Method and apparatus for resealable package with internal zipper seal
AssigneeFrito-Lay North America, Inc.
InventorsFrank Mathew Brenkus, Chad Arthur Huebner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure describe a method and apparatus for a resealable package having an internal zipper seal. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a vertical form, fill, and seal machine that includes a former, a vertical sealer, and a zipper separation blade located between the former and the vertical sealer. The zipper separation blade further comprises a connector and a blade body that defines a zipper gap between an exterior surface of the former and the blade body.
Claims17
A vertical form, fill, and seal machine for forming a resealable bag from a packaging film, the vertical form, fill, and seal machine comprising:
- a former having a tubular portion, the former configured to form a tube of film from the packaging film as the packaging film is wrapped around the tubular portion of the former, and the former configured to serve as a filling tube for filling the resealable bag with a product;
- a vertical sealer configured to seal together overlapping longitudinal edges of the tube of film when the tube of film is wrapped around the tubular portion of the former, the tube of film being provided with a lateral zipper strip arranged orthogonal to the overlapping longitudinal edges and having an unattached portion that overlaps the overlapping longitudinal edges of the tube of film;
- a zipper separation blade coupled to the former and located between the tubular portion of the former and the vertical sealer, wherein the zipper separation blade comprises a connector and a blade body, the connector coupled to the blade body, wherein the zipper separation blade defines a zipper gap between an exterior surface of the former and the blade body, and wherein the vertical form, fill and seal machine and the zipper separation blade are configured to position the unattached portion of the zipper strip in the zipper gap and thereby isolate the unattached portion of the zipper strip from the overlapping longitudinal edges of the tube of film, wherein the unattached portion of the zipper strip is not located between the overlapping longitudinal edges as the vertical sealer seals together the overlappling longitudinal edges.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.