ended tubes or
sleeves
such as, Sleeve It~ products made by Pactiv Corporation of Lake Forest,
Illinois. Seals
are formed by a saw tooth seal bar that simultaneously seals sides of adjacent
bags,
sleeves, or pouches and forms a separation or tear line in the seal. By having
the seals
and separation or tear lines at the same location, less material is required
than in the prior
art. When making millions of bags, sleeves, or pouches, this savings of
material results
in substantial cost savings. If desired, each bag or pouch can include a flap
with
adhesive, coadhesives or other types of closures such that the flap can be
folded over the
open mouth to close the cavity.
The bags, sleeves, or pouches are provided on a continuous strip with tear or
separation lines between them. In this form, the plurality of bags, sleeves,
or pouches
can be provided on a roll allowing a user to tear one or several bags,
sleeves, or pouches
from the roll quickly and easily.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon
reading
the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roll of bags, sleeves, or pouches
constructed in
accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the method of making the bags, sleeves,
or
pouches of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a seal bar used in the method illustrated in
FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a plurality of connected individual
bags,
sleeves, or pouches 10. The plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 are
shown on a roll
12 which allows a user to pull one or several bags, sleeves, or pouches 10
from the roll
12 quickly and easily. Other forms of storage of the bags, sleeves, or pouches
10 can
also be used such as stacking or folding them on each other.
Each bag, sleeve, or pouch 10 is formed from a web of material 19 that can be
a
sheet or film of a plurality of enclosed air bubbles such as, Astro-Cell~ air
cushioning

CA 02494117 2005-O1-31
WO 2004/012553 PCT/US2003/023479
made by Pactiv Corporation of Lake Forest, Illinois, foam, film or laminates
including
paper, film or foam laminates. Each bag, sleeve, or pouch 10 is defined by a
first side
wall 16 and a second side wall 18 which can be formed by folding the material
19 onto
itself as shown in FIG. 2, or it may be two pieces of material placed on top
of each other.
Each bag or pouch 10 thus formed includes a bottom 20, a first sealed side 22,
a second
sealed side 24 and an open mouth 26 which provides access to a cavity between
the first
side wall 16 and the second side wall 18. If a sleeve 10 is made, the bottom
20 is open to
define a second open mouth 26. Objects to be placed in each bag or pouch 10
can be
inserted into the cavity through the mouth 26.
If desired, the bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 can be formed such that the
second
side wall 18 extends beyond the first side wall 16 to define a flap 30. The
flap 30 can be
folded over the open mouth 26 to close the cavity and retain objects in the
cavity. The
flap 30 may be sealed in a folded configuration by adhesive, coadhesive, or
other types of
closwes 32 (FIG 2) applied to the inside of the flap 30 in a location to
secure the flap 30
to the first side wall 16 when the flap 30 is folded over onto the first side
wall 16. If
adhesive is used, a peel sheet 34 is placed on the adhesive 32 to protect the
adhesive
when not in use. Once objects have been placed in the cavity of the bag,
sleeve, or pouch
10, the peel sheet 34 is removed and the flap 30 is folded onto the first side
wall 16 and
the adhesive 34 holds the flap 30 in the closed position secured to the first
side wall 16
closing the mouth 26.
The individual bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 are separated from each other by
seal
and tear lines 36 that may be lines of perforations or weakened portions of
the first side
wall 16 and the second side wall 18. Prior art bags and pouches have a wide
seal
between adj acent bags with a line of perforations along the center of the
seal area. This
wide seal area provides side seals on adjacent bags or pouches and a line of
perforations
between the side seals along which adjacent bags may be separated. Another
prior art
seal is a twin seal which is two parallel seals each forming a side seal of an
adjacent bag
and a line of perforations between the parallel seals. In contrast, the seal
and tear lines 36
are single lines of alternating sealed and cut portions and uncut portions
formed by a saw
tooth seal bar 37 (FIG. 3). The saw tooth seal bar 37 has an elongated body
that narrows
from a top surface 37A to a bottom surface 37B. A plurality of teeth or raised
portions
39 alternating with recesses 41 are formed in the bottom surface 37B in a saw
tooth

CA 02494117 2005-O1-31
WO 2004/012553 PCT/US2003/023479
4
configuration. The saw tooth seal bar 37 is heated and when pressed onto the
material
19, the teeth or raised portions 39 cut through the material 19 while sealing
the sides 22,
24 of the cut. The recesses 41, however, slightly contact the material 19
leaving that
portion of the material 19 uncut. The resultant seal and tear line 36 consists
of
S alternating sealed cuts and uncut portions such that adjacent bags, sleeves,
or pouches 10
may be separated by tearing along the seal and tear line 36. The seal and tear
lines 36
require less material than the wide seals or twin seals with lines of
perforation in the
prior art, and when making several million bags, sleeves, or pouches, there is
a
considerable savings in material by using the seal bar 37 of the present
invention.
A method of making the bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 is illustrated in FIG. 2.
The
method illustrated forms bags, sleeves, or pouches with a flap, but bags,
sleeves, or
pouches without a flap can be made using this method by not extending one side
wall. In
this method a piece of material 19 is shown belt two pieces of material 19 can
be used
and bonded together. As the material 19 is advanced, a peel sheet 34 with
adhesive 32
applied thereon is layered onto the material 19. The peel sheet 34 is fed off
a roll 38 . As
the peel sheet 34 is fed from roll 38, adhesive 32 is applied to the peel
sheet 34 by an
applicator 40. The peel sheet 34 with adhesive 32 applied thereon is fed
between a pair
of rollers 42 and 44. The material 19 is also fed between the rollers 42 and
44. The
rollers 42 and 44 press the peel sheet 34 onto a portion of the material 19
that will
become the flap 30.
The material 19 with the peel sheet 34 is advanced into a folding assembly 46.
The folding assembly 46 includes a plow or folder 48. The folding assembly 46
folds the
material 19 to position the first side wall 16 over the second side wall 18
and forming the
flap 30.
The folded material 19 is advanced between the saw tooth seal bar 37 and a
rubber seal roller 52. The folded material 19 is intermittently stopped and
the seal bar 37
is reciprocated into engagement with the material 19 and the rubber seal
roller 52 to seal
and cut a seal and tear line 36. The seal bar 37 is then reciprocated out of
engagement
with the material 19, and the material 19 is advanced a distance equal to the
width of one
bag,sleeve, or pouch 10. The seal bar 37 is again reciprocated to repeat the
operation of
forming a seal and tear line 36. The material 19 with the formed seal and tear
lines 36 is
then rolled onto roll 12.

CA 02494117 2005-O1-31
WO 2004/012553 PCT/US2003/023479
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more
particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many
changes may be
made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Each
of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling
within
the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the
following claims.

Representative Drawing