Bag closing seal

Abstract

A bag sealing device comprises an opposed press lock structure together with two adhesive bearing strips disposed below the press lock structure together with at least one strip that is employed to prevent premature sticking of the two adhesive bearing strips. This device is employed in combination with a bag containing a food product with disposed within the bag.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: a container having an openable end providing an opening to said container; and a sealing device for said container, said sealing device including a first portion and a second portion in which said first portion of said sealing device includes a length of press lock seal with opposing strip portions facing one another so as to form a closable seal; and in which said second portion of said sealing device is attached to said first portion of said sealing device, said second portion having strips of adhesive material disposed on opposed inside portions of said second portion of said sealing device, said adhesive material extending across said second portion and being sufficiently wide and affixed to said second portion of said device so that the end portion of said container immediately adjacent to its openable end is disposed above said adhesive material and so that the openable end of said container is also disposed below said adhesive material so that adhesive-to-adhesive contact is present above said openable end of said container as well as with adhesive-to-container contact below said openable end.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said first portion includes a zipper.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said first portion includes opposed, flexible mating structures that snap together to form a seal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of practice, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional end view illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the same embodiment of the present invention as seen in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 a cross-sectional view illustrating the use of the present invention in performing a bag closure;

(5) FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the bag closure operation shown in FIG. 3; and

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating the presence of the present invention within a food product container prior to its shipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1 illustrates the present invention from an edge on or cross-sectional view. Press lock portions 110 and 210 are designed to form a tight seal when pressed together in a locked fashion. These portions can have any convenient size or shape as long as they fit together snugly when pressed together so as to form a substantially airtight seal. While there is only one such structure shown, it is possible to employ double or triple structures for better sealing purposes. These press lock portions are supported by flexible substrate 120 on one side and 220 on the opposite side. The structures preferably comprises a material such as a flexible polymer and more particularly a polymer such as polyethylene. However, any convenient substrate will work, its primary requirement being that it is flexible. Substrates 120 and 220 include strips of adhesive 125 and 225 disposed on their respective interior surfaces. There is also provided peelable protective cover strips 130 and 230 respectively over adhesive portions 125 and 225. The dotted line indicates that flexible substrates 120 and 220 are joined at their ends.

(8) FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 except that it shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention from a side view. Similarly labeled structures having the same reference numeral are the same in both drawings. In particular, it is noted that the device of the present invention bears reference numeral 100. It is also seen in FIG. 2 that protective covering strips 125 and 225 are employed to cover adhesive material 130 and 230. These materials are disposed in proposed positions, as seen in FIG. 1.

(9) FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the present invention in closing bag 150. In particular, appealable protective material 125 and 225 is removed from the underlying adhesive layer one at a time. As each protective material strip is removed, it is placed flat against bag 150 and pressed to provide adhesion between the device and the bag. After the first protective material layer 120 or 225 is removed, the second protective layer is removed and one will find that the device of the present invention is naturally placed against the bag ready to have the second adhesive strip firmly pressed against the bag by the user. The width of the device of the present invention is naturally selected to be wider than the bag opening that it is designed to close. The adhesive material which is in contact with bag 150, when in place for closure, is also in contact with adhesive material on it supposed underlying strip/substrate 124 or 220.

(10) FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 except that the invention, in use with a bag which it closes, is seen in a side view. Portions of the invention that are not viewable are shown in dotted lines. This view is particularly relevant in that, as discussed above, it helps to relate the width of the invention with the width of the fact that it seeks to close. Naturally, the width of the invention is greater than the width of the bag opening.

(11) The present invention is marketable in two different forms. In a first form, packets of the present invention are sold in groups of a plurality of closure devices. In this form, a user purchases a packet of devices and employs them as needed with various ones of the food products that they purchase. This is clearly a retrofit mode of operation where one is not at all concerned about the bag having its own closure mechanism. In a different form, the present invention is marketed in combination with a food product bag with which it is used. In this form, closure devices of the present invention are sold in combination with the food products and the food product bags that they are intended to close. This aspect of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 5.

(12) All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

(13) Although the description above contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 USC § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.”

(14) While the invention has been described in detail herein in accordance with certain preferred embodiments thereof, many modifications and changes therein may be effected by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.