Vacuum Storage Bag Having Assorted Monitoring Means

A vacuum storage bag comprising:

• a flexible, impermeable bag having a first panel and a second panel, said first panel having a first periphery and said second panel having a second periphery, said first panel and said second panel being hermetically sealed to one another along a substantial portion of said first periphery and said second periphery to define a storage area between said first panel and said second panel and a storage area access opening where said first periphery and said second periphery are not hermetically sealed to one another;
• a valve in fluid communication with said storage area, said valve protruding from a valve opening provided on said second panel, said valve being hermetically sealed to said valve opening;
• resealable sealing means that extend across said storage area access opening, said resealable sealing means being capable of repeatedly allowing said storage area to be selective maintained in a substantially hermetically sealed condition or an unsealed condition;
• one-time-use sealing means that extend across said storage area opening parallel to said resealable sealing means, said one-time-use sealing means being located further away from said storage area than said resealable sealing means, said one-time-use sealing means being capable of maintaining said storage area in a hermetically sealed condition;
• a tear strip extending across said storage area opening, said tear strip being positioned between said resealable sealing means and said one-time-use sealing means, said tear strip being capable of facilitating the tearing of said first panel and said second panel along said tear strip;
• a tear notch located at one end of said tear strip;
• and
• tamper indicating means extending across said storage area opening, said temper indicating means being capable of indicating that said vacuum storage bag has been tampered with.

A method of using a vacuum storage bag comprising the steps of:

• providing a flexible, impermeable bag having a storage area, a storage area access opening, a valve in fluid communication with said storage area, resealable sealing means that extend across said storage area access opening, one-time-use sealing means that extend across said storage area access opening, a tear strip that extends across said storage area opening, and a radio frequency identification tag that is positioned collinearly with said tear strip such that said tear strip intersects a portion of said radio frequency identification tag;
• placing an article within said storage area through said storage area access opening;
• sealing said resealable sealing means;
• sealing said one-time-use sealing means;
• attaching a vacuum source to said valve;
• evacuating all air from said storage area using the vacuum source;
• and
• removing the vacuum source from said valve.

A method of using a vacuum storage bag comprising the steps of:

• providing a flexible, impermeable bag having a storage area, a storage area access opening, a valve in fluid communication with said storage area, resealable sealing means that extend across said storage area access opening, one-time-use sealing means that extend across said storage area access opening, a tear strip that extends across said storage area opening, and tamper indicating means that extend across said storage area opening;
• placing an article within said storage area;
• sealing said resealable sealing means;
• sealing said one-time-use sealing means;
• attaching a vacuum source to said valve;
• evacuating all air from said storage area using the vacuum source;
• and
• removing the vacuum source from said valve.