Patent Publication Number: US-2001000480-A1

Title: Plastic film packaging with tearable tape strip

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     1. This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/315,249, entitled “Tear Control Tape and Container with Tear Control Closing Tape” filed May 20, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/086,317, entitled “Tear Control Tape for Closing Containers” filed May 28, 1998, now abandoned.  
    
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
       2. The present invention relates to plastic film packaging and tearable tape strips. More particularly, the present invention relates to packaging formed with a continuous, tear-resistant film having a tearable tape strip that facilitates opening thereof.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       3. Containers or packaging, such as bags and other packages, must be securely closed to contain their contents. The packaging must remain closed during storage and shipping, and must withstand vibrations and shocks of rough handling. When distribution is complete, the consumer or end-user needs to open the package to remove the contents. Ideally, the package can be opened without tools or special skills. Achieving both secure closure and easy opening is difficult. Many packages can be secure for shipment, but are often times difficult to open. For example, multiple wall paper bags of dog food or fertilizer often have sewn tops which remain closed during shipping, but are difficult for the end-user to open without tools or without damaging the bag and spilling unused contents. Alternatively, plastic films can be used as the packaging material, for example to contain water softener pellets. Again, however, especially where a tear-resistant film is employed, these packages are difficult for the end-user to open.  
       4. With respect to corrugated or paperboard packaging, a conventional, narrow-width tear strip can be used to facilitate opening thereof. In this regard, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) has sold conventional tear strips for many years. One version of a conventional, narrow-width tear strip (3M #8612 Tape) has a polyethylene terephthlate (PET) backing and a reinforcing filament of polyester yarn or fiberglass coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). This tear strip is applied to the inside of a corrugated box or to the inside of a paperboard mailing envelope. The corrugated board or paperboard is nicked on the outside of tear strip to provide a tab which the end-user can pull. During opening, the tear strip remains in tact and is not split. The tear strip pulls and tears through the corrugated board or paperboard. This conventional, narrow-width tear strip can only be used in lightweight situations because the force required to tear the material is relatively low. Other versions use a tensilized polypropylene tape with a pressure sensitive adhesive and, optionally, a reinforced strapping tape. These types of tearable tape strips can also be applied to the adhesive side of a wider film tape such as a box sealing tape or a heat shrinkable tape. Again, the wide tape is nicked to provide a tab and to initiate tearing. The distance between the nicks is wider than the tape strip. This is only used for lightweight packages because the nicks tend to propagate prematurely during shipping, if used on a heavier shipping container. Using this kind of conventional, narrow-width tear strip on a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) tape backing would not function because the tear strength and the elongation of the LLDPE are too high.  
       5. Efforts have been made to improve upon these paper-based envelopes, as well as to render them more easily openable with the above-described, conventional, narrow-width tear strips. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,296 discloses making a Tyvek® spun-bonded olefin envelope openable. It improves upon the common paperboard envelopes which are relatively easy to open using conventional narrow-width tear strip products. This highly tear-resistant envelope material can be fused by ultrasonic sealing, creating lines of weakness. European Patent No. 447209 discloses an improved opening for Tyvek® envelopes. It uses reinforced strapping tape (or similar tape) which is nicked on the ends to control the direction of the tear through the envelope. It also includes cutting through the Tyvek® material, rather than just weakening it. These patents describe opening devices for lightweight mailing envelopes; they function well in this lightweight application, but are not readily useable to resist splitting when used on a heavier package because the tape is relatively easy to tear.  
       6. European Patent No. 755868 discloses a paperboard envelope using a single tape to close and open the envelope. A uniaxially-oriented plastic film is adhesive-coated on both sides, allowing it to function as a closing tape, as well as an opening tape. The tape is nicked to control the direction of tear. In addition to providing packaging strength, the paperboard material provides requisite tear resistance.  
       7. The above applications of conventional, narrow-width tear strips to paperboard or Tyvek® envelopes are quite viable. Unfortunately, however, the same techniques are not readily adaptable to plastic film-type packaging. Plastic-based film packaging material has become increasingly popular. Plastic films are relatively inexpensive, and highly amenable to packaging on a mass production basis. Even further, plastic films can be tightly wrapped about the article in question, such as with a shrink wrap or skin packaging technique. As with paperboard or Tyvek® packaging, plastic film packaging presents certain concerns relating to opening by the end-user, especially where a tear-resistant film (i.e., exhibiting a puncture-propagation tear resistance in excess of 20 Newtons (N) per ply) is used. Typically, the end-user is forced to use a cutting tool to open the film packaging. This can undesirably lead to injury and/or product damage.  
       8. Alternatively, conventional, narrow-width tear strips (with a PSA or with a heat-activated adhesive) have been employed with lightweight low tear strength packaging films. One example of such an application is with a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film overwrap applied about a pack of cigarettes. With low tear strength-type films (and/or plastic films that exhibit little, if any, stretching with tearing), conventional, narrow-width tear strips are workable opening devices. However, many plastic films useful for product packaging are tough and tear-resistant. For example, polyethylene film is widely used to package or contain a variety of products, such as beverage containers, food, etc. Unfortunately, due to the tear strength associated with a tear-resistant film such as polyethylene, conventional, narrow-width strips are essentially useless. A conventional tear strip cannot tear a “clean” opening through the tear-resistant film. Instead, the tear-resistant film will resist the tearing force, likely stretching or elongating at the point the tear force is applied. Either the film will simply not tear and the tear strip releases from the film, or the film will continually stretch so that the resulting opening, if any, is insufficient to access the contained article. While it may be possible to weaken the film in the area of the convention, narrow-width tear strip (e.g., imparting perforations) to promote tearing as is done with Tyvek® envelopes, these imperfections often times lead to premature failure of the packaging material prior to delivery to the end-user.  
       9. Plastic films continue to be highly popular packaging materials. However, where the plastic film is tear-resistant and not otherwise cleanly tearable, conventional, narrow-width tear strips cannot be used to satisfactorily open the package. Instead, when presented with a tear-resistant film packaging, an end-user is typically required to use a cutting tool to open the package, possibly leading to injury and product damage. Therefore, a need exists for packaging utilizing a tear-resistant film in combination with an applicable tearable tape strip for tearing an opening in the film.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       10. One aspect of the present invention relates to packaging for containing an article. The packaging includes a continuous, tear-resistant film and a tearable tape strip. The film is formable to define an enclosed region for containing an article. The tearable tape strip is secured to the film. In this regard, the tearable tape strip is configured to controllably tear an opening through the film for accessing the enclosed region upon tearing of the tearable tape strip. By providing a continuous, tear-resistant film, the packaging is available to safely contain a wide variety of different articles, while withstanding the rigors of most shipping and handling environments. Further, the tearable tape strip allows an end-user to easily open the packaging. In one preferred embodiment, a single tearable tape strip is provided and is formed as an internally tearable, reinforced strapping tape adhered to an inner surface of the film.  
       11. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a packaged good article including an article and a package. The package includes a continuous, tear-resistant film and a tearable tape strip. The film forms an enclosed region within which the article is contained. Further, the tearable tape strip is secured to a surface of the film. In this regard, the tearable tape strip is configured to controllably tear an opening through the film for accessing the article upon tearing of the tearable tape strip. In a preferred embodiment, the tear-resistant film is wrapped about the article, and the article can assume a wide variety of forms such as a food product, a plurality of products, etc.  
       12. Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of a packaging article. The method includes providing an article, and providing a continuous, tear-resistant film. A tearable tape strip is secured to a surface of the film. The film is then formed to define an enclosed region containing the article. Upon final assembly, the tearable tape strip is configured to controllably tear an opening through the film for accessing the article upon tearing of the tearable tape strip. In one preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention requires securing only a single tearable tape strip. Further, the film is preferably wrapped about the article, as opposed to sliding the article within a pre-formed envelope. Thus, because the film can be formed as something other than an envelope, the article need not be relatively flat, but instead can have an irregular shape, such as commonly found with food products, groupings of beverage containers, etc.  
       13. Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of opening a packaged good article. The method includes providing a packaged good article including an article contained within an enclosed region formed by a continuous, tear-resistant film having a tearable tape strip secured to a surface thereof. The tearable tape strip is then torn to controllably tear an opening through the film. Unlike some previous opening methodologies associated with tear-resistant film packaging, a separate cutting tool is not required.  
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     14.FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tape of the present invention.  
     15.FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tape of FIG. 1 applied to a container.  
     16.FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of another embodiment of the tape applied to a container.  
     17.FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a tape according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     18.FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a tape according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     19.FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a container according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     20.FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 6.  
     21.FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a packaged good article according to another embodiment of the present invention in a closed state.  
     22.FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the packaged good article of FIG. 8A in an opened state.  
     23.FIG. 9A is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a portion of the packaged good article of FIG. 8A.  
     24.FIG. 9B is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a portion of an alternative packaged good article.  
     25.FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative packaged good article according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     26.FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternative packaged good article according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     27.FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative packaged good article according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     28.FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an alternative packaged good article according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     29. One aspect of this invention is a tape which functions both to close a container  9  and also to provide a mechanism to easily open the container. Although the container  9  can be any container such as envelopes and boxes, one aspect of the invention works particularly well on flexible containers such as bags like multiple wall paper bags for storing granular material. As shown in FIG. 1, the tear strip tape  10  combines a base layer  12  which is a tear-resistant tape, with a tearable tape strip  14 . The base layer  12  includes a tear-resistant backing  16  having a first side  18  and a second side  20 , and an adhesive  22  which in the illustrated embodiments is located on the first side  18  of the backing  16 . The adhesive  22  can be applied to the backing  16  by any known method such as knife coating.  
     30. The tearable tape strip  14  can be attached to either the first side  18  or the second side  20  of the backing of the base layer. In several of the illustrated embodiments, the tearable tape strip  14  is adhered to the first side  18  of the backing  16  using the adhesive  22 . In use, the tearable tape strip  14  is located on the container  9  between the container and the base layer  12 , without adhering to the container. In several of the illustrated embodiments, the tearable tape strip  14  includes a base layer  24  and its own adhesive  26  on one side of the base layer to assist adherence to the base layer  12  of the tear strip tape  10 . In another embodiment, the adhesive  26  is on the other side of the tearable tape strip base layer  24  to adhere to the container  9 . In another embodiment, the tearable tape strip  14  need not include an adhesive.  
     31. The backing  16  can be a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), cast polypropylene, Kraton/polypropylene blends, or other tear resistant film. The tearable tape strip  14  can be tearable filament reinforced tape or a reinforced strapping tape (RST) having filaments or ribs  28 . Suitable RSTs are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,079,066 and 5,080,957. The tearable tape strip  14  could also be tensilized polypropylene or other oriented or non-oriented films which tear preferentially in the longitudinal direction. The ribs  28  constrain the tears in the tearable tape strip  14  to control the direction of tear. Nicks  30  in the tearable tape strip  14  form an end tab  32  and initiate points of tear. Stress from handling the container  9  is concentrated at these points. The tear resistant base layer  12  prevents the tear from propagating prematurely, yet allows a person to pull the end tab  32  to easily open the container  9 . A wide variety of tear-resistant tapes  12  are available. By balancing the strength, premature splitting, and ease of opening, a tape  10  with the desired overall characteristics can be achieved. Containers  9  have been closed with this invention and have been subjected to severe rough handling tests. They have successfully withstood these stresses yet have allowed easy opening. This tape  10  uses a weakness of the tearable tape strip  14 , such as RST, (its tendency to split in the longitudinal or machine direction) coupled with an inability to tear cleanly through the tear resistant backing to form a very functional opening feature for containers. “Tear cleanly” means to tear open consistently, with a relatively uniform tearing force, without excessive distortion of the torn film (i.e., there are not extended stretched-out or jagged edges).  
     32. One embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 2. A backing  16  made of tear resistant film such as LLDPE and an adhesive  22  such as PSA functions as the base layer  12  which closes the container  9 . A narrower filament reinforced tape or reinforced strapping tape is the tearable tape strip  14  and is laminated to the tear resistant base layer  12 , adhesive to adhesive. Nicks  30  through the tape  10  initiate points of tear. The nicks  30  are located through both the base layer  12  and the tearable tape strip  14  of the tape  10 . The tape  10  is applied to the container  9 . The end tabs  32  formed at the end of the tape assist opening the container  9 .  
     33. In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, the end tabs  32  can lay flat against the container  9  during shipping and distribution. In this version, the nicks  30  start from the end of the tape  10  at a location such that they pass through only the base layer  12 . The distance between the nicks  30  is greater than the width of the end tab  32 . As shown, the nicks are then directed to pass through part of the tearable tape strip  14  as well as the base layer. This direction change is shown as a smooth curve, but any shape can be used. The key to this feature is that at the end of the tape, the end tab  32  includes part of the tape  10  with adhesive  22  to allow adhesive of the closure tape to hold lightly onto the bag, while the end tab  32  has at least a portion that extends through the tearable tape strip  14 .  
     34. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 4, tape  40  includes a tape layer  42  that is a strip of film tape, such as a box sealing tape made of biaxially oriented polypropylene. The tape layer  42  includes a backing  44  and an adhesive  46 . This tape layer  42  is not tear-resistant when nicked but provides good closure strength at a low cost. The narrower tearable tape strip  14  is laminated to a tear resistant tape  12  of a similar width, such as a 3M #8883 tape. The tearable tape strip  14  includes a base layer  24  and an adhesive  26  and the tear-resistant tape  12  includes a base layer  16 ′ and an adhesive  22 ′ although the adhesive is not required. The tear resistant tape  12  is located only in the area where its function is required, the area straddling the two portions of the container  9  that are adhered to each other to close the container. (Note that if a box sealing tape was used with RST without a tear resistant film, nicks in the RST would propagate too easily.) This embodiment, like that of FIG. 1, prevents a tear from propagating prematurely, yet allows a person to pull the end tab  32  to easily open the container  9 .  
     35. This structure could be formed in several ways. One way is that the tear-resistant tape  12 , such as #8883 tape, made by 3M, St. Paul, Minn., could be laminated between the box sealing tape layer  42  and the tearable tape strip  14  at the point of application. In another method, an RST tape could be used as the tearable tape strip  14  and could be laminated to tear-resistant tape  12  (3M #8883 tape) and provided to a customer in roll form. This would be applied to the box sealing tape layer  42  at the point of application. Yet another method involves putting all of the layers together during manufacturing. A tear resistant tape  12  is coated or laminated to a tearable tape strip  14 . This multiple layer configuration is then attached to a tape layer  42  which includes a backing  44  and an adhesive  46 . FIG. 5 shows an embodiment where there is no adhesive on the tear resistant layer. The tear resistant base layer  16  only is located between the tape layer  42  and the tearable tape strip  14  to form tape  50 .  
     36. In one example, a 20 kg (44 lb) bag of dog food was closed with a 40.6 cm (16 in) long strip of 48 mm wide tear resistant adhesive base layer  12 , such as 3M #8883 tape, having a 0.008 cm (3 mil) LLDPE backing  16  and a PSA adhesive  22 . (The 3M #8883 tape is a “stretchable tape” which is used here for its tear resistant properties.) A 12 mm wide strip of tearable tape strip  14  (3M #864 RST tape) was applied and nicks  30  were formed in the ends to create end tabs  32 . This bag was subjected to drop tests according to ASTM D5276 standards. Drops of 76 cm (30 in) were made on the front, back, two sides, and two ends of the bag. The bag completed the six drops without opening. The bags were then lifted up several times by its “ears,” the notches formed by the gussets, without opening and without the nicks propagating. The bag was easily opened by pulling the tab.  
     37. A similar bag of dog food was closed with the tape having 48 mm wide box sealing tape (3M #372 tape) laminated to 12 mm wide 3M #8883 tape and 12 mm wide 3M #864 tape. Some bags were also closed with a structure of 48 mm wide box sealing tape and a 12 mm wide lamination of 3M #864 tape and a 0.008 cm (3 mil) LLDPE film, and other bags were closed with a 0.010 cm (4 mil) LDPE film. This structure also completed the drop tests and lifting tests well, followed by being easily opened.  
     38. To measure the forces required to open the tape or base structures, tests were conducted on a ZPE 1000 High Rate Peel Test System, by Instrumentors, Inc. Tests were conducted at 0.5 m/s (which is representative of the actual speed used by end-users) and the force required to pull a tab (with two tears through the tape) was measured by Newtons. The following tables summarizes the results. Tests at other speeds were also conducted. The results at these speeds were predictable; lower speeds yielded increased forces and higher speeds yielded decreased forces. At all speeds, there were similar force differences among the various tape samples.  
                           TABLE 1                               Tearable           Example No.   Base Layer   Tape Strip   Force (N)                                                Comparative # 1   #864 RST   #864 RST   2.5       Comparative # 2   #372 Box Sealing Tape   #864 RST   1.8       Comparative # 3   #372 Box Sealing Tape   #8612 (nicks   0.2               along sides)       1   #8883 Stretchable Tape   #864 RST   12.8       2*   #8883 Stretchable Tape   #864 RST   9.1       3*   4 mil LDPE   #864 RST   5.1                          
 
     39. Table 1 illustrates that using a tear resistant film (3M #8883 tape in the examples) in the structure significantly increases the force required to tear and thus decreases the chance of premature opening of the container. If a standard tear strip tape such as 3M #8612 (with nicks along the sides) is used with #8883, the LLDPE backing deforms and elongates but it does not provide a functional tear. However, an example using a single tape construction of #8883 Stretchable Tape did not work. The tape broke without tearing along its length.  
     40. In another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a container  60  includes a tape for sealing the container. The container  60  can be flexible and can be a bag. The tape can be a tearable tape strip  62  and can be part of the container  60  in a way to simplify the tape. For example, the container  60  can have a flap  64  for closing the container. The flap  64  has first and second major surfaces and is formed of a tear resistant film. Film is defined as being continuous and made from material other than sheetstock. (Sheetstock is defined as material that is made of fibers. The fibers can be felted, matted, beaten, or refined, and can be made of cellulose, as with traditional paper, or of other materials, including synthetic and plastic materials that can be bonded together.)  
     41. The flap  64  can be weakened (such as by slits, perforations, or score lines) along subsequent tear lines. As shown, the flap  64  is unweakened. Unweakened means that there are not slits, perforations, or score lines in the flap, and the flap is untreated in any way intended to weaken it. The tearable tape strip  62  and the flap  64  can have nicks  70  at their ends to facilitate beginning the opening process. These nicks  70  can form a tab and do not weaken the flap  64  because the flap is made of a tear-resistant plastic. The flap  64  need not be weakened because the tearable tape strip  62  makes the otherwise tear-resistant film relatively easy to tear to open the container. This is a significant difference from the known sheetstock envelopes and containers which require weakening in order to function well. Weakening involves extra manufacturing steps and increased costs.  
     42. The container  60  includes a mechanism, such as glue or adhesive  66 , that adheres the first major surface of the flap to the container to close the container. The adhesive  66  can be coated on at least part of the first major side of the flap  64 , or on the other part of the container  60 , or on both. The adhesive  66  can optionally be protected by a release liner before the container  60  is closed. The tearable tape strip  62  is located on either or both of the first and second major surfaces of the flap  64 . The tearable tape strip  62  permits tearing of itself and the flap  64  with a given force notwithstanding that the tear resistant film flap  64  is otherwise not cleanly tearable.  
     43. If the tearable tape strip  62  is located on the first major surface of the flap  64 , tearing the tearable tape strip tears through the flap. In this version, an optional cover tape  68  can be located on the second major surface of the flap  64 , opposite the tearable tape strip, as shown in FIG. 6. The cover tape  68  improves the ability to tear cleanly through the flap  64 , perhaps by constraining the elongation of the flap during tearing. This is shown by the decreased force required for Example 2, which uses a box sealing tape, as compared with Example 1, which does not. Various tapes can be used as a cover tape  68  including #371 Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) Box Sealing Tape, #355 PET Box Sealing Tape, #821 Acetate Tape, and #600 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Tape, all made by 3M, St. Paul, Minn. These tapes all have lower elongation than the film used for the flap  64 .  
     44. The flap  64  can be made of LLDPE, LDPE, cast polypropylene, and blends of Kraton and polypropylene. The tearable tape strip  62  can be RST, tensilized polypropylene, and filament reinforced tape. Also, the tearable tape strip  62  can include filaments, ribs, or both, formed on either or both of its first and second sides.  
     45. An alternative embodiment of the present invention relates to tear-resistant film packaging having an easy-open feature. For example, FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a packaged good article  100  in accordance with the present invention in both a closed state (FIG. 8A) and an opened state (FIG. 8B). The packaged good article  100  includes packaging  102  and an article  104 . As described in greater detail below, the article  104  can include a plurality of objects (as with the embodiment of FIGS. 8A and 8B), or a single object. In general terms, the packaging  102  forms an enclosed region  106  within which the article  104  is contained.  
     46. The packaging  102  includes a continuous, tear-resistant film  108  and a tearable tape strip  110 . The tear-resistant film  108  forms the enclosed region  106  and contains the article  104 . The tearable tape strip  110  is secured to a surface of the film  108  and facilitates opening of the film  108  via tearing of the tearable tape strip  110 .  
     47. The continuous, tear-resistant film  108  can assume a wide variety of forms, and is a plastic material. More particularly, the film  108  is highly durable, satisfying the constraints associated with most shipping and handling environments. As described below, the film  108  is characterized as being “continuous” and “tear-resistant”. In a preferred embodiment, the film  108  is further characterized as being “tough”.  
     48. First, by being “continuous”, the film  108  is made from material other than sheetstock. Sheetstock is defined as material that is made of fibers. The fibers can be felted, matted, beaten, or refined, and can be made of cellulose, as with traditional paper, or of other materials, including synthetic and plastic materials that can be bonded together, as with Tyvek®.  
     49. Second, the film  108  is characterized as being “tear-resistant” by exhibiting a relatively high puncture-propagation tear resistance. In this regard, films having a puncture-propagation tear resistance equal to or greater than 20 N/ply; more preferably 30 N/ply; most preferably 40 N/ply are considered to be “tear-resistant”. As described in greater detail below, the puncture-propagation tear resistance of a film is preferably determined in accordance with ASTM D2582-93, a standard test method for determining puncture-propagation tear resistance of plastic film and thin sheeting.  
     50. Finally, the film  108  is preferably characterized as being “tough”. “Toughness” is with reference to the energy required to tear the film  108  a certain distance, and thus is related to tear strength. Further, however, a “tough” film has an elongation attribute whereby an imparted tear will not readily propagate along the film. In other words, a “tough” film stretches before tearing in response to a tearing force. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the film  108  will not, in and of itself, cleanly tear, where “cleanly tear” means to tear open consistently, with a relatively uniform tearing force, without excessive distortion of the torn film. (There are no extended, stretched-out or jagged edges).  
     51. With the above-described characteristics of the film  108  in mind, a number of plastic films are acceptable. Examples of available continuous, tear-resistant films include polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Surlyn® ionomer film (available from DuPont), Kraton/polypropylene blends, copolymers of propylene and ethylene, blends of polypropylene and polyethylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, and polyvinylidene chloride to name but a few. It will be understood that each of the above-listed films (as well as other materials not specifically designated) must have a certain thickness and certain processing to qualify as “tear-resistant” as defined herein. In other words, “tear-resistant” is a function of the material type, the material thickness, and material processing. For most packaging applications, however, each of the above-identified materials are currently provided with a thickness sufficient to qualify as “tear-resistant”. Further, the film  108  can have either a single layer or multi-player construction. With a multiple layer film, the layers can be identical or different. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the film  108  includes a first layer of polyethylene and a second layer of polypropylene. By way of example, materials specifically excluded from use as the film  108  include Tyvek®, cellophane, cellulose acetate, BOPP, etc.  
     52. The tearable tape strip  110  is similar to that previously described, and is configured to controllably tear an opening through the film  108  upon tearing of the tearable tape strip  110 . The phrase “controllably tear” is in reference to a substantially uniform or clean tear through the film  108 , with the tear in the film  108  corresponding in length and width with the tear in the tearable tape strip  110 . The edges of the tear in the film  108  are not relatively jagged or otherwise relatively stretched. In this regard, due to the tear-resistant attribute of the film  108 , the tearable tape strip  110  is preferably formed to be internally tearable. More particularly, and with additional reference to FIG. 9A, the tearable tape strip  110  is preferably an elongated body defined by a longitudinal central section  120  and opposing, longitudinal sides  122 . The central section  120  is tearable relative to the opposing sides  122 , such as by forming the tearable tape strip  110  to include a plurality of ribs  124  extending from a base  126 . With this configuration, then, a pulling force applied to the central section  120 , such as at a pre-formed tab  128  (shown most clearly in FIG. 8A), causes the central section  120  to cleanly or uniformly tear from the opposing sides  122  between respective ones of the ribs  124 . Thus, because the central section  120  tears relative to the sides  122 , the tearable tape strip  110  is “internally tearable”. Notably, a size of the tab  128  defines a width of the central section  120 , such that a width of the central section  120  and each of the sides  122  can be varied for a particular application. With this preferred configuration, the opposing sides  122  effectively support or reinforce materials secured to the tearable tape strip  110  (such as the film  108 ), thereby allowing the central section  120  to perform a controlled tear through the contacted material. Alternatively, the tearable tape strip  110  can have something other than an internally tearable configuration, such as a two-section, side-by-side tearing design.  
     53. As previously described, the tearable tape strip  110  can assume a variety of forms, including a reinforced strapping tape, tearable filament reinforced tape, tensilized polypropylene, or other oriented or non-oriented films which tear preferentially in the longitudinal direction. In a most preferred embodiment, the tearable tape strip  110  is a reinforced strapping tape having a width of at least 8 mm, available, for example, under the tradename 864 Scotch® Reinforced Strapping Tape from 3M. Unlike conventional tear strips that are not internally tearable and have widths less than 8 mm, the tearable tape strip  110  can effectuate a controlled tear through the continuous, tear-resistant film  108 .  
     54. Several exemplary films were tested to identify usefulness of the tearable tape strip  108  as compared to a conventional, narrow-width tear strip. In particular, each of the films listed in Table 2 below was subjected to a puncture-propagation tear resistance test in accordance with ASTM D2582-93 using a carriage weight of 1195 grams and a carriage height of 17.3 cm. Further, the films were also tested by hand tearing to evaluate the ability of a conventional, narrow-width tear strip to tear through the film. The conventional, narrow-width tear strip was a tear strip available from 3M Company under the trade designation “3M 8621 Tear Strip Tape”, having a width of 0.125 inch (3.2 mm).  
     55. In some cases, the samples were obtained as commercially available envelopes including a flap. In other cases, the samples were not pre-formed into envelopes, but instead were commercially-available as films. Regardless, the conventional, narrow-width tear strip was affixed to each of the listed film or envelopes samples, and attempted tearing carried out through the respective film or envelope flap at a speed of approximately 0.3 meters/second. Tearing tests were performed in both the machine direction (“MD”) and in the crossweb direction (“CD”) for each sample. With respect to the envelope samples, the machine and crossweb directions were unknown. Thus, for the envelope samples, “MD” is in reference to an attempted tear along a length or “long side” of the envelope flap, whereas “CD” is in reference to an attempted tear perpendicular to a length of the envelope flap. Finally, the tearability of each sample was rated according to the following criteria: a sample was assigned a “1” where the sample tore easily and cleanly; a sample was assigned a “2” where the sample tore but not cleanly; and a sample was assigned a “3” where the sample did not tear. With the above explanations in mind, the following results were obtained:  
                                   TABLE 2                                       Narrow-   Puncture-Propagation                   Approximate   width Tear   Tear Resistance           Sample   Tear   Film gauge   Strip Tear   (N/Ply) (ASTM       Film   Type   Direction   (microns)   Rating   D2582-93)                                                        PET   Film   MD   38   1   7.6       SAC Select ®   Envelope   MD   102   2   22.1       SAC Select ®   Envelope   CD   102   3   62.8       SAC ShurTuff ®   Envelope   MD   71   3   69.5       SAC ShurTuff ™   Envelope   CD   71   3   69.1       Tyco 8754   Film   MD   51   3   51.0       Tyco 8754   Film   CD   51   3   51.6       Tyco 2304-B   Film   MD   76   3   58.4       Tyco 2304-B   Film   CD   76   3   60.2       Tyco 3904   Film   CD   38   3   50.7       Tyco 3904   Film   MD   38   2   42.7       Tyco 2215-G   Film   CD   51   3   51.0       Tyco 2215-G   Film   MD   51   2   41.1                  
 
     56. As a point of reference, the samples designated as “SAC” are available from Sealed Air Corporation of East Saddle Brook, N.J., and the samples designated as “Tyco” are low-density polyethylene film available from Tyco International Inc. of Exeter, N.H.  
     57. Based upon the above test results, a conventional, narrow-width tear strip is unable to controllably tear an opening through a tear-resistant film exhibiting a puncture-propagation tear resistance greater than 20 N/ply. In contrast, the tearable tape strip  110  associated with the present invention was surprisingly found to controllably tear each of the above-listed films, such that the packaging  102  can desirably employ the tear-resistant film  108 . This highly beneficial packaging is unavailable with prior art configurations in that either a weak, highly tearable film (e.g., BOPP) is employed, a separate cutting tool is required to open the packaging, or the film is weakened (e.g. perforations) in the area of the tear strip.  
     58. The above-described packaging  102  (including the tear-resistant film  108 ) is available to contain a wide variety of different articles. In one embodiment, the article  104  includes a plurality of books  130  and a corrugated pad  132 , as depicted in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The plurality of books  130  are stacked on top of the corrugated pad  132 , as is commonly done in the shipping and handling industry. The plurality of books  130  can be differently sized and shaped as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, or can be identical. The pad  132  is preferably a corrugated paper material, and is provided to support the plurality of books  130  during shipment thereof. Alternatively, however, the pad  132  can be formed of different materials, can assume other shapes and sizes, or can be eliminated entirely.  
     59. In one preferred embodiment, the packaged good article  100  is assembled by first securing the tearable tape strip  110  to a surface of the film  108 . With specific reference to FIG. 9A, the film  108  generally defines an interior surface  140  and an exterior surface  142  (with the exterior surface  142  being “exposed” in FIGS. 8A and 8B). With this orientation in mind, the tearable tape strip  110  is preferably secured to the interior surface  140 , such as with an adhesive  144  (shown generally in FIG. 9A). The adhesive  144  can assume a wide variety of forms, but is preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive known in the art. Regardless, the tearable tape strip  110  is applied to an area of the film  108  that is otherwise unweakened. That is to say, unlike other heavy-duty packaging applications in which the packaging material in question is perforated or weakened as previously described in the region of the tearable tape strip or tear strip, the film  108  is intact opposite the tearable tape strip  110 . With this configuration, the packaging  102  is not susceptible to failures otherwise associated with prior art, weakened packaging materials.  
     60. In one preferred embodiment, only a single one of the tearable tape strip  110  is required. As previously described, the internal tear characteristic of the tearable tape strip  110  is sufficient to controllably tear the film  108 . Alternatively, and with reference to FIG. 9B, a second tearable tape strip  146  can be secured to the film  108  substantially opposite the tearable tape strip  110  (i.e., on the exterior surface  142 ). Preferably, the tearable tape strips  110 ,  146  are aligned. Alternatively, however, the tearable tape strips  110 ,  146  can be offset from one another, as shown in FIG. 9B. More particularly, the tearable tape strips  110 ,  146  are both internally tearable, and each defines a width. At least a portion of the width of the tearable tape strip  110  overlaps at least a potion of the width of the second tearable tape strip  146 . With this orientation, a single band of material (identified as “B” in FIG. 9B) can simultaneously be internally torn from both of the tearable tape strips  110 ,  146 . Alternatively, a cover tape, such as 373 Scotch® High Performance Box Sealing Tape (available from 3M), can replace of the second tearable tape strip  146 .  
     61. Returning to FIGS. 8A and 8B, following the application of the tearable tape strip  110 , nicks  150  are formed through the tearable tape strip  110  and the film  108  to define the tab  128  at a leading end  154  of the tearable tape strip  110 . In a preferred embodiment, the nicks  150  are formed via a die-cut, although other cutting techniques are equally applicable. While FIG. 8A depicts three of the nicks  150 , any other number, either greater or lesser, is equally acceptable. Regardless, the tab  128  is available for grasping by an end-user (not shown) to initiate tearing of the tearable tape strip  110 .  
     62. The film  108  is then formed to define the enclosed region  106  within which the article  104  is contained. In one preferred embodiment, a shrink-wrap process, as known in the art, is employed. For example, the film  108  is wrapped about the article  104  (including the books  130  and the pad  132 ) and opposite ends sealed together. The packaged good article  100  is then passed through a heat tunnel (not shown), causing the film  108  to shrink tightly about the article  104 . For example, where the film  108  is a polyethylene material, heat shrinking of the film  108  may be done in approximately six seconds at 250° C., such as in a heat shrinking, forced air oven. Alternatively, the heat shrinking process can be carried out at other temperatures and/or times. With the preferred heat shrink technique, the film  108  substantially conforms with a shape of the article  104 , and prevents undesirable shifting or movement of the article  104  (e.g., movement of one or more of the books  130  relative to the pad  132 ) during shipping.  
     63. The packaging  102  is opened (i.e., transititioned from the closed state of FIG. 8A to the open state of FIG. 8B) by simply grasping the tearable tape strip  110  at the tab  128  and pulling outwardly, away from the packaging  102 . This tearing action controllably tears an opening  160  through the film  108 . For example, the tab  128  is formed to define an initial point of separation between the central section  120  and the opposing sides  122 . As the central section  120  is torn from the opposing sides  122 , a portion of the film  108  otherwise secured to the central section  120  tears relative to portions of the film  108  otherwise secured to the opposing sides  122 . This preferred “internal tear” characteristic of the tearable tape strip  110  thus provides for a controlled tearing of the film  108 , with the opposing sides  122  preventing undesired tear propagation away from the central section  120 , and reinforcing the film  108  at the point of tear so that a highly confined tearing force (overcoming a tear strength of the film  108 ) can be generated via a relatively small pulling force on the tab  128 . Further, the internal tear characteristic of the tearable tape strip  110  overcomes the inherent propensity of the film  108  to stretch. That is to say, by securing or bonding the film  108  to each of the central section  120  and the opposing sides  122 , a stretch of the film  108  is constrained by the tearable tape strip  110 .  
     64. Once formed, the opening  160  allows the end-user to access the article  104  contained by the film  108 . In this regard, tearing of the tearable tape strip  110  continues until the opening  160  is sufficiently sized to allow removal of at least a portion of the article  104 , such as one of the books  130 .  
     65. As previously described, and in a preferred embodiment, the single, tearable tape strip  110  is secured to the interior surface  140  (FIG. 9A) of the film  108 . With this orientation, an outward pulling force applied to the tab  128  more easily tears the film  108 . Further, and with additional reference to FIG. 8A, because only a single one of the tearable tape strip  110  is required with the one preferred embodiment, indicia  162  can be formed on the exterior surface  142  opposite the tearable tape strip  110 . The indicia  162  can assume a wide variety of forms (e.g., alphanumeric, images, logos, bar codes, etc.), and is preferably printed onto the exterior surface  142  using known techniques. As shown in FIG. 8A, the single, tearable tape strip  110  does not obstruct viewing of the indicia  162 . It will be understood, however, that the indicia  162  can be omitted, and therefore is not a required element.  
     66. As previously described, the article  104  can assume a wide variety of forms other than the one depicted in FIGS. 8A and 8B. For example, FIG. 10 depicts an alternative embodiment packaged good article  170  including packaging  172  and an article  174 . The packaging  172  defines an enclosed region  176  within which the article  174  is contained.  
     67. The packaging  172  is highly similar to the packaging  102  (FIG. 8A) previously described, and includes a continuous, tear-resistant film  178  and a tearable tape strip  180 . The tearable tape strip  180  is preferably secured to an interior surface (hidden in FIG. 10) of the film  178 , and is configured to controllably tear the film  178  upon tearing of the tearable tape strip  180 . As shown in FIG. 10, a series of nicks  182  are formed through the tearable tape strip  180  and the film  178  so as to define first and second tabs  184   a,    184   b.  Alternatively, a single one of the tabs  184   a,    184   b  can be formed, and can be positioned at a location other than that shown.  
     68. The article  174  includes a plurality of canisters  190  and a tray  192 . The plurality of canisters  190  can assume a wide variety of forms, such as beverage cans, and may or may not be identical. The tray  192  is preferably formed of a corrugated paper material and supports the plurality of canisters  190 . Alternatively, the tray  192  can assume other forms, and can be eliminated entirely.  
     69. As with the packaged good article  100  (FIG. 8A) previously described, the film  178  is preferably shrink wrapped about the article  174  such that the film  178  substantially conforms with a shape of the article  174 . As part of the shrink-wrapping process, openings  194  (one of which is shown in FIG. 10) are typically formed by the film  178  at opposite sides. Thus, the film  178  need not necessarily entirely encompass the article  174 . However, with the preferred shrink-wrap technique, the packaging  172  secures the plurality of canisters  190  within the tray  192 . Further, by employing a tear-resistant material for the film  178 , the packaged good article  170  can withstand the rigors associated with normal shipping and handling.  
     70. The packaging  172  is easily openable by an end-user without requiring use of a separate cutting tool. A user simply grabs one or both of the tabs  184   a,    184   b  and pulls outwardly. Once again, the tabs  184   a,    184   b  are configured to initiate an internal tear within the tearable tape strip  180 . The tearing action, in turn, controllably tears an opening (not shown) through the film  178 , affording access to the article  174 , such as one of the plurality of canisters  190 . A portion or entirety of the article  174  can then be removed from the packaging  172  of the opening.  
     71. Yet another alternative embodiment packaged good article  200  is illustrated in FIG. 11. As with previous embodiments, the packaged good article  200  includes packaging  202  and an article  204 . The packaging  202  defines an enclosed region  206  within the which the article  204  is contained.  
     72. The packaging  202  is similar to that previously described, and includes a continuous, tear-resistant film  208  and a tearable tape strip  210 . The tearable tape strip  210  is preferably secured to an interior surface (hidden in FIG. 11) of the film  208 . Further, a series of nicks  212  are formed through the tearable tape strip  210  and the film  208  to define first and second tabs  214   a,    214   b.  Alternatively, a single one of the tabs  214   a,    214   b  can be formed, and may be located at a position other than that illustrated in FIG. 11.  
     73. The article  204  includes a chair  220  and a tray  222 . The tray  222  is preferably formed from a corrugated paper material and maintains the chair  220 .  
     74. As with previous embodiments, the film  208  is preferably shrink wrapped about the article  204 , such that the film  208  substantially conforms with a shape of the article  204 . With this one preferred configuration, the packaging  202  tightly binds the chair  220  to the tray  222 , such that the article  204  is more easily handled.  
     75. The packaged good article  200  is opened by simply grasping one or both of the tabs  214   a,    214   b  and imparting a pulling force thereon. Once again, this pulling force causes the tearable tape strip  210  to internally tear, in turn tearing an opening (not shown) through the film  208 . The tearable tape strip  210  is torn to an extent necessary to effectuate removal of the chair  220  from the packaging  202 .  
     76. Yet another alternative embodiment packaged good article  230  is shown in FIG. 12. As with previous embodiments, the packaged good article  230  includes packaging  232  and an article  234 . The packaging  232  defines an enclosed region  236  within which the article  234  is contained.  
     77. The packaging  232  includes a continuous, tear-resistant film  238  and a tearable tape strip  240 . The tearable tape strip  240  is preferably secured to an interior surface (hidden in FIG. 12) of the film  238 . Further, a series of nicks  242  are formed through the tearable tape strip  240  and the film  238  to define a tab  244  forming an initial point of internal tearing through the tearable tape strip  240 . Alternatively, a plurality of tabs  244  can be provided, and/or located at other positions along the tearable tape strip  240 .  
     78. In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the article  234  includes a mechanical part  250  (shown in simplified, block form) and a pad  252 . As is known in the art, the pad  252  supports the part  250  during shipment. Alternatively, a plurality of parts  250  can be provided and/or a different item(s) substituted for the part  250 .  
     79. The film  238  is preferably skin packaged about the article  234 . Skin packaging techniques are known in the art and causes the film  238  to adhere to the pad  252  while generally conforming a shape of the part  250 .  
     80. The packaging  232  is opened by first grasping the tab  244  and then pulling outwardly. This action generates an internal tear within the tearable tape strip  240 , and in turn tearing an opening (not shown) through the film  238 .  
     81. Tearing of the tearable tape strip  240  on the film  238  continues until the opening (not shown) is sufficiently sized to facilitate removal of the part  250  therethrough. Notably, a conventional, narrow-width tear strip can be employed to tear through the corrugated or paperboard pad  252 . However, such a design results in defacement or destruction of the pad  252 , and thus of any indicia carried thereon. In contrast, the packaging  232  of the present invention only tears the film  238 , leaving the pad  252  intact.  
     82. Yet another alternative embodiment packaged good article  260  is illustrated in FIG. 13. The packaged good article  260  includes packaging  262  and an article  264 . The packaging  262  defines an enclosed region  266  within which the article  264  is contained.  
     83. The packaging  262  is similar to previous embodiments, and includes a continuous, tear-resistant film  268  and a tearable tape strip  270 . The tearable tape strip  270  is preferably secured to an interior surface (hidden in FIG. 13) of the film  268 . Further, a series of nicks  272  are formed through the tearable tape strip  270  and the film  268  and define a tab  274 . Alternatively, a plurality of tabs  274  can be provided and/or located at positions other than illustrated. Once again, the tab  274  generates an initial point of internal tear within the tearable tape strip  270  and provides a surface for a user to grasp.  
     84. The article  264  includes a food product  280 . In the one embodiment of FIG. 13, the food product  280  is a half ham. Alternatively, a wide variety of other food products are equally acceptable, including other meats (e.g., ground hamburger, poultry, etc.), seafood (e.g., fish, shrimp, etc.), dairy products (e.g., cheese, butter sticks, etc.), baked goods (e.g., cakes, breads, etc.), to name but a few. While the food product  280  depicted in FIG. 13 is a unitary item, a plurality of food products, either identical or different, can be provided and/or placed within a supporting tray. Further, although not shown, a lightweight, readily tearable barrier film approved for contact with food, such as cellophane, may be wrapped about the food product  280  (i.e., between the food product  280  and the film  268 ) to maintain freshness. Alternatively or in addition, a cover tape or tab can be placed exteriorly over the nicks  272  to prevent moisture and/or air from contacting the food product  280 .  
     85. As with previous embodiments, the film  268  is preferably tightly wrapped about the article  264 . The food product  280  can be removed from the packaging  262  by tearing the tearable tape strip  27 , and thus the film  268 , as previously described.  
     86. The packaging and packaged good article of the present invention provides a marked improvement over previous designs. First, a continuous, tear-resistant film is employed to protect and secure the contained article during shipment thereof. The tear-resistant nature of the film minimizes package failure. Further, the tearable tape strip facilitates easy opening of the packaging without requiring use of a separate cutting tool. Thus, the packaging eliminates the inconvenience, safety, and product damage concerns typically encountered when using a cutting tool to open tear-resistant film packaging. Finally, the packaging provides an end-user with evidence of possible tampering.  
     87. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, only a few possible articles useful with the packaging of the present invention have been described. A virtually infinite number of articles including one or a plurality of products that are regular or irregular in shape can be packaged.