US20090220176A1 - Self-sealing container - Google Patents

Abstract

The self-sealing bag comprises a thin, flexible polyethylene bag having a tapered neck. The bag may include indents in the neck to help hold a filling nozzle. A tapered nozzle is inserted into the tapered neck to fill the bag. An alternative tapered nozzle can have two conduits to permit simultaneous filling and air bleeding. As the bag is filled, the sides expand, and the expanded sides exert pressure on the bag sides at the tapered neck to force the bag sides together and thereby seal the bag.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM
• Applicant claims priority based on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/065,945, filed Feb. 15, 2008, titled “Self-Sealing Container” by inventor Michael T. Fusco.
FIELD OF INVENTION
• This invention concerns flexible plastic containers or bags that can be sealed without heat seals, welding, adhesives or interlocking sealing members.
BACKGROUND
• Bags or containers made from sheets of flexible hydrocarbon polymers, such as low and very low density polyethylene, are well-known and widely used. Such bags frequently are heat sealed or welded on three sides during manufacture, leaving most or all of the fourth side open to permit filling of the bag or container.
• Once filled, a user typically wants to seal the bag to prevent the contents from escaping from the bag or container. Ties made of wire, plastic, or paper strips have been twisted or tied to seal plastic bags, but such sealing methods are unsatisfactory for holding liquids, and require an additional step for the user.
• Heat seal devices are used where the layers of plastic forming the bag walls are heat sealed to each other by melting the plastic. This method generally provides a satisfactory seal, but requires an expensive heat sealing device, produces surfaces of sufficiently high temperature that can burn the user, and requires an additional step after filling.
• Another well-known method of sealing plastic bags or containers uses interlocking ridges of thicker plastic on the interior opposing faces of the opening. The user lines up the ridges and presses the ridges together to seal the bag or container. This seal also is satisfactory for most purposes when sealed properly, but is more expensive than similar plastic bags without the locking seals. Additionally, the ridges frequently are difficult to line up, and frustrate the user, and may not completely seal. These locking ridges require an additional step after filling the bag or container
• Other closure means use adhesive between the plastic sheets of the opening, or use mechanical clamps or closures, all of which are more expensive than the bags without such devices, and all of which require an additional step beyond filling the bag or container.
• What is needed is an inexpensive plastic bag or container that can be filled and will seal itself without clamps, adhesive or similar known methods of sealing.
• What is needed is such a plastic bag or container that can be filled with a fluid and pressurized, and will not leak, even if the bag or container containing fluid is frozen.
• What is needed is such a bag or container that can be used without expensive or dangerous equipment.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
• The self-sealing bag comprises a thin, flexible polyethylene bag having a tapered neck. The bag may include indents in the neck to help hold a filling nozzle. A tapered nozzle is inserted into the tapered neck to fill the bag. An alternative tapered nozzle can have two conduits to permit simultaneous filling and air bleeding. As the bag is filled, the sides expand, and the expanded sides exert pressure on the bag sides at the tapered neck to force the bag sides together and thereby seal the bag.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the bag;
• FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a tapered nozzle; and
• FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an alternative tapered nozzle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• The self-sealing bag10 shown inFIG. 1 is made of polyethylene using well-known methods to form the bag. Specifically, a rectangular sheet of polyethylene approximately 31.8 millimeters (hereafter “mm”) wide and 439 mm long is folded along a line approximately 223 mm from one end to create the rectangle shown inFIG. 1. The rectangle is then sealed by well-known means along the twosealing lines11 shown inFIG. 1.
• When the rectangle is folded as described, ashort tab12 and along tab13 remain above thetop sealing flanges14. Theshort tab12 extends approximately 7 mm above thetop sealing flanges14 and thelong tab13 extends approximately 14 mm above thetop sealing flanges14. This difference permits the user to open thebag10 at thetop15 more easily, since the user can easily separate theshort tab12 and thelong tab13 to reach thetapered neck24.
• Thebag10 has atapered neck24 between the top sealingflanges14 and thebody18. Approximately 13 mm from thetop sealing flanges14, in the direction of thebottom16, the bag has a pair ofindents19 formed by thesealing lines11. Theindents19 are v-shaped, and the angle of the ‘v’ as measured from aline20 perpendicular to thelength21 of thebag10 towards thetop15 of thebag10 is approximately 54.6° (thetop angle22, shown inFIG. 1). Thebottom angle23, shown inFIG. 1, measures approximately 48.1°.
• Thetapered neck24 extends from thetop sealing flanges14 to the body opening25. Thetapered neck24 is approximately 12.27 mm wide26 at thetop15.
• Thebag10 also may haveholes27 near thetapered neck24 which extend through the bag to provide a convenient way to hold thebag10 in place as it is being filled. Thebag10 can be mounted on posts (not shown) by putting the posts through theholes27.
• Thebag10 is filled using atapered nozzle28, sized to match thetapered neck24, so that thetapered neck24 is pushed onto thetapered nozzle28, and so the tapered neck fits snuggly and will not allow thefilling material34 to leak out of the tapered neck in the direction of thetop15 of thebag10. The fit between thetapered neck24 and thetapered nozzle28 is improved if thetapered nozzle28 includes aridge29 sized to fit theindents19. As theridge29 is pushed into theindents19, a seal similar to an “o” ring is formed. The length of the tapered nozzle relative to the tapered neck is very important. If the tapered nozzle is too short, it will cause the tapered neck to seal off between the end of thetapered nozzle28 and the body opening25. If the tapered nozzle is too long, it will enter the body opening25 and thetapered neck24 will not seal when thetapered nozzle28 is removed. It is preferable if thetapered nozzle28 is inserted into thetapered neck24 approximately 85% of the length of thetapered neck24.
• In an alternative embodiment shown inFIG. 3, thetapered nozzle28 preferably has two conduits, a fillingconduit30 and ableeding conduit31, as shown inFIG. 2. This alternative is not necessary for most bags, since they contain very little air when first filled. The fillingconduit30 allows liquid or fluid or other material (collectively “filling material”34) used to fill the bag to flow into and fill thebody18. As the fillingmaterial34 flows into the bag, air bleeds from the bag through the bleedingconduit31, and out of the bleeding conduit through anair bleeder vent32. The bleedingconduit31 is not in fluid communication with the fillingmaterial reservoir33, but the fillingconduit30 is in fluid communication with the fillingmaterial reservoir33 to permit fillingmaterial34 to flow from the fillingmaterial reservoir33, through the fillingconduit30 and into thebody18.
• Thebag10 shown inFIG. 2 lacks ashort tab12 and along tab13 to show the filling and vent features more clearly.
• As thefilling material34 is placed in thebag10 through the fillingconduit30, and air bleeds from thebody18 through thebleeding conduit31, the bag expands. When thebody18 is full, the user removes thebag10 from thetapered nozzle28. The expandedbody18 exerts a pressure on thebag10 in the region of thetapered neck24 between the body opening25 and thesealing lines11. This pressure is sufficient to retain the fillingmaterial34 in thebody18, even while the filling material is being frozen.
• The method of filling thebag10 comprises the steps of opening thebag10 at thetop15; inserting thetapered nozzle28 into thetapered neck24; filling thebody18 with fillingmaterial34 and removing thebag10 from thetapered nozzle28. If thetapered nozzle28 includes aridge29, and thebag10 includesindents19, thetapered nozzle28 is inserted into thetapered neck24 until theridge29 seats in theindents19.
• The taperednozzle28 can be placed in the taperedneck24 by moving the taperednozzle28 relative to the taperedneck24, or vice versa.
• Thebag10 can be filled using a pressurizedfilling material reservoir33. The pressurizing could arise from something as simple as a flexible bottle that is squeezed by the user, or from hand or electrically operated pumps.
• In one application of the bag, a sweet syrup is placed in the fillingmaterial reservoir33, abag10 is placed on a fixed taperednozzle28, and a hand pump is pumped to force the syrup into the bag. After filling, thebag10 is frozen to create a frozen treat for human consumption.
• Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments will become apparent to those of skill in the art with reference to the disclosure contained herein. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended not to be limited by the disclosed embodiments, but to be coextensive with the full scope of the attached claims.

Claims (1)

1. A self-sealing container comprising a body having a body opening, a tapered neck, and two top sealing flanges, so that when fluid is placed in the bag, the bag expands, exerting sufficient pressure in the tapered neck to close the tapered neck and retain the fluid in the body.

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