Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.

Catherine E Kettner

Mladomir Tomic

Richard G Custer

Timothy J May

Wayne M Wegner

Jack R McLean

Gregory L Petkovsek

Wendy S Nichols

Michael P Kolosso

Bill C Munger

Susan C Gaible

A container has a pair of side walls for defining a container interior and at least one open end. The container also includes a reclosable sealing device including a first locking member and a second locking member, each formed with a web respectively extending along the side walls adjacent the open end. The first and second locking members are repeatedly matable so that upon mating engagement of the first and second locking members along their substantially entire lengths, the open end is substantially entirely closed. Visual indicia means are provided by printing automatically and directly applied along substantially an entire length of an outer surface of at least one of the first and second locking members to present various graphics for identity or aesthetic purposes and facilitate locating and closing the sealing device.

Reclosable plastic storage bags with automatically printed zippers

Methods for positioning a mounted slider device on a recloseable package include inoperably mounting the slider device onto the closure arrangement and contacting the inoperably mounted slider device with a surface to operably position the slider device on the reclosable closure mechanism. Methods of manufacturing recloseable packages include providing a package, a recloseable closure mechanism, and a slider device. Attaching the recloseable closure mechanism to the package. Mounting the slider device on the recloseable closure mechanism and contacting inoperably mounted slider devices with a surface to operably position the slider device on the recloseable closure mechanism.

Method and apparatus for positioning applied slider

A method for mounting a slider device on a recloseable package includes mounting the slider device by providing a package having a recloseable closure mechanism and providing a slider device for opening and closing the recloseable closure mechanism, the slider device having first and second leg constructions having a first distance therebetween. The slider device is expanded to increase the first distance between the first and second leg constructions to a second distance. The slider is expanded by hooking an end of the first and second leg constructions with an expanding device and moving the first leg construction away from the second leg construction. Next, the slider device is mounted onto the recloseable closure mechanism and then the second distance between the first and second leg constructions is decreased to a third distance. Finally, the slider device is removed from the expanding device. Apparatus are also described.

Method and apparatus of applying slider device to a recloseable zipper arrangement

A method for mounting a slider device on a recloseable package includes mounting the slider device by providing a package having a recloseable closure mechanism and providing a slider device for opening and closing the recloseable closure mechanism, the slider device having first and second leg constructions having a first distance therebetween. The method also includes, expanding the slider device to increase the first distance between the first and second leg constructions to a second distance, wherein the expanding includes inserting an expanding device into a slide channel between first and second leg constructions and moving the first leg construction away from the second leg construction. Then removing the slider device from the expanding device and mounting the slider device onto recloseable closure mechanism. Finally, decreasing the second distance between the first and second leg constructions to third distance. Apparatus is also disclosed.

A method of manufacturing a resealable closure mechanism includes separately extruding the interlocking closure member from its respective base strip. The interlocking closure member is cooled prior to bonding the base strip to the interlocking closure member. Bonding is accomplished by either heat sealing, adhering, pouring molten polymeric material, or ultrasonic sealing.

Method for separate closure extrusion

A zipper for a recloseable bag provides a heat-settable portion for adhering the zipper to a polymeric bag at a temperature below that known in the art in order to prevent permanently sealing the bag closed inadvertantly. The zipper includes elongated base strips having flange portions for adhering the inner surface of the base strip to the outer surface of a polymeric bag. The base strip is adhered to the polymeric bag by a heat-setting compound coextruded, coated or laminated to the inner surface of the flange. The flange portions may be thinner than other portions of the base strips to permit the flange portions to be fused to the polymeric bag at a lower temperature than previously practiced.

Method making a closure arrangement for attachment to outside of a bag

Closure arrangement for attachment to outside of bag

A package header arrangement includes a header with first and second opposing films, a tear bead and a support member. The support member is attached to the first film below the tear bead. The tear bead is disposed between the first and second films. When heat and pressure are applied to the first and second films in proximity to the tear bead, the tear bead scores the first and second films creating a breakable tear bead line. When heat and pressure are applied, the tear bead pushes aside the inner layer of the first and second films, weakening the film along the breakable tear bead line without harming the hermetic seal provided by the films. The breakable tear bead line tears easily because it does not have the tough, flexible inner layer of the films to aid in tear resistance. The breakable tear bead line also provides an even tear along a straight line. The support member provides support while tearing along the breakable tear bead line.

Easy open package header

The present invention sets forth a profile sealing strip having a lateral flange and a sealant layer. The lateral flange includes a first section, a second section, and a middle section being disposed between and connected to the first and second sections. The closure portion has a base connected to the middle sections and protruding beyond the upper surfaces of the first and second sections. The structure of the sealant layer and the lateral flange are modified so as to reduce the curl experienced during the cooling process after the lateral flange and the sealant layer are attached to one another.

Minimal curl sealing flange

A recloseable container features webs or flanges near the container opening and outwardly from recloseable locking strips, coextensive with the opening, to provide improved roughened surfaces enabling the user to write on these webs information pertaining to the bag contents. The webs may be formed with a roughening agent to create the roughened surfaces. The locking projections of at least one of the closure elements is formed with a slip agent to facilitate lubricated mating engagement with the other locking projection.

Write-on profile strips for recloseable plastic storage bags

An interlocking closure device for a plastic bag includes two closure elements which interlock over a predetermined length to selectively open and close the opened end. The first closure member projects from an opaque web and is formed with brightly colored tips co-extruded with the contrasting opaque web and connecting portions. The second closure element has a translucent web co-extruded of clear resin with opaque tips connected to that web with clear connecting portions formed of clear resin. When the tips of the first and second closure elements properly mate together, the bright color is highly contrasted against the opaque color and appears as a pair of parallel bands through the transparent or translucent web.

Interlocking closure for plastic storage bags with confirming color

An apparatus for producing a multi-colored closure member of a closure profile includes a die plate for receiving melted materials having different colors at a die plate input port and extruding the closure member at a die plate output port. The apparatus further includes an adaptor module, connected to the die plate input face, for channeling each of the melted materials to a selected section of the die plate input port which corresponds to a specific portion of the closure member. The adaptor module includes an input face with separate input ports for receiving each of the melted materials, and an output face with output ports configured substantially in a form of specific portions of the closure member. A configuration of channels connects the adaptor module input ports to the adaptor module output ports. Each selected section of the die plate input port is fed by a corresponding adaptor module output port.

Apparatus and method for manufacture of a multi-colored closure member

An interlocking closure device including two closure elements which interlock over a predetermined length is formed along an open end of a bag to selectively open and close it. A male member projecting from a translucent web on one of the two closure elements and a female member projecting from a translucent web on the other of the closure elements are respectively differently colored. Upon complete mating engagement, the respective colors are respectively observable through the translucent webs as continuous bands of their color. If the closure elements are incompletely mated, then both colors are observable through one or both translucent webs as adjacent band portions of their individual color.

A profile strip has a closure element, made of a first material, which contains a base surface, and lateral webs or flanges extending from the base surface on each side of the closure element. An adhesive layer, made of a second material, different than the first material, is attached to the lateral webs, but not to the base surface, by co-extrusion of the adhesive layer with the lateral webs. The adhesive layer is subdivided into adhesive ribs, with each pair of the two adjacent ribs separated from each other by an adhesive-free area. Sub-dividing the adhesive layer into ribs separated by an adhesive-free area substantially eliminates the deformation of the lateral webs when they--and the adhesive ribs--are cooled after the coextrusion.

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Catherine E Kettner