US3335941A - Carrier bags and handles for use therewith - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1967 F. GATWARD 3,335,941

CARRIER BAGS AND HANDLES FOR USE THEREWITH 7 Filed April 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Harry giwc/arick Graham-J imz/ Maw 11 TTORNEYS CARRIER BAGS AND HANDLES FOR usn THEREWITH Filed April 8, 1965 Aug. 15, 1967 H. F. GATWARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m M a 0 aw cw Um Y F L f M I H United States Patent 3,335,941 CARRIER BAGS AND HANDLES FOR USE THEREWITH Harry Frederick Gatward, London, England, assignor to Coloroll Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Apr. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 446,521

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 20, 1964,

16,208/ 64 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-54) This inventionrelates to carrier bags and handles for use therewith, such bags being constructed from paper or similar comparatively thin material, the bag handles being formed separately and being adhesively secured to the bag. The handles used hitherto were usually constructed from string, paper, sisal or similar material and were not particularly satisfactory in use as they did not provide a comfortable hand grip and their attachment to the bag was not at all secure when the bag was loaded with provisions or other comparatively heavy articles.

It is proposed in carrying out the present invention to utilize handles which are moulded from a thermoplastic-synthetic resin composition such as polythene, such handles being very strong and affording a comfortable hand grip in use when the bag is loaded.

The problem with which the present invention is concerned is the secure attachment of the handles at their ends to the bag particularly if the bag is constructed from a cellulosic material such as paper, and ensuring that the bag itself is sufiiciently strong adjacent the mouth to take the load.

Although it is within the scope of the invention to secure each handle direct to the bag it is preferred to connect the handle to the bag through the medium of a patch which is itself secured to the bag, the patch in addition to providing a more secure base for the attachment of the handle also serving to stiffen and strengthen the bag adjacent the mouth.

A carrier bag in accordance with the present invention has a handle of loop like form and moulded or extruded from a thermo-plastics material, the ends of the handle being heat fixed either directly to the bag or to a patch which is itself secured to the bag.

If a patch is employed it is preferably formed of two pieces of paper, the ends of the handle being sandwiched therebetween, the ends of the handle being heat fixed to the parts of the patch, the inner faces of the parts of the patch being preferably coated with a thermo-plastic material over their inner faces, the thermo-plastic coating having an afiinity for the material forming the handles whereby the application of heat will effectively Weld the ends of each handle to the parts of its associated patch and secure the exposed faces of the patch parts together in facial engagement.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a carrier bag fitted with handles in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view but on an enlarged scale showing the method of attachment of a handle to a bag; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a carrier bag fitted with an alternative construction of handle;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the handles interlock to close the mouth of the bag.

Although the ends of each handle may be heat fixed directly to the bag it is preferred that they shall be secured to a patch Which is subsequently secured to the bag, the patch giving greater security for the handle attachment and greater strength and stiffness where it is most needed, namely at the mouth. The patch may 3,335,941 Patented Aug. 15, 1967 extend across the whole or only partly across the width of the bag.

As will be seen clearly from the accompanying drawings the upper edge 1 of the carrier bag 2 is turned downwardly and inwardly to strengthen the bag along its marginal edge adjacent the mouth. The bag is slit along the fold line at 3 over a length sufiicient to permit the handle 4 to be inserted in an upward direction after the handle has been secured to the composite patch.

Although the parts 5 and 6 of the composite patch may be formed from ordinary paper it is preferred to employ a paper which has been coated on one side with polythene, the polythene coated faces 7 and 8 lying face to face with the ends of the handle lying therebetween.

It is preferred to construct the handles 4 from a thermoplastic material such as polythene and to heat fix the ends of the handles to the polythene coated faces of the parts of the patch, and the exposed faces of the parts of the patch together.

The patch and its associated handle can then be adhesively secured to the inside or outside surface of the bag or may be heat fixed thereto if the bag and outer surface of the patch has been specially treated as, for example coated with polythene and in the case of the bag illustrated in which the upper edge of the bag is turned inwardly and downward and slit along the crease line to allow the handle to be passed upwardly through the slit, the patch will be secured to the inner surfaces of the bag and the downwardly turned upper edge, leaving the handle projecting upwardly through the slit.

Although as previously stated the handles may be constructed from any suitable material it is preferred to construct them from polythene or similar thermoplastic material, the handles being of parallel sided ribbon-like form of flat or slightly curved cross-sectional shape or of the special cross-sectional shape shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

The handles shown fitted to the bag in FIGURES 3 and 4 are intended to interlock when brought together to hold the mouth of the bag closed. The handles are of identical cross-sectional shape and are extruded to form a lateral projection 9 and recess 10 extending throughout their length. The thermo-plastic material forming the handles has sufficient resilience to enable the projection on one handle to be easily pressed into the recess in the other handle, the projection and recess having a crosssectional shape approximating to a little more than half the circumference of a circle so that the parts interlock. Alternatively the parts may be of any other suitable form in which the projection has a dovetail or equivalent form which when sprung into the correspondingly shaped recess will interlock therewith.

The preferred method of heat fixing the ends of the handle to the patch makes use of a heat sink whereby heat generated in the plastic handle material adjacent the cellulosic material comprising the patch or bag can quickly escape before damaging the handle material, bonding being effected by the application of heat with or without pressure to the cellulosic material with the handle in contact therewith and at a temperature in excess of that required to melt the surface of the handle material adjacent the cellulosic material to allow for the temperature drop through the cellulosic material during the bonding process.

I claim:

1. A carrier bag handle assembly for attachment to a paper bag, said assembly comprising a handle member of a substantially loop-like shape formed from a thermoplastic material, and a composite paper patch adapted to be secured to said bag, said patch having two opposed inner surfaces coated with a thermo-plastic material, the ends of said handle member being sandwiched between and heat fixed to said inner surfaces, the exposed faces of said inner surfaces being heat fixed together, said handle member being characterized by substantially uniform strength throughout the entire length between said ends.

2. A carrier bag comprising a pair of handle members, each being of a substantially loop-like shape formed from a thermo-plastic material; a paper bag member having upper edges turned inwardly and downwardly and slit along the crease lines for passage of said handle members therethrough, a pair of composite paper patches each secured between an inner surface of said bag and the outer surface of a corresponding downwardly turned upper edge thereof, each of said patches having two opposed inner surfaces coated with a thermo-plastic material, the ends of each of said handle members being sandwiched between and heat fixed to the inner surfaces of a corresponding patch, the exposed faces of the inner surfaces of each of said patches being heat fixed together, said handle member being characterized by substantially uniform strength throughout the entire length between said ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,520,071 12/1924 Nestor 2295 4 1,751,473 3/ 1930 Deubener 22954 1,910,449 5/1933 Rose 229-54 2,035,674 3/ 1936 Sipe. 2,273,442 2/ 1942 Hedu 190--57 2,980,312 4/ 1961 Gould 229--54 3,070,277 12/ 1962 Moore 229-48 X 3,140,038 7/1964 Laguerre 22954 3,156,166 11/1964 Davis 229--54 X FOREIGN PATENTS 628,831 6/ 1963 Belgium. 1,290,916 3/1962 France. 1,324,366 3/1963 France.

660,718 11 195 1 Great Britain.

I OSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A CARRIER BAG HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR ATTACHMENT TO A PAPER BAG, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HANDLE MEMBER OF A SUBSTANTIALLY LOOP-LIKE SHAPE FORMED FROM A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, AND A COMPOSITE PAPER PATCH ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID BAG, SAID PATCH HAVING TWO OPPOSED INNER SURFACES COATED WITH A THERMO-PLASTIC MATERIAL, THE ENDS OF SAID HANDLE MEMBER BEING SANDWICHED BETWEEN AND HEAT FIXED TO SAID INNER SURFACES, THE EXPOSED FACES OF SAID INNER SURFACES BEING HEAT FIXED TOGETHER, SAID HANDLE MEMBER BEING CHARACTERIZED BY SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM STRENGTH THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH BETWEEN SAID ENDS.

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