Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
197 words
A method of applying a coupon packet to the outer face of the front panel of a four-sided self-opening paper grocery bag, comprising: conveying a continuous web of bag paper in the longitudinal direction thereof; bending the web in the longitudinal direction about an obtuse angle and continuously turning longitudinal margins of the web downwardly to form the web into a tube; applying a strip of adhesive longitudinally to the upper side of the web between said margins at periodic intervals corresponding to the length of a segment defining a bag, the strip commencing at about the lengthwise midpoint of the segment; after bending the web about the obtuse angle, feeding a coupon packet from a stack of packets flat onto the upper side of the web over the strip of adhesive to adhere the packet to the upper side of the web of bag paper; periodically cutting a portion of the web transversely to define a top of a first bag and a bottom of a second bag; folding portions of the longitudinal margins of each bag inwardly to form inwardly-folded side panels of the bag; and folding the bottom of each bag to close same.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
197 words
A method of applying a coupon packet to the outer face of the front panel of a four-sided self-opening paper grocery bag, comprising: conveying a continuous web of bag paper in the longitudinal direction thereof; bending the web in the longitudinal direction about an obtuse angle and continuously turning longitudinal margins of the web downwardly to form the web into a tube; applying a strip of adhesive longitudinally to the upper side of the web between said margins at periodic intervals corresponding to the length of a segment defining a bag, the strip commencing at about the lengthwise midpoint of the segment; after bending the web about the obtuse angle, feeding a coupon packet from a stack of packets flat onto the upper side of the web over the strip of adhesive to adhere the packet to the upper side of the web of bag paper; periodically cutting a portion of the web transversely to define a top of a first bag and a bottom of a second bag; folding portions of the longitudinal margins of each bag inwardly to form inwardly-folded side panels of the bag; and folding the bottom of each bag to close same.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 1 including centering the strip of adhesive and the packet approximately between the sides of the bag.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 2 including spacing the adhesive strip and the coupon packet apart from the bottom of each bag.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 3 in which the spacing step includes synchronizing the adhesive strip applying step and the coupon packet feeding step with the periodic transverse cutting step.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
A method according to claim 3 including sizing the coupon packet to fit between the side panels of the bag when inwardly folded and between the top and the bottom of the bag when the bag is folded flat, whereby the coupon packet does not overlap the inwardly folded side panels and the bottom of the bag when the bag is folded flat.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method according to claim 5 including stacking the bags in a staggered stack wherein alternating bags are turned in opposite directions and positioned so that the bottoms of the alternating bags are longitudinally spaced apart about the coupons and thereafter tying the stack.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 1 in which the coupon packet feeding step includes stacking a plurality of packets each having a thin, rigid leading edge and mechanically infeeding packets one at a time from the bottom of the stack.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
73 words
A method according to claim 1 including wrapping a strip of cover paper lengthwise around a plurality of coupons, connecting opposite ends of the cover paper together to form a continuous loop, connecting the coupons at one end to an inner side of the loop of cover paper, and folding the loop flat at the connected end of the coupons and at an opposite end of the coupons, to form a coupon packet.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method according to claim 8 in which the wrapping of said strip of cover paper includes wrapping the strip so that an exposed end of the strip is directed outwardly from the one end of the packet to which the coupons are connected, and the feeding of the packets includes feeding each packet lengthwise toward the other end of the packet.