GB1599645A

GB1599645A - Carrier bags

Info

Publication number: GB1599645A
Application number: GB4296477A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Metal Box PLC
Current assignee: Crown Packaging UK Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-24
Filing date: 1978-05-24
Publication date: 1981-10-07

Description

(54) CARRIER BAGS (71) We, METAL BOX LIMITED, of Queens House, Forbury Road, Reading RGI 3JH, Berkshire, a British Company, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to carrier bags.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a carrier bag comprising a flexible plastics body of flattened tubular form, closed at one end and open at the other, and a paperboard handle attached to the body at the open end thereof, the handle having two adjacent portions each formed with a carrying aperture, the handle portions being disposed adjacent one another with their carrying apertures in alignment and being provided with respective reverse-folded flaps which are received in pockets formed on either side of the body by a fold of the body material around the body mouth.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a carrier bag in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bag taken on the centre line L-L in Fig. 1, with the thickness of the bag materials exaggerated for clarity and Fig. 3 shows the blank from which the handle for the bag is formed.

Referring now to the drawings, a carrier bag is generally planar and has a body 9 in the form of a bag of PVC or like flexible plastics sheet material which may be transparent or opaque and may carry print if desired. The body is formed from a cut length of a blown parison. and is seamless around its periphery. having integral folds along its side eldges 10. It is closed at its bottom end (as shown) by a heat seal 11, its top end being openable (as is later to be described) to provide a mouth through which the bag contents may be inserted or removed.

In addition to the body 9, the carrier bag further includes a handle 12 set up from the blank shown in Fig. 3. This blank, which is conventionally formed by cutting and scoring or creasing paperboard (printed or otherwise), has two identical halves 13 on either side of a fold line 14. Each blank half 13 has a handle aperture 15 in a top portion 16. A flap 17 extends along the bottom end of each blank half, attached by a fold line 18. The fold lines 18 are aligned.

The relative disposition of the body 9 and handle 12 in the assembled carrier bag is apparent from Figs. 1 and 2. From these Figures it will be seen that the handle 12 is set up from the blank of Fig. 3 by folding the two halves 13 of the blank together along the fold line 14, and turning the flaps 17 outwardly and upwardly about their respective fold lines 18. The fold lines 18 are then in registry to form the bottom free edge 18' of the handle, the handle apertures 15 being likewise in registry to form a single carrying aperture 15' for the bag.

The mouth of the body 9 is formed by a downwardly and inwardly turned fold 20 of the plastics material which extends around the whole periphery of the body to a constant depth which is slightly less than the depth of the flaps 17. This fold forms each side of the body with an inverted pocket which is open downwardly towards the body interior.

The handle is inserted into the body mouth with its flaps located within the inverted pockets on their respective sides of the bag. The longitudinal free edges 22 of the flaps are engaged with the body material at the bottom of the inverted pockets. Moreover, heat seals 30 (Fig. 1) are formed in the body material along the side edges of the body between adjacent ends of the flaps so as locally to attach the fold material to the overlying material of the body proper. Together with the engagement of the flaps with the body material at the bottom of the inverted pockets these heat seals enable a substantial weight of contents in the body to be carried by means of the handle. In that context it will be noted that the top portions 16 of the handle project beyond the body mouth so as to present the handle aperture 15' to the user.

In addition or as an alternative to the heat seals 30, the body may be physically attached to the handle as, for example, by the staples 23 shown in Figs. I and 2. Glueing or heat sealing of the body to the handle may also be used. Heat sealing is of particular relevance if the paperboard or cardboard of the handle is of the well-known kind having a polyvinyl chloride coating.

For use the bag is filled with contents through the body mouth, after the mouth has been opened by separation of the two halves of the handle between the fold line 14 at one end and the mutually adjacent free side edges 25 of the blank at the other This separation involves flexure of the handle material. However, after filling has been completed and the two halves of the handle are brought together for the bag to be carried as desired, the handle is essentially rigid to withstand the generally vertical forces imposed upon it by the bag contents.

If desired, the body may be heat-sealed closed below the handle 12 after filling to provide tamper-indication.

It will be noted that the handle is effective upon the body 9 over substantially the whole width of the latter, that is to say, the whole of the horizontal dimension of the body as seen in Fig. 1. The body is therefore prevented from any substantial sagging under the weight of the contents within it.

In a modification of the described arrangement the flaps 17 are turned inwardly rather than outwardly, the fold 20 correspondingly being out-turned rather than in-turned.

In a further modification, the handle 12 is formed of two separate and identical parts corresponding to the halves 13 of Fig. 3 when separated along the fold line 14.

In a third modification, the body 9 has an integral fold along its bottom edge corresponding to the heat seal 11, and has heat seals (instead of integral folds) along its side edges 10. Such a method of formation enables the bottom end of the body to be readily gussetted if desired.

In a fourth modification the body 9 is formed from two webs of plastics film drawn from separate reels. The webs are heat-sealed together along the side and bottom edges of the body.

A carrier bag as particularly described is suited for hand erection and product filling.

It is proposed as a retailing pack for items such as clothes (e.g. shirts and ties), shoes and textiles. However, it has wide application where the requirement is for a robust and easily carried retail pack providing sales appeal to the end user with substantial adaptability for the packer, who can use a standard body 9 with one of a number of differently printed handles 12 appropriate to the goods to be packed.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: l. A carrier bag comprising a flexible plastics body of flattened tubular form, closed at one end and open at the other, and a paperboard handle attached to the body at the open end thereof, the handle having two adjacent portions each formed with a carrying aperture, the handle portions being disposed adjacent one another with their carrying apertures in alignment and being provided with respective reverse-folded flaps which are received in pockets formed on either side of the body by a fold of the body material around the body mouth.

2. A carrier bag according to Claim 1, wherein the body fold is turned inwardly of the body and the flaps are turned outwardly of the handle portions.

3. A carrier bag according to Claim I, wherein the body fold is turned outwardly of the body and the flaps are turned inwardly of the handle portions.

4. A carrier bag according to any Claim of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the fold material is attached to the adjacent body material along the side edges of the body between the adjacent ends of the flaps.

5. A carrier bag according to Claim 4, wherein the attachment of the fold material to the body material is effected by heat sealing.

6. A carrier bag according to any Claim or Claims 1 to 5, wherein the flaps are attached to the body material by staples.

7. A carrier bag according to any Claim of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the flaps are attached to the body material by glueing.

8. A carrier bag according to any preceding Claim, wherein the body is formed from flattened tubular film, closed at the bottom end of the body by heat sealing and arranged for its folded side edges to form the side edges of the body.

9. A carrier bag according to any Claim of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the body has heat seals formed along its side edges, and an integral fold along its bottom end.

10. A carrier bag according to Claim 9, which has a gusset fold along its bottom end.

11. A carrier bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A carrier bag according to any preceding Claim in combination with a product within the body, the body being heat sealed closed below the handle to provide tamper indication for the bag.

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Claims

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15' to the user.

In addition or as an alternative to the heat seals 30, the body may be physically attached to the handle as, for example, by the staples 23 shown in Figs. I and 2. Glueing or heat sealing of the body to the handle may also be used. Heat sealing is of particular relevance if the paperboard or cardboard of the handle is of the well-known kind having a polyvinyl chloride coating.

For use the bag is filled with contents through the body mouth, after the mouth has been opened by separation of the two halves of the handle between the fold line 14 at one end and the mutually adjacent free side edges 25 of the blank at the other This separation involves flexure of the handle material. However, after filling has been completed and the two halves of the handle are brought together for the bag to be carried as desired, the handle is essentially rigid to withstand the generally vertical forces imposed upon it by the bag contents.

If desired, the body may be heat-sealed closed below the handle 12 after filling to provide tamper-indication.

It will be noted that the handle is effective upon the body 9 over substantially the whole width of the latter, that is to say, the whole of the horizontal dimension of the body as seen in Fig. 1. The body is therefore prevented from any substantial sagging under the weight of the contents within it.

In a modification of the described arrangement the flaps 17 are turned inwardly rather than outwardly, the fold 20 correspondingly being out-turned rather than in-turned.

In a further modification, the handle 12 is formed of two separate and identical parts corresponding to the halves 13 of Fig. 3 when separated along the fold line 14.

In a third modification, the body 9 has an integral fold along its bottom edge corresponding to the heat seal 11, and has heat seals (instead of integral folds) along its side edges 10. Such a method of formation enables the bottom end of the body to be readily gussetted if desired.

In a fourth modification the body 9 is formed from two webs of plastics film drawn from separate reels. The webs are heat-sealed together along the side and bottom edges of the body.

A carrier bag as particularly described is suited for hand erection and product filling.

It is proposed as a retailing pack for items such as clothes (e.g. shirts and ties), shoes and textiles. However, it has wide application where the requirement is for a robust and easily carried retail pack providing sales appeal to the end user with substantial adaptability for the packer, who can use a standard body 9 with one of a number of differently printed handles 12 appropriate to the goods to be packed.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: l. A carrier bag comprising a flexible plastics body of flattened tubular form, closed at one end and open at the other, and a paperboard handle attached to the body at the open end thereof, the handle having two adjacent portions each formed with a carrying aperture, the handle portions being disposed adjacent one another with their carrying apertures in alignment and being provided with respective reverse-folded flaps which are received in pockets formed on either side of the body by a fold of the body material around the body mouth.
2. A carrier bag according to Claim 1, wherein the body fold is turned inwardly of the body and the flaps are turned outwardly of the handle portions.
3. A carrier bag according to Claim I, wherein the body fold is turned outwardly of the body and the flaps are turned inwardly of the handle portions.
4. A carrier bag according to any Claim of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the fold material is attached to the adjacent body material along the side edges of the body between the adjacent ends of the flaps.
5. A carrier bag according to Claim 4, wherein the attachment of the fold material to the body material is effected by heat sealing.
6. A carrier bag according to any Claim or Claims 1 to 5, wherein the flaps are attached to the body material by staples.
7. A carrier bag according to any Claim of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the flaps are attached to the body material by glueing.
8. A carrier bag according to any preceding Claim, wherein the body is formed from flattened tubular film, closed at the bottom end of the body by heat sealing and arranged for its folded side edges to form the side edges of the body.
9. A carrier bag according to any Claim of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the body has heat seals formed along its side edges, and an integral fold along its bottom end.
10. A carrier bag according to Claim 9, which has a gusset fold along its bottom end.
11. A carrier bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
12. A carrier bag according to any preceding Claim in combination with a product within the body, the body being heat sealed closed below the handle to provide tamper indication for the bag.