U.S. patent application number 09/768132 was filed with the patent office on 2002-07-25 for collapsible holder for supporting a plastic bag.
Invention is credited to Hardesty, Laurence D..
Application Number | 20020096524 09/768132 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25081628 |
Filed Date | 2002-07-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020096524 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hardesty, Laurence D. |
July 25, 2002 |
Collapsible holder for supporting a plastic bag
Abstract
A holder of cardboard or other inexpensive material which is
collapsible and which in the erected position will support a
t-shirt bag so it may be used to contain waste. Hangers in the form
of knock-outs in the container or hook attachments are associated
with the end walls to retain the bag. Once filled, the bag may be
easily unhooked and replaced with a new bag. The container has
surfaces for advertising or other graphic information.
Inventors: |
Hardesty, Laurence D.;
(Buckeye, AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Gregory J. Nelson
NELSON & ROEDIGER
Suite 212
3333 E. Camelback Road
Phoenix
AZ
85018
US
|
Family ID: |
25081628 |
Appl. No.: |
09/768132 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/495.08 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65F 2220/106 20130101;
B65D 5/3621 20130101; B65F 2001/061 20130101; B65D 5/60 20130101;
B65D 5/02 20130101; B65F 2230/148 20130101; B65F 1/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/495.08 |
International
Class: |
B65D 035/14; B65D
090/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A holder for supporting t-shirt type merchandise bags for reuse
for waste collection, said holder comprising: (a) a box having
opposite end walls, a front wall and side walls; said walls joined
at foldable edges; and (b) hanger means associated with said
opposite end walls.
2. The holder of claim 1 wherein said hanger comprises general
U-shaped punch out sections in said walls.
3. The holder of claim 1 wherein said hanger comprises a notch in
said end walls adjacent said foldable edges.
4. The holder of claim 1 wherein said box is fabricated from the
group of materials consisting of paperboard, cardboard, fiberboard
or corrugated composite board.
5. The holder of claim 1 wherein said hanger comprises a hook
having a first wall of a first length having an upper edge and a
second wall connected thereto at a channel, said second wall being
of a second length less than the first wall and having a hook at
its upper end engageable over an edge of the box.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a holder and more
particularly relates to a container for supporting a plastic bag
such as the t-shirt-style bag in an open position so that it may be
used to receive waste and trash.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Today, many retail stores, particularly super markets,
utilize both plastic and paper bags for sacking purchased items.
One of the most common type of plastic bags utilized is a bag
sometimes termed "t-shirt" bag because it is provided with handles
extending from the upper end. When consumers return home and empty
the contents of the bag, plastic bags are either discarded or
placed in a recycling container, or, in many cases, are used as
disposable garbage and trash bags. In the past, these bags were
generally placed as liners within conventional metal or plastic
trash containers and, when filled with trash, removed and placed
with another liner or bag. The difficulty was that no convenient
way existed to attach the bags to the outer trash container.
Therefore, a consumer would have to attempt to stretch them in a
manner to secure them along the top lip or edge of the trash
container which did not always work well due to of the absence of
any means for attaching the bag. Often the sides of the bags were
substantially smaller than the waste container and could not easily
be made to stretch or fit the top opening of the waste container
and would disengage and collapse once trash or garbage was
attempted to be place din the bag creating a mess.
[0003] Accordingly, a need developed for a device that would allow
the consumer to utilize plastic bags of this type as disposable
garbage bags which device would maintain the bag in an open
position. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,919 shows a trash can or
attachment that is designed to accept a plastic bag handle having
two loops separated by cross-members which loops protrude
vertically upward from the opening of the container. Certain
disadvantages are attended to this device in that it does not fit
on all waste containers and the upwardly extending loops would
interfere with the type of container having a closeable lid.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,808 describes a bag support with an
elevated cross-member that accepts the bag handle. A somewhat
similar disadvantages are attended to this device.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,584 describes a device for attaching a
plastic to an existing trash container. The device is to be
positioned at the top rim of the trash container having hooks and
attached to the top rim of the container. Another pair of hooks
support the bag. The device will fit on containers of various
shapes.
[0006] Thus, while devices of the type shown above are somewhat
effective for their intended use of allowing a consumer to utilize
plastic bags as trash containers, they often must be used with or
adapted to an existing container. This requires the consumer to
have or purchase a container of a size that will conform to the
size of the bags. Further, these designs which utilize a permanent
waste container do not lend themselves to use in promotional
programs such as programs promoting conservation, environmental
protection or other advertising or graphics.
[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a container that can be inexpensively manufactured and
allows the consumer to re-use a retail plastic bag as disposable
garbage bag.
[0008] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a
container that will maintain a plastic bag in an open position so
that it may easily accept garbage and trash. It is also an object
of the present invention to provide a container to which a
t-shirt-type bag may be easily attached and detached.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
container that may be collapsed to a compact position when not in
use.
[0010] It is an important object of the present invention to
provide a container to which graphic messages may be provided.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Briefly, the present invention provides a container that can
be fabricated from inexpensive materials such as fiber board, card
board or plastic. The container has front and rear walls and
opposite end walls. The walls are joined along vertical joints
which allow the container to be folded to a compact, flat position
when not in use. When erected or assembled, the container is
generally rectangular or square. The opposite end walls are
provided with hangers to which the handle portion of the t-shirt
bag may be easily attached and held in an open position to receive
trash. When the bag is filled, the bag may easily removed and
replaced with another bag. The hangers may be in the form of
notches, punchouts, or elongated S-type hooks engaged on the
opposite end walls. The front, rear and side walls may be imprinted
with various graphic designs or messages such as advertising,
promotional or environmental messages. The construction of the
device is inexpensive so the device may be provided to the consumer
at low cost or even, in some cases, given to the consumer as a
promotional item thereby encouraging conservation and
recycling.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above objects and advantages of the present invention
will be more fully understood from the following description and
drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is perspective view of the preferred embodiment of
the container of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the container in a collapsed
position;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the container of
FIG. 1 as indicated by the encircled area in FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 4 is an end view showing an alternate embodiment of the
present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an end view of yet another embodiment of the
container of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.
5;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the embodiment of FIG.
4;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hanger shown in FIGS. 5
and 6; and
[0021] FIG. 9 is a view showing a representative merchandise bag of
the type generally termed a "t-shirt" bag.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 9 illustrates a typical
merchandise bag of the type commonly used by retail stores and
grocery stores. The bag is designated by the numeral 10 is made of
a light weight plastic material and has a body 12 which typically
opens to form an article receiving compartment measuring
approximately 8" by 12". A pair of handles 14, 14A extend from the
upper edge of the bag for the convenience of the user. As
indicated, these bags are commonly called "t-shirt" bags because of
the appearance of the handles which are similar to certain styles
of t-shirts.
[0023] Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2. The bag 10 is shown supported
in a waste receiving position within container 20. Container 20 is
shown having front wall 22, rear wall 24 and opposite end walls 26
and 28. The front wall 22 is hingedly connected to the end walls at
vertical edges 25, 25A. Similarly, the rear wall 24 is hingedly
connected to the end walls 26 and 28 at vertical edges 25B and 25C.
The dimensions of the container may vary, but typically the end
walls will be approximately 16 to 10 inches wide and the front
walls between 10 and 18 inches. The walls form an interior
bag-receiving compartment 32.
[0024] The material of the container may vary but it is preferably
an inexpensive material made readily available material such as
cardboard, fiber board or a plastic, or a combination of such
materials.
[0025] When the container 20 is not in use, it may be folded or
collapsed to the compact position shown in FIG. 2. The user may
manually unfold or erect the container to the use position shown in
FIG. 1. The container may have an open bottom or may be provided
with a bottom panel. Preferably if the container has a bottom and
is a type of bottom which will unfold into position as the
container is erected. This feature is designated an auto
bottom.
[0026] Hangers are provided to secure the bag handles 14, 14A to
the opposite end walls 26 and 28. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3,
the hangers in a preferred embodiment of the invention comprise
slots 40 which extend from the upper edge of the end walls
downwardly. Preferably the slots are formed having a projection 42
and an opening 44 to the upper edge. In this way, the handle can be
inserted through the opening 44 and received in the slot. The
projection 42 will prevent the handle from slipping from the slot
as items are placed into the open bag. The hangers are positioned
at opposite edges adjacent the comers of the container so as to
hold the bag in a fully open position.
[0027] FIGS. 4 and 7 show another embodiment of the invention with
the hangers being formed as part of the end walls 24 and 28. The
hangers are shown as somewhat U-shaped punched-out areas 50 and 52.
The punched-out areas can be manually forced outwardly as shown in
FIG. 7 to form projections which will grasp the portion of the
handle of 14 or 14A when extended over the upper edge of the end
walls.
[0028] FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 show another embodiment of the present
invention in which each of the end walls 24 and 28 is provided with
an elongate hook 60 formed from metal or plastic by extrusion or
bending. The elongate hook 60 is somewhat S-shaped so that it can
be secured over the upper edge of the end walls having a wall 62
which will extend substantially across the end wall. The upper end
of the wall 62 may curve inwardly at 64 for safety and for
aesthetic consideration. A hook 66 is integrally formed with wall
62 and will frictionally engage the upper edge of the end walls and
a bag receiving channel 72 extends between wall 62 and hook 66. The
hook 66 is displaced or recessed from the sides of the wall 62. In
this way, the wall 62 will extend substantially across the upper
edge of the container end walls 26 and 28. Preferably the end walls
are notched at opposite corners as indicated by the numeral 70 so
the handles of the suspended bag 12 will extend through the notches
70 along the channel 72 and will be hidden or obscured by the wall
62.
[0029] As best seen in FIG. 1, one or more surfaces of the walls
22, 24, 26 and 28 can be provided with suitable graphics or
decorative material or advertising. Typical graphics might include
advertising in the event the container is provided to the consumer
as a promotional item. Theme material such as information relating
to environment or recycling can also be provided. Alternatively,
other types of graphics such as calendars, humorous slogans,
decorative scenery, flowers or even graphics for games of various
types such as a checker board may be imprinted on the surface.
[0030] As indicated above, the container is made in a manner in
constructive material so that it can be manufactured inexpensively
to provide to the consumer as a free promotional item or at low
cost. The device can be collapsed to an out-of-the-way position for
storage. Because of its low cost, if the container becomes damaged
or soiled, it can be replaced at low cost.
[0031] It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to make
various changes, alterations and modifications to the invention
described herein. To the extent such changes, alterations and
modifications do not depart from the spirit and scope of the
appended claims, they are intended to be encompassed therein.
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