TH10036A - A flexible, easy-open bag containing compressed, flexible material. - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible, easy-open bag designed to hold one or more stacks of flexible items will maintain compression largely in a direction parallel to the thickness of those items. For disposable absorbent diapers, sanitary pads, incontinence pants, and similar products, the level of compression inside the bag can be as high as 50% or more compared to the uncompressed thickness of the stack of items. Specifically, the shape chosen should enclose the entire stack of compressed flexible items and should be predominantly rectangular. The bag should include an integrated handle. The end walls and at least one pair of front and back walls, or top and bottom walls, of the bag will be under tension created by the stack of compressed flexible items, leaving at least one pair of walls—preferably the top and bottom walls—predominantly tension-free. A number of wall panels, the upper and lower panels of which are not tense, have an uncovered, easily visible initial tearing device, which comprises the easy-opening mechanism for the bag. This initial tearing device can be activated by the user's fingertips, creating a cut-through opening at least one corner of the bag. The partially pre-configured, flexible easy-open bag of this invention is then filled with compressed flexible material to a size smaller than the bag's internal dimensions, and then allowed to expand slightly as it is inserted into the bag. The appropriate tool for compressing and inserting the flexible material into the partially pre-configured, flexible bag of this invention is also revealed.

Claims (1)

1. Flexible, predominantly rectangular, easy-open bags for compressed flexible materials. Such compressed flexible materials are stacked and held in place by compression in a direction predominantly parallel to the thickness of the material. The bag for such materials consists of: (a) front and back walls joined together by a pair of end walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall. All such walls are made of the compressed material; (b) stacks of compressed flexible materials are adjusted so that most of the flat surfaces of the material are aligned parallel to the end walls of the bag, and the outermost edges of the material are contained within. The stacks of material are predominantly aligned parallel to the front, back, bottom, and top walls of the bag. In this way, all exposed flat surfaces of the material at each end of the stack are in close contact with the innermost surfaces of the bag. The end walls adjacent to each other, while the outermost edges of such material contained within such stacks shall only be in contact with the front, back, top and bottom walls. Such end walls and at least one pair of front and back walls or top and bottom walls shall be under tension caused by the stacking of compressed flexible material. Another pair of front and back walls or top or bottom walls shall be largely tension-free. and (c) the easy-opening device consists of a largely continuous line of vulnerability which is partially located within such tensioned end walls, one wall and partly within an adjacent tension-free wall. The largely continuous line of vulnerability defines a predetermined section of such end wall to be separated from the portion of such end wall without tension release in the remaining end wall and the initial tear point is removed without being concealed. The predefined portion of the end wall is shaped to approximately 75 percent conform to the cross-sectional shape of the overlapping section of the material. Therefore, this predefined portion of the end wall is separated from the rest of the end wall by applying clamping force at the initial tear point in the tension-free wall, and the tear moves further into the adjacent end wall along the weakness line. Subsequently, the overlapping section of the material conforming to the opening formed in the end wall expands through the opening in a fan-like manner, while the overlapping section of the material conforming to the tensioned portion of the end wall is maintained in a largely compressed state. 2. The compressible bag for the compressed compressible material of Requisition 1 herein shall be provided with at least one number of support loops on the tension-free wall containing the aforementioned weakness line. The loop shall serve as a device for holding the bag. 3. Compressible bag for compressible material under the claim of Article 2. Here, the front and rear walls are under tension, and the loop shall include a pair of openings which allow a hand of appropriate size to the user's fingers in a pair of plates extending vertically from the tensioned front and rear walls of the bag. The extending walls are held in place in a vertical space above these openings. 4. Compressible bag for compressible material under the claim of Article 3. Here, the extending walls generally taper from the end walls of the bag towards the area of interlocking wall tension. 5. Compressible bag for compressible material under the claim of Article 4. Here, the vulnerability portion in the untensioned walls generally aligns with the tapering edge of the extending wall containing the openings. When viewed directly from above: 6. The compressible bag for compressible items under Patent 5 herein, the vulnerable portion of the non-tensioned wall is generally triangular in shape, and herein, the vertex of this triangle has an accessible grip that forms the initial tear point. 7. The compressible bag for compressible items under Patent 6 herein, the bag also includes a pictorial symbol to draw the user's attention to the grip that forms the initial tear point. 8. The compressible bag for compressible items under Patent 7 herein, the pictorial symbol is located on a tapered, protruding wall with an opening appropriately sized for the user's fingers. 10. The compressible bag for compressible items under Patent 1 herein, the material for the construction of the compressible bag is selected from a group of materials consisting of polymeric film, paper, non-woven material and laminate structures composed of two or more of the aforementioned materials. 11. The flexible bag for compressible material under Requirement 10, herein the line of such vulnerability shall consist of perforations in the material comprising the flexible bag. 12. The flexible bag for compressible material under Requirement 11, herein the perforations in the untensioned wall panel shall have less tear resistance than the perforations in the tensioned end wall panel.