Process for making a self-closing, resealable package

Abstract

A process for making a resealable package that that is formed from a packaging material, which is coated with cohesive material with a liner covering a portion of the cohesive material such that when the laminate is folded about an article to be enclosed the liner inhibits some of the cohesive from sticking to itself. The packaging material may further include a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive for resealing the package.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A process for providing a package-forming material comprising the steps of: 
 providing a packaging material in the form of at least one sheet having a surface that is receptive to receiving adhesive or cohesive materials;    applying a cohesive material to surface portions of the packaging material;    applying a bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive on the cohesive material;    applying a release liner upon the bead or strip of pressure sensitive adhesive; and    rolling the sheet upon itself to form a roll of package-forming material.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the bead or strip of adhesive and release liner are provided along the entire length of the sheet.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  which further comprises forming a package by placing the packaging material about an article to be packaged such that surface portions of the packaging material that include the cohesive material contact other surface portions that include cohesive material to adhere such portions to each other and form a sealed package which encloses the article.  
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the packaging material is paper, plastic or a laminate of paper and plastic.  
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the packaging material is a laminate that includes a water impermeable plastic film adhesively laminated to a first paper layer, wherein the plastic film has first and second surfaces and the laminate is prepared by corona discharge treating the first surface of the plastic film to render it receptive to adhesives followed by adhesively cold laminating the first surface of the plastic film to the first paper layer.  
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5 , wherein the packaging material is a laminate that includes a water impermeable plastic film adhesively laminated between first and second paper layers, wherein the plastic film has first and second surfaces and the laminate is prepared by corona discharge treating both the first and second surfaces of the plastic film to render it receptive to adhesives followed by adhesively cold laminating the first surface of the plastic film to the first paper layer and the second surface of the plastic film to the second paper layer.  
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the cohesive material is applied to first and second surface portions of the packaging material and the package is formed by placing the first surface portion of the packaging material above the article to be packaged and by placing the second surface portion of the packaging material below the article to be packaged, such that the first and second surface portions of the packaging material that include the cohesive material contact and adhere to each other to form the sealed package which encloses the article.  
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7  which further comprises providing the first and second surface portions of the packaging material on one side of a single sheet of the laminate and then folding the sheet around the article to be packaged to place the cohesive material containing portions in face-to-face orientation so that they can be adhered together to form the package.  
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 8  wherein cohesive material is applied to one entire surface of the laminate sheet.  
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 7  which further comprises providing the first and second surface portions on first and second laminate sheets and placing the sheets above and below the article to be packaged with the cohesive material containing surface portions in face-to-face orientation so that they can be adhered together to form the package.  
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 1  which further comprises placing a liner upon at least part of a cohesive material containing surface portion adjacent to where the article is to be packaged to prevent that part of the surface portion from adhering to other cohesive material containing surface portions, thus forming a non-adhered margin adjacent the article after the package is formed.  
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 10  which further comprises providing an indication of where the package can be opened, wherein the indication enables the package to be opened in the non-adhered margin, such that the package may be resealed by removing the liner and contacting the cohesive material containing surface portions to adhere such portions to each other and form a re-sealed package.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12  which further comprises opening the package along the indication, removing the article from the package, replacing the article in the package; removing the liner, and re-sealing the package by contacting the cohesive material containing surface portions to adhere such portions together.  
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the indication is an indicia or a pre-printed dotted line which indicates where the package may be cut to open it.  
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 12  which further comprises providing indicia to indicate where an edge or end of the article to be packaged should be placed so as to not eliminate the non-adhered margin.  
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 12  wherein the liner is paper, plastic, foil or a composite material.  
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the plastic film is laminated to the paper layer using pressure and an adhesive that includes a water-based acrylic copolymer composition or a vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer, and wherein the paper layer is coated paper, Kraft paper, Bond paper or white paper having a thickness of about 3 to 6 mils and the plastic film comprises polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester and has a thickness of about 1 to 3 mils.  
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17  wherein the paper layer of the laminate includes a printed surface, the printed surface is adhered to the plastic film, and the plastic film forms an outer portion of the package.  
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 17  wherein the paper layer includes first and second surfaces, the first surface is a printed surface, the second surface is adhered to the plastic film and the printed surface of the paper layer forms an outer portion of the package.  
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19 , wherein the paper layer includes first and second surfaces, the first surface is a metallized surface, the second surface is adhered to the plastic film and the metallized surface of the paper layer forms a decorative outer portion of the package.  
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 1  which further comprises applying a pressure sensitive adhesive over at least part of the packaging material adjacent to where the article is to be packaged, and placing a liner upon the pressure sensitive adhesive to prevent the pressure sensitive adhesive from adhering to other portions of the packaging material, thus forming a non-adhered margin after the package is formed.  
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 21  which further comprises providing an indication of where the package can be opened wherein the indication enables the package to be opened in the non-adhered margin, such that the package may be resealed by removing the liner and adhering the pressure sensitive material to other surface portions to form a re-sealed package.  
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 22  which further comprises opening the package along the indication, removing the article from the package, replacing the article in the package; removing the liner, and re-sealing the package by contacting the pressure sensitive material to other surface portions to adhere them together.  
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 22  wherein the indication is an indicia or a pre-printed dotted line which indicates where the package may be cut to open it.  
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 22  which further comprises providing indicia to indicate where an edge or end of the article to be packaged should be placed so as to not eliminate the non-adhered margin.  
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 22  wherein the liner is paper, a thermoplastic film, foil or a composite material.