RECLOSABLE BAG HAVING AN OUTER RECLOSABLE ZIPPER TYPE CLOSURE AND INNER NON-RECLOSABLE CLOSURE

Abstract: A bag (65) has wall panels (67) defining a receptacle space (70) and providing a bag mouth (71) arrangement between upper end portions of the wall panels (67). A tamper evident, and if desired hermetic seal, non-reclosable closure (78) adjacent to a reclosable zipper (74) and located adjacently below upper end portions of the wall panels is accessible to be opened when the zipper is open. The zipper (74) is arranged for intermittent opening and closing of the bag (65). The non-reclosable closure (78) may be a peel seal or a rupturable connection.

Description: This invention relates to a bag having wall panels defining a receptacle space therebetween, and comprising: a bag mouth arrangement defined between upper end portions of said wall panels; reclosable zipper means functioning for selectively opening and closing said mouth arrangement; one-time openable non-reclosable closure means comprising a line of weakening initially maintaining said mouth arrangement closed and being openable only when said reclosable zipper means is open. Bags of this general type are known from FR-A-2 546 481 which discloses separately produced re-openable zipper closure units comprising a connecting bridge element connecting the complementary zipper means profiles thereof with said bridge element forming a one-time openable non-reclosable closure means which is permanently broken along a line of weakening at the time of a first access to the content of the bag. Further, numerous and varied reclosable bag structures have been proposed, and some have proven to be commercially quite good. In particular, there has been some emphasis on providing tamper evident bags, and bags that are hermetically sealed until they are opened for access to the contents, whereafter a reclosable fastener device comes into play for maintaining the contents within the bag until access is again desired. By way of example, attention is directed to the following U.S. Patents as representative of various approaches to the type of bag with which the present invention relates by way of improvement: US-A-2,978,769 and US-A-3,172,443 disclose non-reclosable frangible connections of fastener profiles. US-A-3,325,084 discloses a closure flap provided with closure profiles that will meet with closure profiles on the front of the bag or package. US-A-3,326,399 discloses the use of magnetic reclosable fastening means. US-A-3,198,288; 3,473,589 and 3,780,781 disclose reclosable profile fasteners or zippers, end a tear off top on the bag for access to the zipper. US-A-3,543,343 discloses a bag with reclosable fastener profiles and a tear cord for opening the bag. US-A-3,625,270, discloses a tear ribbon device for opening the bag. US-A-3,746,215, discloses a funnel arrangement which retains the bag sealed closed until the funnel is everted and the end snipped off. US-A-3,991,801; 4,191,230 and 4,235,653, disclose other arrangements of funnel bags. US-A-4,241,865, discloses a heavy duty bag to be made from paper and equipped with a primary rip cord closure and a hood thereover provided with a reclosable zipper of the interlocking teeth type. In spite of the fairly high state of development in this art, there is still room for improvement and the attainment of simplicity and economy in dual fastener bags, that is, bags that have hermetic or at least tamper evident non-reclosable closure means and associated reclosable zippers. An important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bag or package structure having non-reclosable closure means which is readily digitally openable when associated reclosable zipper means are in an open condition, the bags being reclosable by means of the zipper means. This object is accomplished by means of a bag of the general type indicated above and being characterized in that both said non-reclosable closure means and said reclosable zipper means are located below said upper ends of said upper end portions, that said wall panels are permanently closed or closable to one another not only at the bottom and opposite sides, but also at their upper ends; that one of said panels has a flap extension from its upper end which flap extension is arranged to overlie said mouth arrangement and overlap onto the other of said wall panels and carries one of the reclosable zipper means profiles, and that the other of said zipper means profiles is on the overlapped portion of said other wall, said non-reclosable closure means comprising said line of weakening in said overlapped portion of said other wall panel. Stated otherwise, the present invention provides a bag having opposed wall panels permanently closed or at least permanently closable at a bottom end of the bag and at opposite sides of the bag, and comprising a bag mouth defined by and between upper end portions of the wall panels, reclosable zipper means including complementary interengagable zipper profiles located substantially below the upper ends of the upper end portions and responsive to digital closing pressure for attaining a closed condition of the zipper means for closing the mouth, the zipper means being openable responsive to digital pull-apart force for opening the bag mouth to gain access into contents reserving space within the bag, non-reclosable closure means located in spaced adjacency to the reclosable zipper means for initially maintaining the bag mouth arrangement closed independently of the zipper means, and the non-reclosable closure means being openable by pull-apart force when the reclosable zipper means is open. The present invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a representative embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which the only Figure is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a bag embodying the invention and comprising a combination of zipper and non-reclosable fastener means. According to the Figure, a bag 138 has wall panels 139, closed, or at least closable, along their bottom and side edges to define a contents receiving receptacle space 140 into the top mouth portion of which access is controlled by means of a reclosable zipper or closure means 141 and non-reclosable closure means 142. The reclosable closure means 141 comprises a flap 143 which is an extension from the upper end of one of the wall panels 139. The flap 143 extends protectively over the top of the bag 138 and then projects down along and overlaps the upper portion of the outerside or face of the other wall panel 139. Carried by the inner side or face of the flap 143 is an arrangement of zipper fastener strip profiles 144 releasably interlockable with complementary zipper strip fastener profiles 145 on the overlapped outer face of the adjacent wall panel 139. These zipper strip profiles 144 and 145 may be integrally extruded parts of the elements carrying them. For providing a hermetic seal, the closure means 142 comprises a permanent heat or adhesive seal 147 securing the upper end of the wall panel 139 carrying the zipper profiles 145 to the other panel 139 at the base or proximal end of the flap 143. There may be a solid but tearable line of weakening 148, or perforations, whichever may be best for the use to which the bag 141 is to be put, along the upper portion of the wall panel 139 which is overlapped by the flap 143. Through this arrangement, when it is desired to open the bag 138, access to the non-reclosable closure means 142 is gained by opening the flap 143, and digitally ripping the non-reclosable weakening line 148, thereby forming a mouth opening into the bag space 140. Thereafter, for intermittently closing the bag 141, the flap 143 may be reclosed and held closed by digitally closing the zipper 144, 145. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the non-reclosable closure means provides a tamper evident device. Further, the digitally reclosable zipper is located substantially below the upper ends of the upper end portions of the bag wall panels. This is an advantageous arrangement enabling the upper end portions of the bag walls to be conveniently manipulated for pull apart opening of the bag. Moreover, the non-reclosable closure assists in hermetically sealing the associated bags. After the non-reclosable closure means has been opened it will be apparent that access has been gained or attempted to be gained into the bag. Inspection as to whether there has been tampering with the non-reclosable closure means can be easily effected. The reclosable zipper must be opened in order to gain access to the non-reclosable closure means. After the non-reclosable closure means has been opened, intermittent closing of the bag is effected by reclosing the zipper. Full closure of the contents receiving spaces provided within the bags will be effected after the bags have been filled. When it is desired to fill the bags through an open side or an open bottom which is sealed after the filling has been accomplished, the non-reclosable closure means may be sealed, before filling.

Claims: A bag (138) having wall panels (139) defining a receptacle space (140) therebetween, and comprising: a bag mouth arrangement defined between upper end portions of said wall panels (139); reclosable zipper means (141) functioning for selectively opening and closing said mouth arrangement; one-time openable non-reclosable closure means (142) comprising a line of weakening (148) initially maintaining said mouth arrangement closed and being openable only when said reclosable zipper means is open, said bag being characterized in that both said non-reclosable closure means (142) and said reclosable zipper means (141) are located below said upper ends of said upper end portions, that said wall panels are permanently closed or closable to one another not only at the bottom and opposite sides, but also at their upper ends; that one of said panels (139) has a flap extension (143) from its upper end which flap extension (143) is arranged to overlie said mouth arrangement and overlap onto the other of said wall panels (139) and carries one of the reclosable zipper means profiles (144), and that the other of said zipper means profiles (145) is on the overlapped portion of said other wall panel (139), said non-reclosable closure means comprising said line of weakening (148) in said overlapped portion of said other wall panel (139).

Inventors: BOECKMANN, HUGO, VANERDEN, DONALD L.
Applicants: MINIGRIP EUROPE GMBH
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B65D33
IPC codes: B65D33