US3128515A

US3128515A - Preformed wire tie

Info

Publication number: US3128515A
Application number: US137796A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Herbert F Cox
Original assignee: Inland Container Corp
Current assignee: Inland Container Corp
Priority date: 1961-09-13
Filing date: 1961-09-13
Publication date: 1964-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 1981-04-14

Description

April 14, 1964 H. F.' cox, JR

PREFORMED WIRE TIE Filed Sept. 15, 1961 United States Patent Oliice 3,128,515 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 3,128,515 PREFRMED WIRE TIE Herbert F. Cox, Jr., Syracuse, N.Y., assigner to Inland Container Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 137,796 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-30.5)

This invention relates generally to wire ties for closing or compressing the gathered end folds of a bag or the like and in particular to a preformed wire tie which lends itself to fabrication, and application to the bag or the like, by automatic machinery.

The use of wire ties in the environment referred to above is, of course, old in the art. Customarily the ties are supplied as straight lengths of wire having end loops at each Wire end. They are applied by wrapping the tie around the gathered folds of a bag or the like and then twisting the extending wire ends together. y The end loops facilitate twisting either manually or by a tool, and, with the extending wire ends twisted, the wire portion encircling the bag exerts radial, closing or sealing force on the bag folds.

In my U.S. Patent No. 3,007,608 titled Liquid Dispensing Containers there is disclosed an application of wire ties to the sealing of a bag to a flexible filling and pouring tube. This patent teaches the necessity of having a double loop in order to gather the flexible bag around the tube. This is particularly necessary when liquids are to be retained. When straight wire ties are used requiring manual wrapping before tightening, the loops are not truly circular in section and it is difficult to obtain uniform radial pressure and, therefore, difficult to get a tight seal. The performed wire tie of the present invention is particularly adapted for, and is herein described with relation to, such use in sealing a flexible bag on an entering tube. It will be understood that the preformed wire tie of the present invention can be used in other environments, for example in closing the gathered ends of potato bags and, in general anywhere a gathered, flexible material is to be closed against itself or against a rigid element about which the flexible material is gathered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wire tie which is adapted for fabrication by automatic machinery and which has a configuration lending itself to both manual application and automatic machine application to the structure it is to close or seal.

A further object of this invention is to provide a preformed wire tie which contains at least one loop of true circular cross-section resulting in uniform radial pressure when the loop is tightened.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wire tie which is suitable for fastening a flexible material around a tube or spout and winch, because of multiplicity of loops and the circular cross-section of at least one loop, will provide a seal which is liquid tight.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wire tie which, when applied to the structure it is to close or seal, is characterized by uniformity in the length of the twisted, extending portion with the end loops substantially aligned or in register.` i

A further object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wire tie which is characterized by a shielding or masking of the wire tips thereby preventing rupturing or damaging of the material upon Which the tie is installed.

These and other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a plan View of a wire tie of the type familiar in the prior art and shown in the form in which it is normally supplied to users.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the prior art wire tie of FIG. 1 installed in a typical application of the tie.

FIG. 3 is a plan View of the preformed Wire tie of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the preformed wire tie of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the wire tie of the present invention prior to its complete formation and comparable to the View of the prior art structure shown in FIG. 1

FIG. 6 is a side View of the preformed wire tie installed in an application identical to that shown in FIG. 2.

FIGS. l and 2 disclose a typical prior art tie and its `application to the sealing -of a bag lto a filling and pouring tube, the application being of the type disclosed in my above mentioned patent. Referring to lFIG. 1, wire ties are conventionally supplied to users in the form there shown. The ties have an unbent shank portion 10l which is `terminated at each end by end loops 1\1 and 12 respectively. The end loops are closed by terminal hook-.s i13 and `141 which embrace the adjacent portions of the wire yforming the end loops. The tips of the free ends of the hooks, identified 'at 131i` and 14a are substantially aligned on the same side of the end loops.

In applying or installing the prior art wire ties, the tie is manually wrapped twice around the gathered end folds of the bag and the two extending ends of the wire are twisted together by means of the end loops 11 and 12 either manually or by a hand-held tool. Referring specifically to FIG. 2, the Wire tie is shown as sealing the gathered end folds of a polyethylene bag 16 about a tube 17. In applying the Wire tie of FIG. l to a structure such as that shown in FIG. 2, the helical major or wrapping loop (indicated at 18 in FIG. 2) is formed in substantially the same plane as the plane of the end loops 11 and 12. It will be noted that in thus applying the wire tie, whether the end loop 12 is passed in front of the end loop 11 as shown in FIG. 2, or the end loop 11 is passed in front of the end loop 12, one of the tips of the free ends of the

hooks

13 or 14 will be facing outwardly from the generally registering end loops 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 2, where the end loop 12 is disposed in front of the end loop 11, the hook tip 14a is disposed outwardly from the generally registering end loops 11 and 12. If the end loop 11 were disposed in front of the end loop 12, then the tip 13a of the end hook 13 would be disposed outwardly of the end loops. Thus, because the

hooks

13 and 14 each have their

free ends

13a and 14a on the same side of the wire tie of FIG. 1, when applied as shown in FIG. 2, one or the other of the

tips

14a or 13a will be disposed outwardly of the generally registering end loops. The tip ends 13a and 14a of the wire are normally somewhat sharp or jagged because of the wire cutting operation. Particularly in applications such as that shown in FIG. 2, in manipulating the container and closing the bag and the tube sealed thereto by the wire tie, the jagged outwardly disposed tip 14a of the Wire tie can contact the bag folds and causes rupture or damage to the bag.

The preformed wire tie of the present invention is free of the structural disadvantage referred to above. FIGS. 3-6 disclose the wire tie of the present invention and referring specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4 it will be seen that the wire tie is integrally formed of a length of wire so as to provide a generally circular wrapping loop indicated generally at 21. The

terminal portions

22 and 23 of the wire forming the loop 21 extend tangentially from the loop in converging relation to each other and are formed to provide generally registering

end loops

24 and 26. The end loop 24 is closed by a terminal hook 27 embracing the adjacent terminal wire portion. Similarly the end loop 26 is closed by a terminal hook 28 embracing the adjacent Wire portion 22. The tips or

free ends

27a and 28a of the

hooks

27 and 28 are disposed on the facing sides of the generally registering

end loops

24 and 26.

As will be evident from FIG. 4 the Wrapping loop 21 takes the general form of a helix which lacks a complete two-coil configuration by the distance between the

terminal wire portions

22 and 23, the wrapping loop 21 being therefore referred to hereinafter as being of a substantially two-coil helix configuration. There will be at least one complete coil which, having preferably been formed on a rigid mandrel by mechanical means, will be uniformly circular in cross-section. The diameter of the helix is such that it can be readily slipped over the gathered folds of the bag to which it is to be applied. It will be understood that the diameter of the helix can be varied for the particular application of the wire ties.

FIG. 5 illustrates the wire tie of the present invention before it has been formed into its final configuration of FIG. 3 and is comparable to the view of a prior art wire tie shown in FIG. 1. It will be particularly noted that the arrangement of FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that the

tips

27a and 28a of the

terminal hooks

27 and 28 are on opposite sides of the

portions

22 and 23 of the tie. Because of this arrangement when the tie is formed into its final configuration illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 the

tips

27a and 28a are disposed inwardly of the outer faces of the

end loops

24 and 26.

The preformed wire ties of the present invention are supplied to the user in the form shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In applying the ties, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the helical wrapping loop portion 21 is slipped over the gathered folds of the bag 16. The

end loops

24 and 26 receive the hook or hooks of a hand-held or bench type twisting tool which pulls the helical wrapping loop 21 tight about the bag folds and twists the

portions

22 and 23, this twisted portion being indicated at 31 in FIG. 6. As will be evident from FIG. 6, upon completion of the application of the wire tie, the

tips

27a and 28a of the

hooks

27 and 28 are disposed at the facing sides of the generally registering

end loops

24 and 26 thereby masking or shielding these sharp tips from contact with the bag folds in subsequent handling of the package structure.

It will also be evident from FIG. 6 that loop 21 of the helix will be uniformly formed in a circular cross-section and will be parallel to the remaining loop 21a, thus providing a uniform radial pressure around the tube 17 through the flexible material 16.

While wire of any suitable type may be used to fabricate the preformed wire tie of the present invention, for use in the food processing industry a typical wire would be 16B&S guage of tinned or galvanized iron or stainless steel. Since the wrapping loop 21 and the

end loops

24 and 26 all lie in substantially the same or closely parallel planes, the generally flat configuration of the preformed tie lends itself readily to forming by automatic machinery and has obvious transport and storage advantages. While the preformed wire loop may be slipped over or applied to the bag folds manually, it will be evident that the structure is such as to lend itself to application to the bag folds by automatic machinery of a simplified type as compared to the machinery necessary for automatic application of the straight, unformed tie of the prior art.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A preformed wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag or the like, said Wire tie being formed to provide a generally circular wrapping loop intermediate the wire tie ends with terminal portions of the wire extending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permitting the loop to be slipped over the gathered end folds of a bag, said Wrapping loop being formed as a substantially two coil helix with at least one coil of uniformly circular cross-section, said terminal portions of the wire forming the helix extending tangentially therefrom in converging relation to each other, generally registering end loops which face each other in side-by-side relation formed on said terminal portions, said end loops lying in planes substantially parallel to the plane of said wrapping loop and being closed by hooks formed to embrace the adjacent terminal wire portions with the free tips of said hooks disposed at the facing sides of said generally registering end loops.

2. A preformed Wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag or the like, said wire tie being formed to provide a generally circular wrapping loop intermediate the wire tie ends with terminal portions of the wire extending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permitting the loop to be slipped over the gathered end folds of a bag, said wrapping loop being formed as a substantially two coil helix with at least one coil of uniformly circular cross-section, said terminal portions of the wire forming the helix extending tangentially therefrom in converging relation to each other, and generally registering end loops formed on said terminal portions, said end loops lying in planes substantially parallel to the plane of said Wrapping loop.

3. A preformed wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag or the like, said wire tie being formed to provide a wrapping loop intermediate the Wire tie ends with terminal portions of the wire extending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permitting the loop to be slipped over the article to be closed, said wrapping loop being formed as a substantially two coil helix with at least one coil of uniformly circular cross-section, said terminal portions of the wire forming the helix extending tangentially therefrom in converging relation to each other, generally registering end loops which face each other in side-by-side relation formed on said terminal portions, said end loops lying in planes substantially parallel to the plane of said wrapping loop and being closed by hooks formed to embrace the adjacent terminal wire portions with the free tips of said hooks disposed at the facing sides of said generally registering end loops.

4. A preformed wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag or the like, said wire tie being formed to provide a wrapping loop intermediate the wire tie ends with terminal portions of the wire extending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permitting the loop to be slipped over the article to be closed, said wrapping loop being formed as a multiple coil helix with at least one coil of uniformly circular cross-section, said terminal portions of the wire forming the helix extending tangentially therefrom in converging relation to each other, and generally registering end loops formed on said terminal portions, said end loops lying in planes substantially parallel to the plane of said wrapping loop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,880 Stewart Aug. 27, 1889 434,551 Ackerman Aug. 19, 1890 1,158,957 Bates Nov. 2, 1915 1,234,754 Gluckeen July 31, 1917 1,306,163 Bates June 10, 1919 1,386,058 Henderson Aug. 2, 1921 2,406,661 Brady Aug. 27, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 855,517 Germany Nov. 13, 1952 389,014 Great Britain Mar. 4, 1933 531,172 Italy Apr. 8, 1955

Claims

1. A PREFORMED WIRE TIE FOR CLOSING THE GATHERED END FOLDS OF A BAG OR THE LIKE, SAID WIRE TIE BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE A GENERALLY CIRCULAR WRAPPING LOOP INTERMEDIATE THE WIRE TIE ENDS WITH TERMINAL PORTIONS OF THE WIRE EXTENDING FROM THE LOOP, SAID LOOP HAVING A DIAMETER PERMITTING THE LOOP TO BE SLIPPED OVER THE GATHERED END FOLDS OF A BAG, SAID WRAPPING LOOP BEING FORMED AS A SUBSTANTIALLY TWO COIL HELIX WITH AT LEAST ONE COIL OF UNIFORMLY CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION, SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS OF THE WIRE FORMING THE HELIX EXTENDING TANGENTIALLY THEREFROM IN CONVERGING