Recyclable bag

Abstract

Front and back panels have side seams that fix the panel side edges of the front panel to the panel side edges of the back panel and each extend a full vertical length of the respective panel side edges. A label formed from a separate piece of film covers one of the face panels between the side edges thereof, is disconnected from the one face panel between the panel side seams, has label side edges generally at the respective side panel edges, and secures the label to the one face panel. Respective secondary side seams are provided between the side edges of the label and the side edges of the one panel, and respective tear lines are formed in the label closely adjacent and generally parallel to each of the label side edges. There is printing on the label only between the tear lines.

Claims

1. A bag comprising: front and back face panels each formed of film and having a respective peripheral edge formed by upper and lower normally horizontal panel edges and normally vertical and generally parallel panel side edges bridging outer ends of the upper and lower panel edges; a peripheral panel seam fixing the peripheral edge of the front face panel to the peripheral edge of the back face panel; a label formed from a separate piece of film, covering one of the face panels within the peripheral edge thereof, disconnected from the one face panel within the respective peripheral edge, and having a label peripheral edge generally at the respective peripheral edge of the one face panel and extending between and fixed thereto at the upper, lower and side edges thereof; respective label seams securing the peripheral edge of the label to the peripheral edge of the one face panel along between 40% and 98% of a length of the peripheral edge of the one face panel; respective tear lines formed in the label closely adjacent and generally parallel to the label seams; and printing on the label only between the tear lines, whereby a portion of the label within the label seams and carrying the printing can be torn from the bag to leave only scraps of the label adhering to the bag at the panel peripheral edge.

2. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the label seams are thermal welds.

3. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the label seams are formed from at most six label-seam sections that are separated from one another at the upper and lower edges by unconnected edge regions.

4. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein each tear line is spaced between 4 mm and 20 mm from the peripheral edge of the label.

5. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the label seams are each formed of several seam sections separated by unconnected edge regions at most 160 mm long.

6. The bag defined in claim 5, wherein the unconnected edge regions are between 40 mm and 120 mm long.

7. The bag defined in claim 5, wherein the unconnected region of greatest length is provided at an upper corner of the bag.

8. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels are rectangular, the side edges are parallel, and the label extends to one of the upper and lower panel edges.

9. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the label extends to the lower and side edges of the one face panel and the label seam includes sections at both the side edges of the one panel and at the upper and lower panel edges.

10. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein most of the label seam directly overlies the panel seam at an outer edge of the one panel, the panel seam further comprising: respective panel side seams fixing the side edges of the front face panel to the side edges of the back face panel or to a side gusset between the panels.

11. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels are generally rectangular with corners of which one is cut off obliquely.

12. The bag defined in claim 11, wherein the panels are provided at the one cut-off corner with a grip hole or a reclosable fastener.

13. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein there is a respective such label on each of the face panels.

14. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels are made of pure polyolefin.

15. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the face panels are unprinted.

16. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the label is made of thermoplastic film, a nonwoven, coated paper, or a multilayer laminate.

17. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels and label are made of pure polyolefin and the label is unprinted at its edges.

18. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the tear line is formed by a perforation, notching, or by a laser.

19. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the panels are of a film having a thickness between 80 μm and 300 μm.

20. The bag defined in claim 1, wherein the label has a weight per unit of area between 18 g/m.sup.2 and 150 g/m.sup.2.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a filled film bag according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 of an alternative embodiment of the film bag in a flat unfilled condition;

(4) FIG. 3 is a section taken along line of FIG. 1 or 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an empty and flattened film bag during while the piece of label film is being peeled away.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) FIGS. 1 and 2 show alternative embodiments of a film bag. By way of contrast there is a somewhat different shape as well as the fact that the film bag according to FIG. 2 is flattened, unfilled, unsealed and is not provided with an additional function element. FIGS. 1 and 2 may however also be considered in their totality with respect to the remaining design.

(7) Accordingly it can be seen that the bag has a body 1 with front and back wall panels 2 opposite one another and a folded floor gusset 3 between lower edges of the wall panels 2. The wall panels 2 are connected at their normally vertical side edges and normally horizontal bottom edges to one another and to the bottom fold 3 by seams 4, normally welds.

(8) In addition it can be seen that a separate indicia-carrying label 5 is provided on the front wall 2. As can also be seen in FIG. 3, the label 5 is fastened to the normally longitudinal side edges of the front wall 2 by weld seams 6 that overlie with the respective seams 4 connecting together the longitudinal side edges of the panels 2.

(9) The connecting seams 4 and the label seam 6 are each formed by thermal welding. Whereas the label 5 is provided with an indicia or imprint 7 in a central region, the peripheral edges of the label 5 and the entire bag body 1 are clean and unprinted.

(10) In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the label seam 4 has a total of five label-seam sections 6a and 6b around the peripheral edge of the label 5, separated from one another by unconnected regions 8. In addition FIG. 1 also shows that the upper corners are cut off obliquely at an angle of about 45° in this embodiment, starting from an approximately rectangular shape of the label 5.

(11) To this end according to the present invention that the label seam 6 is permanent, i.e. it cannot be peeled off, and a tear line 9 in the form of a weakening in the material runs along the each of the label seams 6, i.e. usually parallel to the label seam 6.

(12) The material weakening may be formed in various ways. For example, perforation and/or a reduction in thickness and/or embrittlement of the material, for example, by lasing or by applying heat are possible options here. More particularly, although for better recognizability, the tear line 9 in FIG. 3 is shown with a reduced thickness of the label 5, but it can also be formed in some other way, for example, by a laser and/or heat input. If the heat is applied in a suitable manner in hot sealing, the result is a particularly simple process management.

(13) Thus if the user grips an upper corner of the bag at one of the regions 8 between the label 5 and the front wall 2 to dispose of it after use of the film bag and then pulls the label 5 outward away from the front panel 2, the result is separation of the label 5 along the tear lines 9 so edge scraps of the label 5 remain on the front wall 2 at label seams 6 up to the tear line 9 while the entire middle part of the label 5 is peeled away along with the printing. Since the imprint 7 ends before the tear line 9, there remains then a bag body 1 completely without printing ink.

(14) The label seam 6 extends over an amount between 40% and 98% of the peripheral edge, and the extent is preferably greater than 50% and especially preferably greater than 60% and is preferably less than 90% and especially preferably less than 85%. Hence the preferred extent is 60% to 85%.

(15) Basically a continuous label seam 6 and/or a continuous fastening section is/are possible along a lower edge of the front wall 2. However, in the embodiment illustrated here, only two short label-seam sections 6a are provided as a type of fixation at this lower edge while the label seam 6 with the corresponding fastening sections 6b extends along the side edges of the bag between the obliquely severed corners over the entire vertical length of the label.

(16) FIG. 3 that according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the label 5 is provided on both the front and back panels 2, and the labels 5 may be designed to be largely the same or different. FIG. 3 also shows that the labels 5 outside of the label seam 6 are not connected to the respective wall 2.

(17) According to the embodiments shown here, the film bag is provided to hold liquids, for example, detergent, shampoo, conditioner, cleaning agent or other household chemicals, as an example of such an application. The embodiment according to the invention is also suitable for other film bags, in particular the usual film packaging bags.

(18) The tear line 9 preferably lies at a slight spacing from the label seam 6, this spacing from the tear line 9 to the respective neighboring outside edge of the label 5 thus being between 4 mm and 20 mm, in particular for example between 6 mm and 12 mm.

(19) The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 each have a grip hole 10 formed by a molded section in a sealed area of the bag body 1. According to FIG. 2, the label 5 also extends over the grip hole 10 and is also molded there, but this corner area is cut back according to FIG. 1.

(20) FIG. 1 also shows as an example that the bag body has a pour spout 11, but alternative reclosable structures, for example reclosing strip fasteners, may also be provided.

(21) As already mentioned above, the bag body 1 that remains according to FIG. 4 having the remaining edge pieces of the label 5 is completely unprinted. It is also possible to produce the label 5 and the wall panels 2 of the bag body as well as the function elements, such as the pour spout 11, from pure polyolefin, for example, polyethylene or polypropylene so that particularly effective recycling is then possible.

(22) The bag film forming the wall panels 2 and preferably also the bottom fold 3 typically has a thickness between 120 μm and 250 μm.

(23) If the label 5 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a film, then the thickness amounts to between 20 μm and 170 μm, for example.