Patent ID: 6581253
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: A44B,B65D,Y02W,Y10T

Abstract:
A reusable bi-directional fluid-tight vertical sealing device for closing, sealing, and permitting re-opening of, bags, particularly bags of the type having an interior flexible space and an exterior and being essentially made of two identical sheets of flexible material joined in fluid-tight fashion together along their perimeters, except for a section of said perimeters left unjoined, said section of perimeter being straight, and forming an opening allowing access to the interior of the bag, â€œverticalâ€  herein meaning in the plane of interior contact of the sheets of the bag when empty and hanging vertically, said sealing device comprising:a first flexible sealing strip of low surface friction material having a smoothly finished internal sealing contact surface, and an external vertical substantially planar surface both of a length equal to, and with the external surface arranged in fluid-tight fashion along, the unjoined portion of the perimeter of one of the sheets, said internal sealing surface being along the first sealing strip's whole length, facing across said opening, and having an interlockable shape; a second flexible sealing strip of low surface friction material, of a length equal to the first sealing strip's length, having a smoothly finished internal sealing contact surface, and an external vertical substantially planar surface both of a length equal to, and with the external surface arranged in fluid-tight fashion along, the unjoined portion of the perimeter of the other sheet, the internal sealing surface of said second sealing strip being along the second sealing strip's whole length, facing across said opening, and having an interlockable shape capable of being moved vertically into fully interlocked surface contact with the interlockable shape of the first sealing strip; A slider made of rigid material of low surface friction, having a sliding-directional axis, first and second vertical internal walls adjacent to the first and second sealing strips respectively, a first end having an opening for receiving the sealing strips uninterlocked and a second end having an opening providing an exit for the sealing strips when interlocked, the slider having an inverted U-type shape for straddling said sealing strips and for sliding along and interlocking and uninterlocking said sealing strips, and having an internal reversible means of moving the sealing strips vertically toward each other into vertical interlocked fluid-tight sealing contact as said sealing strips move through the slider from the first slider end to the second slider end, and of uninterlocking said sealing strips by reverse movement of the slider; Means arranged on each of the external vertical substantially planar surfaces of the sealing strips of interacting with the slider's internal means of moving the sealing strips into vertical interlocked fluid-tight sealing contact, and of uninterlocking said sealing strips when the direction of the slider is reversed; and A snap-fitting means arranged on said sealing strips for retaining said sealing strips in vertical interlocked fluid-tight sealing contact after said sealing strips, having moved through the slider, leave the second slider end, said snap-fitting means being reversible by reverse movement of the slider.