Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02730993 2011-01-31
TITLE
HOLD-OPEN MECHANISM USABLE WITH A FLEXIBLE-WALLED POUCH
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable
REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR
DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable
SEQUENTIAL LISTING
[0003] Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates generally to pouches useful for storage
of items
therein.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
[0005] A pouch, such as a bag having flexible walls defining a mouth and an
interior
cavity, is useful for storing items therein. Generally, an item may be
inserted and removed
from the interior cavity through the mouth. However, if the pouch has flexible
walls, the
mouth often must be maintained in an open position by user with one hand, for
example,
while inserting the item using the other hand. This can sometimes be
cumbersome or
inconvenient and, therefore, it is desirable to have a pouch with a mechanism
for holding the
mouth in an open position that will free up both hands of a user for
performing other tasks.
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[0006] One design developed to alleviate this situation includes a strip of a
semi-rigid
bendable material disposed on each opposite side of a rim of a plastic bag.
Respective
opposite ends of the strips are hingedly connected to each other so that the
strips will flex
away from each other in a medial area between the hinges when the hinges are
pushed toward
each other. In a variation on this design, a pair of opposing lugs, one lug
for each strip,
extends rigidly from the ends of strips beyond one of the hinges. The lugs
flair away from
each other so that the strips will pivotally bow apart in the medial area
along the rim of the
bag when the lugs are squeezed together. The strips automatically return to a
closed position
if the user lets go of the strips because no locking mechanism is provided.
[0007] In another design, a lock top canister bag includes a bag of flexible
material that
has a pair of opposing flat stiffener strips stiffer than the bag material
extending upwardly
from an open end of the bag. The strips are joined together at each opposite
end of the bag,
and an elongate interlocking fastener mechanism is formed on an interior face
of each strip
for releasably closing the open end of the bag. A fold-down flap extends
upwardly from the
upper edge of each strip at each opposite end thereof and is connected to the
opposing fold-
down flap at the end. The open end of the bag is held open by urging the
opposite ends of the
strips toward each other. To lock the stiffener strips open, the user must
bend the flaps
downwardly at each opposite end after urging the ends of the strips together.
[0008] Yet another design includes a pair of stiffeners disposed on opposite
bag walls,
wherein an arm is pivotably connected to an end of each stiffener. Each arm
pivots about the
end between a folded position parallel with the stiffener and an unfolded
position
perpendicular with the stiffener. The stiffeners are bowed open by squeezing
the arms
together in the unfolded position. A hook on one arm fastens to the other arm
to maintain the
stiffeners bowed open.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a pouch includes a
flexible first
wall panel and a flexible second wall panel that define an openable mouth
therebetween. A
first stiffener member is associated with the first wall panel disposed along
the mouth, and a
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second stiffener member is associated with the second wall panel disposed
along the mouth.
The stiffener members have an open position that spaces at least a portion of
the first wall
panel from the second wall panel along the mouth and a closed position that
closes the
mouth. Further, a first tab is rigidly connected with the first stiffener
member proximate an
end of the first resilient member, a second tab is rigidly connected with the
second stiffener
member proximate an end thereof in opposing relation to the first tab, and a
locking
mechanism is associated with at least one of the first and second tabs. The
first tab is spaced
from the second tab to define a space therebetween in an actuation area spaced
from the first
resilient member in the closed position. The first tab and the second tab move
together in the
actuation area when the stiffener members move toward the open position, and
the locking
mechanism releasably secures the first tab and the second tab in the open
position.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a pouch includes
an
openable mouth defined by at least one flexible pouch wall, means for
stiffening the flexible
pouch wall proximate the mouth, and means for automatically snap-lockably
maintaining the
means for stiffening in a position that maintains the mouth in an open
position.
[0011] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a hold-open
mechanism for
a mouth of a flexible pouch having a locked-open position and a closed
position includes a
first resilient strip disposed opposite a second resilient strip. The
resilient strips extend
between a first end and a second end, and the first resilient strip is
hingedly connected with
the second resilient strip at the second end. A first tab rigidly projects
from the first resilient
strip proximate the first end, and a second tab rigidly projects from the
second resilient strip
opposite the first tab. A snap-type locking mechanism is associated with at
least one of the
first tab and the second tab. In the closed position, the first resilient
strip is substantially
parallel with the second resilient strip and the first tab is at least partly
spaced from the
second tab. In the locked-open position, the first resilient strip diverges
away from the
second resilient strip at a medial point between the first end and the second
end and the first
tab is releasably locked with the second tab by the snap-type locking
mechanism.
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[0012] Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent upon
consideration of the following detailed description in which the same
reference numbers are
used in all embodiments for similar structures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic isometric view of a pouch having a hold-open
mechanism shown in a closed position according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0014] FIG. 1A is an enlarged detailed partial view of a locking mechanism
shown in
FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic isometric view of the pouch in FIG. 1 shown in
an open
position;
[0016] FIG. 2A is an enlarged detailed partial view similar to FIG. IA showing
the
locking mechanism in a locked position;
[0017] FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed partial view generally similar to FIG.
IA but from
an opposite angle showing a bottom edge of a locking mechanism according to
another
embodiment; and
[0018] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along the lines 4-4 of
FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Turning now to the drawings, a pouch 10 having an openable mouth 12
defined at
least partly by a flexible side wall includes a hold-open mechanism 14 for
holding the mouth
open. The hold-open mechanism 14 includes at least one stiffener disposed
along the flexible
side wall near the mouth and a locking mechanism 16 that automatically locks
the stiffener in
an open position that maintains the mouth in an open position for inserting
and removing
items from an interior cavity 18 of the pouch. The stiffener may also have a
closed position
that tends to maintain the mouth 12 in a closed position. The pouch may
include a gusseted
bottom end opposite the mouth.
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[0020] According to one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1-3, the pouch 10 includes
a first
wall panel 20 and a second wall panel 22 connected along peripheral side edges
24, 26 and
bottom edges 28 and defining the mouth 12 along a top edge 30. Preferably the
wall panels
20, 22 are made of a flexible material, such as a polymer plastic, paper,
foil, although only
one wall panel may be flexible. A first stiffener 32 is disposed along the
first wall panel 20
adjacent the mouth 12, and a second stiffener 34 is disposed along the second
wall panel 22
adjacent the mouth opposite the first stiffener member. The stiffeners 32, 34
are preferably
straight strips of resilient material, such as polymer plastic or metal, that
is stiffer than the
wall panels 20, 22 yet resiliently flexible so that each stiffener is bendable
and tends toward
an unbended relaxed position. In one embodiment, the stiffeners 32, 34 and the
wall panels
20, 22 are made of material compatible for heat sealing together. For example,
the stiffeners
32, 34 and the wall panels 20, 22 may all be made of polypropylene or
polyethylene to
facilitate thermal bonding of the stiffeners to the wall panels. In FIG. 1,
each stiffener 32, 34
is in the shape of a narrow strip that extends between opposite left and right
edges 24, 26 of
the pouch 10 at the mouth 12 thereby completely circumscribing the mouth,
although in other
embodiments, the stiffeners may extend only part way around mouth or only be
disposed near
one of the left or right edges of the pouch. For example, if only one wall
panel 20 or 22 is
flexible, only one stiffener 32 or 34 may be disposed thereon. The stiffeners
30, 32 in one
embodiment are hingedly held together at each opposite end 36, 38 by, for
example, the
respective edge 24, 26 of the pouch or by being directly connected together,
such as with a
living hinge.
[0021] A pair of opposing tabs 40, 42, one tab projecting outwardly from each
stiffener
32, 34, is disposed near an end 38 of the stiffeners. The tabs 40, 42 may be
useful for locking
the stiffeners 32, 34 in the open position and/or may be useful for urging the
stiffeners from
the closed position to the open position. Each tab 40, 42 is rigidly connected
with the
respective stiffener 32, 34 and includes at least a portion that is spaced
from the opposing tab
so that the tabs may be urged toward each other in an actuation area that is
preferably spaced
from the ends of the stiffeners, such as by pivoting or translation. In one
embodiment, the
tabs 40, 42 diverge apart from each other in order to define a rigid fulcrum
region 44 with the
stiffeners 32, 34 about which the tabs and the stiffeners may rigidly pivot,
whereby when the
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stiffeners are adjacent each other, the tabs are at least partly spaced apart
in the actuation
area, and when the tabs are adjacent each other in the actuation area, the
stiffeners are at least
partly spaced apart along the mouth. The tabs 40, 42, may be oriented at an
angle from the
stiffeners at any angle sufficient to define a fulcrum about which the tabs
may rigidly pivot.
For example, either or both of the tabs 40, 42 may angle away from the
respective stiffener
32, 34 by a non-zero angle, such as approximately 15 , 30 , 45 , 60 , 75 , 90
, or any other
angle greater than 0 sufficient to form a rigid fulcrum. In one embodiment,
the hold-open
mechanism 14 includes only one pair of the tabs 40, 42, and in another
embodiment, a second
pair of opposing tabs 46, 48, similar to the first pair of tabs, is disposed
at the opposite end 36
of the stiffeners 32, 34 for use in a similar manner.
[0022] In the closed position, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and IA, the stiffeners
32, 34 are
preferably in a straight and parallel relaxed state, thereby helping hold the
mouth 12 of the
pouch 10 in a closed position, and each pair of opposing tabs 40, 42 and 46,
48 is spread
apart. In the open position, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 2A, a medial portion
of each stiffener
32, 34 between the opposite ends 36, 38 thereof is resiliently flexed or bowed
outwardly
away from the opposite stiffener, thereby holding the wall panels 20, 22 along
the mouth 12
of the pouch 10 in a spaced-apart, open position, and each pair of opposing
tabs 40, 42, and
46, 48 pivots together. In the open position, the stiffeners 32, 34 are
preferably in a stressed
state that urges the stiffeners back toward the closed position.
[0023] In one method of using the pouch, the stiffeners 32, 34 are urged
toward the open
position by pulling the medial sections apart, thereby causing each pair of
tabs 40, 42 and 46,
48 to pivot about the respective fulcrum regions 44 at the respective ends 36,
38 of the
stiffeners. In another method of using the pouch, if the tabs 40, 42 are of
sufficient size, each
opposing pair of tabs 40, 42 and 46, 48 may be pressed together, such as by
squeezing or
pinching between a user's fingers, thereby forcing the medial portions of the
stiffeners to bow
outwardly apart from each other by pivoting about the fulcrum areas.
[0024] The locking mechanism 16 carried by the tabs 40, 42 and 46, 48 engages
when the
tabs come together in the open position, thereby holding the tabs together and
retaining the
stiffeners 32, 34 in the open position. In one embodiment, the locking
mechanism 16
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includes a releasable resilient snap-type lock that automatically interlocks
without requiring
an additional movement or locking step by a user. One possible snap-type lock,
shown in
detail in FIGS. IA and 2A, includes a hook 50 disposed on a distal end of one
tab 40 and a
groove 52 defined in a distal end of the opposite tab 42. The hook 50
resiliently snaps into
and is releasably locked with the groove 52 when the tabs 40, 42 pivot fully
together around
the fulcrum region 44. The snap-type locking mechanism may be released when a
sufficient
amount of force is used to overcome the resilient interlocking between the
hook 50 and the
groove 52, such as by pressing the medial portions of the stiffeners 32, 34
together, although
in another embodiment, the locking mechanism 16 may not be releasable. FIG. IA
shows the
snap-type lock in an unlocked position, and FIG. 2A shows the snap-type lock
in a locked
position. Of course, other types of snap-type locking mechanisms or other
automatically
engaging locking mechanisms may be used in addition or alternatively for
holding the
stiffeners 32, 34 in the open position. In another embodiment, for example
shown in FIG. 3,
the hook 50 includes a generally horizontal portion 50a along a top edge of
the tab 40 that
curves into a generally vertical portion 50b along the distal end of the tab
40, and the groove
52 includes a horizontal portion 52a and a vertical portion 52b along the
respective edges of
the tab 42 that are complementary to and interlock with the respective
horizontal and vertical
hook portions in order to provide additional interlocking resistance in a
shortened space. If a
pair of opposing tabs is disposed at each opposite end 36, 38 of the
stiffeners 32, 34, a
locking mechanism 16, such as the releasable snap-type locking mechanism, may
be disposed
on each pair of tabs in order to provide a more secure locking mechanism 16
for the hold-
open mechanism.
[0025] In one embodiment, seen most clearly in FIG. 4, a fastener assembly is
disposed
along the mouth 12 for resealably sealing the mouth. The fastener assembly may
include
opposing elongate interlocking profiles, such as complimentary rib and groove
profiles 54,
56, extending across opposing interior surfaces of the wall panels 20, 22
adjacent the mouth
12. Of course, other closure mechanisms may be used, such as those shown in
Pawloski U.S.
Patent No. 7,410,298, Sprehe U.S. Patent No. 6,954,969, Turvey et al. U.S.
Patent No.
6,899,460, Bauman et al. U.S. Patent No. 6,562,165, Porchia et al. U.S. Patent
No. 5,836,056,
McCree et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,809,621, Dais et al. U.S. Patent No.
5,307,552, Porchia et al,
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U.S. Patent No. 5,141,577, and Gundlach et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,138,750 by
way of
example. In the illustrated embodiment, each interlocking profile 54, 56 is
vertically aligned
with the respective stiffener 32 or 34 on the exterior side of the respective
pouch wall 20 or
22, although in another embodiment, the interlocking profiles 54, 56 may be
offset upwardly
or downwardly from either or both of the stiffeners.
[0026] Further, the pouch 10 may include a gusseted bottom wall 58 extending
between
opposite wall panels 20, 22 along the bottom edge 28 in order to allow the
bottom of the
pouch to expand when filled, which may provide a larger volume to the pouch
and/or help the
pouch stand in an upright position like a canister and/or provide a wider
interior cavity when
the mouth is in the open position.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0027] A hold-open mechanism according to the present invention may be useful
for
holding the mouth of a flexible pouch in an open position, thereby freeing up
a user's hands
for performing other operations.
[0028] Numerous modifications to the present invention will be apparent to
those skilled
in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description
is to be
construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling
those skilled in the
art to make and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying out
same. The
exclusive right to all modifications within the scope of the impending claims
is expressly
reserved.