Wrapping Bag for Food Such as Sandwich

Abstract

A wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich includes a seal part formed by sealing two films between the opposite lateral edges in a vicinity of one longitudinal edges of the two films; a header part formed between the one longitudinal edges of the two films and the seal part; a cutting line, from which opening of the wrapping bag is started, being formed in the header part of one of the two films; an opening formed in the opposite longitudinal edges of the two films that are not sealed together; and an unsealing device that is provided in the one film to extend from a vicinity of the cutting line to a vicinity of the opening while crossing the seal part.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich for wrapping food such as a sandwich or a sponge cake, and particularly to a wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich that is manufactured into a bag by having two films sealed to each other along their respective opposite lateral edges.Description of Related Art

[0002] A various kinds of a wrapping bag for food for wrapping a sandwich having a right triangle shape are provided. Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. Hei-7-24736 describes a bag for food such as a sandwich in which an opening through which food to be placed, such as a sandwich (hereinafter referred to as a sandwich), is housed and an opening through which the sandwich is taken out are provided at the same position.

[0003] The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich is made up of a bag body 110 for housing the sandwich with an opening 114 therein, as shown in FIG. 9, and a rectangular-shaped sealing and opening tape 120 for sealing the opening 114 of the bag body 110 with the sandwich (not shown) housed therein, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0004] The bag body 110 has a trapezoid-shaped back film 111 and a trapezoid-shaped front film 112 overlapped to each other and are welded together along their opposite lateral edges, and a seal part 113 is formed at one edge having a narrower width, and the opening 114 is formed at the opposite edge having a wider width. The bag body 110 forms a housing part having a space between the front and back films 112, 111 by separating the front and back films 112, 111 away from each other to have the opening 114 kept opened in a rectangular shape. The sandwich is housed in this housing part.

[0005] Both the front and back films 112, 111 closer to the opening 114 are folded to form a bottom portion 115, as shown in FIG. 10, and this bottom portion 115 is sealed by the sealing and opening tape 120 to wrap a sandwich. The sealing and opening tape 120 is configured to include an adhesive surface at the middle of the back surface and to include openings 121, 121 made up of non-adhesive surfaces at the opposite edges.

[0006] For eating the wrapped sandwich, any one of the openings 121 of the sealing and opening tape 120 is first picked and pulled to thereby separate the sealing and opening tape 120 away from the bottom portion 115. Then, the bottom portion 115 of the bag body 110 is raised to expand the opening 114 so that the sandwich in the housing part can be taken out through the opening 114.

[0007] For eating the sandwich wrapped by the wrapping bag described in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. Hei-7-24736, it is necessary to first pull and separate the sealing and opening tape 120 away from the bottom portion 115, and then raise up the bottom portion 115, which may deteriorate the handeability in opening the wrapping bag.

[0008] When the sandwich wrapped in the wrapping bag described in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. Hei-7-24736 is displayed by a shop clerk or is purchased by a customer, the bag must be grasped through the lateral side portions thereof by hand, which causes pressure on the sandwich although the pressure is slight, and hence may cause the ingredients of the sandwich to be pushed out or causes damage to taste.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTechnical Problem

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich that is excellent in openability and enables a housed food such as a sandwich to be grasped by hand without applying pressure thereto.Solution to Problem

[0010] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich, including: two films that are overlapped to each other and sealed together along their opposite lateral edges; a seal part formed by sealing the two films between the opposite lateral edges in a vicinity of one longitudinal edges of the two films; a header part formed between the one longitudinal edges of the two films and the seal part; a cutting line, from which opening of the wrapping bag is started, being formed in the header part of one of the two films; an opening formed in the opposite longitudinal edges of the two films that are not sealed together; a housing part surrounded by the opening, the opposite lateral edges sealed together, and the seal part, of the two films; and an unsealing device that is provided in the one film to extend from a vicinity of the cutting line to a vicinity of the opening while crossing the seal part.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a back side view of a wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 (a) is one example of an enlarged view of a cutting line 7 according the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 2 (b) is one example of an enlarged view of the cutting line 7 according to the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a wrapping step in which a sandwich is being wrapped by the wrapping bag of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a wrapping bag of one embodiment of the present disclosure with a sandwich wrapped therein.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a back side view of a modified example of the wrapping bag according to the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a front side view of another modified example of the wrapping bag according to the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 7 is a back side view of still another modified example of the wrapping bag according to the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a back side view of yet another modified example of the wrapping bag according to the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 9 (a) is a front side view of a conventional bag for food such as a sandwich.

[0021] FIG. 9 (b) is a cross sectional view taken along a line A-A in FIG. 9 (a).

[0022] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional wrapping bag with a sandwich wrapped therein.DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] A description will be hereinafter made for a wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to one embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich (hereinafter referred simply to as a “wrapping bag”) is manufactured into a bag by having two trapezoid films 1, 2 (hereinafter one film is referred as a “back film 1” and the other film is referred as a “front film 2”) overlapped to each other.

[0024] The overlapped front and back films 2, 1 have the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a sealed to each other, and vicinities of one edges 2b, 1b having a narrower width (hereinafter referred to as “top edges”) sealed to each other between the opposite lateral edges thereof, thereby forming a seal part 3 in a band-form. The wrapping bag is provided with a header part 4 between the top edges 2b, 1b and the seal part 3.

[0025] The seal part 3 can have a portion with a small width in an unsealing direction at which the seal part 3 crosses a later-described unsealing device 9. The shape of the portion can be a wave shape because this shape enables the unsealing device 9 to be easily released.

[0026] The other edges 2c, 1c having a greater width (hereinafter referred to as a “bottom edges”) of both the front and back films 2, 1 are not sealed to each other to provide an opening 5. The wrapping bag includes a housing part 6 formed in an inside space surrounded by the opening 5, the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a of both the front and back films 2, 1 sealed to each other, and the seal part 3. The housing part 6 is configured to house food S such as a right-triangle shaped sandwich, sponge cake, or others (hereinafter referred to as a “sandwich”) therein, as shown in FIG. 3. The bottom edge 1c of the back film 1 projects slightly further away than the bottom edge 2c of the front film 2.

[0027] The header part 4 is formed into a parallelogram shape such as a rectangular or square shape. The width of the parallelogram-shaped header part 4 is set to be equal to the width of the sandwich S. The top edges 2b, 1b of the header part 4 may be sealed together or may not be sealed together.

[0028] The back film 1 has a cutting line 7 as an unsealing point formed within the header part 4. The cutting line 7 is made up of a first cutting line 71 and a second cutting line 72, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the first cutting line 71 has a pair of end points 71a extending toward the bottom edges 2c, 1c of the films to form a tab 8 being projected toward the edges 2b, 1b of the films. The tab 8 can be formed into, for example, a U-shape, a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shale, and any given shape.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (a), a pair of the second cutting lines 72 extend from the first cutting line 71 serving as a start end toward the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a. The pair of the second cutting lines 72 preferably extend toward the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a in a direction orthogonal toward the unsealing direction of the bag. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the pair of the second cutting lines 72 can extend from both the end points 71a of the first cutting line 71 toward the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a.

[0031] When a crossing portion at which the seal part 3 crosses the unsealing device 9 has a narrow width in the unsealing direction, it can be configured such that the pair of end points 71a are located at the crossing portion, and the pair of the second cutting lines 72 are located to be in contact with the seal part 3 at portions other than the crossing portion.

[0032] The cutting line 7 including the first cutting line 71 and the pair of the second cutting lines 72 enables unsealing of the wrapping bag toward the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a subsequently to the unsealing toward the bottom edges 2c, 1c from the upper edges 2b, 1b. Thereby, food such as a sandwich can be easily taken out from the wrapping bag.

[0033] The back film 1 is provided with the unsealing device 9 in the vicinity of the cutting line 7, which extends from the tab 8 to the vicinity of the opening 5, while crossing the seal part 3. The unsealing device 9, which is used to tear the back film 1 to open, is provided by a thin band-shaped cut tape, or a thick band-shaped cut tape (not shown), a cut tape formed by a combination of a reversed V-shaped upper end portion having an angular center located near the cutting line 7 and a lower end portion including two parallel lines extending from both the ends of the upper end portion to the vicinity of the opening 5, or formed by a thread etc.

[0034] The unsealing device 9 is sealed to the back film 1 by heat welding. The unscaling device 9 can be coated with a sealing agent (partial coating agent) on a surface in contact with the front film 2 at a portion crossing the seal part 3 before the heat welding. Thereby, when forming the seal part 3, the sealing strength between the unscaling device 9 and the front film 2 can be set to be weaker than the sealing strength between the back film 1 and the front film 2 so that the back film 1 can be easily torn to be opened at the seal part 3. Thus, the unscaling device 9 is prevented from being guided in any one of the directions toward the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a, and therefore the wrapping bag can be unsealed along the unscaling direction.

[0035] When the unscaling device 9 is formed by the cut tape, the cut tape is preferably fixed to the back film 1 only along at least one of the ends, and the center of the back film 1. Thereby, it is possible to suppress wrinkles or sagging on the cut tape, and hence keep good appearance of the wrapping bag. Further, the suppression of formation of wrinkles or sagging on the cut tape enables the back film 1 to be easily torn.

[0036] Cutouts 10 are formed at the opposite ends of the bottom edges 2c, 1c of both the front and back films 2,1 to reduce the distance between the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a and 2a, 1a. The cutouts 10, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, each may be in a straight line which extends inward, or, as shown by a phantom line in FIG. 1, each may be in a continuous line of a circular-arc section 10a on the side of a corresponding lateral edge 2a or 1a and a straight line section 10b on the side of the opening 5. With these cutouts 10, the overlapped portion of both the front and back films 2, 1 can be reduced when the bottom portion is formed by folding the bottom end.

[0037] Here, the description will be made for a method for wrapping the sandwich S by the wrapping bag having the above-mentioned configuration. First, air is brown through the opening 5 into the housing part 6 to have the opening 5 held in a rectangular shape. For blowing air, when the cutouts 10 each have a circular-arc shaped section as shown by the phantom line of FIG. 1, the seal of both the lateral edges 2a, 1a of both the front and back films 2,1 is unlikely to be torn by blown air.

[0038] The front and back films 2, 1 of the housing part 6 are bent along the extension lines of the opposite lateral edges of the header part 4 to have portions respectively extending over the corresponding lateral edge 2a, 1a of the front film 2 and the back film 1 acting as a pair of triangular lateral side portions 11; a middle portion of the front film 2 acting as a rectangular front side portion 12; and a middle portion of the back film 1 acting as a rectangular back side portion 13. When the sandwich S is housed in the housing part 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the lateral side portions 11, the front side portion 12 and the back side portion 13 of the wrapping bag are correspondingly overlapped to lateral side portions, a front side portion and a back side portion of the sandwich S.

[0039] Finally, the opening 5 of both the front and back films 2, 1 is folded to wrap the sandwich S with the bottom portion 14 formed as shown in FIG. 4. The wrapping bag with the sandwich S wrapped therein is thus provided with the header part 4 so that when the sandwich S wrapped in the wrapping bag is displayed by a shop clerk or is purchased by a customer, they can hold the sandwich through the header part 4 and thus prevent applying pressure on the lateral side portions of the sandwich.

[0040] When eating the sandwich S, the header part 4 is picked up by fingers of one hand, while the tab 8 is picked up by fingers of the other hand to pull straight toward the direction of the bottom end. With this, as shown in a phantom line of FIG. 4, the unsealing device 9 cuts the seal part 3 of the back film 1 and subsequently tears the back film 1 toward the bottom portion 14, and thus the back side portion 13 is torn to be opened. Therefore, the wrapped sandwich S can be instantly taken out through the back side portion 13.

[0041] The present disclosure is not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be subjected to various modifications. For example, the header 4 may be formed into an isosceles trapezoid shape, as shown in FIG. 5. Although not shown, when the wrapping bag having the header 4 of an isosceles trapezoid shape is manufactured by fuse-cutting two band-shaped sheets overlapped to each other by a reversed V-shaped heater cutter, a pair of linear heater cutters can be used.

[0042] The wrapping bag, as shown in FIG. 6, may have a stain-preventing film 15 overlapped to the inner surface of the front film 2 so that the front side portion of the sandwich S can be kept out of direct contact with the front film 2. Even when ingredients such as mayonnaise are held in the sandwich S, the ingredients such as mayonnaise are kept out of the front film 2 by the stain-preventing film 15 held therebetween, and thus the ingredients such as mayonnaise are unlikely to deteriorate the appearance of the front film 2 and thus prevent deterioration of the quality of the product.

[0043] It can be configured such that the stain-preventing film 15 is not supported at the side of the opening 5, but supported by the seal part 3. With this, air blown into a space formed in the housing part 6 through the opening 5 returns to the opening 5 and then is blown out through the cutouts 10 formed in the opening 5. Thereby, it is possible to make the stain-preventing film 15 difficult to flutter as swaying.

[0044] Although not shown, it can be configured such that the stain-preventing film 15 is not supported on the seal part 3, but on the side of the opening 5. With this, it is possible to make the stain-preventing film 15 difficult to get turned up when air is brown through the opening 5. Nevertheless, the method for holding the stain-preventing film 15 on the side of the opening 5 is not necessarily limited to a specific method. For example, the method can be heat welding, or using adhesive. The stain-preventing film 15 can be held on both the seal part 3 and the side of the opening 5.

[0045] When the stain-preventing film 15 is held not on the seal part 3, but on the side of the opening 5, it is enough for the stain-preventing film 15 to be at least partly held on the side of the opening 5.

[0046] The wrapping bag, as shown in FIG. 7, can be provided with a label 16 on which the production information such as ingredients or a manufacturing date is indicated, which label is attached to the outer surface of the back film 1. The label 16 has a large number of cuts 16a along the upper side thereof or sawblade-shaped cuts (not shown). Forming the cuts 16a in the label prevents the unsealing device 9 from being torn by the label 16 when the unsealing device 9 is pulled in order to open the wrapping bag.

[0047] The header part 4 of the wrapping bag as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is formed into a rectangular shape, however, can be formed into a trapezoid shape as shown in FIG. 5, and moreover, the wrapping bag can include both the strain-preventing film 15 and the label 16.

[0048] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the cutting line 7 may not be formed in the header part 4, but formed in the back film 1 of the housing part 6. In this case, a cover film 17 covers the cutting line 7, a peripheral portion of the cover film 17 and the back film 1 are sealed together. By providing a seal part 18 in this area, the housing part 6 is prevented from being communicated with the outside through the cutting line 7. An area surrounded by the cutting line 7 is used as a tab 8, and the unsealing device 9 extends from the tab 8. It is a matter of course that the seal part 18 of the peripheral portion of the cover film 17 is cut by pulling the unsealing device 9.

[0049] Furthermore, although not shown, the wrapping bag can be manufactured by two square-shaped films, which can wrap a square-shaped sandwich or wrap a sandwich with a space through which the periphery of the sandwich is prevented from coming into contact with the inner surface of the film.

[0050] Still furthermore, although not shown, the unsealing device 9 may be provided not by a cut tape, but by using an oriented film at least for the back film 1. That is to say, with the cutting line 7 having both ends facing the opening 5, a film is torn from both the ends of the cutting line 7 toward the opening with a certain width by pulling the tab 8 surrounded by the cutting line 7 or located therebetween. Therefore, in this configuration, the unsealing device 9 is deemed to exist in the back film 1.

[0051] Although not shown, a film piece can be inserted between the upper edge 2b of the front film 2 and the upper edge 1b of the back film 1, when the header part 4 is provided between the upper edges 2b, 1b and the seal part 3. Thereby, the header part 4 is raised upright so as to prevent deterioration of the appearance of the wrapping bag with the sandwich wrapped therein when the wrapping bag is displayed on a shelf.

[0052] The film piece can be coated with a sealing agent along the seal part 3 at a portion overlapping with the seal part 3. Thereby, it is possible to easily tear and open the back film 1 at the portion of the seal part 3 at which the unsealing device 9 overlaps with the film piece, and easily open the wrapping bag from the upper edges 2b, 1b toward the bottom edges 2c, 1c, and thereafter toward the opposite lateral edges 2a, 1a.

[0053] Further, the front film 2 and the back film 1 may be a film made of a single material. Examples of the material include polyolefin, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, paper, and cellophane. Among these, the material is preferably polyolefin. Further, examples of the polyolefin include polyethylene and polypropylene. Among these, the polyolefin is preferably polypropylene. Further, examples of the polypropylene include cast polypropylene (CPP) and oriented polypropylene (OPP). Examples of the oriented polypropylene include uniaxially oriented polypropylene and biaxially oriented polypropylene. Among these, polypropylene is preferably biaxially oriented polypropylene. The biaxially oriented polypropylene is preferably one having heat fusion properties. Since the front film 2 and the back film 1 are films made of a single material, it is not necessary to separate and sort each material when the wrapping bag is recycled. Therefore, it is possible to easily recycle the wrapping bag. Note that the polypropylene is not limited to being a virgin raw material, and may be derived from, for example, a recycled resin, and may be derived from a biomass that includes a plant-derived raw material.

[0054] For each of the cut tape, the stain-preventing film 15, and the film piece, a film made of a single material may be used. The material may be the same material as that for the front film 2 and the back film 1, or any conventional material.

[0055] The above description was made for the wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich that includes the pair of the second cutting lines 72. However, the wrapping bag according to the present embodiment is not limited to this, and may be the form in which the wrapping bag does not include the pair of the second cutting lines 72.

[0056] The description was made for the wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the above embodiment by taking, for example, the form, in which the unsealing device 9 is sealed to the back film 1 by heat welding, without limitation thereto. For example, the unsealing device 9 can be sealed to the back film 1 using an adhesive agent. A conventional adhesive agent can be used as the adhesive agent.

[0057] The present disclosure includes forms mentioned below:

[0058] [1] A wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich, including: two films that are overlapped to each other and sealed together along their opposite lateral edges; a seal part formed by sealing the two films between the opposite lateral edges in a vicinity of one longitudinal edges of the two films; a header part formed between the one longitudinal edges of the two films and the seal part; a cutting line, from which opening of the wrapping bag is started, being formed in the header part of one of the two films; an opening formed in the opposite longitudinal edges of the two films that are not sealed together; a housing part surrounded by the opening, the opposite lateral edges sealed together, and the seal part, of the two films; and an unsealing device that is provided in the one film to extend from a vicinity of the cutting line to a vicinity of the opening while crossing the seal part.

[0059] [2] The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the disclosure in item [1] above, wherein the cutting line is made up of a first cutting line having both ends extending toward the opposite longitudinal edges and forming a tab being projected toward the one longitudinal edges, and at least one second cutting line extending toward at least one of the lateral edges.

[0060] [3] The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the disclosure in item [1] or [2] above, wherein the two films each are formed into a trapezoid shape to have a narrower longitudinal end and a wider longitudinal end, the header part is provided on the narrower longitudinal end, and the opening is provided on the wider longitudinal end.

[0061] [4] The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the disclosure in any of items [1] to [3], wherein the opposite ends on the opposite longitudinal edges of the two films are cut out to have a cutout with a narrower distance between the opposite lateral edges of the two films.

[0062] [5] The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the disclosure in item 4 above, wherein the cutouts each are formed in a continuous line of a circular-arc section on the side of a corresponding one of the lateral edges and a straight line section on the side of the opening.

[0063] The wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. Further, the wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich according to the present disclosure is not limited by the operation and effect of the above-described embodiment. In other words, the embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is indicated by the range claims rather than by the foregoing description. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.REFERENCE SIGNS LIST1: One film (back film)

[0065] 1a: Lateral edge

[0066] 1b: One edge

[0067] 2: Other film (front film)

[0068] 2a: Lateral edge

[0069] 2b: One edge

[0070] 3: Seal part

[0071] 4: Header part

[0072] 5: Opening

[0073] 6: Housing part

[0074] 7: Cutting line

[0075] 71: First cutting line

[0076] 71a: End point

[0077] 72: Second cutting line

[0078] 8: Tab

[0079] 9: Unscaling device

[0080] 10: Cutout

[0081] 10a: Circular-arc section

[0082] 10b: Straight line section

Claims

1. A wrapping bag for food such as a sandwich, comprising:two films that are overlapped to each other and sealed together along their opposite lateral edges;a seal part formed by sealing the two films between the opposite lateral edges in a vicinity of one longitudinal edges of the two films;a header part formed between the one longitudinal edges of the two films and the seal part;a cutting line, from which opening of the wrapping bag is started, being formed in the header part of one of the two films;an opening formed in the opposite longitudinal edges of the two films that are not sealed together;a housing part surrounded by the opening, the opposite lateral edges sealed together, and the seal part, of the two films; andan unsealing device that is provided in the one film to extend from a vicinity of the cutting line to a vicinity of the opening while crossing the seal part.

2. The wrapping bag according to claim 1, wherein the cutting line comprises a first cutting line having both ends extending toward the edges of the opposite longitudinal end and being projected toward the edges of the one longitudinal end to form a tab, and at least one second cutting line extending toward at least one of the lateral edges.

3. The wrapping bag according to claim 1, wherein the two films each are formed into a trapezoid shape to have a narrower longitudinal end and a wider longitudinal end, the header part is provided on the narrower longitudinal end, and the opening is provided on the wider longitudinal end.

4. The wrapping bag according to claim 2, wherein the opposite ends on the opposite longitudinal edges of the two films are cut out to have cutout with a narrower distance between the opposite lateral edges of the two films.

5. The wrapping bag according to claim 4, wherein the cutouts each are formed in a continuous line of a circular-arc section on the side of a corresponding one of the lateral edges and a straight line section on the side of the opening.

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