Flexible bag sealing device

{
  "publication_number": "US5713108A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Flexible bag sealing device",
  "abstract": "A sealing devise provided for use in sealing flexible bags. The sealing device has a receiving arm (11) and a locking arm (12) each having generally parallel side walls (16, 26) having elongated, seating shoulders (19, 29) for interlocking engagement. The receiving and locking arms are configured to form a hinge (36) for pivotably movement of the arms relative to each other.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A bag sealing device movably configurable in an open configuration and in a closed configuration pinch sealing a bag comprising: a receiving arm having an elongated groove partially defined by two oppositely disposed, inwardly facing, elongated seating shoulders, a locking arm having an elongated tongue with two oppositely disposed, outwardly facing, elongated seating shoulders configured to interlock with said receiving arm seating shoulders with said device in a closed configuration with a pinched portion of the bag positioned between said receiving arm and said locking arm, and hinge means for hingedly coupling said receiving arm with said locking arm, whereby with the receiving arm and the locking arm oriented in an open configuration a flexible bag may be placed therebetween and with the receiving arm and locking arm brought together into a closed configuration with opposite sides of the bag within the receiving arm groove the bag is captured and sealed by the interlocking engagement of the seating shoulders of receiving arm and the seating shoulders of the locking arm.",
    "2. The bag sealing device of claim 1 wherein said locking arm tongue is comprised of two resilient, elongated members each having one said tongue seating shoulder.",
    "3. The bag sealing device of claim 2 wherein said receiving arm is resilient.",
    "4. The bag sealing device of claim 1 wherein said receiving arm seating shoulders have converging side walls as said shoulders extend inwardly.",
    "5. The bag sealing device of claim 4 wherein said locking arm seating shoulders have converging side walls as said shoulders extend outwardly.",
    "6. The bag sealing device of claim 1 wherein said receiving arm and said locking arm each have at least one outwardly extending grasping flange opposite said hinge means.",
    "7. The bag sealing device of claim 1 wherein said receiving arm and said locking arm are comprised of a composite containing polypropylene and rubber.",
    "8. The bag sealing device of claim 7 wherein said rubber comprises between 3% and 15% of said composite by volume.",
    "9. A bag sealing device comprising: a receiving channel member having two generally parallel side walls each having an inwardly facing, elongated seating shoulders, a locking channel member having two generally parallel side walls each having an outwardly facing, elongated seating shoulder, said locking channel member being sized and shaped to be at least partially received within said receiving channel member with said seating shoulders of said locking channel member interlocking with said seating solders of said receiving channel and a portion of a bag to be sealed positioned between said receiving channel member and said locking channel member, and hinge means for hindedly coupling said receiving channel member with said locking channel member, whereby with the receiving channel member and the locking channel member separated a flexible bag may be placed therebetween, and with the receiving channel member brought into the locking channel member the bag is captured and sealed therebetween, and whereby the receiving channel member is maintained within the locking channel member by the interlocking engagement of the seating shoulders of the receiving channel members with the seating shoulders of the locking channel member.",
    "10. The bag sealing device of claim 9 wherein said receiving channel member and said locking channel member each have at least one outwardly extending grasping flange opposite said hinge means."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention relates to devices used to reseal open, flexible bags and the like.\n\nPerishable items, such as food, are often packaged for stored and transported in plastic bags. Once these bags are opened they are often closed with a closure to restrict air from degrading their contents. Thus, it is most desirable for such closures to maintain an airtight seal. Furthermore, the closure should be capable of being reused to reestablish the airtight sealing of the bag.\n\nIn the past bag sealing closures have been designed to maintain an airtight seal in an open bag closed therein. One type of closure has two elongated, rigid arms which are spring biased toward each other. The spring biasing of the arms forces the sides of the bag therebetween together in order to seal the bag. However, should the sides of the bag be folded or crimped an air passage typically forms which allows air to enter the bag. Also, the spring is typically positioned in the middle of the arms. Hence, any fold in the bag will restrict or even prevent the arms from being brought fully together outward of the fold. Hence, it should be understood that these types of closures may not provide a constant pressure along their entire length. These types of closures have also been modified to includes ribs in an attempt to concentrate the biasing force of the spring along one edge. These closures however still suffer from the problems previously mention, albeit to a lesser degree.",
  "cpc": [
    "B65D 33/1675",
    "Y10T 24/15",
    "Y10T 24/44889"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65D 33/16",
    "B65D 33/17"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Howard Solomon",
    "Armond Odell Parks, Sr.",
    "Armond Odell Parks, Jr."
  ],
  "filing_date": "1996-06-27",
  "publication_date": "1998-02-03",
  "grant_date": "1998-02-03",
  "priority_date": "1996-06-27",
  "application_number": "US-67212196-A",
  "family_id": "24697242",
  "cited_by_count": 88,
  "citations": [
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    "WO1992003353A1",
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    "US5542766A"
  ]
}