Patent Publication Number: US-7213303-B1

Title: Closure device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to closure devices and, more particularly, to a closure device having interlocking fastening strips and a cooperating slider member movably installed upon the fastening strips. The inventive closure device may be employed in traditional fastener areas and is particularly well suited for fastening flexible storage containers, such as plastic bags. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The use of closure devices for selectively fastening storage containers, including plastic bags, is generally well known. Furthermore, the manufacture of closure devices made of plastic materials is generally well known to those skilled in the art, as demonstrated by the numerous patents in this area. 
   A particularly well-known use for closure devices is in connection with flexible storage containers, such as plastic bags. Such closure devices provide a convenient way to selectively close or seal the bag in order to retain matter therein. 
   Conventional closure devices typically utilize mating fastening strips or closure elements which are used to selectively seal the bag. With such closure devices, however, it is often difficult to determine whether the fastening strips are fully occluded. This problem is particularly acute when the fastening strips are relatively narrow. Accordingly, when such fastening strips are employed, there exists a reasonable likelihood that the closure device is at least partially open. 
   Such fastening strips are particularly difficult to manipulate or handle by individuals with limited manual dexterity. Thus, in order to assist these individuals and for ease of use by individuals with normal dexterity, the prior art has provided sliders for use in opening and closing the fastening strips, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,199,845, 5,007,142, 5,007,143, 5,010,627, 5,020,194, 5,070,583, 5,283,932, 5,301,394, 5,426,830, 5,431,760, 5,442,838, and 5,448,808. Some of these sliders include a separator finger which extends at least partially between the fastening strips. When the slider is moved in the appropriate direction, the separator finger divides the fastening strips and opens the bag. 
   While the use of a slider certainly facilitates the opening and closing of interlocking fastening strips, there are certain difficulties involved with preventing movement of the slider beyond the ends of the fastening strips. In an attempt to rectify some of these difficulties, the prior art has provided end stops at either end of the fastening strips, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,088,971, 5,131,121, and 5,405,478. Such end stops, however, suffer from assorted deficiencies including, for example, a relatively complex construction, a high relative cost, and a design which permits the slider to be pulled past the end stops and detached from the fastening strips if a sufficient pulling force is applied thereto. Specifically, in some prior art designs, a sufficient pulling force will cause the end stop to deflect or tear, and the slider will be able to move past the end stop and past the end of the fastening strips. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide a closure device comprised of interlocking fastening strips and a slider member which overcomes deficiencies in the prior art. 
   A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a slider member for a closure device which is more difficult to pull off of, or detach from, the ends of interlocking fastening strips. 
   A related object of the present invention is to provide a slider member for a closure device which includes notches that engage cooperating protrusions formed on the ends of interlocking fastening strips to obstruct movement of the slider member beyond the ends of the strips. 
   A further object of the present invention is to provide a closure device as characterized above which operates in a simple and economical manner. 
   An additional object of the present invention is to provide a closure device as characterized above which is relatively simple and economical in construction, and which lend itself to reliable operation and use. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with these and other objects, a closure device is provided for use with storage containers, such as plastic bags. The closure device comprises interlocking fastening strips having first and second ends and a slider member movably installed upon the interlocking fastening strips to facilitate the occlusion and deocclusion thereof. The slider member includes a pair of spaced-apart side walls which are positioned on opposite sides of the interlocking fastening strips and an intermediate body portion therebetween which is positioned upon the interlocking fastening strips. The slider member also includes notches formed therein which are adapted to engage cooperating protrusions formed on the interlocking fastening strips at the first and second ends thereof to obstruct movement of the slider member beyond the first and second ends. 
   These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments and upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a storage container in the form of a plastic bag utilizing a closure device comprised of interlocking fastening strips and a cooperating slider member and having protrusions and notches, respectively, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the closure device depicted in  FIG. 1 , showing the interlocking fastening strips in an open or deoccluded condition and the slider member proximate to one end of the fastening strips; 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure device depicted in  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the closure device depicted in  FIG. 1 , showing the interlocking fastening strips in a closed or occluded condition, the slider member at the other end of the fastening strips, and one of the notches of the slider member cooperatively engaging one of the protrusions to obstruct movement of the slider member beyond that end of the fastening strips; 
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure device depicted in  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the closure device, as seen substantially in the direction of line  6 — 6  in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a fragmentary top plan view of a closure device comprised of interlocking fastening strips and a cooperating slider member having notches in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the closure device, as seen substantially in the direction of line  8 — 8  in  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure device, as seen substantially in the direction of line  9 — 9  in  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a top plan view of a slider member having notches in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 11  is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure device, as seen substantially in the direction of line  11 — 11  in  FIG. 10 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a top plan view of a slider member having notches in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 13  is a top plan view of a closure device comprised of interlocking fastening strips and the slider member depicted in  FIG. 12 , and showing the interlocking fastening strips in a closed or occluded condition, the slider member at an end of the fastening strips, and one of the notches of the slider member cooperatively engaging a protrusion formed at that end of the fastening strips to obstruct movement of the slider member beyond that end; and 
       FIG. 14  is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure device depicted in  FIG. 13 . 
   

   While the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the present invention to the disclosed structural forms. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
   Turning now to the drawings, and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , a closure device constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral  100 . The closure device  100  is intended for use with a storage container  50 , such as a conventional plastic bag, which includes a pair of complementary sheets or opposing flexible side panels  52 ,  53  attached at their lateral sides  54 ,  55  and bottom  56  to form a storage compartment. The complementary side panels  52 ,  53  are also unattached at their upper edge portions  58 ,  59  to form a mouth  62  for the storage container  50 . Although a rectangularly-shaped storage container or bag  50  is specifically illustrated herein, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that other bag configurations may alternatively be employed without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the closure device  100  includes a pair of interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  which are disposed along respective upper edge portions  58 ,  59  of the opposing side panels or sheets  52 ,  53 . The closure device  100  also includes a slider member  200  which is movably installed upon the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 . More specifically, the first fastening strip  120  is attached to the upper edge portion  58  of one of the side panels  52 , the second fastening strip  130  is attached to the upper edge portion  59  of the other side panel  53 , and the slider member  200  is carried by the first and second fastening strips  120 ,  130  in a slidable manner. 
   While the drawings show the fastening strips  120 ,  130  in a rather schematic fashion, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  may take virtually any form. By way of non-limiting example, the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  may comprise: (1) U-channel closure strips, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,641; (2) shear action or Z-axis closure strips, as disclosed in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PC/US99/13246 (applicant&#39;s File Reference 178590); (3) arrowhead-type closure strips, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,228 (which reissued as Re. 28,969), U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,736,496, and 5,363,540; (4) “rolling action” closure strips, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,143; or (5) “profile” closure strips, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,299. All of the above-identified patents and applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
   In operation, the slider member  200  facilitates the occlusion of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  when moved towards a first end  111  thereof, and facilitates the deocclusion of the interlocking fastening strips  110  when moved towards a second end  112  thereof. For instance, when the slider member  200  is moved in an occlusion direction, as indicated by reference numeral  101  in  FIGS. 1–5 , it facilitates occlusion of the fastening strips  120 ,  130 . Conversely, when the slider member  200  is moved in a deocclusion direction, as indicated by reference numeral  102  in  FIGS. 1–5 , it facilitates the deocclusion of the fastening strips  120 ,  130 . 
   The slider member  200  includes a pair of spaced-apart side walls  210 ,  220  which are adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 6 , and an intermediate body portion  240  between the side walls  210 ,  220  which is adapted to be positioned upon and installed above the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 . More specifically, the intermediate body portion  240  is integrally connected to or combined with upper ends  211 ,  221  of the spaced-apart side walls  210 ,  220 . On account of this construction, the slider member  200  has a generally inverted U-shaped configuration when viewed from the front and rear. 
   In order to restrict removal of the slider member  200  from the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , the side walls  210 ,  220  each have interior surfaces  215 ,  225  with inwardly projecting shoulders  216 ,  226  formed thereon. As shown in  FIG. 6 , these shoulders  216 ,  226  are formed at lower ends  213 ,  223  of the side walls  210 ,  220  and are separated by a gap  235  which is smaller than the width  116  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 . 
   In keeping with an important aspect of the present invention, the slider member  200  also includes notches which are adapted to interact with and cooperatively engage protrusions formed on at least one the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  to obstruct movement of the slider member  200  beyond the first and second ends  111 ,  112  of the fastening strips  120 ,  130 . As will be described more fully below, several different embodiments of notches and cooperating protrusions are disclosed herein at  FIGS. 1–6 ,  7 – 9 ,  10 – 11 , and  12 – 14 , respectively. While the protrusions disclosed herein are formed on both interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the protrusions may alternatively be formed on only one of the fastening strips  120 ,  130  without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. 
   In a first embodiment, a pair of notches  250 ,  260  are formed in the intermediate body portion  240  of slider member  200  at opposite ends thereof, as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1–6 . These notches  250 ,  260  are adapted to cooperatively engage a pair of protrusions  280 ,  290  formed on the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  at the first and second ends  111 ,  112  thereof. In this embodiment, the notches  250 ,  260  are generally V-shaped or triangular in configuration when viewed from above, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , and the cooperating protrusions  280 ,  290  are generally planar or flat in configuration. 
   The two generally V-shaped notches  250 ,  260  each extend through the intermediate body portion  240  of the slider member  200 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 1 . In addition, the two notches  250 ,  260  each have a pair of opposed interior sides or faces  251 ,  252 ,  261 ,  262  which converge along generally vertical internal corners  253 ,  263 , as shown in  FIGS. 2–5 . In this embodiment, the interior sides  251 ,  252 ,  261 ,  262  of the notches  250 ,  260  are substantially planar or flat and have generally rectangular configurations. 
   The protrusions  280 ,  290  formed at the first and second ends  111 ,  112  of the interlocking fastening strips  110  each have a pair of opposed exterior sides  281 ,  282 ,  291 ,  292  and a top intermediate edge portion  283 ,  293  therebetween. In this embodiment, the edge portions  283 ,  293  of the protrusions  280 ,  290  are each inclined with respect to the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 . More specifically, the two edge portions  283 ,  293  each slope upwardly and outwardly with respect to the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  5 . On account of this construction, the opposed exterior sides  281 ,  282 ,  291 ,  292  of the protrusions  280 ,  290  are substantially parallel with respect to each other and have upper end portions which are generally triangular in configuration. 
   In usage, the notches  250 ,  260  of the slider member  200  interact with and cooperatively engage the protrusions  280 ,  290  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  to obstruct movement of the slider member  200  beyond the first and second ends  111 ,  112  of the fastening strips. For example, when the slider member  200  is moved toward the first end  111  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , the first notch  250  of the slider member  200  receives the protrusion  280  formed at the first end  111  of the fastening strips  120 ,  130 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , to impede or block any further movement of the slider member  200  in the occlusion direction  101 . More specifically, the opposed exterior sides  281 ,  282  of protrusion  280  become wedged between the opposed interior sides  251 ,  252  of notch  250  in the vicinity of internal corner  253  which restricts the slider member  200  from moving beyond the first end  111  of the strips  120 ,  130 . When the slider member  200  is moved toward the second end  112  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , conversely, the second notch  260  of the slider member  200  receives the protrusion  290  formed at the second end  112  of the fastening strips  120 ,  130  to impede or block any further movement of the slider member  200  in the deocclusion direction  102 . As with protrusion  280 , the opposed exterior sides  291 ,  292  of protrusion  290  become wedged between the opposed interior sides  261 ,  262  of notch  260  in the vicinity of internal corner  263  which restricts the slider member  200  from moving beyond the second end  112  of the strips  120 ,  130 . In either event, this positive interactive engagement between the notches  250 ,  260  of the slider member  200  and the protrusions  280 ,  290  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  prevents the slider member  200  from being pulled off of the first and second ends  111 ,  112  of the fastening strips  120 ,  130 . 
   While engagement between the notches  250 ,  260  and protrusions  260 ,  270  certainly helps prevent detachment of the slider member  200  from the first and second ends  111 ,  112  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the notches  250 ,  260  and protrusions  260 ,  270  may take other forms or have alternative configurations than those shown without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. For example, instead of sloping upwardly and outwardly away from the center of the interlocking fastening strips  110 , the intermediate edge portions of the protrusions may instead be arranged generally perpendicular to the fastening strips as shown, for example, in  FIG. 11  or slope upwardly and inwardly toward the center of the fastening strips as shown in  FIG. 9 . Still other embodiments of the notches and protrusions will be described more fully below. 
   In a second embodiment, a pair of notches  350 ,  360  are formed in the intermediate body portion  340  of slider member  300  at opposite ends thereof, as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 7–9 . As with the first embodiment, these two notches  350 ,  360  selectively interact with and cooperatively engage protrusions  380 ,  390  formed on the interlocking fastening strips  320 ,  330  at the first and second ends  311 ,  312  thereof. When the notches  350 ,  360  engage these protrusions, the slider member  300  is obstructed from moving beyond the first and second ends  311 ,  312  of the fastening strips  320 ,  330 . 
   In this embodiment, the notches  350 ,  360  of the slider member  300  each have a pair of opposed interior sides or faces  351 ,  352 ,  361 ,  362  which are substantially planar or flat and have generally triangular configurations. As best shown in  FIG. 9 , these opposed interior sides  351 ,  352 ,  361 ,  362  also converge along inclined internal edges  353 ,  363  which slope upwardly and inwardly with respect to the intermediate body portion  340  of the slider  300 . On account of this construction, the notches  350 ,  360  are generally V-shaped or triangular in configuration when viewed from above, as shown in  FIG. 7 , and when viewed from the ends, as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 9 , the protrusions  380 ,  390  have respective edge portions  383 ,  393  which slope upwardly and inwardly toward the center of the fastening strips  320 ,  330  in a substantially parallel manner with respect to the inclined internal edges  353 ,  363  of the two notches  350 ,  360 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the protrusions formed at the first and second ends  311 ,  312  of the interlocking fastening strips  320 ,  330  may take virtually any form, including, for example, the protrusions  280 ,  290  shown in  FIGS. 1–5 . 
   In a third embodiment, a pair of partially curved notches  450 ,  460  are formed in the intermediate body portion of slider member  400 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 10 . In this embodiment, each notch  450 ,  460  includes a pair of spaced-apart interior sides or faces  451 ,  452 ,  461 ,  462  with an intermediate arcuate portion  453 ,  463  located internally therebetween. While other configurations are permissible and would certainly fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention, the opposed interior sides  451 ,  452 ,  461 ,  462  of the illustrated notches  450 ,  460  are substantially parallel with respect to each other. 
   In usage, the notches  450 ,  460  of the slider member  400  are adapted to engage cooperating protrusions  480 ,  490  formed on the interlocking fastening strips  420 ,  430  at the first and second ends  411 ,  412  thereof as shown in  FIG. 11 . The protrusions  480 ,  490  have edge portions  483 ,  493  which are arranged generally perpendicular to the fastening strips  420 ,  430 . More specifically, when the slider member  400  is moved toward the first and second ends  411 ,  412  of the fastening strips  420 ,  430 , the opposed interior sides  451 ,  452 ,  461 ,  462  of the notches  450 ,  460  are positioned to receive the protrusions  480 ,  490  therebetween, and the intermediate arcuate portions  453 ,  463  of the notches  450 ,  460  are positioned to engage the protrusions  480 ,  490  in a blocking or impeding manner. Thus, when the arcuate portions  453 ,  463  of these notches  450 ,  460  engage the protrusions  480 ,  490 , the slider member  400  is advantageously obstructed from moving beyond the first and second ends  411 ,  412  of the fastening strips  420 ,  430 . 
   Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the protrusions formed at the first and second ends  411 ,  412  of the interlocking fastening strips  420 ,  430  may take virtually any form, including, for example, the protrusions  280 ,  290  shown in  FIGS. 1–5 . In this example, the protrusions would have edge portions which slope upwardly and outwardly with respect to the interlocking fastening strips in a similar manner to the edge portions  283 ,  293  of protrusions  280 ,  290 . In other examples, the protrusions could have edge portions which slope upwardly and inwardly toward the center of the fastening strips as shown, for example, in  FIG. 9 . 
   In yet another embodiment, a pair of notches  550 ,  560  are formed in the intermediate body portion  540  of slider member  500 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 12 , and a pair of cooperating protrusions  580 ,  590  are formed on the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530  at the first and second ends  511 ,  512  thereof, as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . In this embodiment, the notches  550 ,  560  are generally box-shaped or rectangular in configuration when viewed from above, as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , and the cooperating protrusions  580 ,  590  are generally triangular or wedge-shaped in configuration when viewed from above, as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
   As best shown in  FIG. 12 , the generally rectangular shaped notches  550 ,  560  each have a pair of opposed interior sides or faces  551 ,  552 ,  561 ,  562  with an intermediate portion  553 ,  563  located internally therebetween. In this embodiment, the interior sides  551 ,  552 ,  561 ,  562  and the intermediate portions  553 ,  563  of the notches  550 ,  560  are substantially planar or flat and have generally rectangular configurations. Also, the opposed interior sides  551 ,  552 ,  561 ,  562  of each notch  550 ,  560  are arranged substantially parallel to each other, but substantially perpendicular to intermediate portion  553 ,  563 . On account of this construction, the opposed interior sides  551 ,  552 ,  561 ,  562  of each notch  550 ,  560  converge with the intermediate portions  553 ,  563  along substantially vertical internal corners  554 ,  555 ,  564 ,  565 . In addition, the opposed interior sides  551 ,  552 ,  561 ,  562  of each notch  550 ,  560  also have substantially vertical external corners  556 ,  557 ,  566 ,  567 . 
   The generally wedge-shaped protrusions  580 ,  590  formed at the first and second ends  511 ,  512  of the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530  each have a pair of opposed exterior sides- 581 ,  582 ,  591 ,  592  and a top intermediate edge portion  583 ,  593  therebetween. In this embodiment, the opposed exterior sides  581 ,  582 ,  591 ,  592  of the protrusions  580 ,  590  flare outwardly with respect to each other and the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 13 . In addition, the top intermediate edge portions  583 ,  593  of the protrusions  580 ,  590  each slope upwardly and outwardly with respect to the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 14 . 
   In usage, the notches  550 ,  560  of the slider member  500  interact with and cooperatively engage the protrusions  580 ,  590  formed on the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530  to obstruct movement of the slider member  500  beyond the first and second ends  511 ,  512  thereof. For example, when the slider member  500  is moved toward the first end  511  of the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530 , the first notch  550  of the slider member  500  receives the protrusion  580  formed at the first end  511  of the fastening strips  520 ,  530 , as shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , to impede or block any further movement of the slider member  500  in the occlusion direction  501 . More specifically, the opposed exterior sides  581 ,  582  of protrusion  580  become wedged between the external corners  556 ,  557  of notch  550 , as shown in  FIG. 13 , and the upwardly sloping edge portion  583  of protrusion  580  engages the intermediate portion  553  of notch  550 , as shown in  FIG. 14 , to restrict movement of the slider member  500  beyond the first end  511  of the fastening strips  520 ,  530 . When the slider member  500  is moved toward the second end  512  of the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530 , conversely, the second notch  560  of the slider member  500  receives the protrusion  590  formed at the second end  512  of the fastening strips  520 ,  530  to impede or block any further movement of the slider member  500  in the deocclusion direction  502 . As with protrusion  580 , the opposed exterior sides  591 ,  592  of protrusion  590  become wedged between the external corners  566 ,  567  of notch  550  and the upwardly sloping edge portion  593  of protrusion  590  engages the intermediate portion  563  of notch  560  to restrict movement of the slider member  500  beyond the second end  512  of the fastening strips  520 ,  530 . In either event, this positive interactive engagement between the notches  550 ,  560  of the slider member  500  and the protrusions  580 ,  590  of the interlocking fastening strips  520 ,  530  advantageously prevents the slider member  500  from being pulled off of or detached from the first and second ends  511 ,  512  of the fastening strips  520 ,  530 . 
   While several different notch and protrusion embodiments have been specifically described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these particular embodiments have been provided for illustrative purposes only, and do not represent an exhaustive register of each and every notch and protrusion covered by the present invention. Indeed, other types, kinds, versions, and forms of notches and protrusions may alternatively be employed without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. In other embodiments, for example, the notches may be formed in one or both of the side walls  210 ,  220  of the slider member  200 , instead of the intermediate body portion  230 , and engage cooperating protrusions that project outwardly from the first and second ends  111 ,  112  of the interlocking fastening strips  120 ,  130  in a substantially perpendicular manner with respect to the opposing flexible side panels  52 ,  53 . 
   The slider member may be formed from a suitable plastic material such as nylon, polypropylene, polystyrene, acetal, toughened acetal, polyketone, polybutylene terrephthlate, high density polyethylene, polycarbonate, ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), or the like. In addition, the slider member may also have either a colored, opaque, translucent or transparent appearance. 
   As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the slider member may be utilized with any type of interlocking fastening strips. The slider member may also have a separator finger which extends downwardly from the intermediate body portion and at least partially between the interlocking fastening strips. In use, this finger provides for the separation of the fastening strips when the slider member is moved in the deocclusion direction, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,007,142, 5,007,143, 5,010,627, 5,020,194, 5,067,208, 5,070,583, 5,088,971, 5,131,121, 5,161,286, 5,189,764, 5,282,932, 5,301,395, 5,426,830, 5,448,808, and 5,442,837. 
   The interlocking fastening strips may be manufactured by extrusion through a die. In addition, the fastening strips may be manufactured to have approximately uniform cross-sections. This not only simplifies the manufacturing of the closure device, but also contributes to the physical flexibility of the closure device, which may be a desirable property. 
   Generally, the interlocking fastening strips may be formed from any suitable thermoplastic material including, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, or the like, or from a combination thereof. Thus, resins or mixtures of resins such as high density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, and low density polyethylene may be employed to form the fastening strips. In most instances, the fastening strips are made from low density polyethylene. The selection of the appropriate thermoplastic material, however, is related to the particular design of the fastening strips, the Young&#39;s Modulus of the thermoplastic material, and the desired elasticity and flexibility of the strips. 
   When the interlocking fastening strips of the present invention are used in a sealable bag, the fastening strips and the films that form the side walls of the bag may be conveniently manufactured from heat sealable material. In this way, the bag may be economically formed by using an aforementioned thermoplastic material and by heat sealing the fastening strips to the bag. In most instances, the bag is made from a mixture of high pressure, low density polyethylene and linear, low density polyethylene. 
   The interlocking fastening strips may be manufactured by extrusion or other known methods. For example, the closure device may be manufactured as individual fastening strips for later attachment to the side walls of the bag or may be manufactured integrally therewith. In addition, the fastening strips may be manufactured with or without flange portions on one or both of the fastening strips depending upon the intended use of the closure device or expected additional manufacturing operations. 
   Generally, the closure device can be manufactured in a variety of forms to suit an intended use. In practicing the present invention, the closure device may be integrally formed on the opposing side walls of the container or bag, or connected to the container by way of any known method. For example, a thermoelectric device may be applied to a film in contact with the flange portion of the fastening strips or the thermoelectric device may be applied to a film in contact with the base portion of fastening strips having no flange portion, to cause a transfer of heat through the film to produce melting at the interface of the film and a flange portion or base portion of the fastening strips. Suitable thermoelectric devices include heated rotary discs, traveling heater bands, resistance-heated slide wires, and the like. The connection between the film and the fastening strips may also be established by the use of hot melt adhesives, hot jets of air to the interface, ultrasonic heating, or other known methods. The bonding of the fastening strips to the film stock may be carried out either before or after the film is U-folded to form the bag. In any event, such bonding is done prior to side sealing the bag at the edges by conventional thermal cutting. In addition, the first and second fastening strips may be positioned on opposite sides of the film. Such an embodiment would be suited for wrapping an object or a collection of objects such as wires. The first and second fastening strips should usually be positioned on the film in a generally parallel relationship with respect to each other, although this will depend on the intended use. 
   In summary, the present invention discloses a closure device for use with storage containers, such as plastic bags. The closure device comprises interlocking fastening strips having first and second ends and a slider member movably installed upon the interlocking fastening strips. The slider member facilitates the occlusion of the interlocking fastening strips when moved towards the first end thereof and facilitates the deocclusion of the interlocking fastening strips when moved towards the second-end thereof. The slider member includes a pair of spaced-apart side walls which are positioned on opposite sides of the interlocking fastening strips and an intermediate body portion therebetween which is positioned upon the interlocking fastening strips. The slider member also includes notches formed therein which are adapted to interact with and engage cooperating protrusions formed on the interlocking fastening strips at the first and second ends thereof to obstruct movement of the slider member beyond the first and second ends. 
   While the present invention has been described and disclosed in connection with certain illustrated embodiments, it will be understood, of course, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the disclosed structural forms. On the contrary, the intention is to cover to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents that fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the following claims. In addition, all references and co-pending applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.