Patent Application
20240228120
The subject matter of the present application relates to flexible, reclosable enclosures.
Child-resistant packages are designed to hold contents that may be dangerous or inappropriate for children, such as medicinal drugs, detergent capsules, or similar items. Some known child-resistant packages are rigid containers (e.g., jars or bottles) that have specially-designed lids that must be squeezed or pushed in particular techniques to remove the lid and expose the contents. The particular techniques may not be apparent to a child and/or may require an amount of force that is beyond the strength of a child. The rigid child-resistant containers may be complicated and costly to manufacture. Additionally, such containers may be relatively expensive to transport and recycle due to the rigid structure and weight of the containers and lids. Alternative enclosures are desired that are child-resistant and more flexible.
In one or more embodiments, a reclosable enclosure is provided that includes front and back panels and a reclosable mechanism. The front panel and the back panel are coupled to each other and form an interior cavity therebetween. The front panel is configured to form an access slot that extends widthwise along the front panel. The reclosable mechanism is coupled to an interior side of the front panel along the access slot. The reclosable mechanism has a first profile and a second profile forming a zipper. The first profile includes a user tab that is accessible through the access slot. The user tab is configured to assist in separating the first and second profiles to provide an opening to the interior cavity of the reclosable enclosure.
Optionally, the reclosable mechanism may include a race-track seal that secures at least one of the first profile or the second profile to the interior side of the front panel, with the race-track seal surrounding the access slot. Optionally, the reclosable mechanism is discrete and spaced apart from the back panel.
Optionally, the first profile may include a first interlocking element and the second profile includes a second interlocking element, with the first and second interlocking elements separably connectable to provide the zipper. The user tab of the first profile may project from an edge of the first profile towards the access slot. Optionally, the first profile includes a lower sealed portion fixedly attached to the interior side of the front panel and a separable upper flange extending from the lower sealed portion. The separable upper flange may include the first interlocking element and the user tab. The separable upper flange may be separated from the interior side of the front panel while the first and second interlocking elements are connected to each other, thereby permitting the access slot to at least partially open without separating the first and second interlocking elements.
Optionally, the front panel may form a pull flap that projects above an upper edge of the first profile, and the pull flap is configured to be pulled by a user to enlarge the access slot and provide access to the user tab.
Optionally, the first profile and the second profile are coupled to each other at first and second crushed sections, and the first and second profiles define the opening to the interior cavity between the first and second crushed sections when the first and second profiles are separated.
Optionally, the front panel includes a removable strip on an exterior surface of the front panel covering the access slot, and the access slot is exposed after the removable strip is at least partially removed. Optionally, the front panel includes a line of weakness, and the access slot is formed after the line of weakness is broken.
Optionally, the front panel includes an upper portion above the access slot and a lower portion below the access slot, with the upper portion integrally connected to the lower portion at opposite ends of the access slot. The first profile may be fixedly attached to the lower portion, and the second profile may be fixedly attached to the upper portion.
Optionally, the first profile has a first lower interlocking element extending continuously along the first profile and the user tab includes a tab-locking element. The second profile has a second lower interlocking element and a second upper interlocking element that both extend continuously along the second profile. The first and second lower interlocking elements may be separably connectable to provide the zipper, and the tab-locking element may be separably connectable to the second upper interlocking element of the second profile.
Optionally, the first profile includes a first upper interlocking element parallel to the first lower interlocking element, and the user tab is configured to be received in a gap between first and second segments of the first upper interlocking element. The first and second upper interlocking elements may be separably connectable to each other and can be separated from each other while the tab-locking element remains connected to the second upper interlocking element.
In one or more embodiments, a reclosable enclosure is provided that includes front and back panels and a reclosable mechanism. The front panel and the back panel are coupled to each other and form an interior cavity therebetween. The front panel is configured to form an access slot that extends widthwise along the front panel. The reclosable mechanism is coupled to an interior side of the front panel along the access slot. The reclosable mechanism has a first profile and a second profile. The first profile includes a first interlocking element, and the second profile includes a second interlocking element. The first and second interlocking elements are separably connectable to provide a zipper. The first profile also includes a user tab that is accessible through the access slot. The user tab is configured to assist in separating the first and second interlocking elements to provide an opening to the interior cavity of the reclosable enclosure. The first profile includes a lower sealed portion fixedly attached to the interior side of the front panel and a separable upper flange extending from the lower sealed portion. The first interlocking element and the user tab are disposed on the separable upper flange. The separable upper flange is configured to be separated from the interior side of the front panel while the first and second interlocking elements are connected to each other, thereby permitting the access slot to at least partially open without separating the first and second interlocking elements.
Optionally, the user tab is a free-standing flap that projects from an upper edge of the first profile along the separable upper flange. Optionally, the front panel forms a pull flap that projects above the upper edge of the first profile, and the pull flap can be pulled by a user to enlarge the access slot and provide access to the user tab. Optionally, the front panel includes a removable strip on an exterior surface of the front panel covering the access slot, and the access slot is exposed after the removable strip is at least partially removed.
Optionally, the reclosable mechanism includes a race-track seal that secures at least one of the first profile or the second profile to the interior side of the front panel, with the race-track seal surrounding the access slot.
Optionally, the first profile and the second profile are coupled to each other at first and second crushed sections. The first and second profiles may define the opening to the interior cavity between the first and second crushed sections when the first and second profiles are separated.
In one or more embodiments, a reclosable enclosure is provided that includes front and back panels and a reclosable mechanism. The front panel and the back panel are coupled to each other and form an interior cavity therebetween. The front panel is configured to form an access slot that extends along the front panel. The reclosable mechanism is coupled to an interior side of the front panel along the access slot. The reclosable mechanism has a first profile and a second profile. The first profile has a first lower interlocking element extending continuously along the first profile. The second profile has a second lower interlocking element and a second upper interlocking element that both extend continuously along the second profile. The first and second lower interlocking elements are separably connectable to provide a zipper. The first profile also includes a user tab that is accessible through the access slot. The user tab is configured to assist in separating the first and second lower interlocking elements to provide an opening to the interior cavity of the reclosable enclosure. The user tab includes a tab-locking element that aligns with and is separably connectable to the upper interlocking element of the second profile.
Optionally, the first profile includes a first upper interlocking element parallel to the first lower interlocking element, and the user tab can be received in a gap between first and second segments of the first upper interlocking element. The first and second upper interlocking elements may be separably connectable to each other and can be separated from each other while the tab-locking element of the user tab remains connected to the second upper interlocking element.
The inventive subject matter may be understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below:
Embodiments set forth herein include a reclosable front-opening flexible enclosure. Flexible enclosures (e.g., box lines, plastic packages, and the like) can be used to hold a wide variety of contents. Flexible enclosures have become more popular because such enclosures can cost less than alternatives, such as rigid container, and can be readily opened but also sealed to provide sufficient protection of the contents therein. A reclosable enclosure enables a user to repeatedly open the enclosure, remove a portion of the contents from the enclosure, and then close the enclosure in a manner that seals the contents therein. In many cases, these reclosable enclosures are torn or ripped when initially opened. Despite being irreparably altered, the reclosable enclosures are configured to reseal the opening to protect the contents from the surrounding environment and/or prevent the contents from inadvertently exiting the enclosure. Compared to user-improvised methods (e.g., rolling the top of a flexible bag and/or mounting a clamp or clip on the bag), reclosable enclosures are tidier and reassure the user that the contents are protected and will not spill if the enclosure is mispositioned or dropped.
Front-opening reclosable enclosures have an access slot along a front of the enclosure below the top end of the enclosure. Opening the enclosure through the access slot retains the integrity of the package along the entire boundary, including the top end, the bottom end opposite the top end, and side edges that extend from the bottom end to the top end. Because the boundary of the enclosure is unaltered, even after opening the enclosure, the front-opening reclosable enclosures protect the contents from the surrounding environment and/or prevent the contents from inadvertently exiting the enclosure.
Embodiments of the flexible, front-opening reclosable enclosure described herein include child-resistant or child-deterrent tab features. The tab features are designed to deter or prevent a child from opening the enclosure to access the contents within the enclosure. For example, the enclosures described herein include reclosable mechanisms with grippable tab features that are manipulated in order to open the reclosable mechanism. For example, the reclosable mechanisms of the embodiments may not be unlocked or unzipped merely by pulling front and back panels of the enclosures in opposite directions without manipulating the tab feature. The incorporation of the tab feature child-proofs the enclosure because a child may not be able to locate the tab feature, may not mentally comprehend the function of gripping and pulling the tab feature, and/or may not be physically strong enough or dexterous to complete the task of gripping and pulling the tab feature to unzip the reclosable mechanism.
In the following description and claims, relative or spatial terms such as “front,” “back,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” “lateral,” “longitudinal,” and the like are only used to distinguish the referenced elements or features with respect to one another and make the language more readily understandable. The terms do not necessarily require particular positions, sizes, or orientations relative to the surrounding environment. Moreover, in the following description and claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. may be used as labels to distinguish similar elements (e.g., first and second side walls) and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.
The enclosure 100 can have various shapes in different embodiments, including different numbers and arrangements of panels. For example, the front and back panels 106, 108 of the enclosure 100 optionally may be indirectly coupled to each other via side walls that extend the height of the enclosure 100. The side walls may form gussets that enable enlarging of the interior cavity 110, such as by the contents that are loaded into the interior cavity 110. In another embodiment, the enclosure 100 may lack the discrete bottom panel 118 shown in
The enclosure 100 includes a reclosable mechanism 120 that is coupled to an interior side 121 of the front panel 106. The interior side 121 defines a portion of the interior cavity 110. The reclosable mechanism 120 laterally extends along a width of the front panel 106 between the left and right edges 112, 114. For example, the reclosable mechanism 120 is longer in the width direction than the vertical direction. The reclosable mechanism 120 defines an intermeshable closure member, referred to herein as a zipper 122. The reclosable mechanism 120 is discrete and spaced apart from the back panel 108. For example, the back panel 108 may continuously extend the height and width of the enclosure 100 without any openings.
The zipper 122 may include strips of a structured surface having ridges and troughs that can mate with itself. The zipper 122 is formed by a first profile 134 and a second profile 136 of the reclosable mechanism 120. For example, the first and second profiles 134, 136 may include two opposing hook-filled strips having the same or similar structures. When brought together, the hooks of one strip may couple to the hooks of the opposing strip, thereby sealing the enclosure 100.
The front panel 106 defines an access slot 124 that extends widthwise. In the illustrated embodiment, the access slot 124 is oriented approximately parallel to the top end 102 and the bottom end 104 of the enclosure 104. The access slot 124 is spaced apart from and located between the top and bottom ends 102, 104. The front panel 106 defines an upper portion 126 above the access slot 124 and below the top end 102. A lower portion 128 of the front panel 106 is below the access slot 124 and above the bottom end 104. The access slot 124 in an embodiment does not extend the full width of the front panel 106, so the upper and lower portions 126, 128 are integrally connected at opposite ends 130, 132 of the access slot 124. In the illustrated embodiment, the first profile 134 of the reclosable mechanism 120 is fixedly attached to the lower portion 128 of the front panel 106, and the second profile 136 is fixedly attached to the upper portion 126. For example, the first profile 134 may be sealed (e.g., bonded) to the interior side 121 of the lower portion 128 below the access slot 124, and the second profile 136 may be sealed to the interior side 121 of the upper portion 126 above the access slot 124. The first and second profiles 134, 136 are fixedly attached to the front panel 106 during the assembly process, such as in a vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) packing line. An advantage of the front-panel reclosable mechanism 120 described herein is that the zipper profiles 134, 136 can be entirely pre-applied on a flat web of film prior to the forming of the package. The reclosable mechanism 120 may require no additional sealing of the zipper profiles 134, 136 to the web during the package forming process or filling process.
The reclosable mechanism 120 is located along the access slot 124. For example, one or both of the first and second profiles 134, 136 may overlap the access slot 124. The zipper 122 is open (e.g., fluidly connected) to the access slot 124, such that the zipper 122 is accessible to a user through the access slot 124. Outside of the access slot 124 the zipper 122 is obstructed by the front panel 106. The reclosable mechanism 120 includes a user tab 140 that is accessible through the access slot 124. The user tab 140 is configured to assist in separating the first and second profiles 134, 136 to provide an opening to the interior cavity 110 of the reclosable enclosure 100.
The first profile 134 and the second profile 136 are coupled to each other at first and second crushed sections 214, 216. The crushed sections 214, 216 reinforce the reclosable mechanism 120 and withstand forces that pull the first and second profiles 134, 136 away from each other. The reclosable mechanism 120 may include one or more additional seal sections, such as a tack seal 218, to fixedly attach the reclosable mechanism 120 to the front panel 106.
In operation, when the user separates the first and second profiles 134, 136 to form the opening 142 (shown in
In
A lower portion of first profile 134 proximate to a lower edge 308 of the profile 134 is a sealing flange 310. An upper portion of the first profile 134 between the sealing flange 310 and the upper edge 306 is a separable upper flange 312. The separable upper flange 312 extends from the sealing flange 310 and includes a first interlocking element 314. The first interlocking element 314 may include parallel protrusions 316 that define tracks continuously extending along the width of the first profile 134. The separable upper flange 312 also includes the tabs 140. In
In
The first and second interlocking elements 314, 332 are separably connectable to provide the zipper 122. For example, the first interlocking element 314 is complementary to, and releasably interlockable with, the second interlocking element 332. As shown in
In
In
As shown in
In the embodiments shown in
In
The upper profile section 602 of the first profile 134 includes a sealing flange 606 along an upper portion thereof and a first upper interlocking element 608 proximate to a bottom edge 610 of the upper profile section 602. The upper profile section 602 defines one or more gaps 612 that divide the first upper interlocking element 608 into multiple segments. In the illustrated embodiment, two gaps 612 divide the first upper interlocking element 608 into a first segment 614, a second segment 616, and a third segment 618 along the length of the element 608. The gaps 612 may be cut-outs defined when forming the tabs 140 of the lower profile section 604. For example, the tabs 140 may be defined by the severed portions of the first upper interlocking element 608.
As shown in
When the reclosable mechanism 120 is closed, the first and second lower interlocking elements 314, 332 are interlocked and the first and second upper interlocking elements 608, 406 are interlocked. The reclosable mechanism 120 can be opened by first pulling the lower portion 128 of the front panel 106 to enlarge the access slot 124. A user can grab and pull the flap 502 of the front panel 106 to enlarge the access slot 124. Pulling apart the upper and lower portions 126, 128 of the front panel 106 causes the first upper interlocking element 608 of the upper profile section 602 to separate from the second upper interlocking element 406, which exposes the tab 140. For example, the segments 614, 616, 618 pull apart from the second upper interlocking element 406 of the second profile 136 while the tab-locking element 402 remain connected to the second upper interlocking element 406. The user then lifts and peels the tab 140 from the second upper interlocking element 406. The user grips the released tab 140 and pulls the tab 140 outward away from the second profile 136 to separate the first and second lower interlocking elements 314, 332 from each other. The separation of the interlocking element 314, 332 represents the opening of the reclosable mechanism 120 and provides access to the contents within the interior cavity 110 (shown in
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the inventive subject matter without departing from its scope. While the dimensions and types of materials described herein are intended to define the parameters of the inventive subject matter, they are by no means limiting and are example embodiments. Many other embodiments will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the inventive subject matter should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure.
This written description uses examples to disclose several embodiments of the inventive subject matter and also to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments of inventive subject matter, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the inventive subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present inventive subject matter are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising,” “including,” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.
This application is a national phase entry of and claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/US2021/026869 (filed 12 Apr. 2021), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/009,214 (filed 13 Apr. 2020). The entire disclosures of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/026869 | 4/12/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US21/26869 | Apr 2021 | US | |
| 63009214 | Apr 2020 | US |
