Patent Publication Number: US-2013236129-A1

Title: Tactile enhancement mechanism for a closure mechanism

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     SEQUENTIAL LISTING 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure generally relates to a tactile enhancement mechanism for a closure mechanism of a resealable pouch. 
     2. Description of the Background of the Invention 
     Resealable pouches in the form of thermoplastic bags with elongate closure mechanisms have been developed of a type that includes one or more sets of closure mechanisms, such as interlocking closure profiles, for maintaining the pouch in a sealed condition. In some pouches, these closure profiles may be difficult for a user to locate and/or to operate, such that the pouch cannot be occluded properly, because the user is unable to visually see the closure profiles and/or is unable to easily feel the location of the closure profiles. In such cases, incomplete occlusion does not allow the pouch to be sealed properly, and the contents of the pouch may escape or spoil. 
     Various attempts have been made to help users locate and properly occlude closure profiles. For example, one design provides a reclosable bag having front and rear walls and a single pair of mutually interlocking opposing rib and groove closure elements disposed across a mouth of the bag. Outer surfaces of the walls are roughened coextensive with and over the rib and groove elements by a series of vertical ridges with vertical valleys therebetween to facilitate a user&#39;s application of a tangential force to open the closure elements. 
     Another design provides a reclosable bag having alignment ribs disposed on opposite sides of a male interlocking profile on an interior side of a first bag wall. Outer ridge beams coextensive with a central stabilizing ridge are extruded on the first bag wall exterior surface opposite to the alignment ribs and the male interlocking profile, respectively. 
     A further design provides a reclosable bag having front and rear walls and nested inner and outer closure mechanisms disposed on interior surfaces of the walls. A pair of parallel, spaced apart ribs is disposed on an external surface of the front wall and is aligned with legs of an outer female interlocking member. Another pair of parallel ribs is disposed on an external surface of the rear wall spaced on opposite sides of an inner female interlocking member. 
     Yet another design provides a reclosable bag having opposing walls and a single pair of mutually interlocking opposing rib and groove closure elements disposed across an interior of a mouth of the bag. Backing areas made of a material that is dissimilar to the closure elements are provided on the bag walls in alignment with the closure elements, on exterior surfaces of the opposing bag walls or between the closure elements and the bag walls. The dissimilar material of the backing areas provides a noticeable tactile feel for a user in regards to other areas of the bag, in order to help the user feel the location of the closure elements. 
     Many designs found in the art include a guiding mechanism disposed directly opposite to the closure profile, such that a ridge is located on a back side of the closure profile, and a user is able to position his or her fingers on the ridge to help guide occlusion. A problem with such designs, however, is that a user&#39;s finger may slide off of the ridge of material, which may cause uneven or incomplete occlusion along an entire length of the opening into the bag, thereby forming an incomplete seal across the opening. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect, a pouch includes a closure strip along an interior surface of a pouch sidewall for sealing an opening into the pouch. The closure strip extends from one end of the opening to an opposite end of the opening. A first tactile strip is disposed on an exterior surface of the pouch sidewall spaced above the closure profile, and a second tactile strip is disposed on the exterior surface of the pouch sidewall spaced below the closure profile. Each of the first and second tactile strips extends substantially to opposite ends of the closure mechanism, and an exterior of at least one of the first and second tactile strips is textured. A smooth region on the exterior surface of the first pouch sidewall is disposed opposite to the closure mechanism extending completely between the first and second tactile strips. 
     Another aspect of the disclosure includes a tactile enhancement mechanism for a closure mechanism on a pouch, wherein the closure mechanism includes an elongate closure strip disposed on an interior surface of a sidewall of the pouch and extends from one end of a mouth into the pouch to another end of the mouth for closing the mouth. The tactile enhancement mechanism includes a first strip of material secured to the exterior surface of the sidewall below the closure strip and a second strip of material secured to the exterior surface of the sidewall above the closure profile. The first and second strips of material extend to opposite ends of the closure strip, and the first strip of material has a textured exposed surface. A smooth region on the exterior surface of the sidewall is coextensive with the closure strip between the first and second strips of material. 
     According to yet a further aspect, a reclosable pouch includes first and second opposing pouch walls defining an interior therebetween and an opening into the interior, an elongate resealable closure profile that extends longitudinally between opposite ends of the opening and includes a first closure member disposed on an interior surface of the first pouch wall, and first and second strips of material attached to an exterior surface of the first pouch wall. Each of the first and second strips of material is substantially parallel to, and immediately adjacent to, the closure mechanism, and includes a tactile pattern that forms a textured exterior surface. A region of the exterior surface that is disposed between the first and second regions and directly opposite to the closure member is smooth. 
     Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description, wherein similar structures have similar reference numbers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a pouch having a tactile enhancement mechanism of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary closure mechanism usable with the tactile enhancement mechanism, taken generally along the lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , with portions behind the plane of the cross section omitted for clarity; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a different exemplary closure mechanism with the tactile enhancement mechanism, taken generally along the lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , with the closure mechanism closed and portions behind the plane of the cross section omitted for clarity; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary closure mechanism with the tactile enhancement mechanism, taken generally along the lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , with the closure mechanism closed and portions behind the plane of the cross section omitted for clarity; and 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary isometric view of a pouch with another variation of the tactile enhancement mechanism. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In  FIG. 1 , a reclosable pouch  50  has a tactile enhancement mechanism of the present invention that includes at least one additional layer of material added to the exterior surface of the pouch and acts to enhance the tactile sensation to a user&#39;s fingers and acts as a guiding mechanism, such that a user can properly position his/her fingers for occlusion. The pouch  50  has a first sidewall  52  and a second sidewall  54  that are connected by, for example, folding, heat sealing, and/or an adhesive, along three edges  56 ,  58 ,  60 , to define an interior space  62  between the first and second sidewalls  52 ,  54 . An opening  64  defining a mouth that allows access into the interior space  62  is located along a top edge  66  where the first and second pouch sidewalls  52 ,  54  are not connected. The first and second sidewalls  52 ,  54  are preferably made of thermoplastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and blends of such constituents, may include other additives as desired, and may be extruded and formed in any suitable manner known in the art. The sidewalls  52 ,  54  may be made of and/or include other flexible materials, such as paper, foil, and/or cloth. 
     A closure mechanism  68  extends longitudinally adjacent to the top edge  66  and includes a first elongate closure strip  70  and a second elongate closure strip  72  that can be sealed together along the length of the opening  64  to close the mouth. The first closure strip  70  is disposed along an inside surface of the first sidewall  52  near the opening  64  and extends to the side edges  56 ,  60  of the pouch  50 , and the second closure strip  72  is disposed along an inside surface of the second sidewall  54  near the opening  64  and also extends between side edges  56 ,  60  of the pouch  50 . The closure strips  70 ,  72 , are substantially aligned opposite to each other, such that the opening  64  may be repeatedly opened and/or closed, preferably, thereby respectively sealing and unsealing the opening  64 . The closure mechanism  68  and the closure strips  70  and  72  thereof may take many different forms suitable for closing the opening  62 , some of which are exemplified herein, and the invention is not necessarily limited to any particular form of the embodiments illustrated. Preferably, the closure mechanism  68  is a “pinch and seal” type interlocking “zipper” closure, wherein each of the first and second closure strips  70 ,  72  has one or more mutually interlocking elongate profiles, and wherein each profile has a substantially constant cross section that extends completely between side edges  56 ,  60  of the pouch  50 . The closure mechanism  68  may include mutually interlocking profiles of various different designs, such as male and female closure profiles, hook profiles, rib and groove profiles, etc.; however, other types, sizes, and shapes of closure mechanisms sufficient to close the mouth of a bag may be used, such as adhesive closures and/or hook-and-loop type closures. Still further, the closure mechanism  68  may be attached to the pouch  50  in any manner suitable to effectuate closing of the mouth. Illustratively, the closure strips  70 ,  72  may be formed integrally with the sidewalls  52 ,  54 , may be formed separately and subsequently attached to the sidewalls  52 ,  54 , or any combination thereof using any number of suitable methods, including heat sealing, integral casting, adhesive sealing, and various hybrid methods of manufacturing. Some exemplary pouches and closure mechanisms usable in the invention are disclosed in Dais et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,584, Dais et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,552, Ausnit U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,094, Borchardt et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,955, Berich U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,898, Pawloski U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,298, and Dowd et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0159662, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,674,040, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
     The tactile enhancement mechanism is attached to an exterior side of the pouch  50  adjacent to and offset laterally up and/or down from the closure mechanism  68 . The tactile enhancement mechanism includes one or more tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b ,  74   c ,  74   d , each formed of one or more layers of material attached to the exterior surface pouch  50 , with an optionally textured outer surface that is exposed to a user&#39;s fingers when closing the closure mechanism  68  and located to help to provide a unique tactile sensation to the user&#39;s fingers over the closure strips  70  and/or  72 . First and third tactile strips  74   a  and  74   c  are disposed on respective sidewalls  52 ,  54  in a region immediately below the first and second closure strips  70 ,  72 , and second and fourth tactile strips  74   b  and  74   d  are disposed on the sidewalls  52 ,  54  in a region immediately above the first and second closures  70 ,  72 . Preferably, the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  have the form of elongate strips that extend approximately parallel with and along the entire length of the closure mechanism  68 , although the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  are not necessarily limited to any particular exact shape herein. An exterior surface of each or any of tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be textured in any form sufficient to provide an additional tactile feedback cue to the user, such as with bumps, ribs, notches, slits, cuts, embossing, roughening, designs, holes, abscesses, and indentations. An exemplary texture shown in  FIG. 1  is a series of X-shaped indentations that may be formed by embossing or cutting partly or completely through the layer(s) of material of the tactile strips. Other patterns that provide some sort of texture transverse to the axes of the strips  74   a - 74   d , such as vertical, slanted, circular, or diamond shaped cuts or ridges, may be used and are contemplated to be within the scope of the disclosure. The tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  of the tactile enhancement mechanism help to ensure positive closure of the closure mechanism  68  by providing both a shape that urges the user&#39;s fingers to a position directly opposite to the closure mechanism  68  and a tactile cue that provides additional tactile feedback to the user to easily feel where the outer bounds of the closure strips  70  and/or  72  are and where the user&#39;s finger&#39;s should be to ensure successful closure of the closure mechanism  68 . The tactile enhancement mechanism may have alternate forms, wherein fewer than four of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be used, such as having only tactile strips  74   a  and  74   b  on the pouch wall  52 , having only lower tactile strips  74   a  and  74   c , having only upper tactile strips  74   b  and  74   d , or other combinations of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d . It should be understood that the term “layer” encompasses any amount, shape, and/or size of material that is applied to the pouch  50  that provides a tactile sensation to a user&#39;s fingers when closing the closure mechanism consistent with the description and objects discussed herein. The tactile enhancement mechanism may also urge the user&#39;s fingers into a position directly opposite to the closure strips  70 ,  72  by providing a flat, smooth area  76  coextensive with the closure mechanism  68  over which the user&#39;s fingers slide more readily, and bounded on one or both sides of the closure mechanism  68  by the tactile strips. 
     The tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be formed of many different materials and/or applied in different ways. For example, the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be made of thermoplastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and blends thereof. The tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be made of paint, ink, paper, cloth, adhesive decals, or other material suitable for the purposes described herein. Further, the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be attached to the pouch  50  by any method suitable for application, such as by extrusion, heat sealing, adhesive, spraying, and/or printing. In one example, the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  are formed by extruding a layer or bead of thermoplastic onto the pouch and subsequently embossing or cutting exterior surfaces of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  with an embossing wheel or cutting mechanism. In another example, the layer(s) of material of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be ink or thermoplastic that is sprayed onto the pouch  50  in a series of shapes adjacent to the closure mechanism, for example, with a hot melt adhesive application system. In another example, the layer(s) of material of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be printed on to the pouch  50  in a series of shapes adjacent to the closure mechanism using a flexographic printing machine. Further, the layer(s) of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be applied in any thickness sufficient to provide a meaningful tactile feel to an average user&#39;s fingers as described. Preferably, the layers are between about 0.005 mm to about 5 mm thick, and, more preferably, about 0.02 mm thick. 
     In one standard method of use, when it is desired to close the closure mechanism  68 , the closure strips  70 ,  72  are squeezed together between a user&#39;s fingers  78 ,  80 , for example, beginning at one end of the closure mechanism and drawing the fingers along the entire length of the closure mechanism  68  to thereby squeeze the closure strips  70 ,  72  together along the entire length thereof. The added layer(s) of material of the tactile enhancement mechanism may guide the user&#39;s fingers  78 ,  80  onto the smooth regions  76  opposite to the closure strips  70 ,  72 , thereby guiding the user&#39;s fingers  78 ,  80  into an optimal position for successfully closing the closure strips  70 ,  72  as the user moves fingers  78 ,  80  from edge  60  to edge  56 , for example, while applying inward pressure to successfully close the pouch  50 . Further, a textured exterior surface of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d , as disclosed herein, also provides a tactile sensation in the form of a roughened sensation that provides the user with additional tactile feedback that signals to the user whether his/her fingers  78 ,  80  are correctly positioned in the smooth space  76  directly opposite to and aligned with the closure mechanism  68 . 
     Turning now to some exemplary embodiments shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , in  FIG. 2 , the first closure strip  70  includes a first base  82  attached to an interior surface of the first sidewall  52 , and the second closure strip  72  includes a second base  84  attached to an interior surface of the second sidewall  54 . In other embodiments, one or both of the first and second closure strips  70 ,  72  may be integral with the respective first and second sidewalls  52 ,  54 . The first closure strip  70  includes a first interlocking member  86  that has an arrow shape disposed at a first end of the first base  82 , a second interlocking member  88  that has a channel shape disposed at a second end of the first base  82 , and a medial portion  90  between the first interlocking member  86  and the second interlocking member  88 , wherein the first interlocking member  86  and second interlocking member  88  both extend from the first base  82  toward the second base  84 . The second closure strip  72  includes a third interlocking member  92  that has a channel shape disposed at a first end of the second base  84 , a fourth interlocking member  94  that has an arrow shape disposed at a second end of the second base  84 , and a medial portion  96  between the third interlocking member  92  and the fourth interlocking member  94 , wherein the third interlocking member  92  and the fourth interlocking member  94  extend from the second base  84  toward the first base  80 . The first interlocking member  86  occludes with the third interlocking  92  member and the second interlocking member  88  occludes with the fourth interlocking member  94 . Although the closure strips  70  and  72  are shown with two sets of interlocking profiles, it is contemplated that any number and combination of interlocking profiles sufficient to close the opening  64  may be used. Each of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  is disposed adjacent to one of the closure strips  70 ,  72 , and flat, smooth regions  76  are formed immediately opposite to and coextensive with the closure strips  70 ,  72  between the tactile strips. The tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  are preferably spaced above and below the closure mechanism  68  such that, for example, small gaps  100   a - 100   d  are formed between the first and second ends of bases  82 ,  84  and the respective tactile strips  74   a - 74   d . The gaps  100   a - 100   d  are preferably each between about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm, and, more preferably, between about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm. 
     In  FIG. 3 , a tactile enhancement mechanism on a pouch  50  is shown with another closure mechanism  68   a  including closure strips  70   a ,  72   a  having a different profile. The closure mechanism  68   a  has first and second closure strips  70   a ,  72   a  that extend along the length of the opening  64 . Each closure strip  70   a ,  72   a  has a profile defining an interlocking member  86  or  92  projecting from an inside surface of a base member  82 . Upper and lower flange members  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  extend upwardly and downwardly from a respective base member  82  and each lower flange member  102   a ,  102   c  is secured to a respective sidewall  52 ,  54  of the pouch  50  along the opening  64 , such that the first closure strip  70   a  occludes with the second closure strip  72   a . Tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b ,  74   c , and  74   d  defining a tactile enhancement mechanism are attached to the exterior surfaces of the upper and lower flange members  102  in the manner shown in  FIG. 1 . The first tactile strip  74   a  is spaced below the interlocking member  86 , and the second tactile strip  74   b  is spaced above the interlocking member  88 , thereby leaving an intermediate flat, smooth region  76  coextensive with the interlocking member. Optionally, third and fourth tactile strips  74   c ,  74   d  may be attached to the exterior surfaces of the opposite upper and lower flanges  102   c ,  102   d , with the third tactile strip  74   c  spaced below the interlocking member  92  and the fourth tactile strip  74   d  spaced above the interlocking member and another flat, smooth region  76  disposed therebetween. 
     In  FIG. 4 , a tactile enhancement mechanism on a pouch  50  with a further closure mechanism  68   b  is generally similar to closure mechanism  68 , but includes closure strips  70   b ,  72   b  having yet a different profile. Closure strip  70   b  includes upper and lower interlocking members  86  and  88 , and closure strip  70   b  includes upper and lower interlocking members  92  and  94 . The upper interlocking members  86 ,  92  are spaced apart from the lower interlocking members  88 ,  94  and extend along the length of the closure mechanism  68   b . Each interlocking member  86 ,  88 ,  92  and  94  is attached directly to an inside surface of a sidewall  52  or  54  of the pouch  50  along the opening  64  such that the upper interlocking members  86  and  92  occlude together and the lower interlocking members  88  and  94  occlude together. Tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b ,  75   c ,  74   d  of the tactile enhancement mechanism are attached to exterior surfaces of the sidewalls  52  or  54  of the pouch  50 . The tactile strip  74   b  is spaced above the closure mechanism, and the tactile strip  74   a  is spaced below the closure mechanism, thereby leaving a flat, intermediate smooth region  76  coextensive with the interlocking members  86 ,  88 , where the sidewall  52  of the pouch  50  is exposed with no tactile strip. Optionally, the tactile strips  74   c  and  74   d  may be attached to the exterior surface of the opposite sidewall  54  of the pouch  50 , with the tactile strip  74   d  spaced above the closure mechanism and the tactile strip  74   c  spaced below the closure mechanism, thereby leaving a flat, smooth portion  76  of the sidewall  54  therebetween opposite to the interlocking members  92 ,  94 . Preferably, the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  extend parallel to and along the entire length of the closure mechanism  68   b , as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Each tactile strip  74   a - 74   d  shown in  FIGS. 2-4  preferably has a textured exterior surface, such as formed by slices, slits, indentations, holes, or other texture that may be readily felt by a user&#39;s fingers along the exterior side thereof, as described with respect to  FIG. 1 . The tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be formed of a bead of material that is applied to the exterior of the pouch, such as thermoplastic extruded directly onto a side wall, may be a strip of material that is post-applied to the exterior of the pouch, or may be formed by any other method sufficient to secure the layer(s) of material to the exterior of a pouch adjacent to the closure mechanism, as described previously herein. Further, the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  preferably are not aligned directly opposite to (behind) the closures  70 ,  72 , such as the bases  82 ,  84  of  FIG. 2 , or the interlocking profiles of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , and the flat, smooth regions  76  include substantially no material added to the sidewalls of the pouch. 
     In a further embodiment, shown in  FIG. 5 , the tactile enhancement mechanism comprises at least one, and, preferably, two tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b , wherein the tactile strips extend along the length of the sidewalls  52 ,  54  in a region immediately above and/or below the first closure profile  70  and are discontinuous. A flat, smooth region  76  is defined between the tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b  coextensive with the closure mechanism  68  as disclosed previously herein. The tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b  are discontinuous, having breaks  104  disposed at intervals along the length of the pouch  50 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The intervals between successive breaks  104  can be constant or irregular. The breaks  104  in the tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b  may provide the textured surface alone, or additional texturing may be imparted to the tactile strips in any manner as suggested herein. The tactile strips  74   a ,  74   b  may be disposed only on one sidewall  52  of the pouch  50  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) or additional tactile strips (not shown) may be disposed in a similar position with respect to the closure mechanism on both pouch  50  sidewalls  52 ,  54 , as disclosed previously herein. Some of the tactile strips  74   a - 74   d  may be continuous, as shown in  FIG. 1 , and others of the tactile strips may be discontinuous, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Any of the tactile enhancement mechanisms disclosed herein may be manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes and may take various forms sufficient to provide the functions disclosed herein. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     A tactile enhancement mechanism of the present invention may help to guide a user&#39;s fingers into the proper position along a closure mechanism, to ensure complete and/or proper closure of the closure mechanism, by providing tactile cues and feedback that help a user place his/her fingers in an optimal position for effectuating closure. A tactile enhancement mechanism placed at locations adjacent, above and/or below the closure mechanism can, in some cases, also overcome one or more challenges of the prior art discussed herein. 
     While specific embodiments are discussed herein, it is understood that the present disclosure is to be considered only as an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure. Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description without departing from the principles of the disclosed invention. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as being illustrative only, and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and to use the disclosure, and to teach the best mode of carrying out the same.