GB2545636A

GB2545636A - A bag

Info

Publication number: GB2545636A
Application number: GB1520337.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ashe Gavin
Original assignee: KITE PACKAGING Ltd
Current assignee: KITE PACKAGING Ltd
Priority date: 2015-11-18
Filing date: 2015-11-18
Publication date: 2017-06-28
Also published as: GB201520337D0

Abstract

A bag comprising: a body defining a cavity; a top to close the opening and including a flap 64 including an adhesive area 72; the body comprising a gallery for inflation connected to plurality of inflatable compartments via a one way means. Preferably, bag is used for postal or parcel carrier. Preferably, there is a gallery at the top and bottom of the bag, or alternatively one gallery for all the compartments. Preferably, compartments are side by side and elongate across the top or width of the bag, and the fold line between the top and bag body is parallel to compartments. Preferably, wings 66,68 are attached to side of top or bag body. Preferably, adhesive is elongate strip with backing sheet 74. Preferably, there is line of weakening between flap and bag body. Preferably, bag is two layer polyethylene construction with polyamide barrier, made from ribbon with repeating pattern.

Description

A Bag

This invention relates to a bag.

In order to protect items which are being sent by mail, it is known to place an item in protective packaging. One known form of protective packaging is a padded envelope. Another form of protective packaging is a cardboard box in which the gap between the box and the item is filled with protective material, such expanded polystyrene beads, or inflated plastic cushions.

According to the invention there is provided a bag comprising a body defining cavity to receive an item, and a top to close the opening to the cavity, the bag including a flap extending from the top, and at least one of the flap and the side of the bag body including at least one adhesive area, so that the flap can be adhered to the side of the bag body to hold the top over the opening to the bag cavity, the top and the body of the bag comprising a plurality of inflatable compartments and at least one gallery leading to a plurality of the compartments, the bag including an entry point to the or each gallery for inflation of the compartments, the bag including one way means so that the compartments do not deflate once inflated.

In this way, the invention provides good resilient protection for an item through the air filled compartments, with the additional benefit of being a single item for packaging, in other words, "mono-packaging", which does not need to be put into a box, but can be used by itself. Because the bag is inflatable, it takes up relatively little space when being stored before use, and is light and easy to handle.

The bag could be used for protective storage, for example, but in a preferred embodiment, the bag is used for sending items through the post or by parcel carrier or the like.

There may be three galleries or fewer. In one embodiment there are two galleries, which may comprise one gallery at the top and one for the bag body, but in a particularly preferred embodiment there is only one gallery for all compartments of the bag.

There may be a nozzle at the or each entry point to receive the end of a pump for inflation of the compartments.

The compartments may take any suitable form, but preferably are elongate and may be elongate across the width of the bag body and may be elongate across the top. The fold line between the top and the bag body may be parallel to the elongate direction of the adjacent compartments in the bag body and the top.

The flap may simply extend away from the top, but preferably includes a wing to each side as well. Each wing may also be attached to the side of the top. Each wing may further be attached to the side of the bag body.

The or each adhesive area may be a strip which may be elongate in the direction of the width of the bag body. There may be only one adhesive area.

The or each adhesive area may be covered by a backing sheet.

The or each adhesive area may be on the flap and in that case there may be a line of weakening, such as a line of perforations, in the flap between the adhesive area or areas and the top so that the top can be readily released to be opened by tearing along the line of weakness.

The bag may be constructed in any desired way, but in one embodiment the bag body is formed from a sheet folded onto itself and includes a seam where the edges of the sheet are connected at the base of the bag and along one side of the bag body. In a preferred embodiment, the gallery is adjacent the seam along one side of the bag body, and there is a further seam at the other end of the top from that seam.

The bag in one embodiment is made from a section cut from a ribbon of material with a repeating pattern forming the compartments and the or each gallery. The pattern may repeat from the top to the bottom of the bag.

The bag may be made of plastics material which may include a barrier layer and in a particular embodiment the bag may be made from polyethylene with a barrier layer which may be made of polyamide. The bag may be a sheet in which each compartment is a two layer construction, and each layer of plastics sheet material may be in the range of 20 to 110 microns thick.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a sheet for making a bag according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sheet of Figure 1 when inflated;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a sheet according to the invention when folded and sealed, but not inflated;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the inflated bag of Fig 3; and Figure 5 is the view of Figure 4 with the bag closed.

Figures 1 and 2 show a sheet 10 in an embodiment of the invention. The sheet 10 comprises two layers which are partially heat sealed together. Each layer comprises polyethylene with a barrier layer of polyamide to better resist air leakage. Looking at Figure 1, in each place where there are double lines, the two layers are heat sealed together in the areas between the double lines. Thus, looking at the rectangular sheet 10 in the orientation shown in Figure 1, it is seen that the sheet 10 has been cut from a longer ribbon of material which contains the same repeating pattern of heat sealing. There is a heat seal line 12 adjacent the top edge in the sheet 10 and a heat seal line 14 adjacent the lower edge of the sheet. Adjacent the upper heat seal line 12 is a further heat seal line 16. The heat seal lines 12 and 16 at the top edge define a tubular gallery 18 between them. Spaced from the right hand end of the sheet is a perpendicular seal line 20 to seal the end of the gallery 18. A rigid polyethylene nozzle 22 is fitted into the opposite end of the gallery 18 through which air can be introduced into the gallery 18. The region between the heat seal lines 14, 16 is divided into compartments 26 by perpendicular heat seal lines 24. At the region just below the seal line 16 bounding the lower edge of the gallery 18, there is a further thickness of plastic material 28. This additional layer of plastic material 28 is heat sealed to the upper layer of the sheet 10 in a particular pattern 30 which is repeated at regular intervals along the sheet 10 so that there are three such patterns 30 for each compartment 26.

The heat seal line 16 which is the lower bound of the gallery 18 is broken at the entrance to each pattern 30 so that air can pass between the additional sheet 28 and the upper layer of the sheet 10. This forms an opening 32 for air to pass from the gallery 18 into the compartment 26. From the opening 32 two straight lines 34 of heat seal are provided which converge towards one another without meeting. Facing the gap between the ends of the heat seal lines 34 is a triangle 36 of heat sealing, with one apex facing the ends of the lines 34. Behind the triangle 36 is a short heat seal line 38 which is elongate in the direction away from the triangle 36. On each side of the short line 38 is a short lateral line 40, one behind each rear apex of the triangular heat seal 36. Behind the three short lines 38, 40 is a line of heat seal dots 42.

This pattern 30 forms a one way valve so that air can enter the compartment 26 through the opening 32 and between the additional layer 28 and the upper layer of the sheet 10, but cannot escape backwards out of the compartment 26.

Beyond the right hand end of the last perpendicular heat seal 24 is a part of the sheet 10 which is not bounded by heat seal lines and hence cannot be inflated. This part of the sheet 10 forms a flap 37. At the free end of the sheet 10 is a strip of adhesive 39 covered by a backing strip 41.

Fig 2 shows the sheet 10 of Fig 1 when it has been inflated by using a pump (not shown) to pump air into the sheet 10 through the nozzle 22.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show a larger version of the sheet 10 formed into a bag. Fig 3 shows the bag uninflated. The sheet 10 has been folded in two, at a fold line along the right hand side 44, and the two halves have been heat sealed together along the lower edge at line 46, and up the left hand side from the lower line 46 to just over half way up, at line 48, just outside the gallery 18. As shown in Fig 4, a portion of the top of the rear half of the folded sheet is cut away. To form the inflated top 50, a further heat seal line 52 is put in in the top half of the sheet opposite the gallery 18. The cut away would otherwise mean that this part would be open to atmosphere and would not inflate. The shaded area in Fig 3 shows the part 54 of the sheet 10 which will not inflate. The gallery 18 is open at the top end rather than including a nozzle 22, so a pump is inserted into the open end 56 of the gallery 18 to inflate the compartments 26. In each half, adjacent each side edge there is a line of constrictions 58, 60. Each constriction is a partial heat seal limiting the air flow at that part of the compartment 26. Each of the two halves of the sheet may be 90 microns thick.

Figs 4 and 5 show the inflated bag 62. It is seen that the lines of constrictions 58, 60 become fold lines, so that the bag assumes a rectangular shape in plan with the bag body 80 defining a cavity 84. The uninflated part 54 comprises a flap 64 projecting upwards from the top 50, and wings 66, 68 to either side which are connected to the flap 64, top 50 and inflated side walls 70. The flap 64 includes an area of adhesive 72 in the form of a strip across most of the width of the flap 64. The area of adhesive 72 is covered by a backing sheet 74.

Figs 4 and 5 show in phantom two bottles 76, 78 placed inside the cavity 84 of the bag body 80. To close the bag 62, the backing sheet 74 is removed from the strip of adhesive 72, and the flap 64 is pulled down and pressed against the front wall 82 of the bag body 80 to stick to it. The top 50 will then cover the open top of the bag body 80. In this form, the bottles 76, 78 can be sent through the post.

In a variation on the embodiment, a line of perforations is provided across the uninflated part 54 below the adhesive strip 72, so that the bag can be opened by tearing the line of perforations. Thus, part of the flap 64 will be left attached to the front of the bag, but the top 50 will be released to be opened.

Claims

1. A bag comprising a body defining cavity to receive an item, and a top to close the opening to the cavity, the bag including a flap extending from the top, and at least one of the flap and the side of the bag body including at least one adhesive area, so that the flap can be adhered to the side of the bag body to hold the top over the opening to the bag cavity, the top and the body of the bag comprising a plurality of inflatable compartments and at least one gallery leading to a plurality of the compartments, the bag including an entry point to the or each gallery for inflation of the compartments, the bag including one way means so that the compartments do not deflate once inflated.

2. A bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag is used for sending items through the post or by parcel carrier or the like.

3. A bag as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein there are three galleries or fewer.

4. A bag as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein there are only two galleries

5. A bag as claimed in claim 4, wherein there is one gallery at the top and one gallery for the bag body

6. A bag as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein there is only one gallery for all compartments of the bag.

7. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag includes a nozzle at the or each entry point to receive the end of a pump for inflation of the compartments.

8. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the compartments are elongate and arranged side by side in series.

9. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the compartments are elongate across the width of the bag body.

10. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the compartments are elongate across the top.

11. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a fold line between the top and the bag body is parallel to the elongate direction of the adjacent compartments in the bag body and the top.

12. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flap includes a wing to each side thereof.

13. A bag as claimed in claim 12, wherein each wing is attached to a side of the top.

14. A bag as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein each wing is attached to a side of the bag body.

15. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each adhesive area is a strip which is elongate in the direction of the width of the bag body.

16. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each adhesive area is covered by a backing sheet.

17. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each adhesive area is on the flap.

18. A bag as claimed in claim 17, wherein the bag includes a line of weakening in the flap between the adhesive area or areas and the top so that the top can be readily released to be opened by tearing along the line of weakness.

19. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag includes only one adhesive area.

20. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag body is formed from a sheet folded onto itself and includes a seam where the edges of the sheet are connected at the base of the bag and along one side of the bag body.

21. A bag as claimed in claim 20, wherein the gallery is adjacent the seam along one side of the bag body, and there is a further seam at the other end of the top from that seam.

22. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag is made from a section cut from a ribbon of material with a repeating pattern along the ribbon.

23. A bag as claimed in claim 22, wherein the pattern repeats from the top to the bottom of the bag.

24. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag is made of plastics material.

25. A bag as claimed in claim 24, wherein the bag is made from polyethylene.

26. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag includes a barrier layer.

27. A bag as claimed in claim 26, wherein the barrier layer is made of polyamide.

28. A bag as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bag is a sheet in which each compartment is a two layer construction

29. A bag as claimed in claim 28, wherein each layer of plastics sheet material is in the range of 20 to 110 microns thick.

30. A bag substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.