Abstract:
A package for consumable wrapped products, such as cereal bars, power bars, granola bars or other snacks. The package may include an elongated body and a fin seal on the elongated body that folds to the left side of the package. The fin seal may be located near the center of the package or on an edge of the package and may include one or more nicks on an edge of the fin seal. The package may include a top seal and a side seal. The package may also include a tear notch for propagating a tear across the package. The package may include one or more score lines extending across the package. The package may include a vertical score that prevents further tearing of the package.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/474,109, filed Apr. 11, 2011. This application is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to improved packaging for consumable wrapped products, such as cereal bars, power bars, granola bars or other snack bars. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Generally, packaging for consumable wrapped products, such as cereal bars, power bars, granola bars or other snack bars include a fin seal that folds to the right. When tearing open a package, the tear often catches on the fin seal, making it difficult to open the package to obtain access to the consumable product. Thus, a need exists for an improved packaging for consumable wrapped products. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    An object of this invention described herein is to provide a package that allows for easier access to product within the package. In one aspect of the invention, the packaging includes a top edge and a bottom edge and an elongated body extending between the top edge and the bottom edge. The package may include a plurality of seals, including a top seal, a side seal, and a fin seal. The top seal may close the top edge of the package. The fin seal may fold toward the left side of the package and be positioned on a back surface of the package. In one aspect of the invention, the fin seal is located in a center portion of the package. In another aspect of the invention, the fin seal is located on an edge of the package. The fin seal may include one or more nicks on an edge of the fin seal. 
         [0005]    The package may include a tear notch located on a side edge of the package. The tear notch may be located on the left side of the package. The tear notch may be located within the side seal portion. The package may also include one or more score lines. The score lines may assist in the tearing of the package. The plurality of score lines may extend horizontally across the package. In at least one embodiment, at least one of the score lines is positioned in the same horizontal plane as the tear notch. 
         [0006]    In at least one aspect of the invention, the package includes a vertical score. The vertical score may be positioned on the right side of the package and prevent the package from tearing the entire width of the package. The vertical score may extend from the top edge of the package. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1   a  is a front partial view of a package in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 1   b  is a back view of a package in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2   a  is a partial top view of a package in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 2   b  is a back view of a package in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In one embodiment, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , package  100  is configured to contain one or more consumable wrapped products and may include an elongated body  101  having opposing ends  122 ,  123  and opposing sides  120 ,  121 . The elongated body may extend vertically between a top  122  and a bottom  123  and horizontally between a left side  120  and a right side  121  of the package  100 . The package may be made of any type of material, such as a film material suitable for containing a consumable product. The package  100  may include one or more sealing portions that keep the package  100  closed. For example, the package  100  may include a top seal  115  at the top  122  of the package  100 . The top seal  115  may be created by any suitable process. For example, the top seal  115  may be created through the use of crimpers. 
         [0012]    The package  100  may also include a side seal  104 . The side seal  104  may be created through any suitable process. For example, the side seal  104  may be created through the use of crimpers. The side seal  104  may be any suitable size or shape. In at least one embodiment, the side seal  104  overlaps the top seal  115 . In at least one embodiment, the side seal  104  overlaps and extends below the top seal  115 . 
         [0013]    The package  100  may include a tear notch  102  on a side of the package  100 . The tear notch  102  may be on either side  120  or  121  of the package  100 . The tear notch  102  may be configured to provide a consumer access to product contained within the package  100 . In at least one embodiment, the tear notch  102  is located on the left side  120  of the package  100 , when viewing the package  100  from the front. The tear notch  102  may be created by any suitable method. For example, the crimpers used to create side seal  104  may also create the tear notch  102 . Alternatively, another type of tool or apparatus may define the tear notch  102  on the package  100 . 
         [0014]    The package  100  may also include a fin seal  106 . The fin seal  106  may seal two ends of the package film material together on the elongated body  101  of the package  100 . The fin seal  106  may be located on any portion of the package  100 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 1   b , the fin seal  106  may be located in the center of the package  100 . The fin seal  106  may also be located on a back surface of the elongated body  101 . The fin seal  106  may be any length. In at least one embodiment, the fin seal  106  extends the length of the package  100 , as indicated by direction arrow  108  in  FIG. 1   b . The fin seal  106  may be created through any suitable manufacturing process and may fold in any direction. In at least one embodiment, the fin seal  106  folds to the left. To create a fin seal  106  that folds to the left, the package film may be guided to the left during the manufacturing process. It is advantageous to have the fin seal  106  fold to the left to be conducive to right-handed people to eliminate catching on the fin seal  106  when tearing open the package  100 . 
         [0015]    In at least one embodiment, the fin seal  106  includes one or more nicks  109  at the edge of the fin seal  106 . The nicks  109  may help facilitate tearing of the fin seal  106 . The nicks  109  may be created through any suitable method. For example, the nicks  109  may be created during the manufacturing process by creating a tight vertical gear portion in the fin sealing wheels to split the film. If multiple wheels are used in the manufacturing process, this can be done in either the film pull rollers or the heat seal rollers. The nicks  109  may be located at any position along the edge of the fin seal  106 . For example, the nicks  109  may be located near to the horizontal plane of the tear notch. Any number of nicks  109  may be located on the fin seal  106 . 
         [0016]    In at least one embodiment, the package  100  may include at least one score line  110  that may facilitate tearing of the package  100 . The score line  110  may be created by any suitable process, such as by laser scoring the film. The score line  110  may be positioned at any location on the package  100 , such as near the tear notch  102 . In at least one embodiment, the score line  110  is positioned in the same horizontal plane as the tear notch  102 . 
         [0017]    In the embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , with the fin seal  106  located at the center of package  100 , when tearing the package  100 , the tear initiation point starts at the tear notch  102  on the left side  120  of the package  100 . The tear then propagates along the horizontal laser score  110  until hitting the fin seal  106  area. The nicks  109  formed in the fin seal  106  may help guide the tear propagation across the fin seal  106  and upon exiting the fin seal  106  area the tear propagation may rejoin with the laser score  110  on the package  100  and may tear across to the other side  121  of the package  100 . In this embodiment, the entire top seal  115  may be removed more easily than known package opening techniques thus, allowing easy removal of the contents of the package  100 . 
         [0018]    In an alternative embodiment, the fin seal  106  may be located on an edge of the package  100 . For example, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , the fin seal  106  may be located on the left side  120  of the package  100  as viewed from the front of the package  100 . In this embodiment, the package  100  may include a tear notch  102 . The tear notch  102  may also be located on the left side  121  of the package  100 . The package  100  may include at least one score line  110  that extends horizontally across the package  100  just above the formed tear notch  102 . 
         [0019]    In at least one embodiment, the package  100  may include a plurality of score lines  110 . 
         [0020]    Any number of score lines  110  may be included on the package  100 . In at least one embodiment, three score lines  110   a, b, c , as depicted in  FIG. 2   a , may be created on the package  100  to allow for some float in the tear registration and ensure upon tear initiation the tear will intersect with one of the scores lines  110   a, b, c  to propagate the tear to the other side of the package  100 . The three score lines  110   a, b, c  may be located anywhere on the package  100 . In at least one embodiment, the three score lines  110   a, b, c  are in close proximity to the tear notch  102 . For example, one of the score lines  110   a  may be positioned in the same horizontal plane as the tear notch  102  and the other two score lines  110   b, c  may be may positioned below the first score line  110 . 
         [0021]    In at least one embodiment, to keep the top seal  115  and package  100  joined together after the top seal  115  is torn away from the rest of the package  100 , the package  100  may include a vertical score  116 , as depicted in  FIGS. 1   a  and  2   a.  The vertical score  116  may be a vertical cut on the package  100  that extends from the top  122  of the package  100 . The vertical score  116  may be located anywhere on the package  100 . In at least one embodiment, the vertical score  116  may be located approximately ¼ inch from the opposite side of package  100  as the tear notch  102 . The vertical score  116  may extend from a top edge  122  of the package  100  and stop the linear tear propagation. 
         [0022]    While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims. Additionally, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may be performed in other than the recited order, and that one or more steps illustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.