Patent Publication Number: US-6658742-B2

Title: Bag slitting apparatus with flat cutting blade

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/607,477, filed Jun. 30, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates in general to bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag, and in particular to a bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag along an edge thereof and generally constructed as a spring-tensioned, opposing arm device wherein the inner surface of one arm thereof has a substantially flat blade for slitting a bag placed between the arms and wherein the outer surfaces of the arms are concavely contoured for simultaneous opposing receipt of a finger and thumb of a user. 
     Employment of sealed, usually transparent, plastic bags for housing various products is a well-accepted packaging approach for maintaining such commodities in a ready-to-use condition. Typical products include those produced in food, medical, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries where clean individual-item packaging is generally required. While such sealed bags are highly efficient in maintaining product integrity, access into the interior of a bag for retrieval of a packaged product therein housed many times is not convenient. In particular, a user may need to hand-tear a hole into the bag, or juggle the bag and its housed product while attempting to awkwardly use a cumbersome scissors, utility knife, razor blade, or the like to cut an opening through the bag wall. Not only are such approaches possibly hazardous to the user, they also can be damaging to the product housed in the bag. 
     In view of the above described obstacles, it is apparent that a need is present for an easily and conveniently usable bag opener. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a conveniently operable bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag along an edge thereof. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bag slitting apparatus wherein opposing tensioned arm members cooperatively embrace the bag and present a non-pointed, generally flat blade there between for slitting the bag during linear apparatus movement. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bag slitting apparatus wherein the opposing tensioned arm members have outer surface portions that are concavely contoured for simultaneous opposing receipt of a finger and thumb of a user. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag along an edge of the bag. The apparatus has a first arm having a first outer surface and a first inner surface, and a second arm having a second outer surface and a second inner surface. The first and second arms are in tensioned movable opposed relationship to each other such that the first and second inner surfaces are movably positionable against each other. One of these inner surfaces is a bladed inner surface having extending inwardly therefrom a non-pointed, generally flat, bag cutting blade, while the other inner surface has extending inwardly therefrom a cutting surface. Exteriorly, the first and second outer surfaces are concavely contoured for simultaneous opposingly-squeezing receipt of a finger and thumb of a user. 
     The apparatus is meant to be disposable once the blade becomes dull to thereby eliminate inadvertent mishaps such as those which can occur with a conventional utility knife while changing a blade. Depending upon use-environment, the apparatus can be fabricated of autoclavable material to thereby maintain clean-room conditions. Additionally, apparatus construction preferably provides smooth transitions of all surface structures to thereby inhibit contamination and resulting potential cross-contamination during subsequent use. As is apparent, the bag slitting apparatus here defined provides operational utility while supporting convenience, efficiency, and safety in retrieving packaged products. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     An illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag slitting apparatus for opening a sealed bag; and 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing operation of the apparatus of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a bag slitting apparatus  10  for opening a sealed bag along an edge thereof is shown. The apparatus  10  has a first arm  12  having a first outer surface  14  and a first inner surface  16 , and a second arm  18  having a second outer surface  20  and a second inner surface  22 . The first and second arms  12 ,  18  are in tensioned movable opposed relationship to each other such that the first and second inner surfaces  16 ,  22  are movably positionable against each other as indicated by the arrow  24  of FIG.  1 . Such tensioned relationship is conventionally attained by kinetically stressing the bridge  26  joining the arms  12 ,  18 , as known in the art. One of the inner surfaces, here shown as the first inner surface  16 , is a bladed inner surface having extending therefrom a bag cutting blade  28  with a flat edge  30 , while the other inner surface, here shown as the second inner surface  22 , has an inwardly extending cutting surface here non-limitedly configured as a convex bubble surface  32  in alignment with the blade edge  30 . The apparatus  10 , including the blade  28 , can be fabricated as a single piece of plastic. Alternatively, the apparatus  10  can be a two-piece construction of a separate blade and a single piece of plastic for the remainder of the apparatus, or a three-piece construction of a separate blade, a blade retainer cap  44 , and a single piece of plastic for the remainder of the apparatus. With all such constructions, only a central portion  40  of the cutting edge  30  is exposed for safety concerns. The first and second outer surfaces  14 ,  20  are concavely contoured distally for simultaneous opposing receipt of a finger  34  and thumb  36  of a user as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     Operation of the apparatus  10  is shown in FIG.  2 . As is there shown, the concavely contoured portions  31 ,  33  of the first and second outer surfaces  14 ,  20  are grasped by a finger  34  and thumb  36  of a user, and an edge portion  50  of a plastic bag  52  is positioned between the blade edge  30  and convex bubble surface  32 . The first and second arms  12 ,  18  are squeezed toward each other and the exposed portion of the blade edge  30  cuts the bag  52  as inward movement terminates on the bubble surface  32 . Once such engagement is accomplished, the apparatus  10  is moved along the length of the edge portion  50  of the bag  52  to thereby produce a slit  54  through the bag  52 . The apparatus  10  is then withdrawn by releasing finger pressure thereon, and the user can reach through the slit  54  into the bag  52  and retrieve a product  58  therein packaged. In this manner, the bag  52  is efficiently and safely opened, and the apparatus  10  is immediately ready for re-use in opening subsequent bags as needed. While a plastic bag  52  is here illustrated, it is to be understood that the apparatus  10  can be employed in opening bags as well as envelopes fabricated of paper, synthetic polymer products and the like. 
     While an illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.