EP3253698B1

EP3253698B1 - Dispenser for dispensing plastic bags

Info

Publication number: EP3253698B1
Application number: EP16703827.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: John Clarkson
Original assignee: Easibag Ltd
Current assignee: Easibag Ltd
Priority date: 2015-02-02
Filing date: 2016-02-02
Publication date: 2021-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2036-02-02
Also published as: GB2535448A; WO2016124912A1; EP3253698A1; GB201501685D0; GB2535448B

Description

The present invention relates to dispensers for dispensing plastic bags.
Dispensers for dispensing individual bags from a roll of bags are commonly used in a number of applications, such as in supermarkets and grocery stores. The roll of bags is rotatably held by a dispenser, which is usually mounted onto a wall or shelf display, for customers to easily remove bags from the dispenser to fill them with groceries. A dispenser considered to represent the closest prior art is disclosed in US 6,056,179 .
The dispensers often take the form of a metal or plastic frame onto which a roll of bags is rotatably mounted. Adjacent bags on the roll are separated from each other by a transverse line of perforations interrupted, for example, in the centre, by a slit approximately one-third the width of the bag. The interrupted perforations allow the bags to be joined together to form the roll, whilst allowing easy removal of individual bags from the roll by pulling the endmost bag and separating it from the remainder of the roll.
In one known dispenser, the frame on which the roll of bags is mounted comprises a tongue which engages with the slit in the perforations to assist in removal of the individual bags. To remove a bag from the roll, a bag is pulled away from the roll. As the tongue engages the slit in the perforations, it prevents any further bags from being removed from the roll and facilitates tearing of the perforations of the bag to remove it from the roll.
Whilst these metal or plastic frame dispensers are effective in commercial environments, they may not be as suitable for domestic environments, in which it may be more preferable to have a more portable, lower cost dispenser.
Furthermore, known dispensers can be prone to dispensing more than one bag at once, for example, if the bags are pulled upwards and away from the dispenser so that the slit in the bags effectively bypasses the tongue. The same problem can also occur as a result of the bags being pulled away from the dispenser at an angle.
The present invention is intended to overcome or at least alleviate the problems with the prior art.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a dispenser for dispensing bags from a roll of bags, the dispenser comprising a housing, the housing having an aperture adapted or configured to dispense bags from the roll, wherein the periphery of the aperture comprises a projection adapted or configured to engage the bags and assist separation of individual bags from the roll wherein the dispenser further comprises a contact portion adapted to lie adjacent the aperture and engage a surface of the bags.
The housing retains the roll of bags, which can be dispensed via the aperture, thus providing a portable dispenser arrangement. The housing also provides a convenient means of holding the dispenser to dispense individual bags, thus avoiding the need to mount the dispenser on a wall or other surface, which further increases its portability.
Preferably, the aperture is elongate and the projection extends from one elongate edge of the aperture towards an opposite elongate edge of the aperture.
The projection may be located centrally with respect to the aperture.
A groove or recess is located on one or both sides of the projection, to engage the bags and assist in separating individual bags from the roll.
The or each groove or recess is preferably located adjacent to the projection.
The housing may comprise an opposing pair of mounting means for mounting opposite ends of the roll of bags.
The mounting means may comprise an opposing pair of apertures adapted to receive the ends of the roll. The mounting means allow the roll of bags to freely rotate to facilitate dispensing of bags.
The dispenser may further comprise a contact portion adapted to lie adjacent the aperture surface of the bags to ensure that the bag to be dispensed engages with the foot, as the bag is pulled from the dispenser. This prevents more than one bag being dispensed at one time.
The contact portion may be located inwardly of the aperture, for example, behind the aperture and/or a front wall of the housing.
In use of the dispenser, the bags may pass between a lower edge of the contact portion and a lower edge of the aperture. This arrangement ensures that the bags remain in contact with the projection of the aperture, to allow the projection to engage a slit in the perforations between the bags.
Preferably, the contact portion is complementarily shaped with respect to the lower edge of the aperture.
Preferably, the contact portion is elongate.
Preferably, the contact portion is of substantially the same length as the aperture.
The dispenser may comprise a recess located centrally on the contact portion.
The contact portion may comprise a resilient or flexible portion, configured, in use of the dispenser, to contact the roll of bags and assist in separating individual bags from the roll.
Preferably, the resilient or flexible portion is elongate.
The resilient or flexible portion may be at least partially formed by opposing spaced apart curved cuts in the contact portion.
A boundary of the resilient or flexible portion may comprise a score line or perforation. The extent of the score line or perforation can determine the resilience of the resilient portion.
The contact portion preferably forms part of the housing, e.g. part of a lid of the housing.
The housing may comprise a lid. The lid may be hinged.
In one embodiment, the housing comprises a double wall comprising two wall portions, and each wall portion comprises an aperture through which bags are dispensed.
The apertures are substantially identical and are preferably aligned.
The housing may comprise a suspension means, such as a hook or eyelet. The suspension means may be formed as part of the housing, or may be fitted after assembly of the housing, such as by fixing the suspension means to the housing using adhesive or fasteners. The suspension means provides a convenient method of hanging the dispenser from a hook or suchlike.
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of dispenser in accordance with the invention, containing a roll of bags, shown in a closed configuration;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Fig. 1, shown in an open configuration;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Fig. 1, shown in a partially closed configuration;
Fig. 4 is a front view of the dispenser of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Fig. 1, shown with the roll of bags removed;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the rear of the dispenser of Fig. 1, shown with the roll of bags removed;
Fig. 7 is a view from above of the dispenser of Fig. 1, showing the interior of the dispenser;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view from below of the dispenser of Fig. 1;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Fig.1, shown in an open configuration with the free end of the roll of bags fed through an aperture in the front wall of the dispenser;
Fig. 10 is a front view of the dispenser of Fig. 1, shown in a closed configuration during dispensing of a bag;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Fig. 1, showing the final part of the process for removal of a bag from the roll of bags;
Fig. 12 is a front view of the dispenser of Fig. 1 immediately after removal of a bag; and
Fig. 13 is a blank for forming the dispenser of Fig 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 12, a dispenser 10 for a roll of plastic bags is formed as a rectangular cuboid shaped housing, having a rectangular base wall 12 and two opposing and substantially square end walls 14, 16, extending perpendicularly upwardly from the ends of the base wall 12. The side walls 14, 16 are joined by two planar, rectangular front and rear walls 18, 20 which also extend perpendicularly upwardly from the front and rear edges of the base wall 12. The housing is closed off by a lid 22, which extends hingedly from the upper edge 20a of the rear wall 20. The lid 22 comprises a tab 24 extending perpendicularly downwardly from its front edge 22a which is adapted to be tucked inside the front wall 18 of the housing 10 to maintain the lid 22 in a closed position and assist with dispensing of bags 200, as will be described later. The base wall 12, front wall 18, rear wall 20 and end walls 14, 16 together define a receiving volume 26, which is adapted to receive a roll of bags 200, as will be described. The housing 10 is formed from a planar corrugated cardboard blank 100, shown in Fig. 13, which is die-cut and scored to allow the blank to be easily folded up to form the finished dispenser.
When the blank 100 is folded to form the dispenser 10, the front wall 18 has outer and inner front wall leaves 18a, 18b and the end walls comprise a triple wall construction formed from outer, intermediate and inner end wall leaves 14a, 14b, 14c, 16a, 16b, 16c, as will be explained.
The front wall 18 comprises two identical die- cut apertures 28a, 28b, one in each leaf 18a, 18b of the double front wall 18, as seen in Figs 1 to 3. When the housing is erected, the apertures 28a, 28b are aligned with one another to give the appearance of a single aperture in the front wall 18, as can be seen in Fig. 4. In use, individual bags are dispensed from the roll of bags 200 within the dispenser 10 through the apertures 28a, 28b. The apertures 28a, 28b are located towards the top third of the front wall 18 and are elongate to accommodate the width of the bags on the roll 200. The upper edge 30 of the apertures 28a, 28b extends substantially parallel to the base wall 12, whereas the lower edge 32 of the apertures 28a, 28b is slightly downwardly inclined from the two ends of the side walls 34 of the apertures 28a, 28b towards the centre of the lower edge 32.
The central third of the lower edge of each aperture 28a, 28b is formed into a tongue member 36, which extends upwardly from the lower edge 32 of the aperture 28a, 28b towards the upper edge 30 such that it lies in the same plane as the aperture 28a, 28b. The upper two-thirds of the tongue 36 comprise tapered side edges 38, which are joined by a top straight edge 39 that runs substantially parallel to the base wall 12 of the housing 10, when the housing 10 is erected.
Each aperture 28a, 28b further comprises a pair of grooves or recesses 40, each groove or recess 40 being formed, by a die-cut, in the lower edge 32 of the aperture 28a, 28b either side of, and adjacent to, the base of the projection 36.
The slightly downwardly inclined lower edge 32 of the apertures assists in directing the bag being dispensed towards the tongue 36 and grooves or recesses 40 in the central third of the apertures 28a, 28b to assist with dispensing the bag, as will be explained.
As shown in Fig. 7, the two innermost walls 14c, 16c of each triple- walled end wall 14, 16 each comprise a circular aperture 42 for receiving opposite ends of a hollow core 44 onto which the bags 200 are rolled. The circular apertures 42 are located approximately half way up each end wall 14, 16 and, when the roll core 44 is mounted into the apertures 42, the roll of bags 200 is held above the base wall 12 of the housing 10, thus allowing unhindered rotation of the roll 200. Each bag on the roll 200 is separated from adjacent bags on the roll by a line of interrupted perforations 46 between the seal 48 of one bag and the open end 50 of the adjacent bag. The perforations 46 are interrupted in the central third of the bag, which creates a slit 52 in the central portion of each bag.
The roll of bags 200 is mounted in the erected dispenser 10 as follows. The free end of the roll of bags 200 is unwound from the roll and fed through the aperture 28a, 28b in the front wall 18 of the housing 10, as illustrated in Fig. 9. The lid 22 of the housing 10 is then closed by tucking the hingeable tab 24 at the front edge of the lid 22 behind the upper part of the innermost front wall 18b, to retain the roll of bags 200 within the housing 10, as shown in Fig. 10.
As can be seen in Figs. 2 and 5, the hingeable securing tab 24 has a resilient or flexible elongate pressure tab portion, or contact surface 54, at its front edge, which, in use, sits behind the apertures 28a, 28b in the double front wall 18, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 10 to 12. The pressure tab 54 is defined by an interrupted perforated top edge cut 56, C-shaped die-cut end edges 58 and a bottom edge 60 which is slightly downwardly inclined from the side edges 58 towards the centre of the bottom edge 60. The centre of the bottom edge 60 comprises a recess 62, which is complementarily shaped with respect to the tongue 36. The slight downward incline of the bottom edge 60 is complementarily shaped with respect to the slight downwardly incline of the lower edge 32 of the apertures 28a, 28b, which ensures that the contact surface 54 engages the surface of the bags to urge the bags towards the lower edge 32 and tongue 36 of the apertures 28a, 28b for dispensing, as will be described. In the embodiment shown, the flexible or resilient contact surface 54 is the same length as the aperture 28, but it may be longer than, or shorter than, the aperture 28.
In use, the lower edge 60 of the pressure tab 54 sits just above and behind the lower edges 32 of the apertures 28a, 28b of the double front wall 18. As a consequence, the free end of the roll of bags 200 is guided under the lower edge 60 of the pressure tab 54 and over the lower edges 32 of the apertures 28a, 28b of the front wall 18. This causes the bags to substantially maintain frictional contact with the lower edge of both the apertures 28a, 28b of the front wall 18 and the pressure tab 54 which provides a contact surface to assist in controlling the flow of bags from the roll 200 when a pulling force is applied to the free end of the roll 200 to remove a bag.
A pulling force applied to the free end of the roll 200 causes the next bag to be dispensed to slide over the lower edge 32 of the apertures 28a, 28b in the front wall 18, as shown in Fig 9. When the perforated section 46 of the bag reaches the apertures 28a, 28b, the slit 52 formed by the interrupted perforations 46 is engaged by the tongue 36 of the apertures 28a, 28b, as shown in Fig 10. The tapered side walls 38 and relatively narrow top wall 39 of the tongue 36 enable the slit 52 to be engaged by the tongue 36 more easily, as compared to a non-tapered tongue arrangement. As the bag is pulled, the pulling force causes the perforations 46 immediately adjacent each side of the slit 52 to sit in and extend from the grooves or recesses 40 on either side of the tongue 36, as can be seen in Fig. 11. The grooves or recesses 40 effectively gather the regions of the bag either side of the slit 52 to prevent the next bag from being dispensed, by retaining it behind the tongue 36 and partially within the grooves or recesses 40, as shown in Figs 1 and 12.
As the bag forming the free end of roll 200 continues to be pulled, the perforations between the two bags tear, as shown in Fig. 11, thus dispensing the bag at the free end of the roll 200. The double front wall arrangement 18 provides the tongue 36 of the apertures 28a, 28b with greater resistance to the pulling force which assists with separation of the perforations 46 of the individual bags. As will be clear from Figs. 1 and 12, the distal edges 201 of the next bag which are now extending from the grooves 40 can be grasped by the user and pulled up and over the tongue 36 to repeat the dispensing process. The grooves 40 also enable an individual bag to be torn from the roll 200 at any angle, without more than one bag being pulled through the aperture 28 at once.
The lower edge 60 of the pressure tab 54 also urges the bags onto the lower edge 32 of the aperture 28 as they are pulled through. This increases the ease with which the tongue 36 engages the slit 52 in the bags and minimises the risk that more than one bag will be pulled from the roll 200 at one time.
The extent and length of the C-shaped cuts forming the end walls 58 of the pressure tab 54 varies the resilience of the pressure tab 54. For example, a longer, more rounded C-shaped cut will be less resilient than a shorter, straighter C-shaped cut.
Referring to Fig. 13, the dispenser blank 910 is formed from sheet cardboard using a conventional stamping and die-cutting process which not only defines the blank's shape, but also forms fold lines, represented by dotted lines in Fig 13, and the aforementioned perforated pressure tab 54.
Features of the blank corresponding to features previously described above, with reference to the erected dispenser are labelled with the same reference numerals on Fig. 13, increased by 900.
Two pairs of fold lines 903, 905 arranged in series and extending in the direction from top to bottom of the blank 910 divide it to form the front 918a, 918b, rear 920 and end walls 914a, 914b, 914c, 916a, 916b, 916c. The sheet cardboard folds preferentially at the fold lines which form the upright vertices of the erected dispenser 10 (see, for example, Figs 5 and 6).
Five spaced apart, parallel fold lines 907, 909, 911, 913, 915 extending from one side of a central portion 995 of the blank 910 to the other divides the central portion 995 of the blank 910 into five substantially equally rectangular panels 922, 920, 912, 918a, 918b, which will form the lid 922, rear wall 920, base wall 912 and front walls 918a, 918b of the dispenser 910. The lid 922 has a pressure tab 954 defined firstly by the fold line 915 running in the direction from one side of the blank 910 to the other and secondly, by a perforation 956 running substantially parallel to the edge of pressure tab 954, the perforation 956 terminating in C-shaped cuts 958. Fold line 907 is formed as a double fold, to provide a wider fold for folding over the outermost front wall 918a, as will be described.
The rear wall 920, which is divided from the adjacent lid 922 via continuous fold line 913 has a first end wall leaf 914b, 916b depending from each side of the rear wall 920. The first end wall leaves 914b, 916b form the intermediate wall leaf 914b of a triple end wall arrangement 914 and comprise centrally located circular cut outs 942, for receiving and supporting the roll core 944, when the dispenser 10 is in use.
The rear wall 920 is divided from the adjacent base wall 912 via continuous fold line 911. The base wall 912 is divided on its opposing side from the outermost front wall 918a by continuous fold line 909. The opposing side of the outermost front wall 918a carries the innermost front wall 918b, which is divided from the outermost front wall 918a by continuous double fold line 907.
The outermost front wall 918a also carries the two outermost end walls 914a, 916a. A base tab 956, 958 depends from the centre-most side of each of the outermost end walls 914a, 916a and is divided from the same by continuous fold lines 917 and 919, respectively. The fold lines 917, 919 along each base tab 956, 958 are each interrupted by an elongate cut out 960, 962, located centrally along each fold line 917, 919. The elongate cut out 960, 962 engages a securing tab 964, 966 depending from the bottom edge 968, 970, when the dispenser is erected, of each of the second end wall leaves 914c, 916c, as will be described.
The opposing side of each of the outermost end walls 914a, 916a carries a second end wall leaf 914c, 916c, each of the end walls 914a, 916a and second end wall leaves 914c, 916c being divided from one another by continuous fold lines 921, 923, respectively. Continuous fold lines 921 and 923 are formed as double fold lines to accommodate extra width of the multiple end walls, when the second end wall leaves 914c, 916c are folded over the intermediate end wall leaf, as will be explained. The second end wall leaves 914c, 916c forms the inner wall 914c, 916c of the triple end wall arrangement 914 at each end of the dispenser, with each of the second end wall leaves 914c, 916c comprising a centrally located circular cut out 942a. The aforementioned securing tab 964 is located on the opposite edge of the end wall leaf 914c, 916c to the continuous fold line 921, 923 and extends substantially the width of the circular cut out 942a. The position of the circular cut out 942a is arranged to overlie the circular cut out 942 of the end leaves 914b, 916b forming the intermediate wall leaf 914b, 916, of the triple end wall arrangement 914, 916.
The inner and outer front walls 918a, 918b each comprise an elongate aperture 928a, 928b. The apertures 928a, 928b are arranged as a mirror image of one another, such that when the dispenser blank 910 is erected, the apertures 928a, 928b can be overlaid to create a single aperture 928 in the front wall 918 of the dispenser. Prior to use, the blank is provided with the aperture 928a in the outermost front wall 918a blocked off by a blanking panel 972, which is connected to the aperture 928 via perforations 974. This is to prevent damage occurring to the roll 200 within the dispenser 10 during transit or prior to reaching the user. The blanking panel 972 is simply pushed out of the aperture 928a by separating the perforations 974 holding the panel 972 in place, when the dispenser 10 is required for use.
During erection of the dispenser 10, the outermost front wall 918a is folded through 90 degrees inwards towards the base portion 912 of the dispenser blank 910 until it is perpendicular to the base 912. The two base tabs 956, 958 are folded through 90 degrees inward towards the base portion 912, so that they overlie the base portion 912.
The two end wall leaves 914b, 916b forming the intermediate wall of the triple end walls 914, 916 are folded through 90 degrees inwardly, as the rear wall 920 is also folded through 90 degrees towards the base portion 912, until it is perpendicular to the base 912 and substantially parallel to the outermost front wall 918a. The end wall leaves 914b, 916b are arranged to overlie the inside of the outermost end walls 914a, 916a.
The two innermost end walls 914c, 916c are now upwardly extending from the outermost end walls 914a, 916a of the partially erected dispenser. Each innermost end wall 914c, 916c is folded inwardly through 90 degrees about double fold lines 921 and 923 respectively, to overlie the intermediate wall 914b 916b of each of the triple end walls 914, 916. The securing tabs 964, 966 are inserted into the elongate apertures 960, 962 to prevent the innermost end walls 914c, 916c from unfolding, thus securing the triple end wall arrangement 914, 916 in place.
The innermost front wall 918b, which is now upwardly extending from the outermost front wall 918a of the partially erected dispenser 10, is folded inwardly through 90 degrees about double fold line 907, so as to overlie the inside of the innermost front wall 918b. This inward folding of the innermost front wall 918b secures the dispenser 10 in an erected configuration.
A roll of interrupted perforation bags 200 is then mounted into the dispenser 10 by locating opposing ends of the roll core 44 into each of the apertures 942, 942a in the side walls 914, 916 of the dispenser 10. The lid 922 of the dispenser 10 is then closed and secured by tucking the pressure tab 954 behind the upper part of the front wall 918b of the dispenser 10 to securely retain the bags, as shown in Fig 3. When the dispenser 10 is required for use, the perforations 974 holding the blanking panel 972 within the aperture 928a of the outermost front wall 918a can be broken, to release the blanking panel 972 and allow the bags to be dispensed, as described above.
The dispenser 10 may be provided with a suspension eye 80 for hanging the dispenser 10 from a hook or similar mounting means.

Claims

A dispenser (10) for dispensing bags from a roll of bags (200), comprising a housing, the housing having an aperture (28) adapted to dispense individual bags from the roll (200), wherein the periphery of the aperture comprises a projection (36) adapted to engage the bags and assist separation of the individual bags from the roll (200) characterized in that the dispenser (10) further comprises a groove or recess (40) located on one or both sides of the projection (36) to engage the bags and assist in separation of individual bags from the roll (200).
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aperture (28) is elongate and wherein the projection (36) extends from one elongate edge of the aperture (28) towards an opposite elongate edge of the aperture (28) and/optionally comprising a projection (36) located centrally with respect to the aperture (28).
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the or each groove or recess (40) is located adjacent to the projection (36) and/or wherein the housing comprises an opposing pair of mounting means for mounting opposite ends of the roll of bags (200) and, optionally wherein the mounting means comprises an opposing pair of apertures adapted to receive the ends of the roll.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing comprises a contact portion (54) adapted to lie adjacent the aperture and engage a surface of the bags.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in use of the dispenser (10), the contact portion (54) is located inwardly of the aperture and/or wherein, in use of the dispenser (10), the bags pass between a lower edge (60) of the contact portion (54) and a lower edge (32) of the aperture.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the contact portion (54) is complementarily shaped with respect to the lower edge (32) of the aperture (28).
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the contact portion (54) is elongate and/or wherein the contact portion (54) is of substantially the same length as the aperture.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 7, comprising a recess is centrally located on the contact portion (54).
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 8, wherein the contact portion (54) comprises a resilient or flexible portion, configured, in use of the dispenser (10), to contact the roll of bags (200) and assist in separation of individual bags from the roll and, optionally, wherein the resilient or flexible portion is elongate and/or wherein the resilient or flexible portion is at least partially formed by cuts in the contact portion (54) and/or wherein a boundary of the resilient or flexible portion comprises a score line or perforation (956).
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 9, wherein the contact portion (54) forms part of the housing.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 10, wherein the contact portion (54) forms part of a lid (22) of the housing.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the housing comprises a double wall (18) comprising two wall portions (18a, 18b), and wherein each wall portion comprises an aperture (28a, 28b) through which bags are dispensed.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the apertures (28a, 28b) are substantially identical and/or wherein the apertures (28a, 28b) are aligned.
A dispenser (10) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the housing comprises a lid (22).
A dispenser (10) as claimed in claim 14, wherein the lid (22) is hinged.