Patent EA-002409-B1 (EA)
Title: Ice cube bag and a method of producing ice cube bags
Inventor: VANGEDAL-NIELSEN ERLING
IPC: F25C1/24
Filed: 1998-12-09
Abstract: 1. An ice cube bag comprising: two sheet-shaped foil layers (12, 14; 12' , 14') having substantially identical geometrical configurations and defining an outer periphery, a peripheral joint (20, 21, 21a, 21b) extending along the major part of said outer periphery of said foil layers (12, 14; 12' , 14') with the exception of a peripheral area constituting an inlet aperture of said bag (10) which peripheral joint joins said foil layers together mainly overlapping each other and defining an inner chamber in the interior of said bag (10) which inner chamber is divided into several ice cube compartments being defined in relation to each other by separate joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) of said foil layers, an inlet channel defined by joints (30, 32, 34, 35) of said foil layers and extending from said inlet aperture to said inner chamber of said bag hereby allowing admission from the surroundings to said inner chamber of said bag through said inlet channel, characterized in that each of said separate joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) defining two neighbour ice cube compartments in relation to each other is constituted by a number of individual joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) and that each of said individual joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) establishes a connection between said two sheet-shaped foil layers (12, 14; 12', 14') with such a joint strength and with such a limited area extension that said individual joint is not broken when said foil layers (12, I2; 12', 14') are exposed to a separation force, but provides a tearing apart or perforation (44) in one of said foil layers (12, 14; 12', 14') along the periphery of said individual joints. 2. An ice cube bag according to claim 1, characterized in that said individual joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) are positioned in such mutual distance that when one of said foil layers (12, 14; 12', 14') is torn apart or perforated (44), said individual joints provide directions for a perforation line in one of said foil layers (12, 14; 12', 14'). 3. An ice cube bag according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the factor calculated as the area of one of said individual joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) expressed in square millimetres divided by the circumference or perimeter of the same joint measured in millimetres of the same joint lies within the order of 0.025 mm and 0.5 mm, preferably within the order of 0.125 mm and 0.375 mm, such as approximately 0.25 mm. 4. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-3, characterized in that each of said individual joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) has an area extension corresponding to the area of a circle having a diameter of between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, such as 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably between 0.9 mm and 1.0 mm, such as between 0.5 and 0.8 mm, between 0.8 mm and 1 mm, between 1 mm and 1,2 mm or between 1.2 mm and 1.5 mm. 5. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-4, characterized in that said peripheral joint (20, 21, 21a, 21b), said inlet channel defining joints (30, 32, 34, 35) and said individual junctions (22, 23, 24, 25, 26) are all constituted by glueings or preferably weldings. 6. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-5, characterized in that said individual joints have the configuration of circles, ellipses, line segments, triangles, rectangles, squares, polygons, arbitrary convex or concave contour defining configurations or combinations of arbitrary ones of the above mentioned configurations. 7. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-6, characterized in that said ice cube bag is a self closure bag in which said two sheet-shaped foil layers (12, 14) provide prolongations constituting two closure valve flaps positioned at said inlet channel and extending from the inlet channel and into the interior of said bag towards said inner chamber of said bag along said inlet channel, and which are joined through said inlet channel defining joints (30, 32, 34, 35) so as to provide two closure pockets being open towards said inner chamber of said bag. 8. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-6, characterized in that said ice cube bag constitutes a bag having a knot closure, said two sheet-shaped foil layers (12' , 14') outside said inlet channel defining joints (30, 32, 34, 35) being provided with perforations or cuttings for allowing tying of the foil material of the two sides of said inlet channel for provision of a closure knot closing said inlet channel. 9. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-8, characterized in that said sheet-shaped foil sheets (12, 14; 12', 14') of said ice cube bag is produced from polyethylene, preferably LDPE or HDPE or some other glueable or weldable foil material, preferably plastics or polymer foil material or aluminum foil material or combinations of such foil materials. 10. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-9, characterized in that the number of ice cube compartments in said inner chamber of said ice cube bag is bigger than 2, preferably 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 30, 36 or 48, preferably 24. 11. An ice cube bag according to claim 10, characterized in that said ice cube compartments in said inner chamber of said ice cube bag are grouped into separate sub-chambers. 12. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-11, characterized in that the number of said individual joints (22, 23, 24, 25, 29) defining two neighbour ice cube compartments in relation to each other constitutes an odd number or preferably an even number. 13. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-12, characterized in that said two sheet-shaped foil layers (12, 14; 12', 14') are substantially rectangular. 14. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-13, characterized in that from said inner chamber of said ice cube bag a connection or connections is or are provided to expansion chambers (40, 40', 40") positioned on one or both sides of said inlet channel. 15. An ice cube bag according to any of the claims 1-14, characterized in that outside said inlet channel in said two sheet-shaped foil layers (12, 14; 12', 14') tearing perforations are provided for direction of tearing apart said ice cube bag. 16. A method for production of ice cube bags from welded plastic foils, comprising: i) positioning of two or more plastic foils lying above each other, ii) joining of the plastic foils with at least one web of high temperature resistant material such as teflon, preferably webs produced by woven or non-woven teflon fibers or teflon threads so that a sandwich is produced, iii) conveyance of said sandwich to a stamping or welding station in which said sandwich is subject to a stamping or welding operation, the sandwich being subject to a stamping or welding operation by means of stamping or welding tools supplying pressure and heat to the outwardly facing surface of said web of high-temperature-resistant material in specific areas corresponding to the intended stamped or welded areas of the final ice cube bag or corresponding bag, said web of high temperature resistant material serving as a pressure and temperature transferring web, and the pressure and heat supply producing an at least partly melting of the surfaces facing each other of the plastic foils in said specific areas and in the same areas producing a pressing and bonding of said web to the plastic foils, iv) conveyance of said sandwich from the stamping and welding station, v) cutting off of a cooled and final ice cube bag or corresponding bag from the cooled plastic foils, characterized in that a stamping or welding operation is performed during which said intended stamped or welded areas of the final ice cube bag or corresponding bag demonstrate weldings generated by individual point or line segment formed weldings in which non-welded material exists between the point and line segment formed weldings constituting a coherent area of non-welded material and in that the tearing away of the web of high temperature resistant material from the bonding to the plastic foils is performed immediately after the stamping or welding operation. 17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that said sandwich under item iii) is pressed against an abutment during the stamping and welding operation, the stamping and welding tools being pressed against said web of high temperature resistant material from the side of the sandwich opposite the abutment. 18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that under item ii) two webs of high temperature resistant material are used between which the plastic foils are inserted constituting a sandwich having uppermost and lowermost layers consisting of the two webs of high temperature resistant material and intermediate layers consisting of the plastic foils, that the two webs of high temperature resistant material under item iii) are pressed into and bonded to opposite sides of the plastic foils, wherein two webs of high temperature resistant material are teared away from the bonding to the plastic foils either simultaneously or in turn. 19. The method according to any of the claims 16-18, characterized in that the conveyance of the sandwich to the stamping and welding station and the conveyance of the sandwich from the stamping and welding station are performed continuously. 20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the stamping and welding tools in the stamping and welding station comprise one or more rotating stamping and welding rollers. 21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the stamping and welding tools comprise two opposite and oppositely rotating stamping and welding rollers. 22. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the conveyance of the sandwich to the stamping and welding station and the conveyance of the sandwich from the stamping and welding station are performed intermittently, the stamping and welding operation being performed while the sandwich is kept stationary in the stamping and welding