EP1941811B1

EP1941811B1 - Folding shopping cart bag

Info

Publication number: EP1941811B1
Application number: EP07380401A
Authority: EP
Inventors: D. Juan Server Pérez
Original assignee: Germans Server SL
Current assignee: Germans Server SL
Priority date: 2007-01-05
Filing date: 2007-12-31
Publication date: 2010-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-31
Also published as: ATE467363T1; ES2343592T3; EP1941811A1; DE602007006407D1

Abstract

Comprising a prism-shaped frame with a rectangular bottom (1), two larger sides (2) and two smaller sides (3), the free edges of which limit an upper opening. The invention also incorporates an inner frame (4) which has two inverted-"U"-shaped rods. Based on this premise, the bag is characterized in that it includes removable means of attachment associated to the inner frame (4), said removable means being located at the opening of the bag. The invention is also characterized in that it incorporates a folding and unfolding device which ensures the stability in each of two positions.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention, as is stated in the title of this disclosure of invention, refers to a personal shopping cart bag which is of the type which incorporate an inner frame to which the bag is fitted and adjusted in order to hold the shape thereof, which is essentially a rectangular-prism shape.
The invention incorporates, first of all, some characteristic means of attachment intended for holding the aforesaid bag in place by its opening on the inner frame.
Thus, the aforesaid means of attachment are intended for facilitating the securing and mounting of the bag by way of its opening onto one part of the inner frame, being easily removable whenever necessary to do so, for example for washing the bag or even for replacing it with a new one. The invention also facilitates the manufacturing process.
It also incorporates a characteristic folding and unfolding device which ensures a stable configuration of the prism-shaped frame in its unfolded position and also ensures a stable configuration in the position in which the bag is closed or folded. It also facilitates the bag opening and folding operation.

PRIOR ART TO THE INVENTION

Currently, within the personal shopping cart market, there are frames which provide the bag with a rectangular-prism shape and which generally incorporates a rectangular reinforced base in the bottom of the bag with holes or channels into which rod pieces are fit to form part of the frame adapted to the inner volume of the bag at the bag edges, including those located at the opening of said bag.
Document US 1,653,393 describes a bag filling frame comprising a pair of bag spreading frame members, each consisting of parallel leg members united at least at one end by transverse members.
On the other hand, to attach the frame to the bag at the bag opening, this is accomplished by means of flaps or upper portions of the bag which wrap around frame rods, their being held into place being ensured by means of seams, which makes the process of manufacturing the finished product more costly and more difficult, it also being more difficult to remove the bag for washing as well as for replacing it with a new bag whenever needed, the same problem also being involved when placing the bag back onto the personal shopping cart.
Other personal shopping carts incorporate fixed bags which cannot be folded, as a result of which the shopping carts of this type entail the drawback of taking up a great deal of space for storage purposes.
To provide a solution to this problem, the folding systems based on wires permanently hooked, by one of their ends, to the frame which gives the bag its rectangular-prism shape, it being possible for the other end to hook onto the same frame or not so that the bag will be prism-shaped or respectively fold said bag, as has been previously stated, are known.
Although said system is simple, this new invention is aimed at simplifying this system and making it even easier to build, therefore lowering the production cost.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purpose of achieving the objectives and avoiding the drawbacks mentioned in the preceding paragraphs hereinabove, the invention proposes a personal shopping cart bag which is characterized in that it comprises removable means which make it possible to attach the bag, by its opening, to one part of a frame fitted on the inside of this bag, this frame holding the bag in shape, generally in the form of a rectangular prism.
In particular, the removable means of attachment can consist of some strips previously sewn onto one part of the edges of the bag opening, said strips having a pair of matching lengthwise adhesive bands such that said strips fold toward the inside around one or more rods adjacent and parallel to one or more edges of the bag opening, such that once the corresponding fold has been made, said strips will be joined together by their matching pairs of bands making contact with each other.
These rods around which the strips with the pairs of adhesive bands fold form part of the frame assembly.
Another possibility is that the adhesive bands be incorporated into the laminar bag body proper.
Other means of attachment would consist of male elements and female elements which fit into one another, such as, for example, hooks and eyes.
These means of attachment described substantially facilitate the mounting and reinforcement of the bag.
The rods around which the strips fold will then be located inside a closed loop space limited precisely by the strip proper when the two adhesive bands thereof come into contact with one another and join together.
The removable means of attachment, when consisting of strips, will be of the same material as the bag proper, the place where the strip and the bag are joined together thus practically not being noticeable.
The bag is also characterized in that it incorporates a folding and unfolding device that ensures both positions stably and is located on one part of the bag opening, being supplemented at the same time with some seams located opposite one another on the sides of the bag.
The bag consists basically, as has been described hereinabove, of a rectangular bottom, two larger sides and two smaller sides.
Starting from this basic bag frame, the folding and unfolding device is characterized, in turn, because it is determined from at least one pair of main rigidizing elements which are affixed to portions of the bag opening in correspondence with the smaller sides, so that each rigidizing element is of the same length as the free edge of the smaller sides, at the same time that said rigidizing element becomes one with one of the halves of the free edge of the respective side.
Particularly the half of the rigidizing element which is attached to the portions of smaller edges of the bag opening, said half being located inside an enclosed area formed by a fold of the bag attached by means of a seam.
Another characteristic of the invention is that the other matching half of the smaller edges of the bag opening can incorporate a second rigidizing element which is smaller but which is only as long in length as that half. Thus, the folding and unfolding of the bag are ensured more sturdily.
Thus, when the cart is not being used, its bag is folded up by folding the smaller sides along their centered, lengthwise seam which divides two symmetrical parts which, during the folding process, form an angle which is inserted toward the inside of the bag until said two parts are superimposed at the end of the folding process. The same will also be true fro the free edges of said smaller sides, whilst the two rigidizing elements of both smaller sides will be arranged parallel to the edges of the two large sides of the bag.
On the other hand, in the unfolded position, the two symmetrical parts of the smaller sides are situated on one same plane, whilst the free portion of the rigidizing elements will be situated in correspondence with the matching half of the free edge of the smaller sides.
The free end of the main rigidizing element is anchored to the corner of the bag opening which joins together two consecutive sides, one of which is a larger side and the other a smaller side.
In following, to facilitate a better comprehension of this disclosure of invention and comprising an integral part thereof, figures are provided, in which, for illustrative but nonlimiting purposes, the object of the invention has been depicted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1. Shows a perspective view of a personal shopping cart bag, object of the invention. Particularly of note are some characteristic removable means of attachment which make it possible to attach the bag to an inner frame fitted on the inside of said bag.
Figure 2. Shows a detailed cross-sectional view of the means of attachment shown in the immediately preceding figure.
Figure 3. Shows a view of the personal shopping cart bag essentially displaying a folding and unfolding device which secures both stable positions.
Figures 4 and 5. Showing detailed views of the folding and unfolding device.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Considering the numbering used in the Figures, the personal shopping cart bag comprises, in principle, a parallelepiped configuration with a rectangular bottom 1, two larger sides 2 and two smaller sides 3.
The rectangular prism shape is kept stable, in principle, thanks to an inner frame 4 of rods which generally run along corners and edges of said bag.
This inner frame 4 comprises two inverted "U"-shaped pieces, each one of which incorporates at the bottom some rod portions 5 opposite one another which fit into matching openings 6 situated in a rigid base 7 housed in the bottom 1 of the bag, base 7 which aids, in conjunction with the frame 4, to rigidize the frame of the rectangular-prism-shaped bag.
Starting from this premise, the bag of the invention includes some removable means of attachment determined based on a pair of strips 8 which incorporate on one of their sides two lengthwise matching adhesive bands 9 and 10 adjacent to the lengthwise edges of each strip 8, said strip being either sewn to or joined by other means to some flaps 11 which limit the opening of a bag, such that each strip 8 will fold inward round the respective crossbar of the inverted "U"-shaped rods pertaining to the inner frame 4 matching up with the opening of the bag proper, until one of the adhesive bands 9 comes into contact with the other paired band 10, the two then joining together and therefore producing the secure, removable attachment of the bag at its opening to the inner frame 4.
Normally, two adhesive strips 8 will be arranged in correspondence with the larger sides of the rectangular opening of the bag, although one single strip and also even more than two strips could be incorporated.
The adhesive strip 8 has some end slits 13 which facilitate the folding or doubling of the strip when wrapping around the respective rod crossbar 12 corresponding to the bag opening.
On the other hand, the smaller sides 3 comprise two symmetrical parts 14 joined together by means of a lengthwise seam 15.
In turn, the edges limiting the bag opening have some pleats 16 and 17 toward the inside which, in the case of the smaller sides 3, these pleats 16 and 17 are also separated by the lengthwise seam 15 from which two think superimposed bans 18 comprising the terminations of there two laminar parts 14 of the smaller sides 3 begin.
All of the pleats are secured by means of other seams.
In one embodiment (Figs. 3, 4 and 5), inside the inner spaces of the pleats 19 of the larger sides 2 is the rod crossbar 12 pertaining to the inner frame 4, the branches of which run along some vertical corners where the sides 2 and 3 of the bag converge. Nevertheless, in the preferred embodiment, each rod crossbar 12 will be held in place by means of the respective adhesive strip 8, exactly as previously described (Figs. 1 and 2).
The smaller sides 3 end at the top in two pleats, a front pleat 16 and a rear pleat 17, corresponding to the two parts 14 of these smaller sides 3 such that inside the front pleat 16 is housed and secured one half of a rigidizing element 20, the other half being left outside, although inside the bag. The rigidizing element 20 is of the same full length as the small side of the bag opening, whilst the rear pleat 17 houses another smaller rigidizing element 21 but of the same length as said pleat 17, thus being completely concealed.
With the arrangement described hereinabove, the opened position of the bag will be held thanks to the main rigidizing element 20 longest in length, the free end of which will be situated exactly at the corner where one larger side 2 and another smaller side 3 pertaining to the bag proper meet with one another, said free end fitting at least partially into the branches of the inverted "U"-shaped rods pertaining to the inner frame 4. Obviously, in this unfolded position, the pleats 16 and 17 of the smaller sides 3 will be aligned with one another and will be on the same plane as the two symmetrical parts 14 of two smaller sides 3.
On the other hand, to achieve the folded position, the free end of the main rigidizing elements 20 will first be detached in order to then proceed to folding the smaller sides 3 toward the inside along their centered lengthwise seam 15.

Claims

FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG, comprising
a prism-shaped bag with a rectangular bottom (1), two rectangular larger sides (2) and two rectangular smaller sides (3), the free edges of which limiting an upper bag opening; and
an inner frame (4) which includes two inverted "U"-shaped rods (12) characterized in that the inner frame (4) includes further a bottom platform;
and in that
the folding shopping cart bag comprises a removable attachment means of said bag to said frame, said removable means being located at said bag opening.
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to claim 1, characterized in that said removable attachment means consist of two aligned joining elements, each of them overlapped to a laminar element (11) located on said bag opening, in such a manner that said laminar element (11) folds inward the bag, around at least one rod portion (12) of the inner frame (4), thus forming a closed-loop pleat in the laminar element which wraps around the rod (12) of the inner frame (4).
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to claim 2, characterized in that said laminar element (11) forms an integral part of said bag.
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a strip (8), on one of the sides of which there are two aligned attachment elements located near to the lengthwise edges on said strip (8), said strip being attached to said laminar element of the bag by sewn or by other suitable means.
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said attachment elements located on said strip consist of bands of adhesive material (9 and 10).
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said attachment elements located on said strip consist of male and female elements, such as hooks and eyes which fit into one another.
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims, characterized in that it comprises a folding and unfolding device which includes at least two main rigidizing elements (20), each of which is attached by one part thereof to a section of the free edge of the smaller sides (3), and each of said smaller sides (3) being divided into two symmetrical folding parts (14) with a centered lengthwise seam (15).
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to claim 7, characterized in that said main rigidizing elements (20) are of the same length as the free edges of the smaller sides (3) and are extended up to the upper edge of the corner limited by the two adjacent sides (2 and 3).
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims 7 or 8, characterized in that said section of said main rigidizing elements (20), which is joined to the portion of the free edge of the bag opening, is approximately one half of the width of the smaller sides (3) in length.
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims 7 -to 9, characterized in that said section of said main rigidizing elements (20), which is joined to the portion of the free edge of the bag opening, consists of a pleat (16) in which the rigidizing elements are inserted and said pleat being joined by sewn or by any other means.
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims 7 -to 10, characterized in that it comprises a second shorter rigidizing elements (21) which are assembled on a part of the free edge of the smaller sides (3).
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to claim 11, characterized in that said shorter rigidizing elements (21) are inserted in a pleats (17) located on a part of the free edges of the smaller sides (3).
FOLDING SHOPPING CART BAG according to any of the claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the free end of the main rigidizing elements (20) are attached in its unfolded position against one portion of the inverted "U"-shaped rods of the inner frame (4) related to the larger sides (2) of the bag.