GB2306149A

GB2306149A - Portable sack holder with filling funnel

Info

Publication number: GB2306149A
Application number: GB9617872A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Derek Fowler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-09-12
Filing date: 1996-08-27
Publication date: 1997-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2016-08-27
Also published as: GB9617872D0; GB2306149B

Abstract

A portable sack comprises a support unit 11 for a sack 15 which is substantially within but with its neck protruding from the open top of the unit. A funnel-shaped member 13 functions as a hopper when placed downwards into the opening of the unit 11 gripping the neck of the sack between the hopper and the support unit. The support unit 11 and hopper 13 are formed by two similar foldable open-based pyramids, the topmost corner of each being truncated. Each pyramid has a hinge 17 along the length of each apical edge and a hinge 17 which bisects a single face running perpendicular to the base. The hinges enable the pyramid to fold almost flat for storage. The pyramids further have holes 21, 22, 23 and 24 which may be used to hang the folded pyramids on a hook for storage.

Description

Porbtalale Secic filler This invention relates to portable sack fillers, that is, to devices that assist the filling of sacks.

Sacks or bags of light-weight plastics material are used very widely, mainly for rubbish end refuse. When transferring material, either loose or in some form of vessel, to such a flexible bag, numerous problems are encountered. The neck of the bag must be held open, so that the material will go in, and the neck must be reised up off the ground so the material will stay in end not overflow before the bag is full. If the opening of the source vessel is larger than the neck of the bag, there is a good chance of some material missing the bag entirely.

It will be appreciated that for one person with one pair of hands this is a difficult operation. It is not an unusual situation though. In the gerden, for example, when the grass box of a lawnmower is full. the contents are often transferred to a bag for disposal. The size and shape of the grass boxes often makes fitting the neck of the bag around the box impossible, so while tipping the grass box with one hand (which some infirm people find difficult in itself), the bag must be held open and supported with the remaining hand. Success depends on patience, luck, and the absence of even a slight breeze which might cause the bag to collapse.

One solution is to place the beg in either a conventional bin or a swing top bin, the neck being pulled over the rim of the bin to keep it open. Both these solutions have drawbacks. If the bag is too short, when used in a conventional bin it may sink down inside the bin when only partially filled, pulling the neck away from the rim of the bin. Although the neck is secured when using a swing-top bin, these are awkward to use as the flap is difficult to keep open and grass is liable to spill outside the bin; also, the opening of such a bin is constricted. Both these bin types, usually being rigid and bulky, are difficult to store.

The object of present invention is to provide an improved device for aiding the transfer of material to a flexible bag.

Accordingly the present invention provides a portable sack filler comprisings a support unit having an opening at its top and an enlarged body below that opening such thet a bag can be placed therein with its neck protruding through the opening; and a hopper of essentially funnel-like form engageable into the opening of the support unit to grip the neck of the bag between the hopper and the support unit.

The support unit and the hopper both preferably have the form of truncated and baseless (ie open-based) triangular pyramids, the hopper being smaller than the base unit. The pyramids mey be hinged along their apical edges and also along a line bisecting one face perpendicular to the base, so that folding the hinge bisecting the face into the body of the pyramid causes the structure to fold to a generally flat form. Coincident holes may be provided in the faces to allow them to be hung up when folded.

To use the device, a bag is placed inside the body of the support unit, with the bag's neck protruding from the truncated section. After the neck has been turned down all around the opening, the hopper is lowered onto the support unit to secure the bag between the touching surfaces of the two components. The support unit now acts to funnel any material poured in to it down into the beg.

A portable sack filler embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the device; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the larger pyramid having been partially folded up.

Referring to Fig. 1, the system comprises two open-bottomed or baseless three-sided pyramids 11 end 13 (each fabricated from three similar trapezia), the larger pyramid 11 being the support unit and the smaller pyramid 13 being the hopper. Each pyramid is truncated to form, at its truncated horizontal section, en open end or opening; the opening of the hopper is slightly smaller than the opening of the support unit.

In use, the larger pyramid 11 is placed neck upwards, a bag 15 is placed in it, the neck of the bag is pulled out to protrude from the opening of the pyramid and beck over the pyramid, and the smaller pyramid 13 is lowered over the bag. The openings of both the pyramids are equilateral triangles, the section of the larger pyramid being larger the smaller pyramid's section, so that the smaller pyramid rests stably on the larger. The two pyramids thus touch along the whole of the larger pyramid's truncated section, so that the neck of the bag is gripped. Refuse or similar material, for instance grass cuttings from a lawnmower's grass box, may now be poured into the hopper, from where it is channelled into the bag.When the bag has been filled, the upper pyramid is removed, end either the bag is tied shut whilst still within the lower pyramid or the lower pyramid is removed whilst the bag is still open.

Each pyramid has a hinge along the length of each apical edge, end each pyramid also has a hinge which bisects a single face, running perpendicular to the base. Referring to Fig. 2, which shows a pyramid partly folded up, the bisected face folds into the body of the pyramid, and in conjunction with the other hinges enables the pyramid to fold almost flat. The hinges may be of a mechanical type or an adhesive material separating the three trapezia, or the pyramid may be cut from one piece of material, with the hinges feshioned from creases in the material.

Holes 21, 22, 23, and 24 may be included in both the non-folding faces of each pyramid, and are so located that when the pyramids are fully folded, the holes 21 and 22 (and the holes 23 and 24) are aligned and may be used to hang the folded pyramids on a hook for storage.

Although the pyramids shown here are three-sided and regular, the principles could easily be extended to pyramids with other polygonal base profiles, and with sides of steeper or shallow gradient for each pyramid, depending on the characteristics necessary for holding different sizes of bags, the material being emptied into the hopper, and the vessel (if any) from which the material is being emptied. Additionally, whilst the hopper as illustrated is smaller than the support unit, the hopper could be made the same size or even larger than the support unit, providing that the ratio between the truncated section of the support unit and the top horizontal section of the hopper does not become so small as to make the hopper unstable. Means for increasing the stability, such as a meting groove on the hopper, may be included if desired.

Claims

Claims

A A portable sack filler comprising: a support unit having an opening at its top and an enlarged body below that opening such that a bag can be placed therein with its neck protruding through the opening; and a hopper of essentially funnel-like form engageeble into the opening of the support unit to grip the neck of the bag between the hopper and the support unit.
2 A portable sack filler according to claim 1 wherein the support unit is a baseless pyramid with its apex truncated, and the hopper is an inverted baseless pyramid with its apex truncated.
3 A portable sack filler according to claim 2 wherein the hopper pyramid is substantially smaller than the support unit pyramid.
4 A portable sack filler according to either of claims 2 and 3 wherein the pyramids are hinged along each apical edge and along a line bisecting one face perpendicular to the base.
5 A portable sack filler according to claim 4 wherein each pyramid has a pair of holes in the non-bisected faces which coincide when the structure is folded.
6 A portable sack filler according to any previous claim wherein the hopper has means for attachment or increasing its conjunction with the support unit.
7 A portable sack filler substantially as herein described and illustrated.
8 Any novel and inventive feature or combination of features specifically disclosed herein within the meaning of article 4H of the International Convention (Paris Convention).