Disposable Bags with Integral Tie Strips

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/566,952 filed on Mar. 19, 2024 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/672,792 filed on Jul. 18, 2024, and the entire contents of each are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates generally to disposable bags, including grocery produce bags, garbage bags, and the like.

The following paragraphs are not an admission that anything discussed in them is prior art or part of the knowledge of persons skilled in the art.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-219841 discloses refuse bags with a surface side film and a rear surface side film made of synthetic resin are overlapped and welded and are formed into a square shape, an opening end on an upper side is used as an inlet part and a closing chain end on a lower side is used as a bottom part, and refuse is put between the surface side film and the rear surface side film through the inlet part. Perforations are provided along an upper side fringe of the refuse bag, the films are cut along the perforations when closing the refuse bag, a beltlike string part for binding the inlet part is formed, a finger insertion hole in which a finger is inserted passes through at an intermediate position of the perforations, and a finger is hooked in the finger insertion hole and is pulled to start cutting the perforations from a crossing position with the finger insertion hole.

German Utility Model Number 20 2008 016 977 discloses plastic bags comprising two side walls, opposite longitudinal edges side seams connected to each other, and opposite transverse side edges a bag bottom and a bag mouth. At least one score-line extends along one of the edges of at least one of the side walls, and, along the perforation line, a closure-strips from the side wall can be separated.

International Design Registration Number DM/094 385 discloses a refuse bag. The dotted line in the upper part of the bag represents a perforation which allows users to tear off the upper part from the rest thereof. This torn-off part can be used as a band for closing the bag.

Various apparatuses or methods will be described below to provide an example of an embodiment of each claimed invention. No embodiment described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover apparatuses and methods that differ from those described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to apparatuses and methods having all of the features of any one apparatus or method described below, or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses or methods described below. It is possible that an apparatus or method described below is not an embodiment of any claimed invention. Any invention disclosed in an apparatus or method described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicant(s), inventor(s) and/or owner(s) do not intend to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any such invention by its disclosure in this document.

Typically made from polyethylene or other plastic film, grocery produce bags are used for consumer in-store packaging of fruits, vegetables and other products. Such bags are typically very thin and transparent, and can be filled by the consumer and closed with twist ties or bread clips. Grocery produce bags have disadvantages including that they can be difficult to open, they can be wasteful when the customer uses the bag itself to close the top, and the twist ties or bread clips can get lost and can contaminate the waste stream for reprocessing.

In general, the concepts described herein address some of the aforementioned disadvantages by providing grocery produce bags having integral ties. The bags herein can be easy to open, they can be easy to tie with the tie strips, the tie strips can also be used as a handle by the consumer and text can be written on them, and the bags and the tie strips together can be readily reprocessed, including composting and/or recycling.

Referring to, a rollis formed of a plurality of grocery produce bags. In the example illustrated, perforation linesare positioned along side edges between adjacent ones of the grocery produce bags. The perforation linesallow a consumer to easily separate an individual one of the grocery produce bagsfrom the roll.

Referring to, the grocery produce bagincludes a first side wall, a second side wall, and a tie stripsecured to the second side wall. The first and second side wall,have respective top edges,that define an openingof the bagtherebetween, and the tie stripis shown secured adjacent to the opening.

In the example illustrated, the top edgeof the second side wallextends beyond the top edgeof the first side wallto define a flap, and the tie stripis secured to the flap. Specifically, the tie stripis shown secured to an inner surfaceof the flap. The flapcan make it easier for the consumer to open the bagand put items in it.

In the example illustrated, the tie stripis secured to the flapwith a weld. In the example illustrated, the weldis positioned intermediate of a width of the bag, and the weldis positioned intermediate of a height of the flap. In other examples, the tie stripcan be secured to the flapwith more than one weld, and the welds can be provided in various positions relative to the flap.

In the example illustrated, a width of the tie stripis about equal to a width of the bag.

In the example illustrated, the first and second side walls,are joined by a heat seal to define first and second side seams,that run alongside respective first and second side edges,of the bag.

In the example illustrated, a fold between the first and second side walls,defines a bottom edgeof the bag.

With this configuration, with the tie stripdisposed within the area of the flap, having a width not greater than the bag, and if the tie striphas a thickness that is about the same as a thickness of the first side wall, then it should be appreciated that integration of the tie stripwill not cause an increase in thickness such that the roll() of the bagscan have a uniform diameter.

Although not shown, it should be appreciated that, in some examples, at least one of the side edges and the bottom edge of the bag can include a gusseted seam. In such examples, the thickness of the tie strip can be made thicker, e.g., double or triple the thickness of the side walls. Furthermore, in some examples, the bag can be folded, including in half, in thirds or in other configurations, for the purposes of packaging.

In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripeach are made of the same material. In some examples, the tie stripcan be made of a different material than each of the side walls,. In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripare each formed of plastic materials. In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripare each formed a biodegradable plastic material, a compostable plastic material, and/or a recyclable plastic material.

In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripare each formed at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polyester (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT), copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof. In some particular examples, the side walls,can be formed from LDPE and the tie stripcan be formed from HDPE.

In some examples, the tie stripcan include at least one of a monoaxially oriented and biaxially oriented polymer, for strength. In some particular examples, the tie stripcan formed of monoaxially oriented or biaxially oriented polyethylene (PE) or EVA.

In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripeach have a thickness of between 6 and 200 microns. In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripeach have a thickness of between 10 and 25 microns. In some examples, the side walls,and the tie stripeach have the same thickness. In some examples, the tie stripcan be thicker than each of the side walls,.

In some examples, the side walls,are each substantially transparent or translucent. In some examples, the tie stripis substantially translucent or opaque.

Referring to, the bagis shown carrying items, and the tie stripis tied to close the opening of the bag.

Referring to, textcan be written on the tie strip; for example, the consumer can write on the tie stripwhen in-store packaging of fruits, vegetables and other products.

Although not shown, it should be appreciated that, in some examples, the bags can be wicketed bags, with the flap of each bag including punched openings for receiving the metal wicket to hold the stack of bags together.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes first and second side walls,, and first and second tie strips,are secured to an inner surface of a flap. In the example illustrated, the tie strips,are positioned in parallel along the flap. In the example illustrated, widths of the tie strips,are each about equal to a width of the bag. In the example illustrated, the side walls,and the tie strips,are joined by a heat seal positioned adjacent to a first side edgeof the bag.

Referring to, the bagis shown carrying items, and the tie strips,are tied together to close the opening of the bag.

Referring to, textcan be written on the tie strips,.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes a first side wall, a second side wall, and a tie stripsecured to an inner surface of a flap.

In the example illustrated, the tie stripis positioned in parallel along the flap, with a width of the tie stripbeing about equal to a width of the bag.

In the example illustrated, the first and second side walls,are joined by a heat seal to define first and second side seams, and the tie stripis secured to the flapwith the same heat seals to form side seams,. This can allow the tie stripto be secured in the same step as the heat sealing of the first and second side walls,.

In some examples, the tie stripcan be formed of a differential material so that the heat sealing only loosely adheres the tie stripto the flap, allowing a customer to easily remove the tie stripfrom the remainder of the bag. For example, the tie stripcan be formed of a material that does not seal well with a polyethylene bag but still can be reprocessed because is soluble in the polyethylene polymer; e.g. HDPE, PP, or PE modified with additives. In some examples, the tie stripcan also have a different thickness from the remainder of the bag. In some examples, adhesion can be enough to keep the tie stripfastened to the bag but can be easily peeled off when needed. In some examples, the tie stripcan be directly extruded on the PE bag, and can be extruded polymer or monoaxially oriented.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes first and second side walls,, and a tie stripis secured to an inner surface of a flap.

In some examples, the tie stripcan be formed of a differential material and heat pressed to the flap. The temperature, pressure and duration of the joining process can be selected so that the tie stripis only loosely adhered to the flap. This can allow a customer to easily remove the tie stripfrom the remainder of the bag.

In the example illustrated, the tie stripis colored to emphasize it as compared to the remainder of the bag, and optionally includes text.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes first and second side walls,, and a tie stripis secured to an inner surface of a flap.

In the example illustrated, the tie stripis secured to the flapwith a heat press or weldthat runs across a full width of the tie strip, but only a portion of a height of the tie stripand it is positioned centrally relative to its height. With this configuration, it can be easier for the customer to grasp the tie strip, either by the lower or upper longitudinal edge, and remove it from the remainder of the bag. In some examples, the tie stripcan be formed of a differential material to the flapso that it is only loosely adhered to the flapby the weld.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes first and second side walls,, and a tie stripis secured to an inner surface of a flap.

In the example illustrated, the tie stripis secured to the flapwith a line of adhesivethat runs across a full width of the tie strip, but only a portion of a height of the tie stripand it is positioned adjacent to an upper edge of the tie strip. A light adhesive can be used to ensure easy removal of the tie strip.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes first and second side walls,, which have respective top edges that define an opening of the bag.

In the example illustrated, there is no flap. A tie stripis secured to an outer surface of the side wall, towards the top edge thereof adjacent to the opening. The tie stripis shown secured with a line of adhesivethat runs across a full width of the tie strip, but only a portion of a height of the tie stripand it is positioned centrally relative to its height. A light adhesive can be used to ensure easy removal of the tie strip.

Referring to, bagshave side walls that are joined by a heat seal to define side seams, and side perforation linesare arranged in between the side seams of adjacent ones of the grocery produce bags. The perforation linesallow a consumer to easily separate an individual one of the bagsfrom the others.

In the example illustrated, top perforation linesare provided to define tie strips. If the bagsare formed of a sufficiently strong plastic material, the tie stripscan be pulled off by the consumer and used as ties, without further components or reinforcement. The top perforation linescan extend through both of the side walls. A fold between the side walls defines a bottom edge of each bag.

Referring to, bagsare formed as a tube in which the side walls are joined by a heat sealto provide a closed bottom edge. A first perforation lineadjacent to the heat sealof the next bag allows a consumer to easily separate the bag from the next.

In the example illustrated, a second perforation lineadjacent to the first perforation linedefines tie stripstherebetween. If the bagsare formed of a sufficiently strong plastic material, the tie stripscan be pulled off by the consumer and used as ties, without further components or reinforcement.

Referring to, a grocery produce bagincludes first and second side walls,, and a tie stripis secured to an inner surface of a flap. In some examples, the tie stripcan be formed of a tape and adhered or pressed to the flap.

In the example illustrated, a perforation lineis arranged in the side wallbetween the tie stripand a top edge of the side wall. The perforation linecan allow the tie stripand the majority of the flapto be removed by the consumer and used. Because it includes more than one layer, the resulting tie strip can be stronger.

Referring to, a plurality of grocery produce bagsare shown formed from a tube of material, which can be an extruded plastic film. In the example illustrated, lateral cutsare formed to separate the individual bags, and a longitudinal slitdefines a top flap from the remainder of each of the bags.

Referring to, a heat sealcan be applied longitudinally across a full width of the bagto keep the film that is folded over together to form the flap. The flaptherefore has two layers of material with a fold along its top edge.