Reclosable container having anti-slip flanges facilitating opening and handling

Claim 2

In a container having a reclosable end, comprising respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge thereof, the improvement which comprises at least one of said grasping areas having an anti-slip surface.

Claim 3

The container of claim 1 wherein said closure profiles are each connected to the surface of a closure tape attached to said respective sidewalls.

Claim 4

The container of claim 2 wherein said closure tapes are colinearly positioned with and attached near the edges of the reclosable end of said container.

Claim 5

The container of claim 1 wherein said anti-slip surface comprises an embossed pattern.

Claim 6

The container of claim 4 wherein said embossed pattern has been provided by passing said grasping area between a non-yielding embossing roller and a roller having a yielding surface.

Claim 7

The container of claim 4 wherein said embossed pattern has been provided by passing said grasping area between a pair of matching rolls having an embossing pattern on their surface.

Claim 8

The container of claim 4 wherein said embossed pattern is present in the form of between about 1 to about 1,000 embossments per square inch of said anti-slip surface.

Claim 9

The container of claim 1 wherein said anti-slip surface comprises particulate material.

Claim 10

The container of claim 8 wherein said particulate material is present as a layer.

Claim 11

The container of claim 9 wherein said layer is substantially continuous.

Claim 12

The container of claim 9 wherein said layer is a discontinuous layer.

Claim 13

The container of claim 8 wherein said particulate material is embedded in said grasping area.

Claim 14

The container of claim 12 wherein said particulate material is embedded in said grasping area as a substantially continuous layer.

Claim 15

The container of claim 12 wherein said particulate material is embedded in said grasping area as a discontinuous layer.

Claim 16

The container of claim 8 wherein said particulate material is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, sand, grit, starch, silica, talc, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 17

The container of claim 8 wherein said particulate material is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polymethyl methacrylate, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 18

The container of claim 8 wherein said anti-slip material has a particle size in the range of between about 1 micron and about 50,000 microns.

Claim 19

In a process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge thereof, the improvement which comprises providing at least one anti-slip surface on at least one grasping area.

Claim 20

In a process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge thereof, the improvement which comprises providing at least one anti-slip surface on at least one grasping area.

Claim 21

The process of claim 18 wherein said anti-slip surface is provided by passing said grasping area between a non-yielding embossing roller and a roller having a yielding surface.

Claim 22

The process of claim 18 wherein said anti-slip surface is provided by passing said grasping area between a pair of matching rolls having an embossing pattern on their surface.

Claim 23

The process of claim 18 wherein said anti-slip surface is provided by embedding particulate material in said grasping area.

Claim 24

A process for making a closure fastening device in a closure tape form having flange grasping areas with an anti-slip surface comprising passing said flange grasping areas between a non-yielding embossing roller and a roller having a yielding surface.

Claim 25

A process for making a closure fastening device in a closure tape form having flange grasping areas with an anti-slip surface comprising passing said flange grasping areas between a non-yielding embossing roller and a roller having a yielding surface.

Claim 26

A process for making a closure fastening device in a closure tape form having flange grasping areas with an anti-slip surface comprising passing said flange grasping areas between a pair of matching rolls having an embossing pattern on their surface.

Claim 27

A process for making a closure fastening device in a closure tape form having flange grasping areas with an anti-slip surface comprising passing said flange grasping areas between a pair of matching rolls having an embossing pattern on their surface.

Claim 28

A process for making a closure fastening device in a closure tape form having flange grasping areas with an anti-slip surface comprising extruding a closure fastening tape having occludable closure elements and flange areas on both sides of said closure elements, contacting at least one of said flange areas while in a softened condition with a particulate material, and cooling said closure fastening device so that said particulate material is embedded in at least one of said flange grasping areas.

Claim 29

A process for making a closure fastening device in a closure tape form having flange grasping areas with an anti-slip surface comprising extruding a closure fastening tape having occludable closure elements and flange areas on both sides of said closure elements, contacting at least one of said flange areas while in a softened condition with a particulate material, and cooling said closure fastening device so that said particulate material is embedded in at least one of said flange grasping areas.

Claim 30

A process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge of said sidewalls, said process comprising advancing occludable closure strips having profile portions and flange portions to a rotatable circumferentially grooved lay-on roll so that unoccluded profile portions of said closure strips extend into the grooves of said lay-on roll, extruding a molten plastic film onto a rotatable casting cylinder having an embossing pattern on at least one portion of the surface of said casting cylinder wherein said casting cylinder is positioned opposite said lay-on roll so that said molten plastic film fuses to said flange portions of said closure strips and said molten plastic film is provided with an embossed pattern by applying pressure between said lay-on roll and said casting cylinder, and cooling said plastic film and closure strips, whereby said grasping area is provided with at least one anti-slip surface comprising said embossed pattern.

Claim 31

A process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge of said sidewalls, said process comprising advancing occludable closure strips having profile portions and flange portions to a rotatable circumferentially grooved lay-on roll so that unoccluded profile portions of said closure strips extend into the grooves of said lay-on roll, extruding a molten plastic film onto a rotatable casting cylinder having an embossing pattern on at least one portion of the surface of said casting cylinder wherein said casting cylinder is positioned opposite said lay-on roll so that said molten plastic film fuses to said flange portions of said closure strips and said molten plastic film is provided with an embossed pattern by applying pressure between said lay-on roll and said casting cylinder, and cooling said plastic film and closure strips, whereby said grasping area is provided with at least one anti-slip surface comprising said embossed pattern.

Claim 32

The process of claim 25 including controlling the pressure applied between said lay-on roll and said casting cylinder.

Claim 33

The process of claim 25 wherein said pattern on the surface of said casting cylinder provides from between about 1 to about 1000 embossments per square inch.

Claim 34

A process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge of said sidewalls, said process comprising advancing occludable closure strips having profile portions and flange portions to rotatable circumferentially grooved lay-on rolls so that unoccluded profile portions of said closure strips extend into the grooves of said lay-on rolls, extruding a molten plastic film onto a rotatable casting cylinder having an embossing pattern on at least one portion of the surface of said casting cylinder wherein said casting cylinder is positioned opposite said lay-on rolls so that said molten plastic film fuses to said flange portions of said closure strips and said molten plastic film is provided with an embossed pattern by applying pressure between said lay-on rolls and said casting cylinder with said closure strips and plastic film therebetween, and cooling said plastic film and closure strips, whereby said grasping area is provided with at least one anti-slip surface comprising said embossed pattern.

Claim 35

A process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge of said sidewalls, said process comprising advancing occludable closure strips having profile portions and flange portions to rotatable circumferentially grooved lay-on rolls so that unoccluded profile portions of said closure strips extend into the grooves of said lay-on rolls, extruding a molten plastic film onto a rotatable casting cylinder having an embossing pattern on at least one portion of the surface of said casting cylinder wherein said casting cylinder is positioned opposite said lay-on rolls so that said molten plastic film fuses to said flange portions of said closure strips and said molten plastic film is provided with an embossed pattern by applying pressure between said lay-on rolls and said casting cylinder with said closure strips and plastic film therebetween, and cooling said plastic film and closure strips, whereby said grasping area is provided with at least one anti-slip surface comprising said embossed pattern.

Claim 36

The process of claim 28 including controlling the pressure applied between said lay-on rolls and said casting cylinder.

Claim 37

The process of claim 28 wherein said pattern on the surface of said casting cylinder provides from between about 1 to about 1000 embossments per square inch.

Claim 38

A process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge of said sidewalls, said process comprising extruding said first and second closure profiles simultaneously with a thermoplastic film cast onto a rotatable casting cylinder having an embossing pattern on at least one portion of the surface of said casting cylinder, combining said closure profiles and said thermoplastic film so that said thermoplastic film and said closure profiles fuse together and said thermoplastic film is provided with an embossed pattern, and cooling said thermoplastic film and closure profiles to provide at least one anti-slip surface to a grasping area of said thermoplastic film.

Claim 39

A process for making a container having a reclosable end, respective first and second sidewalls, and a closure fastening device including first and second closure profiles positioned on said respective sidewalls and operable for being occluded and disengaged with respect to each other to close and open said container, each of said sidewalls having a grasping area near the end edge of said sidewalls, said process comprising extruding said first and second closure profiles simultaneously with a thermoplastic film cast onto a rotatable casting cylinder having an embossing pattern on at least one portion of the surface of said casting cylinder, combining said closure profiles and said thermoplastic film so that said thermoplastic film and said closure profiles fuse together and said thermoplastic film is provided with an embossed pattern, and cooling said thermoplastic film and closure profiles to provide at least one anti-slip surface to a grasping area of said thermoplastic film.