Title of Invention

"A SLIDER FOR A LEAK PROOF SLIDER-ZIPPER ASSEMBLY"

Abstract

The invention provides for a slider for a leak proof slider-zipper assembly having a leading edge and a trailing edge comprising a pair of protrusions at the bottom of the leading edge, a pair of protrusions at the bottom of the trailing edge, and an opening plow protruding from the top surface of the slider, between the leading edge and trailing edge, and having height not more than the height of the slider. The opening plow has a sloping surface from the leading edge towards the trailing edge such that the height of the opening plow at the leading edge is less than the height of the opening plow at the trailing edge.

Full Text

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a leak proof slider-zipper assembly having a leading edge and a trailing edge. Background Of the Invention: The use of re-closable flexible pouches has seen dramatic increase in the last few years. Heretofore the primary market for bags with slider zippers has been consumers who purchase empty slider bags and then fill the slider bags with products at home. However, with the increasing popularity of slider bags most manufacturers now tend to package their food and non-food products in slider bags for sale to consumers. The slider bags are a great convenience to the consumer who purchases these product filled bags especially for products of the type where only a portion of the product is used at any given time. The product applications for which slider bags may be used are virtually unlimited. Plastic bags having zipper closures typically consist of two substantially similar sized sheets of plastic film (usually supplied from a pair of continuous web spools or rolls) which are then sealed together at a lower end of the sheets to form a front layer and a rear layer, with the seal forming a bottom edge of the bag. Alternatively, the plastic bag may be formed by a length of bag film folded upon itself to form a front layer and a rear layer connected by an integral bottom edge defined by the fold. Side edges of the plastic bag are typically sealed using a sealing head. The typical slider bags that are being manufactured are airtight as far as solids and powders are concerned. However, the bags are neither leak proof nor drip free where liquids are concerned. The problem of leakage is two fold in that leakage occurs due to the improper sealing of the side edges and also due to improper design of the slider and zipper. The zipper closure itself is airtight along its length due to the releasable and reusable seal formed by the inter-locked profile. A long standing problem in the art of zipper sealed plastic bags however has been the presence of escape gaps which are created during heat sealing at the outermost edges (such as at the bags two side seal locations) of the zipper closure. A drawback of such a method of sealing is the escape gaps that are formed at the intersection of the zipper closure, the bag film, and the side edges of the plastic bag. These escape gaps are frequently formed as a result of applying continuous pressure and heat to seal the side edges of the bag, without making accommodations for the underlying zipper closure that is typically already sealed along the top edge of the bag film. Such escape gaps facilitate leakage of air and/or liquid direcdy into or out of the contents of the plastic bag, which can cause undesired spillage, contamination and spoilage of such contents. US3986914 and US 6033113, incorporated here in totality by reference, address this problem and have provided methods of overcoming this drawback. US 3986914 provides for a plastic bead seal at the junction of the interlocking fastener and the side edges of the container. The plastic bead seal formed by a pressure bar, acts as a barrier to the passage of fluids or contaminating bacteria through the fastener at this junction. One drawback of the method of providing bead seals is that the bead seals are formed as a separate step in the manufacturing process. Also, the pressure bar with the specially configured channel is not found on conventional bag making machinery. US 6033113 provides for a zipper closure that is provided with fillets along the uppermost and lowermost interlocking fingers of the zipper to prevent escape gaps from forming between the two sides, especially at the bags side seal locations. Conventional heat dies are used in combination with excess quantities of plastic material to form the fillets. The method of fillets involves the use of extra plastic materials for the fillets. To overcome this problem of escape gaps in particular at the side edges, the invention provides for the use of a sealing head with grooves made on their inner surfaces such that excess material may flow into the grooves of the sealing head and not result in escape gaps being created during the cooling stage. This may be better understood with reference to figure 16, wherein the grooved edges are shown (35). The slider device typically includes a separator or plow-type structure in the middle, or at one end, that opens a zipper closure mechanism having male and female interlocking profiled elements or closure profiles when the slider device travels in a first direction along the zipper closure. The sidewalls of the slider device are inwardly tapered from one end to the opposite end so that the sidewalls engage the closure profiles and progressively move them into engagement to close the re-closable package when the slider device is moved along the zipper closure in a direction opposite to the first direction. Re-closable packages that include a slider device to more easily open and close the profiles typically face problems in providing a liquid tight seal across the entire length of the zipper closure due to the fact that the slider includes a plow device used to separate the closure profiles as the slider is moved along the length of the zipper closure. Thus a portion of the zipper closure beneath the plow remains open at all times. One way of solving this problem is to include a notch formed in the mating profiles above the inter-locking elements to define a home position for the slider when the package is in the completely closed position. The notch formed in the profile typically receives the plow formed on the slider such diat the profile can be closed on each side of the plow to create a continuous seal across the entire package. Typically, the plow of the slider device does not extend past the inter-locking elements such that the notch does not create an opening between the inter-locking elements formed on the closure profiles. Aldiough the notch formed in the mating profile on the closed end of the re-sealable package is known, problems can occur in utilizing such a notch with a full-length plow. For example, during the formation of the notch portions of the re-sealable package near the location of the notch can be damaged which affects the performance of the package. US 4890935 describes a slider wherein a foam plastic gasket material is positioned between the inter-locking profile elements of the zipper at the closing end of the pouch and sealed thereof. The opposite end of the gasket material is free and extends into the space between the profiles at the closing end of the bag. When the leading edge of the slider is brought into engagement with the gasket material a seal is formed thereby eliminating the gap which odierwise would form in the area occupied by the free end of the gasket. A slider tab is also provided on the slider to engage a hook at the end of the zipper closure to hold the slider in position and maintain the seal. This method though effective is not practical astheaddition of the gasket material and hook not only increases costs but also involves an extra step in manufacturing. Furthermore closing of the pouch involves an extra step of hooking the slider tab to maintain the seal. These factors make this method unviable. US patent application 2004/0086206 provides for a seal region between the flaps of the male and female closures, such that the seal extends towards the center of the package from the edge and is of a pre-defined length. This predefined length oftheseal is greater thanthelength oftheslider. The seal region therefore provides a fluid tight seal between the two sealed flaps and below the slider when the slider is in the home position. Theoreticallythemethod of preventing leakage at the ends of the zipper as described by US 2004/0086206 appears to meet its objective. However, experimentation has found that liquid tends to seep into the gap betweentheseal and the zipper and leak out through the gap in the zipper profile at the end edge due totheplow. Further, the method also involves the use of extra sealing material as well as an extra manufacturing step that adversely affects costs. Objects and Summary of the Invention: It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a re-closable flexible bag that is leak proof and drip proof. It is an object of the invention to provide a slider for the zipper of a re-closable bag that makes the bag leak proof. It is an object of the invention to provide a leak proof re-closable bag without increasing the cost of the bag. It is an object of the invention to, provide a leak proof re-closable bag that can hold solids, liquids and gases. To meet the aforementioned and other objectivestheinvention provides for a slider for a leak proof slider-zipper assembly having a leading edge and a trailing edge comprising: - a pair of protrusions at the bottom of the leading edge, - a pair of protrusions at the bottom ofthetrailing edge, and - an opening plow protruding from the top surface of the slider, betweentheleading edge and trailing edge, and having height not more than the height of the slider. The invention also provides for a re-closable flexible package comprising: - a pair of side panels joined along a first side edge and a second side edge, the panels defining a mouth providing access to a package interior, - a zipper closure positioned along the mourn ofthepackage for selectively opening and closingthepackage mouth, the zipper including a first pair of inter-locking members and a second pair of inter-locking members below it, - a slider for opening and closing the zipper closure having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the slider having a pair of protrusions at the bottom of the leading edge, a pair of protrusions at the bottom of the trailing edge, and an opening plow protruding fromthetop surface oftheslider, between the leading edge and trailing edge, whereintheheight oftheopening plow is such that it penetrates only the first pair of inter-locking members ofthezipper closure. Brief Description of Accompanying Drawings: The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the following detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Figure 1 illustrates a front-top perspective view oftheslider in accordance with the invention. Figure 2 illustrates a front-bottom perspective view oftheslider in accordance with the invention. Figure 3 illustrates a front view oftheslider in accordance with the invention. Figure 4 illustrates a back-bottom perspective view oftheslider in accordance withtheinvention. Figure 5 illustrates a top view the slider in accordance withtheinvention. Figure 6 illustrates a bottom view oftheslider in accordance widi the invention. Figure 7 illustrates schematic back view of the slider in accordance with the invention. Figure 8 illustrates a zipper for a re-closable bag in accordance with the invention. Figure 9 illustrates the slider mounted on a zipper in accordance with the invention. Figure 10 illustrates the opening action performed by a conventional slider zipper. Figure 11 illustrates the closing action performed by a conventional slider zipper. Figure 12 illustrates the opening action performed by the slider zipper in accordance with diis invention. Figure 13 illustrates the closing action performed by the slider zipper in accordance widi this invention. Figure 14 illustrates the drawback of conventional slider zippers at the closing home position of the slider. Figure 15 illustratestheslider in accordance with diis invention at its closing home position. Figure 16 illustrates the position of the plow or central notch when the slider in accordance with this invention is at its closing home position. Detailed description of the Invention: It will be understood by those skilled in the art diat the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof. At the outset it would be appropriate to mention that leading edge refers to the edge of the slider that leads when the slider is moved to close the zipper. Similarly, trailing edge refers to the edge mat leads when the slider is moved to open me zipper. Through out the patent specification, a convention employed is that in the appended drawings, like numerals denote like components. To overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art the invention provides for a slider that has a plow mat extends only up to the first interlocking members of a zipper profile. The slider also has closing profiles at both leading and trailing edges at the lower end, such that the bottom interlocking members of the zipper are sealed irrespective of the direction of movement of the slider. This ensures that the bottom inter-locking members are sealed by the slider profile and not opened by the plow, at the edges of the zipper profile thereby providing for a leak proof re-closable bag. The invention will now be explained with reference to the following embodiment. Figure 1 illustrates a front-top perspective view of the slider (1) having a top surface (2) in accordance with the invention. The slider has a leading edge (4) and a trailing edge (5). The leading edge (4) has a pair of protrusions (6) at the bottom surface (3) of the slider. An open area (8) is formed betweenthebottom protrusions (6) andthetop surface (2). The two sides ofthezipper last pass through these protrusions andtheopen area (8) when the slider is moved along the zipper in the opening direction. The slider is also provided with a grooved outer surface (7) for better gripping. The grip enables firm holding of the slider even with wet hands. Referring now to figure 2 a front-bottom perspective view is shown. As shown the trailing edge (5) also has a pair of protrusions (10) at the bottom surface (3). An open area (9) is formed between the protrusions (10) and the top surface (2) of the slider. The two sides of the zipper last pass through these protrusions and the open area (9) when the slider is moved along the zipper in the closing direction. As may be observed, open area (9) at the trailing edge is smaller than the open area (8) at the leading edge. This may be visualized better in figure 5 that depicts the top of the slider, whereintheopening at (9) measured as (X) is smaller than the opening at (8) measured as (Y). As can also be seen at the bottom surface (3)thegap between the protrusions at the leading edge andthetrailing edge (a, b) is substantially the same. Figure 3 shows a central notch or plow (11) hanging down fromthetop surface (2) of the slider (1). As shown, the plow (11) does not extend along the full height of the slider. The plow height is such that it penetrates only the first pair of interlocking members of the zipper, as explained in detail below. The plow is positioned approximately at the center of the slider. It should be noted thattheshape and position of the plow may be varied as per requirement, andthefigure serves only to describe an embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 illustrates a back bottom perspective view of the slider. As can be seen, the trailing edge (5) has a pair of protrusions (10), distance between the protrusions being such thatthetwo sides of the zipper when made to pass dirough these protrusions will be pressed against each other and consequently sealed together. The trailing edge also has an open area (9), widdi of the open area (9) being such that the two sides of the zipper are not allowed to separate andtheseal is maintained. Figure 6 illustrates a schematic bottom view of the slider in accordance with the invention. As can be seen, the trailing edge (5) in addition totheprotrusions (10) atthebottom surface (3) also has protrusions (13) that extend substantially between the top and bottom surfaces. These protrusions (13) may be better visualized in figure 3. The protrusions (13) serve to reducetheopen area (9) at the trailing edge such that the two sides of the zipper are pressed against each other. Figure 7 illustrates a schematic back view of the slider showing the bottom protrusions (10) andtheplow (11). Referring now to figure 8 a zipper (15) in accordance with the invention is shown. The zipper has two sides (16,17) having corresponding inter-locking profile elements (18,19). The zipper (15) is also provided with intermediate profile elements (21) that serve to alignthetwo sides (16,17) of the zipper. As can be seen the upper members of inter-locking profile members (18,19) form a first or upper seal (22). Similarly,thebottom members of the interlocking profile members (18,19) form the second or lower seal (23). The zipper is also provided with external projections (20) on both sides (16,17) ofthezipper. These projections (20) serve to lock the slider ontothezipper and to prevent the slider from detaching from the zipper. Figure 9 illustrates a schematic oftheslider (1) fitted on to zipper (15) in accordance with the invention. As can be seen projections (20) help retaintheslider ontothezipper by providing a positive lock. The opening plow (11) also extends only up tothefirst pair of inter-locking members (22). Thus whentheslider is made to move overthezipper,theplow opens only the first seal (22) oftheinter-locking members. The bottom seal (23) of the inter-locking members is opened by virtue ofthedesign, in that, oncetheupper pair (22) is openedthelower pair tends to separate also. Figure 10 and 11 illustrate the conventional slider opening and closing a zipper respectively. As can be seen fromthefigurestheopening plow extends up to both the pairs of inter-locking members (22,23). Alsotheplow (11) hasthesame height throughout. The problem with this conventional slider and plow is that attheclosing edgethecentral plow separatesthetwo sides (16,17) of the zipper completely. This leads to small escape gaps betweenthezipper edge and the leading edge of the opening plow through which leakage may occur. This may be better understood by figure 14. As shown, the slider (1) is at its closing home position withtheleading edge in touch with the sealed edge of the bag. The edges ofthebag are sealed (30) along with the two sides (16,17) ofthezipper. Intheexpanded view box, as shown,thetwo sides ofthezipper (16,17) are separated bytheopening plow (11). This results intheformation of minute Figure 12 illustrates the opening action performed bytheslider zipper in accordance with this invention. As can be seen fromthefigure, slider (1) is moving towardstheleft to openthezipper (15). The opening plow (11) in accordance with the invention has a longer edge (11a) and a shorter edge (11b). The opening plow (11) has a height such that it only penetratesthefirst or upper pair of inter-locking members (22). Accordingly,thelonger edge first passes dirough first pair of interlocking members (22) and openstheseal. The opening mechanism may be explained as follows: - Duringtheopening action,theleading edge (4) oftheslider followsthetrailing edge (5). The trailing edge has bottom protrusions (10) and open area (9), both which ensure mat the two sides of the zipper (16,17) remain pressed against each other. Thus whentheslider is moved overthezipper in the opening direction, the two sides (16, 17) ofthezipper that first pass diroughthetrailing edge are sealed and boththepairs of inter-locking members (22,23) are locked. The two sides (16,17) then encountertheopening plow (11), wherein the first pair of inter-locking members (22) are opened bythelonger edge (11a) oftheplow (11). The opening plow (11) however does not open the bottom pair of inter-locking members (23). When the slider is moved further ahead, the two sides ofthezipper are made to pass diroughtheleading edge (4) of the slider. The leading edge (4) has protrusions (6) at the bottom and an open area (8). On passing mrough the leading edge, me open area (8) of the slider is such that me opened first pair of inter-locking members (22) are kept open. The protrusions (6) oftheleading edge keepthebottom or lower pair of inter-locking members (23) locked. Thus on leaving the leading edge (4) the upper pair (22) is open whereas the bottom pair (23) is locked. However, by virtue of the design and flexibility of the material used for the zipper, the open upper pair (22) causes the lower pair (23) also to open thereby opening the zipper. Figure 13 illustrates the closing action performed by the slider zipper in accordance with this invention. As can be seen from the figure, slider (1) is moving towards the left to close the zipper (15). The opening plow (11) has a height such that it only penetrates the first or upper pair of inter-locking members (22), and has a longer edge (11a) and (lib). In accordance with the invention the shorter edge first passes through first pair of interlocking members (22). The closing mechanism may be described as follows: During the closing action, the trailing edge (5) of the slider follows the leading edge (4). The leading edge has bottom protrusions (6) and open area (8). The protrusions (6) ensure that the two sides of the zipper (16,17) remain pressed against each other at the lower pair of inter-locking members (23). Thus when the slider is moved over the zipper in the closing direction, the two sides (16, 17) of the zipper first pass through the leading edge, the lower or bottom pair of inter-locking member (23) is locked, while due to the substantially larger open area (8) the upper pair of inter-locking members (22) remain open. The two sides (16,17) then encounter the opening plow (11), wherein the first pair of inter-locking members (22) is kept open by the longer edge (11a) of the plow (11). The opening plow (11) however does not open the bottom pair of interlocking members (23). When the slider is moved further ahead, the two sides of the zipper are made to pass through the trailing edge (5) of the slider. The trailing edge (5) has protrusions (10) at the bottom and an open area (9). On passing through the trailing edge, the open area (9) of the slider is such that the opened first pair of inter-locking members (22) is now locked and the sealing is complete. The protrusions (10) of the trailing edge keep the bottom or lower pair of inter-locking members (23) locked. Thus on leaving the trailing edge (5) both the pairs of inter-locking members (22, 23) are locked giving a complete seal. With reference now to figure 15, the slider (1) in accordance with the invention is shown at its closing home position. The bag has its ends sealed (35) as shown. At the closing home position, the leading edge (4) of the slider comes in contact with the end seal (35) and also partially overlaps it. The opening plow (11) is also pressed against the end seal (35). As shown the shorter edge (lib) of the opening plow is above the end seal and the longer edge (11a) is penetrating the upper pair of inter-locking members (22) of the zipper (15). The slanting edge of the opening plow thus completely seals the edge and eliminates the escape gaps that were formed with the sliders of the prior art. In addition to this, as shown in figure 16, leading edge (4) of the slider with its bottom protrusions (6) closes the lower pair of inter-locking members (23) at the edge near the end seal (35). Therefore, though the opening plow (11) keeps the upper pair of inter-locking members (22) open at the edge of the end seal (35,30), the protrusions (6) keep the lower pair of inter-locking members (23) below the opened upper pair sealed. Thus, the zipper when closed, is completely sealed along the bottom pair of inter-locking members (23) providing a leak proof and drip free re-closable flexible pouch, and the upper pair of interlocking members (22) are sealed throughout except at the end closing position, where the opening plow (11) penetratestheinter-locking members (22). The sloped edge of the opening plow (11) ensures that there is no gap between the opening plow and the end seal (35). This again ensures a drip free and leak proof re-closable pouch at the upper pair of inter-locking members also. It will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments herein shown. Thus variations may be made within the scope and spirit of the accompanying claims without sacrificing the principal advantages of the invention. I Claim: 1. A slider (1) for a leak proof slider-zipper assembly having a leading edge and a trailing edge comprising: a. a pair of protrusions (6) at the bottom of the leading edge (4), b. a pair of protrusions (10) at the bottom of the trailing edge (5), and c. an opening plow (11) protruding from the top surface of the slider, between the leading edge and trailing edge, and having height not more than the height of the slider. 2. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein the height of the opening plow is such that it penetrates only the first pair of inter-locking members of a zipper profile. 3. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein the opening plow has a sloping surface from the leading edge towards the trailing edge such that the height of the opening plow at the leading edge is less than the height of the opening plow at the trailing edge. 4. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein the opening plow has trapezoidal profile. 5. A slider as claimed in claim 4 wherein one corner of the opening plow points towards the leading edge. 6. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein a first open area is formed between the protrusions at the leading edge and the top surface of the slider. 7. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second open area is formed between the protrusions at the trailing edge and the top surface of the slider. 8. A slider as claimed in claim 6 and 7 wherein the first open area is larger than the second open area. 9. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein the slider has grooved surfaces on its sides to provide a better grip. 10. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein a first gap is formed between the protrusions at the bottom of the leading edge of the slider such that the two sides of a zipper passing through the protrusions are sealed. 11. A slider as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second gap is formed between the protrusions at the bottom of the trailing edge of the slider such that the two sides of a zipper passing through the protrusions are sealed. 12. A slider as claimed in claim 10 and 11 wherein the first gap and second gap are of the same dimensions. 1.3. A slider as claimed in any of the preceding claims is used in a reclosable flexible package. 14. A slider substantially as herein described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

1974-del-2004-abstract.pdf

1974-del-2004-claims.pdf

1974-del-2004-complete specification (granded).pdf

1974-del-2004-correspondence-others.pdf

1974-del-2004-correspondence-po.pdf

1974-del-2004-description (complete).pdf

1974-del-2004-drawings.pdf

1974-del-2004-form-1.pdf

1974-del-2004-form-13.pdf

1974-del-2004-form-19.pdf

1974-del-2004-form-2.pdf

1974-del-2004-form-3.pdf

1974-del-2004-gpa.pdf

1974-del-2004-pa.pdf

1974-del-2004-petition-137.pdf