Resealable seals and docking systems containing these seals

A reclosable docking seal system for reversible docking of first and second coupling seals for substantially environmentally impermeable reversible sealing of and for substantially environmentally impermeable filling and/or decanting of bulk material from containers or tubes, comprising:

• the first and the second coupling seals each comprising first and second flexible sealing strips;
• the first flexible sealing strip comprising an inner side and a top side with at least one first sealing element on its inner side;
• the second flexible sealing strip comprising an inner side and a top side with at least one second sealing element on its inner side complementary to and meshable with the first sealing strip first sealing element for reversible, tight sealing of the first and second coupling seals with the respective first and second sealing strips connected to one another;
• said top side of the first coupling seal first sealing strip having at least one third sealing element for reversible docking with a complementary third sealing element of the topside of the second coupling seal first sealing strip, and a top side of the first coupling seal second sealing strip having at least a fourth sealing element for reversible docking with a complementary fourth sealing element of the top side of the second coupling seal second sealing strip;
• and
• a coupling slide which can be moved along the first and second coupling seals for coupling and uncoupling of the first and second sealing strips of the first coupling seal with the respective first and second sealing strips of the second coupling seal.

A docking seal system, comprising:

• a first flexible enclosure having an opening end with a first coupling seal thereat;
• a second flexible enclosure having an opening end with a second coupling seal thereat;
• each of said first and second coupling seals comprising first and second sealing strips;
• a first zip slide engageable with said first and second sealing strips of said first coupling seal for opening and closing said opening by engaging or disengaging said first and second sealing strips from one another as the first zip slide is slid along the sealing strips;
• a second zip slide engaging with said first and second sealing strips of said second coupling seal for opening or closing said opening by engaging or disengaging said first and second sealing strips from one another as the second zip slide is slid along the sealing strips;
• the first and second zip slides each being reversibly connectible and each containing a respective portion of a coupling slide to form respective combined slides, the coupling slide formed by the connectible respective coupling slide portions engaging or disengaging the first and second coupling seals as the coupling slide is slid along the first and second combined seals so as to dock or separate the first and second flexible enclosures from one another;
• the first sealing strip of the first and second coupling seals comprising a first sealing element at a side and a third sealing element at a top and the second sealing strip of the first and second coupling seals comprising, a second sealing element at a side and a fourth sealing element at a top;
• for closing the first and second coupling seals, the first sealing element of the first sealing strip engaging with the second sealing element of the second sealing strip;
• and
• for engaging the first sealing strip of the first coupling seal with the first sealing strip of the second coupling seal the third sealing element of the first coupling seal first sealing strip engaging with the third sealing element of the first sealing strip of the second coupling seal, and for engaging the second sealing strip of the first coupling seal to the second sealing strip of the second coupling seal the fourth sealing element of the first coupling seal second sealing strip engaging with the fourth sealing element of the second coupling seal second sealing strip.

A method for opening and closing a respective opening end of first and second enclosures and also for docking said first and second enclosures together at said respective opening ends in a releasable manner, comprising the steps of:

• providing said first and second enclosures at said respective opening ends with respective first and second coupling seals each comprising respective first and second sealing strips;
• providing a first zip slide which slides along the first coupling seal to engage or disengage the respective first and second sealing strips to open or close the opening end of the first enclosure by use of respective sealing elements meshing with each other;
• providing a second zip slide which slides along the second coupling seal to engage or disengage the respective first and second sealing strips to open or close the opening end of the second enclosure by use of respective sealing elements meshing with each other;
• docking the opening ends of the first and second enclosures to each other by combining the first and second zip slides with respective portions of a coupling slide to form respective combined slides which, when slid along both the first and second coupling seals, join the first sealing strips together by complementary sealing elements and loin the second sealing strips together by complementary sealing elements;
• and
• providing the first sealing strip of each of the first and second coupling seals with a first sealing element at a side and a third sealing element at a top and providing each of the second sealing strips of the first and second coupling sleeves with a second sealing element at a side and a fourth sealing element at a top.