Gusseted bag-like container with a transparent portion

Abstract

 A bag-like container with a transparent portion, particularly for food products such as bread, focaccia, biscuits or the like, the bag-like container (1) having a body (2) that defines a containment compartment (3) which is provided with an opening (4), at one of its ends, and with a pair of accordion folds (5a, 5b) that extend parallel to each other from the opening (4) at two opposite sides of the body (2), the body (2) being composed of a first sheet (6) and a second sheet (7), which have a rectangular plan shape and are superimposed and mutually joined at three of their four sides to delimit the containment compartment (3) with the opening (4) at the fourth side of these two sheets (6, 7), at least one sheet (7) of the two sheets (6, 7) being made of transparent material and the two sheets (6, 7) being mutually joined along two of their sides at the pair of accordion folds (5a, 5b).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a bag-like container with a transparent portion, particularly for food products such as bread, focaccia, biscuits or the like.

[0002] Conventional bag-like containers are provided with a window or, more generally, with a transparent portion in order to enable viewing of the products packed therein. Such bags, when they are empty and flattened i.e. before they are used, generally have a rectangular plan shape with a pair of accordion folds at the two longer sides. When the container is filled, the accordion folds extend, thus obtaining an adequate capacity for the container.

[0003] In the foods field in particular, bag-like containers are used to package fresh bread, focaccia, biscuits or similar products, and are composed of two or more sheets joined together by means of adhesive bonding with a sheet of transparent material so as to obtain a bag-like container with a longitudinal transparent strip through which the packaged product can be seen.

[0004] Several different types of bag-like containers with a transparent strip are currently available on the market.

[0005] A first type of bag-like container is comprised substantially of an opaque, i.e. not transparent, sheet made of paper-like material, which constitutes most of the container, completely defining a first face of the two faces of greater area or first face, the pair of accordion folds and part of the other face or second face of greater area. In practice, the first sheet has, on the second face of greater area of the container, two folded flaps that extend to superimpose the first face from the accordion folds of the container, thus forming part of the second face of the container which is completed by a sheet of transparent material that forms a longitudinal central strip of that face. In this type of container, the strip of transparent material is glued, in proximity to its longer sides, to the inner face of the two flaps of the first sheet that are folded to overlap the first face.

[0006] This first type of container suffers the drawback of having a transparent part of limited area that allows only partial viewing of the products that are packaged in the bag-like container. This fact means that there is increasingly less demand for this container since the current demand is for containers that exhibit the packaged products as much as possible.

[0007] In order to meet this need, bag-like containers have been devised which are composed of a first sheet made of opaque, i.e. not transparent, material, which completely defines a first face of the two faces of greater area of the container, and of a second sheet of transparent material that is glued, with one of its longer sides, to the first sheet at one of the accordion folds. The other greater side of the first sheet is superimposed over the second sheet and is glued thereto on the second face of greater area of the container. In this second type of bag-like container, the second face is almost completely defined by the sheet of transparent material with the exception of a longitudinal edge which is occupied by the flap of the first sheet, in proximity to one of the longer sides of the sheet that is superimposed on the second sheet.

[0008] This second type of bag-like container suffers the drawback of having an asymmetric shape, which is not always fully appreciated by the user, and of still having a part of the second face covered by a portion of the first sheet of non-transparent material.

[0009] A third type of bag-like container is comprised of three sheets: a first and a second sheet made of non-transparent material, which are glued to each other at a longer side thereof and which defines a first face of the two faces of greater area of the container and part of the accordion folds, and a third sheet of transparent material which defines the second face of greater area of the container and the remaining part of the accordion folds. Such third sheet is glued, with its two longer sides, to the inner side of the first and of the second sheet at the accordion folds.

[0010] This third type of bag-like container fully meets the need to present packaged products in that one of the two faces of greater area of the container is made completely of the sheet of transparent material, but it suffers the drawback of having the joining line between the first sheet and the second sheet at an intermediate region of the first face of greater area of the container. The presence of this line, at which an overlap of the first and of the second sheet occurs, can create problems with the positioning of printed parts on the first face of the container. In fact, the sheets of non-transparent material are printed with brands and/or information and/or other matter before their assembly in order to obtain such containers. The fact that two pre-printed sheets are glued together in order to provide a face of the container makes it difficult to manage to correctly position what is printed on one sheet with respect to what is printed on the other sheet. This problem is even more difficult to solve if it is desired to compose a printed image or notice partially on one sheet and partially on the other sheet that make up the first face of the container.

[0011] The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a bag-like container that ensures an optimal presentation of the products packaged therein and which does not have longitudinal joining lines on their faces of greater area.

[0012] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a bag-like container in which one of the two faces of greater area is completely made of transparent material.

[0013] Another object of the invention is to provide an accordion fold container that does not create problems with printing its face made of non-transparent material.

[0014] Another object of the invention is to provide a bag-like container that can be made at low cost.

[0015] This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a bag-like container with a transparent portion, particularly for food products such as bread, focaccia, biscuits or the like, provided with a body that defines a containment compartment which is provided with an opening, at one of its ends, and with a pair of accordion folds that extend parallel to each other from said opening at two opposite sides of said body, said body being composed of a first sheet and a second sheet, which have a rectangular plan shape and are superimposed and mutually joined at three of their four sides to delimit said containment compartment with said opening at the fourth side of said two sheets, at least one sheet of said two sheets being made of transparent material, characterized in that said two sheets are mutually joined along two of their sides at said pair of accordion folds.

[0016] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the bag-like container according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bag-like container according to the invention in an intermediate step of its production;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bag-like container according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the bag-like container according to the invention, seen from a different angle with respect to Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged-scale cross-section of Figure 2 taken along the line IV-IV;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bag-like container according to the invention, open in order to receive the products to be packaged.

[0017] With reference to the figures, the bag-like container according to the invention, generally designated with the reference numeral 1, comprises a body 2 that defines a containment compartment 3 for the products to be packaged, which has an opening 4 at one end of the body 2.

[0018] The body 2 has a pair of accordion folds 5a, 5b that extend parallel to each other from the opening 4 at two opposite sides of the body 2.

[0019] The body 2 is composed of a first sheet 6 and a second sheet 7, which have a rectangular plan shape and are superimposed and mutually joined at three of their four sides to delimit the containment compartment 3 with the opening 4 located at the fourth side of the two sheets 6, 7.

[0020] At least one of the two sheets 6, 7 is made of transparent material.

[0021] More specifically, the first sheet 6 is made of non-transparent or opaque material and the second sheet 7 is made of transparent material.

[0022] Preferably, the first sheet 6 is made of paper-like material, while the second sheet 7 is made of synthetic material, preferably polypropylene or PLA (polylactic acid).

[0023] According to the invention, the two sheets 6 and 7 are mutually joined along two of their sides at the pair of accordion folds 5a, 5b.

[0024] More specifically, the two sheets 6 and 7 have a rectangular shape and are mutually joined along their sides except for one of their two shorter sides so as to define the opening 4.

[0025] Conveniently, the first sheet 6 has, at each one of its two longer sides, a flap 8a, 8b which is folded toward the face of the first sheet 6 that is directed toward the second sheet 7 in order to define a first portion of the corresponding accordion folds 5a, 5b. The second sheet 7 has, starting from each one of its two longer sides, a first flap 9a, 9b and a second flap 10a, 10b which follow each other. The second flap 10a, 10b is folded toward the face of the second sheet 7 that is directed toward the first sheet 6 in order to define a second portion of the corresponding accordion folds 5a, 5b. The first flap 9a, 9b on the other hand is folded on the opposite side with respect to the direction of folding of the second flap 9a, 9b. The first flap 9a, 9b is superimposed on and joined to the corresponding flap 8a, 8b of the first sheet 6 on the inner face of the flap 8a, 8b, i.e., the face of the flap 8a, 8b facing toward the remaining portion of the first sheet 6, as shown in particular in Figure 4.

[0026] More specifically, the flaps 8a, 8b of the first sheet 6 are connected to the remaining portion of the first sheet 6 by folding lines 11a, 11b which are parallel to the longer sides of the first sheet 6.

[0027] The first flaps 9a, 9b are connected to the corresponding second flap 10a, 10b and to the remaining portion of the second sheet 7 by folding lines 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b which are parallel to the longer sides of the second sheet 7.

[0028] Conveniently, the second sheet 7 is offset longitudinally, i.e. parallel to its longer sides, with respect to the first sheet 6. This offset ensures that, at one longitudinal end of the body 2, there is a portion 14 of the first sheet 6 protruding with respect to the second sheet 7 and, at the opposite longitudinal end, there is a portion 15 of the second sheet 7 protruding with respect to the first sheet 6.

[0029] The portion 14, during production of the bag-like container according to the invention, is folded onto the second sheet 7 and joined thereto so as to close one longitudinal end of the body 2. Optionally, the folding can also involve a piece of the second sheet 7 in order to obtain a more robust closing.

[0030] The portion 15, on the other hand, constitutes one side of the opening 4 and facilitates the opening of the bag-like container according to the invention when it needs to be used.

[0031] Preferably, the second sheet 7 is pierced by a plurality of micro perforations 16.

[0032] The joining of the portion 14 to the second sheet 7, as well as the joining of the first flaps 9a, 9b of the second sheet 7 to the flaps 8a, 8b of the first sheet 6 is preferably obtained by means of an interposed layer of adhesive.

[0033] The bag-like container according to the invention, owing to the fact that the joining between the two sheets 6 and 7 is executed at the accordion folds 5a, 5b with the two sheets 6 and 7 superimposed, appears with one of the two faces of greater area occupied completely by the sheet 7 of transparent material and with the other face defined by a sheet without joining lines.

[0034] In practice it has been found that the bag-like container according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim in that it ensures an optimal presentation of the products packaged therein without joining lines on the sheet of non-transparent material and hence without problems with regard to the printing of the sheet of non-transparent material.

[0035] Although the bag according to the invention is designed particularly for food products such as bread, focaccia, biscuits or the like, it can be used for packaging other products, such as for example items of clothing like sweaters, shirts, underwear or other garments that, by way of the bag-like container according to the invention, can be exhibited and protected from dust.

[0036] The bag-like container, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

[0037] In practice the materials employed, provided the above mentioned materials are preferred, and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

[0038] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2010A001778 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0039] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A bag-like container (1) with a transparent portion, particularly for food products such as bread, focaccia, biscuits or the like, provided with a body (2) that defines a containment compartment (3) which is provided with an opening (4), at one of its ends, and with a pair of accordion folds (5a, 5b) that extend parallel to each other from said opening (4) at two opposite sides of said body (2), said body (2) being composed of a first sheet (6) and a second sheet (7), which have a rectangular plan shape and are superimposed and mutually joined at three of their four sides to delimit said containment compartment (3) with said opening (4) at the fourth side of said two sheets (6, 7), at least one sheet (7) of said two sheets (6, 7) being made of transparent material, characterized in that said two sheets (6, 7) are mutually joined along two of their sides at said pair of accordion folds (5a, 5b).

2. The bag-like container according to claim 1, characterized in that said body (2) is composed of a first sheet (6) made of non-transparent material and of a second sheet (7) made of transparent material.

3. The bag-like container according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said two sheets (6, 7) have a rectangular shape and are mutually joined along their sides except for one of their two shorter sides.

4. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first sheet (6) has, at each one of its two longer sides, a flap (8a, 8b) which is folded toward its face directed toward said second sheet (7) along a corresponding folding line (11a, 11b) which is parallel to the longer sides of said first sheet (6) in order to define a first portion of one of said accordion folds (5a, 5b), said second sheet (7) having, starting from each one of its two longer sides, a first flap (9a, 9b) and a second flap (10a, 10b), which are folded along folding lines (12a, 12b, 13a, 13b) which are parallel to the longer sides of said second sheet (7), said second flap (10a, 10b) being folded toward the face of said second sheet (7) that is directed toward said first sheet (6) in order to define a second portion of said one of said accordion folds (5a, 5b) and said first flap (9a, 9b) being folded in the opposite direction and being superimposed and joined to the inner side of the corresponding flap (8a, 8b) of the first sheet (6).

5. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second sheet (7) is offset with respect to said first sheet (6) parallel to its longer sides, the portion (14) of said first sheet (6) that protrudes from one of the shorter sides of said second sheet (7) being folded onto the outer side of said second sheet (7) and being joined to said second sheet (7).

6. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first sheet (6) and said second sheet (7) are joined together by adhesive bonding.

7. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second sheet (7) has a plurality of micro perforations (16).

8. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first sheet (6) is made of paper-like material.

9. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second sheet (7) is made of synthetic material.

10. The bag-like container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said synthetic material is constituted by polypropylene or PLA (polylactic acid).

Drawing