A plastic bag for containing bread and other foodstuffs and bundles of such bags

Abstract

 A plastic bag (1) for containing bread and other foodstuffs comprises an upper band (5) detachable from the bag body and provided with at least two holes (9) for hanging a bundle (3) of said bags. The bag further provides for a kidney-shaped cutout (11) accomplishing the function of a handle and a number of venting micro holes (13) in the bag body for allowing the air passage. A plurality of bags are packaged in form of a bundle to be hung and from which single bags can be removed by tearing.

Description

[0001] The present invention is concerned with plastic bags for containing bread and other foods.

[0002] As it is known at present there are widely used plastic bags for containing bread and other foodstuffs, and such usage has brought about a wide and often improper spreading of such bags with the consumers.

[0003] This wholesale use caused many positive consequences such as the control of the plastic material used in manufacturing the bags, the use of biodegradable plastics and so on. Nevertheless the known plastic bags are still affected by some drawbacks that render their use not completely satisfactory.

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved bread and foodstaffs bags that besides having the above mentioned properties, are easy to be stored and employed, and offer additional features not previously allowed by the known bags.

[0005] This object is achieved through a bag as claimed in claim 1. Additional advantageous features are recited in the dependent claims.

[0006] The invention will now be disclosed with more details with reference to the attached drawings that illustrate a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a bundle of bags in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the bundle in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a single bag that has been detached from the bundle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a sligthly open bag.

[0007] As it is shown in the Figures, and particularly in Fig. 4, a bag 1 according to the invention is formed as a flat sack of plastic material with two faces joined by folded portions to define a receptacle with a mouth. Openings formed as cutouts 11 shaped like a kidney are formed in the upper portions of the bag to accomplish the function of a handle.

[0008] The bag surface below the handle 11 is punctured by a large number of very small holes or micro holes 13 allowing the passage of air for a better preservation of the foodstuff.

[0009] As an example the density of such venting micro holes is comprised between 50 and 100 holes/dm² and preferably between 60 and 80 holes/dm²

[0010] The bag 1 further comprises an upper band or strip 5 used to collect the bags in bundles 3 and provided with at least two holes 9 for hanging the so formed bundles 3 at an easy reachable location. The band 5 is joined to the bag proper by a perforated tear off line 7 of punctured holes or slits to facilitate the detaching by tearing of a single bag 1 from the bundle 3 of packaged bags.

[0011] The plastic material of the bags is preferably transparent and can be heat sealed, is biodegradable and resistant to both cold and heat (from about -40°C to about 110°C in water) without being altered, thus allowing to store the foodstuffs and the bag in a freezer.

[0012] More particularly such plastic material is preferably a sheet of high density polythene, with a thickness comprised between 18µm and 22µm.

[0013] The main features the bags according to the invention are the following:

• they can be packaged in bundles with their opening side upwards, and are provided with a tear off line to allow the removal of a single bag from the bundle by tearing;
• the bag comprises an upper band or strip provided with at least two holes for hanging a bundle of packaged bags in a easily accessible location, said tear off line joining the bags proper to such hanging band;
• a kidney-shaped cutout to be used as a handle is formed in the bag upper portion;
• the body of each bag below the handle is provided with micro holes for allowing air passage;
• the plastic material from which the bag is made is heat sealable, biodegradable and resistant to both cold and heat (from about -40°C to about 110°C in water) without being altered, thus allowing the storing of both the bag and the contained foodstuffs in a freezer.

Claims

1. A plastic bag (1) for containing bread and other foodstuffs, characterized in that it comprises:

an upper portion (5) detachable from the bag body and provided with at least two holes (9) for hanging a bundle (3) of said bags;

an opening (11) shaped like a kidney to accomplish the function of a handle formed below said detachable upper portion (5); and

a number of venting micro holes (13) in the bag body for allowing the air passage;
the plastic material from which said bag is made being resistant from about -40°C to about 110°C in water without being altered.

2. A bag as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the density of said holes (13) is comprised between 50 and 100 holes/dm² and preferably between 60 and 80 holes/dm².

3. A bag as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said plastic material is a sheet of high density polythene, with a thickness comprised between 18µm and 22µm.

4. A bag as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said upper portion (5) is formed as a band joined to the bag proper by a tear off line (7) of punctured holes.

5. A bundle of superimposed plastic bags (1) for containing bread and other foodstuffs as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4.

Drawing