Patent ID: 7331159

Claim:
A method for wrapping an article using a web of packaging film having at least one tear line thereon in a machine direction (MD), the method comprising the steps of: (a) forming at regular intervals in the MD a tab on the film, the tab having a free end connected by free sides to an end attached to the film, the tab being positioned on the film so the axis of at least one tear line in the MD passes through both ends of the tab; (b) severing the film web to form sheets with leading and trailing cut sides by cutting substantially along an axis across a transverse direction (TD) of the web, the axis passing across the tab between its ends, where the tab along said axis is not substantially severed there through so the tab protrudes from the leading cut sides of the sheet; (c) wrapping a sheet formed from step (b) around an article to form a tube with the cut sides of the sheet overlapping, where the free end of the tab lies on the top of the overlap on the outside of the tube and where the cut sides of the sheet overlap to the extent that a spacing region exists wholly within the overlap region, the spacing region defined by the sides of the film and a first pair of axes comprising of one axis in the TD spaced from the trailing cut side of the sheet underneath the overlap and an axis in the TD passing through the attached end of the tab; (d) sealing the film together within the overlap region by a sealing means which: (i) seals substantially completely outside a tab region defined by the leading cut side of the overlap region and a second pair of axes in the MD perpendicular to the first pair defining the spacing region, the second pair passing through the respective widest points for each free side of the tab; and (ii) seals inside the tab region substantially only within the spacing region so the free end of the tab remains substantially unsealed to the film; and (e) wrapping the ends of the tube around the article and sealing the ends to form a sealed package around the article, the package being readily openable by pulling the free tab end to initiate tearing along the tear line.