Opening device for flexible containers, container provided with such a device and application method thereof

• US 5,836,697 A
• Filed: 01/09/1997
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sales SpA
• Original Assignee: Sales SpA
• Inventors: Chiesa, Emilio Tessera
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascua, Jes F.
• Application Number:
  US08/737,063
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 383/66, 383/203, 383/204, 383/205, 383/206, 383/207, 383/208, 383/209, 229/87.05, 229/203, 229/238, 229/239
• US Class Current: 383/205
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/66 Inserted or applied tearing-strings or like flexible elements

Abstract

An opening device for sealed flexible containers (1), comprising a label (5) having an adhesive face (6) intended to be adhesively applied to the inner face of a wall (3) of the container (1) and incorporating a substantially central longitudinal strip (7) having an initial portion (10) constituted by a gripper tongue (10). The wall (3) of the container (1) is formed with an aperture, either a hole (4) or a partial cut (24) delimiting on the container wall (3) a tearing wing (25), so as to allow the gripper tongue (10) of the label (5) to be pulled outwardly thus performing tear breakage of the label (5) and the consequent tearing of the wall (3) of the container (1).

Claims

1. An opening device for flexible sealed containers formed by a pair of walls sealed around respective peripheral edges, said opening device comprising a tape element adapted to be applied to the inner face of one of said container walls and incorporating along a substantially central area thereof, a longitudinal strip having a substantially initial portion defining a gripper tongue, wherein said gripper tongue is adapted to be pulled outwardly through an aperture in said one container wall so as to perform tear separation of said tape element by said longitudinal tear strip and to tear said one container wall, wherein said tape element is a label having an adhesive face adapted to be adhesively secured to said inner face of said one container wall and said gripper tongue of said longitudinal tear strip of said label is adapted to be located in an inner area of said one wall with respect to said sealed peripheral edges of the container walls, wherein the gripper tongue of the label is defined by a cut of the label, wherein the gripper tongue of the label is adapted to adhere to a tear wing of said wall of the container, which tear wing is delimited by a partial cut adapted to be separated, through non-pierced areas of said wall of the container, from said cut delimiting the gripper tongue of the label, wherein said longitudinal strip of the label is adapted to extend across said partial cut and wherein the adhesive face of the label has a non-adhesive portion adapted to be arranged in correspondence with at least one initial portion of the tear wing of said wall of the container.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the label has an elongated shape and said longitudinal strip extends substantially along the entire length of the label and wherein said gripper tongue is defined by a substantially U-shaped cut formed astride of said strip at a predetermined distance from one end of the label.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the label has an elongated shape and said longitudinal strip extends along a length which is shorter than the length of the label and wherein the gripper tongue is defined by a U-shaped cut formed in the wall of the label adjacent to one end of the strip.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said strip is applied on the face of the label opposite to said adhesive face.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein said strip is applied on the adhesive face of the label and wherein said gripper tongue is defined in correspondence with a non-adhesive portion of the adhesive face of the label.

6. A device according to claim 1 wherein the label has a second cut opposite to said first mention cut and formed astride of the longitudinal strip at a predetermined distance from the other end of the label.

7. A device according to claim 1 further comprising an adhesive member laterally associated with said longitudinal strip of the label and adapted to be positioned on the outer surface of the said wall of the container.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein said adhesive member is an area of the adhesive face of the label.

9. A device according to claim 7 wherein said adhesive member is defined by an auxiliary bi-adhesive label.

10. An opening device for flexible sealed containers formed by a pair of walls sealed around the respective peripheral edges, said opening device comprising a tape element adapted to be applied to the inner face of one of said container walls and incorporating, along a substantially central area thereof, a longitudinal strip having a substantially initial portion defining a gripper tongue, wherein said gripper tongue is adapted to be pulled outwardly through an aperture in said one container wall so as to perform tear separation of said tape element by said longitudinal tear strip and to tear said one container wall, wherein said tape element is a label having an adhesive face adapted to be adhesively secured to said inner face of said one container wall and said gripper tongue of said longitudinal tear strip of said label is adapted to be located in an inner area of said one wall with respect to said sealed peripheral edges of the container walls, wherein the gripper tongue of the label is defined by a cut of the label and further comprising an adhesive air-tight wall defined by a second label applied in correspondence with the cut of said label, said second label having a non-adhesive central area placed in correspondence with the gripper tongue of the longitudinal strip.

11. A device according to claim 11 wherein the second label is applied on the face of said label opposite to the respective adhesive face.

12. A sealed flexible container formed by a pair of walls sealed around the respective peripheral edges, said container having an opening device comprising a tape element applied to an inner face of one of said container walls and incorporating, along a substantially central area thereof, a longitudinal strip having a substantially initial portion defining a gripper tongue, wherein said one container wall is formed with an aperture for enabling said gripper tongue to be pulled outwardly so as to perform tear separation of said tape element by said longitudinal tear strip and to tear said one container wall, wherein said tape element is a label having an adhesive face adhesively secured to said inner face of said one container wall and said aperture is formed in an inner area of said one wall spaced from said sealed peripheral edges of the container walls, wherein the gripper tongue 10 of the label is defined by a cut of the label, wherein the gripper tongue of the label adheres to a tear wing of said wall of the container, which tear wing is delimited by a partial cut separated from said first mention cut delimiting the gripper tongue of the label, wherein said partial cut is arranged astride of the longitudinal strip of the label and wherein the adhesive face of the label has a nonadhesive portion adapted to be arranged in correspondence with at least one initial portion of the tear wing of said wall of the container.

13. A sealed flexible container formed by a pair of walls sealed around the respective peripheral edges, said container having an opening device comprising a tape element applied to the inner face of one of said container walls and incorporating, along a substantially central area thereof, a longitudinal strip having a substantially initial portion defining a gripper tongue, wherein said one container wall is formed with an aperture for enabling said gripper tongue to be pulled outwardly so as to perform tear separation of said tape element by said longitudinal tear strip and to tear said one container wall, wherein said tape element is a label having an adhesive face adhesively secured to said inner face of said one container wall and said the gripper tongue of said longitudinal tear strip being formed in an inner area of said one wall in spaced relation to said sealed peripheral edges of the container walls, wherein the gripper tongue of the label is defined by a cut of the label and further comprising an adhesive air-tight wall defined by a second label applied in correspondence of the cut of said label, said second label having a nonadhesive central portion place in correspondence with the gripper tongue of the longitudinal strip.

14. A sealed flexible container as set forth in claim 13 wherein the second label is applied on the face of said label opposite to the respective adhesive face.