AU656882B2

AU656882B2 - Mail bag

Info

Publication number: AU656882B2
Application number: AU56521/90A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Linda Rose Linnell; Michael Charles Linnell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-05-23
Filing date: 1990-05-16
Publication date: 1995-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-16
Also published as: IE65828B1; CA2057885A1; RU2062745C1; DE69023647T2; IE901774L; EP0473636B1; GB9010921D0; HK1000961A1; GB8911780D0; AU5652190A; WO1990014282A1; ES2081984T3; ATE130266T1; GB2233957B; DE69023647D1; EP0473636A1; GB2233957A

Abstract

A mail bag has supports (10) adjacent its mouth, each comprising a generally flat elongate (12) part fixed to the bag fabric with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the edge of the bag mouth and having attachment means by means of which in use the bag is supported. The attachment means may comprise apertured attachment members (14) formed integrally at one or more locations along the length of the elongate parts on edges thereof to extend generally normally away therefrom. In one arrangement (Fig. 2) the bag has four supports, each elongate part being in length substantially a quarter the length of the edge of the bag mouth and the attachment members being formed substantially at the midpoints thereof. In another arrangement the bag may have two supports each elongate part being in length substantially a half the length of the edge of the bag mouth and foldable at its midpoint and the attachment members being formed at respective locations substantially midway between the ends and midpoint of the elongate part. The elongate parts may be located in a hem at the bag mouth with the attachment member passing through an aperture in the hem. Alternatively the elongate part are directly fixed - sewn - onto the bag fabric as the bag is made. The supports may be of moulded plastics material - advantageously of the same material (polypropylene) from which the bag fabric is woven. A support for use in making a mail bag is claimed as is a method of making a bag - which method may include the use of bag fabric with woven differently coloured stripes (22) spaced to enable the ready correct positioning of the elongate parts on the bag fabric.

Description

MAIL BAGS

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to improved bags and sacks, methods of making same and parts therefore.

Bags and sacks (hereinafter referred to simply as bags) are used for many purposes, and the invention is particularly concerned with an improved form of mail bag. BACKGROUND ART

Mail bags are well known and are used to store mail as it is carried e.g. from a collection point to a sorting office and between sorting offices. In use in sorting offices the mail bags are supported open in a frame so that mail may be readily thrown into them. To achieve this it is the practice to provide each mail bag with a plurality of (usually four) metal D-rings at equi-spaced locations along the edges of the mouth of the bag which are engaged by hooks in the frame. The D-rings are attached to mail bags by being stitched into a fold midway along the length of a swathe of fabric (which to provide adequate strength has usually been formed by pre-folding and pre- stitching) the two ends of the swathe being located on either side of the top edge of the bag (with the D-ring substantially in the plain of that edge) and stitched onto the fabric of the bag. To ensure that the mouth of the bag tends to stay open whilst it is in the frame (particularly when it is relatively empty) the edge of the mouth of the bag - to which the D-rings are attached - is usually provided with a stitched in rope or cord which, whilst being sufficiently flexible to allow the bag to be closed, acts to hold the mouth open whilst the bag is held by the hooks in the frame. This rope or cord is usually located in a top hem provided for the fabric of the mail bag as the bag is being made up. Thus it will be seen that the manufacture of a mail bag necessarily includes a number of steps which need to be performed before the bag can be made up. These may be summarized as follows:- Manufacture of the D-ring supports; 1. Slitting the fabric into appropriate width swathes,

2. Folding over the edges of the swathes and stitching along the side edges of the swathe,

3. Cutting the swathes to length and at the same time heat sealing the ends of the cut lengths, and

4. Folding the cut swathes over the straight arm of the D-ring and stitching across the swathe to hold the D-ring in position,

Thereafter the manufacture of a mail bag requires the further steps of:-

6. Cutting the bag fabric to the correct length (it is assumed that it is provided at the correct width),

7. Accurately folding and stitching the cut fabric to provide a top hem at the mouth and side and bottom seams of the bag, 8. Fitting a rope or cord into the hem formed at the bag mouth, and

9. Locating the free ends of the fabric of the

D-ring support to either side of the top of the bag mouth and then stitching those free ends onto the fabric of the bag. Thus it will be seen that the manufacture of a complete mail bag takes, on the above analysis, nine separate operations - and it is to be noted that this analysis does not include the folding, stacking and transportation of the part made bag and D-ring supports, between operatives performing each of the noted operations.

It will be seen from the above the known type of bag is that it is costly to produce - in terms both of materials (bag fabric, rope or cord, metal D-rings and the additional fabric required to form the swathes holding the D-rings on the mail bag) and of operations required to make up the bag.

Again, the known mail bags which include a rope or cord, D-rings and additional fabric required to hold the D- rings in position are significantly heavier than might otherwise be the case making the cost of transporting the mail bag greater than might otherwise be the case (whether filled or unfilled) particularly when it is being transported as air cargo. A first object of this invention is the provision of a new form of mail bag which alleviates and/or overcomes these drawbacks.

A second object of the invention is to provide a support for a mail bag which may be readily attached to the mail bag at a desired location to enable the bag to be supported and which is of significantly less weight than the known, D-ring supports, used at present.

A third object of the invention is to provide a method of making mail bags which is significantly less costly - in terms both of the material used and the number of operations required - than is the case with the known mail bags.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the invention provides a mail bag having at least one support adjacent the mouth thereof, the or each support comprising an elongate part fixed to the fabric of the bag with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the edge of the mouth of the bag, the support further comprising attachment means attached to or formed integrally with said elongate part by means of which in use the bag may be supported.

There may be provided a plurality of supports adjacent the mouth of the bag, the elongate part of the or each support may be resilient and said attachment means of the or each support may comprises at least one attachment member formed integrally partway along the length of said elongate part to extending generally orthogonally of the longitudinal axis of said elongate part.

Preferably the elongate first part of each support is generally flat and said attachment member is formed on an edge thereof.

In one arrangement embodying the invention there are provided four supports, the length of the elongate part of each support being substantially equal to or less than one quarter of the length of the edge of the mouth of the bag and wherein attachment members are formed substantially at the midpoints of the elongate parts.

In another arrangement embodying the invention there are provided two supports, the length of the elongate part of each support being substantially equal to or less than one half of the length of the edge of the mouth of the bag, each said elongate part being foldable substantially at it's midpoint and having a pair of attachment members formed at respective locations substantially midway between the ends thereof and said midpoint.

Desirably the or each attachment member has an aperture for receiving a hook member by means of which the bag may be supported.

The or each support may be attached to the fabric of the bag by locating the elongate part thereof within a hem formed at the mouth of the bag with said attachment member passing through an aperture in the fabric of the hem to a position in which it may be engaged by a said hook.

Alternatively, and preferably we provide the the elongate part of the or each support is directly fixed to the fabric of the bag - desirably, sewn onto the fabric of the bag as the bag is being made.

The or each support may be of a moulded plastics material and advantageously the supports are of moulded polypropelene and the fabric of the bags is woven polypropelene. A second aspect of the invention provides a support for use in making a mail bag which comprises a elongate part attachable to the fabric of the bag adjacent the mouth of the bag and formed integrally with attachment means at one or more locations along the length thereof to extend generally orthogonally of the axis of the elongate part.

In this second aspect the elongate part is preferably generally flat and said attachment means comprises an apertured attachment member formed substantially at the midpoint of a longitudinally extending edge thereof to extend generally normally away therefrom and wherein the support is of a moulded plastics material such that it may be sewn onto the fabric of a mail bag.

Alternatively the elongate part is generally flat and foldable substantially at it's midpoint, and said attachment means comprises a pair of apertured attachment members formed at respective locations substantially midway between the ends thereof and said midpoint on the edge thereof to extend generally normally away therefrom, and wherein the support is of a moulded plastics material such that it may be sewn onto the fabric of a mail bag.

A third aspect of the invention provides a method of making a mail bag using supports as defined above, including the steps of folding and stitching edges of the piece of fabric to form a bag and fixing the elongate part of the of each support to the fabric of the bag with the support adjacent the mouth thereof such that the attachment means of the or each support extends above the mouth of the bag.

Preferably the method provides the steps of locating supports such that the elongate part of each support is adjacent and parallel to a folded edge of a piece of fabric and their longitudinal axes are substantially aligned, stitching the elongate part of each support to the folded edge of fabric and folding the fabric and stitching other edges thereof so as to form a bag with the attachment member of each support extending above the mouth of the bag.

Desirably the method includes the step of using fabric adapted to indicate the locations at which the or each elongate part of a support is to be located - advantageously, the fabric used has stripes of different colours woven thereinto, the spacing of the stripes being in substance the same as the length of the elongate members of the supports to be fixed to the fabric in making the mail bag. EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows at A and B respectively side and end views of a support in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 illustrates at A a stage in the method embodying the invention of making a mail bag and at B a completed mail bag.

Figure 3 illustrates a mail bag made in accordance with the invention supported in a frame, and

Figure 4 illustrates at A and B alternatives to the embodiments described with reference to Figures 1 to 3

With reference now to Figures 1 and 2, a support 10 is shown to comprise an elongate part 12 of length P, height Q and thickness R. On one edge of Part 12, substantially at its midpoint there is provided a member 14 of height S and thickness T. In this embodiment of the support the height S and thickness T of member 14 are respectively greater than the height Q and thickness R of the elongate part 12 of support 10.

Member 14 is generally of the D-shape shown and the corners 16 where it meets the elongate part 12 are radiussed to increase the strength of support 10.

Support 10 is moulded in one piece from polypropelene.

The elongate part 12 may be provided with upper and lower edges which run parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the part 12 or, preferably, be provided running at slight, upwardly extending angles A (not more than 3 ) to that axis as as shown in Figure 1A.

Figure 2A illustrates a stage in the manufacture of a mail bag in accordance with one embodiment of the invention and shows four supports 10 correctly positioned for attachment to a piece of woven polypropelene fabric being made up into a mail bag.

The piece of fabric 20 is provided at the desired width W which will, when the bag is made up, be substantially equal to the length of the edge of the bag mouth. It will be noted that the polypropelene material as provided has woven thereinto a series of stripes 22 running along its length.

The arrangement of the stripes 22 - which are preferably provided by weaving polypropelene of a different colour into the main body of the fabric piece 20, are positioned generally as shown. It will be noted that an outer pair of stripes 22' are spaced a short distance in from the outer edges 24 of the fabric piece 20 and that there are a further six stripes 22" arranged in three pairs running the length of the fabric. The spacing of the pairs of stripes 22" one from the other, and of those pairs of stripes from the outermost stripes 22' is substantially the same, or very slightly greater, than the dimension P of the elongate part 12 of the support 10.

To make the mail bag in accordance with the invention the piece of fabric 20 is first cut to length D as shown. Thereafter the top edge 26 is folded as indicated and the supports 10 are positioned on that folded top edge as shown. The stripes 22 provided in the fabric enable the accurate positioning of the elongate parts 12 of the supports 10 in the locations at which they are to be fixed to the fabric piece 20. The operative then simply stitches across the fold 26 - as indicated at 28 - to form a hem for the bag mouth and at the same time stitches through the relatively soft elongate parts 12 of the supports 10 to hold the supports on the fabric piece 20.

It will be seen that the length P of the elongate part 12 of each support 10 is just less than a quarter of the length of the width W of fabric 20, thereby enabling the piece of fabric 20 to be folded about it's centre line (shown dotted at 30) to bring the opposed side edges 24 and the the two halves 32' and 32" of the bottom edge 32 of the piece of fabric 20 into register one with the other.

After the fabric piece 20 has been folded in this way the operative grasps the two edges 24 and folds them back until they are in register with the outermost lines 22' woven into the fabric piece 20. He or she then simple machine stitches down the length D of the fabric piece to form the side seam of the mail bag.

Thereafter the mail bag is completed by folding the two halves 36' and 36" of the bottom edge up and stitching across the bottom of the fabric piece 20 to form the completed bag as illustrated in Figure 2B.

To prevent the fabric edges fraying when the mail bag is in use these edges may - before the supports 10 are attached to the piece of cloth 20 - be heat treated in a known manner. Alternatively, they may be tack hemmed or reinforced with strips of the same or another fabric if desired.

Figure 3 shows a mail bag 40 made in accordance with the above described method in use supported in a square frame 42 by means of hooks 44 at the corners of the frame. Each hook 44 passes through a respective one of the four members 14 of the bag. It will be seen that the elongate parts 12 of the four supports 10 are forced to adopt the position shown and that their natural resilience acts to hold the mouth of the mail bag 40 open.

It will be appreciated that there are many modifications which may be made to the arrangements so far described without departing from the scope of the invention and some of these are illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 4A illustrates a modified form of support

10 having a single elongate part 50 substantially twice the length of the elongate parts 12 described above. The elongate part 50 is formed at it's midpoint with a portion of reduced thickness 52 which divides the elongate part 50 into two halves 50' and 50" as shown.

The elongate part 50 is foldable about it's midpoint 52 and each half 50' and 50" of it is formed - at a location midway between it's free end and the midpoint of the elongate part 50 - with a attachment member 14 as described above. It will be appreciated that a support such as shown in Figure 4A may be used in place of two of the supports described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 in the manufacture of a mail bag - the two halves 50' and 50" of the elongate part 50 being able rotate relative to one another about the portion of reduced thickness 52 - and tend to hold the mouth of the mail bag open whilst it is supported in the frame 42.

It will further be appreciated that the four supports described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 may if desired be replaced by a single support having an elongate part substantially four times as long as the elongate parts 12 - being separated by three portions of reduced thickness dividing the elongate part into four quarters - each of which is formed - at it's midpoint with a attachment member 14 as described above. The particular form of the support may be varied if desired from that shown 10 - the length P, height Q and thickness R of the elongate first part 12 may be altered as desired as may the height S and thickness T of the attachment member 14 - providing always that the elongate part acts when attached to the mail bag in the manner described with reference to Figure 3.

Again the manner in which the support is attached to the fabric of the mail bag may be varied.

A modified way of attaching an support of different form to those already described is illustrated in Figure 4B which shows a support 60 to comprise an elongate part 62 of rod-like form and having a attachment member 64 formed half way along it's length to extend in a plane including the axis of the elongate part 62. The fabric of the piece of cloth to form the mail bag is pierced at 66 by a slot the length of which is in substance the same as the dimension of the attachment member 64 measured along the length of the elongate part 62.

To attach the support 60 to the fabric of the mail bag the support is placed on the fabric and the attachment member 64 passed through slot 66, thereafter the outer edge 68 of the fabric is folded over the elongate part 62 and stitched onto the main part 70 of the fabric to form a hem in which the elongate first part 62 is located - the slot 66 through which the attachment member 64 extends being at the upper edge of the bag.

The method of attaching an support to a mail bag described with reference to Figure 4B is not of course limited to form of support 60 there described - the same method of attachment may, if desired be used for the supports described with reference to the earlier described Figures .

It will be seen that other variations to the described arrangements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The attachment member and elongate parts of any support may be separable, or be formed separately and thereafter fixedly attached one to the other. The support may be of dimensions and materials other than those specifically described - particularly if the fabric from which the mail bag is woven is different (e.g. canvas) and requires that the degree of support to be given by the support is greater (or less) than that required to satisfactorily support the bag in a frame and hold open the mouth of the mail bag whilst it is in the frame. Although described as being of polypropelene - a material which may simply be stitched through by a commercial sewing machine - it will be appreciated that the material of the support and in particular of the elongate part thereof may be of any material and may be pre-formed with holes through which a thread may be passed in a stiching operation to attach the support to the piece of cloth to form the mail bag.

Again, although the preferred methods of attaching the support to the piece of cloth forming the mail bag are those described it will be appreciated that any other suitable method (welding, glueing, pinning or rivetting) may be employed without departing from the scope of this invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY It will be seen from the foregoing that mail bags embodying the present invention are more simply made than mail bags presently known to us in that they simply require;-

1. That the fabric for forming the bags be cut to length,

2. That the top edge of the cut fabric length be folded and the supports be accurately positioned (with the aid of the stripes pre-formed in the fabric), and

3. That the top, side and bottom edges of the fabric piece be stitched to form the bag, with the supports in position.

It will be appreciated that the number of operations required to make a bag in accordance with the present invention is reduced compared with the number of operations required to make a mail bag of traditional form - leading to a significant saving in the cost of making the bag.

Furthermore it will be noted that the arrangement described provides that relatively lightweight polypropelene supports 10 are used and that these are fixed directly onto the fabric of the mail bag without the need for additional fabric. For this reason the weight of a mail bag embodying the present invention is substantially less (approximately one half) the weight of a mail bag made of the same fabric material but using the traditional metal D-rings held in position by swathes of fabric stitched onto the upper edge of the bag - and including a rope or cord passed through an upper hem of the bag.

For this reason bags made in accordance with the present invention have significant cost advantages over traditionally made bags when being transported - either filled or empty - especially as air cargo.

Claims

1. A mail bag having at least one support adjacent the mouth thereof, the or each support comprising an elongate part fixed to the fabric of the bag with its longitudinal axis generally parallel to the edge of the mouth of the bag, the support further comprising attachment means attached to or formed integrally with said elongate part by means of which in use the bag may be supported.

2. A mail bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is provided a plurality of supports adjacent the mouth of the bag, wherein the elongate part of the or each support is resilient and wherein said attachment means of the or each support comprises at least one attachment member formed integrally partway along the length of said elongate part and extending generally orthogonally of the longitudinal axis of said elongate part.

3. A mail bag as claimed in claim 2, wherein the elongate first part is generally flat and said attachment member is formed on an edge thereof.

4. A mail bag as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein there are provided four said supports, the length of the elongate part of each support being substantially equal to or less than one quarter of the length of the edge of the mouth of the bag and wherein attachment members are formed substantially at the midpoints of the elongate parts.

5. A mail bag as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein there are provided two said supports, the length of the elongate part of each support being substantially equal to or less than one half of the length of the edge of the mouth of the bag, each said elongate part being foldable substantially at it's midpoint and having a pair of attachment members formed at respective locations substantially midway between the ends thereof and said midpoint.

6. A mail bag as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the or each attachment member has an aperture for receiving a hook member by means of which the bag may be supported.

7. A mail bag as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the or each support is attached to the fabric of the bag by locating the elongate part thereof within a hem formed at the mouth of the bag with said attachment member passing through an aperture in the fabric of the hem to a position in which it may be engaged by a said hook.

8. A mail bag as claimed any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the elongate part of the or each support, is directly fixed to the fabric of the bag.

9. A mail bag as claimed claims 8, wherein the elongate part of the or each support is sewn onto the fabric of the bag.

10. A mail bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each support is of a moulded plastics material.

11. A mail bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supports are of moulded polypropelene and the fabric of the bags is woven polypropelene.

12. A moulded plastics support for a mail bag as claimed in claim 1, the support comprising a elongate part attachable to the fabric of the bag adjacent the mouth of the bag and formed integrally with attachment means at one or more locations along the length thereof to extend generally orthogonally of the axis of the elongate part.

13. A support as claimed in claim 12, wherein the elongate part is generally flat and said attachment means comprises an apertured attachment member formed substantially at the midpoint of a longitudinally extending edge thereof to extend generally normally away therefrom and wherein the support is of a moulded plastics material such that it may be sewn onto the fabric of a mail bag.

14. A support as claimed in claim 12, wherein the elongate part is generally flat and foldable substantially at it's midpoint, and said attachment means comprises a pair of apertured attachment members formed at respective locations substantially midway between the ends thereof and said midpoint on the edge thereof to extend generally normally away therefrom, and wherein the support is of a moulded plastics material such that it may be sewn onto the fabric of a mail bag.

15. A method of making a mail bag using supports each as claimed in any one of claims 12, 13 and 14, including the steps of folding and stitching edges of the piece of fabric to form a bag and fixing the elongate part of the of each support to the fabric of the bag with the support adjacent the mouth thereof such that the attachment means of the or each support extends above the mouth of the bag.

16. A method of making a mail bag comprising the steps of locating supports each as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, such that the elongate part of each support is adjacent and parallel to a folded edge of a piece of fabric and their longitudinal axes are substantially aligned, stitching the elongate part of each support to the folded edge of fabric and folding the fabric and stitching other edges thereof so as to form a bag with the attachment member of each support extending above the mouth of the bag.

17. A method of making a mail bag as claimed in any one of claims 15 or claim 16, which includes the step of using fabric adapted to indicate the locations at which the or each elongate part of a support is to be located.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein a fabric is used which has stripes of different colours woven thereinto, the spacing of the stripes being in substance the same as the length of the elongate members of the supports to be fixed to the fabric in making the mail bag.

19. A mail bag as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings

20. A support for a mail bag as claimed in claim 12 and substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 4 of the accompanying drawings

21. A method of making a mail bag as claimed in claim 15 and substantially as herein described.