Gusset style pouch, in particular for food product

Abstract

The gusset style pouch is provided with a resealable closure system configured to selectively define a top opening of the pouch, at the opposite from a bottom, at least one strip of this system being adapted for locking an open configuration, by engaging locking elements that pivot and cause interengagement between the strips of the closure system. The locking elements are integrally formed with at least one strip of the system and made of a semi rigid plastic material, less flexible than material of the pouch sidewalk An elongated predetermined measuring utensil of shorter length than height of an interior pouch volume can be stored along the sidewall by use of a holding part formed on the strip as a lower extension. A leveling can also be performed using a free edge below the interlocking area.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A gusset style pouch, comprising:
 a flexible bag comprising a bottom, a front wall and a rear wall defining a flexible sidewall extending around a longitudinal axis, two junctions at opposite sides between the front wall and the rear wall, so that the flexible bag defines a single opening opposite to the bottom;   a closure system comprising a first strip sealed to one amongst the front wall and the rear wall and a second strip sealed to the other one amongst the front wall and the rear wall, the first strip and the second strip being interlockable strips for attachment at an interlocking area in a closed configuration of the closure system, the first strip including at least one locking element;   a hold open arrangement comprising:
 i) a first predetermined flexing line adjacent to one of the two junctions, 
 ii) a second predetermined flexing line adjacent to the other of the two junctions, and 
 iii) a main flexible part extending between a first end partly delimited by the first predetermined flexing line and a second end partly delimited by the second predetermined flexing line, a locking element of said at least one locking element being rigidly coupled to the first end and configured to pivot from a first flat configuration obtained when the closure system is in the closed configuration to a second configuration, which is a bent, flexed, or engaged configuration; 
   
       wherein the main flexible part and said at least one locking element are formed by the first strip which is made of a determined semi rigid plastic material, 
       and wherein the second strip, which is made of a semi rigid plastic material, defines at least one contact surface for retaining said at least one locking element in the second configuration, whereby the first strip and the second strip of the closure system define the hold open arrangement. 
     
     
         22 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 21 , wherein the first strip and the second strip are extruded strips made of a single piece of a polyolefine material. 
     
     
         23 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 21 , wherein the at least one locking element comprises two locking elements that define two opposite locking tabs rigidly coupled to the first end and the second end and each configured to pivot from the first flat configuration to the second configuration,
 and wherein the second strip defines two spaced contact surfaces, each adjacent to one of the two junctions, for retaining the two locking tabs in the second configuration.   
     
     
         24 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 23 , wherein the two locking tabs are cut and are oriented according to opposite directions in the first flat configuration. 
     
     
         25 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 24 , wherein the main flexible part is hingedly connected at said first flexing line to a pivot portion of the first strip distinct from any one of the two junctions and hingedly connected at said second flexing line to an opposite pivot portion of the second strip distinct from any one of the two junctions, the two junctions being longitudinal junctions extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sidewall. 
     
     
         26 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 25 , wherein the flexible bag defines a single interior volume between the bottom, the two longitudinal junctions and the interlocking area,
 and wherein the first strip and the second strip have each opposite ends that extend outside the interior volume and form part of said two longitudinal junctions.   
     
     
         27 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 21 , comprising a removable top portion that defines a sealing contact at the opposite from the bottom and prevents access to the closure system, a line of weakness or at least one pre-cut being defined between the removable top portion and the closure system. 
     
     
         28 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 21 , comprising an upper end provided with a pair of opposite pull members that protrude upwardly from the first strip and the second strip in the first flat configuration, the pull members being spaced away from the two junctions and rigidly coupled to the first strip and the second strip for facilitating opening of the closure system and causing flexing of:
 the main flexible part that belongs to the first strip, and   a complementary flexible part of the second strip, facing the main flexible part with a space in an open configuration of the closure system.   
     
     
         29 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 28 , wherein the first and second strips are each provided with complementary anchoring elements so that the closure system is resealable, a sealing contact being continuously formed by the anchoring elements. 
     
     
         30 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 28 , wherein each of the first strip and the second strip has an upper edge provided with two rectilinear upper rim portions separated by one of the pull members,
 and wherein the first strip and the second strip have each a height, measured from the rectilinear rim portions, that increases with increased space from the pull member of the corresponding strip.   
     
     
         31 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 23 , wherein the first flexing line and the second flexing line are each provided with a pair of two longitudinally spaced hinge connections of lower thickness as compared to the thickness of the locking tabs). 
     
     
         32 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 31 , wherein the locking tabs are each delimited by a cut and hinged at a base thereof, the base of each of the locking tabs extending between the hinge connections of a same pair, the locking tabs being each provided with a rectilinear sliding edge configured to extend along the second strip in said second configuration. 
     
     
         33 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 32 , wherein in at least one of the first strip and the second strip, the hinge connections have a determined material thickness less than 50 percent of a material thickness of the adjacent locking tab. 
     
     
         34 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 21 , wherein the hold open arrangement comprises at least two locking tabs rigidly coupled to a same end chosen amongst the first end and the second end of the main flexible part. 
     
     
         35 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 21 , wherein the flexible bag contains:
 edible material, and   a measuring utensil provided with a cup and a handle, which is adapted to be stored in an interior volume defined by the flexible bag, entirely below anchoring elements of the closure system in a storage configuration of the measuring utensil,   
       and wherein the first strip or the second strip is provided with a holding part made of strip material and configured to maintain the measuring utensil in the storage configuration by a retaining contact at an end of the handle. 
     
     
         36 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 35 , wherein the handle of the measuring utensil is provided with an insertion housing, and the retaining contact is obtained by clamping of the holding part into the insertion housing. 
     
     
         37 . The gusset style pouch according to  claim 35 , wherein the holding part is provided with a free edge that defines a leveling element distal relative to a junction between the holding part and the interlocking area. 
     
     
         38 . A method of producing a gusset style pouch, comprising:
 providing a flexible bag having a flexible sidewall by attaching a front wall to a rear wall at two junctions, so that the front wall and the rear wall define a single opening opposite to a bottom of the flexible bag (B);   adding a closure system by sealing a first strip to the front wall and a second strip to the rear wall, the first strip ( 8 ) and the second strip being interlockable strips for attachment at an interlocking area in a closed configuration of the closure system, each of the first strip and the second strip being made of a single piece;   
       wherein the method comprises
 cutting and/or weakening parts of one determined strip chosen amongst the first strip and the second strip of the closure system, which is made of a determined semi rigid plastic material, in order to define a first predetermined flexing line adjacent to one of the two junctions and a second predetermined flexing line adjacent to the other of the two junctions, so that a main flexible part of the determined strip extends between a first end partly delimited by the first predetermined flexing line and a second end partly delimited by the second predetermined flexing line, 
 cutting strip material of the determined strip to define locking means rigidly coupled to at least one of the first end and the second end and configured to pivot from a first flat configuration obtained when the closure system is in the closed configuration to a second configuration, which is a bent, flexed, or engaged configuration; 
 
       and wherein the other strip, which is also made of a semi rigid plastic material, is sealed at the opposite of the determined strip to define at least one contact surface for retaining a locking element of said locking means in the second configuration, whereby the first strip and the second strip of the closure system define a hold open arrangement of the gusset style pouch. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein each of the first strip and the second strip are cut from a continuous extruded band of a same polyolefin material and said determined strip is cut to define two opposite locking elements,
 and wherein the two opposite locking elements are defined before a final cut to define a length of the determined strip and after forming anchoring elements of the determined strip.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein two respective ends of the first strip are each placed in a margin bonding area of the front wall used to define the junctions, when sealing the first strip to the front wall,
 wherein two respective ends of the second strip are each placed in a margin bonding area of the rear wall used to define the junctions, when sealing the second strip to the rear wall,   and wherein the junctions are obtained by longitudinally bonding side edges of the font wall and the rear wall, parallel to the first predetermined flexing line and the second predetermined flexing line.