Disposal Bag Holder

Abstract

A bag holder having a base that can be interchangeably equipped with wheels or runners for travel thereupon, and a pair of resilient arms releasably connected to the base and extending therefrom to carry a bag in an opened configuration.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to devices which hold bags for collecting materials and more particularly to a travelling bag holder.

Commercially available plastic and paper garbage disposal bags have been found to be economically advantageous and convenient for collecting and disposing of various types of waste materials. However, in using such bags, there is a need for some means of holding the bag in an opened configuration as it is moved around to collect refuse. Portability and support of the bag itself is also needed to reduce the amount of effort required per bag-full of refuse collected. Prior art travelling dustbins are generally clumsy and heavy even though they can be used to hold disposal bags.

The invention provides a travelling bag holder of relatively light weight frame construction which can hold and carry in opened configuration plastic and paper bags such as are commonly sold for garbage disposal.

According to the invention, the bag holder has a base that can be interchangeably equipped with a set of caster wheels or a pair of ski runners for travel thereupon. A pair of arms releaseably connected to the base extend upward therefrom and engage the bag to support and carry it in an opened configuration. These arms extend from opposite sides of the base and are resiliently displaceable toward each other to receive a bag having an opening dimension less than the free span between the ends of the arms. Thus, the arms are biased to hold the bag open.

For a better understanding of the invention and its several advantages, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and following detailed description pertaining to certain preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag holder according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the bag holder shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the bag holder shown in FIG. 1 as taken along line 3--3 therein.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base portion of a bag holder similar to that shown by FIG. 1 but modified in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a typical runner and associated fastening means used in the bag holder of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the bag holder shown in FIG. 4 as taken along line 6--6 therein.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a typical arm assembly that can be used in the bag holders of FIGS. 1 and 4 to adapt them for use with deeper bags.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1-3 there is exemplified a bag holder 10 having a base 11 equipped with caster wheels 12 for movement over a supporting surface, such as a floor or the ground (not shown).

Connected to base 11 at opposite sides thereof are a pair of arms 13 that extend upwardly from base 11 and supportingly engage a bag 14, the skirt portion 15 of bag 14 being turned down and over the end of each arm 13. The arms 13 are generally similar and of metal rod construction, as better seen from the upside-down exploded holder 10 shown in FIG. 2. Each arm 13 can be considered as somewhat U-shaped having a transverse end section 16 connected to opposing upright sections 17 to which is welded a brace 18. Releaseable connection of each arm 13 to base 11 is achieved by shank portions 19 extending in a common plane and which are received in corresponding clamps 20 provided on the underside of base 11. The shanks 19 of each arm 13 are inclined at a divergent angle in relation to each other, and the pair of clamps 20 which receives these shanks 19 have strap seats 21 that are similarly inclined.

To connect each arm 13 to base 11, wing nuts 22 on bolts 24 are loosened such that both strap seat pieces 21 can be easily sprung away from top piece 23 to allow insertion of both shanks 19 into the matching cavities of respective strap seats 21, and then wing nuts 22 are tightened to effect clamping of each shank 19 between top piece 23 and the associated strap seat 21. FIG. 6 shows in detail the structure of a typical clamp 20 and how its wing nut 22, bolt 24 and strap seat 21 piece cooperate with top piece 23.

For a more secure gripping of the arms 13, each strap seat 21 is provided with a dimple or detent 25 that is received in a corresponding notch 26 of the shank 19.

The divergent angle arrangement of the shanks 19 makes it more difficult to accidentally pull them out of clamps 20 in the event nuts 22 should loosen, but yet because of the flexibility of the resilient rod structure of the arms 13, the shanks 19 can be easily inserted into clamp 20.

This resilience of arms 13 is utilized for holding bag 14 in an opened configuration. The arms 13 when connected to base 11 are outstretched therefrom such that the free span, i.e., without the bag 14 in place, between the end sections 16 of opposing arms 13 is larger than the opening dimension of bag 14 when held by arms 13 as shown in FIG. 1, and as measured between the end sections 16 with the bag 14 in place. Thus, the arms 13 are resiliently displaceable toward each other to receive a bag 14 having an opening dimension less than the free span between the ends 16 of arms 13.

Although in many cases the contact friction between the turned over portion 15 of bag 14 and the arms 13 will be sufficient to keep the bag 14 from slipping as it becomes filled, as with refuse, the invention provides an elongated ring type clamp 28, somewhat similar in shape to brace 18, which slidably fits over selected arm 13 and the bag portion 15 that is turned over the end 16 of that arm 13, and operates to secure bag portion 15 to arm 13 as better seen in FIG. 3.

A removable, hinge type cover 29 can be used in connection with holder 10 for closing the opening presented by bag 14. Cover 29 has a pair of spaced hooks 30 shaped to hang and swing around the end section 16 of one arm 13 with bag 14 in place as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. When swung into the closed position, the end of cover 29 opposite hooks 30 rests upon the bag covered end section 16 of the other arm 13.

The arms 13 grip the bag 14 in a manner somewhat analogous to the way a bowstring is held, in that the upright sections 17 are bent at 31 so that end sections 16 tend to hook into the pocket 33 formed by turning down section 15 of the bag 14.

The bag holder 10 can be adapted to hold various depth sizes of bags similar to bag 14 by substituting for each of the arms 13 an arm assembly 35 as shown in FIG. 7. Arm assembly 35 has upright sections 36 similar to those of arm 13, except that instead of being integrally connected to a transverse end section, the sections 36 are adjustably connected to a separate end section 37. Expediently, upright sections 36 are made of rod or tubing smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of tubing used to make end section 37. Section 37 is thus drilled and tapped to receive set screws 38 that are turned to lock section 37 to the end of sections 36 received inside section 37. The effective length of arm assembly 35 can be therefore adjustably set as required for the bag used.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate how the same basic bag holder 10 can be equipped with runners 41 instead of casters 12. From FIGS. 2 and 6 it can be noted that the base 11 is provided with means for receiving conventional caster wheels 12 at each of four corner bosses 42. Each corner boss 42 has installed in it a fitting 43 for receiving a standard caster shank 44, such as commonly come as parts of commercially available caster wheels 12. Accordingly, to fit base 11 with runners 41 it is merely necessary to remove whatever wheels 12 are installed and insert into the fittings 43 the similar shanks 45 and 46 used to secure each runner 41 to a corresponding in-line pair of bosses 42.

To avoid fitting problems as might occur if both shanks 45 and 46 were fixedly connected to the runner 41, only the one shank 45 is fixedly connected to runner 41, and the other shank 46 extends through an elongated hole 47 in runner 41 and is provided with a rectangular flange 48 that seats flush into a recess 49 provided in the bottom of runner 41, as shown in phantom by FIG. 5. The recess 49 and elongated hole 47 allow a certain degree of movement for shank 46 so that its distance to shank 45 can be adjusted to compensate for variations in the actual layout distance between the fittings that receive the shanks 45, 46.

From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that the invention is adaptable in numerous ways to meet the requirements of a specific bag holding application, and provides a basic structure that can travel on wheels 12 or interchangeable runners 41.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be readily understood and appreciated that various changes or modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. A bag holder which comprises a base means disposed for movement over a supporting surface and a pair of oppositely disposed resilient arms releaseably connected to said base means by clamps and extending therefrom to resiliently engage a bag along opposite spaced-apart regions to hold such bag in an opened configuration, the lower ends of said arms having divergently inclined shank parts received by said clamps.

2. A bag holder according to claim 1 including a plurality of wheels connected to said base means to adapt same for movement over said supporting surface.

3. A bag holder according to claim 1 including at least one runner connected to said base means to adapt same for movement over said supporting surface.

4. A bag holder according to claim 1 including a cover supported by one of said arms for pivotal movement relative thereto for closing the opening presented by said bag.

5. A bag holder according to claim 1 including a slidable clamp disposed to fit over one of said arms and a portion of said bag turned over the end of said arm to secure said bag portion to the arm.

6. A bag holder according to claim 1 including a plurality of fittings on said base means disposed to accommodate the interchangeable connection thereto of a set of wheels and a pair of runners.

7. A bag holder according to claim 1 wherein said arms include parts releaseably connected together to allow adjustment of the effective length of each arm.