EP1666379A1

EP1666379A1 - Support for a bag

Info

Publication number: EP1666379A1
Application number: EP04397024A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ismo Hallapuro
Original assignee: Skyor Ky
Current assignee: Skyor Ky
Priority date: 2004-12-01
Filing date: 2004-12-01
Publication date: 2006-06-07

Abstract

A support for a bag comprises holders (3) for holding a refuse bag (11). The distance between the holders (3) is changeable. The holders (3) are arranged to be positioned resiliently in relation to each other and the frame of the support, to comply with the size and the position of the bag. The holders (3) are connected to the frame of the support by means of elastic elongated means (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a rack for a bag according to the preamble of the appended claim 1, for the placement of refuse bags of various sizes, which are used primarily in households.
For the storage of waste, plastic bags are often used, which may be bags from a shop or bags made for the purpose. The bag is often placed open in a household refuse bin for collecting waste in a kitchen. The volume of the bag is often considerably larger than the volume of the bin, but in a bag placed in the bin, it is not possible to collect waste more than the volume of the bin. When the bin becomes full, the bag must be removed. The removed bag is deformed to its correct size as the waste spreads out in the bottom part of the bag. At the same time, the volume of the bag is often increased by even 100 %.
However, the bag with its bottom spread out can no longer be placed back in the bin, but the bag which is only partly full must be taken out as such into a larger refuse container. This increases unnecessary plastic waste and the number of times to take out the waste. If a liquid substance leaks from a broken bag into the bin, the bin must be washed. Because of its size, the bin cannot be washed in a kitchen sink above its place of location, but it must normally be taken to a shower room or a washroom for washing, which increases the work involved in the waste disposal.
The above-mentioned problem is solved by racks in which the bag can be freely shaped. However, known racks with fixed holders involve the problem that they must always be furnished with a bag of a given size. The bag fixed in the holders hangs in the rack without a bottom support. As a result, the bag comes easily off or is even torn off the holders when it is being filled or when the refuse in the bag is being pressed tighter. Furthermore, the holders are inside the bag and are easily soiled, wherein they must be cleaned or they become unhygienic. The cleaning work increases the work involved in the waste disposal. Moreover, racks with fixed holders comprise no receptacle underneath the bin, into which receptacle any liquid possibly leaking from the bag could be directed.
US patent 4,538,783 discloses a suspension rack for refuse disposal bags, the rack being provided with holder brackets arranged to be moved along a mounting plate according to the size of the bag to be suspended (arrows 4). The transfer mechanism, as such, is not described in more detail, but it can be assumed to be such that the holder brackets and the holders can be positioned accurately to a given position in relation to each other. The idea of the rack for bags presented in the patent is to close the limbs 18, 19 and 20, 21 of both holders together by a special mechanism to close the mouth of the bag after refuse has been placed in the bag. Thus, the above-mentioned problems remain mostly unsolved by the this patent.
US patent 1,542,164 discloses a rack for bags, whereby the mouth of the bag can be spread open by means of fixed holding hooks and movable holding hooks installed by means of extension springs in two parallel horizontal frame tubes of the rack. The height of suspending the bag is determined by the length of the telescopic vertical stand supporting the frame tubes. Thus, the holding hooks installed by means of the springs move in a resilient way together in the direction determined by the frame tubes. To fit the rack for pipes of all sizes, both the vertical stand and the holding hooks must be moved. The bag can still be torn if it is pressed down.
The above-mentioned problems can be eliminated by the rack for a bag according to the invention, which is characterized in what will be defined in the characterizing part of the appended claim 1. The holders are arranged to be positioned resiliently in relation to each other, both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction. In this way, the holders can be placed in the correct position in relation to the frame of the rack. On opposite sides of the bag mouth, a holder is provided, which is, on its own side, elastically fixed to the frame of the rack. It is possible to use, for example, elastic, spring-force means for the fixing. These means can be elongated means which transmit tensile stress within their limits of elasticity, such as rubber strings.
It is an advantage of the invention that bags of all sizes can be mounted in it, thanks to the resilient holder mechanism of the rack. The holders following the movements of the bag retain the bag in the holders when it is filled and when the contents of the bag are compressed. When the contents of the bag are compressed, the holders move together with the bag and make it possible for the bag to descend onto the receptacle underneath the bag, against which receptacle the contents of the bag can be pressed even strongly without a risk of tearing the bag. After the pressing, the resilient holder mechanism pulls the bag to its initial position and height. The volume of the bag can be utilized to the full in the rack, because the bag is in a free space and it can yield up to the extreme limits of its size. The height of the frame, i.e. the suspension height of the holders, can be adjusted according to the maximum bag height.
The holders of the bag have such a shape that they keep the bag mouth fully open and are placed outside the bag so that they do not come into contact with waste. This eliminates the work of cleaning the holders as well as the problem with the hygiene.
The lower part of the rack is provided with a receptacle for collecting any liquid possibly leaking from the bag which has been broken for some other reason. Thanks to its small size, the receptacle can be easily and quickly removed and placed back in the frame. Furthermore, the receptacle can be cleaned even in a small kitchen sink.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the longitudinal means which connect the holders to the frame are treated with an insecticidal or insect repellent agent, which is particularly advantageous in a warm climate.
In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which

Fig. 1: shows the rack in an end view,
Fig. 2: shows the rack in a side view and with the bottom receptacle removed,
Fig. 3: shows the rack in a side view in a situation in which the contents of the bag are being compressed,
Fig. 4: shows the rack and a bag placed in it in a three-dimensional view,
Fig. 5: shows a second embodiment of the rack with respect to the mounting of the holders, and
Fig. 6: shows a third embodiment in a view similar to Fig. 3.

The rack for a bag according to the invention consists of a bottom frame 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) as well as four tubes 2 connected to the bottom frame 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) and extending upwards from the bottom frame 1 and being placed in pairs on opposite edges of the bottom frame 1. The tubes constitute a frame whose upper part determines the suspension height of the bag. An elongated elastic means, such as a rubber string 4, is fixed inside each tube 2, to the lower part of the same (Figs. 1 and 2). The string 4 is guided upwards inside the tube 2, passing through a guide 6 at the upper end of the tube 2 to a holder 3 (Figs. 1 and 2) of the bag 11 (Figs. 1 and 2), to which holder the string 4 is connected. The holder 3 is a separate horizontal piece and is attached to the rest of the rack by means of the rubber strings 4. The holders are two in number, one on each side of the bag. The holder is connected to the respective pair of tubes 2 by means of the rubber strings 4. The upper end of the tube 2 (the guide 6) forms a kind of a suspension point in the frame of the rack, because it provides the elongated means (the string 4 or the like) with a supporting point, in relation to which the length and the angular position of the means can be changed, even if the means can slide in relation to the point. The tube 2 can be made of a rigid material, such as metal or hard plastic. The guide 6 at the upper end of the tube 2 can be a kind of a plastic plug or another end piece closing the tube, through which piece a hole is made for guiding the elongated means through. The rack for a bag can be mounted in a suitable place in a household, for example in a kitchen cupboard.
Inside the bottom frame 1, underneath the bag 11, there is a removable frame-shaped receptacle 5 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), into which any liquids possibly leaking from the bag are collected. It should be noted that the receptacle 5 has a relatively small bottom area and a low height (preferably so that its height is smaller than the length and width in the horizontal direction), wherein it can be easily and quickly removed and placed back into the bottom frame 1. Thanks to its small size, the receptacle 5 can be cleaned even in a small kitchen sink.
When the holders 3 are located at the upper end of the tube 2, they rest against the guides 6, because the rubber strings 4 are pre-tensioned. When the holders 3 are moved towards each other into the central part of the rack (arrow 9, Fig. 3), the rubber string 4 yields (Figs. 3, 4), thereby making it possible to place bags 11 of various sizes onto the holders 3 of the rack. After the bag 11 (Figs. 3 and 4) has been placed in the rack by the ends of the holders 3, the rubber strings 4 pull the holders 3 in opposite directions, tensioning (arrow 13, Fig. 4) the mouth of the bag 11 fully open. It should be noted that the holders 3 are placed outside the bag 11 so that the upper edge of the bag 11 is turned outwards over the holders 3 (point 12, Fig. 4), wherein they do not come into contact with the waste to be disposed into the bag 3 but remain thus clean. It should be pointed out that when the rubber strings 4 pull the holders 3 in opposite directions, the upper part of the bag 11 is deformed in the width direction to the width of the holders 3 and, in the longitudinal direction, to a size made possible by the size of the respective bag 11 (arrow 13, Fig. 4). Thus, seen from above, the opening of the bag is approximately rectangular or quadratic. The bag 11 connects the holders 3 on opposite sides and acts against the spring force of the rubber strings 4.
A relatively small bag 11 (Fig. 3) placed on the holders 3 does not extend at its bottom down to the receptacle 6 underneath it. When filling such a bag 3 and pressing its contents (arrow 10, Fig. 3) in a compressing manner, the rubber strings 4 yield both downwards (arrow 8, Fig. 3) and in their longitudinal direction (arrow 7, Fig. 3), thereby making it possible for the bag 3 to descend onto the receptacle 5, against which the contents of the bag 11 can be compressed without the bag 11 becoming detached or torn off the holders 3. After the compression, the rubber strings 4 pull the bag 11 into its initial position 14 (Fig. 4).
Thanks to the elasticity of the elongated fixing means, such as rubber strings or bands 4, the holders 3 are always placed in correct positions according to the size of the bag and the situation of use. No holders to be placed in their position and locked in it will be needed. Moreover, the fixing means does not need to be elastic throughout. Its initial section may be constituted of rubber or spring, and the end section may be a relatively inelastic string or band. Said elastic sections may be placed, for example, inside the tube 2. Also with this arrangement, it can be provided that the length of the means 4 is elastically variable in relation to the suspension point formed by a fixed point in the frame (the upper part of the tube 2), and they are pre-tensioned (the means pull the holders against the frame in the rest position).
Even though the figures show a situation in which the bag is placed symmetrically in relation to the frame, i.e. in the middle, the spring force of the means used for positioning the bag can be dimensioned so small that the bag 11 which connects the holders 3 can be placed at one end of the frame in the horizontal direction, i.e. closer to one pair of tubes 2. In this case, the bag is not automatically placed in the central position, because the elastic means 4 of one pair of tubes cannot pull it to the central position. Thus, the refuse bag can always be placed in such a way that it is always well exposed by opening a door, for example immediately at the front edge in a cupboard.
Figure 5 is a view of a second embodiment, showing one half of the rack, the structure being symmetrical on the opposite side. The frame comprises vertical tubes or bars 2 which determine the height of suspension and which may be hollow or solid. The elastic means 4 are placed inside a horizontal tube 15 which is connected to the upper ends of the tubes or bars 2. As shown in the figure, only one means will be physically sufficient, its both ends protruding from the horizontal tube. The means 4 can consist of two relatively inelastic strings 4a whose ends are connected by a spring 4b inside the tube 15.
It is possible that the bag touches the receptacle underneath it, either because of its height and/or because of the weight of the waste collected in it. Figure 6 shows a third embodiment in which the tubes 2 are arranged so long in the vertical direction that the suspension points of the bag 11 come sufficiently high so that the-bag, even if heavy, does not touch the receptacle or corresponding support underneath it. The tubes may have a constant height, but the figure shows how the frame tubes 2 can be adjustable in their height, for example telescopically operated (double arrows), wherein the suspension height of the elastic fixing means (and simultaneously their pre-tension, if they are attached at their ends to the part immobile relative to the movable upper end of the tube) can be changed, if necessary, for example if it is desired that the bag is suspended in the air all the time. In this way, the rack can always be adapted for each bag size. The same idea, which does not have an effect on the tension of the means 4, is presented in Fig. 5. Furthermore, Fig. 6 shows the idea that all the elongated fixing means are treated with an insecticidal or insect repelling agent, wherein it is possible to prevent the access of walking insects via the strings 4, the only passage, to the refuse bin. This can naturally also be applied to the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 5.

Claims

A rack for a bag, which rack comprises a frame and holders (3) connected to it for placing a refuse bag and in which rack the distance between the holders (3) is changeable and the holders (3) are arranged to be positioned resiliently in relation to each other, characterized in that the holders (3) are arranged to be positioned resiliently in the vertical and horizontal directions in relation to the frame of the rack to comply with the size and the position of the bag (11).
The rack for a bag according to claim 1, characterized in that the holders (3) are connected to the frame of the rack by means of elongated means (4).
The rack for a bag according to claim 2, characterized in that the elongated means (4) are, over at least a part of their length, elastic, such as rubber strings or bands, or means containing a spring.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the holders (3) are on opposite sides of the mouth of the bag.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the holders (3) are horizontal bars, batons or the like, over which the edges of the refuse bag can be wrapped from the direction of the mouth.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the holders (3) connected by the refuse bag (11) can be positioned elastically in the horizontal direction in relation to the frame of the rack, to place the bag in a desired position in the horizontal direction.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 6, characterized in that in the use position of the rack, a part of the elongated means (4) is placed inside a tube (2; 15) belonging to the frame.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the elongated means (4) are treated with an insecticidal or insect repellent agent.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the height of the frame is adjustable.
The rack for a bag according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom part of the rack is provided with a removable receptacle (5) for collecting liquids.