Easy Tear Packaging

Abstract

Provided is a packaging bag constructed from shrink film material and defining a content receiving space. The packaging bag comprises seal areas in the front and rear faces for affixing the front face to the rear face to seal the content receiving space after bag contents have been received. The packaging bag further comprises a first skirt section and a second skirt section, which extend, respectively, beyond the first and second seal areas. The packaging bag further comprises a first hole and a second hole defined in each of the skirt sections and positioned between an outer edge of the skirt sections and the seal areas. The packaging bag further comprises a tear initiating feature. An opening can be formed in the packaging bag to extract the bag contents by initiating a tear at one of the holes using the tear initiating feature associated with the hole.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A packaging bag constructed from shrink film material with a front face joined to a rear face at packaging bag boundary edges that define a content receiving space between non-joined portions of the front face and the rear face, the content receiving space for receiving bag contents, the packaging bag comprising:
 a seal area of the bag boundary edge;   a skirt section extending beyond the seal area away from the content receiving space and having an outer edge;   a first hole and a second hole defined in the skirt section, each hole positioned between the outer edge of the skirt section and the seal area; and   a first tear initiating feature and a second tear initiating feature, the first tear initiating feature positioned adjacent to the first hole and extending from the first hole directly to the seal area, the second tear initiating feature positioned adjacent to the second hole and extending from the second hole directly to the seal area;   wherein an opening can be formed in the packaging bag to extract the bag contents by initiating a tear at one of the holes and extending the tear across the length of the tear initiating feature adjacent the one hole into the content receiving space.   
     
     
         2 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second tear initiating features comprise a slit or perforation in the skirt section. 
     
     
         3 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first half section of the skirt section defined on one side of an axis running from a midpoint of the outer edge to a midpoint of the seal area; and   a second half section defined on the other side of the axis; and   wherein the first hole is in the first half section and second hole is in the second half section.   
     
     
         4 . The packaging bag according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 the first hole is in a middle portion of the first half section and the second hole is in a middle portion of the second half section.   
     
     
         5 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the seal area has a width and the tear initiating features extend through half of the width of the sealing section. 
     
     
         6 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the seal area has a width and the tear initiating features extend through the entire width of the sealing section. 
     
     
         7 . The packaging bag according to  claim 1 , wherein the seal area has a width and the tear initiating features extend beyond the entire width of the sealing section onto portions of the front or rear face that define the content receiving area. 
     
     
         8 . A packaging bag constructed from shrink film material and defining a content receiving space between non-joined portions of a front face and a rear face, the content receiving space for receiving bag contents, the packaging bag comprising:
 a first seal area on the front face and a second seal area on the rear face opposite the front face, the front seal area and rear seal area configured to affix the front face to the rear face at the first and second seal areas to seal the content receiving space after bag contents have been received;   a first skirt section in the front face and a second skirt section in the rear face, the first and second skirt sections extending beyond the first and second seal areas away from the content receiving space, each of the skirt sections having an outer edge;   a first hole and a second hole defined in each of the skirt sections, each hole positioned in both the front and rear faces between the outer edge of the skirt sections and the seal areas; and   a first tear initiating feature and a second tear initiating feature, the first tear initiating feature positioned adjacent to the first hole and extending in both the front and rear faces from the first hole directly to the seal areas, the second tear initiating feature positioned adjacent to the second hole and extending in both the front and rear faces from the second hole directly to the seal areas;   wherein an opening can be formed in the packaging bag to extract the bag contents by initiating a tear at one of the holes and extending the tear across the length of the tear initiating feature adjacent the one hole into the content receiving space.   
     
     
         9 . The packaging bag according to  claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second tear initiating features comprise a slit or perforation in the skirt section. 
     
     
         10 . The packaging bag according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a first half section of the first and second skirt sections defined on one side of an axis running from a midpoint of the outer edge to a midpoint of the seal areas; and   a second half section of the first and second skirt sections defined on the other side of the axis; and   wherein the first hole is in the first half section and second hole is in the second half section.   
     
     
         11 . The packaging bag according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 the first hole is in a middle portion of the first half section and the second hole is in a middle portion of the second half section.   
     
     
         12 . A packaging bag constructed from shrink film material with a front face joined to a rear face at packaging bag boundary edges that define a content receiving space between non-joined portions of the front face and the rear face, the content receiving space for receiving bag contents, the packaging bag comprising:
 a seal area of the bag boundary edge;   a skirt section extending beyond the seal area away from the content receiving space and having an outer edge;   a grip element defined in the skirt section and positioned between the outer edge of the skirt section and the seal area; and   a tear initiation element defined in the skirt section and positioned between the outer edge of the skirt section and the seal area;   wherein an opening can be formed in the packaging bag to extract the bag contents by initiating a tear at the tear initiating element and into the content receiving space.   
     
     
         13 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , wherein the tear initiating element comprises a slit or perforation in the skirt section. 
     
     
         14 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , wherein the tear initiating element comprises a tear initiation hole and a tear initiation feature comprising a slit or perforation in the skirt section. 
     
     
         15 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , wherein the tear initiating element comprises a tear initiation hole, a first tear initiation feature comprising a slit or perforation in the skirt section extending between the tear initiation hole and the outer edge, and a second tear initiation feature comprising a slit or perforation in the skirt section extending between the tear initiation hole and the seal area. 
     
     
         16 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , wherein the tear initiating element comprises a semicircle shaped slit and a linear shaped slit coupled together in a question mark like shape in the skirt section. 
     
     
         17 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , wherein the seal area comprises a curved seal area. 
     
     
         18 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , wherein the grip element comprises a circular hole. 
     
     
         19 . The packaging bag according to  claim 18 , wherein the grip element is cut in both a front and a rear face of the skirt section and the front and rear faces are heat sealed together at the edges of the circular hole. 
     
     
         20 . The packaging bag according to  claim 12 , further comprising a stabilizing seal positioned between the outer edge of the skirt section and the grip element and tear initiation element.