Patent Application
20160059996
The field of the invention is bag sealing devices and methods.
The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Any time a bag of chips is opened, the chips need to either be eaten in one sitting or the bag must be resealed to maintain freshness. Efforts have been made in the past to address this issue, but each attempt has fallen short for one reason or another.
In one example, bag clips have been produced that allow a person to roll up the end of the bag and clip it shut. While this helps to prevent the chips from becoming stale, it falls short in that air can still move in and out of the bag with relative ease. Chips or other foods sealed in this way will still become stale and inedible in a short amount of time.
Other efforts have been made to create a device that can easily and effectively seal or reseal bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,696 (Ha et al.) describes a bag sealing and resealing device. The device includes a rod and a sheath, where the sheath has a slot along its longitudinal length. When a person is finished with a bag that does not otherwise include a way to reseal it, the device of the Ha et al. patent reseals the bag by looping the bag around the rod and between the rod and the sheath. To make it easier for a person to slide the device of the Ha et al. patent onto a bag, the rod has a bent portion at one end. This design, however, fails to appreciate better alternatives that make it even easier to use such a device.
All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Thus, there is still a need for improved bag sealing devices and methods.
The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods of sealing bags. To seal a bag, the bag is wrapped around a rod that is housed within a sheath that has a slit along its length. When the bag is wrapped around the rod within the sheath, the rod and sheath cause the bag to be sealed off such that any items on the closed side of the bag will exposed to minimal air.
In preferred embodiments, the bag sealing device includes a rod and a sheath, where the rod is disposed within the sheath. The sheath has a slit running along its axial direction that provides a space for the bag to protrude from the device.
The rod couples to the sheath at one end such that the other end of the rod protrudes from the sheath. In preferred embodiments, the rod has a triangular cross-section, but in other embodiments the rod can have triangular cross-sections, circular cross-sections, polygonal cross-sections, a tear-drop cross-section, or even different cross sections for different portions of the rod. The end of the rod that protrudes from the sheath is preferably rounded slightly bulbous. Preferably, this end of the rod is also substantially axially aligned with the rod (i.e., the bulbous end of the rod is not at an angle relative to the body of the rod).
In preferred embodiments, the sheath has a rounded interior, but it can also have an interior cross-section to match the cross-section of the rod coupled to it. For example, if the rod has triangular cross sections along its length, then the sheath could also have triangular cross sections on its interior so as to provide a more reliable seal when the device is in use. In other embodiments, the end of the sheath having an opening for the rod to protrude from also extends away from the rod. This feature makes it easier to put the device onto a bag to seal the bag.
In addition, preferred methods include a sheath that is flared on an end to facilitate sliding a bag onto a rod.
a shows a cutaway view of a bag sealing device where the rod and sheath have circular cross sections.
b shows a cutaway view of a bag sealing device where the rod and sheath have triangular cross sections.
c shows a cutaway view of a bag sealing device where the rod and sheath have teardrop cross sections.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
The following discussion provides many example embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subject matter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
On one end, the rod has features that facilitate coupling to the sheath. The bag sealing device 100 of
The rod 104 also has a bulbous portion 118 that makes it easier to slide a bag into the device 100. Preferably, the bulbous portion 118 is oriented such that it is substantially axially aligned with the body of the rod 104. Even more preferably, the top of the bulbous portion 118 is flush with the body of the rod 102 as shown in
It was previously thought that having the end of the rod angled downward would make it easier to slide a bag onto a device; however, it has since been discovered that such a configuration actually makes it more difficult to use these devices. This is because a fold in a bag must be aligned with the body of the rod to slide the bag over the rod and into the sheath, and when the end of the rod has an angled bend the bag tends to match that angle when a person tries to slide the bag onto that device. A bulbous portion 118 that is axially aligned with the body of the rod 102 helps to ensure the fold of a bag 106 is lined up with the rod 102 so that the bag 106 more easily slide into the device 100.
The sheath 102 is sized and dimensioned to receive the rod 104. The embodiment shown in
Along the length of the sheath 102 are texture features 120, which provide improved grip for a user. Texture features 120 shown in
One end of the sheath 102 is a rod coupling portion 116, as mentioned briefly above, and on the other end is a bag insertion portion 122. The bag insertion portion 122 of
The rod coupling portion 116, on the end of the rod 102 opposite the bag insertion portion 122, is configured to couple with the rod 102. As mentioned above, the rod has plugs 110 that are sized and dimensioned to fit into plug holes 114 that are formed into the rod coupling portion 116 of the rod 102. The end of the sheath 102 is preferably flush with the rounded end cap 108 of the rod 102 when the plugs are within the plug holes. When coupled together, the rod is contained mostly within the sheath 102, except for the rounded end cap 108 and the portion of the rod extending from the sheath 102.
The bag sealing device 200 of
a-3c show cutaway views of various embodiments of the bag sealing device.
b shows a rod 302b and sheath 304b having triangular cross-sections with a bag 306b protruding from the slit 398b. The rod 302b is shown as having a sharp triangular form, while the sheath 304b has a rounded triangular cross-section. Having a sharp triangular cross-section allows the rod 302b to direct its reactionary forces to two points on the bag 306b within the sheath 304b. So, when a bag 306b is inserted into the device 300b, the triangular rod effectively cinches off the bag at two separate points. This effect increases the device's ability to pneumatically segregate one portion of the bag 306b from another portion. While
c shows a rod 302c and sheath 304c having triangular cross-sections with a bag 306c protruding from the slit 308c. The rod 302c is shown as having a teardrop-shaped cross-section, while the sheath 304c has a rounded teardrop-shaped cross-section. Having a sharp teardrop-shaped cross-section allows the rod 302c to direct its reactionary forces to a single point on the bag 306c within the sheath 304c. So, when a bag 306c is inserted into the device 300c, the teardrop-shaped rod effectively cinches off the bag at a single point. Having the point of the teardrop facing the opposite direction of the slit 308c increases the effectiveness of the desired pneumatic segregation by causing the point of the tear-drop to press against the bag 306c right where the bag 306c folds over the rod 302c. While
Any of the configurations described in
As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with” are used synonymously.
Any of the embodiments described above can be made from a variety of materials, including different types of plastic. Preferably, both the rod and sheath are made from plastic, but one and/or the other can also be made from a ceramic or a metal. Natural products such as hemp-based materials can also be used. Ideally, the bag sealing device is a straight, though some variation in curvature is tolerated. Overall, bag sealing devices described in this application should be stiff enough that they are not easily bent or broken by, for example, a child. Proper function of the device, on the other hand, does not rely on excessive stiffness so there is no requirement that any component be made from a stiff material (such as metal).
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
