Tear open bag with transmission barrier

Abstract

A bag configured for holding contents and configured for permitting a user to dispense the contents from the bag. The bag includes at least front and rear panels of generally flexible film. The bag defines a volume adapted for holding the contents. The bag includes a tear line for facilitating opening of the bag body by tearing the bag body along the zone of weakness. The tear line includes an embossment structure. In one embodiment, the embossment structure has a tear force that is substantially constant over the entire length of the tear line. The embossment structure may have a particular arcuate shape. The embossment structure may include indentations having a non-linear shape.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bag configured for holding contents and configured for permitting a user to dispense the contents from the bag, the bag comprising:
 a bag body including at least front and rear panels of generally flexible film, the bag body defining a volume adapted for holding the contents, the front and rear panels including respective inner surfaces which face each other and form at least part of the volume, the front and rear panels including respective outer surfaces which face away from the volume, the panels each having upper ends, lower ends, and left and right sides which together respectively form an upper end, a lower end, and left and right sides of the body; the bag body including a zone of weakness on at least one of the front and rear panels for facilitating opening of the bag body by tearing the bag body along the zone of weakness, the zone of weakness comprising an embossment structure that has a tear force that is substantially constant over the entire length of the zone of weakness.   
     
     
         2 . A bag as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the tear force is less than 4 pounds force. 
     
     
         3 . A bag as set forth in  claim 2  wherein the zone of weakness remains unbroken after a Drop Test. 
     
     
         4 . A bag as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the embossment structure is free from any opening passing through the front or rear panel to prevent the contents from escaping from the volume through the zone of weakness before the zone of weakness is torn. 
     
     
         5 . A bag as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the embossment structure includes deformations at which the flexible film is stretched beyond a yield point of the flexible film but not stretched beyond a break point of the flexible film. 
     
     
         6 . A bag as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the embossment structure comprises a series of indentations each having a non-linear shape. 
     
     
         7 . A bag as set forth in  claim 6  wherein the indentations are arranged in one after another along a path including at least one of a rectilinear and curvilinear shape. 
     
     
         8 . A bag as set forth in  claim 7  wherein each of the indentations has front and rear ends and an intermediate portion between the front and rear ends, each of the indentations including a length extending along the path formed by the indentations between the front and rear ends, each of the indentations including a width extending generally perpendicular to the path formed by the indentations, the width of each indentation at its front and rear ends being less than the width of the indentation at its intermediate portion. 
     
     
         9 . A bag as set forth in  claim 8  wherein the indentations each have a generally semi-circular shape. 
     
     
         10 . A bag as set forth in  claim 8  wherein the rear end of each indentation is positioned adjacent the front end of an immediately previous indentation in the series, and the front end of each indentation is positioned adjacent the rear end of an immediately subsequent indentation in the series. 
     
     
         11 . A bag as set forth in  claim 10  wherein the indentations are spaced from each other. 
     
     
         12 . A bag as set forth in  claim 10  wherein the front and rear ends of each indentation are pointed. 
     
     
         13 . A bag as set forth in  claim 8  wherein the zone of weakness includes a tearing path along which the zone of weakness is most prone to tearing, each indentation including first and second sides extending along the length of the indentation, the first side being positioned in register with and forming a segment of the tearing path. 
     
     
         14 . A bag as set forth in  claim 13  wherein each indentation includes front and rear ends, the front and rear ends of each indentation being pointed and being positioned on the tearing path. 
     
     
         15 . A bag as set forth in  claim 8  wherein the zone of weakness further includes a notch positioned adjacent the upper end of the bag body and extending toward an upper end of the series of indentations to facilitate initiation of tearing along the tearing path, the notch being sized to be visually distinct from the adjacent portions of the bag. 
     
     
         16 . A bag as set forth in  claim 15  wherein the zone of weakness further includes a slit positioned between the notch and the series of indentations, the slit extending from a lower end of the notch toward the upper end of the series of indentations to facilitate initiation of tearing along the tearing path. 
     
     
         17 . A bag as set forth in  claim 16  wherein the bag includes a seal seam traversing an edge margin of the bag, the upper end of the series of indentations and the notch and slit being generally aligned with each other and the slit extending through the seal seam. 
     
     
         18 . A bag as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the embossment structure comprises a series of indentations that are spaced apart different distances from each other along the zone of weakness. 
     
     
         19 . A bag as set forth in  claim 18  wherein the indentations extend along a path including a portion that is oriented in predominantly an upper end to lower end direction of the bag body and a portion that is oriented predominantly in a left side to right side direction of the bag body, the spacing between adjacent indentations being greater when the path is oriented in the predominantly upper end to lower end direction than when the path is oriented in the predominantly left side to right side direction. 
     
     
         20 . A bag as set forth in  claim 19  wherein the spacing between adjacent indentations in the path portion oriented in the predominantly upper end to lower end direction is about three times greater than the spacing of adjacent indentations in the path portion that is located in the predominantly left side to right side direction. 
     
     
         21 . A bag configured for holding contents and configured for permitting a user to dispense the contents from the bag, the bag comprising:
 a bag body including at least front and rear panels of generally flexible film, the bag body defining a volume adapted for holding the contents, the front and rear panels including respective inner surfaces which face each other and form at least part of the volume, the bag body including edge margins, a zone of weakness on at least one of the front and rear panels for facilitating opening of the bag body by tearing the bag body along the zone of weakness, the zone of weakness comprising an embossment structure, the embossment structure extending along a path from a first of the edge margins to a second of the edge margins, adjacent the first edge margin, the path including a first portion starting at said first edge margin and extending away from said second edge margin and a second portion extending from said first portion to said second edge margin.   
     
     
         22 . A bag as set forth in  claim 21  wherein the path is generally arcuate in shape. 
     
     
         23 . A bag configured for holding contents and configured for permitting a user to dispense the contents from the bag, the bag comprising:
 a bag body including at least front and rear panels of generally flexible film, the bag body defining a volume adapted for holding the contents, the front and rear panels including respective inner surfaces which face each other and form at least part of the volume, the bag body including a zone of weakness on at least one of the front and rear panels for facilitating opening of the bag body by tearing the bag body along the zone of weakness, the zone of weakness comprising an embossment structure, the embossment structure comprising a series of indentations each having a non-linear shape.