Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FULL MOUTH OPENING FLOW WRAPPER PACKAGE
Field of the Disclosure
100021 The present disclosure pertains to zippered reclosable packages,
such as, but not
limited to, flow wrapper packages with a wide mouth opening feature and/or
easy open and/or
easy close features.
Description of the Prior Art
100031 Wide mouth gusseted packages are disclosed by U.S. Published
Patent
Application No. 2007/0258665 entitled "Wide Mouth Gusseted Packages",
published on
November 8, 2007 on behalf of Greco. While the Greco reference is well-adapted
for its
intended purposes, further improvements are sought with respect to simplifying
the manufacturing
process, particularly in transverse direction (TD) applications.
100041 In the prior art, many food items are packed using flow wrapper
technology. For
example, chunk cheese may be packaged using flow wrapper technology.
Typically, the film fits
tightly around the product leaving little or no room for a reclosure. In the
past, webless zipper
has been used in the machine direction, but due to the size and shape of the
product, the zipper
closure was frequently not satisfactorily effective and not user friendly.
These deficiencies were
further exacerbated by the way consumers typically consume the chunk cheese.
That is,
typically, the user slices the cheese from an end of the chunk, meaning that
the portion returned
to the package still does not fit well.
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100051 Similarly, one of the notable pouch styles available to the
industry is the box
pouch, a flexible pouch formed in such a way that it holds a box shape.
Pouches of this style
are typically produced on a Totani-type pouch machine in a complicated process
requiring
multiple film webs. A reclosure can be added, but this has been limited to a
standard transverse
direction zipper in the past, resulting in a package with an opening of a
reduced size. The
process is typically complex and the machinery used to produce the box pouch
is expensive.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
100061 Accordingly, the present disclosure seeks to provide improvements
in wide mouth
reclosable flow wrapper packages or bags.
100071 A further aspect of the present disclosure seeks to provide
improvements in the
manufacture of wide mouth reclosable flow wrapper packages.
100081 These and other aspects are attained in a first embodiment of the
disclosure by
placing a full mouth opening reclosure in the cross section of the package. As
a result, the end
user can move the product into and out of the package more efficiently as well
as achieving a
positive reclosure of the package.
100091 These and other aspects are attained in a second embodiment of the
disclosure by
preforming the corners of a box pouch with quad seals and placing a full mouth
opening reclosure
in the cross section of the package, the resultant web can be run through a
conventional flow
wrapper machine to produce a box pouch with a full mouth open and close.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
1000101 Further aspects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the
following description and from the accompanying drawing, wherein:
1000111 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the reclosures placed in a
transverse direction
on a web in a first embodiment of the disclosure, prior to entering the flow
wrapper apparatus.
1000121 Figure 2 is a plan view of a front of the resulting package
1000131 Figure 3 is a plan view of a rear of the resulting package.
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[00014] Figure 4 is a perspective view of quad seals applied to the film in
a second
embodiment of the disclosure.
[00015] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along plane 5-5 of Figure 4.
[00016] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the box pouch formed by flow
wrapper
apparatus from the configuration illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[00017] Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals
indicate like
elements throughout the several views, one sees that Figure I discloses a flow
wrapper
machine 300 (it is likewise envisioned that a horizontal form fill and seal
`FIFFS' machine
could be used) wherein a web or film 100 made of polymeric material, is
supplied by
unwinding from a spool or reel 200. Reclosures or zippers 106 (typically
comprising a
plurality of re-engageable interlocking elements which can close upon
themselves, such as,
but not limited to, male and female interlocking elements) are supplied from a
reel 202 and
placed periodically along the web or film 100 in a transverse machine
direction, and sealed or
otherwise attached thereto. Alternately, the spool or reel 200 may be supplied
with web or
film 100 with the reclosures or zippers 106 pre-applied, either in a local or
remote location
with respect to the flow wrapper machine 300. In the embodiment of the flow
wrapper
machine 300 illustrated in Figure 1, the reclosures or zippers 106 are placed
on the underside
of web or film 100 so that, after the web 100 traverses roller 204, the
reclosures or zippers
106 are on the top surface of the web or film 100. The reclosures or zippers
106 may be those
of the Zip360Tm package made by Zip-Pak, Inc. or a similar reclosure or zipper
which allows
self-mating (i.e., which can close upon itself) closure around an periphery of
a wide open
mouth of a container. VelcroTm reclosures (i.e., hook-and-eye) and AplixTM
reclosures may
also be used. The reclosure or zippers 106 extend across the transverse
direction of the web
or film 100, but do not extend fully to machine directional edges 102, 104,
thereby leaving
spaces 108, 110 (immediately inwardly adjacent from edges 102, 104)
subsequently free of
the reclosures or zipper 106 thereby leaving room for the subsequent formation
of a fin seal
(or, in some embodiments, a lap seal). Food items 400 (such as, but not
limited to, chunks of
cheese 400) are placed lengthwise in a machine direction on the web or film
100 between
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successively spaced traverse reclosures or zippers 106. That is, the food
items 400 and the
reclosures or zippers 106 are on the same side of the web or film 100. The web
or film 100,
with the food items 400 and reclosures or zippers 106 thereon, is transported
along planar
surface 206 so that food items 400 pass through control plate 208. The film or
web 100 is
wrapped around the food items 400 thereby bringing spaces 108, 110 of
longitudinal machine
directional edges 102, 104 together. A fin seal 120 is formed downstream by
the sealing of
spaces 108, 110 (adjacent to edges 102, 104) together by fin sealer 212
(illustrated as a pair of
cooperating sealing pinch rolls,, which may be replaced by sealing bars)
thereby forming a
continuous tube with the food items 400 periodically placed therein.
Optionally, the fin seal
120 may be made to lie flat with the web or film 100 by use of fin seal
flattening roller 214.
Additionally, the gasses adjacent to the food items 400 may be controlled by
ducts 210, as
described in U.S. Patent No. 4,589,145, entitled "Packaging Material and
Device", the
disclosure of which may be referred to for further details. The tube processes
further down the flow wrapper machine 300 wherein the transverse direction end
seals 122,
124 (see Figures 2 and 3) are formed and the tube is cut by transverse
sealer/cutter 216
thereby forming ends 126, 128 of the resulting package 130 (also see Figures 2
and 3). The
reclosure or zipper 106 is located in the package 130 and is spaced from, and
separate from,
the end seal 122 formed on end 126 of package 130. This sealing of the
reclosure or zipper
106 into the package 130 allows the reclosure of zipper 106 to stay out of the
seal jaws that
form end seal 122.
[00018] In the resulting package 130, the full mouth opening created
through reclosure
or zipper 106 allows users to easily remove the food item 400. Additionally,
the use of a self-
mating or similar reclosure or zipper 106 is expected to simplify the
reclosure of the package
thereby allowing the consumer to remove the food item 400 from the package 130
and more
easily return the food item 400 to the package 130 through the full mouth
opening of the
reclosure or zipper 106.
[00019] Referring now to the embodiment of the disclosure illustrated in
Figures 4, 5
and 6, one sees from Figure 4 that film or web 100 made of polymeric material
is unwound
from spool or reel 200 and longitudinally or machine direction quad seals 152,
154, 156, 158
are formed on the film or web 100, upstream from the roller 204, by respective
drag sealers
153, 155, 157, 159. In the illustration of Figure 4, the quad seals 152, 154,
156, 158 are
formed on the upper side of the film or web 100 between the spool or reel 200
and the roller
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204. Downstream from roller 204, the quad seals 152, 154, 156 are on the lower
side
of the web or film 100, and then ultimately on the exterior of the finished
package 130.
Quad seals 152, 154, 156, 158 are typically formed by a drag sealer as
described in U.S.
Published Patent Application 2012/0047852 entitled "Wide Mouth Gusseted Bag
with
Edge Seals" and published on March 1, 2012. Upstream from roller 204,
reclosures or
zippers 106 are then placed and sealed or otherwise attached transversely
across the web
or film 100 at regular intervals, on the opposite side of web or film 100 from
quad seals
152, 154, 156, 158 (i.e., in the illustrated embodiment, upstream from roller
204, the
quad seals 152, 154, 156, 158 are formed on the upper side of web or film 100
and the
reclosures or zippers 106 are placed on the lower side of web or film 100,
wherein the
orientation of the upper and lower sides is reversed downstream of roller
204).
Alternatively, the spool or reel 200 may be supplied with film or web 100
wherein the
quad seals 152, 154, 156, 158 are already formed. This is, the quad seals 152,
154,
156, 158 may be formed by drag sealers at a nearby or at a remote location
seals 152, 154, 156, 158 may be formed by drag sealers at a nearby or at a
remote location
and then wound onto the spool or reel 200 or a similar source. Similar to the
embodiment of
Figures 1-3, the reclosure or zippers 106 extend across the transverse
direction of the web or
film 100, but do not extend fully to machine directional edges 102, 104,
thereby leaving
spaces 108, 110 (immediately inwardly adjacent from edges 102, 104)
subsequently free of
the reclosures or zipper 106 thereby leaving room for the subsequent formation
of a fin seal
(or, in some embodiments, a lap seal). In further similarity to the embodiment
of Figures 1-3,
the reclosures or zippers 106 may be those of the style of the Zip36OTM
package made by Zip-
Pak, Inc. or a similar reclosure or zipper which allows self-mating (i.e.,
which can close upon
itself) closure around an periphery of a wide open mouth of a container. In an
alternate
embodiment, the reclosures or zippers 106, as well as the quad seals 152, 154,
156, 158, may
be formed, sealed or placed on the web or film 100 at a local or remote
location prior to being
supplied to the spool or reel 200. The web or film 100, with the reclosures or
zippers 106
sealed or otherwise attached thereto, enters the flow wrapper machine 300 of
Figure 1 at
roller 204. As described with respect to Figure 1, in the flow wrapper machine
300, food
items 400 (such as, but not limited to, chunks of cheese 400) are placed
lengthwise in a
machine direction on the web or film 100, the film or web 100 is wrapped
around the food
items 400 thereby bringing longitudinal machine directional edges 102, 104
together. A fin
seal 120 is formed by the sealing of edges 102, 104 together (see Figure 6)
thereby forming a
continuous tube with the food items 400 periodically placed therein, with the
quad seals 152,
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154, 156, 158 at the corners of the tube. The tube processes further down the
flow wrapper
machine 300 wherein the transverse direction end seals (not shown, but similar
to those of
Figures 2 and 3) are formed and the tube is cut thereby forming ends (not
shown, but similar
to 126, 128 of Figure 3) of the resulting package 130. The reclosure or zipper
106 is located
in the package 130 and is spaced from, and separate from, the end seal formed
on end of
package 130. This sealing of the reclosure or zipper 106 into the package 130
allows the
reclosure of zipper 106 to stay out of the seal jaws that form the end seal.
[00020] Advantages are achieved that are similar to that of the embodiment
of Figures
1-3. That is, in the resulting package 130, the full mouth opening allows
users to easily
remove the food item 400. Additionally, the use of a self-mating or similar
reclosure or
zipper 106 is expected to simplify the reclosure of the package thereby
allowing the consumer
to remove the food item 400 from the package 130 and more easily return the
food item 400
to the package 130 through the full mouth opening of the reclosure or zipper
106.
[00021] Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most
effectively
attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed
and
described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in
no sense limited
thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.
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