Bag with gripping bands
A closure for closing a bag and a die head and method for making the closure. The closure includes two closure members having support walls and mating interlocking profiles. The support walls are resilient and have self-retaining forms in vertical section including middle sections curving outwardly away from one another when mounted on a bag. Top portions of the support walls extend outwardly away from one another to form gripping panels when the closure is closed. A die head for forming a closure member includes a body that defines a slot including a support wall segment for forming the support wall of the closure member. The support wall segment includes first and second portions oriented transverse to one another and intersecting at a vertex. To form the closure member, polymer is extruded through the slot and quenched.
1. A die head for extruding a closure member of a closure for closing a bag that is configured to facilitate opening of the bag when the bag is closed by the closure, the die head comprising:
a die head body for being operatively received in an extruder, the die head body defining an extrusion slot, the extrusion slot including:
an interlocking profile segment shaped and arranged for extruding an interlocking profile of the closure member configured for selective interlocking engagement with an interlocking profile of a mating closure member of the closure; and
a support wall segment fluidly connected to the interlocking profile segment and shaped and arranged for forming a support wall of the closure member joined to the interlocking profile when the closure member is extruded through the die head, the support wall segment having a first end, an opposite second end, a vertex spaced apart between the first end and the second end, a first portion extending between the vertex and the first end and including a first inner section extending outward from the vertex generally along a first axis, and a second portion extending between the vertex and the second end and including a second inner section extending outward from the vertex generally along a second axis, the first and second axes being oriented transverse to one another and intersecting one another at the vertex.
2. A die head as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second portion of the support wall segment extends from the vertex back over the first section of the support wall segment.
3. A die head as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first and second inner sections of the support wall segment define an included angle therebetween in an inclusive range of from about 10° to about 135°.
4. A die head as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first and second inner sections of the support wall segment define an included angle therebetween in an inclusive range of from about 20° to about 105°.
5. A die head as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first and second inner sections of the support wall segment define an included angle therebetween in an inclusive range of from about 30° to about 90°.
6. A die head as set forth in claim 1 further comprising another die head body defining another extrusion slot comprising another interlocking profile segment and another support wall segment having another first inner section and another second inner section oriented transverse to the other first inner section and intersecting the other first inner section at another vertex.
7. A die head as set forth in claim 1 wherein the interlocking profile segment is connected to the first portion of the support wall segment and wherein the interlocking profile segment and the second portion of the support wall segment extend from the first portion of the support wall segment on opposite sides of the first axis.