DONALD KIETH WRIGHT
Pilots at Viola Ln, Mboro, IL

6059457, May 9, 2000

Aug 10, 1998

9/131709

Gregory S. Sprehe - Carbondale IL
Lester D. Siebert - Cobden IL
Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL

Com-Pac International, Inc. - Carbondale IL

B65D 3316, B65D 3301

383 63

An evacuable storage container for holding compressible articles including a flexible, air-impermeable bag defining an interior and having first and second openings, a one-way valve mechanism sealingly positioned over the first opening, and configured to allow fluid to pass through the valve mechanism out of the bag and to substantially prevent fluid from entering the bag, and a zipper seal adjacent the second opening that is configured to substantially close the second opening. The zipper seal is integral with the bag and includes a first strip including at least one rib that extends from the surface of the first strip, and a second strip opposite the first strip, the second strip including at least two ribs that extend from the surface of the second strip and that are offset from the rib of the first strip such that the first and second strips may be sealingly engaged.

8353147, Jan 15, 2013

Jul 22, 2009

12/507243

Gregory S. Sprehe - Carterville IL, US
Donald Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher Pemberton - Marion IL, US
Lester Siebert - Cobden IL, US
Robert Beiser - Chicago IL, US

B65B 9/08

53551, 53451, 53550, 53575, 531334

A vertical form, fill and seal machine in conjunction with a product supply apparatus provides a continuous, heat sealable plastic film and zipper tape and provides separate, product filled, reclosable, top opening sealed bags. The apparatus includes a means for supplying the continuous plastic film, a means for supplying zipper tape, a means for sealing the zipper tape sections to the film, a vertical fill tube assembly, a feeding means including a film drive roll upstream, film pull belts adjacent the vertical fill tube, a vertical sealing means for sealing the edges of the continuous film to the edges of the continuous zippered cap strip, a horizontal sealing, perforating, and severing means for severing the plastic tube between the first and second horizontal seals, and a tensioning means for horizontally elongating the flexible plastic tube transverse to its length prior to formation of the horizontal seals.

2011023, Sep 29, 2011

Jan 21, 2009

12/356667

Gregory S. Sprehe - Carbondale IL, US
Donald Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher Pemberton - Marion IL, US

COM-PAC INTERNATIONAL, INC. - Carbondale IL

B65D 65/26

3832101

A reclosable back-seam bag having a top seal and a bottom seal, and a front wall and a back wall is disclosed. The front wall is joined to the back wall at the top seal and the bottom seal. The reclosable back-seam bag includes a reclosable fastener that includes two ends, a first continuous elongated profile strip having a front wall connecting flange and a second continuous elongated profile strip having a back wall connecting flange. The first continuous elongated profile strip includes a male interlocking profile having at least one male interlocking member, and the second continuous elongated profile strip includes a female interlocking profile having at least one female interlocking member. The male interlocking member is configured so as to cause the male interlocking profile to be separated from the female interlocking profile with a substantially equal opening force when being separated in a direction toward said top seal as when separated in a direction toward said bottom seal. At least one frangible access portion disposed substantially parallel to said reclosable fastener assembly may be provided to expose the releasable fastener assembly and/or the contents of the bag.

7074359, Jul 11, 2006

May 6, 2003

10/430247

Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher L. Pemberton - Marion IL, US
James Kendall Hankins - Harrisburg IL, US

Com-Pac International - Carbondale IL

B29C 43/34

264443, 264444, 264445, 264294, 264296

A fastener strip is disclosed having permanently sealed, airtight portion and a reclosable portion capable of maintaining an airtight seal when closed. The permanently sealed portion is generally planar and essentially impervious to air flow. The reclosable portion includes a ridge and a trough, joined at their adjacent ends to a plug, which prevents air from leaking from the adjacent end of the reclosable portion. Additionally, a dam joins the plug to the first backing in an essentially airtight seal, and joins the plug to the second backing in an essentially airtight seal. A method and apparatus for sealing portions of a thermoplastic fastener strip are also disclosed. A method is additionally disclosed for vibrating and molding thermoplastic materials, in which a flow of malleable thermoplastic material is initiated and molded with an effectively dimensioned vibrator that is unitary, with a first matrix for guiding and molding the malleable polymer.

2007008, Apr 19, 2007

Nov 1, 2006

11/555451

Donald Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Chistopher Pemberton - Marion IL, US
James Hankins - Carterville IL, US

COM-PAC INTERNATIONAL, INC. - Carbondale IL

B65D 33/16, A44B 19/00

383063000, 024585120

An improved reclosable fastener profile assembly is provided, said assembly comprising a continuous supply of a first profile strip this first profile strip being substantially flat but having at least one rib that extends from the surface of first strip; and a continuous supply of a second profile strip opposite the first strip; this second strip being substantially flat but having at least two ribs that extend from the surface of this second strip. The rib of the first strip and the ribs of the second strip are adapted to sealingly engage and maintain an airtight seal when so engaged. A compression molded segment seal portion fuses the first profile strip, the second profile strip and the ribs of the first profile: strip and second strip. The compression molded segment seal includes a fused section of the first and second profile strips formed through the application of heat and pressure without further filling material or plastic. This fused section is substantially flattened to form an airtight seal of the first and second profile strips less than the combined thickness of the first and second profile strips, without distorting said ribs of said first and second profile strips outside of said fused section, thereby maintaining the airtight seal of the first and second profile strips when interlocked. The compression molded segment seal portion further has a thickness less than the combined thickness of the first profile segment and the second profile segment, so as to allow easier sealing of the ends of the fastener strips to the side walls of a reclosable bag.

6098369, Aug 8, 2000

Jul 17, 1998

9/118575

William A. Bodolay - Lakeland FL
Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL
Lester Siebert - Cobden IL

B65B 6120

531334

An apparatus for attaching a reclosable fastener to a web of flexible material primarily intended for use with a host packaging machine to form a reclosable container. The attaching apparatus is operatively connected to and driven by a programmable motor and function controller in cooperative relation with the host machine and guides the web of flexible material from which the containers will ultimately be formed along a first path through the attaching apparatus. A supply of reclosable zipper-type fasteners is also provided, and the fasteners are guided along a second path of the apparatus. Individual zipper-type fasteners are removed from the fastener supply path and disposed in juxtaposition to a segment of the flexible material in overlying relation to a cut which has been formed through a predetermined segment of the flexible material. The individual fastener is then sealed to the flexible material in overlying, surrounding relation to the cut, and the web, with the reclosable fastener attached thereto, is then passed to the host packaging machine for forming, filling, sealing and separating a reclosable container.

6863754, Mar 8, 2005

Nov 7, 2001

10/039527

Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher L. Pemberton - Marion IL, US
James K. Hankins - Carterville IL, US

Com-Pac International, Inc. - Carbondale IL

B32B031/18

156 64, 156 66, 156252, 156353

The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the afore-mentioned prior art devices and meets the afore-mentioned needs by providing an apparatus and method for accurately sealing a multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip to a web of flexible film in an airtight manner. Moreover, the inventive apparatus and method is capable of repeatedly performing the steps necessary to seal the multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip to the web of flexible film with high manufacturing throughout and low cycle times. Generally, the apparatus and method utilize the multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip having airtight splotch seals fused in a series along desired lengths of the zipper tape. The multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip is dispensed through a feeding mechanism and, when an optical sensor detects one of the splotch seal portions of the multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip, a desired length of multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip is advanced over an elevator platform. A knife is then signaled to descend and sever the advanced portion of multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip, which is thus deposited onto the elevator platform. As the selected portion of the multi-purpose reclosable zipper strip is being positioned and deposited onto the elevator, the web of flexible film is being positioned above the platform.

7762300, Jul 27, 2010

Nov 23, 2004

10/996563

Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher L. Pemberton - Marion IL, US
James K Hankins - Harrisburg IL, US

Com-Pac International, Inc. - Carbondale IL

B32B 37/00

156353, 156519

A reclosable zipper strip is dispensed through a feeding mechanism and, when an optical sensor detects one of the splotch seal portions of the zipper strip, a desired length of zipper strip is advanced over an elevator platform. A knife is then signaled to descend and sever the advanced portion of zipper strip, which is thus deposited onto the elevator platform. As the selected portion of the zipper strip is being positioned and deposited onto the elevator, the web of flexible film is being positioned above the platform. A sealing head is then positioned over the web of flexible film, while at the same time the elevator platform is driven upwardly so that the zipper strip portion positioned thereon comes into contact with the web of flexible film. The heat passing through the web of flexible film creates an airtight seal of the zipper strip to the web.

7337507, Mar 4, 2008

May 4, 2006

11/381632

Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher L. Pemberton - Marion IL, US
James Kendall Hankins - Harrisburg IL, US

COM-PAC International - Carbondale IL

A44B 19/16

24399, 383 63, 383 65

A fastener strip comprising a reclosable portion including an elongated first backing, including a trough extending lengthwise along the first backing and an elongated second backing, including a ridge extending lengthwise along a second backing, the ridge removably insertable into the trough to essentially prevent air flow across the trough, and a generally planar portion including essentially no ridge and essentially no trough, and a plug that joins the ridge of the reclosable portion and the trough of the reclosable portion at the adjacent end of the reclosable portion to the plug in an airtight seal that prevents air from leaking from the adjacent end of the reclosable portion.

8506745, Aug 13, 2013

Apr 12, 2006

11/279475

Donald K. Wright - Murphysboro IL, US
Christopher L. Pemberton - Marion IL, US
James K. Hankins - Harrisburg IL, US

B29C 65/00, B29C 59/04, B30B 5/02, C04B 33/34

156269, 156359, 156367, 156209, 156530, 15658391, 1565831, 156515, 156 8922

A modular reciprocating heat seal jaw assembly is disclosed for sealing reclosable fastener strips to a web of thermoplastic film and for sealing the web of thermoplastic film into a series of reclosable bags. The jaw assembly includes first and second sealing jaws and means for slidably mounting the sealing jaws on a pair of parallel shafts near the lateral ends of the first and second sealing jaws in a horizontal configuration. A method of performing the sealing of the fastener strips and web thermoplastic film into a series of reclosable bags is also disclosed.