Title: Ventable storage bag
Abstract: A storage bag for food products with a venting structure to expel excess air trapped inside the bag after the bag has been closed or sealed. After the excess air is removed, the venting structure is covered and sealed to prevent air from re-entering the bag or other objects from entering the bag.
Patent Number: 7,004,632 Issued on 02/28/2006 to Hamilton, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Hamilton; Peter (Cincinnati, OH);
Borchardt; Michael (Naperville, IL);
Giesfeldt; Rebecca (Chicago, IL);
McGuire; Kenneth S. (Cincinnati, OH)
|
| Assignee:
|
The Glad Products Company (Oakland, CA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
404251 |
| Filed:
|
March 31, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
383/103; 383/100; 383/45; 383/48; 383/63 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
B65D 33/01 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
383/100,103,43-45,48,50,51,63
206/524.8
|
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Primary Examiner: Hylton; Robin A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Feix; Thomas C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A ventable bag for storing products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space with
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
one or more first perforations located in said front wall proximate to said top
end and between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom end;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations; and
a pressure sensitive adhesive operative to removably seal a portion of said cover
to said bag;
said cover has a top edge, a bottom edge, and two side edges, at least one of
said top, bottom and two side edges is permanently secured to said bag; and
wherein said one or more perforations permit air to be expelled from said storage
space upon at least partial removal of said cover from said bag.
2. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said top edge and said two side edges
of said cover are permanently secured to said bag and at least a portion of said
adhesive is positioned below said one or more first perforations.
3. The bag according to claim 2 wherein said adhesive is a material capable of
sealing more than once.
4. The bag according to claim 3 wherein said adhesive is positioned on a surface
of said cover facing said front wall.
5. The bag according to claim 3 wherein said adhesive is positioned on said front
wall of said bag.
6. The bag according to claim 2 wherein part of said portion of said adhesive
is positioned at said bottom edge.
7. The bag according to claim 2 wherein said bottom edge is permanently secured
to said bag and one or more second perforations are located in said cover between
said adhesive and said bottom edge.
8. The bag according to claim 2 wherein said first perforations are configured
in a substantially straight line parallel to said closure mechanism.
9. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said bottom edge and said two side edges
of said cover are permanently secured to said bag and a first portion of said adhesive
is positioned between said one or more first perforations and said top edge.
10. The bag according to claim 9 wherein said adhesive is a material capable
of sealing more than once.
11. The bag according to claim 9 wherein part of said first portion of said adhesive
is positioned at said top edge.
12. The bag according to claim 11 wherein said adhesive is positioned on a surface
of said cover facing said front wall.
13. The bag according to claim 11 wherein said adhesive is positioned on said
front wall of said bag.
14. A ventable bag for storing products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space with
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
one or more first perforations located in said front wall proximate to said top
end and between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom end;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations;
a pressure sensitive adhesive operative to removably seal a portion of said cover
to said bag;
said one or more first perforations permit air to be expelled from said storage
space upon at least partial removal of said cover from said bag;
said cover has a top edge, a bottom edge, and two side edges, wherein said bottom
edge and said two side edges of said cover are secured to said bag and at least
a portion of said adhesive is positioned between said one or more first perforations
and said top edge; and
further including one or more second perforations located in said cover between
said adhesive and said top edge.
15. The bag according to claim 14 wherein said top edge is secured to said bag.
16. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said two side edges of said cover are
permanently secured to said bag, a first portion of said adhesive is positioned
between said one or more first perforations and said top edge and a second portion
of said adhesive is positioned between said one or more first perforations and
said bottom edge.
17. The bag according to claim 16 wherein part of said first portion of said
adhesive is positioned at said top edge and part of said second portion of said
adhesive is positioned at said bottom edge.
18. A ventable bag for staring products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space with
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
said front wall including a flange portion above said closure mechanism;
one or more first perforations located in said front wall proximate to said top
end and between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom end;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations, said cover is an
integral fold over flap extension of said flange portion of said front wall of
said bag;
a pressure sensitive adhesive operative to removably seal a portion of said cover
to said bag;
said one or more first perforations permit air to be expelled from said storage
space upon at least partial removal of said cover from said bag.
19. The bag according to claim 18 wherein said cover has a bottom edge and two
side edges, wherein said two side edges of said cover are secured to said bag and
at least a portion of said adhesive is positioned between said one or more first
perforations and said bottom edge.
20. The bag according to claim 19 wherein part of said portion of said adhesive
is positioned at said bottom edge.
21. A ventable bag for storing products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space with
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
one or more first perforations located in said front wall proximate to said top
end and between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom end;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations, said cover is an
integral extension of said front wall of said bag;
a pressure sensitive adhesive operative to removably seal a portion of said cover
to said bag;
wherein said one or more perforations permit air to be expelled from said storage
space upon at least partial removal of said cover from said bag;
said cover has a bottom edge and two side edges, wherein said bottom edge and
said two side edges of said cover are secured to said bag and at least a portion
of said adhesive is positioned between said one or more first perforations and
said bottom edge; and
further including one or more second perforations located in said cover between
said adhesive and said bottom edge.
22. The bag according to claim 21 wherein said bottom edge is secured to said bag.
23. A veritable bag for storing products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space with
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
said front wall including a flange portion above said closure mechanism;
one or more first perforations located in said front wall proximate to said top
end and between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom end;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations, said cover is an
integral extension of said flange portion of said front wall;
a pressure sensitive adhesive operative to removably seal a portion of said cover
to said bag;
wherein said one or more perforations permit air to be expelled from said storage
space upon at least partial removal of said cover from said bag; and
wherein said cover has a top edge, a bottom edge and two side edges, wherein
said top edge of said cover forms a fold line between said cover and said bag,
said bottom edge and said two side edges of said cover are secured to said bag,
at least a portion of said adhesive is positioned above said one or more first
perforations, and one or more second perforations are located between said adhesive
and said closure mechanism.
24. The bag according to claim 23 wherein said one or more second perforations
are disposed along said fold line.
25. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive is disposed next to said
one or more perforations but not over said one or more perforations, whereby a
peel angle is formed when said air being expelled from said storage space impinges
said pressure sensitive adhesive.
26. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said top edge, said, and one of said
two side edges are permanently secured to said bag, and a second of said two side
edges remaining unsecured, and a portion of said adhesive is disposed between said
first perforations and said second side edge.
27. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said closure mechanism is selected from
the group consisting of an interlocking closure, a closure adhesive material, and
a hook and loop fastener.
28. The bag according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first perforations
is in a C-shape, an X-shape, a cross shape, or in a disconnected circle shape.
29. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said air is expelled from said storage
space having an exit pressure large enough to unseal said adhesive and thereby
separate said portion of said cover from said bag.
30. A bag for storing products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space wit
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
said front wall including a flange portion above said closure mechanism;
one or more perforations provided in said front wall for permitting air trapped
within said storage space to escape, said one or more first perforations located
between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations for sealing said
bag after air trapped within said storage space has escaped, wherein said cover
is formed as an integral fold over flap extension of said flange portion of said
front wall of said bag, said cover comprises a terminal edge and two side edges,
said two side edges of said cover are secured to said front wall of said bag, said
terminal edge being located between said one or more perforations and said closed
bottom end; and
an adhesive for securing at least a portion of said cover to said front wall.
31. The bag according to claim 30 wherein at least a portion of said adhesive
is positioned to directly overlay said one or more perforations.
32. A bag for storing products comprising:
front and back walls joined at opposing sides and defining a storage space with
a closed bottom end and a top end;
a re-sealable closure mechanism being operative to selectively open and close
said top end;
said front wall including a flange portion above said closure mechanism;
one or more first perforations provided in said front wall for permitting air
trapped within said storage space to escape, said one or more first perforations
located between said closure mechanism and said closed bottom end;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations for sealing said
bag after air trapped within said storage space has escaped, wherein said cover
is formed as a fold over flap extension of said flange portion of said front wall
of said bag, said cover comprises a terminal edge and two side edge; and said terminal
edge and two side edges of said cover are secured to said front wall of said bag,
said secured terminal edge being located between said one or more first perforations
and said closed bottom end;
an adhesive for securing at least a portion of said cover to said front wall,
said adhesive positioned between said one or more first perforations and said cop
end of said bag; and
one or more second perforations disposed in said cover between said adhesive
and said closure mechanism.
33. The bag according to claim 32 wherein said adhesive is a material capable
of sealing more than once.
34. A bag for storing products comprising:
a front wall, a back wall, and a storage space defined between said front wall
and said back wall;
an opening at a top of said bag for inserting products in to said storage space;
a closure mechanism disposed near said top of said bag for closing said opening;
one or more first perforations located in said front wall proximate to said opening
and beneath said closure mechanism for permitting air trapped within said storage
space to escape;
a cover positioned over said one or more first perforations for sealing said
bag after air trapped within said storage space has escaped, wherein said cover
is a separate piece from said bag, said cover comprises a top edge, a bottom edges
and two side edges, and said top edge and said bottom edge of said cover are permanently
secured to said bag;
a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed between said top edge and said one or
more first perforations; and
one or more second perforations located in said cover and disposed between said
top edge and said adhesive.
35. The bag according to claim 34 wherein a portion of said adhesive is positioned
directly on top of said first perforations.
36. The bag according to claim 23 wherein said one or more second perforations
are located in said flange portion between said fold line and said closure mechanism.
37. The bag according to claim 23 wherein said one or more second perforations
are located in said cover between said adhesive and said fold line.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to storage bags and specifically to a ventable
storage bag for expelling unwanted air trapped internally by the bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Storage bags are a common household product used throughout the world. Storage
bags are conventionally used to store food products in a refrigerator, freezer,
portable cooler for camping, picnics, backyard barbecues, or similar type occasions,
or even in kitchen cabinets. Stored food items may include, for example, fruits,
deli meats, poultry, bread, cheese, beef, sauces, chips, nuts, sugar, flour, and
the like. Storage bags may also be used to store various other items such as cosmetic
applicators, personal care items, pills, screws or nails, batteries, and the like.
Such bags are often made of a flexible material such as plastic, and therefore
may be preferred for storage use over a hard-sided container. That is because the
size of the flexible bag may be adjusted to match the space required to store the
bag's contents, whereas if a hard-sided container is only half full, the empty
half is just wasted space.
One difficulty with conventional storage bags is air can get trapped inside the
bag as the user closes the bag. This decreases the shelf-life or storage longevity
of a stored product. Particularly, when the storage bag stores a food product and
is placed in a freezer, excess air in the bag may cause desiccation (commonly known
as freezer burn) thus spoiling the stored food product. Some persons have tried
to solve the problem of unwanted, excessive air inside a storage bag by vacuum
sealing the bag. This process requires a machine to vacuum or pump the excess air
out of the bag and may take up to several minutes to seal each bag. The machine,
while taking up a great deal of counter-top or kitchen-top space, creates noise.
In addition, conventional vacuum sealing machines can be expensive and thus may
not be affordable to the average consumer.
Another problem with storage bags is that the air trapped inside a bag increases
the size of the bag, therefore taking up more space in the refrigerator, freezer,
cooler, shelf, or box that is strictly required to store the contents of the bag.
For a user with limited storage space or a shipping company that wants to maximize
storage space use, and therefore profits, unnecessary air inside the storage bag
is undesirable. This problem may be resolved only with complicated, and time consuming,
manipulation of the bag to squeeze out the air as the bag is closed.
It has been known to utilize a package valve in an attempt to overcome these
or
similar problems. Many of these prior valves, however, are difficult and expensive
to manufacture in that multiple pieces must be made, handled, and assembled. As
will be understood to one of ordinary skill, storage bags may conveniently be manufactured
by sealing and cutting a continuous plastic web as it is formed at high speeds.
At such high speeds, placing a valve in the bags in a consistent position presents
several technical difficulties. Inevitably this will require a slower moving web,
as well as complicate the manufacturing process, leading to reduced production
capacity at an increased cost. Exemplary package valves are disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,432,087 to Costello.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a storage bag that is cost
efficient to make and use, easy to manufacture, increases the shelf or storage
life of a stored product, conserves space and is easy to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a bag for storing products with a front wall, a back
wall, and a storage space defined between the front wall and the back wall. The
bag includes an opening at a top of the bag with a closure mechanism. One or more
first perforations are located in the front wall proximate to the opening and beneath
the closure mechanism. A cover is positioned over the one or more first perforations
having a surface facing away from the bag and a surface facing towards the bag.
The bag further includes an adhesive positioned proximate to the top of the bag.
Further, the present invention is a bag for storing products. The bag includes
a front wall, back wall, and a storage space defined between the front wall and
the back wall with an opening at a top of the bag for inserting products into the
storage space. The bag includes a closure mechanism for closing the opening. One
or more first perforations are located in the front wall proximate to the opening
and beneath the closure mechanism for permitting air trapped within the storage
space to escape. A cover is positioned over the one or more first perforations
for sealing the bag after air trapped within the storage space has escaped. The
cover is an integral extension to the front wall of the bag. The cover includes
a front surface facing away from the bag, a back surface facing towards the bag,
a top edge, a bottom edge, and two side edges, with the bottom edge and the two
side edges of the cover being secured to the bag. An adhesive is secured to the
bag. One or more second perforations are above the one or more first perforations,
with a portion of the adhesive located between the first and the second perforations.
Still further, the present invention is a bag for storing products. The bag
includes a front wall, a back wall, and a storage space defined between the front
wall and the back wall. An opening at a top of the bag is for inserting products
into the storage space with a closure mechanism for closing the opening. One or
more first perforations are located in the front wall proximate to the opening
and beneath the closure mechanism for permitting air trapped within the storage
space to escape. A cover is positioned over the one or more first perforations
for sealing the bag afte
