Filling and using reclosable bags

Abstract

A reclosable bag is filled through an opening defined between a back side of a folded closure strip secured to an inner surface of the bag on one side of the bag opening, and an inner surface of the other side of the bag opening. The filled bag is sealed by joining the back side of the closure strip to the opposing bag wall at a point outboard of the closure strip and bag opening. The bag is later opened by breaking through a frangible section in a folded portion of the closure strip, between mating bands of hooks and loops. In some cases, an extension of one side of the bag forms a handle or a fitment; in particular, funnels can be formed from integral extensions of the closure strip, integral extensions of the bag-making material, or from a discrete preform which is joined to the bag construction.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A reclosable bag comprising: 
 a folded closure strip disposed at a bag opening between opposing bag side walls and having parallel hook and loop bands extending from a surface thereof, the bands separated by a frangible region of the closure strip, such that the bag, after being opened by severing the frangible region, is adapted to be reclosed by placing the hook and loop bands in releasable engagement, 
 wherein one of the opposing bag side walls extends past the bag opening, beyond the other of the opposing bag side walls and an opposite side of the closure strip, to form a side wall extension,  
 wherein the closure strip is joined to an inside surface of said one of the opposing bag walls in a joint region disposed outboard of an outer edge of said other of the opposing bag walls.  
   
     
     
         2 . The reclosable bag of  claim 1 , in which the side wall extension forms a funnel fitment.  
     
     
         3 . The reclosable bag of  claim 1 , in which the closure strip is joined to an inside surface of said other of the opposing bag walls, in two longitudinal, spaced apart joint regions.  
     
     
         4 . The reclosable bag of  claim 1 , in which the closure strip is joined to the inside surface of said one of the opposing bag walls only at its ends and in said joint region.  
     
     
         5 . The reclosable bag of  claim 1 , in which a first one of the loop band and the hook band is bordered on each side by a joint region joining the closure strip to a bag surface, and the second of said bands is bordered on only one of its sides, opposite the frangible region, by a joint region joining the closure strip to a bag surface.  
     
     
         6 . The reclosable bag of  claim 1 , in which the loop band comprises a loop strip carried on the front face of a substrate of the closure strip and forming a discrete band of hook-engageable, extended loops along the length of the closure strip, the loop strip being at least partially encapsulated in resin of the substrate across its width.  
     
     
         7 . The reclosable bag of  claim 6 , in which the loop strip has discrete regions which are more encapsulated by resin than other regions thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The reclosable bag of  claim 6 , in which the hooks are integrally molded with resin of a common substrate of the closure strip.  
     
     
         9 . The reclosable bag of  claim 1 , in which the frangible region comprises a region thinner than the general thickness of the closure strip, bordered on each side by formations which are thicker than the general thickness of the closure strip.  
     
     
         10 . A partially constructed bag suitable to be filled through an opening at its top, the bag having a closure strip disposed along its opening, the closure strip comprising a sheet-form substrate having a front face; a loop section carried on the front face of the substrate and comprising a discrete band of hook-engageable loops extending along the length of the closure strip; a loop-engageable section of loop-engageable fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip and spaced apart from loop section; the substrate being folded in a frangible region between the loop section and the loop-engageable section, to engage the loops and fastener elements; 
 the closure strip being permanently joined to an inside surface of one of two opposed side walls of the bag at the opening, in a joint region, leaving a fill path between the closure strip and the other of the opposed walls of the bag.    
     
     
         11 . The partially constructed bag of  claim 10 , in which the other of the two opposed side walls of the bag extends beyond the joint region and beyond the bag opening, forming a side wall extension on one side of the bag.  
     
     
         12 . The partially constructed bag of  claim 11 , in which the side wall extension forms a funnel fitment.  
     
     
         13 . The partially constructed bag of  claim 10 , in which the closure strip is joined to the inside surface in two longitudinal, spaced apart joint regions.  
     
     
         14 . A method of filling a bag, the method comprising 
 providing a partially constructed bag constructed according to  claim 10;     holding the bag open to define a fill path extending past an obverse side of the closure strip, between the closure strip and the other of the opposed walls of the bag; and    pouring contents into the open bag through the fill path.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising joining said obverse side of the closure strip to said other of the opposed walls of the bag after the bag is filled.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , in which the obverse side of the closure strip is joined to an extension of said other of the opposed walls of the bag by heat sealing.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , in which both walls of the bag extend beyond the closure strip, and an insulator is inserted between said extensions before joining said obverse side of the closure strip to said other of the opposed walls of the bag after the bag is filled.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , in which said other of the opposed walls of the bag extends beyond the bag opening to form an extension.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the extension defines a handle, a support hole, or a region for mounting a header or a fitment.