Elastic top drawtape bag and method of manufacturing the same

A drawtape bag comprising:

• a pair of pliable thermoplastic body panels joined to each other along a pair of opposing sides and a bottom bridging the opposing sides, the body panels forming respective hems extending along a mouth end disposed opposite the bottom, each of the hems including one or more respective drawtape holes;
• a pair of pliable thermoplastic drawtapes housed within the respective hems and being sealed to each other, each of the drawtapes including a respective looped section gathered into one or more loops defining a series of crests and troughs, each of the drawtapes being partially exposed by the respective drawtape holes which allow the respective drawtape to be pulled therethrough to close the bag and to be used as a handle;
• and
• a pair of elastomeric strips connected to the troughs of the looped section of the respective drawtapes.

A method of manufacturing drawtape bags, comprising:

• forming a flattened thermoplastic tube in a machine direction;
• dividing the thermoplastic tube into first and second portions along a dividing line extending in the machine direction, each of the portions including a pair of pliable thermoplastic sheets joined to each other along a bottom disposed in the machine direction, the sheets being separable from each other along a mouth end formed opposite the bottom;
• forming a hem on at least one of the sheets along the mouth end;
• forming drawtape holes in the hem at regular distance intervals corresponding to a desired width of the drawtape bags;
• inserting a pliable thermoplastic drawtape into the hem, the drawtape including a looped section gathered into one or more loops defining a series of crests and troughs, an elastomeric strip being connected to the troughs of the looped section of the drawtape;
• and
• sealing the sheets to each other along side seal structures generally transverse to the machine direction to create individual drawtape bags.

A method of manufacturing drawtape bags, comprising:

• extruding a thermoplastic tube in a machine direction;
• flattening the thermoplastic tube;
• slitting the thermoplastic tube generally in half along a cut line extending in the machine direction, each half of the tube including a pair of pliable thermoplastic sheets joined to each other along a bottom disposed in the machine direction, the sheets being separable from each other along a mouth end formed opposite the bottom;
• folding the sheets along the mouth end to produce a hem on each sheet;
• forming drawtape holes in the hem on each sheet at regular distance intervals corresponding to a desired width of the drawtape bags, the drawtape holes in the hem on one of the sheets generally coinciding with the respective drawtape holes in the hem on the other of the sheets;
• inserting a pliable thermoplastic drawtape into the hem on each sheet, the drawtape including a looped section gathered into one or more loops defining a series of crests and troughs, an elastomeric strip being connected to the troughs of the looped section of the drawtape;
• sealing the hem on each sheet to the respective sheet in the machine direction;
• sealing the drawtape housed within the hem on the one of the sheets to the drawtape housed within the hem on the other of the sheets at the locations of the generally coinciding drawtape holes;
• and
• sealing the sheets to each other along side seal structures generally transverse to the machine direction to create the individual drawtape bags .