GB2253995A

GB2253995A - Carrier bag grip

Info

Publication number: GB2253995A
Application number: GB9206285A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher John Eadon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-03-22
Filing date: 1992-03-23
Publication date: 1992-09-30
Also published as: GB9206285D0

Abstract

One or more carrier bags (10, Fig. 4) having loop handles (9, Fig. 4) associated with an elongate grip of substantially U-shaped cross section, comprising a basewall 4 and upstanding side walls 1 which provides opposed side projections, e.g. ears 2, extending longitudinally beyond the end of the basewall 54, with open ends. The grips can be carried by a person's hand with the loop handle of the carrier bag or bag being bundled together and extending along and downward outward, under tension in the grip, over the edge of the basewall so that the grip is retained on the handles. The projections or ears 2 are inclined downwardly and towards one another. the downwardly extended edge of the ear closer to the end of the basewall is also inclined in the longitudinal direction downwardly and away from the basewall. In order to locate the bag handles against sliding past the ears a gap is provided between the end of the basewall and the adjacent downwardly extending edge of each ear. <IMAGE>

Description

CARRIER BAG GRIP Plastics shopping bags, of the kind, for example, which are provided in shops and supermarkets for taking away shopping, usually have an elongate opening in each of its opposite walls to provide integral loop carrying handles. Sometimes the edges of the openings are reinforced. However, such bags are strong enough to carry heavy shopping and when carried by the loop handles in the hand, the material of the bag, being strong and thin, tends to cut painfully into the hand of the person carrying the bag. It is not unusual for a person to carry more than one such bag in each hand and this exacerbates the discomfort.

When one or more such laden bags are temporarily placed on the ground, either to relieve the discomfort, or while further shopping is conducted, it is not unusual for the bag or bags to fall over sideways, and to disgorge the contents.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, one or more carrier bags having loop handles is or are associated with an elongate grip of substantially Ushaped cross-section with open ends, and arranged to be carried by a person's hand with the loop handles of the carrier bag or bags being bundled together and extending along within the grip.

With this arrangement, the grip spreads the load of the handles over a wiper area of the carrier's hand, thereby eliminating the cutting effect, however sharp the individual bag handles may be.

The grip will also preferably tend to hold the two loop handles of a conventional shopping bag together, or the loop handles of a number of carrier bags together, so that if the bag or bags are put down, they will be unlikely to disgorge their contents, even if they lean or fall over sideways.

The grip may take a variety of forms. For example one construction may have a substantially rigid trough-like body with a basewall and upstanding sidewalls. In use, such a grip will be carried resting on the carrier's hand.

With this construction the tendency to hold together bag handles which are bundled in the grip is improved, if, at each end of the grip, opposed side projections extend longitudinally beyond the end of the basewall. These projections, which may, in effect, form continuations of the sidewalls, will, in use, tend to overlie portions of the loop handles which, under tension, extend downwards over the edge of the basewall and outwards, and will therefore act to retain the gripping engagement with the bag handles if the grip is released and the bags associated with the grip placed on the ground.This inter-engagement of the projections and the loop handles is believed to be more secure if each of the projections not only projects beyond the end of the basewall, but provides an ear depending below the level of the basewall, the ears of each opposed pair of side projections preferably being inclined downwardly and towards one another. For the same reason, the downwardly extending edge of the ear closer to the end of the basewall is also preferably inclined in the longitudinally direction of the grip downwardly and away from the basewall. There may even be a small gap between the end of the basewall and the adjacent downwardly extending edge of each ear to locate the bag handles against sliding past the ear(s) and up off the grip.

In another construction the grip may comprise a pair of handles at respective ends of a web of flexible material which is arranged to be passed through the loop handle(s) of a bag or bags and to be bent upwards into a U-shape to provide a sling for the bag handles. Provided that the grip handles are sufficiently massive, they will spread tte load of the bags comfortable on a carrier's hand.

With this second construction, the bag handles may be held together securely if there are means, such as press studs or Velcro strips, positioned on the grip handles or web ends, to hold the two ends of the grip easily but releasably together after one end been passed through the bag handles.

A grip, according to one of the alternative constructions, and preferably with one or more of the optional features, referred to above, form independent aspects of the invention.

The grip may be made from any suitable material, for example it may be formed from a sheet of thermoplastics material, or injection moulded from an appropriate plastics material.

Two examples of a grip in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a plan of a blank from which the first grip is made; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the first grip; Figure 3 is an end view of the first grip; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the first grip in use; Figure 5 is a plan of the second grip; Figure 6 is a section on the line VI- VI in Figure 5; and, Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the second grip in use.

The first grip is made from a blank, cut as shown in Figure 1, from a sheet of thermoplastics material. This is thermoformed to produce the troughlike grip shown in Figure 2, by bending up opposed sidewalls 1, and bending into a downward curve end portions 5 of a basewall 4. End portions of the sidewalls, extending beyond the respective ends of the basewall 4 provide downwardly and inwardly extending ears 2, the edges closest to the basewall being spaced and tapered away from the basewall. Corners 3 define chamfered ends to the upper edges of the basewalls.

In use, and as shown in Figure 4, the central upper portions of the loop handles 9 of, for example, a conventional plastics shopping bag 10, are hooked over one of the sidewalls 1 of the grip so that the handles lie in the channel between the sidewalls 1. More than one bag may be fitted to the grip in this way, whereafter the bag or bags may be lifted by picking up the bags by placing a hand beneath the grip. The tension in the bag handles will tend to cause the handles to be pulled downwardly over the ends of the basewall 4 and splayed outwardly beneath the ears 2, thereby providing a degree of interlocking which causes the grip to be self-supporting on the bag handles, and hence holding the opposed walls of the or each bag together, even if the bag or bags are placed on the ground.

The second grip, illustrated in Figures 5 to 7 has a flexible web 6 terminating in rigid loop handles 7 of greater thickness. The web can be bent to form a sling 8, after one handle and web end have been passed through the loop handles 9 of a plastics shopping bag 10. Press studs 11 on the insides of the handles can then be engaged to secure together the handles 7, and hence also the handles 9.

Claims

1. One or more carrier bags having loop handles in combination with an elongate grip of substantially U-shaped cross-section with open ends, and arranged to be carried by a person's hand with the loop handles of the carrier bag or bags being bundled together and extending along within the grip.

2. A carrier bag grip having a substantially rigid trough-like body with a basewall and upstanding sidewalls, wherein at each end of the grip, opposed side projections extend longitudinally beyond the end of the basewall.

3. A grip according to claim 2, wherein the projeotions form continuations of the sidewalls and will, in use, tend to overlie portions of the loop handles which, under tension, extend downwards over the edge of the base wall and outwards, and will therefore act to retain the gripping engagement with the bag handles if the grip is released and the bags associated with the grip placed on the ground.

4. A grip according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein each of the projections provides an ear depending below the level of the basewall.

5. A grip according to claim 4, wherein the ears of each opposed pair of side projections are inclined downwardly and towards one another.

6. A grip according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the downwardly extending edge of the ear closer to the end of the basewall is also inclined in the longitudinal direction of the grip downwardly and away from the basewall.

7. A grip according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a gap is provided between the end of the basewall and the adjacent downwardly extending edge of each ear to locate the bag handles against sliding past the ear(s) and up off the grip.

8. A grip substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A combination according to claim 1, wherein the grip is according to any one of claims 2 to 8.