Bag and article of manufacture

Abstract

Disclosed is an article of manufacture including bag having a front surface; a rear surface; two side surfaces each having a gusset therein and connecting the front and rear surfaces; a flattenable bottom surface formed by connecting the front, rear, and side surfaces; and a top surface formable by connecting the front, rear, and side surfaces. The bag has a height, a width, and a depth, and defines an internal volume. The bag is sealable and has a seal strength of at least about 1,600 pounds per square inch. The bag is formed from a plastic laminate having a thickness of from about 130 to about 200 microns and a tensile strength of at least about 3,400 pounds per square inch. The article of manufacture also includes at least about 15 pounds of a particulate, flowable composition contained therein. The bag can also have a closure system comprising a non-reusable closure and a reusable closure. Also included are methods, using the article of manufacture, of enhancing palatability of an oxidizable, particulate, flowable composition contained therein.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional application 60 / 962,979, filed on Aug. 2, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates generally to bags for containing particulate, flowable compositions, particularly large, heavy bags containing particulate, flowable compositions. More particularly, the invention relates to bags and closure systems for such bags wherein the bags and closure systems can withstand a drop or fall from at least about 4 feet without bursting or breaking open. Most particularly, the invention relates to bags for containing from about 15 to about 75 pounds of particulate, flowable composition.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Industries that use and sell large quantities of bulk, particulate, flowable compositions such as animal food, bulk foods, coffee, fertilizer, detergent and the like are often faced with the ta...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The present invention relates to articles of manufacture comprising bags for containing large quantities of particulate, flowable compositions such as dry pet foods; and methods of preserving and enhancing palatability of oxidizable, particulate, flowable compositions such as dry pet foods. The bags of the present invention are burst-resistant when containing at least about 15 pounds of a particulate, flowable composition and dropped from a height of at least about 4 feet, and are proportioned so as to be stable and resistant to tipping when placed on a bottom surface thereof. The bags can be reclosable. Such articles, bags, and methods reduce bag damage and product loss during shipping and handling, enable the bags to be displayed and sold in a more-easily visible and liftable orientation, and enable a user to avoid having to transfer the contents of the bag to a second container for use of the composition.

[0035]c. sealing the plastic laminate bag closed; thereby preventing oxidation and spoilage of composition and enhancing palatability of the composition contained therein.

Problems solved by technology

However, paper bags do not keep the food compositions contained therein particularly fresh over time.

Thus, in time, the food may oxidize, become stale, become infested, and generally become less palatable to the animal and less desirable by the animal owner.

Additionally, bags that are stitched, taped and / or glued closed can not be resealed once opened.

Such orientation, particularly for bags containing 15 or more pounds of composition, makes the bags difficult to display, and to remove and lift.

If such bags are successfully removed from a store shelf, they are often deposited on a narrow bottom surface of the bag, and often fall over.

The instability of the bags can be bothersome if one must keep righting the bag.

In addition, if the bag has been taken home and opened, extensive spillage can result when the bag tips over.

However, it has been found that many such plastic bags burst open, when filled with about 15 or more pounds of bulk composition, and dropped off of a truck, a store shelf, out of a user's vehicle or grip, or when tipped over.

The bursting problem is often exacerbated when such bags are formed with a reclosable feature.

Such bags can burst at the site of the reclosable feature or at one or more seals or seams of the bag, or the material forming the bag itself can tear and cause the bag to burst open.

In addition, plastic bags can be slippery to the touch, and can result in a greater amount of bags dropped versus other materials such as paper, nylon or burlap.

However, many plastic bags still burst when they contain over about 15 pounds of material and fall from a height of about 3 feet, whether or not the bags contain a reslosable feature.

However, cost can increase prohibitively as more components are added to the bag.

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