Rectangular Multi-Substrate Vertical Form, Fill, and Seal Bag and Apparatus for Forming and Filling Same

Abstract

A VFFS bag is provided that is dimensionally stable, aesthetically pleasing, and renders items stored in it highly visible. The bag includes first and second gusseted side walls that span a depth of the bag and front and rear walls that span a width of the bag. The bag has a substantially rectangular closed bottom end. In order to maximize the viewability of stored items and reduce the amount of film material in the bag, the bag has a depth to width ratio of at least 1.5:1 at the bottom end of the bag. Stability is enhanced by sizing the gussets such that they closely approach but do not overlap a line longitudinally bisecting the bag. A VFFS machine also is disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) bag comprising:
 A) first and second side walls that face one another and that span a depth of the bag, wherein each of the first and second side walls is formed from an open mesh material and has a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of longitudinally opposed, vertically extending side edges, and wherein each of the first and second side walls is gusseted so as to be expandable between first and second side edges thereof when the bag is filled with items;   B) front and rear walls that face one another and that span a width of the bag, wherein at least one of the front and rear walls is formed at least in part from a film material, wherein each of the front and rear walls has a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second side edges each adjoining a respective edge of one of the first and second side walls; and   C) a substantially rectangular closed bottom end having a generally rectangular bottom surface, the closed bottom end being formed by bonding the bottom edges of the front and rear walls together with the bottom edges of the first and second side walls being captured therebetween, wherein the bag has a depth to width ratio of at least 1.5:1 at the bottom end of the bag.   
     
     
         2 . The bag of  claim 1 , wherein the bag has a depth to width ratio of at least 1.75:1. 
     
     
         3 . The bag of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second side walls has two vertically extending, laterally spaced gussets. 
     
     
         4 . The bag of  claim 3 , where each of the gussets is formed generally equidistantly between an edge of the associated side wall of the bag and a line that laterally bisects the bottom surface of the bottom end of the bag. 
     
     
         5 . The bag of  claim 3 , wherein, at the bottom of the bag, each gusset has an apex that closely approaches but does not overlap a line that longitudinally bisects the bottom surface of the bottom end of the bag. 
     
     
         6 . The bag of  claim 5 , wherein, at the bottom of the bag, the apex of each gusset is spaced no more than 25% of the width of the front wall of the bag from the line that longitudinally bisects the bottom surface of the bottom end of the bag. 
     
     
         7 . The bag of  claim 5 , wherein, at the bottom of the bag, the apex of each gusset is spaced no more than 10% of the width of the front wall of the bag from the line that laterally bisects the bottom surface of the bottom end of the bag. 
     
     
         8 . The bag of  claim 1 , further comprising a closed top end, the closed top end being formed by bonding the front and rear walls together with of the top edges of first and second side walls being captured therebetween. 
     
     
         9 . The bag of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second side walls, all of at least one of front and rear walls, and at least a portion of the other of the front and rear walls are made of the open mesh material, each of the front and rear walls additionally being constructed of a strip of the film material overlying the mesh material. 
     
     
         10 . The bag of  claim 9 , wherein
 one of the front and rear walls is made entirely of the open mesh material overlaid with the film material, and wherein   the other of the front and rear walls has 1) first and second side edge portions formed from the open mesh material and facing one another with a gap therebetween and 2) a strip of film material overlying the edge portions and bridging the gap.   
     
     
         11 . The bag of  claim 9 , wherein the open mesh material is provided in the form of a single seamless strip. 
     
     
         12 . A vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) bag that is closed and filled with items, the bag comprising:
 A) first and second side walls that face one another and that span a depth of the bag, wherein each of the first and second side walls is formed from an open mesh material and has a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of longitudinally opposed, vertically extending side edges, and wherein each of the first and second side walls has at least two vertically extending gussets formed therein so as to be expandable between first and second side edges thereof when the hag is filled with items;   B) front and rear walls that face one another and that span a width of the bag, wherein each of the front and rear walls is formed at least in part from a film material and has a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second side edges adjoining a respective edge of one of the first and second side walls: and   C) a substantially rectangular closed bottom end, the closed bottom end being formed by bonding the bottom edges of the front and rear walls together with of the bottom edges of first and second side walls being captured therebetween;   wherein, at the bottom of the bag, 1) the bag has a depth to width ratio of at least 1.5:1, and 2) each of the gussets has an apex that is spaced no more than 25% of the width of the front wan of the hag from a line that laterally bisects the bottom end of the bag.   
     
     
         13 . A vertical form, fill, and seal (VFFS) machine for forming bags and filling bags with articles, comprising:
 (A) a forming tube;   (B) a feed assembly that feeds a continuous web to the forming tube and that wraps the web around the forming tube, the web having a first edge formed from an open mesh material and a second edge formed from a film material;   (C) a sealing device, disposed adjacent the forming tube, that seals the first and second edges of the web together to form a sleeve;   (D) a guide arrangement that is located beneath a bottom end of the forming tube and that shapes the sleeve into a generally rectangular shape as the sleeve moves therepast so that the sleeve has a front wall, a back wall, and first and second opposed side walls;   (E) first and second tuckers, located beneath the bottom end of the forming tube and disposed opposite one another, that selectively move toward a line axially bisecting the forming tube to gusset the opposed side walls of the sleeve; and   (F) a sealer assembly, located beneath the guide arrangement and the tuckers, that seals the front and rear walls of the sleeve together with the first and second side walls captured therebetween, thereby forming a bag having a closed bottom end.   
     
     
         14 . The VFFS machine of  claim 13 , wherein the guide arrangement comprises four guides disposed beneath a bottom end of the forming tube, the guides forming corners of the bag. 
     
     
         15 . The VFFS machine of  claim 14 , wherein the guide arrangement additionally comprises fifth and sixth guides disposed beneath the bottom end of the forming tube and adjacent centers of the first and second side walls of the sleeve, respectively. 
     
     
         16 . The VFFS machine of  claim 15 , wherein at least the fifth and sixth guides are resiliently deflectable by the sleeve. 
     
     
         17 . The VFFS machine of  claim 15 , wherein each of the tuckers is generally in the shape of a sideways “n”, having first and second spaced forming edges separated by a gap and located on opposite sides of the respective one of the fifth and sixth guides. 
     
     
         18 . The VFFS machine of  claim 13 , wherein the forming tube has a circular outer peripheral shape.