Patent Publication Number: US-6983845-B2

Title: Recloseable storage bag with user-deformable air vent

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
   The disclosure generally relates to bags and, more particularly, to recloseable food storage bags. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
   Reclosable storage bags are well known, especially with regard to food storage. Such bags are generally made out of a plastic film and have two side walls which are sealed around the edges. Such material is fluid impermeable, relatively inexpensive, and can be manufactured in transparent form thereby facilitating content identification. Accordingly, plastic bags have become the dominant product of choice in the area of food storage bags. 
   Such bags are typically recloseable and substantially sealable. One common approach to provide such features employs closure members at a top edge of a bag having first and second thermoplastic layers folded or heat sealed along bottom and first and second side edges. The closure members may be provided in the form of mating male and female profiles such as those provided by the present assignee under the ZIPLOC® trademark. The male and female profiles are also typically manufactured from plastic, with the male profile including a linear tab adapted to be interlocked with a linear groove of the female profile. 
   The male and female profiles can be connected to close the bag by pinching and pulling across the closure members along the length of the top edges. Such motion can be accomplished with the thumb and forefinger of a user, or through the use of a sliding element mounted to the male and female profiles, as is the case with bags provided by the present assignee under the ZIPLOC® trademark as well. 
   While such bags have been met with extraordinary commercial success from their inception until the present day, the assignee continues to improve its product offerings. One area which the assignee has identified as grounds for improvement involves the ability to evacuate gas from a bag after sealing. While the primary closure found at the top of many plastic bags provides an airtight seal, air remaining enclosed in the bag after closure enables bacterial growth and therefore hinders the preservation and freshness the bags are intended to maintain. 
   It would therefore be an advance in the art of bags to provide a bag with an evacuation aperture provided with a secondary closure, or valve, for sealing the aperture. In this manner, a bag may be closed at the top using the primary closure member, as described above, and subsequently evacuated of gas and resealed using the aperture and secondary closure, respectively. 
   SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
   In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a recloseable storage bag is disclosed which may include first and second sides attached along bottom, left, and right sides, primary closure members provided proximate top edges, an aperture in one of the sides, and a secondary closure element associated with the aperture. The secondary closure element may be user-deformable. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method of evacuating gas from a recloseable storage bag is disclosed which may include providing a bag, closing the bag using primary closure members positioned at a top of the bag, and compressing the bag to force gas through the aperture and secondary closure element. The bag may have first and second sides connected along first and second side edges. The bag may include a top and a bottom with the bottom being closed and the top being adapted to be opened and closed using the primary closure members. The bag may further include an aperture in at least one of the sides, with the secondary closure element being operatively associated with the aperture and being user-deformable. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a recloseable storage bag is disclosed which may include a first side, a second side, primary closure members, and means for evacuating gas from the bag after the primary closure members are closed, the means for evacuating being user-deformable. 
   These and other aspects and features of the disclosure will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of bag constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure; 
       FIG. 2  is sectional view of the bag of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 — 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of the secondary closure member of  FIG. 1 , but with the secondary closure element shown in an open position; 
       FIG. 4  is a front view of first alternative embodiment of a bag constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure; 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of a second alternative embodiment of a bag constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure; 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged plan view of the secondary closure element depicted in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the secondary closure element of  FIG. 6 , taken along line  7 — 7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is front view of third alternative embodiment of a bag constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure; and 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the secondary closure element of FIG.  8 . 
   

   While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative embodiments, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
   Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to  FIG. 1 , a recloseable storage bag constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure is generally referred to by reference numeral  20 . While the bag  20  will be described herein with predominant reference to food storage bags such as those sold by the assignee under its ZIPLOC® trademark, it is to be understood that the teachings of the disclosure could be employed in any other type of bag, such as, but not limited to, bags used to store perishable goods other than food, as well as bags which are not intended to be recloseable. 
   With reference again to  FIG. 1 , as well as  FIG. 2 , the bag  20  is shown to include a first side wall  22  joined to a second side wall  24 . More specifically, the first side  22  includes a left edge  26 , a right edge  28 , a bottom edge  30 , and a top edge  32 , while the second side  24  includes a left edge  34 , a right edge  36 , a bottom edge  38 , and a top edge  40 . The respective left edges  26 ,  34  are joined together, as are the respective right edges  28 ,  36 , and the respective bottom edges  30 ,  38 . By “joined” together, it is to be understood that the edges can be formed by heat sealing, ultrasonic welding, impulsing welding, or the like, or can be integral and simply separated by a fold. As such bags  20  are typically manufactured from polyethylene or similar plastic material, it has been found to be advantageous to form one edge, e.g., the bottom edge, with a fold, and the other two edges, e.g., the left and right edges, with heat seals. 
   The top edges  32 ,  40 , however, are not permanently closed, but rather are provided with recloseable primary closure members  42   a ,  42   b . The primary closure elements are depicted in the form of mating male and female profiles, wherein the male profile  42   a  includes three ribs  44 , while the female profile includes two ribs  46 . As will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the primary closure members  42   a ,  42   b  can be joined using, for example, a pinch-and-seal motion with the thumb and forefinger. Such pressure causes the ribs  44  and  46  to frictionally intermesh in alternating fashion, thereby substantially sealing the bag. A slider or the like can be provided to facilitate such zipper action. In other embodiments, the primary closure members  42   a ,  42   b  need not be provided in such zipper fashion, but could be provided in any other suitable fashion such as, but not limited to, adhesive fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, invertable folds, buttons, clips, and the like. 
   In so doing, the bag  20  is formed to have an interior storage space  48  accessible between the top edges  32 ,  40  when the primary closure members  42   a ,  42   b  are open. After the primary closure members  42   a ,  42   b  are closed, the bag  20  is substantially sealed. In order to remove excess gas, such as air, from the interior storage space  48 , an aperture  50  may be provided in one or more of the side walls  22 ,  24 . As shown best in  FIG. 2 , the aperture  50  may be provided in the first side wall  22  to enable gas to exit the storage space  48  as by compressing the bag  20 , or otherwise manipulating the bag  20 , to force excess air from the space  48  to the atmosphere through the aperture  50 . 
   The bag  20  may further include a secondary closure element  52  adapted to close the aperture  50 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the secondary closure element  52  is provided in the form of a user-deformable layer  54  positioned over the aperture  50  and attached to the side wall  22 . The user-deformable layer  54  may include a linear slit  56  and be manufactured from a flexible material. For example, the deformable layer  54  may be manufactured from polyethylene, or a polyethylene compatible polymer such as ethyl acetate, polybutylene, Kraton®, chemically modified polyethylenes (crosslinked polyethylene, chlorinated or fluorinated polyethylene), or blends of polyethylene (such as polyethylene blended with polypropylene). The flexibility of such materials enable the layer  54  to be deformed from the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 , to the open position shown in  FIG. 3 , simply by squeezing the layer  54  along the linear axis of the slit  56 , as indicated by arrows  57 . Upon releasing the layer  54 , the flexibility of the material enables layer  54  to revert to its original shape, thereby closing the slit  56 . 
   A variation on the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2  is depicted in FIG.  4 . As shown therein, the deformable layer  154  includes first and second linear slits  156  and  158 , respectively, disposed at transverse angles. With such an embodiment the deformable layer  154  can be squeezed along a longitudinal axis of either slit to enable the slits  156  and  158  to open. At this point it is important to note that with regard to the various embodiments disclosed herein, the numbering system will repeat like reference numerals for like elements employed in the various embodiments, with the exception that each embodiment will have its own, sequential prefix. Accordingly, the embodiment of  FIG. 3  will use reference numerals having a one hundred series prefix, and later described embodiments will have a two-hundred series prefix, and so on. 
   In an alternative embodiment, the secondary closure element  252  can be provided in the form of a user-deformable, rotatable wheel  260 . As shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , the wheel  260  may include an opening  262  adapted to be rotated into alignment with an aperture  250  formed in the bag  220 . In so doing gas from the interior space  248  is able to exit the bag  220 . After compressing the bag  220  and evacuating the gas therein, the wheel  260  can be rotated about a pivot  264  so that the opening  262  is not aligned with the aperture  250 . In other similar embodiments, the secondary closure element  252  may be otherwise deformed as by, for example, sliding a perforated lever (not shown) relative to the aperture  250 , or threadably twisting a knob (not shown) away from the aperture  250 . 
   A still further embodiment is depicted in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . As shown therein, the bag  320  includes an aperture  350  to which a push button  366  is mounted. More specifically, the push button  366  includes a base  368  from which a user-deformable appendage  370  extends. The base  368  may be attached to the bag  320  along first and second sides  372 ,  374  as by heat sealing, adhesive, ultrasonic welding, or the like. The base  368  is attached such that the appendage  370  extends through the aperture  350  and may be manufactured from any flexible material such as, but not limited to, those materials listed above with regard to the layer  54 . 
   Using such structure, when a user wishes to evacuate gas from within the bag  320  while leaving the primary closure members  342   a ,  342   b  closed, the appendage  370  can simply be depressed. Such motion causes the base  368  to deflect or hinge about the first and second sides  372 ,  274 , thereby causes an air flow passageway to be formed between the bag  320  and the base  368  at Gird and fourth sides  376 ,  378 . Compression of the bag  320  then causes the gas within the bag  320  to be evacuated, whereupon the appendage  370  can be released. Given the flexibility of the base  368 , the base  368  reverts to its original shape, abutting the inner surface of the bag  320 , thereby reclosing the secondary closure element  352 . 
   From the foregoing, it will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the teachings of this disclosure can be used to construct a recloseable storage bag having a primary closure member for closing the bag, and a secondary closure member for evacuating gas from the bag after primary closing.