Patent Application
20100040309
The present disclosure generally relates to the construction and manufacture of polymeric bags and in particular to improvements to the drawtape used in drawstring-type polymeric bags, especially polymeric trash bags.
Polymeric bags are ubiquitous in modern society. As a natural result of the widespread adoption and use of polymeric bags, the bags are available in a countless number of combinations of capacities, thicknesses, dimensions, and colors. Polymeric bags may be used in numerous ways including for long-term storage, food storage, and trash collection. In response to consumer demand, manufacturers of polymeric bags have also developed several innovations over the years to improve the utility and performance of polymeric bags.
While the polymeric trash bags available to consumers are available in a variety of different configurations, certain configurations are designed to cater to certain uses and particular segments of the population. When considering the utility of polymeric trash bags, one issue of primary concern to both consumers and manufacturers is how the consumer can securely close and carry the trash bag after filling with debris. Securing the trash bag is of critical importance to containing the trash and other debris inside the trash bag when it is collected and transported. Over the years, the industry has developed several different methods for securely closing and carrying trash bags, each method having certain advantages and disadvantages over the other methods.
The present disclosure is generally directed to a drawtape for drawstring polymeric bags. The drawtape is manufactured from polyethylene and is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprised of a plurality of embosses. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of embosses may be substantially circular in shape, substantially uniform in size, and distributed evenly within the embossing pattern. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the plurality of embosses may have a substantially uniform depth and be imprinted so as to extent from the base of the drawtape in a single direction. It is contemplated that the present disclosure may be manufactured with at least 20% high-density polyethylene. In certain embodiments the drawtape has a width of between 0.5 inches and 2 inches with a thickness of between 1.5 and 3 mils. In one embodiment, the width may be 1 inch with a thickness of 2.25 mils. In certain embodiments the polyethylene drawtape is a triple-ply, co-extruded drawtape.
The present disclosure is also directed to a drawstring polymeric bag utilizing an embossed drawtape. In particular, the present disclosure is directed toward a polymeric bag comprised of a front panel and a back panel that are joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom of the respective panels to form the polymeric bag. The top end of the front panel is folded and sealed to form a first hem while the top end of the back panel is folded and sealed to form a second hem. A drawtape is disposed within at least one of the two hems and is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprising a plurality of embosses. As before, in preferred embodiments, the plurality of embosses are substantially circular in shape, are substantially uniform in size and are distributed evenly within the embossing pattern. Furthermore, the plurality of embosses may have a substantially uniform depth. In some embodiments, the embossed drawtape may have a width between 0.5 inches and 2 inches and a thickness of between 1.5 mils and 3 mils. In one embodiment, the width of the drawtape is 1 inch with a thickness of 2.25 mils.
The present disclosure is also directed toward a method for manufacturing an embossed drawstring bag. The present disclosure is directed toward the steps of manufacturing a polymeric bag with a front panel, a back panel, and an upper opening. A first hem is formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag and a first embossed drawtape is disposed within the first hem. The first embossed drawtape is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprising a plurality of embosses. Furthermore, the present disclosure is also directed toward the steps of sealing a first end of the first embossed drawtape to a first side of the polymeric bag and sealing a second end of the first embossed drawtape to a second side of the polymeric bag. Additionally, the present disclosure is also directed toward the additional steps of forming a second hem along the upper opening of the polymeric bag and disposing a second embossed drawtape within the second hem formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag, the second embossed drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern comprised of a plurality of embosses.
It is contemplated that the present disclosure may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present disclosure is intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such uses are not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the present disclosure should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and the appended claim. In addition, other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions and claims.
For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
There are a small number of conventional methods for generally securely closing and carrying trash bags used in commercially-available trash bags. The most basic of these methods is to include providing a twist-tie or similar strap to secure the top of the bag when it is bunched together. Another conventional method includes providing flaps extending from the top of the trash bag, which may be used for securely tying the top of the bag closed. A third conventional method to securely closing and facilitating carrying of a trash bag is to include a drawstring near the top edge of the bag. The drawstring is typically located in a hem along the upper edge of the bag, which may be used to pull the upper opening of the trash bag closed.
One conventional method to secure a trash bag includes providing a “tie” to accompany the refuse bag. “Twist-tie bags” typically include straight-cut bags, which have an ordinary circular opening at the top of the bag. After the twist-tie bag is filled with trash and debris, the top edge of the bag is bunched together and the twist-tie is used to hold the bunch together for disposal. The twist ties are typically constructed from a combination of paper and wire, but other types of ties may be utilized to secure the bag opening.
These methods of securing the trash bag are generally effective, but present certain challenges and disadvantages. For example, conventional bags that provide twist-ties are simple to produce because the shape of the bag is generally basic and the ties can be separately produced at very low cost. However, for the consumers, this method of closure can be inefficient in certain instances. First and foremost, the ties must be kept in a location that is convenient to the filled trash bags when needed to securely close the bag. Keeping the ties in a location separate from the bag itself is impractical and inconvenient, often resulting in lost or misplaced ties. Furthermore, it is difficult to carry a trash bag closed with a twist-tie as the only available material for carrying is the excess material in the tied bunch.
Other conventional methods include using a multi-flapped bag. A “multi-flapped” bag generally refers to a polymeric bag having a top edge cut in a wave-like pattern to provide two or more flaps extending upward from the top of the bag. These flaps, which are typically in paired configurations of two or four flaps, generally allow the user to tie opposing flaps together to secure the contents of the trash bag inside. When the flaps are secured to one another, the tied flaps also generally provide a handle for carrying the bag. Thus, multi-flapped bags are generally easier to use than twist-tie bags. Multi-flapped bags, however, still present certain challenges and disadvantages. For example, the multi-flap bag is still not generally as convenient as many commercially available drawstring bags.
Drawstring trash bags are a popular alternative to multi-flap and twist-tie trash bags. As the name suggests, drawstring bags generally employ a drawstring, or drawtape, which is incorporated into the bag design. The drawtape is typically incorporated into a hem that runs along the upper opening of the bag. The manufacture of a drawstring bag is relatively more complicated than either the ordinary bags used with twist-ties or the slightly more complicated multi-flap bags.
Despite their popularity, drawstring bags are not without criticism. In particular, the drawtape used with drawstring bags must be much stronger than the polyethylene used as the bag material. The drawtape material must resist the tendency to puncture or tear, which requires a resilient polyethylene to be utilized as the drawtape material. As a result, there is a long-felt need to provide a drawtape that does not feel as stiff as current drawtape while providing a high level of resistance to puncture and tear. The present disclosure generally addresses a long-felt need and provides systems and methods of using polymeric bags for trash collection.
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It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.
While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, it is contemplated that any number of different embossing patterns may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.
