Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to plastic or polymeric container with reclosable zippers which make the package child-resistant. In one typical embodiment, this is achieved by a zipper with a high internal opening force and a low external opening force, wherein three flanges are sealed to the bag walls, and one external flange is left unsealed. In order to encounter the low external opening force, the user must grab the unsealed external flange while applying an external opening force to the zipper.

Description:
[0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 13/973,312, filed on Aug. 22, 2013, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of provisional application Ser. No. 61/717,715, which was filed on Oct. 24, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    Field of the Disclosure 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to various embodiments of child-resistant reclosable packages or bags. 
         [0004]    Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    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, hut harmful, to a child. The prior art has many examples of plastic lids, in order to be removed from the glass or plastic container, which 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 a 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. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0006]    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. 
         [0007]    These and other objects are obtained by a polymeric or plastic container with various zipper configurations, including zipper configurations with a high internal opening force and a low external opening force. Such configurations include zippers where only three flanges are sealed, so if the child attempts to open the bag by pulling the external part of the bag, the high opening force of the zipper is encountered. In order to encounter the low external opening force, the user must grab the unsealed external flange while attempting to open the bag. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       [0008]    Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a zipper as attached to the side walls of a plastic bag or container, thereby resulting in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         [0010]      FIGS. 2-4  are cross-sectional views of variations of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0011]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a first configuration of sealing jaws in the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0012]      FIG. 5B  illustrates an alternative upper edge of the flange of  FIG. 5A . 
         [0013]      FIG. 6  illustrates a second configuration of sealing jaws in the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0014]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the open and closed configuration of the second aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0015]      FIG. 9  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a third aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0016]      FIGS. 10A, 11, 12 and 13  illustrate the opening sequence for a third aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0017]      FIG. 10B  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0018]      FIG. 10C  illustrates the tab of the alternative embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0019]      FIG. 10D  illustrates the curtain of the third aspect of the present disclosure concealing the tab of the second flange (shown in phantom). 
         [0020]      FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17  illustrate various methods of manufacture for a variation of the third aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 18 and 19  illustrate a further variation of the third aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 20A-20D  illustrate the fourth aspect of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]    Pursuant to this disclosure, one sees that  FIGS. 1-6  relate to a first aspect of the present disclosure. In  FIG. 1 , zipper, reclosure or closure  10  includes first and second profiles  12 ,  14 . First profile  12  includes a first exterior flange  16  and a first interior flange  18  as well as a female interlocking element  20  formed from first and second upwardly extending arms  22 ,  24  terminating in respective first and second detent hooks  26 ,  28 . Likewise, second profile  14  includes second exterior flange  32  and a second interior flange  34  as well as a male interlocking element  36  formed from a post  38  and an arrowhead element  40 . The interior wing  42  of arrowhead element  40  is more enlarged and protruding than the exterior wing  44  of arrowhead element  40 . This causes the interior or product side or inside opening force to be greater than the exterior or consumer side or outside opening force. 
         [0024]    First and second profiles  12 ,  14  are sealed or otherwise attached to the respective first and second sidewalls  102 ,  104  of bag  100 . Of course, sidewalls  102 ,  104  are joined or integral so as to form a storage volume  106  in the interior of the bag  100 . First exterior flange  16  and first interior flange  18  are sealed to first sidewall  102  so that the first exterior flange  16  is oriented toward the consumer side of the zipper and the first interior flange  18  is oriented toward the product side of the zipper. Likewise, second interior flange  34  is sealed to second sidewall  104  so that the second exterior flange  32  (with a horizontal upper edge  33 ) is oriented toward the consumer side of the zipper and the second interior flange  34  is oriented toward the product side of the zipper. However, second exterior flange  32  is free of sealing to the second sidewall  104 . In this configuration, if a child grabbed the first and second sidewalls  102 ,  104  and tried to pull them apart in the conventional manner, the second sidewall  104  would transmit the opening forces to the interior side of the female and male interlocking elements  20 ,  36  thereby encountering the high interior opening farce and making the zipper  10  very difficult, if not impossible, to open with regular manual forces. However, if one grabbed the second exterior flange  32  and the first sidewall  102 , and pulled them apart, the lower exterior opening force will be encountered and the zipper will easily open. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  illustrates a configuration with a shortened first sidewall  102 , wherein the end of the first shortened sidewall  102  is sealed to the first interior flange  18 .  FIG. 3  illustrates a configuration wherein the first exterior flange  16  and the second interior flange  34  are sealed to the respective first and second sidewalk  102 ,  104  and the first interior flange  18  and the second exterior flange  32  are free of connection to the sidewall is  102 ,  104 .  FIG. 4  illustrates the tips of first interior and exterior flanges  16 ,  18  are sealed to first sidewall  102  as well as the tip of second interior flange  34  is sealed to second sidewall  104 . The end of the second exterior flange  32  is free of connection to the second sidewall  104 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 5A  illustrates a variation wherein sealing jaws  112 ,  114  seal the first exterior flange  16  to the first sidewall  102  and the second interior flange  34  to the second sidewall  104 , but the first interior flange  18  and the second exterior flange  32  (with an upper edge  33 ) are free of sealing.  FIG. 5A  illustrates the seals as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 5B  illustrates an alternative embodiment with respect to  FIG. 5A . As shown in  FIG. 5B , an alternative is to replace the otherwise horizontal upper edge  33  of second exterior flange  32  with an edge  33 ′ including a plurality of upwardly extending tabs or sawteeth  35 . The upwardly extending tabs or sawteeth  33  are typically, but not necessarily triangular and spaced periodically. The upper points  37  of the upwardly extending triangular tabs or sawteeth  35  are typically of the same height (i.e., the same relationship with the second sidewall  104 ) as the horizontal upper edge  33  of the embodiment of  FIG. 5A . As it is more difficult for the user to grip the upwardly extending tabs or sawteeth  35  rather than the full upper edge  33  of the second exterior flange  32 , the resulting configuration is intended to become more child-resistant. The upwardly extending tabs or sawteeth  35  may be placed opposite to printed icons on the bag walls which say “Open Here” or similar instructions which will be helpful to an adult to operate the zipper  10 , but will not be helpful to a young child who is unable to read or follow written instructions. 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  adds an additional sealing jaw  116  to seal first interior flange  18  to the first sidewall  102 .  FIG. 6  illustrates the seals as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0029]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate a second aspect of the present disclosure. A regular zipper  10  is placed in the bag  100  so that the internal side and external side are reversed (i.e., the male element is enlarged on the upper or consumer side). The zipper  10  needs to have high opening force through profile design or by sealing it so that a shearing effect is achieved. Two tabs  17  are provided below the interlocking elements in order to aid in opening the bag from below (i.e., the internal side). These can be made by making a fold of the film and sealing it or by having external tabs placed on the film. The folds need to be small so that it will be necessary to pinch them between two fingers to pull the film apart, thereby opening the zipper. Typically, a child would try to open this bag from the top. They will most likely not figure out how to use the film folds. Even if they do figure it out, they may not have the strength to pinch and pull the folds apart. 
         [0030]    Utilizing the film as leverage for opening the zipper will enable various zipper designs to be used such as two flange, four flange, hinged, double zipper, or two zippers back to back (which would have the low opening three sides of the zippers face to face with the film fold in-between). 
         [0031]    A third aspect of the disclosure is illustrated in  FIGS. 9, 10A, 11, 12 and 13 .  FIG. 10A  shows the cross-sectional of this third aspect. A proximal end of first flange  122  is attached to first side wall  102  and a proximal end of second flange  124  is attached to second sidewall  104 . First and second flanges  122 ,  124  are connected by a multiple-element variable-alignment zipper  126 . A free or distal edge  128  of second flange  124  can be tucked, releasably engaged or hidden between the first sidewall  102  and the proximal first flange  122 . It would not be intuitive for a user, particularly a young user, to grasp the downwardly-pointing edge  128  of the second flange  124 . However, if the consumer does not do this, this configuration will go into shear mode when attempted to be opened from either the consumer side of the package or the film or product side (pinch grip and pull). This configuration eliminates the reliance of opening forces and subsequent placement of film grip areas. 
         [0032]    A further variation of the third aspect of this disclosure is illustrated in  FIGS. 10B, 10C and 10D .  FIG. 10B  is similar to  FIG. 10A . However,  FIGS. 10B, 10C and 10D  disclose the free or distal end of second flange  124  to include a tab  128 ′. Tab  128 ′ is typically, but not necessarily, square or rectangular shaped. Tab  128 ′ can be used to manually grab the second flange  124  and pull the second flange  124  away from the first flange. Moreover, as further shown in  FIG. 10B , the tab  128 ′ can be releasably engaged between the first flange  122  and the first wall. Furthermore, a proximal end of curtain  125  is connected to second sidewall  104  proximate to where second flange  124  is connected to second sidewall  104  (or, alternately, may be connected to the second flange  124 ). As shown in  FIG. 10D , the free or distal end of curtain  125  is releasably engaged within an intersection of the first flange  122  and an interior of the first wall  102  to conceal the tab  128 ′ on second flange  124 , thereby causing the zipper, closure or reclosure  10  to be even more perplexing for a child to operate. 
         [0033]    Still further variations of the third aspect of this disclosure are illustrated in  FIGS. 14-17 . This configuration makes the zipper of the third aspect machine guidable. Virtually any profile configuration can be used. It can be used in virtually any horizontal form fill seal or premade application. Guide flanges  302 ,  304  are added to the respective zipper profiles. The zipper is guided by aligning the guides  306 ,  308  that fit between the guide flanges and their respective zipper flanges. Guides  306 ,  308  also serve to assure that the pairs of sealing bars  112 ,  114  and  116 ,  118  each seal only one sidewall to the respective profile. The resulting product is shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 . 
         [0034]    Various alternative embodiments of the fourth aspect of the disclosure are illustrated in  FIGS. 20A-20D . This aspect includes bag flaps which are on the inside of the dispensing side of the bag or pouch  500 . The flaps can be of separate material attached to the inside of the bag or integral with the bag material. The end of the one flap fits into the fold or point of attachment on the other flap. The illustrated aspect may call for materials to be put inside the dispensing portion of the bag formed by the outside film  502  which is folded to as to create first wall  529  and second wall  531 , so as to create an “s” turn, thereby making the contents less accessible to children. The flap itself can be created by attaching materials to form a C-fold with a single flap in the middle of the C-fold. If the flap is tucked into the sides of the package, the flap will be tight and hard to get past without a high degree of dexterity. Furthermore, pulling the sides of the package apart to expose the flap will make it difficult to open and simultaneously stick one&#39;s hand inside. As illustrated in  FIG. 20A , bag  500  is formed of walls  529  and  531  wherein first flap  509  is attached to first wall  529  immediately below the first zipper profile  506  of zipper  504 . Similarly, the second flap  510  is formed with a V-shape and is attached to second wall  531  below the second profile  508  of zipper  504 . The second flap  510  includes a proximal portion  512  which is attached to the second wall  531  and a distal portion  514  which is tucked under first flap  509 . In  FIG. 20B , first flap  509  is formed by folding down the first wall  529 . First zipper profile  506  of the zipper  504  is attached to the first flap  509 . The right wall  531  is folded in an S-configuration so as to create proximate portion  512  of second flap  510  and distal portion  514  of second flap  510 . Second zipper profile  508  is attached to proximal portion  512  of second flap  510 . Distal portion  514  is tucked under first flap  509 .  FIG. 20C  is similar to  FIG. 20A  except that first flap  509  is formed as an integral flange with first zipper profile  506  and second flap  510  is formed as an integral flange with second zipper profile  508 .  FIG. 20D  is similar to  FIG. 20B  except that the zipper is replaced with a peel seal  540 , shown in a separated configuration. 
         [0035]    This results in a package which would be self-closing despite not being locked. Creating a specific path to follow to get into the package provides advantages over the prior art. Taken from the sandwich bag, the flap can be created in a variety of configurations. 
         [0036]    In all of these aspects of the disclosure, it is envisioned that the zipper may be installed in a machine or transverse direction during manufacture. 
         [0037]    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 and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.