Abstract:
A bag capable of displaying and protecting an item during shipping, transportation, handling and/or display. The bag is fabricated from at least one sheet of material which is formed into a tubular sheath having a heat-sealable bonding material disposed solely on portions of the tubular sheath of material so as to bondingly hold the tubular sheath of material in a bag-like configuration. The portions of the tubular sheath having the heat-sealable bonding material thereon may be configured as either lap or fin seals or combinations thereof. There is also provided methods for producing such a bag and methods for its use.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    None  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to a bag and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a bag that is capable of encompassing an item such as a corsage. The present invention also relates to methods of making such a bag as well as methods for its use.  
           [0004]    2. Brief Summary of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Bags and processes for producing bags are well known in the art. In the past, such bags required numerous seals, folds, and adhesive material covering the blank of material from which the bag was formed. The materials involved in such a process and article can be quite costly and cause the bag to be economically unfeasible for use. Therefore, new and improved bags and methods for producing such bags requiring less material and adhesive are being sought.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a pictorial plan view of a sheet of material employed to form a bag in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of an articulated form of a bag of the present invention formed from the sheet of material of FIG. 1.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a pictorial plan view of another sheet of material employed to form a bag in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a pictorial representation of an articulated form of a bag of the present invention formed from the sheet of material of FIG. 3.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a pictorial plan view of another sheet of material employed to form a bag in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 is a pictorial representation of an articulated form of a bag of the present invention formed from the sheet of material of FIG. 5..  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 7 is a pictorial plan view of yet another sheet of material employed to form a bag in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 8 is a pictorial representation of an articulated form of a bag of the present invention formed from the sheet of material of FIG. 7.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]    According to the present invention, a bag is provided for encasing an item, such as a corsage. Broadly, the bag is constructed from a sheet of material having a bonding material disposed on isolated and individualized sections of the sheet of material. Once the bonding material is on the sheet of material, it is articulated into a bag having fin and/or lap seams at the point of sealing. In one embodiment, the bonding material may be a heat sealable lacquer which is applied to isolated and individualized sections of the sheet of material.  
         [0015]    Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, shown therein and designated by reference numeral  5  is a sheet of material. The sheet of material  5  is articulated into a bag  10  as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0016]    The term “sheet of material” when used herein means at least one flexible sheet of material. The thickness of the sheet of material may vary, but generally the sheet of material will have a thickness in a range from about 0.0002 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably from about 0.01 mil to about 20 mil. The sheet of material may be any material capable of being articulated into a bag configuration, such as polymeric film, foil, paper, tissue, laminations and combinations thereof. The sheet of material may have a substantially textured surface. The term “paper” as used herein, means treated or untreated paper, corrugated paper or cardboard or any other form of paper material. The term “polymeric film” means a synthetic polymer such as polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. A polymeric film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing as might be the case with paper or foil.  
         [0017]    When the sheet of material is a polymeric film, a flexible sheet of liquified thermoplastic film can be extruded from an extruder in a conventional and well known manner. The flexible sheet of liquified thermoplastic film can be passed through a cooler which cools the liquified thermoplastic film into a sheet of solidified thermoplastic film, i.e. the sheet of material. The sheet of material may also be formed of two or more sheets of material which have been laminated or adhesively connected to one another.  
         [0018]    The sheet of material may also vary in color. Further, the sheet of material may be provided with designs or decorative patterns which are printed, etched, and/or embossed therein using inks or other printing materials. When printed and embossed, the design or decorative patterns may be in register, may be out of register, or may be partially in register and partially out of register. An example of an ink which may be applied to the surface of the sheet of material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 entitled “Water Based Ink on Foil and/or Synthetic Organic Polymer” issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, the sheet of material may have various colorings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, or other decorative surface ornamentation applied separately or simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent or the like qualities. Each of the above named characteristics may occur alone or in combination. The sheet of material may also be opaque, translucent, partially clear, and/or tinted yet having some transparency.  
         [0019]    As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet of material  5  has a first surface  30 , the first surface  30  having a first edge portion  40 , a second edge portion  50 , and a third edge portion  55 . A bonding material  58  is disposed on a portion of the first surface  30  such that the bonding material  58  extends along the first edge portion  40 , the second edge portion  50 , and the third edge portion  55  substantially as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the first, second, and third edge portions  40 ,  50 , and  55  of the first surface  30  define areas of adhesion  57 . The remaining portion of the sheet of material  5 , which is free of adhesive, defines a substantially open area  59  which does not have the bonding material  58  thereon.  
         [0020]    The bonding material  58  may be disposed in a continuous manner across the entirety of the first edge portion  40 , the second edge portion  50 , and the third edge portion  55  of the first surface  30 . In an alternative embodiment, the bonding material  58  may be selectively applied in such a manner as to not completely cover the first edge portion  40 , the second edge portion  50 , and the third edge portion  55 . In this embodiment, the bonding material  58  may be applied as a plurality of dots, strips, or dabs of the bonding material  58  which are applied to alternating areas of the first edge portion  40 , the second edge portion  50 , and the third edge portion  55 . Furthermore, the bonding material  58  can be applied in any geometric form and in any pattern. In any event, it is to be appreciated that the bonding material  58  is not applied to the entirety of the sheet of material  5 , but rather to selective parts of the sheet of material  5  to leave the open area  59  on the first surface  30  of the sheet of material  5 .  
         [0021]    The bonding material  58  may be applied to the sheet of material  5  in any manner which allows for the timely and economical placement of the bonding material  58  onto the sheet of material  5 . For example, the bonding material  58  may be printed onto the sheet of material  5  by brushes, rollers, wires, sponges, and/or other mechanical and/or automated processes. Furthermore, the bonding material  58  may be printed onto the sheet of material with a jet printer, such as an ink jet printing apparatus. In any event, any mechanical or automated process which allows for the correct placement of the bonding material  58  onto the sheet of material  5  is contemplated for use.  
         [0022]    The term “bonding material” may be any material capable of bondingly holding at least two surfaces in a substantially adjacent position. The bonding material may be a hot stamped adhesive, a pressure adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, a water-proof adhesive, a cohesive, a heat sealable lacquer and combinations thereof. The term “heat sealable lacquer” as used herein means a coating substance consisting of resinous materials, such as cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, shellac, gum, alkyd resins and the like, which are dissolved in a solvent that evaporates rapidly on application such as ethyl alcohol, thereby leaving a tough, adherent film. Lacquers which are useful in the present invention maybe mixtures, such as lacquers produced by mixing styrene-acrylic emulsions, such as Lucidene 603 and Lucidene 395 (Morton International, Inc., 100 North Riverside Plaza, Chicago, Ill. 60606) with a non-ionic surfactant, such as Sufynol 465 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., 751 Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown, Pa. 18195-1501) and ammonia (G.S. Robbins and Company, 126 Chateau Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. 63102). The lacquer produced as described above may also contain a wax emulsion in water, such as Liquitron 440 (Carrol Scientific, Inc., 5401 S. Dansher Road, Countryside, Ill. 60525).  
         [0023]    As stated above, the bonding material  58  may be an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive. Where the bonding material  58  is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on both surfaces which are to be bonded together. As stated above, the bonding material  58  may be heat sealable and in this instance, the adjacent portions of the materials must be brought into contact and then heat must be applied to affect the seal. The lacquers described above are but one type of the bonding material  58  which is heat sealable. The bonding material  58  may also be a material which is sonic sealable and vibratory sealable. In the case of one type of heat sealable lacquer, the heat sealable lacquer may be applied to a sheet of material  5  and then heat, sound waves, or vibrations are then applied to effect the sealing.  
         [0024]    The term “bonding material” also includes any heat or chemically shrinkable material, static, electrical or other electrical, magnetic, mechanical or barb-type fastening or clamps, curl-type characteristics of the film and the materials in a sheet of material which cause the sheet of material to take on certain shapes, and any type of welding method which may weld the sheet of material into an articulated bag.  
         [0025]    The sheet of material  5  may further include at least one scent, the bonding material  58  may also include a scent, or both the sheet of material  5  and the bonding material  58  may include a scent. The scent may be incorporated into the structure of the sheet of material  5  during the fabrication of the sheet of material  5  or may be applied to the sheet of material  5  after it has been manufactured and before the sheet of material  5  is articulated into the bag of the present invention, such as bag  10  (FIG. 2). The scent may also be applied to the bag  10  of the present invention after it has been articulated from the sheet of material  5 . Examples of scents utilized herein include floral scents (flower blossoms or other portions of plants), food scents (chocolate, sugar, fruits), herb or spice scents (cinnamon), and the like. Additional examples of scents include flowers (i.e. roses, daisies, lilacs), plants (i.e. fruits, vegetables, grasses, and trees), foods (i.e. candies, cookies, cake), food condiments (i.e. honey, sugar, salt), herbs, spices, woods, roots, and the like, or any combinations of the foregoing. Such scents are known in the art and commercially available.  
         [0026]    The scent may be applied to the sheet of material  5  by spraying the scent thereon, painting the scent thereon, brushing the scent thereon, lacquering the scent thereon, immersing sheet of material the  5  in a scent-containing liquid, exposing the sheet of material  5  to the scent containing gas or any combination thereof. The scent may also be incorporated onto the sheet of material  5  during the manufacture, extrusion, and/or lamination of the sheet of material  5 .  
         [0027]    When articulated, the sheet of material  5  forms a generally tubular sheath, indicated by reference numeral  60  shown in FIG. 2. The tubular sheath  60  is provided with an interior surface  70 , an exterior surface  80 , a end top  90 , and a bottom end  100 . The tubular sheath  60  is articulated from the sheet of material  5  by folding the sheet of material  5  over and onto itself such that the first edge portion  40  of the sheet of material  5  is substantially adjacent the second edge portion  50  thereof. As shown in FIG. 2, where the first edge portion  40  is adjacent the second edge portion  50 , a first area of engagement  120  is defined. When the sheet of material  5  is folded over and onto itself, the third edge portion  55  folds over and onto itself as well, thereby defining a second area of engagement  130 . The first area of engagement  120  is exaggerated in size in FIG. 2 for purpose of description and it should be appreciated that the first area of engagement  120 , in practice, may be substantially smaller and less noticeable. The first area of engagement  120  is generally shaped and sized as a fin seal—i.e., the first edge portion  40  is directly adjacent and in alignment with the second edge portion  50 . The first area of engagement  120  also has an amount of the bonding material  58  disposed between the first edge portion  40  and the second edge portion  50  of the sheet of material  5  for affecting a seal therebetween. When sealed in this manner, the sheet of material  5  is articulated into the tubular sheath  60  having a fin seal seam, defined generally by the first area of engagement  120 .  
         [0028]    As stated above, the second area of engagement  130  is created by the third edge portion  55  being folded over onto itself. Through the creation of the second area of engagement  130 , the bottom end  100  of the tubular sheath  60  is generally flattened. An amount of the bonding material  58 , which is disposed on the third edge portion  55 , is thus operably interspersed in the second area of engagement  130  such that the bottom end  100  is substantially closed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the bottom end  100  is sealed in a fin seal manner generally along the second area of engagement  130 .  
         [0029]    Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, when the first and second areas of engagement  120 ,  130  have been articulated and bondingly sealed, the bag  10  is formed. The bag  10  defines an interior retaining space  140  which is suitable for holding and retaining an item, such as a floral grouping or a corsage. Thus, the top end  90  of the bag  10  is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed in the interior retaining space  140  of the bag  10  and the top end  90  coordinates with the interior retaining space  140  to provide egress to the interior retaining space  140 . After an item is placed in the interior retaining space  140 , the top end  90  may be crimped, folded, stapled, glued and/or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item within the interior retaining space  140  of the bag  10 .  
         [0030]    In an alternative embodiment of the invention, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a bag  10 A (FIG. 4) is formed from a sheet of material  5 A (FIG. 3) having a first surface  30 A and a second surface  150 . The first surface  30 A includes a first edge portion  40 A and a second edge portion  50 A. The second surface  150  includes a third edge portion  55 A. The third edge portion  55 A does not extend the entire length of an outside edge  160  located on the second surface  150  of the sheet of material  5 A: rather, the third edge portion  55 A extends generally to a midpoint  165  of the sheet of material  5 A, with the midpoint  165  being indicated generally by a dashed line shown in FIG. 3. A bonding material  58 A is disposed on at least a portion of the first, second, and third edge portions  40 A,  50 A, and  55 A, respectively. Thus, the first, second, and third edge portions  40 A,  50 A, and  55 A, respectively, define areas of adhesion  57 A. The remaining portion of the sheet of material  5 A which is free of adhesive defines a substantially open area  59 A which does not have the bonding material  58 A thereon.  
         [0031]    Still referring to FIG. 4, when articulated, the sheet of material  5 A forms a generally tubular sheath  60 A, having an interior surface  70 A, an exterior surface  80 A, a top end  90 A, and a bottom end  100 A. The tubular sheath  60 A is articulated from the sheet of material  5 A by folding the sheet of material  5 A over and onto itself such that the first edge portion  40 A is substantially adjacent the second edge portion  50 A. The sheet of material  5 A is folded generally along the midpoint  165  when forming the tubular sheath  60 A.  
         [0032]    As shown in FIG. 4, when the bag  10 A is articulated, i.e. where the first edge portion  40 A is adjacent the second edge portion  50 A, a first area of engagement  120 A is generally defined. Also, when the bag  10 A is articulated, the third edge portion  55 A is folded up toward the top end  90 A such that the third edge portion  55 A bondingly engages the exterior surface  80 A of the tubular sheath  60 A, and thereby defines a second area of engagement  130 A. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first area of engagement  120 A is generally sized and shaped as a fin seal—i.e. the first edge portion  40 A is adjacent the second edge portion  50 A. The bonding material  58 A is located between the first edge portion  40 A and the second edge portion  50 A of the sheet of material  5 A such that first and second edge portions  40 A and  50 A are bondingly connected to one another so as to form the fin seal where the fin seal is generally defined by the first area of engagement  120 A.  
         [0033]    The second area of engagement  130 A is generally characterized as being defined by a lap seal, i.e., the third edge portion  55 A is folded up toward the top end  90 A such that the third edge portion  55 A bondingly engages the exterior surface  80 A of the tubular sheath  60 A. By creating this lap seal at the second area of engagement  130 A, the bottom end  100 A is substantially flattened and closed, thereby providing the tubular sheath  60 A having two sealed areas of engagement  120 A,  130 A, respectively, and the substantially open top end  90 A.  
         [0034]    Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, when the first and second areas of engagement  120 A,  130 A have been articulated and bondingly sealed the bag  10 A is formed. The bag  10 A has an interior retaining space  140 A which is suitable for holding and retaining an item, such as a floral grouping or a corsage. The top end  90 A is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed within the interior retaining space  140 A. After an item is placed in the interior retaining space  140 A, the top end  90 A may be crimped, folded, stapled, and/or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item in the interior retaining space  140 A.  
         [0035]    In another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a bag  10 B (FIG. 6) is formed from a sheet of material  5 B. The sheet of material  5 B has a first surface  30 B and a second surface  150 B. The first surface  30 B includes a first edge portion  40 B and a second edge portion  50 B. The second surface  150 B includes a third edge portion  55 B. A bonding material  58 B is disposed on at least a portion of the first edge portion  40 B, the second edge portion  50 B, as well as on the third edge portion  55 B. Thus, the first, second and third edge portions  40 B,  50 B,  55 B, respectively, define areas of adhesion  57 B. The remaining portion of the sheet of material  5 B which is free of adhesive defines a substantially open area  59 B which does not have the bonding material  58 B thereon.  
         [0036]    When articulated, the sheet of material  5 B forms a generally tubular sheath  60 B. The tubular sheath  60 B further includes an interior surface  70 B, an exterior surface  80 B, a top end  90 B, and a bottom end  100 B.  
         [0037]    The tubular sheath  60 B is articulated from the sheet of material  5 B by folding the sheet of material  5 B over and onto itself such that the second edge portion  50 B overlaps and is substantially adjacent the third edge portion  55 B. As shown in FIG. 6, where the second edge portion  50 B overlaps the third edge portion  55 B, a first area of engagement  120 B is defined. When the sheet of material  5 B is folded, the first edge portion  40 B is folded onto itself and defines a second area of engagement  130 B.  
         [0038]    The first area of engagement  120 B is generally sized and shaped as a lap seal, i.e., the third edge portion  55 B is adjacent the second edge portion  50 B. The first area of engagement  120 B also has an amount of the bonding material  58 B disposed between the third edge portion  55 B and the second edge portion  50 B. The bonding material  58 B holds and seals the second edge portion  50 B adjacent the third edge portion  55 B. When folded and sealed in this manner, the sheet of material  5 B is articulated into the tubular sheath  60 B having a lap-seal seam. This lap seal is defined generally by the first area of engagement  120 B.  
         [0039]    As stated above, the second area of engagement  130 B is created by the first edge portion  40 B being folded over and onto itself. Through the articulation of the second area of engagement  130 B, the bottom end  100 B of the tubular sheath  60 B is generally flattened. The bonding material  58 B, which is disposed on the first edge portion  40 B, is thus operably interspersed within the second area of engagement  130 B such that the flattened bottom end  100 B of the tubular sheath  60 B is held and sealed by the bonding material  58 B. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the bottom end  100 B of the tubular sheath  60 B is sealed in a fin seal manner generally along the second area of engagement  130 B.  
         [0040]    Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, when the first and second areas of engagement  120 B and  130 B have been articulated and bondingly sealed, the bag  10 B is formed. The bag  100 B has an interior retaining space  140 B which is suitable for holding and retaining an item, such as a floral grouping or a corsage. The top end  90 B is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed in the interior retaining space  140 B. After an item is placed in the interior retaining space  140 B, the top end  90 B may be crimped, folded, stapled, curved, and/or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item within the interior retaining space  140 B.  
         [0041]    In an additional embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a bag  10 C is formed from a sheet of material  5 C. The sheet of material  5 C has a first surface  30 C and a second surface  150 C. The first surface  30 C includes a first edge portion  40 C. The second surface  150 C includes a second edge portion  50 C and a third edge portion  55 C. The third edge portion  55 C does not extend along the entire length of an outside edge  160 C of the second surface  150 C; rather, the third edge portion  55 C extends generally to a midpoint  165 C of the sheet of material  5 C, with the midpoint  165 C being indicated generally by a dashed line in FIG. 7.  
         [0042]    A bonding material  58 C is applied to at least a portion of the first, second, and third edge portions  40 C,  50 C, and  55 C, respectively. Thus, the first, second and third edge portions  40 C,  50 C, and  55 C, respectively, define areas of adhesion  57 C. The remaining portion of the sheet of material  5 C which is free of adhesive defines a substantially open area  59 C which does not have the bonding material  58 C thereon.  
         [0043]    When articulated, the sheet of material  5 C forms a generally tubular sheath  60 C, having an interior surface  70 C, an exterior surface  80 C, a top end  90 C, and a bottom end  100 C.  
         [0044]    The tubular sheath  60 C is articulated from the sheet of material  5 C by folding the sheet of material  5 C over and onto itself such that the first edge portion  40 C overlaps and is substantially adjacent to the second edge portion  50 C. As shown in FIG. 8, where the first edge portion  40 C overlaps the second edge portion  50 C, a first area of engagement  120 C is defined. During folding, the third edge portion  55 C is folded over and onto itself defining a second area of engagement  130 C.  
         [0045]    The first area of engagement  120 C is generally sized and shaped as a lap seal, i.e., the first edge portion  40 C is adjacent the second edge portion  50 C. The first area of engagement  120 C also has an amount of the bonding material  58 C disposed between the first edge portion  40 C and the second edge portion  50 C. The bonding material  58 C holds and seals the first edge portion  40 C adjacent the second edge portion  50 C. When folded and sealed in this manner, the sheet of material  5 C is articulated into the tubular sheath  60 C having a lap seal seam. This lap seal seam is defined generally by the first area of engagement  120 C.  
         [0046]    The second area of engagement  130 C is generally formed into a lap seal, i.e., the third edge portion  55 C is folded up and bonded to the top end  90 C of the tubular sheath  60 C such that the third edge portion  55 C bondingly engages the exterior surface  80 C of the tubular sheath  60 C. By creating this lap seal at the second area of engagement  130 C, the bottom end  100 C of the tubular sheath  60 C is substantially flattened, closed, and sealed by the bonding material  58 C disposed on the third edge portion  55 C. The tubular sheath  60 C is thereby provided having the two sealed first and second areas of engagement  120 C,  130 C and the substantially open top end  90 C.  
         [0047]    Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, when the first and second areas of engagement  120 C,  130 C have been articulated and bonded, the bag  10 C is formed. The bag  10 C has an interior retaining space  140 C which is suitable for holding and retaining an item, such as a floral grouping or a corsage. The top end  90 C is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed in the interior retaining space  140 C. After an item is placed in the interior retaining space  140 C, the top end  90 C may be crimped, folded, stapled, and/or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item in the interior retaining space  140 C.  
         [0048]    Thus it should be apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a bag that fully satisfies the objectives and advantages set forth above. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.