Abstract:
A handled shipping bag or sack is described that is capable of manufacture without requiring registration of the handle to a width of the bag. The shipping bag includes a cover tape having perforations particularly well suited for finger holds of a user that center the users hand relative to the width of the bag without requiring a registration of the finger holds relative to the bag during the manufacture of the bag.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     FEDERAL SPONSORSHIP 
     Not Applicable 
     JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention pertains generally to side gusseted bags or sacks that are especially useful for both retailing and shipping bulk amounts of a heavy product. More particularly, the invention pertains to handled, side gusseted, easy open, non-resealing bags that, when sealed closed, are capable of carrying heavy loads without having the handles separate from the bag. The invention further pertains to side gusseted bags that include carry handles that attach to the bag without requiring a registration between the handle and the bag during attachment of the handle to the bag. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Generally, traditional shipping bags have been assembled from a paper or poly woven sheet material that is formed into a tube and then sealed on the ends with an adhesive, thermal weld, or stitching. A seam adjoining the sides of the sheet material may be thermally welded or sealed with an adhesive. When stitching the ends together, it may be desirable to provide a reinforcing tape on a side of the bag to reduce the likelihood that the sides of the bag pull apart from the stitching. However, because the reinforcing tape is thicker which requires a greater force for a stitching needle to penetrate and the acceptance of using reinforcing tape on only one side of the bag, the reinforcing tape is typically only placed on one side of the bag. 
     When shipping or displaying bulk amounts of a product it may be desirable to include an amount of the bulk material contained within the bags that exceeds thirty pounds. The bags may be gusseted so that they lay flat in storage but expand to contain the larger quantities of bulk material. The heavier materials contained within the bag further requires a sealed bag capable of withstanding heavier loads. 
     Oftentimes it is desirable to provide a handle to allow the user to carry the heavy bags primarily hanging to the user&#39;s sides so that the user may use shoulder muscles rather than back muscles to carry the bags. Attaching a handle to the bag requires an attachment that does not tear away from the bag when the handle is used to lift a heavy load within the bag. The bag of the present invention includes finger holds that form a handle that is capable of having a load contained within the bag weighing more than forty pounds without separating from the woven bag. Additionally, centering the opening of the handle between the two longitudinal sides of the bag balances the weight of the bag when the bag is by the handle. The centering of the handle relative to the sides of the bag may require additional tools and processes during the manufacturing of the bags. Further, the bag assembly may require a time consuming registration process to align the handles with the bags before attaching the handle to the bag. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments according to aspects of the invention provides a handle that attaches to either end of a bag without requiring a time consuming registration process between the bag and handle. Further aspects of the invention include a cover tape having a handle incorporated into the cover tape that is easily sewn to the bag and that includes a pre-fold in the cover tape to engage an end of the bag in a manner that reduces the overall length of the shipping bag. 
     These and other embodiments according to aspects of the invention include a bag or sack for holding heavy bulk product. The bag is made from a woven sheet having opposing edges interconnected at a seam extending between first and second ends of the sheet and having opposing sides interconnected with opposing gussets, wherein the gussets extend longitudinally between the first and second ends. Cover tape folds over and encloses the second end and overlaps both opposing sides. The cover tape is made from a laminate woven strip that is easily penetrated by a stitching needle. The cover tape includes first and second opposing longitudinal edges defining a width of the strip. A pre-crease or fold extends longitudinally along the strip between the first and second opposing longitudinal edges. Further, the strip has a plurality of three sided perforated finger holds die cut into the strip and arranged along a first longitudinal edge or along both longitudinal edges of the strip. The cover tape folds over both sides of an end of the bag and is attached to the bag with a stitching that extends through woven cover tape and bag and engages both sides of the cover tape to the bag. 
     Aspects of the invention may include a bag formed from a woven web material having a seam in the bag formed by overlapping side edges of the woven web sheet material. An e-z open strip may be sewn to both the cover tape and the woven bag that a user may use to remove the stitching from the bag. The cover tape may further include indicia printed on a layer of the laminate woven strip wherein the indicia does not require a registration step to align the indicia with the width of the woven bag during the manufacturing process. Also, the three sided perforated finger holds are sized to create finger holds within the cover tape without eliminating material from the cover tape. Additionally, the plurality of perforations may be spaced apart in sets of four perforations such that an outer distance between the set of four perforations ranges between four and six inches. 
     Another embodiment according to aspects of the invention includes a woven sheet having a cover tape attached thereto that form a bag having an opposing open end. The woven sheet has opposing edges interconnected at a seam extending between first and second ends of the sheet and has opposing sides interconnected with opposing gussets, wherein the gussets extend longitudinally between the first and second ends. The cover tape folds over and encloses the second end of the sheet and overlaps both opposing sides to enclose one end of the sheet and form the bag having an opening at the other opposing end. The cover tape is comprised of a laminate woven strip having first and second opposing longitudinal edges defining a width of the strip. The cover tape also includes a pre-crease extending longitudinally along the strip between the first and second opposing longitudinal edges and the strip has a plurality of three sided perforated finger holds die cut into the strip and arranged along a first longitudinal edge of the strip. Indicia is printed on a layer of the laminate woven strip and an e-z open strip is aligned with the cover tape attached to the bag with a stitching that attaches the cover tape and e-z open strip to the woven bag. 
     According to aspects of the invention a bag capable of holding heavy bulk product is formed by conveying woven web sheet material through a tool that forms opposing gussets on the sheet material. Once the gussets are formed on the sheet material, then opposing side edges of the sheet material are overlapped to form an overlapped sheet material having opposing sides and a relatively planar front and back. The overlapping edges of the overlapped sheet material are adhered or sealed together, forming an enclosed interior of the overlapping sheet. A cover tape covers a first end of the overlapped sheet material and engages both opposing sides of the overlapped sheet material. The overlapping cover tape includes a laminate woven strip having first and second opposing longitudinal edges defining a width of the strip. A pre-crease in the cover tape extends longitudinally along the strip between the first and second opposing longitudinal edges. The cover tape is stitched to the overlapping sheet material in a manner such that the gussets overlap and the bag lays flat when empty. A plurality of three sided die cut perforations are arranged along a first longitudinal edge of the strip. The pre-crease of the strip is positioned adjacent the first end of the overlapped sheet material. The cover tape is affixed to both opposing sides of the overlapped sheet material, wherein the three sided die cuts are not registered relative to a width of the overlapped sheet material. 
     The process of forming the bag may further include the step of affixing an e-z open strip to the overlapped sheet material at the same time that the cover tape is affixed to the overlapped sheet material. Also, the step of affixing the cover tape is accomplished by sewing the cover tape to the sheet material. Further, the cover tape may include indicia printed on a layer of the laminate woven strip wherein the indicia does not require registration relative to a width of the overlapped sheet material. Another aspect of the present invention provides a cover tape having multiple handles incorporated into the cover tape such that the cover tape may be affixed to a plurality of bags comprised of an overlapped sheet material wherein a width of each of the overlapped sheet material of the plurality of overlapped sheet material may not be equal. 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a portion of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to further explain the invention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred; however, it should be understood, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the various figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals throughout the figures identify substantially similar components. 
         FIG. 1  is a front side view of an assembled shipping bag apparatus of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of multiple sheet material having gusset lines identified that may be used to form the assembled shipping bag apparatus of the type shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective exploded view of a woven laminate material used to form the sheet material and cover tape of the assembled shipping bag apparatus of the type shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a continuous cover tape of the type used to form the assembled shipping bag apparatus of the type shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of multiple assembled shipping bag apparatus of the present invention shown during the manufacturing process before cutting the cover tape to separate the bags; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of multiple assembled shipping bag apparatus of the present invention having varying widths and shown during the manufacturing process before cutting the cover tape to separate the bags; 
         FIG. 7  is a front side view of an assembled shipping bag apparatus of the present invention of the type shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a front side view of an assembled shipping bag apparatus of the type shown in  FIG. 7 , shown without an e-z open strip; 
         FIG. 9  is a back side view of the shipping bag apparatus of the type shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a front side perspective view of an assembled shipping bag apparatus of the present invention showing an open end of the bag; and 
         FIG. 11  is a front side perspective view of an assembled shipping bag apparatus of the present invention showing an open end of the bag. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description provides detail of various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Each of these embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not intended to be a limitation of the invention. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. By way of example, those skilled in the art will recognize that features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, may be used in another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention also cover such modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     The apparatus  10  of the present invention is particularly well suited for shipping or retailing heavy bulk product. The shipping bag  10  is made from a sheet material  70  and cover tape  20  of the present invention. With reference to the Figures, various embodiments according to aspects of the invention will be described in greater detail. With reference to  FIG. 1 , the shipping bag  10  is shown having cover tape  20  and e-z open zip strip  60  attached to the woven sheet material  70  forming the bag. The cover tape  20  is shown having three sided perforated finger holds  36  arranged and spaced apart in sets of four perforations  44  such that an outer distance between the set of four perforations  44  ranges between four and six inches. The spacing is particularly well suited to accommodate the size of various user&#39;s fingers and hands and to eliminate the need to register the finger holds or handle to the width of the woven sheet material forming the bag. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , multiple shipping bags  10  of the present invention are shown being formed from a continuous roll of poly woven sheet material. Perforations  72  divide the shipping bags and allow the bags formed on the roll to be simply separated and detached from the roll. The roll of sheet material includes a first edge  74  and second edge  76 . When the bag  10  is separated from the roll the first and second edges extend longitudinally along the sheet material and are overlapped and engaged together. Gusset fold lines  80 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88 , and  90  are identified on the continuous roll of sheet material. The gussets allow a portion of the woven sheet material  70  to overlap and lay flat when empty and to expand when the bag is filled. Both the sheet material  70  and cover tape  20  may be manufactured from a laminate poly woven material of known suitable construction. An exemplary laminate woven material  100  is shown in  FIG. 3 . The laminate  100  is shown having a woven layer  102  sandwiched between a top layer  104  and bottom layer  106 . Indicia  26  and symbols  28  (illustrated by way of example in  FIG. 4 ) may be printed on a layer of the laminate. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the laminate may be provided with more or less layers of the laminate. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary cover tape  20  in a continuous roll form according to aspects of the invention. The cover tape  20  includes longitudinal opposing edges  38  and  40  and a fold line or pre-crease  24  extending longitudinally between the opposing edges  38  and  40 . The pre-crease  24  allows the cover tape to be engaged to the second end  16  of the bag closer to an edge of the bag during the manufacturing process. Three perforations  30 ,  32 , and  34  form a three sides of a rectangle. When pressed, the laminate material separates along the perforations  30 - 34  to form an aperture of suitable size for a finger. A tab of the laminate material bends away from the aperture but does not separate from the cover tape  20 . When the material separates along the perforations the tab overlaps with the cover tape adjacent the finger hold and provides a thicker region that the finger engages when using the finger holds as a handle to lift the bag. Sets of four finger holds  44  form a handle and are spaced along the cover tape so that the cover tape may be applied to multiple bags in an assembly machine without requiring a registration between the position of the finger hold sets  44  on the cover tape  20  and the width of the bag  10 . Indicia and symbols  26  and  28  may further assist a user to identify features of the bag  10 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate an assembly of multiple bags  20 . Side gussets  78  are folded inward to reduce the width of a flat and empty bag. Cover tape  20  is folded over the planar fronts  120  and backs  122  of the bag and is sewn to the woven sheet  20  with stitching  62 . The bottom or open end  14  of the bags may be used to access the interior of the bag and fill the bag with desired amounts of material. Bags  10  having various widths (illustrated as bags  130  and  132 ) may be sewn to cover tape  20  through the same assembly line without the need to register the various widths of the bags to align the handles or finger hold sets relative to the bag. 
       FIGS. 7-11  illustrates various embodiments of the bag  10  in accordance with various aspects of the invention. The overlapping longitudinal edge  38  and  40  of the sheet material is thermal welded to form seam  12  in the bag.  FIG. 11  illustrates a bag having a bottom thermal weld seam  140 . In this embodiment, the bag would be filled before the cover tape is applied to the bag. Having described the constructional features of the invention the method of manufacture will now be described. A roll of woven web sheet material  70  is conveyed through a device of known suitable construction to form opposing gussets  78  (formed along fold lines  80 - 84  and  86 - 90 ) on the sheet material. The side edges  38  and  40  of the sheet material are overlapped to form a seam  12 . The overlapping edges are adhered or sealed together. A first end of the overlapped sheet material is covered with a cover tape  20  in accordance with aspects of the invention such that the cover tape  20  engages both opposing sides (front  120  and back  122 ) of the overlapped sheet material. The pre-crease  24  of the strip  20  is positioned adjacent the first end  14  of the overlapped sheet material. The cover tape  20  is then affixed to both opposing sides  120  and  122  of the overlapped sheet material, wherein the three sided die cuts  30 - 34  are not registered relative to a width of the overlapped sheet material. 
     When the cover tape  20  is attached to the sheet material  70  an e-z open strip  60  may be aligned and attached to the overlapped sheet material at the same time that the cover tape is affixed to the overlapped sheet material. The cover tape and e-z strip may be affixed by sewing or stitching the cover tape to the sheet material. A roll of the cover tape  20  may be affixed to a plurality of the overlapped sheet material during an assembly process, wherein a width of each the overlapped sheet material of the plurality of overlapped sheet material is not necessary to be equal in order to have a set of finger holds or handle approximately centered between the longitudinal edges of the bag. 
     These and various other aspects and features of the invention are described with the intent to be illustrative, and not restrictive. This invention has been described herein with detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. It is to be understood, however, that the invention can be carried out by specifically different constructions, and that various modifications, both as to the construction and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, in the appended claims, the transitional terms comprising and including are used in the open ended sense in that elements in addition to those enumerated may also be present. Other examples will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing this document.