Zipper construction for enhanced sealing

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the use of coextruded or integral sealing ribs on zipper flanges to enhance the quality of the sealing between the flanges and the walls of a reclosable package. The coextruded sealing ribs may be made from sealing resins or similar materials. Additionally, grip strips are placed on the opposite side of the flanges from the ribs in order to improve the quality of the sealing even further and to inhibit inner flange sealing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional, partially exploded view, of a flanged zipper of the present invention, including the sealing ribs.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the sealing ribs opposite the grip strips on a zipper flange.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the sealing ribs, wherein the ribs are formed discretely on the flange.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the sealing ribs, wherein the ribs are coextruded and formed as a separate layer of material from the underlying flange.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the sealing ribs, wherein the ribs and the flange are formed or extruded as a single layer of material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views, one sees that FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional, partially exploded view of flanged zipper 10 within the first and second walls 12, 14 of reclosable package 100. First and second walls 12, 14 are typically formed of polypropylene. Flanged zipper 10, typically formed from polyethylene includes first and second interlocking profiles 16, 18 with respective first and second flanges 20, 22. The exterior surfaces of first and second flanges 20, 22 are sealed to the interior surface of respective first and second walls 12, 14, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Slider 23 operates in a conventional manner to separate first and second interlocking profiles if moved in a first direction and interlocking first and second interlocking profiles 16, 18 if moved in a second direction.

While flanged slider zippers are disclosed, this invention is likewise applicable to other styles of zippers, such as press-to-close or webless.

The exterior surfaces of first and second flanges 20, 22 include ribs 30. Ribs 30 are typically coextruded in the formation of first and second flanges 20, 22 and are formed parallel to each other through the length of flanged zipper 10. The interior surfaces of first and second flanges 20, 22 include grip strips 32, preferably positioned immediately opposite the ribs 30, and likewise formed parallel to each other through the length of zipper 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, this positioning increases the thickness of the structure between the apex 31 of rib 30 and the apex 33 of grip strip 32. This increase in thickness results in further increased pressure between the apex 31 of rib 30 and the first or second walls 12, 14 thereby resulting in an increased quality of seal.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show different configurations for the formation of the ribs 30. FIG. 3 shows ribs 30 formed as discrete from each other and coextruded with the base flange resin layer 40 forming the flanges 20, 22. FIG. 4 shows ribs 30 formed from a common layer 42 coextruded with the base flange resin layer 40 forming the flanges 20, 22. FIG. 5 shows ribs 30 and flanges 20, 22 formed as a single integral layer.

Ribs 30 may be formed of any of many different cross sections, including, but not limited to triangles, squares, rectangles and trapezoids.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, ribs 30 are typically formed of materials with a lower melting point than that of flanges 20, 22, thereby lowering the effective seal initial temperature of the zipper assembly due to the enhanced heat transfer into the smaller mass of ribs 30. The material used for ribs 30 can include typical sealant layer resins, such as EVA resins; metallocene catalyzed resins; plastomers; very low density polyethylenes; or terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and a third component, but is not limited thereto. Further, sealant resins can be applied between the ribs 30 to further enhance the sealing.

This enhanced sealing due to ribs 30 is particularly beneficial with difficult substrates, such as when the package walls 12, 14 are made from polypropylene.

Improved sealing qualities are also achieved when ribs 30 are made from the same material as the flanges 20, 22 as shown in FIG. 5. This is important in such applications as retort applications, where zipper are produced from the same materials as the package film, and no sealant layers are coextruded onto the zippers.

The size and spacing of the ribs 30 on zipper 10 has an optimum range of flange coverage in the area that the seal bar touches. Typically, the ribs should cover between fifteen and fifty percent of the flange area that will be under the heat sealing operation. In this way, the effect of pressure over this area is multiplied by the fraction of the surface area covered by the ribs. Typically, if the surface area covered by ribs is less than fifteen percent of the flange area under the sealing operation, there is not enough sealant to create a satisfactory bond to the film. Conversely, typically, if the ribs cover over fifty percent of the flange area under the sealing operation includes ribs, then the effect of pressure concentration is reduced.

The lowering of the seal initiation temperature described above effectively improves the temperature differential between the point that the slider zipper is adhered to the film substrate and the point where the inside surfaces of the zipper flanges will seal to themselves, due to the amount of heat required to attach the zipper to the package walls. The creation of a larger temperature differential on a slider zipper is especially important in transverse bag or package applications with thick films, metallized films, gusseted constructions, and combinations thereof.

Moreover, grip strips 32 opposite ribs 30 on flanges 20, 22 improve the resistance to inner flange sealing as heat transfer is minimized when the grip strips 32 of opposing flanges 12, 14 come into contact with each other. This can be further enhanced by coextruding grip strip 32 with a melting point which is higher than that of the base flange resin.

Additionally, ribs 30 increase the stiffness or modulus of the flanges 20, 22 of flanged zipper 10, aiding in the transport of the flanged zipper 10 during manufacture.

Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A zipper including: a first interlocking profile including a first flange;a second interlocking profile including a second flange;the first and second flanges each including an exterior surface for sealing to a package wall, and including outwardly protruding ribs;the first and second flanges each including an interior surface including inwardly protruding strips; andwherein the ribs and the strips are formed opposite each other on the first and second flanges.

2. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the ribs are parallel to each other.

3. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the strips are parallel to each other.

4. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the first and second interlocking profiles are formed by extrusion.

5. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the first and second flanges are formed of a first material and the ribs are formed of a second material.

6. The zipper of claim 5 wherein the second material has a lower melting temperature than that of the first material.

7. The zipper of claim 6 wherein the strips are formed of a third material.

8. The zipper of claim 7 wherein the third material has a higher melting temperature than that of the first material.

9. The zipper of claim 5 wherein the ribs are formed as discrete elements of the second material.

10. The zipper of claim 5 wherein the ribs are formed from a continuous layer of the second material on a layer of the first material.

11. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the flanges, the ribs and the strips are formed by extrusion as a single integral layer.

12. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the zipper is formed from polyethylene.

13. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the ribs are formed from a sealant layer resin.

14. The zipper of claim 13 wherein the sealant layer resin is chosen from the group consisting of EVA resins; metallocene catalyzed resins; plastomers; very low density polyethylene; and terpolymers of at least ethylene and propylene.

15. The zipper of claim 1 wherein the ribs have a cross section chosen from the group consisting of triangles, squares, rectangles and trapezoids.

16. The zipper of claim 1 further including a slider to interlock the interlocking profiles when moved in a first direction and to separate the interlocking profiles when moved in a second direction.

17. A zipper including: a first interlocking profile;a second interlocking profile;the first and second profiles each including an exterior surface for sealing to a package wall, and including outwardly protruding ribs;the first and second interlocking profiles each including an interior surface including inwardly protruding strips; andwherein the ribs and the strips are formed opposite each other on the first and second interlocking profiles.

18. The zipper of claim 17 further including a slider to interlock the interlocking profiles when moved in a first direction and to separate the interlocking profiles when moved in a second direction.

19. A zipper including: a first profile;a second profile;the first and second profiles each including a first surface for sealing to a package wall, and including protruding ribs;the first and second profiles each including a second surface including protruding strips; andwherein the ribs and the strips are formed opposite each other on the first and second profiles.

20. The zipper of claim 19 further including a slider to interlock the interlocking profiles when moved in a first direction and to separate the interlocking profiles when moved in a second direction.