CA2246869A1 - Fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system - Google Patents
Fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2246869A1 CA2246869A1 CA 2246869 CA2246869A CA2246869A1 CA 2246869 A1 CA2246869 A1 CA 2246869A1 CA 2246869 CA2246869 CA 2246869 CA 2246869 A CA2246869 A CA 2246869A CA 2246869 A1 CA2246869 A1 CA 2246869A1
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bag
- fruit
- dispensing system
- roll
- vegetable
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
- A47F9/00—Shop, bar, bank or like counters
- A47F9/02—Paying counters
- A47F9/04—Check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores
- A47F9/042—Shopping bags or carton-dispensing systems therefor
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H35/00—Delivering articles from cutting or line-perforating machines; Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices, e.g. adhesive tape dispensers
- B65H35/10—Delivering articles from cutting or line-perforating machines; Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices, e.g. adhesive tape dispensers from or with devices for breaking partially-cut or perforated webs, e.g. bursters
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
- A47F9/00—Shop, bar, bank or like counters
- A47F9/02—Paying counters
- A47F9/04—Check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores
- A47F9/042—Shopping bags or carton-dispensing systems therefor
- A47F2009/044—Shopping bags or carton-dispensing systems therefor dispensing from a roll
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
- B65H2701/19—Specific article or web
- B65H2701/191—Bags, sachets and pouches or the like
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- Packages (AREA)
Abstract
A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system is disclosed having a bag roll with a central passage and being formed from a continuous web of bags. Each bag has a top edge, a pair of opposed side edges and the bottom edge. Each bag is attached along the top edge and the bottom edge to the next adjacent bag, the attachment being along a line weakness.
Each bag also has a closed bottom edge and an open top. The line of weakness includes a centrally cut portion generally centrally disposed between the bags side edges. The system further includes a bag dispensing rack having a rear wall mounting portion and an opposed pair of outwardly projecting frame elements extending from opposite sides of the rear wall mounting portion. A bent member is attached between the frame elements, the bent member having upwardly extending free ends and a middle web guiding portion extending between the frame elements along the lower front edge. A roll supporting element is non-rotationally mounted on the free ends of the bent member, the roll supporting element being sized and shaped to fit into the central passageway of the roll. Also provided is a snag member which extends forwardly and upwardly adjacent to the web guiding portion of the rack. Thus, the leading edge of the bag web passes under the middle portion of the bent member and across the snag member and as the bag web is drawn out the snag member catches the centrally cut portion to retain the next to last bag on the rack while freeing the last bag from the continuous web.
Each bag also has a closed bottom edge and an open top. The line of weakness includes a centrally cut portion generally centrally disposed between the bags side edges. The system further includes a bag dispensing rack having a rear wall mounting portion and an opposed pair of outwardly projecting frame elements extending from opposite sides of the rear wall mounting portion. A bent member is attached between the frame elements, the bent member having upwardly extending free ends and a middle web guiding portion extending between the frame elements along the lower front edge. A roll supporting element is non-rotationally mounted on the free ends of the bent member, the roll supporting element being sized and shaped to fit into the central passageway of the roll. Also provided is a snag member which extends forwardly and upwardly adjacent to the web guiding portion of the rack. Thus, the leading edge of the bag web passes under the middle portion of the bent member and across the snag member and as the bag web is drawn out the snag member catches the centrally cut portion to retain the next to last bag on the rack while freeing the last bag from the continuous web.
Description
UNITED STATES
PATENT APPLICATION
PIASETZKI & NENNIGER
File app009/JTN
Title:
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE BAG DISPENSING SYSTEM
Inventor(s):
David Granovsky Greg Ledger Title: FRUIT AND VEGETABLE BAG DISPENSING SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of bag dispensing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to bag dispensing systems which include a source of bags, such as clear rectangular bags used by customers to pack fruit or vegetables in supermarkets, and a rack for holding the source of bags until needed by the customer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is now common, in most supermarkets, to provide thin, light-weight, rectangular plastic bags for packaging fruit and vegetables selected by the customer from an open fruit and vegetable display. Typically, the bags are provided in the form of a large roll which is placed on a vertically oriented rod. The customer then has to grip the bag to be removed in one hand and grip the last remaining bag in the other hand to tear the bag being removed off along a perforation line between the bag being removed and the last remaining bag. This is somewhat awkward to do and requires two hands. Often a customer will have already selected the fruit or vegetable to be bagged and thus has only one hand free.
Additionally, once the bag has been pulled off of the continuous roll, it can be difficult to identify which is the open end and which is the closed end. This is because the line of perforations joining the bags together to form a continuous web is formed as a series of perforations with nips or continuous lands therebetween. As the these lands are pulled apart, the plastic stretches and upon breaking can retrack to form a weak bond joining the opposed top edges of the bag together. In this sense the open top edge of the bag is closed by plastic swaging. This effectively keeps the open top of the bag closed along the perforated edge. The customer, wanting to open the bag to store and carry the fruits or vegetables, suffers aggravation trying to figure out how to open the bag that has just been awkwardly ripped off the bag roll.
A number of attempts have been made to resolve this problem in the prior art. For example, U.S. patent no. 5,480,084 is directed to a dispensing rack for rolls of bags which are joined together end to end.
However, this dispensing rack is formed from a plurality of bent wire elements and requires a significant amount of fabrication. Further, the roll from which the bags are dispensed rests in the wire rack where its weight is supported on the outside of the roll. Thus, to advance the web one has to overcome the friction of the roll in the rack. For the large rolls typically used in grocery stores, this system results in too much friction, and a breaking of the bags along the line of weakness or perforation joining the bags end to end, before the bags have advanced outwardly from the rack.
Therefore, the next person using the device must reach in and locate the free end of the web in order to try to advance it.
U.S. patent no. 5,573,186 is directed to a different type of dispenser for plastic bags. In this configuration, a rectangular housing is provided in which the roll of bags is permitted to rotate. Although the specification teaches that an axle may be used, there is no description of how the axle may be placed or supported. The dispenser includes side, bottom, rear walls and a top panel, which is complicated and expensive to build.
Additional bag dispensing systems can be found in the following patents:
DeMatteis U.S. Patent No. 5,706,993 Kannankeril et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,573,168 Guido U.S. Patent No. 5,566,873 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,558,262 Morris U.S. Patent No. 5,556,019 Daniels U.S. Patent No. 5,480,084 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,433,363 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,261,585 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,219,424 Daniels U.S. Patent No. 5,209,371 Carpenter U.S. Patent No. 5,170,957 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,135,146 Osborn Jr. U.S. Patent No. 3,229,876 Bahnsen U.S. Patent No. 3,173,590 Williamson U.S. Patent No. 3,098,594 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is desired is a bag dispensing system, for large rolls of grocery style vegetable and fruit bags, which is reliable, strong, and yet inexpensive to build and maintain. Most preferably, the bag dispensing system would include a rack that rotatably supports the bag roll to prevent premature breakage along lines of weaknesses formed in the bag web.
Additionally, the rack should be simply constructed and easy to fabricate.
Lastly, the rack should provide for easy one-handed operation in the event a customer is already holding a fruit or vegetable to be placed in the retrieved bag. Lastly, the bags should be presented in a manner which facilitates easy opening of the bag to place the product therein.
Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system comprising:
a bag roll having a central passage and being formed from a continuous web of bags, each bag having a top edge, a pair of opposed side edges and a bottom edge, each bag being attached along said top edge and said bottom edge to the next adjacent bags, said attachment being along a line of weakness, each bag having a closed bottom edge and an open top;
said line of weakness including a centrally cut portion generally centrally disposed between said bag side edges; and a bag dispensing rack, said rack including:
a rear wall mounting portion;
PATENT APPLICATION
PIASETZKI & NENNIGER
File app009/JTN
Title:
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE BAG DISPENSING SYSTEM
Inventor(s):
David Granovsky Greg Ledger Title: FRUIT AND VEGETABLE BAG DISPENSING SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of bag dispensing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to bag dispensing systems which include a source of bags, such as clear rectangular bags used by customers to pack fruit or vegetables in supermarkets, and a rack for holding the source of bags until needed by the customer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is now common, in most supermarkets, to provide thin, light-weight, rectangular plastic bags for packaging fruit and vegetables selected by the customer from an open fruit and vegetable display. Typically, the bags are provided in the form of a large roll which is placed on a vertically oriented rod. The customer then has to grip the bag to be removed in one hand and grip the last remaining bag in the other hand to tear the bag being removed off along a perforation line between the bag being removed and the last remaining bag. This is somewhat awkward to do and requires two hands. Often a customer will have already selected the fruit or vegetable to be bagged and thus has only one hand free.
Additionally, once the bag has been pulled off of the continuous roll, it can be difficult to identify which is the open end and which is the closed end. This is because the line of perforations joining the bags together to form a continuous web is formed as a series of perforations with nips or continuous lands therebetween. As the these lands are pulled apart, the plastic stretches and upon breaking can retrack to form a weak bond joining the opposed top edges of the bag together. In this sense the open top edge of the bag is closed by plastic swaging. This effectively keeps the open top of the bag closed along the perforated edge. The customer, wanting to open the bag to store and carry the fruits or vegetables, suffers aggravation trying to figure out how to open the bag that has just been awkwardly ripped off the bag roll.
A number of attempts have been made to resolve this problem in the prior art. For example, U.S. patent no. 5,480,084 is directed to a dispensing rack for rolls of bags which are joined together end to end.
However, this dispensing rack is formed from a plurality of bent wire elements and requires a significant amount of fabrication. Further, the roll from which the bags are dispensed rests in the wire rack where its weight is supported on the outside of the roll. Thus, to advance the web one has to overcome the friction of the roll in the rack. For the large rolls typically used in grocery stores, this system results in too much friction, and a breaking of the bags along the line of weakness or perforation joining the bags end to end, before the bags have advanced outwardly from the rack.
Therefore, the next person using the device must reach in and locate the free end of the web in order to try to advance it.
U.S. patent no. 5,573,186 is directed to a different type of dispenser for plastic bags. In this configuration, a rectangular housing is provided in which the roll of bags is permitted to rotate. Although the specification teaches that an axle may be used, there is no description of how the axle may be placed or supported. The dispenser includes side, bottom, rear walls and a top panel, which is complicated and expensive to build.
Additional bag dispensing systems can be found in the following patents:
DeMatteis U.S. Patent No. 5,706,993 Kannankeril et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,573,168 Guido U.S. Patent No. 5,566,873 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,558,262 Morris U.S. Patent No. 5,556,019 Daniels U.S. Patent No. 5,480,084 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,433,363 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,261,585 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,219,424 Daniels U.S. Patent No. 5,209,371 Carpenter U.S. Patent No. 5,170,957 Simhaee U.S. Patent No. 5,135,146 Osborn Jr. U.S. Patent No. 3,229,876 Bahnsen U.S. Patent No. 3,173,590 Williamson U.S. Patent No. 3,098,594 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is desired is a bag dispensing system, for large rolls of grocery style vegetable and fruit bags, which is reliable, strong, and yet inexpensive to build and maintain. Most preferably, the bag dispensing system would include a rack that rotatably supports the bag roll to prevent premature breakage along lines of weaknesses formed in the bag web.
Additionally, the rack should be simply constructed and easy to fabricate.
Lastly, the rack should provide for easy one-handed operation in the event a customer is already holding a fruit or vegetable to be placed in the retrieved bag. Lastly, the bags should be presented in a manner which facilitates easy opening of the bag to place the product therein.
Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system comprising:
a bag roll having a central passage and being formed from a continuous web of bags, each bag having a top edge, a pair of opposed side edges and a bottom edge, each bag being attached along said top edge and said bottom edge to the next adjacent bags, said attachment being along a line of weakness, each bag having a closed bottom edge and an open top;
said line of weakness including a centrally cut portion generally centrally disposed between said bag side edges; and a bag dispensing rack, said rack including:
a rear wall mounting portion;
an opposed pair of outwardly projecting frame elements extending from opposite sides of said rear wall mounting portion;
a bent member attached between said frame elements, said bent member having upwardly extending free ends, and a middle web guiding portion extending between said frame elements along a lower front edge thereof;
a roll supporting element nonrotationally mounted on said free ends of said bent member, said roll supporting element being sized and shaped to fit into said central passage way of said roll; and a snag member extending forwardly upwardly adjacent to said web guiding portion of said rack, wherein, a leading edge of said bag web passes under said middle portion of said bent member and across said snag member, and as said bag web is drawn out said snag member catches said centrally cut portion to retain a next to last bag on said rack while freeing a last bag from said web.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to preferred embodiments of the invention by way of example only, by referring to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a view from in front and above of a bag dispensing rack according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a side view of a rack according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system according to the present invention is indicated generally as 10 in Figure 1. The system is comprised of a bag roll 12 and a bag dispensing rack 14. The bag roll 12 is formed from a continuous web 16 of bags. The individual bags are noted as 18 and 20. It will be appreciated that the bag roll 12 is a tightly wound web of many bags attached end to end.
Each of the bags 18, 20 includes a top edge 22, opposed side edges 24, 26 and a rear or bottom edge 28. The bottom edge 28 is closed by means of a seam 30.
A line of weakness 32 joins each bag's bottom edge 28 to the next bag's top edge 22. The line of weakness 32 is preferably in the form of a plurality of perforations 34 and includes a central cut portion 36. In the central cut portion 36 there are no lands connecting the bag bottom edge 28 to the top edge 22. The advantages of this are explained in more detail below.
The bag roll 12 also includes a central passageway 38 as shown.
The rack 14 is comprised of a rear wall mounting portion 40 from which extend an opposed pair of opposed projecting frame elements 42, 44. The rear wall mounting portion 40 is in the form of a back plate, with fastener securing holes 41. In this way the rack 14 can be readily secured to a vertical surface such as a wall or the like by using appropriate fasteners.
Most preferably, the frame elements are in the form of bent closed loops of wire rod. The most preferred shape for the closed loops 42, 44 is to have each include a reliably straight bottom arm 43, 45 which line in the same plane. Thus, the rack 14 can be rested on a horizontal surface, such as a counter-top, on the arms 43, 45. Additionally, the closed loop provides structural rigidity, allowing the rack 14 to be strong and stable under typical loading. As well, closed loops 42, 44 are most preferably formed with an indentation, shown at 47 which permits the mounting of the bag roll 12 in a desired location as outlined below.
Also shown is a bent member 46 which has on each side an upwardly extending free end 48 (although only one is shown in Figure 1 ).
It will be appreciated that the free ends 48 coincide with the indentations 47, 49. The bent member 46 is attached between the frame elements 42, 44 and includes a middle web guiding portion 50. As shown in Figure 1, the web 16 is threaded around the web guiding portion 50 before being led outside of the rack. It will be appreciated that the bent member 46 is simultaneously performing three separate functions. Firstly, it is providing reinforcement to the frame elements 42, 44 by being spot welded or the like to upper and lower portions of each side frame element. Secondly, the free ends 48 comprise a readily accessible mount for the bag roll as described below. Thirdly, the middle portion forms a web guide 50, as well as acting as a structural member extending between the frame elements 42 and 44.
Also shown in Figure 1 is a roll supporting element 60 which includes an attachment means 62 in the form of aligned openings, to accommodate the free end 48 of the bent member 46. The roll supporting element 60 is sized and shaped to fit within the central passageway 38 of the bag roll 12. Shown in Figure 2, the roll supporting element 60 has a first diameter D1 and the bag roll 12 has the central passageway 38 with a second diameter D2. D1 must be less than D2, and most preferably D1 is between 1/3 and 3/4 of D2. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the ratio of the diameter D1 to D2 is set to permit the bag roll 12 to slide or rotate on the roll supporting element 60 in a smooth and yet non-free wheeling manner. What is desired, is to provide sufficient support to permit the bag roll 12 to readily rotate, when the bag roll 12 is substantially full, and yet, there is sufficient surface friction between the roll supporting element and the bag roll 12 when the bag roll 12 is generally depleted, to prevent the bag roll 12 from becoming free wheeling. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that this is accomplished in the present instance, by a combination of the ratio of the diameter of the roll supporting element 60 D1 to the central passageway 38 diameter D2, in combination with the roll supporting element 60 being nonrotatably attached to the rack 14.
Most preferably, extending between the lateral frame elements 42 and 44 is a guide plate 70. The guide plate 70 adds structural rigidity to _$_ the rack, and is most preferably attached at the lateral side edges to the frame elements. Extending forwardly and upwardly from the element 70, is a snag member 80. The snag member 80 is centrally located generally between the opposed frame elements 42 and 44. It will now be appreciated, that as the bag web is advanced, the snag element 80 will penetrate the central cut portion 36 to arrest the progress of the next to last remaining bag on the web, as the last remaining bag is pulled away. It will now be appreciated that an additional advantage of the central cut portion 36 is to provide a portion of the upper edge of the bag where no lands are present which can be distorted during the tearing operation and needed to separate a bag from the web. Thus, in this portion no swaging occurs and the bag is easily opened. Thus, a consumer may easily open the top of the bag according to the present invention because of the central cut portion being cleanly severed. The central cut portion provides two distinct functions, namely, an opening to easily lodge against the snag member 70, and, a clean upper edge for the length of the cut portion to facilitate easy opening of the top portion. It will be appreciated, that as the web is pulled forward, and separation occurs outwardly towards to the lateral side edges 24 and 26 of the bags, the central portion of the bags adjacent to the cut portion 36 will pile up against the snag element 80. This piling up and wrinkling further facilitates the separation of the top edges of the front and back panels of the bag from one another. In this manner the bag is ready for one handed opening by the next customer.
It can now be appreciated how the present invention functions.
The first step is to install the rack in a convenient location within easy reach of the customers. This may be a top mounted installation, such as on a counter or a back mounted installation, such as on a wall or other generally vertical surface. Appropriate fasteners are required however to firmly hold the rack in place against the tugging forces to which it will be subjected as explained below in more detail.
_g_ Once the rack is installed then it is necessary to mount a bag roll onto the rack. This is readily accomplished by lifting the roll supporting element up of the free ends of the bent member, sliding a roll of bags onto the element and replacing the element back on the rack. Then a leading edge of the web of the bag roll is fed under the web guide and out past the snag member. Although the web is shown as coming from the front of the roll it will be appreciated that the web could be fed from either side of the roll.
Now the system is ready for use. The user simply grabs the leading edge of the last remaining bag with one hand and pulls the web out from the rack. The web will advance past the snag element until the cut central portion registers with the snag element. At this point the snag element will retain the next to last bag behind it causing a separation of the last remaining bag along the perforations shown in Figure 1. The customer will therefore be left holding the top end of the freshly separated bag, adjacent to the easily opened central cut portion. In this way the customer is able to select a bag with one hand and shortly after removing the bag, quickly an efficiently load the chosen fruit or vegetable into the open top end.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the attached claims. Some of these variations have been discussed above and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, while reference has been made to bent wire rod elements forming the rack other elements may also be used having the same function.
a bent member attached between said frame elements, said bent member having upwardly extending free ends, and a middle web guiding portion extending between said frame elements along a lower front edge thereof;
a roll supporting element nonrotationally mounted on said free ends of said bent member, said roll supporting element being sized and shaped to fit into said central passage way of said roll; and a snag member extending forwardly upwardly adjacent to said web guiding portion of said rack, wherein, a leading edge of said bag web passes under said middle portion of said bent member and across said snag member, and as said bag web is drawn out said snag member catches said centrally cut portion to retain a next to last bag on said rack while freeing a last bag from said web.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to preferred embodiments of the invention by way of example only, by referring to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a view from in front and above of a bag dispensing rack according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a side view of a rack according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system according to the present invention is indicated generally as 10 in Figure 1. The system is comprised of a bag roll 12 and a bag dispensing rack 14. The bag roll 12 is formed from a continuous web 16 of bags. The individual bags are noted as 18 and 20. It will be appreciated that the bag roll 12 is a tightly wound web of many bags attached end to end.
Each of the bags 18, 20 includes a top edge 22, opposed side edges 24, 26 and a rear or bottom edge 28. The bottom edge 28 is closed by means of a seam 30.
A line of weakness 32 joins each bag's bottom edge 28 to the next bag's top edge 22. The line of weakness 32 is preferably in the form of a plurality of perforations 34 and includes a central cut portion 36. In the central cut portion 36 there are no lands connecting the bag bottom edge 28 to the top edge 22. The advantages of this are explained in more detail below.
The bag roll 12 also includes a central passageway 38 as shown.
The rack 14 is comprised of a rear wall mounting portion 40 from which extend an opposed pair of opposed projecting frame elements 42, 44. The rear wall mounting portion 40 is in the form of a back plate, with fastener securing holes 41. In this way the rack 14 can be readily secured to a vertical surface such as a wall or the like by using appropriate fasteners.
Most preferably, the frame elements are in the form of bent closed loops of wire rod. The most preferred shape for the closed loops 42, 44 is to have each include a reliably straight bottom arm 43, 45 which line in the same plane. Thus, the rack 14 can be rested on a horizontal surface, such as a counter-top, on the arms 43, 45. Additionally, the closed loop provides structural rigidity, allowing the rack 14 to be strong and stable under typical loading. As well, closed loops 42, 44 are most preferably formed with an indentation, shown at 47 which permits the mounting of the bag roll 12 in a desired location as outlined below.
Also shown is a bent member 46 which has on each side an upwardly extending free end 48 (although only one is shown in Figure 1 ).
It will be appreciated that the free ends 48 coincide with the indentations 47, 49. The bent member 46 is attached between the frame elements 42, 44 and includes a middle web guiding portion 50. As shown in Figure 1, the web 16 is threaded around the web guiding portion 50 before being led outside of the rack. It will be appreciated that the bent member 46 is simultaneously performing three separate functions. Firstly, it is providing reinforcement to the frame elements 42, 44 by being spot welded or the like to upper and lower portions of each side frame element. Secondly, the free ends 48 comprise a readily accessible mount for the bag roll as described below. Thirdly, the middle portion forms a web guide 50, as well as acting as a structural member extending between the frame elements 42 and 44.
Also shown in Figure 1 is a roll supporting element 60 which includes an attachment means 62 in the form of aligned openings, to accommodate the free end 48 of the bent member 46. The roll supporting element 60 is sized and shaped to fit within the central passageway 38 of the bag roll 12. Shown in Figure 2, the roll supporting element 60 has a first diameter D1 and the bag roll 12 has the central passageway 38 with a second diameter D2. D1 must be less than D2, and most preferably D1 is between 1/3 and 3/4 of D2. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the ratio of the diameter D1 to D2 is set to permit the bag roll 12 to slide or rotate on the roll supporting element 60 in a smooth and yet non-free wheeling manner. What is desired, is to provide sufficient support to permit the bag roll 12 to readily rotate, when the bag roll 12 is substantially full, and yet, there is sufficient surface friction between the roll supporting element and the bag roll 12 when the bag roll 12 is generally depleted, to prevent the bag roll 12 from becoming free wheeling. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that this is accomplished in the present instance, by a combination of the ratio of the diameter of the roll supporting element 60 D1 to the central passageway 38 diameter D2, in combination with the roll supporting element 60 being nonrotatably attached to the rack 14.
Most preferably, extending between the lateral frame elements 42 and 44 is a guide plate 70. The guide plate 70 adds structural rigidity to _$_ the rack, and is most preferably attached at the lateral side edges to the frame elements. Extending forwardly and upwardly from the element 70, is a snag member 80. The snag member 80 is centrally located generally between the opposed frame elements 42 and 44. It will now be appreciated, that as the bag web is advanced, the snag element 80 will penetrate the central cut portion 36 to arrest the progress of the next to last remaining bag on the web, as the last remaining bag is pulled away. It will now be appreciated that an additional advantage of the central cut portion 36 is to provide a portion of the upper edge of the bag where no lands are present which can be distorted during the tearing operation and needed to separate a bag from the web. Thus, in this portion no swaging occurs and the bag is easily opened. Thus, a consumer may easily open the top of the bag according to the present invention because of the central cut portion being cleanly severed. The central cut portion provides two distinct functions, namely, an opening to easily lodge against the snag member 70, and, a clean upper edge for the length of the cut portion to facilitate easy opening of the top portion. It will be appreciated, that as the web is pulled forward, and separation occurs outwardly towards to the lateral side edges 24 and 26 of the bags, the central portion of the bags adjacent to the cut portion 36 will pile up against the snag element 80. This piling up and wrinkling further facilitates the separation of the top edges of the front and back panels of the bag from one another. In this manner the bag is ready for one handed opening by the next customer.
It can now be appreciated how the present invention functions.
The first step is to install the rack in a convenient location within easy reach of the customers. This may be a top mounted installation, such as on a counter or a back mounted installation, such as on a wall or other generally vertical surface. Appropriate fasteners are required however to firmly hold the rack in place against the tugging forces to which it will be subjected as explained below in more detail.
_g_ Once the rack is installed then it is necessary to mount a bag roll onto the rack. This is readily accomplished by lifting the roll supporting element up of the free ends of the bent member, sliding a roll of bags onto the element and replacing the element back on the rack. Then a leading edge of the web of the bag roll is fed under the web guide and out past the snag member. Although the web is shown as coming from the front of the roll it will be appreciated that the web could be fed from either side of the roll.
Now the system is ready for use. The user simply grabs the leading edge of the last remaining bag with one hand and pulls the web out from the rack. The web will advance past the snag element until the cut central portion registers with the snag element. At this point the snag element will retain the next to last bag behind it causing a separation of the last remaining bag along the perforations shown in Figure 1. The customer will therefore be left holding the top end of the freshly separated bag, adjacent to the easily opened central cut portion. In this way the customer is able to select a bag with one hand and shortly after removing the bag, quickly an efficiently load the chosen fruit or vegetable into the open top end.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the attached claims. Some of these variations have been discussed above and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, while reference has been made to bent wire rod elements forming the rack other elements may also be used having the same function.
Claims (13)
1. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system comprising:
a bag roll having a central passage and being formed from a continuous web of bags, each bag having a top edge, a pair of opposed side edges and a bottom edge, each bag being attached along said top edge and said bottom edge to the next adjacent bags, said attachment being along a line of weakness, each bag having a closed bottom edge and an open top;
said line of weakness including a centrally cut portion generally centrally disposed between said bag side edges; and a bag dispensing rack, said rack including:
a rear wall mounting portion;
an opposed pair of outwardly projecting frame elements extending from opposite sides of said rear wall mounting portion;
a bent member attached between said frame elements, said bent member having upwardly extending free ends, and a middle web guiding portion extending between said frame elements along a lower front edge thereof;
a roll supporting element nonrotationally mounted on said free ends of said bent member, said roll supporting element being sized and shaped to fit into said central passage way of said roll; and a snag member extending forwardly upwardly adjacent to said web guiding portion of said rack, wherein, a leading edge of said bag web passes under said middle portion of said bent member and across said snag member, and as said bag web is drawn out said snag member catches said centrally cut portion to retain a next to last bag on said rack while freeing a last bag from said web.
a bag roll having a central passage and being formed from a continuous web of bags, each bag having a top edge, a pair of opposed side edges and a bottom edge, each bag being attached along said top edge and said bottom edge to the next adjacent bags, said attachment being along a line of weakness, each bag having a closed bottom edge and an open top;
said line of weakness including a centrally cut portion generally centrally disposed between said bag side edges; and a bag dispensing rack, said rack including:
a rear wall mounting portion;
an opposed pair of outwardly projecting frame elements extending from opposite sides of said rear wall mounting portion;
a bent member attached between said frame elements, said bent member having upwardly extending free ends, and a middle web guiding portion extending between said frame elements along a lower front edge thereof;
a roll supporting element nonrotationally mounted on said free ends of said bent member, said roll supporting element being sized and shaped to fit into said central passage way of said roll; and a snag member extending forwardly upwardly adjacent to said web guiding portion of said rack, wherein, a leading edge of said bag web passes under said middle portion of said bent member and across said snag member, and as said bag web is drawn out said snag member catches said centrally cut portion to retain a next to last bag on said rack while freeing a last bag from said web.
2. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said outwardly projecting frame elements include a step adjacent to where said bent member passes upwardly past said frame elements.
3. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said roll supporting element includes a pair axially aligned openings at each end, each opening being sized and shaped to permit a free end of said bent member to be inserted therein.
4. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said roll supporting element is circular in cross-section and has a diameter of between three quarters and one third of the diameter of said central passageway.
5. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bent member is attached to said frame elements by welding.
6. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rear wall mounting portion includes at least two fastener mounting apertures formed therein.
7. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 further including a lower plate element extending between said frame elements.
8. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said snag member is attached to said lower plate element.
9. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said frame elements include lower limbs which lie on the same plane, wherein said rack may be supported on a horizontal surface on said lower limbs.
10. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said central cut portion is sufficiently wide to permit one handed opening of a bag removed from said bag roll.
11. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said central cut portion is at least one third of said bag width centred on a midpoint of said bag.
12. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said central cut portion is at least one fifth of said bag width centred on a midpoint of said bag.
13. A fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bag roll includes a bottom bag seal adjacent to said line of weakness to form a bottom for each bag, and for each bag said line of weakness is at a leading edge of said bag and said bottom bag seal is at a trailing edge of said bag.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2246869 CA2246869A1 (en) | 1998-09-09 | 1998-09-09 | Fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2246869 CA2246869A1 (en) | 1998-09-09 | 1998-09-09 | Fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2246869A1 true CA2246869A1 (en) | 2000-03-09 |
Family
ID=29409882
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2246869 Abandoned CA2246869A1 (en) | 1998-09-09 | 1998-09-09 | Fruit and vegetable bag dispensing system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2246869A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1925578A1 (en) * | 2006-11-27 | 2008-05-28 | Peter Pan Plast S.R.L. | Dispenser of thin elements in sheets |
| US20140144966A1 (en) * | 2012-01-23 | 2014-05-29 | Daniel Brian Tan | Vertical core slot dispenser and adapter for a bin |
| US20140166715A1 (en) * | 2012-01-24 | 2014-06-19 | Daniel Brian Tan | Angled core slot dispenser and adapter for a bin |
-
1998
- 1998-09-09 CA CA 2246869 patent/CA2246869A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1925578A1 (en) * | 2006-11-27 | 2008-05-28 | Peter Pan Plast S.R.L. | Dispenser of thin elements in sheets |
| US20140144966A1 (en) * | 2012-01-23 | 2014-05-29 | Daniel Brian Tan | Vertical core slot dispenser and adapter for a bin |
| US8844783B2 (en) * | 2012-01-23 | 2014-09-30 | Daniel Brian Tan | Vertical core slot dispenser and adapter for a bin |
| US20140166715A1 (en) * | 2012-01-24 | 2014-06-19 | Daniel Brian Tan | Angled core slot dispenser and adapter for a bin |
| US8905283B2 (en) * | 2012-01-24 | 2014-12-09 | Daniel Brian Tan | Angled core slot dispenser and adapter for a bin |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| FZDE | Dead |