Back to results
US 2024/0375371 A1Published application
Envelopes with closure seals formed from reactivatable hot-melt adhesive
AssigneePregis Innovative Packaging LLC
InventorThomas D. Wetsch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Envelopes include a closure seal formed from a hot-melt adhesive. The hot-melt adhesive is reactivated after an item to be packaged is inserted into a pocket of the envelope by way of an opening defined by walls of the envelope. The reactivation of the hot-melt adhesive results in the formation of the closure seal, which affixes portions of the walls to each other so as to close the opening, causing the item to be retained within the envelope.
Claims20
An envelope for holding an item, comprising:
- a body that includes:
- a first flexible wall, and
- a second flexible wall overlying the first flexible wall and affixed to the first flexible wall about at least a portion of a pocket border, which pocket border encloses a pocket defined between the first and second flexile walls and configured and dimensioned to contain the item, at least one of the first and second flexible walls defining a pocket opening allowing access to the pocket from an exterior of the envelope for loading the item into the pocket;
- and
- a closure-sealing element disposed on the body and positioned to seal closed the pocket opening, the closure-sealing element being made of a hot-melt adhesive that:
- has a sufficiently low tackiness at room temperature to enable the closure-sealing element to be separated from the second flexible wall by hand, and
- is activatable when heated to a temperature above an activation temperature and, when subsequently cooled to a temperature below the activation temperature, adheres to the second flexible wall to seal the pocket opening closed to retain the item in the pocket.
4 more elements
A method of making an envelope for holding an item, comprising:
- providing a body of the envelope comprising a first and a second flexible wall;
- affixing the second flexible wall to the first flexible wall about at least a portion of a pocket border which pocket border encloses a pocket defined between the first and second flexile walls and configured and dimensioned to contain the item, at least one of the first and second flexible walls defining a pocket opening allowing access to the pocket from an exterior of the envelope for loading the item into the pocket;
- and
- positioning a closure-sealing element on the body to seal closed the pocket opening, the closure-sealing element being made of a hot-melt adhesive that:
- has a sufficiently low tackiness at room temperature to enable the closure-sealing element to be separated from the second flexible wall by hand, and
- is activatable when heated to a temperature above an activation temperature and, when subsequently cooled to a temperature below the activation temperature, adheres to the second flexible wall to seal the pocket opening closed to retain the item in the pocket.
3 more elements
A method for packaging an item, comprising:
- providing an envelope comprising:
- a body including a first flexible wall, and a second flexible wall overlying the first flexible wall and affixed to the first flexible wall about a containment border that encloses a plurality of sides of a pocket defined by the first and second flexible walls;
- and
- a closure-sealing element disposed on the body and positioned to seal closed the pocket opening, the closure-sealing element being made of a hot-melt adhesive that:
- has a sufficiently low tackiness at room temperature to enable the closure-sealing element to be separated from the second flexible wall by hand, and
- is activatable when heated to a temperature above an activation temperature and, when subsequently cooled to a temperature below the activation temperature, adheres to the second flexible wall to seal the pocket opening closed to retain the item in the pocket;
- placing the item in the pocket;
- and
- heating the closure-sealing element to the temperature above the activation temperature.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.