Bag sealing slidable closure mechanism and method

Abstract

A closure for a container, such as for luggage or for a bag, has a split rail disposed around the mouth frame and a train of links that rides on and secures the rail halves together, and a tunnel for storage of the train when opening the container.

1 . A closure, comprising:
 a split frame, the opposing halves of the frame each comprising a frame wall integrally molded with a half T-shaped rail wherein mating said opposing halves creates a rail having opposing shoulders and a neck portion, the rail defined by a starting terminus;   a train of links wherein said links have an internal cavity defined by inwardly projecting shoulders and a relatively wider guide surface, wherein the projecting shoulders of the link mate with the neck portion of the rail and the guide surface mates with the opposing shoulders of the rail;   the train of links comprising a joining link adapted to be secured effective to maintain the train on the rail; and   a tunnel adjacent the starting terminus adapted to receive at least a portion of the train of links.   
   
   
       2 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the frame wall is oriented substantially parallel to the direction of mating of the rail halves. 
   
   
       3 . A container with a closure, comprising:
 a container having opposing walls defining a mouth of the container;   each wall attached to one half of a frame wall integrally molded with a half T-shaped rail wherein bringing the opposing walls together closes the container and mates the opposing halves creating a rail having opposing shoulders and a narrower neck portion, the rail defined by a starting terminus;   a train of links comprising a plurality of links wherein each of said plurality of links has an internal cavity defined by inwardly projecting shoulders and a relatively wider guide surface, wherein the projecting shoulders of the link mate with the neck portion of the rail and the guide surface mates with the opposing shoulders of the rail;   the train comprising a joining link adapted to be secured to another joining link on another train on the rail, to the container, or to both, effective to maintain the train on the rail; and   a tunnel adjacent the starting terminus adapted to receive at least a portion of the train of links, the tunnel extending within the container.   
   
   
       4 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the container has at least two trains of links each with a joining link arranged to abut, wherein a first one of the two joining links has a cantilevered sealing flange and a second one of the two joining links has an opening for receiving said sealing flange, wherein abutment of the two joining links causes the sealing flange to reside in said opening. 
   
   
       5 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the container has at least two trains of links each with a joining link arranged to abut, wherein each of the two joining links has a padlock opening arranged to accept a common shackle. 
   
   
       6 . The container of  claim 4 , wherein said connecting links further comprise first and second sealing surfaces and abutment of the links creates a continuous sealing surface and said sealing flange covers said second sealing surface. 
   
   
       7 . The container of  claim 6 , further comprising a seal disposed along the continuous sealing surface, the seal having a pawl, and means on the second joining link for catching the pawl to join the joining links together. 
   
   
       8 . The container of  claim 3 , further comprising a storage recess in the container at the starting terminus of the track and adapted to receive the train when the container is open. 
   
   
       9 . The container of  claim 8 , wherein the storage recess comprises an S-shaped tube connected to a straight, L-shaped, or U-shaped tunnel. 
   
   
       10 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the train of links has three types of links comprising (a) a head connector or joining link, (b) a plurality of intermediate links, and (c) a tail connector or terminator link. 
   
   
       11 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein the train is molded as a unitary set of links. 
   
   
       12 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein two types of links are molded as a unitary set of links. 
   
   
       13 . The container of  claim 3 , wherein the train has a single train of links and the joining link further includes a pull that is adapted to be secured by a lock attached to the container. 
   
   
       14 . The container of  claim 13 , wherein the lock is a keyed lock.