Abstract:
A reclosable zipper is provided having first and second opposing profiles forming at least one pair of opposing flanges. The flanges have cutouts, such as notches or apertures, disposed adjacent to side edges of the profiles so as to define at least one pair of cutouts. When the profiles are sealed to opposing inner surfaces of package panels, portions of the panels seal to each other through the at least one pair of cutouts, providing a reinforcing structure to opposing ends of the zippers, thereby preventing the zipper ends from separating upon opening the package.

Description:
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/249,835 filed on Oct. 8, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure pertains to a zipper or reclosure for a gusseted reclosable package. More particularly, the zipper is configured with apertures, notches or similar structures which enable one or more portions of the package panels to seal against each other so as to reduce the tendency of separating the ends of the zipper when opening the package. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Gusseted and ungusseted reclosable packages or bags are well-developed within the art and adapted for their intended purposes. However, with some reclosable gusseted packages, when a consumer attempts to open the mouth of the package, there is a tendency for the ends of the zipper to separate due to the relatively weak connection created by ultrasonic welding. What may be desired for some applications is a configuration for the reclosable zipper in which the ends of the zipper are reinforced such that there is a reduced tendency of separating the ends of the zipper when opening the package. With such a configuration, in some applications, ultrasonic welding of the ends of the reclosable zipper may be omitted, reducing manufacturing costs. 
     Prior art includes U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0267539 entitled “Sealing Gussets Together Through Apertures in Multi-Wall Paper or Woven Polypropylene Packages or Bags”, published on Oct. 20, 2008, listing Howell and Owen as inventors. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a reclosable zipper in which the ends of the zipper are reinforced by improved methods such that there is a reduced tendency of separating the ends of the zipper when opening the package. 
     This and other objects are obtained by providing a reclosable zipper having first and second opposing profiles forming at least one pair of opposing flanges, where the flanges have openings disposed adjacent to side edges of the profiles, so that when the profiles are sealed to inner faces of the package panels, portions of the panels seal to each other through the openings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front plan view of a package with a first reclosable zipper configuration; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view along plane  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the reclosable package illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view along plane  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 , illustrating the folding and sealing of the side panels to form the rear walls. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a second embodiment the reclosable package; 
         FIG. 7  is a front plan view of a third embodiment of the package with a second reclosable zipper configuration; and 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view of a zipper of the reclosable package illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, one sees that  FIGS. 1-3  illustrate a typical reclosable package or bag  10  formed from a single sheet  12  of polymeric or similar material. Single sheet  12  of polymeric or similar material includes a central portion  14  which forms the front panel, and further includes two adjacent side portions  16 ,  18  that when folded over and sealed together form seal  20  (which may be configured as a lap seal or a fin seal), form the rear panel of the reclosable package or bag  10 , and which is likewise indicated on sides of panels  16 ,  18  in  FIG. 1 ). Bottom seal  21  is likewise formed by sealing the bottom of side portions  16 ,  18  to the bottom of front portion  14 . Likewise, top seal  23  is formed by sealing the top of side portions  16 ,  18  to the top of front portion  14 . Zipper  22 , typically formed from polymeric or plastic material, includes first and second zipper profiles  24 ,  26  with respective first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30  (illustrated as male and female, respectively) and first and second flanges  32 ,  34  extending therefrom. First zipper flange  32  is initially sealed to front panel  14  as shown in  FIG. 1  and zipper flange  34  thereafter sealed to side portions  16 ,  18  after they are folded over and sealed together as shown in  FIG. 5 , thereby likewise reaching the configuration of  FIG. 2 . 
     Line of weakness  40  (which may be formed as a perforation or by laser scoring, but is not limited thereto, and may likewise by implemented as a linear tear line) is formed on sheet of material  12 , spanning across portions  14 ,  16 ,  18 , above zipper  22  and below top seal  23  thereby forming a removable header  42  above line of weakness  40 , which may be removed by the user. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , first and second flanges  32 ,  34  each include first pair of vertically aligned apertures  50 ,  52  inwardly adjacent from a first end and second pair of vertically aligned apertures  54 ,  56  inwardly adjacent from a second end, and free of passage through the first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30 . The apertures  50 ,  52 ,  54 ,  56  formed on first flange  32  are aligned with the apertures  50 ,  52 ,  54 ,  56  formed on second flange  34 , and free of passage through the first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30 . Apertures  50 ,  54  are typically formed above the first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30  and apertures  52 ,  56  are typically formed below first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30 . Additionally, the first ends of first and second flanges  32  are typically sealed to each other and the second ends of first and second flanges  32 ,  34  are typically sealed to each other, typically by, but not limited to, ultrasonic welding. However, in some applications, this sealing of the ends of the flanges to each other may be omitted. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the front panel (formed from central portion  14 ) and the rear panel (formed from side portion  16  with respect to first pair of vertically aligned apertures and side portion  18  with respect to second pair of vertically aligned apertures) extend through the apertures  50 ,  52 ,  54 ,  56  and are sealed to each other as indicated by the two arrows  60 ,  62 , both labeled “seal”. With this configuration, the reclosable package  10  may be opened (typically by the consumer after removal of the removal header  42  along line of weakness  40 ). The seals  60 ,  62  direct opening forces away from the zipper  22  thereby reducing the chances of separation after multiple uses, providing a zipper which is easier for the consumer to align, and protecting the side seals. 
       FIG. 6  discloses an embodiment of reclosable package or bag  10  where first and second gussets  70 ,  72  are formed behind second zipper profile  26 . In other words, both zipper flanges are contained within one of the gusset folds at each end of the package or bag  10 . First zipper profile  24  is sealed to the interior of front panel  74 , adjacent to the mouth  75  of the package  10 . Second zipper profile  26  is sealed over the first and second gussets  70 ,  72  and to rear panel  76 . Additionally, the first and second gussets  70 ,  72  are sealed to rear panel  76 . First and second zipper profiles  24 ,  26  include first pair of vertical aligned apertures  50 ,  52  on a first end and second pair of vertically aligned apertures  54 ,  56  on a second end. Portions of front panel  74  pass through apertures  50 ,  52  and are sealed to first gusset  70 . Similarly, portions of front panel  74  pass through apertures  54 ,  56  and are sealed to second gusset  72 . This provides the benefits described with respect to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5  while incorporating gussets into reclosable package  10 . 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  disclose an embodiment of reclosable package or bag  10  including a front panel  74  and a rear panel  76  joined at a bottom seal  21  and a top seal  23 , as well as side seals  78 ,  80  along the first and second edges thereof. Similar to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 , a header  42  is formed over zipper  22 , and is removable by tearing line of weakness  40  which is formed immediately under top seal  23 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , notches  82 ,  84  are both formed on the upper portions of ends of first and second flanges  32 ,  34 , above first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30 . That is, notches  82 ,  84  are both formed on first flange  32  as well as second flange  34 , typically above the first and second interlocking elements  28 ,  30  and free of passage therethrough. With this configuration, front flange seal  86  (see  FIG. 7 ) is formed across the width of reclosable package  10  between front panel  74  and first flange  32 , and likewise rear flange seal  88  is formed across the width of reclosable package  10  between rear panel  76  and second flange  34 . Additionally, front and rear flange seals  86 ,  88  join to each other within notches  82 ,  84  thereby joining portions of front and rear panels  74 ,  76  thereby providing the benefits of the apertures as described with the previous embodiments. First flange seal  86  and rear flange seal  86  may be combined, resulting in sealing together front panel  74 , first flange  32 , rear panel  76  and second flange  34 . 
     It should be noted that the bag wall constructions of  FIGS. 1 and 7  are interchangeable so that the construction of  FIG. 1  could be used with notches rather than apertures and vice versa. Similarly, a combination of a notch and aperture could replace the apertures above and below the zipper interlocking element of  FIG. 1 . 
     Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.