Offset opening tabs for plastic zippered bags and plastic containers

Abstract

Offset opening tabs for zippered plastic bags and a variety of disposable and reusable containers which make opening a container fast and easy, as well as solving the difficulties experienced by diverse types of users who have functional or situational finger dexterity limitations or compromised vision that make opening packages a cumbersome or frustrating event.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS:[0001]Provisional Patent Application 60 / 856 / 098 by Marlin Daniel Ballard dated Nov. 2, 2006 and titled “Hand Gripping Tab Structure for Zippered Bags”STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableREFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING[0003]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]The present invention relates to a modification of the opening mechanism for resealable plastic bags that have a zippered closure device, as well as to the same type of modification of the opening mechanism for flexible thermo-formed and pressure-formed plastic, synthetic, paper, foil, or laminated containers used as disposable, temporary, or recloseable packaging for a variety of food and retail products, which are often referred to as peel packs and laminates, easy open lidding, shrink films, or blister packs.[0005]PRIOR ART: The advent of modern synthetic and paper packaging meant the introduction of product enclosures that had lit...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The prior art in the disposable and resealable packaging industry has been characterized by difficult to open, and in some cases seemingly impossible to open, plastic bags and containers, paper wrappers and lidding, peel packs, sealing film and laminates, and blister packs. Utilizing offset opening tabs to separate and open the zipper closure mechanism on plastic bags, or to open any type of disposable or reusable packages, virtually eliminates the opening difficulty experienced by the average user with normal dexterity and good vision. Offset opening tabs are equally effective with users who have limited vision, impaired finger agility or sense of touch, or who must wear gloves or hand protection. Offset opening tabs are adaptable to virtually any situation that requires the separation of two closely aligned or sandwiched membranes, paper, or packaging material. The primary objective of the invention is the creation of a package for which the means of opening is convenient and self-apparent. Simply stated, the goal for the invention is to allow the user to instantly grasp one and only one opening tab / flap with one hand, and to immediately grasp the other tab / flap and only that tab with the other hand, and to instantly know which direction to pull with each hand.

[0008]An additional goal of the invention is to create a two-fold market niche for both the sellers of products by employing unique shaped containers that are easy to open and reseal, as well as to allow a manner of product branding through form and function of the actual package for the packaging manufacturers who are often not permitted by the product sellers to print or emboss a brand name on the packaging material itself. Acceptance by both product sellers and industrial packaging users will be found with both small operations that hand-fill zippered bags as well as high rate producers that must open the previously closed zippered bags for machine filling. Zippered bags with offset opening tabs are easily adaptable for use by a machine, since the tabs can be grasped and separated by a high speed device as easily as by a person.

Problems solved by technology

The prior art in the disposable and resealable packaging industry has been characterized by difficult to open, and in some cases seemingly impossible to open, plastic bags and containers, paper wrappers and lidding, peel packs, sealing film and laminates, and blister packs.

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