Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02791586 2012-10-05
Packaging Bag for Food
The invention relates to a packaging bag for foods, comprising at least a
front part and a back
part, which are connected to one another in the two lateral edge regions over
at least one side
fold or at least one side seam in each case and between which a bag pocket is
formed with an
upper open end and a lower closed end, wherein the entire packaging bag has a
left bag part and
a right bag part, the two of which are connected together along an overlapping
region extending
between the lower and the upper end, especially which extends congruently over
the entire
height of both the front side and the back side.
In such a packaging bag, for example, the lower closed end may be formed in
that the front part,
at a lower fold or a lower seam toward the back, is wrapped around the back
part and for
example is fastened to it by gluing or welding.
Packaging bags for foods of this type are known in the prior art, for example
in an embodiment
in which a left bag part is formed from a clear film and a right bag part is
formed from a paper
material or vice versa. Such bags offer the advantage, for example, that a
food packed in such a
packaging bag is clearly recognizable from the outside despite secure
accommodation in the bag.
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However, bags of this type have the drawback that a food packed in them, e.g.,
a sandwich,
usually can only be removed through the opened end, while on the other hand
such a bag cannot
be torn open in a defined manner.
To be sure, it is also known in the prior art, in order to facilitate defined
opening, that weakening
lines, especially in the form of perforations, may be created in such a
packaging bag; in such
cases, however, it is often found that despite the provision of a weakening
line, a bag does not
necessarily tear on this weakening line during a tearing process, especially
if the person who is
using it does not definitively produce an initial tear site at the location of
the weakening line,
which would then tear further along this weakening line.
With such bags, even if they have a weakening line, careless tearing can have
unwanted
consequences, especially completely uncontrolled tearing open of the bag, and
thus even entail
the risk that the food packed therein will fall out in an uncontrolled manner.
In view of this background it is the goal of the invention to further develop
bags of the initially
mentioned type, made of a left and a right bag part by connecting the two
parts, in such a manner
that even in the case of an uncontrolled or unintended tearing process these
permit defined
removal of part of the total packaging bag, especially in such a manner that
the food continues to
be surrounded securely and hygienically by the remaining part of the bag and
can be held in the
hand, but it is possible to eat the food after part of the bag has been
removed.
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The directional statements used here relate to a bag position in which the
open end of the bag is
positioned at the top.
According to the invention, this task is accomplished in that in a packaging
bag of the initially-
mentioned type, in the overlapping region or laterally adjacent to this, at
least one weakening
line is provided, at which the two parts of the bag can be separated from one
another. Preferably
such a weakening line extends in the same way as the overlapping area and
parallel to it, i.e.,
completely over the total height from the bottom end to the top end on both
the front and the
back part.
Thus within the framework of the invention described, a packaging bag for
foods is defined as a
packaging bag of this type that is suitable and intended for accommodating
foods or food
products, and thus the materials thereof are suitable and approved for this
area of application.
One essential aspect of an embodiment of the invention is based on the fact,
which is utilized
here, that the overlapping of the two parts of the bag in the initially-
mentioned overlapping
region results in reinforcement of the material, essentially through the fact
that the layer of the
material of the left bag part is connected to a layer of the material of the
right bag part, and thus a
thicker and stronger material aggregation always results here than in the
other areas of the
packaging bag, in which in each case the material is present only in a single
thickness.
If it is thus provided that a weakening line in parallel extension to the
extension of the weakening
line of the overlapping region on a packaging bag is used, it is highly
probable that even an
uncontrolled tearing process will not cause tearing of the material that
extends between the two
bag parts beyond the overlapping region, since these two bag parts are
separated from one
another by the material reinforcement in the overlapping region and are
reinforced in this
overlapping region, so that with a high degree of probability the tearing
process will take place
exactly along the weakening line provided, for example a perforation line,
without the tear
extending beyond the overlapping region.
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The tearing process here can be particularly supported in cases in which a
packaging bag of the
type according to the invention is filled through the upper end with a food,
for example a
sandwich, and then closed, for which purpose for example an upper cover flap
can be provided in
that the upper edge of the back part projects beyond the upper edge of the
front part and this
cover flap can then, as an extension of the back part, be lapped over the
opening onto the front
part.
For example, a closed bag according to the invention can be torn opened
especially easily if it is
held so that the one bag part is gripped with the hand, for which purpose the
bag can first be
rotated by about 90 in order to grasp the other bag part with all the fingers
of one hand and
separate it from the bag part held in the other hand by means of a tearing
process.
A packaging bag of the initially-mentioned type can provide the previously-
mentioned
advantages, for example, on one hand of reinforcement of the material in the
overlapping region
mentioned, and on the other hand, weakening of the material by a weakening
line, even if both
parts of the bag are made from the same material in terms of all material
properties, thus for
example both parts of the bag are made of paper or a composite paper material
or of plastic or a
composite plastic material.
For example, a packaging bag made of two identical materials to be sure has an
essentially
uniform external appearance, but has realized the initially-mentioned
advantages realized in
terms of the adjacent or even nested reinforcement and weakening areas.
CA 02791586 2012-10-05
In another alternative embodiment it may also be provided that different
materials are used for
the two parts of the bag. For example, one part of the bag may be made of
plastic, especially a
transparent film, and the other part of the bag of paper. The respective
materials in each case
may also be composites made of several layers.
In another embodiment it may also be provided that both parts of the bag are
to be made of
paper, but of different thicknesses and/or types of paper. Alternatively,
likewise both parts of the
bag may be made of plastic, for example, transparent film, but likewise of
different thicknesses
and/or types.
A preferred further embodiment is produced especially when the right and left
parts of the bag
are selected to be made of different materials in terms of thickness and/or
type, wherein it can
thus be provided that the at least one weakening line is arranged in the
weaker material,
especially in the thinner and/or less tear-resistant material, between these
two materials of the
two bag parts.
Thus a packaging bag of this type according to the invention achieves a higher
tear resistance in
the one bag part with the already more tear-resistant material and especially
in the overlapping
region of the two materials, where through the material reinforcement by
overlapping, an even
higher tear strength is achieved relative to the single-layer material, and
then furthermore a
pronounced weakening is achieved in that the weakening line at which the
tearing process is to
be performed is arranged in the weaker, especially easier to tear material of
the two materials.
Here also it may then be preferred that the weakening line is arranged in the
overlapping region
of the two bag parts, but preferably in that case such that it is arranged on
the side adjacent to a
connecting line or a joint line, at which the two bag parts are connected
together, e.g., by gluing,
welding, embossing or similar process steps.
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Especially in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, but even if the
materials of the two
bag parts are identical or differ only insubstantially in terms of the tear
strength and consequently
in the case of any conceivable pairs of materials for the two bag parts, it
may be provided that the
weakening line is arranged in the material which is overlapped at the front
edge by the other
material, thus looking at the front part in the material lying toward the
back.
Here a further embodiment can provide that the weakening line is arranged in
the overlapping
region below the overlapping material. A weakening line arranged in this way
is thus covered by
the overlapping material, which offers protection to the weakening line and
for example can be
especially advantageous if a weakening line is designed as a perforation.
In such a case, through the overlapping of the weakening line, the weakening
line is closed
toward the outside, so that for example liquids such as oils, fats or gravies
or other coatings of
foods, even if they penetrate the perforation line, cannot reach the outside.
In the embodiment such that a weakening line is arranged immediately adjacent
to the side of the
overlapping region in at least one of the two bag parts, thus extending
parallel to the overlapping
region between the upper and the lower end, especially both on the side of the
front part and on
the side of the back part, it is understood that preferably the distance
between the weakening line
and the overlapping region is smaller than the width of the overlapping
region, in particular
smaller than 10 mm, particularly preferably smaller than 5 mm.
Here the overlapping region is basically defined as the region in which the
materials of the two
bag parts overlap, thus a double layer of the packaging bag is present in this
region. An
overlapping region is thus delimited with respect to both parts of the bag by
the edge of the
respective other bag part.
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Weakening lines in the sense of the invention can be produced in any manner
whatsoever that is
suitable for producing a linear weakening of the bag part to define a tearing
line. Typically this is
accomplished for example by the formation of a perforation in the material of
at least one of the
two bag parts in or closely adjacent laterally to the overlapping region.
Likewise for example the
possibility exists for providing not a perforation but a thinning of the
material to weaken the
material at the thinned points and promote tearing there.
In another embodiment of the invention it can also be provided that a
weakening line is formed
by a linear, releasable connection along which the bag parts are connected in
the overlapping
region, for example by gluing, welding or embossing. Such a weakening line
lies in the
overlapping region.
An embodiment of this type has the advantage that during the manufacturing of
a packaging bag
of this type no manufacturing step need be provided for producing a weakening
line in addition
to the step of connecting the two bag parts.
For example, such a releasable connection that thus extends along the
overlapping region extends
in this and connects the two overlapping regions of the bag parts can be made
by a
noncontinuous line of adhesive consisting of a plurality of individual
adhesive dots or individual
adhesive line sections. As a result, regions thus form along the connecting
line within the overlap
at which connection of the overlapping regions occurs, as well as regions at
which the two bag
parts loosely overlap one another.
In another embodiment an adhesive line can also be made from an adhesive,
especially a weak
adhesive, which permits the nondestructive separation of one part of the bag
from the other. Here
a weak adhesive is thus defined as an adhesive that permits this above-
mentioned nondestructive
separation. For example it may involve a pressure-sensitive adhesive similar
to those known for
sticky note pads, and which guarantees an adequate level of adherence between
the two bag parts
at the time of packaging of a food, but permits the reliable separation of one
bag part from the
CA 02791586 2012-10-05
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other during the opening process. In this case it is preferable to use an
adhesive which is
approved in the food sector and/or for utensils.
It may also be provided to make a connecting line out of several embossing
sites that are
arranged in linear succession to one another, at which the overlapping
components are
respectively embossed into one another. For example here the material of one
bag part can be
passed in an embossing step through the material of the other bag part to
create the connection of
the overlapping bag parts in the overlapping region. Additional alternatives
include an
interrupted weld seam made from a plurality of individual weld points or weld
line sections, or a
weak weld connection in the above-mentioned sense (analogous to the adhesive)
can be
produced.
It is preferably ensured in all these above-mentioned embodiments that the
linear releasable
connection can be released with a tearing force that is smaller than a force
needed to destroy the
material of each of the two bag parts. In this way it is ensured that in a
tearing process in which
one of the two bag parts is pulled relative to one another, in all probability
the two bag parts will
separate from one another at the releasable connection without the occurrence
of tearing within
the material of one of the two bag parts.
In a further preferred embodiment variant that can be combined with all of the
previously
mentioned embodiments, and especially that can be used independent of the
choice of materials
for the two bag parts, it may be provided that the overlapping region,
especially one edge of the
overlapping region or a connecting line arranged in the overlapping region of
the two bag parts
or a weakening line that is arranged in the overlapping region or immediately
adjacent to it, is
arranged at 45% to 55% of the width of the packaging bag, especially at
exactly 50% of the
width.
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Thus in each case the optionally selected aforementioned element (overlapping
region, edge,
connecting line or weakening line) preferably extends essentially centrally
relative to the width
of the packaging bag, resulting in a packaging bag that is essentially divided
in half into a left
and a right bag part which can be separated from one another by one of the
previously described
mechanisms.
It is regarded as particularly advantageous here if the overall width of a
packaging bag is selected
such that this is larger, for example at least 50% larger, than the food
product to be packaged in
it, so that during a packaging process, the food product can essentially be
positioned in one of the
two bag parts, then the bag is closed, for example by wrapping around an
optionally provided
cover flap, wherein then a person can hold the packaging bag in such a way
that the packaging
bag with the food product, for example a sandwich, in it is grasped with one
hand and the empty
other part of the bag in a particularly large area with the other hand, so
that this bag part is
grasped over a broad area and can be subjected to a tensile force relative to
the other part of the
bag, which causes the tearing of the bag according to one of the previously
described
mechanisms.
To guarantee secure packaging of the contents in a packaging bag it may also
be provided that
the back part, to reinforce the lower, closed end, has a lower fold that is
located within the fold or
seam of the front part, with which the front part is wrapped around the back
part. As a result, a
multilayered structure of the material is formed in the lower end region of
the bag, and thus
reinforcement is achieved].
In the upper region of the packaging bag, which preferably has a closing flap,
in that the upper
edge of the back part is made higher than the upper edge of the front part,
based on the division
of the packaging bag in terms of its width into a left and a right bag part it
may be provided that
in the cover flap in one of the two bag parts on one side of the overlapping
region, optionally in
both bag parts on both sides of the overlapping region, an opening is
provided, for example a
punched-out area, which is stuck to a sticker from the side of the back part
that interacts with its
adhesive surface through the recess or the punched-out area.
CA 02791586 2012-10-05
In such instances it may be particularly preferred to arrange this recess or
punch-out in the
stronger or more tear-resistant material out of the two materials of the two
bag parts, insofar as
different materials are selected, or independently of the material selection,
in the bag part that
surrounds the food/food product following the tearing off of the other bag
part and keeps it ready
to eat.
In that the sticker interacts with an adhesive surface through the punch-out
or the recess in
general, a cover flap can be fastened adhesively over the open end of the
front part following the
turnover or the fold-over. In this variant of the bag, even after part of it
is torn off, the package
remains securely closed by way of the remaining adhesive.
In another, particularly preferred embodiment it may be provided that the
sticker on its
nonadhesive back side has a coating, especially an adhesive-repellent coating,
which may be
provided to be contacted by the adhesive surface of an additional packaging
bag stacked onto the
[first] packaging bag, so that a stack of packaging bags can be formed by the
stacking of
packaging bags of this type in accordance with the invention, wherein the
adhesive surface of
each of the bags is protected by the adhesive-repellent coating of a bag
located beneath it or,
depending on the viewpoint, above it, until the bag is removed from the stack
and used for
packaging.
Such a packaging bag of this type according to the invention is thus to be
classified as
particularly hygienic, without requiring an additional removable protective
film for the adhesive
surface.
In a further embodiment that can be combined with all other embodiments, it
may be provided
that a side fold or one of two side folds that connect the front part and the
back part on the sides,
in particular the side fold of the bag part which surrounds a food/food
product after removal of
the other bag part and/or has the adhesive recess in the cover flap and/or is
made of paper or the
stronger of the two materials, projects beyond the upper edge of the front
part.
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This has the advantage that when the cover flap is lapped over onto the front
part, this projecting
side fold region is also lapped over and reinforces the sides of the packaging
bag according to the
invention (when positioned upright with the opening at the top), or after
tearing off the other part
of the bag and tipping over the remaining part of the bag to eat a food/food
product surrounded
by this, produces reinforcement in a lower region, then on the bottom.
The packaging bag according to the invention or the remaining bag part of the
packaging bag
according to the invention thus has better tightness, which is important
specifically in the case of
foods/food products that contain sauces. The stability is also increased, so
that the remaining bag
part can be placed on a table without problems, when the side fold, which then
forms the base, is
slightly swung open.
In one embodiment the front part of the side fold can stand out to the upper
edge of the back part
and thus correspond in height to the height of the back part.
Preferably on the other hand it may be provided that the part of the side fold
projecting beyond
the upper edge of the front part has a length that corresponds to 20% to 80%,
preferably 30% to
60%, more preferably 45% of the length of the cover flap or the distance of
the upper edges of
the front part and the back part. Such a length is sufficient for stabilizing
and improving the
tightness without excessively stiffening the cover flap.
A side fold that connects the front part and the back part in the region in
which the front part and
the back part are connected to this side fold has approximately a W shape in
cross-section. In the
area of the side fold in which this projects over the edge of the front part,
the side folds lacks the
connection to the front part and thus [to] one of the W-branches of the
previously-mentioned W-
shape.
The side fold has one fold part that is connected to the front part and one
fold part that is
connected to the back part. In the unopened state of a bag according to the
invention, these fold
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parts lie one on top of the other. These two fold parts can each have exactly
the same width,
which corresponds to half of the total width of the side fold.
In a further development of the above-mentioned embodiment(s), it may also be
provided that
beginning from an upper common edge of the two fold parts of the side folds
which is located
between the upper edge of the front part and the upper edge of the back part
(for example, at the
previously-mentioned length of 20% to 80%, preferably 30% to 60%, more
preferably 45%),
only the fold part of the side fold that is connected to the back part,
especially in a reduced
width, continues in the direction toward the upper edge of the back part,
especially exactly to the
upper edge of the back part or below. In this embodiment with reduced width,
therefore, the fold
part that is connected to the back part has a notch.
Exemplified embodiments of the invention will be described in the following,
referring to the
figures.
Figure 1 shows several perspective views of a packaging bag of the type
according to the
invention with a front part 1 and a back part 2, wherein the front part 1 and
the back part 2 are
connected together over a side fold, i.e., a folded material part 3 on both
left and right sides, and
thus form a pocket closed toward the bottom and open toward the top in which a
food can be
placed.
The front part 1 and the back part 2 each extend over the entire width of the
bag, but as is
recognizable here, based on its width, it is divided approximately in the
center into a left bag part
and a right bag part, wherein each of the two bag parts, left and right, has a
share of a front part
la and a back part 2a or front part lb and a back part 2b.
Here it can be provided in an embodiment that the right side bag part, formed
from front part lb,
side fold 3b and back part 2b, is made of a different, e.g., more tear-
resistant material than the
left side bag part consisting of the front part 1 a, the side fold 3a and the
back part 2a.
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Regardless whether the two bag parts are made of different or the same
material, an overlapping
region 4 is shown cross-hatched here in Figure 1, at which the left and right
side bag parts
overlap adjacent to one another and are fastened together in this overlapping
region, e.g., by
gluing, welding, or embossing. Such an overlapping region can generally have,
for example, a
width in the range of 5 to 20 mm.
In this embodiment, immediately adjacent on the left, i.e., here preferably at
a distance in the
range of less than 5 mm, to form a weakening line, a perforation 5 is provided
in the left-hand
part of the bag both on the front I a and on the back 2a, wherein this
perforation 5 is arranged
such that it is provided in the overlapped material, thus in the material of
the left bag part 1 a
here, which in the overlapping region 4 is covered by the right-hand bag part
lb on the front side
and thus in a top view lies at the back on the front side.
Here, the extents of the overlapping region and the weakening line 5 are made
parallel to one
another and are each formed from the lower to the upper extremal ends of the
front part 1 and the
back part 2.
Figure 1 also shows that here, relative to the right-hand, especially more
tear-resistant bag part in
its cover flap, which is formed in the back part 2b by a higher top edge
compared to the front
part, a punch-out 6 is provided, which has an adhesive sticker placed behind
it from the back
side, so that the adhesive surface of the adhesive sticker can act through the
punch-out 6. In the
perspective view on the right-hand side in Figure 1 it is recognizable that
after turning over the
cover flap 7, a closed packaging bag according to the invention, which
accommodates a food
product, is produced by adhesion of the cover flap to the front part.
By grasping the left part of the bag here and holding tightly to the right bag
part on the front and
back parts respectively, the tearing process can be initiated, in which the
left part of the bag is
torn away from the right part of the bag at the weakening line 5 immediately
adjacent to the
overlapping region 4. Here with a high degree of certainty the tear will be
produced on the side
in front of the overlapping region, since because of the double material layer
this [overlapping
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region] has a high degree of reinforcement and thus a high tear strength, and
therefore the tearing
process is started and completed in the area of the weakening line lying
alongside this.
It is recognizable here in Figure 1 that the overlapping region 4 and the
weakening line 5 are
arranged approximately in the center based on the width of the packaging bag.
Here the distance
between these two regions is of determining significance for the effect
according to the invention
and the interplay between the weakening line and the overlapping area, but
less so the central
positioning relative to the width. The distance is preferably selected to be
less than 10 mm,
particularly preferably less than 5 mm, optionally even in the range of 1 mm,
whereas the
positioning of the weakening line, overlapping region or an edge of the
overlapping region or a
connecting line provided therein falls in the range of 45% to 55% of the
width.
Figure 2 shows a further development of the packaging bag according to Figure
1 with all of the
details described there, wherein here in addition the side fold 3b (on the
right in Figure 2), which
is assigned to the bag part lb/2b with the recess 6 in the cover flap,
projects beyond the edge lc
of the front part 1.
Here the two fold parts 3b' and 3b", which are connected to the back part and
the front part
respectively, together form an upper edge 3c of the side fold 3b, which is
located between the
upper edge of the front part 1 and the back part 2, e.g., in the range of 30%
to 60% of the
distance between the edges I c, 2c of the front part 1 and the back part 2. In
the area of the
projecting length 3d, the fold part 3b", which is connected with the front
part 1 beneath this, has
no connection to the front part 1.
Figure 3 shows another further development, in which as in Figure 2 a common
upper edge 3c of
the two fold parts 3b' and 3b" is formed, which as before is located between
the upper edge Ic of
the front part 1 and the upper edge 2c of the back part 2.
Beyond this common upper edge 3c of the two fold parts 3b' and 3b", only the
fold part 3b'
continues upward; this has a connection to the back part 2.
CA 02791586 2012-10-05
Here the execution is such that the part of the fold part 3b' projecting
beyond the common edge
3c is of a reduced width, especially relative to the total width of the fold
part 3b', which is shown
in Figure 3 between the vertical broken fold lines. The fold part 3b' thus has
a notch above the
upper common edge 3c.
However, in another embodiment (not shown), the fold part 3b' can also project
upward over its
entire width.
In the embodiments shown here the top edge 3e of the fold part 3b' is at the
same level as the
upper edge 2c of the back part, but in another embodiment (not shown) it may
also be lower, at a
height between the common upper edge 3c of both fold parts 3b'/3b" and the
upper edge 2c of
the back part 2.
