End Stops For Reclosable Fastener And Reclosable Bag Having Same

A reclosable bag comprising:

• first and second opposing body panels fixedly connected to each other along a pair of sides and a bottom bridging the pair of sides;
• and
• a reclosable fastener assembly extending along a mouth formed opposite the bottom, the fastener assembly comprising:
• a fastener comprising a pair of interlocking plastic tracks including a first track having a male profile and a second track having a female profile, the fastener having a height and a thickness when the first track and the second track are interlocked;
• a slider slidably mounted to the pair of plastic tracks for movement between a closed position and an open position;
• and
• at least one end stop located at an end of the fastener, the at least one end stop formed integrally from at least one of the first track and the second track, the at least one end stop having a wedge shape with a first end, a second end, and a lateral extent, the first end being proximate the fastener and having a height no greater than the height of the fastener, the at least one end stop having a decreasing height from the first end to the second end, and the lateral extent extending beyond the width of the fastener.

A method of making a reclosable fastener assembly comprising:

• providing a fastener comprising a pair of interlocking plastic tracks including a first track having a male profile and a second track having a female profile, the fastener having a height and a width when the first track and the second track are interlocked;
• slidably mounting a slider to the pair of plastic tracks for movement between a closed position and an open position;
• and
• forming at least one end stop at an end of the fastener, the at least one end stop formed integrally from at least one of the first track and the second track, the at least one end stop having a wedge shape with a first end, a second end, and a lateral extent, the first end being proximate the fastener and having a height no greater than the height of the fastener, the at least one end stop having a decreasing height from the first end to the second end, and the lateral extent extending beyond the width of the fastener.