The present invention relates generally to shopping bags or the like and more particularly to a sealable product containment bag for containing an item such as a gift item, retail sales item, a fast food or carryout restaurant item, or other product.
Retail sales establishments, fast food and carryout restaurants and other retailers use various sizes, shapes and kinds of bags to assist the customer in containing, transporting, protecting and preserving purchased goods, food and other products purchased by the customer. Additionally, gift bags of various sizes and types are in wide use for containing a gift for a gift-giving occasion and are frequently used in place of gift wrap paper.
Gift bags in current use are typically substantially rectangular in shape with an open top for receiving an item and generally have handles attached at each side of the top opening. Although it is desirable to conceal a gift item within the gift bag, bags in general current use provide no means to sealably close the opening so as to conceal the item contained in the bag. Similarly, bags in current use for containing fast foods or other consumables procured at a fast food or carryout restaurant provide no means to securely enclose an item so as to preserve freshness or to provide hot or cold insulation.
The present invention relates to a sealable product containment bag structure comprising:
(a) generally rectangular confronting front and rear panels, each of said front panel and said rear panel having an inner surface and an outer surface;
(b) pleated generally rectangular side panels interconnecting said front and rear panels, each of said side panels having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surfaces of said front, rear and side panels defining a generally rectangular volumetric shape;
(c) said front, rear and said side panels defining a top opening for the bag structure at a first end of said panels, said front, rear and side panels folded together at a second end of said panels to form a closed bottom for the bag structure;
(d) each of said side panels having pleats whereby said side panels are foldable inwardly between said front and rear panels in a closed condition for the bag structure; and
(e) a first adhesive strip disposed on the inner surface of said front panel along the width thereof near said first end of said front panel, and a second adhesive strip disposed on the inner surface of said rear panel along the width thereof near said first end thereof, said second adhesive strip disposed in confronting relationship with said first adhesive strip, whereby said adhesive strips adhere to each other along a middle portion of said adhesive strips and adhere to the inner surfaces of said side panels along the end portions of said adhesive strips with said side panels folded inwardly in said closed condition.
The invention also relates to a sealable product containment bag structure comprising:
(a) generally rectangular confronting front and rear panels, each of said front panel and said rear panel having an inner surface and an outer surface;
(b) pleated generally rectangular side panels interconnecting said front and rear panels, each of said side panels having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surfaces of said front, rear and side panels defining a generally rectangular volumetric shape;
(c) said front, rear and said side panels defining a top opening for the bag structure at a first end of said panels, said front, rear and side panels folded together at a second end of said panels to form a closed bottom for the bag structure;
(d) each of said side panels having pleats whereby said side panels are foldable inwardly between said front and rear panels in a closed condition for the bag structure;
(e) each of said front and rear panels including a marginal extension in the form of a closure flap at said first ends of said front and rear panels; and
(f) an adhesive strip disposed on the inner surface of at least one of said closure flaps along the width of said opening and in confronting relationship with the inner surface of the other said closure flap, whereby said closure flaps adhere to each other in said closed condition.
The invention further relates to a sealable product containment bag structure comprising
(a) generally rectangular confronting front and rear panels, each of said front panel and said rear panel having an inner surface and an outer surface;
(b) pleated generally rectangular side panels interconnecting said front and rear panels, each of said side panels having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surfaces of said front, rear and side panels defining a generally rectangular volumetric shape;
(c) said front, rear and said side panels defining a top opening for the bag structure at a first end of said panels, said front, rear and side panels folded together at a second end of said panels to form a closed bottom for the bag structure;
(d) each of said side panels having pleats whereby said side panels are foldable inwardly between said front and rear panels in a closed condition for the bag structure;
(e) one of said front and rear panels including a marginal extension in the form of a closure flap at said first end of said one of said front and rear panels; and
(f) an adhesive strip disposed on the inner surface of said closure flap along the width of said opening, said closure flap foldable over said opening and sealable to the outer surface of the other of said front and rear panels in said closed condition.
The invention overcomes the deficiencies in previously available gift or shopping bag structures as suggested above, by providing a product containment bag structure having a sealable adhesive closure at the top of the bag structure so that a product, gift, or other item can be sealably contained inside the bag. The sealable gift bag embodiment of the invention can be securely closed in order to conceal the item contained in the bag, the use of which can eliminate the need for a more expensive gift box or gift wrapping. Because the shopping bag of the invention can be sealed, such as at the point of retail sale, additional security benefits are provided in that an item contained in the bag is substantially protected from being taken from the purchaser surreptitiously, and, additionally, other items cannot easily be inserted into the bag after it is sealed. Further, the adhesive comprising the closure structure of the bag top opening can be selected to render the bag reclosable. In one or more of the embodiments of the invention a substantially tight seal at the top opening of the product containment bag may be accomplished, which helps to preserve freshness of consumable products contained in the bag. Further, for embodiments of the product containment bag structure comprising insulating materials, hot or cold items such as might be purchased at a food market or fast food or carryout restaurant can be insulated.
The invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of representative embodiments thereof read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that form a part of this disclosure, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings,
Bag 10 comprises a generally rectangular structure having a front panel 11 and back panel 12 and side panels 13 and 14 defined by folded corners 15, 16, 17 and 18, each of said front, back and side panels having respective outer surfaces and inner surfaces defining an interior volume 20 for receiving a gift, food item, retail sales item or other product. The panels 11, 12, 13 and 14 define an opening 19 at a first end of the structure providing access to the interior volume 20 of bag 10 for inserting items therein. Side panels 13 and 14 are creased respectively as at folding lines 13a, 13b, and 13c (see
Bag 10 and other embodiments of the invention as described herein may be formed of substantially any sheet materials customarily used in the manufacture of gift or shopping bags for retail use, such materials including cloth fabrics, plastics, paper, or materials for hot or cold insulation, or others, the same not considered limiting of the invention. In forming bag 10 using sheet material, a piece of substantially rectangular material is formed into the generally rectangular volumetric shape as shown in
Reference is now made additionally to
In a further aspect of the invention, adhesive layers 48 and 49 are disposed on side panels 13 and 14 near the top of the bag 10 structure as suggested in
In yet another aspect of the invention, handles 62 and 63 may be attached in any conventional manner to the outer or inner surfaces of panels 11 and 12, such as suggested in
Referring now to
With further reference now to
With further reference now specifically to
With further reference now specifically to
In a further aspect of the invention, and with reference again to
The invention therefore provides a sealable product containment bag structure. It is understood that modifications to the invention may be made as might occur to one with skill in the field of the invention within the scope of the appended claims. All embodiments contemplated hereunder that achieve the benefits of the invention have therefore not been shown in complete detail. Other embodiments may be developed without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.
The current application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/042,770, filed Mar. 5, 2009.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12042770 | Mar 2008 | US |
Child | 13418726 | US |