Patent Publication Number: US-10766669-B2

Title: Four-flange child-resistant zipper and bag

Description:
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/741,721, filed on Oct. 5, 2018, the contents of all of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to a child-resistant reclosable zipper with four flanges, along with packages or bags incorporating the zipper, particularly wherein a profile of the reclosure includes tabs which have locking elements for engagement with the opposing profile and which must be separated by peeling the tabs away from the opposing profile. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     The prior art includes various child-resistant packages. Typically, these packages are designed to hold medicinal capsules, detergent capsules, or similar items which might be attractive, but harmful, to a child. The prior art has many examples of plastic lids, which, in order to be removed from the glass or plastic container, must be squeezed or pushed in various ways which would not be apparent to a child or would be beyond the strength capabilities of the child. However, such containers are complicated to manufacture and add considerable expense to the consumer product. Additionally, such containers may be heavy and bulky which adds to the costs of transportation. Furthermore, this weight and bulk adds to the recycling burden of these products. 
     The prior art includes U.S. Published Application No. 2017/0152085, published Jun. 1, 2017, to Rojas, entitled “Child-Resistant Reclosable Packages,” and PCT application PCT/US2018/044941 filed on Aug. 2, 2018, entitled “Child-Resistant Reclosable Bags.” 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide child-resistant containers which maintain a high level of child resistance, while achieving reduced weight and costs with respect to manufacture, transportation and recycling. 
     These and other objects are achieved by a plastic or polymeric container with reclosable zippers which make the package child-resistant. In one typical embodiment, this is achieved by a zipper with four flanges, including a tab with a tab track that engages with an opposite track on an opposite flange. One of the profiles is severed longitudinally into two pieces along one of the sets of interlocking elements, thereby forming the tabs with the tab track formed by a portion of the severed set of interlocking elements. A user disengages the tab track from the opposite track in order to expose the tab, which is subsequently used to open the remainder of the zipper. An additional embodiment includes a hinged engagement immediately below the level of the tabs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a typical reclosable package with a reclosure which is an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded cross-sectional view along plane  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a partially exploded plan view of a first profile of an embodiment of the reclosure of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of a second profile of an embodiment of the reclosure of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B  illustrate further aspects of the reclosure of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6A-6F  illustrate the steps for opening an embodiment of the reclosure of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, one sees that  FIG. 1  discloses a typical reclosable package  100  with an embodiment of the closure, reclosure or zipper  10  of the present disclosure. 
     While reclosure  10  can be utilized with a wide range of packages, one sees that the typical package  100  of  FIG. 1  is made from first and second co-extensive polymeric sheets of material  102 ,  104 , which are sealed to each other at bottom seal  106  and first and second side seals  108 ,  110 , thereby forming mouth  112  which is made reclosable by reclosure  10  which extends transversely across the top of the package  100 , downwardly adjacent from the upper edge of first and second sheets of material  102 ,  104 . In some embodiments, first and second sheets of material  102 ,  104  can be replaced with a single sheet of material with a fold in place of bottom seal  106  or side seals  102 ,  104 . 
       FIG. 2  (also see  FIG. 5A ) is an exploded cross-sectional view along plane  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , showing the cross-sectional view of first and second profiles  12 ,  14 , along with the first and second sheets of material  102 ,  104 . The reclosure  10  includes first profile  12 , which is sealed or otherwise attached to the interior wall of first sheet  102 , and second profile  14 , which is sealed or otherwise attached to the interior wall of second sheet  104 . As will be described in detail, first profile  12  includes upwardly extending tab  18 .  FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate the interior surfaces (i.e., the surfaces which face the opposing profile) of a length of the material for the first and second profiles  12 ,  14 , respectively. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , a length of the material for the first profile  12  includes a generally rectangular strip-like portion of web  16 , divided by severed line  31  into lower first profile  12 ′ and upper first profile  12 ″ with at least one tab  18  (also see  FIG. 5B ) extending upwardly from an upper surface of lower first profile  12 ′ as defined by severed line  31  (shown in an exploded configuration between lower first profile  12 ′ and upper first profile  12 ″). Tabs  18  may be spaced apart such that a single tab  18  is included within the width of a package  100 . The plurality of tabs  18  illustrated in  FIG. 3  may indicate either that multiple tabs  18  may occur spaced apart periodically within a package  100 , or that the length of material is cut so that a single tab  18  is placed within a single package  100 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The lower portion of lower first profile  12 ′ is a first lower sealing flange  20  that includes an outwardly facing smooth side  22  for sealing to the first sheet of material  102  and further includes an inwardly facing side  24  with several longitudinally extending anti-sealing protrusions  26 . Likewise, the upper portion of upper first profile  12 ″ is a first upper sealing flange  21  that includes an outwardly facing smooth side  22 ′ for sealing to the first sheet of material  102  and further includes an inwardly facing side  24 ′ with several longitudinally extending anti-sealing protrusions  27 . These anti-sealing protrusions  26 ,  27  extend toward the second profile  14  and are intended to prevent or reduce any sealing between the first and second profiles  12 ,  14  during the sealing process between the first profile  12  and the first sheet of material  102  and between the second profile  14  and the second sheet of material  104 . 
     In one embodiment, a single tab  18  is 5 mm tall and 10 mm wide. In another embodiment, two tabs  18  are present on the same side of the reclosable package  100  with similar dimensions. In yet another embodiment, a single tab is present that is taller and wider than 5×10 mm. The tabs  18  are formed by the severing of first profile  12  along first upper interlocking tracks  29 , thereby forming the tab tracks  29 ′ on tabs  18  from first upper interlocking tracks  29 . 
     The first and second profiles  12 ,  14 , including the zipper closure (interlocking tracks  28 ,  29 , tabs  18  with tab tracks  29 ′, and opposite interlocking tracks  44 ,  46 ), are manufactured from plastics or polymers known in the art. For example, the first and second profiles  12 ,  14  may be manufactured from, but not limited to, polyethylene or polypropylene. The reclosable bag is made from, for example, but not limited to, PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) laminate film. PET laminate film offers high seal integrity and good moisture barrier characteristics. The first and second profiles may be applied to the reclosable package  100  during, for example, but not limited to, a vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) packing line. 
     First lower interlocking tracks  28  are parallel to each other and positioned at an upper longitudinal area of strip-like portion of rectangular web  16 , below tabs  18 . First lower interlocking tracks  28  are arranged and configured to be releasably interlockable with complementary second lower interlocking tracks  44  (see  FIG. 4 ) of second profile  14 . Additionally, tabs  18  include first upper interlocking tab tracks  29 ′ which are parallel to each other and arranged and configured to be releasably interlockable with complementary second upper interlocking tracks  46  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a length of material for the second profile  14  includes a generally rectangular strip-like portion of web  30 , of an illustrated width (i.e., the vertical dimension in  FIG. 4 ) equal to that of first profile  12 . However, this width may vary within reason without affecting functionality. The lower portion of second profile  14  is a second lower sealing flange  32  while the upper portion of second profile  14  is a second upper sealing flange  34 . Lower and upper second sealing flanges  32 ,  34  includes an outwardly facing smooth side  36  for sealing to the second sheet of material  104  and further includes an inwardly facing side  38  with several longitudinally extending anti-sealing protrusions  40 ,  42  positioned on the interior of second lower sealing flange  32  and second upper sealing flange  34 , respectively. These anti-sealing protrusions  40 ,  42  extend toward the first profile  12  and are intended to prevent or reduce any sealing between the first and second profiles  12 ,  14 , or between the second profile  14  and the first sheet of material  102  during the sealing process between the first profile  12  and the first sheet of material  102  and between the second profile  14  and the second sheet of material  104 . 
     The length of material for the second profile  14  includes second lower interlocking tracks  44  which are parallel to each other and arranged and configured to be releasably interlockable with complementary first lower interlocking tracks  28  of first profile  12  (i.e., lower first profile  12 ′). The length of material for the second profile  14  further includes second upper interlocking tracks  46  which are parallel to each other and arranged and configured to be releasably interlockable with complementary first upper interlocking tab tracks  29  of upper first profile  12 ″ and tab tracks  29 ′ on tabs  18  of lower first profile  12 ′). Second lower and upper interlocking tracks  44 ,  46  are formed parallel and adjacent to each other, between second lower and upper sealing flanges  32 ,  34 . 
     In the interlocked configuration, first and second upper interlocking tracks  29 ,  46  are interlocked with each other and first and second lower interlocking tracks  28 ,  44  are interlocked with each other. 
       FIGS. 6A-6F  illustrate an opening sequence for the closure, reclosure or zipper  10  of the present disclosure. In  FIG. 6A , the first upper sealing flange  21  and the second upper sealing flange  34  are separated to expose a tab  18 . In  FIG. 6B , the first upper interlocking tracks  29  on upper first profile  12 ″ has been separated from second upper interlocking tracks  46 , while tab  18  (on lower first profile  12 ′) remains interlocked with the second upper interlocking tracks  46  on second profile  14 . In  FIG. 6C , the tab  18  has been peeled from second upper interlocking tracks  46 . In  FIG. 6D , tab  18  has been manually engaged and pulled to separate first and second lower interlocking tracks  28 ,  44  from each other. In  FIG. 6D , the first and second lower interlocking tracks  28 ,  44  are separated from each other. In  FIGS. 6E-6F , the closure, reclosure or zipper  10  (and therefore the package or bag  100 ) is open. Reclosing the closure, reclosure or zipper  10  may be done in reverse order to the described opening sequence. In particular, the user should mate the first and second lower interlocking tracks  28 ,  44  to each other, the tab tracks  29 ′ to the second upper interlocking tracks  46 , and first and second upper interlocking tracks  29 ,  46  to each other. 
     In summary, this configuration, including the sequence of multiple opening steps, contributes to the child-resistant characteristics of reclosure  10 , and therefore, package  100 . In the interlocked configuration, there is no way for a user to grip first profile  12  effectively, in order to separate the first and second lower interlocking tracks  28 ,  44 , other than by grasping or gripping tab  18 . However, the user is unable to manually grip or grasp tab  18  while first and second upper interlocking tracks  29 ,  46  are interlocked with each other. In order to get tab  18  into a grippable position, the user must first peel the tab  18  away from second profile  14  and then grip the tab  18  and pull the first profile  12  away from the second profile  14 . 
     Thus, the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby.