A vertical form fill and seal system supports a sheet of material having material segments and a tube sized for drawing edges of the elongated sheet of material together in an overlapping configuration to form the sheet into a substantially tube shape. The VFFS also includes a sealer that seals the edges of the material to one another and a gusseting mechanism sized for forming a gusseted tuck in each of a left panel portion of the material and a right panel portion of the material. A cutting mechanism removes a first portion and a second portion of a first segment of the material segments in order to form a first cut and a second cut in the first segment and a sealing mechanism folds and seals the first segment at the first cut and at the second cut to provide an end wall with a substantially flat, rectangular-shaped footprint.

A reinforced multilayer material includes a mesh material covered on at least one side, and possibly both, by a layer of a resinous film material. The mesh material includes filaments that intersect one another, at least some of the filaments being composite filaments having a carrier portion of a relatively high melting point and a bonding portion of a relatively low melting point, the bonding portion of each composite filament being thermally bonded to other filaments at least some points of intersection. The multilayer material has a mass per unit area of less than 9.0 oz/yd.sup.2 and at least one of a) a bursting strength to mass per unit area ratio of at least 9.0 lbs./(oz/yd.sup.2), where bursting strength is measured in accordance with ASTM-D37 86 and b) a breaking elongation of at least 5% in the warp direction when breaking elongation is measured in accordance with ASTM-5034. A bag is provided that is made at least in part from a multilayer material having at least some of the characteristics described above.

A carry-on package bag includes a bag opening and two primary bag sheets opposite to each other. Top edges of the primary bag sheets collectively define the bag opening. Each primary bag sheet includes a first fold line, a first foldable sealing section below the first fold line, and a second foldable sealing section between the first fold line and the top edge. Each first foldable sealing section has at least one first carrying hole. Each second foldable sealing section has at least one second carrying hole symmetric with respect to the first carrying hole about the first fold line. The second foldable sealing sections are foldable along the first fold lines toward the same direction to be overlapping and stacked on the first foldable sealing sections so that the second carrying hole and the first carrying hole correspond to and communicate with each other.

A shipping bag or sack having side gussets, an easy open double fold, and tightly sealed stepped ends is described that withstands internally forces at the easy open end during drop tests. The side gussets include a stepped feature that may be incorporated into polywoven, thermoplastic and paper bags. The bags further include a two step fold and seal process.

A thermoplastic flexible package includes a first non-shrinkable panel, an opposing second non-shrinkable panel, a first shrinkable panel and an opposing a second shrinkable panel. The panels are connected longitudinally with panel seals. The first non-shrinkable panel and the second non-shrinkable panel each forms a gusset. A first seal connects the first shrinkable panel and the second shrinkable panel in the transverse direction at or near the upper edges. A second seal that opposes the first seal connects the first and second non-shrinkable panels and the first and shrinkable panels in the transverse direction at or near the lower edges.

A packaging bag has a bag body on a paper basis, which has front walls that lie opposite one another, side walls arranged between the front walls, and longitudinal edges that connect the front walls with the side walls. A material section that forms the assigned front wall and a material section that forms the assigned side wall, are connected with one another on the longitudinal edges to form a reinforcement fold that runs in the longitudinal direction, by way of a fixation layer that borders on each longitudinal edge. The fixation layer assigned to at least one of the reinforcement folds is an adhesive layer, wherein regions of the bag body between the reinforcement folds are free of an adhesive layer.

Bags for containing various retail items, such as food items, and methods of forming the same. In some aspects, a bag having a top and bottom is provided. The bags can include a first layer and a second layer opposite the first layer and uniformly extending from the first layer. In some aspects, the bag can further include a first side seam between a side of the first layer and an opposing side of the second layer and a second side seam between a side of the second layer and an opposing side of the second layer. The first layer and the second layer each have an un-folded edge substantially parallel to the bottom fold. In some aspects, the bags include a bottom V-shaped fold extending along a transverse axis relative to the first side seam and the second side seam, the bottom V-shaped fold forming a seamless bottom.

Disclosed are embodiments of a volume control storage bag and methods of making same. The volume control storage bag may have first and second sidewalls, a double-locking closure mechanism with a first closure element extending along the first sidewall and a second closure element extending along the second sidewall, each closure element having a channel and an elongated member configured for interlocking with one another. A gusset is sealed along three sides of the first and second sidewalls, leaving an opening through the closure mechanism and defining an interior space having a specific volume. Corner seals may be formed at the corners of the first and second sidewalls, further reinforcing the double-locking closure mechanism for an airtight and hence waterproof seal. The volume control storage bag may be made of a food-grade polyethylene vinyl acetate blend, approximately 90% or less ethylene vinyl acetate and approximately 10% or less polyethylene.

A reclosable gusseted bag is disclosed wherein a single web multiple alignment zipper is placed around the interior of the mouth of the bag, downwardly adjacent from the upper edge of the front panel, rear panel and side gussets thereby resulting in an increased size of opening as the mouth of the gusseted bag. The use of a single web multiple alignment zipper allows opposing portions of the web to engage each other within a range of alignments thereby allowing for simplified use by the consumer.

A bag has a front panel, a back panel, and a gusset, each having a thermoplastic ply at its interior face. The interior face of the gusset is thermally welded to the interior face of the front panel and back panel at respective joins from which extend respective panel extensions which are also thermally welded to each other at a third join. Extensions of the gusset cover parts of the respective panels and are thermally welded to them. Other parts of the panel extensions are not covered by the gusset extensions and are welded to each other to form the third join. The extensions can form a handle part for the bag.