MULTI-LAYER FILM AND RECLOSABLE FILM PACKAGE

• US 20190329954A1
• Filed: 08/14/2017
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intercontinental Great Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intercontinental Great Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blyth, Stuart Mackintosh, Exner, Ronald H., Fenech, III, Louis Peter, Liang, Ying (Lora), Weber, Jeffrey T., Zerfas, Paul A., Ziolkowski, Evan Michael
• Granted Patent: US 11,267,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/34 comprising polyamides
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 43/006 Delaminating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/06 permitting easy separation
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2577/2058 attached to the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 33/22 using heat-activatable adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5838 combined with separate fixed tearing means, e.g. tabs
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/2096 Adhesive means

Abstract

A multi-layer film and a film package made from the film are described herein that provide resealing capabilities by utilizing a tacky layer within the multi-layer film. The multi-layer film can include an outer film portion including the embedded tacky layer and an inner film portion. An opening feature formed in the multi-layer film includes a flap configured to be manipulated by a user to create an opening through the multi-layer film. The inner film portion can include a release layer configured specifically to interact with the tacky layer to provide a desired separation peel force and resealing functionalities. The outer film portion can include an outer film layer disposed on an opposite side of the tacky layer from the release layer that is configured to permanently adhere to the tacky layer.

Claims

1. A package comprising:

a multilayer film with a first film layer and a second film layer disposed around an embedded coextruded bonding layer and the second film layer includes at least a release and reclose layer for resealability;

a top cut formed in one of the first or second film layers and a bottom cut formed in the other of the first or second film layers, the top and bottom cuts being offset from one another to form a reseal margin except at a leading portion of an access panel where the top and bottom cuts coincide with one another such that there the leading portion lacks the reseal margin; and

a top reseal layer disposed over the leading portion of the access panel and adhered to one of the first film layer or the second film layer, the top reseal layer having an adhesive-free portion configured to be grasped for opening.

2. The package of claim 1 the top reseal layer is a discrete label.

3. The package of claim 1 wherein the reseal margin tapers toward the leading portion of the access panel.

4. The package of claim 1 wherein at the leading portion at least one of the top and bottom cuts extends into or through the embedded coextruded bonding layer.

5. The package of claim 4 wherein the leading portion of the access panel is completely cut through the multilayer film thereby forming a throughcut section of the multilayer film at the leading portion of the access panel.

6. The package of claim 5 wherein the throughcut section of the leading portion is located wherein the top cut and the bottom cut coincide.

7. The package of claim 1 wherein the leading portion of the access panel is defined by the top cut that extends at least to the embedded coextruded bonding layer and does not extend completely through the multilayer film and the bottom cut does not extend completely through the multilayer film such that the leading portion is not completely cut through the multilayer film.

8. The package of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of seals forming an interior cavity and wherein the adhesive-free portion of the top reseal layer is proximate one of the plurality of seals.

9. The package of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of seals forming an interior cavity and wherein the adhesive-free portion of the top reseal layer is disposed on the multilayer film inward from plurality of seals.

10. The package of claim 1 wherein a first bond strength between the top reseal layer and the first or second film layer to which the top reseal layer is adhered is stronger than a second bond strength between the release and reclose layer and the embedded coextruded bonding layer.

11. The package of claim 1 wherein the first film layer comprises a top film layer that includes at least one of polypropylene, polyethylene, a copolymer or a polyester film layer and the second film layer may include at least one of polypropylene, polyethylene, a copolymer, an ethylene vinyl alcohol layer, a polyamide film layer, a polyester film layer and a heat seal layer.

12. The package of claim 11 wherein the top cut is an outer cut formed in the top film layer and the bottom cut is an inner cut formed in the reclose layer and the heat seal layer.

13. A package comprising:

a multilayer film with a first film layer and a second film layer disposed around an embedded coextruded bonding layer and the second film layer includes a release and reclose layer for resealability, the multilayer film having at least one package seal forming a contents cavity; and

a top cut formed in one of the first or second film layers and a bottom cut formed in the other of the first or second film layers, the bottom cut including a tab portion that subsequently forms a trailing edge of a pull tab and an opening portion, the top cut and the opening portion of the bottom cut forming, in part, an access opening, the top cut forming an access panel and the opening portion of the bottom cut forming a film flap; and

wherein the top cut and the opening portion of the bottom cuts have portions offset from one another to form a reseal margin;

the access panel formed by the top cut having a leading edge defined, in part, by a throughcut in the multilayer film formed from one or both of the top cut or the tab portion of the bottom cut; and

the tab portion of the bottom cut forming the trailing edge of the pull tab is disposed in the multilayer film outside of the package seal from the contents cavity and the opening portion of the bottom cut is disposed within the package seal.

14. The package of claim 13 wherein the pull tab is disposed at the leading portion of the access panel and the top cut forms, in part, the pull tab.

15. The package of claim 13 wherein the pull tab has a gripping edge disposed a distance from a free edge of the package.

16. The package of claim 13 wherein the at least one package seal comprises a lap seal and the package further includes an extended flange of the multilayer film that extends beyond the lap seal to form the pull tab, which can be grasped to open the package.

17. The package of claim 13 wherein the at least one package seal comprises a fin seal that has offset edges of two layers of the multilayer film that forms the package seal and an outermost edge of the two layers includes the pull tab, which can be grasped to open the package.

18. The package of claim 13 wherein the first film layer and the second film layer are coextensive with one another.

19. The package of claim 13 wherein the top cut is an outer cut formed into the top film layer, such as polypropylene film layer, and/or polyester layer, into the bonding layer;

and the bottom cut is an inner cut formed in the release and reclose layer and the heat seal layer.

20. The package of claim 13 further comprising a top reseal layer disposed over the leading portion of the access panel and adhered to one of the first film layer or the second film layer, the top reseal layer having an adhesive-free portion configured to be grasped for opening.

21. The package of claim 13 wherein the tab portion and the opening portion of the bottom cut are disposed a distance from one another such that the reseal margin is disposed therebetween.

22. The package of claim 13 wherein the first film layer comprises a top film layer that includes at least one polypropylene, polyethylene, a copolymer or a polyester film layer and the second film layer may include at least one of polypropylene, polyethylene, a copolymer, an ethylene vinyl alcohol layer, a polyamide film layer, a polyester film layer and a heat seal layer.

23. The package of claim 13 wherein the top cut is configured to consistently permit delamination of the embedded coextruded bonding layer with the release and reclose layer by having first and second sides of the top cut configured with a curved configuration and a sloping shoulder having a radius of curvature of not less than approximately ¾

-in.