US5088164A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Container with intermeshable closure members
Assignee: 3M Co
•
Filing: 1989-03-22
•
Granted: 1992-02-18
•
Expires: 2009-03-22
Abstract
Abstract A closure for use in joining together container portions to enclose an opening in a container. The closure includes a pair of intermeshable closure members, each having a structured surface. The structured surfaces adhere to each other when brought into contact to secure the container portions together.
Inventors
- 👤 Shari J. Wilson
- 👤 Roger H. Appeldorn
- 👤 Robert N. Hamlin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 18:14
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D33/00; B65D33/16; B65D33/25; B65D33/2508; B65D33/2541; B65D33/2558; B23; B23Q; B23Q16/00; B23Q16/02; B23Q16/08; B65D77/00; B65D77/04; B65D77/06; B65D77/062; B65D77/065; F; F16; F16B; F16B2/00; F16B2/20; F16B5/00; F16B5/07; A; A44; A44B; A44B18/00; A44B18/0069; A44B18/0084; A44B19/00; A44B19/10; A44B19/16; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S24/00; Y10S24/30; Y10S24/38; Y10S24/39; Y10S24/41; Y10T; Y10T24/00; Y10T24/45; Y10T24/45152
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
For use with a container having an opening providing access to an interior of the container and including a first container portion and a second container portion that enclose the opening when joined together, a closure for securing the first container portion and the second container portion together, comprising: (a) a first intermeshable closure member adapted for mounting on the first container portion; (b) a second intermeshable closure member adapted for mounting on the second container portion; (c) said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member each having a structured surface, with said structured surfaces being brought into contact with each other when the first and second container portions are brought together; and (d) each of said structured surfaces including a plurality of solid tapered elements, each of said elements having at least one side inclined relative to a common plane of each of said structured surfaces at an angle sufficient to form a taper such that each element may mesh with at least one corresponding element of the other of said structured surfaces when brought into contact with said corresponding element and adhere thereto at least partially because of the frictional force of adherence of said contacting tapered sides and wherein the tangent of the half angle of said tapered sides of said elements is no greater than the coefficient of friction of the material of the contacting tapered sides.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
For use with a container having an opening providing access to an interior of the container and including a first container portion and a second container portion that enclose the opening when joined together, a closure for securing the first container portion and the second container portion together, comprising: (a) a first intermeshable closure member adapted for mounting on the first container portion; (b) a second intermeshable closure member adapted for mounting on the second container portion; (c) said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member each having a structured surface, with said structured surfaces being brought into contact with each other when the first and second container portions are brought together; and (d) each of said structured surfaces including a plurality of solid tapered elements, each of said elements having at least one side inclined relative to a common plane of each of said structured surfaces at an angle sufficient to form a taper such that each element may mesh with at least one corresponding element of the other of said structured surfaces when brought into contact with said corresponding element and adhere thereto at least partially because of the frictional force of adherence of said contacting tapered sides and wherein the tangent of the half angle of said tapered sides of said elements is no greater than the coefficient of friction of the material of the contacting tapered sides.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
75 words
The closure of claim 1, wherein said elements of said structured surfaces of said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member each have two sides, and said plurality of elements on each of said structured surfaces are arranged side by side to form a plurality of linear ridges and grooves, whereby the sides of adjacent elements forms the sides of each groove and the sides of each element meet at each ridge.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The closure of claim 2, wherein each groove further comprises a trough between adjacent elements separating the sides of each groove to provide a cavity when said elements are brought into contact with one another.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The closure of claim 1, wherein the force associated with the sides of said meshing elements is greater than the force associated with the ridges and troughs.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The closure of claim 1, wherein said elements of each structured surface are non-symetric and canted with respect to said common plane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
10 words
The closure of claim 1, wherein said elements are chamfered.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
237 words
A bag, comprising: (a) a front panel; (b) a back panel joined to said front panel along side and bottom edges to form an opening providing access to an interior of the bag; (c) a first intermeshable closure member mounted on said front panel; (d) a second intermeshable closure member mounted on said back panel so that said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member may be brought together to join said front panel to said back panel and enclose said opening; p1 (e) said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member each having a structured surface, with said structured surfaces being brought into contact with each other when said front panel and said back panel are joined together; and (f) each of said structured surfaces including a plurality of solid tapered elements, each of said elements having at least one side inclined relative to a common plane at an angle sufficient to form a taper such that each element may mesh with at least one corresponding element of the other of said structured surfaces when brought into contact with said corresponding element and adhere thereto at least partially because of the frictional force of adherence of said contacting sides and wherein the tangent of the half angle of said tapered contacting sides of said elements is no greater than the coefficient of friction of the material of the contacting sides.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
237 words
A bag, comprising: (a) a front panel; (b) a back panel joined to said front panel along side and bottom edges to form an opening providing access to an interior of the bag; (c) a first intermeshable closure member mounted on said front panel; (d) a second intermeshable closure member mounted on said back panel so that said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member may be brought together to join said front panel to said back panel and enclose said opening; p1 (e) said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member each having a structured surface, with said structured surfaces being brought into contact with each other when said front panel and said back panel are joined together; and (f) each of said structured surfaces including a plurality of solid tapered elements, each of said elements having at least one side inclined relative to a common plane at an angle sufficient to form a taper such that each element may mesh with at least one corresponding element of the other of said structured surfaces when brought into contact with said corresponding element and adhere thereto at least partially because of the frictional force of adherence of said contacting sides and wherein the tangent of the half angle of said tapered contacting sides of said elements is no greater than the coefficient of friction of the material of the contacting sides.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
75 words
The bag of claim 7, wherein said elements of said structured surfaces of said first intermeshable closure member and said second intermeshable closure member each have two side, and said plurality of elements of each of said structured surfaces are arranged side by side to form a plurality of linear ridges and grooves, whereby the sides of adjacent elements form the sides of each groove and the sides of each elements meet at each ridge.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
The bag of claim 8, wherein each groove further comprises a trough between adjacent elements separating the sides of each groove to provide a cavity when said elements are brought into contact with one another.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The bag of claim 9, wherein the force associated with the sides of said meshing elements is greater than the force associated with the ridges and troughs.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The bag of claim 7, wherein each of said elements is nonsymetric and canted with respect to said common plane.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
10 words
The bag of claim 7, wherein said elements are chamfered.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
82 words
The bag of claim 7, wherein said first intermeshable closure member is mounted on said back surface of said front panel and said second intermeshable closure member is mounted on said back surface of said back panel, and wherein said back panel extends beyond said front panel enabling said back panel to be folded over and inserted into said opening of the bag to enclose said opening and bring said first intermeshable closure member into contact with said second intermeshable closure member.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
75 words
The bag of claim 7, wherein said first intermeshable closure member is mounted on said front surface of said front panel and said second intermeshable closure member is mounted on said front surface of said back panel, and wherein said back panel extends beyond said front panel to enable said back panel to be folded over to enclose said opening and bring said first intermeshable closure member into contact with said second intermeshable closure member.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-02-17 | 1995-08-19 | 1996-02-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-02-17 | 1999-08-19 | 2000-02-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-02-17 | 2003-08-19 | 2004-02-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |