GB2341086A - Device for Carrying Bags - Google Patents

Abstract

A device 10 for carrying bags takes the form of a tube with a plurality of finger grooves 12 on an underside to accommodate the grip of a lifting hand, and a plurality of semicircular notches 13 in a centre portion of a flat top side 14, at a right angle to the central axis of the tube, which accommodate the handle loops of a plurality of bags so that said handle loops big between the user's fingers during carrying, thus alleviating the discomfort that might be caused by gripping the handle loops directly in the hand. The bore 11 of the tube may store empty bags, and one end portion 17 of the flat surface 14 may be used to display bar-code information related to a shopper loyalty schemes, such as is generally stored on magnetic strip cards.

Description

2341086 Device for Carrying Bags This.invention relates to a device for

carrying bags, and in particular for carrYing shopping bags of the 5 type having looped handles.

Conventional plastics shopping bags have looped flexible handles which can cause discomfort to the user when one or more heavily laden bags are carried, because the weight of the bags is supported by a narrow band of material which tends to cut into the user's fingers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which overcomes this disadvantage. Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The invention provides a device for carrying a plurality of shopping bags of the type having looped handles, the device comprising a member adapted to be gripped by the fingers of a user's hand, said member being provided with means for retaining the looped handles of a plurality of shopping bags such that when the member is held in the hand of a user, the handles hang between the user's fingers.

Suitably, the member is generally cylindrical and is provided along its length with formations for locating the device comfortably in the grip of a user's fingers.

Preferablv, the'means for retaining the looped handles comprises a series of notches or grooves in the surface 2 of the cylindrical member running approximately perpendicular to the cylindrical axis.

Further, preferably, the member is provided with means for storing one or more shopping bags in compact form.

Most preferably, the cylindrical member is hollow having an internal bore in which shopping bags may be stored.

The invention will be further described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig 1 is a perspective view of a device for 15 carrying bags according to the invention; Fig 2 is a sectional side elevation of the device of Fig 1; and Fig 3 is a schematic illustration of the device of Fig 1, in use. 20 In Fig 1 there is indicated, generally at 10, a device according to the invention for carrying a plurality of shopping bags. The device 10 is in the form of a generally cylindrical member having an internal bore 11 25 (see also Fig 2).

Four circumferential indentations 12 are provided in the surface of the device 10, to allow the device to be comfortably gripped by a user's fingers and to assist 30 in correctly locating the device in a user's grip.

Three grooves 13 are provided in an upper surface 14 of the device 10. The grooves 13 are adapted to retain 3 the looped handles of conventional plastics shopping bags. In Fig 1, the handles 15 of a shopping bag are shown in dotted outline in one of the grooves 13. It can be seen that the handles 15 hang between two adjacent indentations such that in use, the handles 15 will fit between a users fingers. in use, one or more shopping bags would be located in each of the grooves 13, and Fig 3 shows the device 10 in a user's hand 16 with the handles 15 of three shopping bags supported by the device 10 and hanging between the user's fingers.

After use, the shopping bags can be compressed into internal bore 11 for reuse on the next shopping trip. This encourages the user to reuse the same shopping bags (which may be colour coded for different types of products such as food stuffs and detergents), rather than to accept new shopping bags on every occasion.

A further optional feature shown in Fig 1 is the provision of bar-code information 17 on the upper surface 14. This bar- code information may replace the user's loyalty card for a particular store.

4 claims:

1. A device for carrying a plurality of shopping bags of the type having looped handles, the device comprising a member adapted to be gripped by the fingers of a user's hand, said member being provided with means for retaining the looped handles of a plurality of shopping bags such that when the member is held in the hand of a user, the handles hang between the user's fingers.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the member As generally cylindrical and is provided along its length with formations for locating the device comfortably in the grip of a user's fingers.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for retaining the looped handles comprises a series of notches or grooves in the surface of the cylindrical member running approximately perpendicular to the cylindrical axis.

4. A device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the member is provided with means for storing one or more shopping bags in compact form.

S. A device according to claim 4, wherein the cylindrical member is hollow having an internal bore in which shopping bags may be stored.

6. A device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A device according to any of the previous claims, wherein said device is engaged with at least one shopping bag.