Tamper-evident zip lock package and method of its manufacture

(19)

(11)

EP 1 364 883 A3

(12)	EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88)	Date of publication A3:
	10.11.2004 Bulletin 2004/46

(43)	Date of publication A2:
	26.11.2003 Bulletin 2003/48

(21)	Application number: 03252937.2

(22)	Date of filing: 12.05.2003

(51)	International Patent Classification (IPC)⁷: B65D 33/25, B65B 9/04, B65B 61/18

(84)	Designated Contracting States:
	AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR
	Designated Extension States:
	AL LT LV MK

(30)

Priority:

23.05.2002 US 154221

(71)	Applicant: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
	Glenview, Cook County, Illinois 60025 (US)

(72)	Inventor:
	Schneider, John H. Frankfort, Illinois 60423 (US)

(74)	Representative: Rackham, Stephen Neil
	GILL JENNINGS & EVERY, Broadgate House, 7 Eldon Street London EC2M 7LH London EC2M 7LH (GB)

(54)	Tamper-evident zip lock package and method of its manufacture

(57) A reclosable package (10) for the retail display of a food product and for the purchase and storage thereof by a consumer has tamper-evident features to enable the consumer to discern whether the package has been opened prior to purchase. The package (10) includes a header (26) formed by attaching the front and back sheets (12,14) of the package (10) to one another above the interlocking profiles (20,22) of the zipper (18) of the package (20) with a peel seal. Below the interlocking profiles (20,22), the front sheet (12) has a line of weakness (32), such as a line of perforations extending transversely across the package (10) below the interlocking profiles (20,22). A tear in the line of weakness (32) or a breach of the peel seal would readily indicate that the integrity of the package (10) has been compromised.

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