GB2311508A - Groups of plastics bags or sheets - Google Patents
Groups of plastics bags or sheets Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2311508A GB2311508A GB9606445A GB9606445A GB2311508A GB 2311508 A GB2311508 A GB 2311508A GB 9606445 A GB9606445 A GB 9606445A GB 9606445 A GB9606445 A GB 9606445A GB 2311508 A GB2311508 A GB 2311508A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- bags
- bag
- group
- folded
- end portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H45/00—Folding thin material
- B65H45/02—Folding limp material without application of pressure to define or form crease lines
- B65H45/04—Folding sheets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
- B65D83/08—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing thin flat articles in succession
- B65D83/0894—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing thin flat articles in succession the articles being positioned relative to one another or to the container in a special way, e.g. for facilitating dispensing, without additional support
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Bag Frames (AREA)
Description
PLASTICS BAGS OR SHEETS
This invention relates to plastics bags or sheets, and is concerned particularly with groups of plastics bags or sheets that are folded to facilitate selection and removal of individual bags or sheets from a group. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the following specification refers only to plastics bags, although the invention is equally applicable to plastics bags or plastics sheet, and references to plastics bags, where appropriate and specifically in the claims, should be regarded as references to plastics sheets.
Plastics bags are generally sold to the public in groups of five or more, and the ease with which individual bags can be separated from the group can play an important part in the decision of the ultimate consumer to buy a particular type of bag. However, as well as considering the needs of the ultimate consumer, it is important to bear in mind the needs of intermediate purchasers, e.g. retailers, who have a limited space within which to store and display a large number of different products and therefore require that the volume occupied by a group of bags be kept to a minimum.
It is well known to manufacture strings of bags from continuous lengths of lay flat plastics tubing. The tubing may be provided with a transverse line of perforations adjacent the base seal of each bag, and the tubing can be rolled up into a roll for ease of subsequent handling. Individual bags may then be separated from the roll by the ultimate consumer by tearing along the perforation lines.
Alternatively the manufacturer may separate individual bags by an appropriate cutting operation and place a number of bags into a stack, individual bags being taken by the user from the top of the stack. In both instances, it is also well known to place the roll or stack in a suitable dispenser, e.g. in a cardboard box for sale to consumers or in a fixed unit in retailers premises where bags are freely available to consumers. However, both of the above alternatives have drawbacks. For instance, separation of a bag from a roll can be difficult if the perforations are not correctly formed and the removal of the bag from a roll requires the use of both hands. Also, it is difficult to separate a single bag from a stack of bags, particularly when the stack is within a dispenser, and frequently some or all ofthe other bags are pulled from the dispenser along with the required bag.
In attempts to alleviate the drawbacks described it is known to separate the bags after manufacture and interleave the individual bags as they are would into a roll. Once a secure grip has been applied to the free end of the outermost bag in a roll, it can simply be pulled off the roll. However, when a roll of bags is placed in a square container, the space available in the container is not utilized to its maximum possible extent. Also, it can not be ensured that the leading edge of the next bag will be left conveniently located at a dispensing opening to facilitate subsequent removal of that bag.
The present invention address the aforementioned problems and accordingly provides a group of plastics bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having an end portion folded back to overlie a main portion of the bag and present a free edge above the main portion, the bags in the group being placed together with their end portions generally aligned through the group, whereby to facilitate separation of individual bags in turn from the group by gripping the folded back end portion of the uppermost bag.
With each bag in the folded condition described above the end portion ofthe uppermost bag can be easily gripped either by grasping both its faces or pinching its upper surface with the main portion of the same bag acting as a barrier between the end portion and the rest of the group of bags to ensure that only the top bag is removed.
Also provided in accordance with this invention is a group of plastics bags disposed within a container having a dispensing opening for the removal of bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having an end portion folded back to overlie a main portion of the bag, the bags in the group being placed together with their end portions generally aligned through the group and at least part of the overlying end portion of the outermost bag in the group being accessible through the aperture to facilitate separation of said outermost bag by gripping the said end portion.
Preferably, at least part of a free edge of the end portion of the outermost bag is accessible through the aperture.
Separation of bags within the container is effected and facilitated in the same manner as previously described.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention the end portion of each bag is folded at a single transverse fold line parallel to the adjacent end edge of the bag, and the group of bags is folded in a concertina manner underneath the end portions.
Further provided in accordance with the invention is a method of folding a group of plastics bags comprising the steps of folding an end portion of each bag back to overlie a main portion of the same bag, stacking the folded bags with the overlying end portions oriented upwardly and generally aligned within the group whereby the end portion of the uppermost bag of the folded and stacked group of bags is presented to facilitate separation of said bag from the group.
A clear understanding ofthe invention will be gained from the following description which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows the steps involved in the preferred method of producing a group of folded bags according to this invention, and
Figure 2 shows a group of folded bags within a container.
In Figures 1 and 2 plastic bags 1 are shown in side elevation.
For ease of illustration each bag is depicted as a single line although in reality each bag comprises a number of layers of plastics film.
Further, the bags in a group would be closely packed together but the distance between bags is exaggerated to facilitate understanding.
In a manner known per se, a series of bags are manufactured from a continuous length of extruded plastics tubing which may have inwardly extending gussets on either side and transverse base seals formed by repeatedly applying a heated bar or blade to weld the plastics film at regular intervals along the tubing.
A second transverse heat seal can be formed adjacent to and in the same manner as the base seal if handles are desired at the top of each bag. The handles are defined by removing a central section of the tubing, including a medial portion of the second seal. As will become apparent, the central section of the tubing can be removed contemporaneously from a group of bags, but alternatively successive central sections of the tubing could be removed. A length of tubing can be extruded and wound into a roll and transferred to a bag making, folding and stacking device, or bags can be fed to the bag making, folding and stacking device directly from the extrusion apparatus. Further, by forming a flattened ungusseted length of tubing and dividing and sealing the tubing with a heated blade or wire into portions of equal width, a plurality of parallel bag production lines can be supplied from a single extruded width of tubing.
Preferably, each bag ofthe group of plastics bags to be folded in accordance with this invention comprise tubing with each gusset extending inwardly to be between V4 and 1/2 the width of the gusseted tubing and having transverse base and handle seals at opposed end of each bag. Individual bags are separated from the tubing by an appropriate cutting operation, e.g. by application of a blade intermediate the seals before being folded and stacked, and a central section is removed from the stacked bags to define longitudinally extending handles.
Referring now to Figures 1 a-e, a rectangular end portion 2 adjacent the base seal of a first bag A of overall length w is folded upwardly and back about a transverse fold line 3 to lie against the upper surface of a main portion 4 of the bag A. A stack of bags 6 is formed by placing a succession of individual bags (B,C.... etc) in turn above the previously folded bag or bags and folding the end portion 2 of each bag back to overlie the upper surface of the main portion 4 of the same bag as described above (see Figure 1, fto 1). The sides of the bags within the stack, and the end portions of each bag, are aligned through the stack. A stack of bags may comprise any number of bags, but suitably contains between five and one hundred bags.
When a stack with the requisite number of bags is completed, the stack is folded in a concertina-like manner to reduce the length of the stack and a wrapping, e.g. a band of paper or plastics, is placed around the folded group of bags to retain them in the folded condition ready to be placed into a dispenser when the retaining band would be removed or the folded group of bags can be placed directly into a dispensing container. The number of concertina-like folds in the stack is not crucial and is generally dictated by the desired stack length. Indeed, the stack may be provided without any concertina folds, and in this instance the length of the folded back end portion is suitably less than 30% of the length of the unfolded bag. The folded back end portions preferably have the same length but the exact location of the transverse fold line 3 on each bag is not crucial to the invention and may vary from bag to bag in each stack.
However, conveniently the length of the folded back end portion is between 30% and 70% and preferably 50% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bag. As the stacked bags are preferably provided with handles it is efficacious to locate the transverse fold line near to the base seal, but in a bag without handles the end portion could be provided adjacent the open end of each bag.
Figure 2 illustrates a container of the type referred to above in the form of a cardboard box or carton 10 having an open top which is normally closed by a hinged lid 11 integral with the rear wall. The concertina-folded stack of bags 6 is placed into the container with the folded end portions 2 uppermost. The exact type of container used, or method of insertion of the stack of bags into the container, is not crucial to the claimed invention. The lid 11 of the container is provided with a catch or detent that co-operates with a corresponding recess in a front wall of the carton to releasably secure the lid 11 in a closed position.
The lid of the container can be opened to gain access to the enclosed bags, or alternatively it could have a removable panel or a permanent slit for forming a dispensing opening in the top wall of the container.
As may be clearly seen in Figure 2, the folded back end portion 2 ofthe uppermost bag is directly accessible at the top of the enclosed group of bags and it immediately overlies the main portion 4 of the same bag. Furthermore the free edge of the end portion of the uppermost bag is presented to the user. As a consequence, the edge ofthe folded end portion 2 ofthe uppermost bag can be gripped or the folded end portion can be pinched between forefinger and thumb, and the bag pulled from the group without disturbing any of the other bags in the group and thus it is ensured that only a single bag is removed. Once a bag has been removed from the group, the next bag is exposed ready for removal in exactly the same way.
The concertina folding of the stack of bags, as shown in Figure 2, means that the concertinaed portions of the uppermost bag are easily pulled free during the removal of the top bag, and the remaining bags are not drawn out of the box nor is the following bag caused to protrude significantly from the container opening. This feature is particularly important when the bags are used on connection with young children and babies, e.g. bags for the disposal of nappies, as it is not desirable to have loose or protruding bags which can be pulled out by small infants. Advantageously a group of bags folded in accordance with this invention can be fitted within a smaller container than a comparable number of bags wound into a roll, as a greater proportion of the interior volume of the container can be utilized.
A stack of bags either with or without concertina folds may also be provided to a retailer for disposal by the retailer in a fixed dispensing unit or housing accommodating one or more stack of bags.
Typically such bags are provided free of charge to customers for packaging other produce, e.g. fruit and vegetables. In the simplest form, an unconcertinaed stack of bags may be laid out on a surface for consumers.
Various modifications to the group of folded bags described will be obvious to a man skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims. For instance the end portion of each bag could be given one or more additional folds while still forming a free edge facing towards the opposite end of the bag. Also, the end portion could be folded about a folded line inclined away from the transverse direction, e.g. inclined at 45 degrees.
Claims (14)
1. A group of plastics bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having an end portion folded back to overlie a main portion of the bag and present a free edge above the main portion, the bags in the group being placed together with said end portions generally aligned through the group, whereby to facilitate separation of individual bags in turn from the group by gripping the folded end portion of the uppermost bag.
2. A group of plastics bags disposed within a container having a dispensing opening for the removal of bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having an end portion folded back to overlie a main portion of the bag, the bags in the group being placed together with said end portions generally aligned through the group and at least part of the overlying end portion of the outermost bag in the group being accessible through the aperture to facilitate separation of said outermost bag by gripping the said end portion.
3. A group of plastics bags according to claim 2, wherein at least part of an edge defined by said end portion of the outermost bag is accessible through the dispensing opening.
4. A group of plastics bags according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the end portion of each bag is folded at a single fold line parallel to the adjacent end edge of the bag.
5. A group of bags according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the bags are folded collectively as a stack in a concertina-like manner, the length of the folded stack being not less than the length of said end portions.
6. A group of bags according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bags have folded end portions of substantially equal length.
7. A group of bags according to any one of claim 5 or 6 wherein the length of the end portion is between 30% and 70% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
8. A group of bags according to any one of claims 5 or 6 wherein the length of the end portion is approximately 50% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
9. A method of folding a group of plastics bags comprising the step of folding an end portion of each bag back to overlie a main portion of the same bag, and stacking the folded bags with the overlying end portions orientated upwardly and generally aligned through the group whereby the end portion of the uppermost bag of the folded and stacked group of bags is presented to facilitate separation of said bag from the group.
10. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 9 wherein each bag is folded about a transverse fold line substantially parallel to the adjacent end edge of the bag.
11. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the stack of bags is folded in concertina manner about one or more transverse fold lines.
12. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 11, wherein each bag is folded about a transverse fold line to form an end portion with a length of between 30% and 70% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
13. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 11, wherein each bag is folded about a transverse fold line to form an end portion with a length of approximately 50% the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A group of plastics bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having an end portion folded back to overlie a main portion of the bag and present a free edge above the main portion, the bags in the group being placed together with said end portions generally aligned through the group, whereby to facilitate separation of individual bags in turn from the group by gripping the folded end portion of the uppermost bag.
2. A group of plastics bags disposed within a container having a dispensing opening for the removal of bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having an end portion folded back to overlie a main portion of the bag, the bags in the group being placed together with said end portions generally aligned through the group and at least part of the overlying end portion of the outermost bag in the group being accessible through the aperture to facilitate separation of said outermost bag by gripping the said end portion.
3. A group of plastics bags according to claim 2, wherein at least part of an edge defined by said end portion of the outermost bag is accessible through the dispensing opening.
4. A group of plastics bags according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the end portion of each bag is folded at a single fold line parallel to the adjacent end edge of the bag.
5. A group of bags according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the bags are folded collectively as a stack in a concertina-like manner, the length of the folded stack being not less than the length of said end portions.
6. A group of bags according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bags have folded end portions of substantially equal length.
7. A group of bags according to any one of claim 5 or 6 wherein the length of the end portion is between 30% and 70% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
8. A group of bags according to any one of claims 5 or 6 wherein the length of the end portion is approximately 50% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
9. A method of folding a group of plastics bags comprising the step of folding an end portion of each bag back to overlie a main portion of the same bag, and stacking the folded bags with the overlying end portions orientated upwardly and generally aligned through the group whereby the end portion of the uppermost bag of the folded and stacked group of bags is presented to facilitate separation of said bag from the group.
10. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 9 wherein each bag is folded about a transverse fold line substantially parallel to the adjacent end edge of the bag.
11. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the stack of bags is folded in concertina manner about one or more transverse fold lines.
12. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 11, wherein each bag is folded about a transverse fold line to form an end portion with a length of between 30% and 70% of the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
13. A method of folding a group of bags according to claim 11, wherein each bag is folded about a transverse fold line to form an end portion with a length of approximately 50% the length of the concertinaed stack of bags.
14. A group of plastic bags, each bag having at least one face abutting an adjacent bag and having a base end portion folded back about a transverse fold line to overlie an adjoining main portion of the bag extending from the fold line to the peripheral edge of the group of bags remote from the fold line, the folded back portion presenting a free edge extending across said adjoining portion along a line spaced from the peripheral edges of the group of bags, the transverse fold line being nearer the base end of the bag than to the other end of the bag, no portion of any bag in the group other than the folded back portion of the uppermost bag being above said adjoining portion of the uppermost bag, and the bags being placed together in the group with the free edges of their folded back portions generally aligned through the group of bags, whereby to facilitate separation of individual bags in turn by gripping the folded back end portion of the uppermost bag.
15 A group of plastics bags substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 1.
16 A group of plastics bags substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 2.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9606445A GB2311508B (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-03-27 | Plastics bags or sheets |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9606445A GB2311508B (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-03-27 | Plastics bags or sheets |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB9606445D0 GB9606445D0 (en) | 1996-06-05 |
GB2311508A true GB2311508A (en) | 1997-10-01 |
GB2311508B GB2311508B (en) | 1999-11-10 |
Family
ID=10791122
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB9606445A Expired - Fee Related GB2311508B (en) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-03-27 | Plastics bags or sheets |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2311508B (en) |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1222013A (en) * | 1967-06-13 | 1971-02-10 | Sven Hansson & Co A B | Improvements in or relating to methods of stacking sacks or bags of paper or other material |
US3967775A (en) * | 1972-11-24 | 1976-07-06 | Bengt Lundin Ab | Method of storing handle bags |
GB1542874A (en) * | 1975-02-05 | 1979-03-28 | Windmoeller & Hoelscher | Method of stacking flat bags or sacks which are folded about at least two transverse fold lines |
US4338084A (en) * | 1979-06-25 | 1982-07-06 | Bates Ventilsaekke Co. A/S | Method for piling or stacking sacks or bags |
US5205808A (en) * | 1991-12-10 | 1993-04-27 | T C Manufacturing Co. Inc. | Method and apparatus for making interfolded boxed bags |
-
1996
- 1996-03-27 GB GB9606445A patent/GB2311508B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1222013A (en) * | 1967-06-13 | 1971-02-10 | Sven Hansson & Co A B | Improvements in or relating to methods of stacking sacks or bags of paper or other material |
US3967775A (en) * | 1972-11-24 | 1976-07-06 | Bengt Lundin Ab | Method of storing handle bags |
GB1542874A (en) * | 1975-02-05 | 1979-03-28 | Windmoeller & Hoelscher | Method of stacking flat bags or sacks which are folded about at least two transverse fold lines |
US4338084A (en) * | 1979-06-25 | 1982-07-06 | Bates Ventilsaekke Co. A/S | Method for piling or stacking sacks or bags |
US5205808A (en) * | 1991-12-10 | 1993-04-27 | T C Manufacturing Co. Inc. | Method and apparatus for making interfolded boxed bags |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9606445D0 (en) | 1996-06-05 |
GB2311508B (en) | 1999-11-10 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20080327 |