Process for making a self-closing, resealable package

Abstract

A process for making a resealable package that that is formed from a packaging material, which is coated with cohesive material with a liner covering a portion of the cohesive material such that when the laminate is folded about an article to be enclosed the liner inhibits some of the cohesive from sticking to itself. The packaging material may further include a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive for resealing the package.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a process for making a resealable, reusable mailer package which can be used for shipping goods to a consumer, who may then re-use the same package, if necessary, for re-mailing the goods back to the sender.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Methods for making various types of resealable packages are known. For Example, a method for making resealable packages is disclosed in Forman, U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,662. This method relates to making flexible packages that have an openable and resealable interlocking closure. The resealable closures are formed from multiple reversely fanfolded layers of the film from which the package is made. Forman also discloses another method for making a resealable package in U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,749. This method discloses a process that forms a reclosable or easy-opening container with a tack free flap. The tack free flap is formed on line with a portion of the package film, which has been slit away from the package film and applied to pressure sensitive tape.

[0004] Other disclosed methods for making resealable packages are disclosed in McClure U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,897 and Schwartz U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,309. McClure, like Forman, discloses a method of creating a package with reclosable, resealable flaps. The package is formed and closed by securing the flaps on the bottom end of the structure using permanent adhesive. After filling the package with product, one top outer flap is engaged by an opposite flap. When the flaps are initially closed during the packaging process, an area of permanent adhesive is applied on at least one of the flaps to secure the flaps to each other when closed. The method disclosed in Schwartz employs a resealable package using a zipper material. The zipper closure comprises interlocking beads which effect an openable and reclosable seal.

[0005] In this new millennium and age of the Internet, there is a large and growing amount of sales of merchandise over the Internet, e.g., e-commerce, in addition to the ordinary catalog sales and sales from fulfillment houses. These new types of transactions, in addition to the established ones, cause a tremendous increase in the mailing and shipping of goods, both locally and across the country. Inevitably, the increase in the sales and shipping of goods consequently causes an increase in returning those same goods to the shipper when the consumer is unsatisfied with the purchase. Therefore, a need exists for a convenient way to ship goods to consumers that can be easily returned to the shipper in the same package when necessary to do so. As a result of the consumers' need to re-mail unwanted goods back to the sender, there exists a need for re-usable packages that can serve this purpose, as well as to a process for making such packages.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0006] The present invention fulfills this need by providing a process of making a resealable re-mailable package that is much simpler than that of the prior art. Thus, it satisfies the need for a process of making a resealable package that is simple to use and inexpensive in construction and which could easily be made on an industrial scale.

[0007] The present invention relates to a process for providing a package-forming material comprising the steps of providing a packaging material in the form of at least one sheet having a surface that is receptive to receiving adhesive or cohesive materials; applying a cohesive material to surface portions of the packaging material; applying a release liner upon a portion of the cohesive material; and rolling the sheet upon itself to form a roll of package-forming material. If desired, the release liner may have a coating of a pressure sensitive adhesive thereon to assist in temporarily securing the liner to the cohesive material. Also, the method may include the step of applying a bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive on the cohesive material before applying the release liner upon the pressure sensitive adhesive.

[0008] Advantageously, release liner with or without the bead or strip of adhesive is provided along the entire length of the sheet before collecting the material in a roll. Preferably, the process includes the step of forming a package by placing the packaging material about an article to be packaged such that surface portions of the packaging material that include the cohesive material contact other portions that include cohesive material to adhere such portions to each other and form a sealed package which encloses the article.

[0009] In this process, the packaging material may be paper or plastic but generally would be a laminate of paper and plastic. Preferably, the packaging material is a laminate that includes a water impermeable plastic film adhesively laminated to a first paper layer, wherein the plastic film has first and second surfaces and the laminate is prepared by corona discharge treating the first surface of the plastic film to render it receptive to adhesives followed by adhesively cold laminating the first surface of the plastic film to the first paper layer. Alternatively, the packaging material may be a laminate that includes a water impermeable plastic film adhesively laminated between first and second paper layers, wherein the plastic film has first and second surfaces and the laminate is prepared by corona discharge treating both the first and second surfaces of the plastic film to render it receptive to adhesives followed by adhesively cold laminating the first surface of the plastic film to the first paper layer and the second surface of the plastic film to the second paper layer.

[0010] The cohesive material is generally applied to first and second surface portions of the packaging material and the package is formed by placing the first surface of the packaging material above the article to be packaged and by placing the second surface portion of the packaging material below the article to be packaged, such that the first and second surface portions of the packaging material that include the cohesive material contact and adhere to each other to form the sealed package which encloses the article.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first and second surface portions of the packaging material can be provided on one side of a single sheet of the laminate and then the sheet can be folded around the article to be packaged to place the cohesive material containing portions in face-to-face orientation so that they can be adhered together to form the package. For convenience, the cohesive material is typically applied to one entire surface of the laminate sheet. Alternatively, the first and second surface portions can be provided as first and second laminate sheets which are and placed above and below the article to be packaged with the cohesive material containing surface portions in face-to-face orientation so that they can be adhered together to form the package.

[0012] When a resealable and reusable package is desired, a liner is placed upon at least part of a cohesive material containing surface portion adjacent to where the article is to be packaged to prevent that part of the surface portion from adhering to other cohesive material containing surface portions, thus forming a non-adhered margin adjacent the article after the package is formed. An indication of where the package can be opened is provided to enable the package to be opened in the non-adhered margin, such that the package may be resealed by removing the liner and contacting the cohesive material containing surface portions to adhere such portions to each other and form a re-sealed package. When the package is opened along the indication, the article can be removed from the package for inspection. When the article is to be returned, it can be simply replaced in the package, with the liner removed so that the package can be re-sealed by contacting the cohesive material containing surface portions to adhere such portions together. The indication is preferably an indicia or a pre-printed dotted line which indicates where the package may be cut to open it, and indicia may be provided to indicate where an edge or end of the article to be packaged should be placed so that it will not be covering the margin. A suitable liner material is paper, plastic, foil or a composite.

[0013] The plastic film is laminated to the paper layer using pressure and an adhesive that includes a water-based acrylic copolymer composition or a vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer. Generally, the paper layer is coated paper, Kraft paper, Bond paper or white paper having a thickness of about 3 to 6 mils and the plastic film comprises polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester and has a thickness of about 1 to 3 mils. Different orientations of the laminate may be used. For example, the paper layer of the laminate can include a printed surface which is adhered to the plastic film, with the plastic film forming an outer portion of the package. Alternatively, the paper layer can includes first and second surfaces, with the first surface being a printed surface, the second surface being s adhered to the plastic film and the printed surface of the paper layer forming an outer portion of the package. Furthermore, the paper layer can include first and second surfaces, with the first surface being a metallized surface and the second surface adhered to the plastic film so that the metallized surface of the paper layer can form a decorative outer portion of the package.

[0014] In another variation of the present process, a pressure sensitive adhesive is applied over at least part of the packaging material adjacent to where the article is to be packaged, and a liner is placed upon the pressure sensitive adhesive to prevent the pressure sensitive adhesive from adhering to other portions of the packaging material, thus forming a non-adhered margin after the package is formed. As above, an indication can be provided to show where the package can be opened so that the package is opened in the non-adhered margin. Thus, the package may be resealed by removing the liner and adhering the pressure sensitive material to other surface portions to form a re-sealed package. Again, the package can be opened along the indication to remove the article from the package, and it can replaced and resealed in the package by removing the liner, and re-sealing the package by contacting the pressure sensitive material to other surface portions to adhere them together. The indication is preferably an indicia or a pre-printed dotted line which indicates where the package may be cut to open it, and indicia may be provided to indicate where an edge or end of the article to be packaged should be placed so that it will not be covering the margin. A suitable liner material is paper, plastic, foil or a composite. Advantageously, the packaging material may be a thermoplastic material such as TYVEK.

[0015] After the pressure sensitive adhesive, liner and if desired, indicia, is applied to the packaging material, the material can be stored on a roll and shipped to a user's facility. The user can then dispense the packaging material from the rolls to package articles to be shipped to recipients, consumers, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings therein:

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a flexible, paper-plastic laminate in accordance with the invention;

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates the flexible, paper-plastic laminate coated with cohesive and a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive.

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates an article enclosed inside the resealable package formed from the laminate of FIG. 2.

[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates the cohesively coated laminate with a releasable liner and indicia for the placement of an article to be packaged.

[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates the cohesively bonded edge of the formed resealable package with pressure sensitive adhesive covered by a liner and showing where the package should be cut for opening.

[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates an enclosed package with indicia noting the location for cutting the package to open it.

[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates a laminate that is coated with cohesive around the perimeter of the laminate and further includes a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] The present invention provides a process of making package that may be resealable. In one embodiment the package is adhesive-free and utilizes cohesive material for sealing and resealing the package. In another embodiment, the package is initially sealed by cohesive material and the package can be resealed by utilizing a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive that is covered and protected by a liner during the initial sealing of the package.

[0025] The process for making the package of the present invention provides a simple, inexpensive construction that is easily used on an industrial scale. Additionally, the process provides a convenient package for re-sending merchandise back to the shipper via the postal system.

[0026] The process for making the package includes the steps of providing a packaging material in the form of at least one sheet having a surface that is receptive to receiving adhesive or cohesive materials, applying a cohesive material to surface portions of the packaging material; applying a release liner upon the cohesive material; and rolling the sheet upon itself to form a roll of package-forming material. Optionally, a bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive can be applied onto the cohesive material before the release liner is applied or onto the release liner before it is applied to the cohesive material. This facilitates manufacture of the packaging material because the cohesive material can be applied to the laminate first, the release liner and, if desired, pressure sensitive material applied later, preferably just before the cohesive coated laminate is collected into a roll.

[0027] The package-forming material of the present process may be comprised of paper, plastic, laminate, which may be two-ply or three-ply, or olefin or thermoplastic film material such as Tyvek®.

[0028] In one embodiment the package-forming material is paper, which can be coated paper, Kraft paper, or higher quality paper such as Bond or white paper and has a thickness of from about 3 to 6 mils.

[0029] In another embodiment the package-forming material is plastic, comprised of a polymer selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester and has a thickness of from about 0.5 to about 3 mils. The plastic packaging material may be oriented or biaxially oriented to impart high-strength thereto.

[0030] Preferably the package forming-material is two-ply laminate, more specifically, a paper/plastic laminate, wherein a paper layer is laminated to, preferable cold laminated, a plastic layer. The paper layer of the laminate may include coated paper, Kraft paper, or a higher quality paper such as Bond paper or white paper. The paper layer preferably comprises Kraft paper and has a thickness of from about 3 to about 6 mils. The plastic film layer of the laminate may be oriented to impart high strength thereto. A biaxial orientation is preferred for greatest strength. The plastic film layer preferably comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester and has a thickness of from at least about 0.5 to 3 mils.

[0031] The plastic film layer has a first corona-discharge treated surface. This treatment is applied to the plastic immediately before the first corona discharge treated surface is adhesively laminated to the paper layer. This enables a strong bond to be achieved between the plastic and paper to form a paper-plastic film laminate having first and second opposed outer surfaces.

[0032] The cold lamination process enables the present packaging material to be manufactured at much higher speeds than when other adhesives, such as hot melt adhesives, are utilized, for example due to the additional time required for cooling of the hot melt adhesive before a secure bond is achieved. If hot melt adhesives were used instead of cold lamination for joining the plastic film to the paper, the heat of the adhesive could cause the film to shrink, thus causing a loss of strength. Also, the hot melt adhesive does not achieve its final bond strength until the adhesive cools, and the plastic film can shrink before this happens. Moreover, a wrinkled or curled product often results due to the difference in the high strength and low strength areas of the plastic film.

[0033] The use of cold lamination is also advantageous when an oriented or biaxially-oriented plastic film is utilized. It is known that at elevated temperatures, such films relax and lose molecular orientation and strength. For example, when two sheets of biaxially-oriented polyester film are seamed together, using an ultrasonically-activated sealing bar to create internal friction and heat within the film, the films soften and fuse, with a resultant sealing line that is weak, such that the sheets then tend to tear along this line. Similar problems are encountered if an oriented film is exposed to high heat, such as if a hot melt adhesive would be used to join the film to the paper. Cold lamination utilizing a water-based adhesive is essential in order to produce a laminate that has high strength. Any of a wide range or water-based adhesives can be used, although a vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer is preferred. The paper layer absorbs the water from these adhesives so that a high strength lamination can be rapidly achieved. U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,702 provides further details on this cold lamination process, and is incorporated herein to the extent necessary to understand this feature of the invention.

[0034] Another benefit of the use of a water-based adhesive is that this type of adhesive does not require the use of volatile organic solvents. Thus, adverse health and environmental effects are avoided because such solvents are not used. Also, additional costs for recovering or disposing of solvents are not incurred.

[0035] Depending on the type of packaging material desired, the packaging material may further include an additional paper layer to form a paper-plastic-paper, three-ply laminate sheeting. The extra paper layer may be desirable for packaging objects with pointed edges or simply when a packaging material with more strength is desired. As the paper layers form the inner and outer sides of the packaging material, they can easily be printed with graphics or other indicia prior to application of the cohesive material. This enables the packaging material to have one appearance on the outside of the package and another, different appearance on the side of the material that faces the package.

[0036] In a further embodiment, the process relates to providing TYVEK® as the sheet material, since this material has excellent tear and wear resistance.

[0037] The process further includes application of cohesive material to surface portions of the packaging material. A cohesive material, which has the property of only sticking to itself, is applied to surface portions of the packaging material. It may be desirable in some situations to coat less than the entire surface of the packaging material. Accordingly, a screen type roller or rotary screen printing device can be used to selectively apply the coating upon only specific areas of the laminate sheeting. In addition, a spray head or series of spray heads may be used to selectively deposit a particular or random pattern. The pattern can be arranged to achieve a desired cohesive adhesion of the overall laminate sheeting. Alternatively, the coating can be applied to the entire outer surface of the packaging material.

[0038] The type and amount of cohesive coating to be applied will vary depending upon the results desired. For example, when packaging articles of a standard size, the packager may desire packaging material that does not have a layer of cohesive material applied to one entire surface of the laminate sheeting. Instead, it may be desirable that the packaging material has cohesive material coated only on the perimeter of the sheeting so that the packaging material does not have cohesive in the areas of the sheeting that would be covered by the article. Thus, less cohesive would be needed and the packaging material would be less costly and a more efficient use of cohesive would be provided. After applying the cohesive coating, the coated laminate is ready to receive the release liner and/or pressure sensitive adhesive.

[0039] The resealable feature of the package is provided by applying a release liner or a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive upon the cohesive material. These would be applied over at least a part of the packaging material adjacent to where an article to be packaged is placed. The release liner can be used by itself to prevent the cohesive coated portions of the laminate from sticking to each other when the package is formed. Alternatively, the release liner can be applied upon the pressure sensitive adhesive to prevent the pressure sensitive adhesive from adhering to other portions of the packaging material. For either embodiment, a non-adhered margin is formed adjacent the package contents after the package is formed. After the initial opening of the package, the package may be resealed by removing the liner and adhering the cohesive coated portions together, or by removing the liner and utilizing the pressure sensitive adhesive to secure the panels together.

[0040] Advantageously, the liner or pressure sensitive material is applied along the entire longitudinal length of the sheet. When the adhesive is applied, it is followed by the application of the release liner from a roll of such material directly upon the pressure sensitive adhesive to prevent that adhesive from sticking to other portions of the sheet. This facilitates the manufacture of the material by enabling continuous production. Of course, it is possible to add discontinuous beads, spots or stripes of pressure sensitive adhesive, provided that the beads, stripes or spots are positioned sufficiently close to each other to enable a reliable and secure bond to be achieved so that the package can be reliably closed. When uniform portions of the sheet are to be cut-off and used for wrapping repetitive sized articles to be packaged, the pressure sensitive adhesive and release liner can be provided intermittently so that they are position only where needed to reseal the package.

[0041] After manufacturing the package-forming material, the sheet is collected by rolling upon itself and then is stored on a roll and dispensed therefrom as needed. Thus, after the liner and, if desired, pressure sensitive adhesive and indicia, are applied to the packaging material, the material can be stored on a roll and shipped to a user's facility. The user can then dispense the packaging material from the rolls to package articles to be shipped to recipients, consumers, etc.

[0042] The release liner and pressure sensitive adhesive provide a resealable feature to the package. That is, to reseal the package after its initial opening, the user simply pulls off the release liner so that the unused cohesive material that was covered by the liner is exposed and can be used to reseal the package closed. Since the cohesive material only sticks to itself and only one surface of the packaging material contains the cohesive, when the packaging material is rolled up, the coated surfaces does not make contact with an opposing coated surface and no barriers are required to prevent the sheeting from sticking to itself while stored on the roll.

[0043] For applications, the packaging material can be used in automated wrapping equipment, wherein the resultant package is automatically wrapped by a machine generally known in the art, or alternatively the packaging material can be used in manual wrapping, wherein the packaging material is pulled off and cut from the roll, an article is placed on the surface of the packaging material and the packaging material is folded over and about the article.

[0044] In either method of wrapping an article, the opposing coated surfaces of the packaging material come into contact and form cohesive-cohesive bonds thereby enclosing the article with a non-adhering margin formed by the placement of a releaseable liner, or a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive or both, so that the package may be resealed a second time after its initial opening by pulling off the liner(s) and exposing the unused cohesive or pressure sensitive adhesive.

[0045] Alternatively, instead of packaging an article with one unitary sheet of packaging material, it may be desirable to use two sheets of packaging material. Each of the two sheets has cohesive material on at least a potion thereto. Additionally, at least one of the sheets may have a bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive or the protective release liner or both. The two sheets of packaging material are placed on top of each other such that the cohesively coated surfaces of each unitary packaging material are opposing surfaces, the article is placed between the two sheets and the two sheets are placed in contact with each other so the contacted portions of the coated surfaces of the sheetings form cohesive-cohesive bonds and the article is enclosed within the packaging material, thereby forming a self-closing package. Additionally, a larger release liner may be used and placed between the two sheets of packaging material before sealing the article in the package so that a non-adhering margin is created to facilitate cutting open the package while maintaining a sufficient area to allow resealing of the package after its initial opening. Alternatively, one or both of the sheets of the packaging material may include a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive and a protectable liner. Alternatively, both the pressure sensitive adhesive with protectable liner and liner to cover a portion of the cohesive may be employed.

[0046] One feature of the present invention is that it is capable of packaging articles of various sizes and shapes. The packaging material simply is pulled off the roll in an amount that accommodates the particular size of the particular article to be packaged.

[0047] In all embodiments, the exterior surface of the package may include a printable surface and such printable exterior surface may include a printed dotted line along the edge positioned so that the package may be opened by cutting along the dotted line.

[0048] If a decorative packaging material is desired, the packaging material be metallized or preferably aluminized to provide a decorative exterior of the package. For example, if a laminate packaging material is used, the one surface of the paper ply forms the decorated exterior of the package and the opposing surface is cold laminated to the plastic film ply. The plastic film ply is coated with cohesive material so that when the packaging material is in operation, the resultant package has an exposed decorative outer surface. Furthermore, the plastic may be metallized as by vacuum deposition to provide a decorative plastic exterior if desirable. If a silver finish is desired, an aluminized surface is preferred. Other metallizing treatments, e.g., with copper, iron, or alloys, can be used when other colors are desired.

[0049] It may be desirable that the packaging material have printable surfaces so that logos, messages, advertisements, emblems, trademarks or simply, addressee information etc., may be printed on the exterior or interior surfaces of the formed package. In this regard, the paper ply layer includes a printable surface. The decorative packaging material, if desired, may include a printable surface of metallized paper. Further, the plastic film ply may include a second corona discharge treated surface to render it receptive to inks so that it may exhibit graphics that may be desired. The outer surface of the plastic film ply may be metallized as by vacuum deposition to provide a decorative package to further provide a printable, decorative package.

[0050] The process may also includes applying indicia on the outer surface of the package in the form of a dotted line or other demarcation to indicate where to cut the package for opening and withdrawal of its contents while not impairing the resealing capabilities of the package. In this regard, the package may be opened by cutting along a pre-printed dotted line on the exterior surface of the package. The indicia or dotted line is positioned so that the recipient does not cut the pressure sensitive adhesive off the package. Instead, the recipient cuts off one sealed edge of the package, leaving the pressure sensitive adhesive unimpaired. The package may then be resealed by utilizing the pressure sensitive adhesive. If pressure sensitive adhesive is not used, the dotted line is positioned so that the recipient cuts off the edge of the package immediately adjacent or within the liner so that the outer edge of the cohesive material is cleanly cut off and the package may be opened.

[0051] Thus the process of the invention discloses a method of making a resealable package that may be adhesive-free, i.e., wherein no pressure sensitive adhesive is utilized or one which includes a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive for resealing the package.

[0052] The Laminate Sheeting

[0053] Referring to FIG. 1, shown therein is a unitary, flexible paper-plastic laminate sheeting of the process of the present invention. Preferably the package is formed from a single continuous sheet. This sheet may be made of paper or plastic. For better moisture and tear resistance in an easily printable material, the sheet should be made as either a two ply laminate (e.g., a paper/plastic laminate) or a three ply laminate (i.e., a paper/plastic/paper laminate). Alternatively, the package may be formed from two substrate panels, wherein each substrate panel is formed of the single sheet, two-ply laminate or three-ply laminate.

[0054] In the most preferred embodiments, the process provides a laminate sheeting (S) which includes a paper facing ply 10 whose gauge, weight and quality are appropriate for the mailer package and a plastic film ply (12) used for providing moisture resistance.

[0055] The plastic film (12) is oriented, preferably biaxially-oriented, so that it can provide exceptional tensile strength. Such orientation is effected by stretching the film along at least one and preferably both of its transverse and horizontal axes to molecularly orient the film structure. Preferred plastic materials include polypropylene or polyester (i.e., MYLAR). The resultant oriented film material has a sufficiently high tensile strength to easily and securely retain materials within the package during shipping and handling.

[0056] The paper ply (10) is cold laminated by an adhesive (11) to the plastic film ply (12. The inner surface of the plastic ply is rendered wettable to the adhesive by being subjected to a corona-discharge treatment to enhance the energy at this surface. The plastic film ply (12) does not have to be greater than 3 mils in thickness and is generally at least about 0.5 to 1 mil in thickness. The paper base ply (10) is usually thicker to give body to the laminate, and is preferably about 2 to 3 mils thick.

[0057] Cold lamination of the plies is effected by a water-based adhesive, preferably a water-based vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer composition having an affinity both for the paper ply and the film ply. No heat is applied to the oriented film as the plastic film ply is laminated to the paper ply. The water-based adhesive is fluid at ambient temperature and is not a hot melt adhesive. A water-based adhesive, once cured, is not water soluble and is not remoistenable.

[0058] An oriented film, such as the one described, is heat-sensitive and at elevated temperatures, the film relaxes and loses its molecular orientation and strength. It is known, for example, that when two sheets of oriented polyester film are seamed together, using an ultrasonically-activated sealing bar for this purpose which creates internal friction and heat within the film, this causes the superposed films to soften and fuse. The resultant sealing line is weak, and consequently, the sheets tend to tear along this line. Clearly then, the utilization of cold lamination is an important feature of the present invention that is utilized in order to produce a securely bonded paper-film laminate of high strength so that the resealable package can withstand the customary handling of packages in possession of the post office or delivery couriers.

[0059] It is to be noted that a synthetic plastic film material, such as polypropylene, is normally not receptive to adhesives, especially water-based adhesives. Therefore, if one were to apply to the surface of this film a water based adhesive which is flowable at ambient temperature or at a temperature somewhat above ambient but not at the elevated temperature of a hot melt adhesive, the adhesive will not be adsorbed by the film.

[0060] The paper ply of the laminate includes coated paper, Kraft paper, Bond paper or white paper and has a printable exterior. The plastic film ply includes a biaxially oriented film. The plastic film comprises: polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. The water impermeable plastic film may have a first corona discharge treated surface making it more receptive to the cohesive material. In addition, the plastic film may have a second corona discharge treatment so that its surface is receptive to inks or other graphic materials. Further, the plastic ply or the paper ply may be metallized or aluminized so that a decorative package may be provided.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 2, the exposed surface of a unitary laminate sheeting is entirely coated with cohesive material (13). Additionally, a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive (14) is coated on a portion of the laminate (S) sheeting so that the package, after opening, can be resealed via the pressure sensitive adhesive as described herein.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 3, the laminate sheeting (S) of the invention is folded over an article (15) so that a opposing substrate panels (12) are formed with a cohesively coated (13) inner surface and a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive (14) and liner (30) providing a resealable package. The folding of the unitary laminate sheeting defines an internal space for an enclosed article. When the two opposing substrate panels are aligned and in contact, cohesive-cohesive bonds form between the first and second opposing substrate panels thereby sealing the package.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 4, a separate release liner (30) is provided to overlay and cover the pressure sensitive adhesive coating (14) so that the pressure sensitive adhesive is protected before its use. The liner may be provided in conventional forms, including paper, plastic, foil, composite, etc. Also illustrated is a cut line 18 which shows where the package is to be opened. This cut line is positioned adjacent the release liner so that when the package is cut, the release liner allows the panels to separate to allow access to the package interior.

[0064] It is also possible to utilize a release liner which is of larger size than the bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive. The liner can cover at least part of a cohesive material containing surface portion adjacent to where the article is to be packaged to prevent that part of the surface portion from adhering to other cohesive material containing surface portions, thus forming a non-adhered margin adjacent the article after the package is formed. This provides a larger area in which the package can be cut to open it while not affecting or cutting the strip or bead of pressure sensitive adhesive.

[0065] FIG. 5 shown another embodiment of the process in the form of an adhesive-free resealable package, in which no pressure sensitive adhesive is added to the laminate sheeting. The laminate sheeting (S) of the adhesive-free resealable package instead only has the release liner (30), which is applied over a portion of the cohesive (13) coated surface (10) of the laminate. If desired, the release liner may have a pressure sensitive adhesive coating thereon to assist in securing the liner to the panel and to prevent movement of the liner during the manufacturing process. Of course, this adhesive must be sufficiently weak to enable the strip to be easily removed when necessary.

[0066] The release liner covers a portion of the cohesive material such that when the laminate sheet (S) is wrapped around a product to be packaged, a portion of the cohesive material does not come into contact with another portion of cohesive material and therefore, cohesive-cohesive bonds are not formed at the position of the liner. The laminate may further include indicia for marking where the edge of a product to be packaged should be placed (19) so that the liner is not covered when the package is formed. The exterior of the package can include a cut line which is immediately adjacent or even within the release liner. A minimum width of the release liner should not be cut off when the package is opened so that sufficient cohesive material remains to allow re-sealing of the package. After the package is opened, the release liner allows the panels to separate to allow access to the package interior. When the package is to be re-sealed, the release liner is removed and the previously unused cohesive material can be secured to the opposite panel for resealing the package.

[0067] FIG. 6 illustrates the formed package of the invention and the indicia which shows where the package can be cut for access to the contents therein (18).

[0068] Referring to FIG. 7, the laminate may have cohesive material coated on only desired portions of the substrate. As shown, the laminate has cohesive material along the perimeter of the substrate and a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive (14) adjacent to the cohesively coated perimeter of an edge of the substrate.

[0069] The process of the present invention may utilize a unitary sheeting of olefin material or alternatively, first and second substrate panels wherein the substrate panels are formed from olefin material e.g., Tyvek®.

[0070] The exterior of the laminate package formed from the process of the invention may be the plastic film (12) or the paper ply (10) depending on which is desired. In all embodiments, the exterior surface of the package is a printable surface and in one embodiment such printable exterior surface has a printed dotted line along the edge positioned so that a recipient of the package opens the package by using a pair of scissors or other instrument and cutting along the dotted line. The dotted line is positioned on the exterior surface of the package so that the recipient does not cut off the pressure sensitive adhesive portion of the package so that the package can be resealed after opening.

[0071] The plastic ply is corona discharge treated so that it is receptive to inks and graphics. Thus, the plastic film may provide a printable exterior surface of the package. In addition, a decorative package is provided in an embodiment wherein the exterior surface is metallized or aluminized.

Claims

1. A process for providing a package-forming material comprising the steps of: providing a packaging material in the form of at least one sheet having a surface that is receptive to receiving adhesive or cohesive materials; applying a cohesive material to surface portions of the packaging material; applying a release liner upon a portion of the cohesive material; and rolling the sheet upon itself to form a roll of package-forming material.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the release liner has a coating of a pressure sensitive adhesive thereon to assist in temporarily securing the liner to the cohesive material.

3. The process of claim 1 which further comprises applying a bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive on the cohesive material before applying the release liner upon the pressure sensitive adhesive.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the bead or strip of adhesive and release liner are provided along the entire length of the sheet.

5. The method of claim 1 which further comprises forming a package by placing the packaging material about an article to be packaged such that surface portions of the packaging material that include the cohesive material contact other surface portions that include cohesive material to adhere such portions to each other and form a sealed package which encloses the article.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the packaging material is paper, plastic or a laminate of paper and plastic.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the packaging material is a laminate that includes a water impermeable plastic film adhesively laminated to a first paper layer, wherein the plastic film has first and second surfaces and the laminate is prepared by corona discharge treating the first surface of the plastic film to render it receptive to adhesives followed by adhesively cold laminating the first surface of the plastic film to the first paper layer.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the packaging material is a laminate that includes a water impermeable plastic film adhesively laminated between first and second paper layers, wherein the plastic film has first and second surfaces and the laminate is prepared by corona discharge treating both the first and second surfaces of the plastic film to render it receptive to adhesives followed by adhesively cold laminating the first surface of the plastic film to the first paper layer and the second surface of the plastic film to the second paper layer.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the cohesive material is applied to first and second surface portions of the packaging material and the package is formed by placing the first surface portion of the packaging material above the article to be packaged and by placing the second surface portion of the packaging material below the article to be packaged, such that the first and second surface portions of the packaging material that include the cohesive material contact and adhere to each other to form the sealed package which encloses the article.

10. The process of claim 9 which further comprises providing the first and second surface portions of the packaging material on one side of a single sheet of the laminate and then folding the sheet around the article to be packaged to place the cohesive material containing portions in face-to-face orientation so that they can be adhered together to form the package.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein cohesive material is applied to one entire surface of the laminate sheet.

12. The process of claim 9 which further comprises providing the first and second surface portions on first and second laminate sheets and placing the sheets above and below the article to be packaged with the cohesive material containing surface portions in face-to-face orientation so that they can be adhered together to form the package.

13. The process of claim 1 which further comprises placing the liner upon at least part of a cohesive material containing surface portion adjacent to where the article is to be packaged to prevent that part of the surface portion from adhering to other cohesive material containing surface portions, thus forming a non-adhered margin adjacent the article after the package is formed.

14. The process of claim 13 which further comprises providing an indication of where the package can be opened, wherein the indication enables the package to be opened in the non-adhered margin, such that the package may be resealed by removing the liner and contacting the cohesive material containing surface portions to adhere such portions to each other and form a re-sealed package.

15. The process of claim 14 which further comprises opening the package along the indication, removing the article from the package, replacing the article in the package; removing the liner, and re-sealing the package by contacting the cohesive material containing surface portions to adhere such portions together.

16. The process of claim 14 wherein the indication is an indicia or a pre-printed dotted line which indicates where the package may be cut to open it.

17. The process of claim 14 which further comprises providing indicia to indicate where an edge or end of the article to be packaged should be placed so as to not eliminate or obscure the non-adhered margin.

18. The process of claim 14 wherein the liner is paper, plastic, foil or a composite material.

19. The process of claim 1 wherein the plastic film is laminated to the paper layer using pressure and an adhesive that includes a water-based acrylic copolymer composition or a vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer, and wherein the paper layer is coated paper, Kraft paper, Bond paper or white paper having a thickness of about 3 to 6 mils and the plastic film comprises polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester and has a thickness of about 1 to 3 mils.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein the paper layer of the laminate includes a printed surface, the printed surface is adhered to the plastic film, and the plastic film forms an outer portion of the package.

21. The process of claim 19 wherein the paper layer includes first and second surfaces, the first surface is a printed surface, the second surface is adhered to the plastic film and the printed surface of the paper layer forms an outer portion of the package.

22. The process of claim 21, wherein the paper layer includes first and second surfaces, the first surface is a metallized surface, the second surface is adhered to the plastic film and the metallized surface of the paper layer forms a decorative outer portion of the package.

23. The process of claim 3 which further comprises placing the liner upon the pressure sensitive adhesive and at least part of a cohesive material containing surface portion adjacent to where the article is to be packaged to prevent that part of the surface portion from adhering to other cohesive material containing surface portions, thus forming a non-adhered margin adjacent the article and the pressure sensitive adhesive after the package is formed.

24. The process of claim 23 which further comprises providing an indication of where the package can be opened, wherein the indication enables the package to be opened in the non-adhered margin, such that the package may be resealed by removing the liner and contacting the pressure sensitive adhesive to an opposing surface portion to form a re-sealed package.

25. The process of claim 24 which further comprises opening the package along the indication, removing the article from the package, replacing the article in the package; removing the liner, and re-sealing the package by contacting the pressure sensitive adhesive with an opposed cohesive material containing surface portion.