Flexible package with internal, resealable closure feature

Technical field The present invention relates to flexible packaging, such as plastic bags, and in particular to packaging closures using binders.

[0002] Some packages for food products consisting of particles, such as chopped cheese, cereal products, student mix, nuts, dried fruit, small cookies, crackers, chocolate, candies, contain a pouch that opens at one end or along one side to allow the product to spill or shake through the resealable opening.

[0003] One of the widely used means for achieving reclosability is the use of zippers suitable for flexible packaging made of plastic film. One of the problems with this type of zipper is that the use of zippers on a roll of film makes the roll of film large and more difficult to handle. Although packaging zippers can be used in high-speed automatic molding-filling-closing operations, the hardware requirements for the use of zippers and the cost of the materials of the zippers can be significant. In addition, zippers may not be hermetic closures when desired. In addition, some consumers find it difficult to handle and handle zippers.

[0004] Improvements in packaging closures that are simple and economical, yet reliable, durable and tamper-proof are desirable.

[0005] US2005 / 0041888 relates to a container that can be opened and closed multiple times and a method for producing a container having its contents inside. The container comprises an inner space formed by the container wall having a storage part, an openable part and a communication part connecting to the openable part and the storage part. The opening part is adapted to create an opening by tearing off the container wall. The communication part is formed into a substantially flat shape. The container further comprises a reclosable means present in the communication part to facilitate opening the closing of the communication part to close the side of said storage part which is adjacent the opening. The reclosable means include opposing closure sheets disposed between opposing wall regions of the container wall that correspond in terms of position with the communication portion. Opposite closing sheets comprise joined parts on the inner surface of one of said opposite wall areas and the inner surface of the other of said opposite wall areas over the entire width of the communication part and closing parts extending from the joined parts towards the storing parts in an unconnected state with respect to the opposite areas, respectively walls. At least a part of the closing parts is arranged opposite each other so that they can adhere to each other and separate from each other substantially along the entire width of the communication part.

[0006] EP1164087 describes, as tamper-resistant, a slider package with multiple tear points. In particular, it describes a reclosable zipper comprising a first closing profile, a second closing profile constructed and arranged to selectively match the first closing profile, as well as a ribbon assembly connecting the first closing profile and the second closing profile. The band assembly includes a plurality of tear areas radially disposed on the band assembly. Each of the tear areas has a lower shear strength than the other parts of the web assembly. The tear areas may contain multiple layers and may have different geometric shapes.

[0007] US6318894 relates to a resealable pouch with a weaker tear strength line having hook-shaped or hooked perforations that provides a rectilinear tear of the pouch. The hooked perforations prevent the packaging from tearing across the top or bottom of the package and provide easy access to packaged products. The asymmetrical hooked perforations have a central central part or a vertical central section extending substantially parallel to each other and to the sides of the bag, a rounded bead and a rounded foot. The tear line extends from one side edge of the bag and ends shortly before reaching the other side edge of the bag.

[0008] WO0058167 describes a multi-dose product packaging system in a container body consisting of at least a front wall and a back wall. This system includes a device for repeated opening and closing, which is a strip comprising at least an upper film adhered thermally to the inner space of one of said walls, an intermediate layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive and a lower film thermally adhered to the inner surface of the other wall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The invention offers a flexible recloseable packaging having a recloseable closure comprising easy-to-use adhesive based fastening means in combination with a disposable closure located above and below the recloseable closure.

[0010] According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a flexible reclosable package comprising a front panel and a back panel connected in opposite directions forming a cavity surrounded by opposing side parts and the bottom part of the package, each of the panels, the front panel and the back panel having an inner surface and formed from a film substrate containing montmorillonite nanoparticles; an open / remove single use closure present on the inner surfaces of both the front panel and the back panel, located on the top end of the package opposite to the bottom and extending between the opposite side parts of the package, adapted to form the outlet of the package after opening or removal; wherein the re-closable closure includes a reclosable coating formed from hardened adhesive disposed on the inner surfaces of both the front panel and back panel having montmorillonite nanoparticles, extending between opposing lateral portions of the package below the opened / removed single-use closure, wherein the reclosable closure has a peel force of from about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 27.56 kg / m (700 g / inch) and an adhesive value of up to about 34.47 kPa (5 psi) at an initial load of 2.04 kg (4.5 pounds) and up to approximately 103.42 kPa (15 psi) at an initial load of 4.54 kg (10 pounds), such that the reclosable openable closure is adapted to manually open and reclose to selectively open and close said outlet opening after opening or removal of said openable / removed disposable closure, wherein the recloseable closure comprises substantially continuous re-closure coating strands aligned opposite internal surfaces of the front panel and rear panel, where the peel force and the adhesive value are effective in that these bands can be pressed to achieve mutual contact adhesion and manually separated more than once, while the reclosable coating is effective in that it does not deteriorate when exposed to detritus , such that the peel force remains at a value from about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 27.56 kg / m (700 g / inch) after detriment contamination; and a thermally-opened, single-use seam between the contacting portions of the front panel and back panel extending between the opposing side portions of the package below the recloseable closure.

[0011] According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reclosable closure comprising a box comprising a tear-off flap closure at one end thereof and comprising a flexible bag adapted to be filled at least partially with a food product, wherein the flexible bag has a front panel and a back panel, each of which has the inner surface and is formed of a foil substrate containing montmorillonite nanoparticles, and also includes a recloseable closure formed by a cured acrylic binder positioned on the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel having inside montmorillonite nanoparticles in combination with a single use closure on the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel located below the recloseable closure in a flexible bag; wherein the recloseable closure has a peel force of from about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 27.56 kg / m (700 g / inch) and an adhesive value of up to about 34.47 kPa (5 psi) at 2.04 kg (4.5 pounds) pre-load and up to approximately 103.42 kPa (15 psi) at 4.54 kg (10 lbs) pre-load so that the recloseable closure is adapted for manual opening by peeling and reclosing for selectively opening and closing the outlet of the flexible pouch, the reclosing closure comprising substantially continuous bands of the reclosing shell aligned opposite on the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel, the peel force and the adhesive value allow the strands to be pressed together to adhere to each other and manually peel off more than once, while the reclosable coating is effective in that it is not weakened by exposure to detritus, so that the peel force maintains the value from about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 27.56 kg / m (700 g / inch) after contamination with detritus, and the reclosable coating has a surface energy substantially the same as the surface energy of the inner surface of the film substrate.

[0012] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a flexible reclosable package, including joining together opposing front panel and back panel to form a cavity surrounded by opposing side parts and bottom of the package, as well as an open top end connecting with a recess, each of the panels, front panel and back panel, has an internal surface and is formed from a film substrate containing montmorillonite nanoparticles inside it; forming in the open upper end of the openable closure a single use between the inner surfaces of the front panel and the rear panel and extending between opposite side parts of the package; forming, at a location above the openable single-use closure at the open top end, the openable recloseable closure by applying substantially continuous bands of a reclosable coating formed from a liquid curable acrylic binder in an aligned position on the internal surfaces of the front panel and back panel having montmorillonite nanoparticles inside . the re-closable closure being opened extends between the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel and between opposite side parts of the package, wherein the reclosable closure has a peel force of from about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 27.56 kg / m (700 g / inch) and an adhesive value of up to about 34.47 kPa (5 psi) at an initial load of 2.04 kg (4.5 pounds) and up to approximately 103.42 kPa (15 psi) at an initial load of 4.54 kg (10 pounds), so that the reclosable openable closure is adapted for manual opening by pulling and reclosing to selectively open and close the upper end, wherein the peel force and the adhesive value are effective in that the strands are adapted to be pressed together to achieve mutual contact and manual peeling more than once, wherein the reclosable coating has surface energy essentially the same, what surface energy of the inner surface of the foil substrate; and forming an open / remove thermal closure for single use, located above the openable closure for multiple closure at the top end and extending between the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel and between opposing side portions of the package adapted to form the outlet of the package at the top end after opening or removal. [0013] The reclosable closure comprises a reclosable coating provided on both internal surfaces of the front panel and the rear panel of the package. The reclosable coating is adapted to intermittently connect the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel of the package. The term "reclosable coating" refers to a thin layer of material applied to a film substrate, which is in the form of a solid at room temperature, has a surface energy substantially similar to the adhesive side of the film substrate, and produces mutually bonding surfaces. The resealable closure comprises substantially continuous re-seal coating strands aligned in opposite directions on the inner opposite surfaces of the front panel and back panel, where these strands are adapted for manual pressing to achieve mutual contact adhesion and manual peeling more than once. The reclosable coating has a balanced adhesion, so that it has sufficient adhesion to allow multiple unsticking and sticking of the packaging walls at the closing location, but it is also not excessively adhesive, so that it consumes little of the food content of the packaging, sufficient to reduce the extent and degree of contamination - weakening of the reclosing closing under the influence of dispensing the food product. The reclosable coating material may be transparent, translucent or colored.

[0014] In one embodiment, the closure includes a self-supporting tape attached to the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel of the package. The self-supporting tape may include a laminate construction comprising a single-surface adhesive tape substrate that supports the reclosable coating on its non-adhesive side. This tape can be made of transparent, semi-transparent or colored discontinuous band material.

[0015] The food product may be introduced into the package prior to sealing the closures, forming a reclosable food product package. The package may further include visual and / or tactile visual indications containing user instructions or directions for applying pressure to reclose to close the package. The package may further optionally include a tear line of weakness between the opened or removed disposable closure at the top end of the package and the recloseable closure that is adapted, after being completely torn, to remove the top disposable closure and form an opening in the package. To facilitate tearing and opening of the packaging outlet, the weakening line can optionally cut the score present on at least one side edge of the packaging. The package design may include a bent polymer sheet forming a front panel and a back panel of the wall, which are joined on their opposite side parts and folded at their bottom. In another bent configuration, the package is folded on opposite side parts sufficient to form machine-extending flaps that are arranged to include an overlap portion that is glued or a rib seam, and the bottom portion glued transversely to the machine direction . In another embodiment, the flexible package may also be used in a pouch-in-box package configuration.

[0016] Flexible reclosable packages can offer greater manufacturing efficiency and savings compared to known packages with integrated zippers. In addition, tamper resistance for the reclosable closure and the contents of the package are obtained by using manually opened hermetic disposable closures on both sides of the reclosable closure. Hermetic closures also give better insulation of the reclosable closure during manufacture, delivery, storage, handling, display and the like until purchase and use by the consumer. Methods for forming and filling a reclosable package are also disclosed. Packaging can be used to store a wide range of food products. They can be for storing snacks such as student mix, nuts, dried fruit, small cookies, crackers, chocolate, candies and the like. They can also be used to store, for example, cheese, meat, cereal products, ground coffee, coffee beans and others.

Brief Description of the Drawing [0017] Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a flexible reclosable package according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0018] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of the partially opened package according to figure 1.

[0019] Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the fully open package of Figure 1.

[0020] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the BB line of the open package of Figure 3.

[0021] Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the flexible reclosable package according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0022] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along the CC line of the package of Figure 5.

[0023] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along the CC line of the open package of Figure 5.

[0024] Figure 8 is a rear elevational view of the package of Figure 5.

[0025] Figure 9 is a front elevational view of the flexible reclosable package according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0026] Figure 10 is a front elevational view of the flexible reclosable package according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0027] Figure 11 is a front elevational view of the flexible reclosable package according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0028] Figure 12 is a front perspective view of a standing flexible reclosable package according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0029] Figure 13 is a front perspective view of a pouch in a box according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 14 is a front perspective view of the package of Figure 13 with an open end of the box.

[0031] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view along the DD line of the partially open package of Figure 14.

[0032] Figure 16 is a perspective view from the front of a flexible retractable Doy pouch according to another embodiment of the invention. [0033] Figure 17 is a side view of the standing Doy pouch of Figure 16.

[0034] Figure 18 is a perspective view of a standing flexible reclosable package with a folded bottom seam according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0035] These figures were not necessarily drawn to scale. Similarly numbered elements in different figures represent similar elements unless otherwise indicated. Detailed description of preferred embodiments [0036] Referring to figure 1, a flexible package 100 is generally shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a partially open package 100 with a reclosable closure 117 shown as open for illustration purposes only. Figures 3 and 4 show package 100 with the upper part of the closure 116 separated and removed from the remainder of the package 100.

[0037] In the illustration of Figures 1-4, the package 100 is formed of a flexible sheet material 101, which is also referred to herein as a film substrate, which has opposite panels, front panel and back panel, 102 and 103, joined together to form cavities 104. Food product 120 or other content is within cavity 104. The upper end portion 108 of the package communicates with cavity 104. For the purpose of this non-limiting illustration, the flexible sheet material or film substrate 101 is a polymer sheet. The polymer sheet 101 has a dead fold portion 107 formed by folding the sheet back to back over itself, and the resulting overlapping side portions 105 and 106 of sheet 101 are welded together to form opposing weld seams 111 and 112. A welded seam 113 is also formed on the upper portion 116 of the closure of the package 100, forming a bag structure with a three-side seam. Directly below and generally parallel to the upper weld seam 113, an indented weakness line 109 is present, which in this illustration includes a torn weakness line 114 and an associated lateral notch 115. The reclosable closure 117 is formed below and generally parallel to the weld seam 113 and the scored weakness line 109. An openable seam 118 disposable is present at the bottom in the upper end 108 of the package 100, under and generally parallel to the reclosable closure 117.

[0038] The reclosable closure 117 includes adhesive strips 117a and 117b allowing multiple sizing formed on opposite inner surfaces 102a and 103b of walls 102 and 103 between the weakness line 114 and the seam 118. Adhesive bands 117a and 117b allowing multiple sizing offer the user a gripping portion 119, designated as having the "X" dimension, which assists the user in manually separating panels 102 and 103 of the pouch from each other into enabling bands 117a and 117b. The multiple-sizing bands 117a and 117b can be applied as coatings which under ambient conditions maintain sufficient coherence to not move, fall or run off their place in any significant way.

[0039] The cross section of figure 2 shows the multiple-sizing strips 117a and 117b pulled apart before the first opening of the cavity 104 of the package 100. The strips 117a and 117b can be used in an unbound or tied configuration in an initially filled package, depending on the ease of manufacture .

The resealable bands 117a and 117b contain a resealable coating material suitable for repeatedly resealing and resealing the package 100 when exposed to ambient conditions for a prolonged period of time. In a particular environment, the reclosable coating material has a low tendency to pick up the contents of the package when food products are dispensed from the package.

[0040] The multiple sealing tapes 117a and 117b consist of a reclosable coating material that consists of a hardened acrylic binder that does not delaminate from the packaging panels, maintains a balanced adhesion adequate to the possibility of repeated unsticking and sticking of the packaging walls in the place where the binder is present even after the binder has been exposed to ambient conditions for a longer period of time and is not contaminated and deteriorated (in terms of stickiness) as a result of exposure to detritus of the food product. In addition, in another embodiment, multiple-sizing strips may be pre-applied to packaging films stored as wound spools or coils until unrolling during manufacture of the package, where it is desirable to obtain a reclosable coating that is not excessively sticky, which would hinder uncoiling operations. The reclosable coating is cohesive in that it is more adhesive to similar band materials than foil substrates or detritus of the food product. It can also have pressure-sensitive forms, so that it creates an impossible to unbonded bond with strands of similar material only after applying pressure, i.e. without the need for heat, moisture or radiation. Multiple sizing compositions of this general type allow the bond they form to be easily overcome, if desired, so that the packaging walls can be torn at the seam without significantly damaging the substrate on which the pressure sensitive adhesive was applied and allowing repeated sealing.

[0041] The strength of the resealable closure 117 is such that it can be easily opened by the user applying a manual outward force against this package, but is not prone to accidental opening under normal associated stress associated with the closure of the product during storage and portability. The resealable closure 117 has a peel force in the range of about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 27.56 kg / m (700 g / inch), in particular from about 3.93 kg / m (100 g / inch) to about 11.81 kg / m (300 g / inch), measured according to ASTM D 3330 (break test). The resealable closure 117 has an adhesive value not exceeding 34.47 kPa (5 psi) at a preload of 2.04 kg (4.5 pounds) and not exceeding 103.42 kPa (15 psi) at a preload of 4.54 kg ( 10 pounds), measured according to ASTM D 2979 test (sampler tack). It can be resealed by applying strong manual pressure, such as by pressing the strand or bands of closure 117 from one side end toward and to its opposite side end to assist in ensuring that the continuous seam is restored after temporarily opening the pouch. In one non-limiting embodiment, the resealable closure 117 is substantially impermeable to air as well as to liquids that may be present in the pouch. The level of airtightness needed in general will be determined on the basis of shelf stability and / or the form and size of the food product or other contents stored in the package. In other embodiments, the resealable closure 117 may include intermittent or discontinuous bands or bands that only partially extend through the width of the package in its inlet portion, largely depending on the type and form of the content to be stored in the package.

[0042] The reclosable closure comprises substantially continuous bands of reclosable coating material aligned in opposite directions on the inner surfaces 102a and 103a of the front panel 102 and back panel 103. The bands 117a and 117b are adapted to be manually pressed for mutual adhesion and manual separation more than once. In a particular embodiment, the reclosable coating material is a labile coating material that can be converted to a liquid form of the coating substance by using treatment methods associated with the use of heat that can be at least partially cured in situ, and / or alternatively inverts or changes generally non-fluid material at room temperatures (for example, at 26.7 ° C (80 ° F) or less), so that it remains attached to the substrate at the original location of the coating. In addition, in one non-limiting embodiment, the reclosable coating material also maintains low but sufficient bonding adhesion to keep the pouch closed at temperatures that arise when storing some labile products in a refrigerated or frozen state, such as at temperatures between about 0 ° C (32 ° F ) to about 4.4 ° C (40 ° F). The reclosable coating material may be a transparent, translucent or colored coating material. The resealable coating material is a hardened acrylic binder. In a particular embodiment, hardened acrylic binders are used, which in the state prior to hardening can be heated to a liquid state and conveniently coated or deposited on the packaging film in bands or strips, and then they are at least partially cured, e.g. by ultraviolet radiation or electron beams to determine the position of the shell. The acrylic binder may contain conventional adhesion promoters and / or ultraviolet photo-initiators and the like.

[0043] In another particular embodiment, the reclosable closure 117 comprises a self-supporting composite band material disposed on the inner surfaces of the front panel and back panel of the package. The composite strip material may comprise a single-surface adhesive tape substrate that supports the coating wi seal resealable , such as described above, on one side that is opposite the adhesive side of the tape substrate. The tape can be made of transparent, translucent or colored discontinuous band material. The substrate tape material can be supplied from commercial single surface tape products, such as those offered by Tesa or 3M, for example.

[0044] In Figures 1-2, the multiple-sizing band 117 consists of two multiple-sizing bands 117a and 117b. The multiple-sizing band 117 may be either a one-piece or multi-piece structure, such as, for example, an illustrated two-piece structure. If the non-self-supporting bead or band of reclosable coating material is coated or otherwise deposited on the packaging film, then a one-piece band is particularly convenient. However, if the re-sizing strands are self-supporting composite straps, then generally two discrete self-supporting elements or strands are more convenient.

As said above, the additional detachable tear seam 118 is located beneath the multiple-sealing bands 117a and 117b that form the reclosing closure 117 that separates or isolates the multi-sealing bands 117a and 117b from the product 120 contained in cavity 104 until the tear seam 118 ruptures. The protective bottom tear seam 118 (i.e., 118a, 118b) can be torn off for easy access to the product 120. The tear seam 118 helps protect the re-sealable band 117a and 117b of the resealable closure 117 from being contaminated by the product after packaging during transport, storage, sale and other operations until the package is opened for the first time by the purchaser or other end-user. In addition, the tear seam 118 helps to obtain a hermetically sealed package, since the re-sealing bands 117a and 117b can extend inside the side closures 111 and 112, affecting the quality of the closure on these folds.

[0046] A hermetic tear seam 118 is particularly desirable. The hermetic tear seam can be formed in any suitable manner. In general, the walls 102 and 103 of the packaging film 101 may be made of a polymer film that can be heat-sealed, such that the tear seam 118 can be formed where it is desired in the polymer film itself without the need for external binding materials. For example, the packaging film can be made of a polybutylene / polyethylene blend that allows the thermal welding of walls 102 and 103 to each other in a tangential portion that have a peel strength less than the cohesive strength of adjacent unbound wall portions. In this way, the package 100 can be opened along the tear seam 118 without peeling off adjacent unbound parts of the package walls. The strength of the tear-off seam 118 is such that it can be easily opened by the consumer applying an outward-facing manual force to the package, but is not prone to accidental opening under the influence of normal stress associated with the presence of the product during the forming / filling / closing operation ( FFS) and subsequent transport, transfer and display operations. For example, the tear-off seam preferably has an opening force of from about 0.68 kg (1.5 pounds) to about 2.72 kg (6.0 pounds), and more preferably from about 1.13 kg (2.5 pounds) to about 1.59 kg (3.5 pounds).

[0047] The tear seam 118 may be formed using thermal welding techniques to achieve a substantially air and liquid tight seal that may be present in the pouch. As said, the position of the tear-off seam within the reclosable closure 117 prevents any contents from escaping from the cavity 104 of the pouch into the reclosable closure 117 before purchasing the filled package and initial use.

[0048] The various heat seams 111, 112 and 113 of the package 100 can be formed using conventional methods that can be used in the production of plastic bags, for example, ultrasonic welding, thermal welding and others. For example, conventional welding bars can be used for this purpose. The weakening line 114 can be made using conventional methods used to form structural elements in flexible packaging films, such as laser cutting, the use of matrix lines, intermittent perforation, mechanical cutting, partial cutting through the laminate construction of the packaging film and others. Incision 115 may be formed when the individual package is cut from the bag chain. Alternatively, it may be formed by a conventional perforation wheel in line at the perforation station or alternatively by a reciprocating perforation blade conventionally used for this purpose. The weakening line 114 is generally horizontally aligned with a score 115 made on one side (or optionally two sides) of the recloseable closure 100. Incision 115 is used to facilitate tear initiation, and the tear line directs the tear as it progresses along the weakening line 114 until the upper edge portion 116 of the package 110 breaks away from the remainder of the package 100 below the weakness line 114. Thus, the upper weld seam 113 is removable single use closure.

[0049] The foil substrate 101 is a polymeric sheet material or film that can be made of a variety of plastic polymers, copolymers, coextruded materials and / or laminates. The polymeric sheet material or film 101 may be constructed, for example, from a monolayer or multilayer joints of the following materials: polyolefins, such as, for example, polyethylene (high, medium, low, linear low and / or ultra-low density polymers, including metallocene), polypropylene (biaxially oriented and / or oriented); polybutylene; ethylene / vinyl acetate (EVA); polyamides (oriented and / or biaxially oriented) such as, for example, nylon; polyethylene terephthalate (oriented and / or biaxially oriented); polyvinyl chloride; ethylene / vinyl alcohol (EVOH); polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC); polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH); polystyrene; as well as their combinations.

[0050] As already mentioned above, in a particular embodiment, the film 101 may comprise a polyethylene / polybutylene blend in which tear seams 118 can be formed, as well as non-tear edge and / or end thermal seams (for example 111, 112, 113). Non-tear edge and front seams can be made by applying more heat energy in places of thermal welding in the packaging film.

[0051] The film substrate 101 comprises flexible polymeric films filled with montmorillonite nanoparticles. The foil substrate 101 may also comprise a flexible metallized film or foil with a ceramic coating, for example an elastic film comprising a thin layer of silicon oxide or alumina deposited thereon and the like. The foil substrate 101 may also include a flexible metal foil.

[0052] Film 101 preferably has air barrier properties to facilitate the airtightness of the package, and is also helpful for thermal welding to adjacent tangent parts of the folded or separated packaging film or layers. It may also contain non-plastic components such as foil, metallization and / or paper to the extent that barrier and heat-sealing properties are sufficiently preserved. For example, a suitable piece of cheese foil may include an inner layer of low density linear polyethylene in combination with an outer layer of polyester or nylon and a middle adhesive layer of polyethylene. The nylon outer layer is particularly useful in combination with cheeses where a certain degree of permeability for gaseous CO2 in the packaging is desired.

[0053] To facilitate the placement of the package 100 on the exposure hanger, optionally, an opening 122 may be present in the upper end portion 116 of the package 100 at a location above the recloseable closure 117 and below the weakening line 109. The opening 122 may also be present under the weakening line 114 in the parts 119 or below band 117.

[0054] Referring to Figs. 5-8, in another embodiment of the invention, a pillow 300 reclosable package is shown. In this illustration, the package 100 is made of a flexible sheet 301 of polymeric material that has opposite front panel and back panel, 302 and 303, joined together to form cavity 304. In this illustration, food product 320 is contained within cavity 304. For example, the package 300 may be constructed by folding the polymer sheet 301 on opposite side portions 305 and 306 sufficiently to form flaps 335 and 336 extending in the machine direction 350 of the package 300, arranged to include an overlap portion 329 of the machine direction on which the welded is formed seam 330 to form a rib seam in the length direction, and the lower portion 326 of the package 300 is heat sealed in a direction 351 transverse to the machine direction, generally oriented perpendicular to the machine direction 350, on a non-peelable lower weld seam 307.

[0055] In the upper end portion 308 of the package 300 opposite the bottom portion 326, there are two generally parallel, spaced tear seams 313 and 318 having a structure similar to the element 118 described above. Tear seams 313 and 318 can be formed by bonding packaging film 301 using less thermal energy than is used to make the tear-off seam 307 at the bottom of bag 300. The recloseable closure 317 is formed between the tear-off seams 313 and 318. The recloseable closure 317 includes multiple sealing tapes 317a and 317b. A portion 319 of the film extends above the top tear seam 313 to offer the user some amount of loose material to grip, to separate the panels of the pouch. The dimension 319 of the film extension at the top of the packaging is marked with the letter "G" (figure 5). Small spaces 323 and 324 are present between the tear-off seams 313 and 318 and the intermediate closure 317 of the multiple closure, which have the dimension "X". Similarly to the reclose closure 117 described above with reference to Figures 1-4, the reclose closure 317 includes strips 317a and 317b allowing multiple sizing formed on opposite internal surfaces 302a and 303a of walls 302 and 303. The reclosable closure 317 and its constituent bands 317a and 317b for the resealable coating may include similar materials and implementations as the reclosable closure element 117 described above. The cross section of figure 6 shows the multiple sealing of the bands 317a and 317b as unbound before the first opening of the cavity 304 of the package 300. Also similar to item 117 of figures 1-4, the reclosable closure 317 may be present in the form of bands that are initially bonded or unbound. Similar to item 118 described above with reference to Figures 1-4, the lower tear-off seam 318 protects the reclosable closure 317 to avoid contamination by the food product 320 contained in the package 300. Figure 7 shows a completely open configuration of the package 300 that can be reclosed by the reclosable closure 317.

[0056] As illustrated in Figures 1-8, the resealable top-fill packs are provided with a re-openable seam for closing the pouch again after partial discharge of its contents. These above illustrations show the relative positions for multiple sealing of bands and disposable seams as well as opening elements for easy opening and closing of the package during use. Food products that can be stored in resealable packages are not particularly limited. For example, in the present embodiments, pieces of cheese, ground coffee, vegetables, snacks, candies and others may be stored. Many food products deteriorate quickly in the presence of air. The package configurations of the present embodiments also allow the consumer to easily remove air from the cavity 104 only by applying manual pressure to the cavity area toward the package opening immediately prior to reclosing the package 100 using the reclosable closure 117. After the consumer of any of the aforementioned designs of pouches 100 and 300 of Figures 1-8 by the consumer to remove a portion of the food product or other article stored there, the consumer only needs to press on the pouch or pouch in a position that allows multiple sealing of strands 117a and 117b ( or 317a and 317b) to reseal and seal the pouch to further store the remaining content. In addition, although the illustrations of Figures 1-8 describe bent one-piece packaging constructions, it should be noted that embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to packages constructed of superimposed two-piece foil constructions. [0057] Referring to Figures 9-11, in other optional embodiments, a variety of indicators 603-606 may be added to the reclosable pouch or pouch (600-602) to help the consumer locate multiple-sealed bands 117 to locating them efficiently and then using them to reclose and seal the packaging. Pressing bags 600 - 602 in the right place is necessary to obtain a proper re-sealing. The indicator present on the packaging can be graphic (visual) and / or textural (tactile). Non-limiting examples of such graphic indicators 603-604 are shown in figures 9 and 10. These graphic indicators, as illustrated, may include written text and / or graphic symbols. Referring to Figure 11, a textural indicator 605 may be used, which may be, for example, a bead or convex structure formed by mechanical embossing on the packaging film 101 in the immediate vicinity of the reclosable closing position 117. Another approach may be to form a thickening of the film during the welding operation. This bead 605 can also be accomplished using the welding tools used to make the bottom tear seam 118. Referring still to Figure 11, graphics 606, such as, for example, written text, may also be present to further assist the user in locating and pressing above the bead 605 to reseal the bag 602. Although the 600-602 bags are illustrated as similar to the reclosable flexible packaging 100 discussed above, it should be noted that these additional embodiments can also be used in the configurations of the reclosable flexible packaging 300.

[0058] Referring to Figure 12, in another embodiment, there is provided a flexible freestanding reclosable pouch 900 having an angular portion 901 near the bottom 903 of the pouch 900. At the opposite upper end 908 of the pouch 900, a sizing assembly 907 is present, which is generally similar to this from the packet in figure 1. In this non-limiting embodiment, the sizing assembly 907 includes a scored weakness line 909 located directly below and generally parallel to the upper welded seam 913, which in this illustration includes a tear weakness line 914 and associated side tear cut 915. An openable reclosing closure 917 is present under and generally parallel to the welded seam 913 and the cut line of weakness 909. The tear single use seam 918 is present under and generally parallel to the multiple closing closure 917 in the bottom position at the top end 908 of package 900. The indented weakness line, the open multiple closure closure and the tear off single use seam may have suitable constructions and properties as described above . The angled portion 901 may be formed using any conventional technique used to form this type of structure in the free end portions of two superimposed layers of flexible plastic.

[0059] Referring to Figures 13-15, another embodiment is a bag-in-box package 1000 having a bag 1001 similar in construction to the bag 300 described above, except that the tear seam 1018 is under a resealable seam 1017, but not above him. The outer, resealable packaging box 1002 is effectively a disposable closing means used instead of the top disposable seam formed in the pouch itself, which must first be opened before access to the reclosable seam 1017 is first available. The box packaging also makes selling and handling easy. The resealable seam 1017 is similar to the seam 317 described above. The lower heat-sealed portion 1007 of bag 1001 is an unbreakable seam similar to the previously described seam 318. [0060] The reclosable closure packages of the present invention can also be used in other types of packages. Referring to Figures 16-17, for example, in another embodiment, there is a flexible Doy pouch 1100, having a cup-shaped bottom portion

1101 with a lower seam 1103 configuration at the lower end 1107 of the pouch adapted to allow the pouch to stand. At the opposite upper end 1108 of the bag 1100, a closing assembly 1107 is present, which is generally similar to that of the package of figure 1, including the score line 1109, located directly below and generally parallel to the upper welded seam 1113. Slit line 1109 is the tear weak line 1114 and associated side tear slit 1115. The recloseable closure 1117 is located below and generally parallel to the weld seam 1113 and slit line 1109. At the bottom of the upper end 1108 of package 1100, a detachable seam 1118 is present of use located below and generally parallel to reclose closing 1117. [0061] Referring to figure 18, in yet another embodiment, a flexible bag 1200 with a flat bottom with a folded bottom seam 1201 is provided. This embodiment is a variation of the pillow reclosable packaging illustrated in Figures 5-8. In this illustration, the bag 1200 the flat bottom is formed of a flexible sheet of polymer material 1202 forming a cavity. Bag 1200 has an upper end 1208 and a lower end 1207. The closing assembly 1210 present at the upper end 1208 is similar to that described above for the package 300 illustrated in Figures 5-8 and includes a multi-sizing coating 1217, which may be similar to the multiple closing closure 317 described above, present between upper peel-off seam and lower peel-off seam 1213 and 1218, which may be similar to the peel-off seams 313 and 318 described above. At the opposite bottom end 1207 of bag 1200, the loose ends of the polymeric sheet material 1202 are joined in the form of a folded bottom seam to form a flat bottom structure.

[0062] In the non-limiting forming, filling and closing ("FFS") operations used in the manufacture of the reclosable packaging according to the illustration of figure 1, the packaging 100 is produced using a horizontal or vertical filling technique. In one exemplary FFS horizontal operation, the bag chain, pre-coated with transverse discontinuous bands of the reclosable coating 117 along its length, has side sealed seams 111 and 112 formed in a given folded pouch. The intermediate bag with sealed sides is cut off from the bag chain, then filled with product at its open end, after which the filled cavity of the bag is flushed with gas (for example N2 or CO2). The tear seam 118 is formed in the upper portion of the pouch outlet, after which the upper edge seam 113 is disposable to close the contents inside the pouch. The resealable coating 117 and the tear-off seam 118 may be formed in the manner previously described. Welded seam 113 is, for example, formed on the horizontal top edge of the package, such as, for example, by using a conventional horizontal bar of the welding machine, together with an indented weakening line 109, to form a hermetically sealed filled package allowing multiple closing. This process gives an impermeable sealed area of ​​the rim on each side of the filled bag. Where a punched hole 122 is desired, a puncher may be used at a suitable location on the production line.

[0063] In an alternative FFS operation, a right top-down or inverted vertical filling operation can be used to manufacture packaging such as that illustrated in Figure 5 to form a filled package 300. The right-hand top vertical filling procedure uses a bag of resealable coating 317 in discontinuous transverse positions. A lower seam 307 is initially formed for a given pouch. Then the intermediate bag is filled and blown out. Then the tear seam 318 and the unseam seam 313 are formed in this order, and the closed filled bag is cut from the bag chain. In an inverted FFS operation of the pouch, the filled package 300 can be folded generally by inverting the order of the steps so that closures 313, 317 and 318 are first formed at the inlet end, followed by filling the pouch and finally forming the bottom seam 307.

[0064] Flexible reclosable packages according to an embodiment of the invention offer many advantages over traditional packaging reclosable assemblies, in particular zippers. The production of flexible packages according to preferred embodiments is more effective because the multiple-sizing strips used to form the reclosable closure (for example, items 117 and 317 described above) are less expensive and easier to use and use than the built-in zipper. In addition, a conventional film converter can be used to apply the strands directly to the film where it is needed and to supply all materials on a ready-to-use single roll. In this case, it is not necessary to use any additional packaging equipment to make the present embodiments. This allows the reclosable packaging to be produced according to the present embodiments on a wide variety of forming, filling and sealing machines. Because the multiple-sizing strips used to form the recloseable closure can be used in the form of a thin coating, the resulting low material consumption results in cost savings compared to a package with a zipper, especially a more expensive package with a zipper. Consumers have greater ease and comfort of using the packaging according to the present embodiments due to the easy and reliable closing of the assembly enabling multiple sealing of the bands used in the packaging according to the present embodiments in relation to the often difficult and unstable zippers closed by pressing. In addition, tamper resistance for the reclosable closure and the contents of the package is obtained by the presence of hermetically opened, single-use, single-use seams on both sides of the reclosable closure, which serve to better isolate them during manufacture, transport, storage, handling and display, and so on. for purchase and use by the consumer.

[0065] Methods of forming and using a reclosable package are also disclosed. Namely, if the welded seam (113, 313) tears in the exposed package, it alerts you to the possibility of access or uncovering of the seam (117, 317) with the reclosable coating before making the purchase. If the tear-off seam (118, 318) is torn, it alerts you that the contents of the package may have been exposed prior to purchase. Seam and food products that enable multiple sizing can therefore be better preserved in the conditions in which they were packaged until they are sold and used.