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EP-4414291-B1 - RECYCLABLE BAG

EP4414291B1EP 4414291 B1EP4414291 B1EP 4414291B1EP-4414291-B1

Inventors

  • TORRIGLIA, Marco
  • VARA ALONSO, Alberto
  • CATOZZI, NICOLA

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210310

Claims (11)

  1. A hermetically sealed single-lip bag (10, 20) comprising: a front panel (210, 1210), a back panel (220, 1220), a first side panel (230, 1230), a second side panel (240), a top seal (340, 1340), a first side seal (310,1310), a second side seal (320, 1320), and a bottom seal (330, 1330), wherein the first side seal comprises a top portion (312, 1312) bonding the front panel to the back panel, a front leg portion (314, 1314) bonding the front panel to the first side panel, and a back leg portion (316, 1316) bonding the back panel to the first side panel, and the second side seal comprises a top portion (322) bonding the front panel to the back panel, a front leg portion (324) bonding the front panel to the second side panel, and a back leg portion (326) bonding the back panel to the second side panel, wherein each of the front panel, the back panel, the first side panel, and the second side panel is constructed from a recyclable high-barrier packaging film (100, 1100) comprising a machine direction oriented polyethylene-based exterior film (110, 1110) and a polyethylene-based interior film (120, 1120), wherein the polyethylene-based exterior film has a transverse direction secant modulus and a machine direction secant modulus, each between 1,000 and 1,800 N/mm 2 , and wherein the total composition of the exterior film comprises greater than 90% polyethylene-based materials, by weight.
  2. The hermetically sealed single lip bag of claim 1 further comprising a laser scored line of weakness on the front panel extending between the top portion of the first side seal and the top portion of the second side seal, a laser scored line of weakness on the back panel extending between the top portion of the first side seal and the top portion of the second side seal, and a tear notch (502) adjacent to at least one of the laser scored lines of weakness.
  3. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising a bottom panel (250) constructed of a recyclable high-barrier packaging film, wherein the bottom seal comprises a front portion (332) bonding the front panel to the bottom panel, a back portion (334) bonding the back panel to the bottom panel, a first side portion (336) bonding the first side panel to the bottom panel, and a second side portion (338) bonding the second side panel to the bottom panel.
  4. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the bottom seal bonds the front panel to the back panel.
  5. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any previous claim, wherein the recyclable high-barrier packaging film further comprises a heat resistant over-print varnish (1140) located on the exposed surface of the exterior film.
  6. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any previous claim wherein the interior film comprises a first outer layer (1122) comprising a sealing surface, a second outer layer (1128) and a first inner layer (1124), and wherein the first inner layer of the interior film comprises ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer.
  7. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any previous claim , wherein the total composition of the recyclable high barrier packaging film comprises less than 5%, by weight, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer.
  8. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any previous claim, wherein the exterior film consists of one or more polyethylene-based polymers.
  9. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any previous claim, wherein the exterior film has a density between 0.93 g/cm 3 and 0.95 g/cm 3 .
  10. The hermetically sealed single-lip bag of any previous claim, further comprising a total composition comprising between 90% and 99% polyethylene-based polymer, by weight.
  11. The hermetically sealed single lip bag of any previous claim, further comprising a zipper closure (400) .

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure is related to bags of the single-lip format and recyclable high-barrier film structures used to produce the bags. The hermetically sealed single-lip bags provide for product protection, easy opening functionality and superior durability. BACKGROUND Pre-made high barrier single-lip bags are made using highly engineered flexible structures. The flexible structures typically have a multitude of films, layers and materials to achieve the necessary characteristics for making, filling and distributing the bags. The bags often include many convenience features such as a flat bottom, an easy open system, and a reclose system. A variety of food or other consumer goods may be packaged in the single-lip bags. The format of the bag allows the bag to stand upright easily, having large flat areas for product information and marketing graphics. The format of the bag allows for high filling volume of flowable product. However, the format of the bag also requires a demanding bag making process, due to the many triple-points in the seals where three or more bag panels meet. High temperatures are required to drive enough heat into the sealing layer to achieve good caulking in the triple-point. As a result, high temperature resistant polymers are typically used on the exterior surface of the flexible structure, such as oriented polyester or oriented polyamide, and low temperature softening polymers are typically used on the interior surface of the flexible structure, such as ethylene-copolymers. This mix of polymeric materials leads to a flexible structure and a bag that cannot be recycled in a single-polymer recycling stream. EP 2857323 A1 relates to a method for producing a film packaging bag and to a film packaging bag having two front walls, side gussets which are inserted between the front walls at bag longitudinal edges, are formed from separate film strips and are connected to the front walls by longitudinal sealing seams, and having a reclosure, wherein the reclosure has a closure slider and two closure strips each having a connecting lug and a profile section, wherein the connecting lugs, with which the closure strips are each attached to one of the front walls, extend in a transverse bag direction over the entire width of the front walls and wherein the closure slider for opening and closing the reclosure is arranged on the profile sections. EP 1796902 A1 relates to a multilayer film comprising at least three layers, two outer layers and a core layer, each outer layer independently comprising an LLDPE component and said core layer comprising a multimodal poly- ethylene component having a lower molecular weight component and a higher molecular weight component, wherein the density of the higher molecular weight component is less than 915 kg/m3 and the MFR2 of the higher molecular weight component is less than 1 g/10 min. SUMMARY Disclosed herein are hermetically sealed single-lip bags constructed from a recyclable high-barrier packaging film. The packaging film is designed such that the unfilled bags can be produced on standard bag making equipment and the bags can be filled and sealed on standard filling equipment. When filled with dry product, the hermetically sealed bags have excellent drop strength, product protection and offer easy to open and close functionality. The embodiments of the hermetically sealed single-lip bag have a front panel, a back panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, a top seal, a first side seal, a second side seal and a bottom seal. The first side seal has a top portion bonding the front panel to the back panel, a front leg portion bonding the front panel to the first side panel, and a back leg portion bonding the back panel to the first side panel. Similarly, the second side seal has a top portion bonding the front panel to the back panel, a front leg portion bonding the front panel to the second side panel, and a back leg portion bonding the back panel to the second side panel. In some embodiments, the bottom seal bonds the front panel to the back panel. In other embodiments, the single lip bag further comprises a bottom panel and the bottom seal has a front portion bonding the front panel to the bottom panel, a back portion bonding the back panel to the bottom panel, a first side portion bonding the first side panel to the bottom panel, and a second side portion bonding the second side panel to the bottom panel. According to the invention each of the front panel, the back panel, the first side panel, the second side panel and the bottom panel (if present) is constructed from a recyclable high-barrier packaging film comprising a machine-direction oriented polyethylene-based exterior film and a polyethylene-based interior film. The polyethylene-based exterior film has a transverse direction secant modulus and a machine direction secant modulus, each between 1,000 and 1,800 N/mm2. The total composition of the exterior film comprises greater than 90% po