Tamper-evident bag seal with tabs and methods of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11548690-B2
Application number	US-202117526847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2021
Priority date	Nov 13, 2020
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A tamper-evident bag seal including tabs for separating flaps of the seal along a perforation is provided. The tamper-evident bag seal may be a paper or paperboard panel that folds over the handles of an existing bag and is secured to the sides of the bag. The tamper-evident bag seal includes a fold having perforated sections adjacent centrally located tabs. By pulling the tabs in opposite directions, the perforated sections are compromised, permitting access to bag contents and evidencing tampering of the bag seal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tamper-evident bag seal comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end and a first side and a second side and having a length as measured between the first end and the second end and a width as measured between the first side and the second side, the body comprising a first flap and a second flap with the first and second flaps having a bag facing side and an outward facing side;
a fold between the first flap and the second flap, the fold having one or more perforated sections;
an opening provided in a center portion of the body along the fold and between the first flap and the second flap, the opening formed between the first flap and the second flap such that the first flap has at least one tab extending from the first flap along the fold and the second flap has at least one tab extending from the second flap along the fold; and
wherein the bag facing side of the first flap is configured to be secured to a first side of a bag and the bag facing side of the second flap is configured to be secured to a second side of the bag such that the fold extends above an opening of the bag and the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap extend upward from the fold to provide grips for tearing the body along the one or more perforated sections to access the opening of the bag.

2. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 1 , wherein the one or more perforated sections comprise a first perforated section on a first end of the opening and a second perforated section on a second end of the opening such that when the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap are pulled away from one another, the first and second perforations tear to provide evidence of tampering.

3. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 2 , wherein the at least one tab of the first flap comprises a central tab and the at least one tab of the second flap comprises a first side tab and a second side tab with the central tab being positioned to be between the first side tab and the second side tab when the body is folded along the fold and the first and second flaps are attached to the first and second sides of the bag.

4. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 3 , wherein the central tab has a curved outer edge such that the outer edge of the central tab is semi-circular when the body is folded along the fold and the first and second flaps are attached to the first and second sides of the bag.

5. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 3 , wherein the first side tab and the second side tab have a similar shape.

6. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 5 , wherein the first side tab and the second side tab each have an outer edge such that the outer edge of the first side tab and the outer edge of the second side tab is trapezoidal when the body is folded along the fold and the first and second flaps are attached to the first and second sides of the bag.

7. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 5 , wherein each of the central tab, the first side tab, and the second side tab is configured to automatically move from a first position to a second position as a result of folding the body along the fold such that the central tab, the first side tab, and the second side tab are graspable between fingers of a user to pull away the central tab and at least one of the first or second side tabs from one another when accessing the opening of the bag.

8. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 1 , wherein the one or more perforated sections comprise a tamper-evident feature.

9. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap is configured to automatically move from a first position to a second position as a result of folding the body along the fold such that the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap are graspable between fingers of a user to pulled away the first and second flaps from one another when accessing the opening of the bag.

10. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive structure on the bag facing side of the first flap and an adhesive structure on the bag facing side of the second flap, the adhesive structures configured to secure the respective first and second flaps to respective first and second sides of a bag.

11. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 10 , wherein the adhesive structures comprise strips of double-sided tape.

12. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 11 , wherein the double-sided tape comprises a 4-ply tape.

13. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 10 , further comprising liners that cover the adhesive structure on the bag facing side of the first flap and the adhesive structure on the bag facing side of the second flap to prevent the adhesive structures from sticking to the bag until the liners are removed, the liners extending beyond at least one of the first end or the second end of the body.

14. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises one or more resizing perforations that extend transverse to the fold.

15. The tamper-evident bag seal of claim 14 , further comprising liners that cover the adhesive structure on the bag facing side of the first flap and the adhesive structure on the bag facing side of the second flap to prevent the adhesive structures from sticking to the bag until the liners are removed, the liners comprising one or more resizing perforations that extend transverse to the fold that align with one or more resizing perforations of the body.

16. A method of using a tamper-evident bag comprising:
providing a bag having a bottom, a first side wall, a second side wall and two opposing end walls that form an opening;
providing tamper-evident bag seal comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end and a first side and a second side and having a length as measured between the first end and the second end and a width as measured between the first side and the second side, the body comprising a first flap and a second flap with the first and second flaps having a bag facing side and an outward facing side;
a fold between the first flap and the second flap, the fold having one or more perforated sections; and
an opening provided in a center portion of the body along the fold and between the first flap and the second flap, the opening formed between the first flap and the second flap such that the first flap has at least one tab extending from the first flap along the fold and the second flap has at least one tab extending from the second flap along the fold;

inserting contents into the opening of the bag;
attaching the bag facing side of the first flap of the body of the tamper-evident bag seal to the first side wall of the bag proximate to the opening;
folding the body of the tamper-evident bag seal over the opening of the bag such that the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap extend upward from the fold; and
attaching the bag facing side of the second flap of the body of the tamper-evident bag seal to the second side wall of the bag such that the fold extends above an opening of the bag and the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap provide grips for tearing the body along the one or more perforated sections to access the opening of the bag.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising pulling the at least one tab of the first flap and the at least one tab of the second flap away from each other to tear the body along

Assignees

• Inno Pak Llc

Inventors

• Mayer Steven A
• Sill Jonathan D
• Schultz Nathan
• Tao Denny V

Classifications

• B65D31/10 Primary

  with gusseted sides · CPC title

• B65D33/1691

  using adhesive applied to attached closure elements · CPC title

• B65D2401/15

  Tearable part of the closure (B65D2401/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D33/34 Primary

  with special means for indicating unauthorised opening {(B65D33/2516, B65D33/2585 take precedence)} · CPC title