Patent Publication Number: US-8992085-B2

Title: Self-supporting storage bag with resealable pour spout

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/367,801, filed on Feb. 19, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,779 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/804,526, filed on Mar. 10, 2001, now abandoned, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/339,702, filed on Jun. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,571; this application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/493,350, which was filed on Aug. 7, 2003. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to storage bags. More specifically, this invention relates to self-supporting storage bags with resealable pour spouts. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Reclosable storage bags are commonly used to store a wide variety of materials. For example, such bags are often employed in the packaging industry to store dry goods such as cereal and other foodstuffs, and are used by consumers to store preprepared foods and leftovers. 
     Such storage bags are, however, not without their drawbacks. It is often difficult and messy to pour goods from these bags, as they typically lack a dedicated pour spout specifically designed to make the pouring process easier. Similarly, many reclosable storage bags, especially flexible storage bags, are not capable of standing upright by themselves, often toppling over easily. This often risks spills, especially if liquid goods are stored or if the reclosable seal happens to open. 
     It would therefore be desirable to design a reclosable storage bag with a pour spout for facilitating easy and clean pouring of material. It would further be desirable to design a self-supporting reclosable storage bag capable of standing upright by itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A reclosable bag comprises a bag configured to store material, the bag having top and bottom ends, first and second side edges each extending between the top and bottom ends and opposite each other, and a pour spout. The pour spout has a reclosable fastener located proximate to and oriented substantially parallel to the first side edge. The reclosable fastener is located closer to the top end than to the bottom end, and the bag is configured to rest upon the bottom end. 
     Bags configured in this manner thus provide end users with enhanced control over the dispensing rate and direction of their contents. By locating the pour spout along an upper side of the bag, material is focused downward from the bag, and not outward, when poured. Such bags are also self-supporting and can stand generally upright when placed on their bottom ends, thus minimizing the risk of spills. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a reclosable standup pouch or bag of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a modified reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of another modified reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 18 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 21 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 22 ; 
         FIG. 25  is a front view of a modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 21 ; 
         FIG. 26  is a front view of a modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 22 ; 
         FIG. 27  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 25 ; 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 26 ; 
         FIG. 29  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 21 ; 
         FIG. 30  is a front view of another modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 22 ; 
         FIG. 31  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 29 . 
         FIG. 32  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 30 . 
         FIG. 33  is a front view of a modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 29 ; 
         FIG. 34  is a front view of a modification of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 30 ; 
         FIG. 35  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 33 ; 
         FIG. 36  is a perspective view of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of  FIG. 34 ; 
         FIG. 37  is a bottom view of  FIGS. 31 ,  32 ,  35 , and  36 , prior to being filled; 
         FIG. 38  is a bottom view of  FIGS. 31 ,  32 ,  35 , and  36 , after being filled; 
         FIG. 39  is a perspective view of an other reclosable bag of the present invention with an opening on the top end of one side fold of a flat top side gusset of the standup bag or pouch of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 40  is a perspective view of an other reclosable bag of the present invention with an opening on the top end of one side fold of a sloping top edge side gusset of the standup bag or pouch of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the front view of a reclosable standup pouch or bag  10  for the packaging of pourable materials such as dry cereal or other goods. The reclosable standup pouch or bag  10  may be formed from a single sheet of material or several sheets of material to define an interior space for holding pourable material. The material of the bag  10  may be a single layer or a multi-layer of plastic, paper, metalized plastic, or any other material suitable for containing pourable goods, which will over lengthy storage periods preserve the freshness and integrity of the contents stored therein when sealed or resealed by the consumer. As shown here, bag  10  has sealed bottom and top edges  16  and  18 , respectively, that each have an end meeting right and left sealed side edges  12  and  14 , respectively, substantially perpendicularly. The top of left side edge  14  is shown defining an opening in the form of a pour spout  32  that is shown in this view as having a length that is approximately one third the overall length of left side edge  14 . However the length of this opening could be longer or shorter than that shown depending on the particle size of the material to be placed in the bag. 
     Pour spout  32  in this view includes a reclosable fastener  28  which, when closed, completes the sealing of left side edge  14  with one end of fastener  28  sealed to the top most point of the permanent seal of left side edge  14  and the other end of fastener  28  sealed to the left end (as shown in this view) of top edge  18 . The reclosable fastener  28  may be a zipper, a slider, or any other mechanism that allows someone to open, reclose and reopen the pouch or bag as many times as desired to pour the desired amount of material from the interior of bag  10  and to keep the remaining material in bag  10  sealed until a later time when the user desires more. By locating the pour spout along the upper left side  14  of the bag, material is focused downward from the bag, and not outward, when poured. Bags configured in this manner thus provide end users with enhanced control over the dispensing rate and direction of their contents. 
     Also shown here, external to reclosable fastener  28 , is a tear strip  26  which is used to show the consumer at the time of purchase that bag  10  contains all of the product placed therein by the manufacturer and that it has not been tampered with prior to purchase. Additionally, tear strip  26  helps to retain reclosable fastener  28  closed throughout handling and shipping of bag  10 . Further, tear strip  26  provides an easy way for the consumer to open bag  10  the first time. Optionally, the perforations of tear strip  26  could be omitted to provide more secure closure of pour spout  32  with handling and shipping stresses. Without perforations the consumer would be able to open tear strip  26  by tearing it along the full length thereof or cutting it. 
     Additionally,  FIG. 1  shows an optional secondary seal  40  to seal the interior of the front and back layers of the bag together internally. This secondary seal  40  creates a sealed portion of the bag  10  (in this configuration, the triangular portion above the seal  40 ) that is shaped to assist in directing the contents of the bag toward pour spout  32  and control the flow of product from bag  10  when the consumer tilts the bag to pour the contents from the pour spout  32 . Such a secondary seal  40  can be used in each of the square top bag embodiments discussed herein. Optionally, a modified version of  FIGS. 1 to 36 ,  39  and  40  could include only a reclosable fastener  28  or only a tear strip  26 . 
     The bottom edge  16  is located at the bottom end (as the bag is oriented in  FIG. 1 ) of the bag  10  of  FIG. 1 , and is generally constructed as a gusseted edge or other edge having a distinct width (i.e., the dimension perpendicular to the plane of  FIG. 1 ). In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the bottom edge  16  is of sufficient width to allow the bag  10  to be self-supporting, so as to maintain a generally upright configuration when the bag  10  is placed on its bottom edge  16 . In this manner, the risk of spills is minimized. 
       FIG. 2  depicts a front view of a reclosable standup pouch or bag  10 ′ that is similar to that shown in  FIG. 1  with one variation. The variation incorporated into  FIG. 2  is sloping sealed top edge  18 ′. Sealed top edge  18 ′ slopes with respect to the sealed bottom edge  16  with an included acute (i.e., measuring less than 90 degrees) angle between sealed left side edge  14  and the sealed top edge  18 ′, and an included obtuse (i.e., measuring greater than 90 degrees) angle between the sealed right side edge  12 ′ and the sealed top edge  18 ′ with right side edge  12 ′ being shorter than left side edge  14 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a pour spout  32  is located on the upper left side of the reclosable standup pouches or bags  10 , disposed between the sealed left side edge  14  and the sealed top edge  18 , and includes a tear strip  26  that is longitudinally oriented and located outwardly of the longitudinally oriented reclosable fastener  28 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show perspective views of bags  10  and  10 ′ of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10  and  10 ′, including front and back panels  36  and  36 ′ respectively, with each of the bags  10  and  10 ′ having a bag bottom end  30 , which is ovoid in shape sealed along bottom edges  16  and  16 ′ and the bottom ends of sides  12  and  14 , and  12 ′ and 14′, respectively. The ovoid shaped bottom end  30  allows the bags  10 ,  10 ′ to support themselves by resting upon their bottom end  30  in a generally upright position. For Purposes of example, the sides  12  and  12 ′, and  14  and  14 ′, are shown as non-gusseted sides. In Particular, the sides  14  and  14 ′ are shown having non-gusseted portions below the pour spout  32 . Also for purposes of example, reclosable fastener  28  is shown as having a slider  27  for more convenient opening and closing by the user. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  depict front views of a reclosable standup pouch or bag  10 , which includes another variation of the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively. In this embodiment, pour spout  32  includes a spout extension  24  from the upper left side  14  of the reclosable standup pouch or bag  10 , and disposed between the sealed left side  14  and the sealed top edge  18 . The spout extension  24  has sealed edges  38  and a tear strip  26  that are longitudinally oriented and located outwardly from the vertical, sealed portion of left side  14 . The spout extension  24  extends beyond the left side  14 , to further define the pour spout  32  and facilitate the pouring of material from the bag. In these views reclosable fastener  28  is shown just inward from the open end of spout extension  24 , however, reclosable fastener  28  can be located anywhere between the location shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  or the location in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , respectively. Each of  FIGS. 7 and 8  show a reclosable standup pouch or bag  10  that includes the front and back panels  36  and the bag bottom end  30 , which is ovoid in shape, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  and discussed above. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show another embodiment of the present invention that is similar to that of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the addition of a right side gusset  20  that extends between the sealed bottom edge  16  and the sealed top edge  18 , thus allowing the right side edge  12  to expand. Such an expanding gusset thus allows the bag to hold more material than it otherwise could. 
       FIGS. 11 and 12  are perspective views of the bags of  FIGS. 9 and 10 , respectively. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10  that include the front and back panels  36 , triangular bag bottom  30 , and right side gusset  20  that is also triangular in shape when fully opened. Similar to the ovoid bottom of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the triangular bottom  30  helps create a self-supporting bag  10  capable of resting upon its bottom end without any further support. 
       FIGS. 13 and 14  depict front views of another embodiment of the reclosable standup pouch or bag of the present invention.  FIG. 13  is essentially a combination of  FIGS. 5 and 9 , and  FIG. 14  is a combination of  FIGS. 6 and 10 . In this embodiment, the pour spout  32  is formed by the spout extension  24 , which is located on the upper left side of the reclosable standup pouch or bag  10 , and disposed between the sealed left side edge  14  and the sealed top edge  18 . The spout extension  24  has sealed edges  38  and a tear strip  26  that is longitudinally oriented and located outwardly of the longitudinally oriented reclosable fastener  28 . 
       FIGS. 15 and 16  are perspective views of the bags shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , respectively. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10  that include front and back panels  36 , triangular bag bottoms  30 , and right side gusset  20 , which is also triangular in shape when fully open. 
       FIGS. 17 and 18  depict front views of another embodiment of reclosable standup pouch or bag  10  that is a variation of the bags shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , respectively. In this embodiment, the sealed left side edge  14  is sloped with respect to the sealed right side edge  12  with an included acute angle between the sealed left side edge  14  and the sealed top edge  18  and an included obtuse angle between the sealed left side edge  14  and the sealed bottom edge  16 . The right side edge  12  is connected to the top and bottom edges  18  and  16  respectively, as previously discussed with the right side gusset  20  also as previously discussed. Additionally, tear strip  26  is parallel with and disposed adjacent to the permanently sealed portion of left side edge  14  and parallel with and located outwardly of the reclosable fastener  28 . 
       FIGS. 19 and 20  present perspective views of the bags of  FIGS. 17 and 18 , respectively. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10 , including the front and back panels  36 , triangular bag bottom  30 , and right side gusset that is triangular when fully opened, as previously discussed. 
       FIGS. 21 and 22  are a variation of  FIGS. 9 and 10 , respectively, which each depict front views of a reclosable standup pouch or bag  10  that includes both a right and a left side gusset  20  and  22 , respectively. In this embodiment, a right side gusset  20  is as in  FIGS. 9 and 10  and discussed above in relation to those figures. Left side gusset  22  extends between the sealed bottom edge  16  and pour spout  32 , with pour spout  32  extending between the top of left side gusset  22  and sealed top edge  18  and including a tear strip  26  that is longitudinally oriented and disposed adjacent to a parallel sealed edge  38  and located outwardly of the longitudinally oriented reclosable fastener  28 . The pour spout  32  is formed by reversing the left side gusset  22  (in other words, an outward folded gusset as opposed to the typical inward folded gusset on the right side of the bag), which then eliminates the sealed left side edge  14  at a point between the sealed bottom edge  16  and the sealed top edge  18 . By folding the left side gusset  22  and connecting it to the pour spout  32 , the left side gusset  22  becomes shaped so as to assist in pouring material through the pour spout  32 . 
       FIGS. 23 and 24  are perspective views of the bags of  FIGS. 21 and 22 , respectively. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10  that each include front and back bag panels  36 , a rectangular bag bottom  30 , an inward folded triangular right side gusset  20  as previously discussed, and an outward folded triangular left side gusset  22 . 
       FIGS. 25 and 26  depict front views of bags that are a combination of the bags shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22  together with  FIGS. 5 and 6 , showing an outwardly extending pour spout  32 . In this embodiment, the pour spout  32  includes spout extension  24 , which is located on the upper left side of the reclosable standup pouch or bag  10 , and disposed between the sealed left side edge  14  portion of outward folded left side gusset  22  and the sealed top edge  18 . The spout extension  24  has sealed edges  38  and a tear strip  26  that is longitudinally oriented and located outwardly of the longitudinally oriented reclosable fastener  28 . 
       FIGS. 27 and 28  show perspective views of the bags of  FIGS. 25 and 26 , respectively, and are similar to  FIGS. 23 and 24 , respectively, with the outward extending pour spout  32  discussed above. 
       FIGS. 29 and 30  are front views of reclosable standup pouches or bags  10  that are similar to the bags shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22 , respectively, with left side gusset  22  folded outward instead of inward as discussed above. 
       FIGS. 31 and 32  show perspective views of the bags of  FIGS. 29 and 30 , respectively. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10 , including the front and back panels  36  and an optional longitudinal seam  34 . As depicted in  FIGS. 37 and 38 , the sealed bottom edges  16  are configured to form a number of folds oriented so that they support the bag  10  when filled, thus creating another embodiment of a self-supporting bag  10 . 
       FIGS. 33 and 34  are front views of reclosable standup pouches or bags  10  which are a combination of the bags shown in  FIGS. 29 and 30  with the outward extending pour spout  32  of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , respectively. In this embodiment, the pour spout  32  is formed by the spout extension  24 , which is located on the upper left side of the reclosable standup pouch or bag  10 , and disposed between the sealed left side edge  14  and the sealed top edge  18 . The spout extension  24  has sealed edges  38  and a tear strip  26  that is longitudinally oriented and located outwardly of the longitudinally oriented reclosable fastener  28 . 
       FIGS. 35 and 36  show perspective views of the bags of  FIGS. 33 and 34 , respectively, and are similar to the views shown in  FIGS. 31 and 32  with pour spout  32  extending outward. Both are reclosable standup pouches or bags  10 , including the front and back panels  36  and an optional longitudinal seam  34 . As depicted in  FIGS. 37 and 38 , the sealed bottom edges  16  are configured in such a manner that allows them to fold together, when filled, in order to form a flat rectangular shaped bottom that can support the bag  10 . 
       FIGS. 39 and 40  show perspective views of another embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 39 , bag  50  is in a shape that is similar to what is recognized as a typical side gusset grocery bag. Bag  50  includes inward folding right and left side gussets  52  and  54 , respectively, a rectangular bottom panel  56  with front side  58  of the bag having a fold line  60  for when the bag is folded flat. Additionally, the top edges  62  of bag  50  are sealed together and a pour spout  32 , as discussed above in other embodiments, is included at the upper end of one of the side fold edges  64  of the left side gusset  54 . Pour spout  32  is also shown having a reclosable fastener  28  and tear strip  26  as discussed above with other embodiments. Additionally, bag  50  can be modified to extend pour spout  32  outward from edge  64  similar to other embodiments discussed above. 
       FIG. 40  is substantially the same as  FIG. 39  with one difference. Bag  52 ′ of  FIG. 40  has a slopping top edge  62 ′ similar to other embodiments discussed above resulting front and back side  58 ′ being parallelograms and right side gusset  52 ′ being shorted than right side gusset  52  of  FIG. 39 . In other respects, bag  52 ′ of  FIG. 40  is the same as bag  52  of  FIG. 39 . 
     Attention now turns to the construction of the various bags  10  of the invention. Typically, the bags  10  are constructed by placing two generally rectangular flexible panels together and sealing their edges to create the top and bottom edges  18 ,  16 , and right and left sides  12 ,  14 . Such flexible panels are often constructed of a thermoplastic material so that sealing of their edges is accomplished by heating, however the invention includes any type of panels suitable for storing material, and capable of sealing together by any known process. Similarly, a reclosable fastener is attached to a side of the bag  10 , also by heating or other appropriate process, so that opening the reclosable fastener creates an opening allowing material to be transferred into and out of the bag  10 . If desired, sealed portions can be created by heat sealing other portions of the bag  10  such as via creation of a secondary seal  40 . In embodiments requiring additional panels such as the ovoid bottom of  FIG. 3 , triangular panel of  FIG. 11 , or gusseted side edges of  FIG. 10 , opposite sides of such additional panels are simply heat sealed to the appropriate sides of the two flexible panels to create the bag  10 . Likewise, if a folded bottom end is desired as in  FIG. 31 , the bottom end is folded so as to create an appropriate number and configuration of folds, which are then sealed together. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, uses specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. For example, many embodiments shown in specific figures can be utilized along with other embodiments shown in other figures, while remaining within the scope of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.