GB2383259A

GB2383259A - A hand guard for carrying a container with a handle

Info

Publication number: GB2383259A
Application number: GB0130217A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip John Hayward
Original assignee: CARRYLT Ltd
Current assignee: CARRYLT Ltd
Priority date: 2001-12-18
Filing date: 2001-12-18
Publication date: 2003-06-25
Also published as: GB0130217D0

Abstract

A hand guard for carrying a container with a handle comprises a substantially rigid elongate channel 11 member with a generally u-shaped cross section which receives the handle, formed from a base and opposing first 12 and second 13 walls further comprises a substantially hemispherical protrusion 14 attached to the first wall which engages with the palm of a user, a hinge 16 in at least one of the first and second walls so that at least one of the walls is movable from an open position in which the handle may be inserted wherein the hand guard is adapted to latch in the closed position. The hand guard may be latched by the engagement of at least one male member 171 in at least one female member 181 so as to bridge the gap between the first and second walls. The male member may comprise a spherical protrusion and the female member a female depression. The male and female member/s may be located near the end/s of the channel member (figure 6, not shown). The outer surface of the base 111 may be contoured to accommodate the fingers of a user's hand. The end portions of the elongate channel 112,113 may be downwardly arcuate so as to avoid damaging flexible bag handles. In use, the hand guard is especially suitable for carrying one or more carrier bags although it also suitable for any application involving carrying or pulling a load having handles of their equivalents.

Description

HAND GUARD This invention relates to a hand guard for carrying a container having handle means. The hand guard has particular application for carrying one or more carrier bags.

Containers, such as carrier bags, with narrow handles can exert pressure on the hand of a user and be painful to carry.

A number of ways of seeking to overcome this difficulty are known. For example, GB 2312614-A, GB 2314502-A and GB 2325149-A disclose auxiliary handles onto which the handles of a carrier bag may be hooked. Such auxiliary handles are typically wider than those of the carrier bag and, therefore, reduce pressure on a hand of a user.

A second type of grip or auxiliary handle is known from, for example, GB 2256130-A in which a channel of U-shaped cross-section is used as a grip for receiving the handles of a carrier bag.

These known auxiliary handles tend to suffer from the disadvantage that when the bag is placed on a surface and the auxiliary handle is released, the auxiliary handle comes away from the handles of the carrier bag and the bag handles have to be reinserted in the auxiliary handle to lift the bag from the surface. Moreover, the bag tends to open when the bag is rested and the contents of the carrier bag may spill out of the bag.

In an attempt to overcome this difficulty, auxiliary handles are known in which handles of a bag are inserted into U-shaped channels through a constriction as, for example, disclosed in GB 2321182-A, US 4936619-B and WO 95/26148. Similarly, US 4932702-B discloses vertical ribs on the inners walls of the substantially U-shaped channel which similarly constrict entrance into the channel of an auxiliary handle. These auxiliary handles or handgrips necessarily have the disadvantage that it is more difficult to insert bag handles into the U-shaped channels through the constriction than in handles without constrictions. Moreover, removal of

the auxiliary handles from the bag after use, or to add further contents to the bag, is hampered by the constriction.

A hook and eyelet is disclosed in WO 95/26148 and a fastening device incorporating a male member and a female member is disclosed in US 4796940-B for closing a hand grip. However, both these fastening means are relatively complex and would appear to require two hands to fasten and unfasten in the case of US 4796940B and at least to unfasten in the case of WO 95/26148. This creates difficulties in attaching the auxiliary handle and in detaching the handle either to add further contents to the bag or to empty contents from the bag.

Moreover, none of the known handles are ergonomically shaped for comfortably engaging a palm of a hand of a user.

It is an object of the present invention at least to mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the present invention, there is provided a hand guard for carrying a container having handle means, the hand guard comprising a substantially rigid elongate channel member of generally U-shaped transverse cross-section so as to provide a base and extending therefrom a first wall and a second wall opposed to the first wall, whereby a portion of the handle means is locatable between said first wall and second wall to rest on said base; a substantially hemispherical outward protrusion on the first wall for engaging a palm of a hand of a user ; hinge means in at least one of the first wall and the second wall such that at least a portion of said wall is moveable between an open position and a closed position of the hand guard for insertion and retention respectively of the portion of the handle means in the hand guard; and latching means for latching the hand guard in the closed position.

Conveniently, the latching means comprise at least one male member located on one of the first wall and the second wall for engaging a female member on the opposed second wall or first wall respectively, such that in use in the closed position

the handle means are retained in the hand guard between the latching means and the base.

Advantageously, at least one of the male member and the female member comprises elongate post means for bridging a gap between the first wall and the second wall.

Conveniently, the male member comprises a substantially spherical protrusion and the female member comprises a co-operating substantially spherical depression.

Conveniently, the latching means comprise first and second male members and respectively co-operating first and second female members.

Advantageously, at least a portion of the latching means is located proximate the substantially hemispherical outward protrusion.

Alternatively, the latching means is located proximate at least one end of the channel member.

Preferably, an outer surface of the base is contoured to accommodate fingers of a hand of a user.

Conveniently, opposed end portions of the base are downwardly, in use, arcuate.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG 1 shows a perspective view of a hand guard according to a first embodiment of the invention in a closed position in use; FIG 2 shows a perspective view of the hand guard of FIG 1 in an open position; FIG 3 shows a perspective view of a hand guard according to a second embodiment of the invention in an open position;

FIG 4 shows a perspective view of a hand guard according to a third embodiment of the invention in an open position; FIG 5 shows a perspective view of a hand guard according to a fourth embodiment of the invention in an open position; FIG 6 shows a perspective view of a hand guard according to a fifth embodiment of the invention in an open position; FIG 7 shows a composite end view of the hand guards of FIGS 5 or 6 in a closed position.

In the figures similar reference numerals denote similar parts.

Referring to FIGS 1 and 2, in a first embodiment 10 of the invention, there is provided a U-shaped channel 11 which defines a longitudinal axis of the guard and rising from the base a first longitudinal wall 12 and an opposed second longitudinal wall 13. The base of the U-shaped channel is provided with four transverse indentations 111 to provide gripping positions for four fingers respectively of a hand of a user. These finger indentations 111 are preferably ergonomically shaped to best accommodate the fingers of the user. Opposed ends 112,113 of the base are downwardly, as seen in FIGS 1 and 2, arcuate. In the case of flexible bag handles, for example, this arcuate shape substantially avoids the ends of the base cutting into or abrading the handles. In the case of inflexible arcuate handles the arcuate ends accommodate arcuate portions of the handles.

Rising centrally from substantially one third of the first wall 12 is a protrusion 14 which is substantially semicircular in outline within the plane of the wall 12 and is dished outwards in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hand guard to produce a substantially hemispherical transverse protrusion. The second wall 13 has a similar second protrusion 15 corresponding to the first protrusion 14 having a similar semi-circular outline in the plane of the wall but the second protrusion 15 is planar and confined within a plane defined by the second wall 13. An outside surface of the second protrusion 15 is therefore suitable for carrying display or advertising information. The first wall 12 is provided with a longitudinal hinge 16 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guard and substantially halfway up the wall 12 such that substantially an upper half 121 of the wall 12 may be hinged outwards of the

hand guard substantially perpendicular to a lower half 122 of the first wall 12. Where a sufficiently flexible material is used for the guard, such as polypropylene, the hinge 16 may comprise a thinned section of the first wall 12, as illustrated. Where a less flexible material is used, such as ABS plastics material, a known mechanical hinge, for example having male and female members which may be snapped together to form the hinge, such as used in known compact disc cases, may be used. ABS plastics material has the advantage of being readily printable upon for carrying display or advertising information.

Rising from an inner surface of the hemispherical protrusion 14, at diametrically opposed positions proximate the circumference thereof, are two male fastening members 17 each comprising a male post 171 rising from an inner surface of the protrusion 14, each male post 171 being surmounted by a substantially spherical engagement member 172. The two male members 17 are spaced apart along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis. On an inner surface of the second protrusion 15 there are provided two female fastening members 18 in corresponding positions to that of the male members 17. The female fastening members each comprise an annulus 181 defining a spherical recess 182 therein for receiving an engagement member 172. The fastening members are sufficiently resilient that the engagement members 172 can be snapped into and out of the spherical recesses 182. The length of the male posts 171 is just sufficient to bridge a gap between the first wall and the second wall such that with the male members 17 in engagement with the female members 18 the upper portion 121 of the first wall 12 is substantially parallel to the second wall 13.

The hand guard is typically made of plastics material of sufficient rigidity to bear, without significant flexing, the weight of one or more containers the handles of which are inserted into the guard. Soft inserts of, for example, rubber may be provided in the finger indentations 111, preferably along the length of the finger indentations 111, to soften contact between fingers of the user and the hand guard.

Such rubber inserts may be moulded into the base 11 of the hand guard.

In use, the hand guard is presented in the open position to handles 101 of a carrier bag 102 so that the handles may be easily inserted into the hand guard to rest

on the base 11 of the hand guard. In a one-handed action, the upper portion 121 of the wall 12 can be hinged upwards and closed so that the male members snap into the female members 18 and retain the handles 101 of the carrier bag 102 between the first wall 12, the second wall 13, the male posts 171 and the base 11. The hand grip may be used to carry the bag, or other load, with the semispherical protrusion 14 nestling ergonomically in the palm of a hand of a user and the fingers of the hand ergonomically accommodated in the finger indentations 111. When the bag is subsequently placed on a surface, for example, in the boot of a car, the hand guards are retained on the carrier bag handles and may be used, for example, for subsequently re-lifting the bag. Moreover, while the bag is resting on the surface, the hand grip keeps the bag closed, thereby preventing spillage of contents from the bag.

When it is desired to open the bag, the hand guard can be easily snapped open, usually with one hand.

A second embodiment 20 of the invention, as shown in FIG 3, differs from the first embodiment 10 only in that a second longitudinal hinge 231 is provided in the second wall 13 corresponding to and opposed to the first hinge 16 in the first wall 12.

This allows an upper portion 131 of the second wall to be hinged outward of the hand guard substantially perpendicular to a lower portion 132 of the second wall, to open the hand guard more widely than is possible in the first embodiment 10, to receive one or more carrier bag handles. In addition, the wider opening of the hand guard allows better nesting of such hand guards, one upon another, for transportation and storage.

A third embodiment 30 of the invention, shown in FIG 4, differs from the first embodiment 10 in that in addition to the male fastening members 17 being provided with male posts 171, the female fastening members 18 are provided with corresponding female posts 183, with spherical depressions 182 at ends of the female posts 183 remote from the wall 13. In this case, the male posts 171 and the female posts 183 each have a length equal to substantially half the gap between the first wall and the second wall so that in combination, the male post and the female post bridge the gap between the first wall and the second wall.

A fourth embodiment 40, as shown in FIG 5, differs from the third embodiment only in that the second wall 13 is provided with a second hinge 231, as in

the second embodiment 20 of FIG 3. The fastening members 17,18 are the same as those of the third embodiment 30 shown in FIG 4. This embodiment provides improved nesting compared with that of the embodiment of FIG 3 because the male posts 175 are shorter as well as providing a widely opening hand guard for receiving one or more carrier bag handles.

A fifth embodiment 50, as shown in FIG 6, is similar to the fourth embodiment 40 of FIG 5, except that the fastening members 17,18 are disposed on the upper portions 121,131 of the walls 12,13 respectively proximate the ends 112,113 of the base 11 rather than on the protrusions 14,15. This embodiment also facilitates nesting of open hand guards one upon another.

FIG 7 shows an end view of the embodiment 40 of FIG 5 and superimposed thereon in broken lines one of the fastening male posts 176 and female posts 186 of the embodiment 50 of FIG 6. Also illustrated are the first hinge 16 formed by thinning of the first wall 12 and the second hinge 231 formed by thinning of the second wall 13.

Although the hand guard has been described in relation to carrier bags, it will be understood that the invention has application for carrying or pulling any load having handles or other holding members that can be placed in the hand guard.

Claims

1. A hand guard for carrying a container having handle means, the hand guard comprising a substantially rigid elongate channel member of generally Ushaped transverse cross-section so as to provide a base and extending therefrom a first wall and a second wall opposed to the first wall, whereby a portion of the handle means is locatable between said first wall and second wall to rest on said base; a substantially hemispherical outward protrusion on the first wall for engaging a palm of a hand of a user; hinge means in at least one of the first wall and the second wall such that at least a portion of said wall is moveable between an open position and a closed position of the hand guard for insertion and retention respectively of the portion of the handle means in the hand guard; and latching means for latching the hand guard in the closed position.

2. A hand guard as claimed in claim 1, wherein the latching means comprise at least one male member located on one of the first wall and the second wall for engaging a female member on the opposed second wall or first wall respectively, such that in use in the closed position the handle means are retained in the hand guard between the latching means and the base.

3. A hand guard as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of the male member and the female member comprises elongate post means for bridging a gap between the first wall and the second wall.

4. A hand guard as claimed in claims 2 or 3, wherein the male member comprises a substantially spherical protrusion and the female member comprises a cooperating substantially spherical depression.

5. A hand guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the latching means comprise first and second male members and respectively cooperating first and second female members.

6. A hand guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a portion of the latching means is located proximate the substantially hemispherical outward protrusion.

7. A hand guard as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the latching means is located proximate at least one end of the channel member.

8. A hand guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein an outer surface of the base is contoured to accommodate fingers of a hand of a user.

9. A hand guard as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein opposed end portions of the base are downwardly, in use, arcuate.

10. A hand guard substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in figures 1 and 2, or 3 or 4 or 5 and 7 or 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.