GB2545692A

GB2545692A - Multiple bag apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2545692A
Application number: GB1522641.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Strickland Kay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-12-22
Filing date: 2015-12-22
Publication date: 2017-06-28
Also published as: GB201522641D0

Abstract

Multiple bag apparatus 10 for a shopping trolley 32, comprises a plurality of collapsible bags 12, interconnection means 40 for releasably interconnecting the bags 12, and attachment means 50 for releasably attaching the apparatus to a shopping trolley 32. The collapsible bags 12 have stiff sidewalls 14 which may be formed from high density polyethylene.

Description

Multiple Bag Apparatus

The present invention relates to multiple bag apparatus, particularly but not necessarily exclusively adapted for use with a shopping trolley, such as found in a supermarket.

Bags of all shapes and sizes are well known, and are used when shopping and particularly with shopping trolleys so that goods can be easily and conveniently transferred and transported from the trolley to another location, such as a boot of a car.

However, on checkout, the bag or bags are generally located on the checkout and the goods loaded therein in a reasonably haphazard manner. The bags can topple over, spilling and squashing the goods. Once partly full, the bags are often only then transferred back to the trolley ready for transport to a car. It is not uncommon to have bags piled upon bags, again squashing the recently purchased goods. A further problem exists in that customers often bring their own bags, since reuse is now being actively encouraged. Often, however, too many or too few bags are brought. In the former case, storage becomes an issue whilst shopping is in progress, and in the latter case the cashier will have to supply more bags, leading to squashing and toppling as described above.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to these problems.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided multiple bag apparatus for a shopping trolley, the apparatus comprising a plurality of collapsible bags, interconnection means for releasably interconnecting the bags, and attachment means for releasably attaching the apparatus to a shopping trolley.

Preferable and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 20, inclusive.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a shopping trolley having multiple shopping bag apparatus in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

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

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of multiple bag apparatus, in accordance with the present invention and shown in use;

Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the multiple bag apparatus;

Figure 3 shows an enlarged exploded view of part of attachment means of the multiple bag apparatus;

Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of parts of collapsible bags of the Multiple bag apparatus; and

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the multiple bag apparatus, in a storage condition and being placed into a shopping trolley.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown multiple bag apparatus 10 which comprises a plurality of collapsible bags 12, preferably having stiff sidewalls 14, means for releasably interconnecting the bags 12, and means for attaching the interconnected bags 12 to a supporting structure, such as a shopping trolley.

While a specific embodiment of the multiple bag apparatus is shown and described herein, it should be appreciated that this is not limited to any particular design, configuration or embodiment. For example, there may be additional collapsible bags 12 to those depicted in the drawings. Furthermore the multiple bag apparatus may be provided with just one collapsible bag which may further comprise separate compartments, capable of concertinaing to collapse for flat pack storage.

The collapsible bags 12 all have preferably semi-rigid sidewalls 14 and a semi-rigid base 16. In this case, each bag 12 has four contiguous said sidewalls 14 which are each pivotably interconnected to respective adjacent sidewalls 14. The four sidewalls 14 define an in use rectangular or substantially rectangular cross-section perpendicular to a depth of the bag 12. The two shorter edge sidewalls 18 include one or more fold lines 20 for folding along the longitudinal extent to allow each bag 12 to collapse for flat pack storage.

The two larger main sidewalls 22 of each bag 12 include handles 24 in the form of apertures in the sidewalls 14 adjacent to upper free edges 26 thereof and adapted to accept a user’s hand for carrying. Although not so convenient, it is feasible that separate handles could be attached to the sidewalls 14.

Each bag 12 is preferably formed of non-fabric material, such as polyethylene, and in particular high-density polyethylene, also known as HDPE. This plastics material provides for reasonably stiff sidewalls 14 and base 16, whilst also permitting a living hinge 28 to be provided between adjacent sidewalls 14 and the base 16 for folding purposes. A volume defined by the interior of each bag 12 is also different. A container 30 of a shopping trolley 32 generally slopes from its handle 34 at the trailing edge 36 to the leading edge 38, defining a non-uniform lateral cross-sectional area in the front to back direction. As such, it is preferable, although not essential, that a depth of each in use bag 12 matches or substantially matches the depth of the shopping trolley container 30, at the point in the container 30 that the bag 12 is intended to be located. However, it is feasible that a volume of each in use bag 12 could be the same or substantially same.

In this embodiment, the interconnection means 40 for interconnecting adjacent bags 12 is in the form of releasable fasteners 42 having two interconnectable parts 44 permanently provided on adjacent bags 12. The fasteners 42 may be push-fit fasteners 46, such as press-studs, or for example hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro RTM. The fasteners 42 may also, alternatively or additionally, be magnets. In addition, other kinds of fastening means may be utilised in addition and /or alternatively to the fasteners 42. As best seen in Figure 4, press-studs 48 are utilised in this case and are provided adjacent to upper corners of the main sidewalls 22. The actual positions of the parts 44 of the fasteners 42 on the sidewalls 14 are dictated by the height of the bags 12 relative to each other, so that, when in use, the bases 16 of all of the bags 12 reside in substantially a common plane. Furthermore, the fasteners may be located adjacent to the lower corners of the main sidewalls or in any other position on the main sidewalls relative to each other, so that, in use the bases 16 of all of the bags 12 reside in substantially a common plane. A plurality of fasteners, or fasteners having selective fastening positions, may be provided so that one or more of the plurality of bags 12 can be omitted if necessary. For example, this may be necessary where only a relatively small amount of shopping is required, or a smaller supporting structure than is usual is available.

The attachment means 50 in this embodiment is in the form of a plurality of hooks 52. Each hook 52 is, for example, formed of plastics, such as ABS. Two outward facing single hooks 54 are provided in spaced relationship on one of the main sidewalls 22 of a trailing said collapsible bag 56, typically being the bag with the largest volume. The main sidewall 22 with the two outward facing hooks 54 is devoid of parts 44 of the above-mentioned fasteners 42.

At least one twin hook 58 is also provided on one of the main sidewalls 22 of a leading said collapsible bag 60 of the plurality of bags 12. This bag 60 typically has the smallest volume. The or each twin hook 52 has an outward facing hook 62 and an inward facing hook 64 which overhangs an opening 66 to the bag 60, when the bag is expanded for use.

Preferably, there will be at two twin hooks 58 provided in a spaced relationship on one of the main sidewalls 22 of a leading said collapsible bag 60 of the plurality of bags 12.

Although twin hooks are suggested, one or more single hooks may be utilized. In this case, the single hook is preferably outwardly facing, and other retaining means may be provided for releasable holding the bags in a closed or concertinaed storage condition.

In use, the plurality of bags 12 are all fastened together via the interconnection means 40, and are all collapsed for flat pack storage so as to reduce space. In this storage condition, the plurality of bags 12 can be simply provided in or on a shopping trolley 32 and hooked via the two trailing hooks 54 and the inward facing leading hooks 64 onto a side of the shopping trolley container 30 or the handle 34 of the shopping trolley 32. Shopping then commences and goods are placed into the shopping trolley 32 as normal.

While a specific embodiment of the attachment means is shown and described herein, it should be appreciated that this is not limited to any particular design, configuration or embodiment. For example, each outward facing single hook 54 may instead be preferably attached to the trailing said collapsible bag 56 of the plurality of bags 12 by a single rivet. Consequently each outward facing single hook may be rotatable, so as to be affixable to an adjacent side to the side of the shopping trolley container 30, best depicted in Figure 2, when rotated through 90 degrees.

On checkout, the goods are unloaded from the trolley 32 and loaded onto the checkout counter. With the trolley container 30 empty, the inward facing leading hooks 64 are unhooked, and the leading bag 60 is pulled along the container 30 to a leading edge 38 of the container 30 of the shopping trolley 32. The outward facing leading hooks 62 are then engaged with the leading edge 38 of the trolley 32. This pulling of the leading bag 60 causes the other bags 12 to expand and open out so as to substantially fill the volume of the trolley container 30, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The goods on the checkout counter can now be easily transferred into the expanded collapsible bags 12 within the trolley 32, and once loaded the trolley 32 can be wheeled to a customer’s vehicle.

To transfer the loaded bags 12 from the trolley 32 to the customer’s vehicle, the interconnection means 40 between each bag 12 is simply released, allowing each bag 12 to be individually lifted out of the trolley 32 via the handles 24.

As mentioned above, it is possible that, if the number of bags 12 in the plurality is too great for the shopping trolley 32, one or more bags 12 inclusive of and/or between the leading and trailing bags 56, 60 can be removed. Alternatively, one or more of the bags 12 can simply remain collapsed whilst the others are expanded to fill the available trolley container volume.

Although the sidewalls are all formed of semi-rigid or rigid material, the edge sidewalls could be fabric or even elasticated.

Since a standard large trolley container typically tapers inwardly towards its base, each collapsible bag may preferably also taper inwardly towards its base to provide an improved fit.

Standard trolley containers typically provide a locking means for releasably engagement with additional trolley containers or a fixed post. These are usually releasable by means of coin or trolley token. Preferably, there may also be a coin or trolley token holder integrally formed as part of the sidewall of one or more of the collapsible bags. A coin or trolley token holder may also be attached to one or more of the collapsible bags by other means such as a leash attached at one end to the coin or trolley token holder with the other end through an aperture in one or more of the sidewalls of one or more of the collapsible bags.

Although in the current embodiment the hooks are depicted as fixed at an upper free edge of the leading and trailing bags, the hooks may be repositionable so that the bag apparatus can be used with a variety of shopping trolleys.

Further, the hooks may be disengagable from the or each collapsible bag, for example by means of a magnetised arrangement.

Although particularly beneficial for use with shopping trolleys, the attachment means may also allow the interconnected bags to be held in other locations, such as the boot of a car or a caravan. In this case, the hooks may be replaced by other attachment means, such as one or more karabiners.

The hooks in the above described embodiment are fixed and rigid. However, one or more may be extendable, for example by including an elastic portion.

It is also possible to provide additional said collapsible bags which can be interconnected between the leading and trailing bags as necessity dictates. In this way, modularity is included allowing the bag apparatus to accommodate different volumes.

It is thus possible to provide multiple bag apparatus which simplifies the packing and transportation of a large number of goods in a trolley following checkout. It is also possible to provide multiple bag apparatus which is cost-effective to manufacture and convenient to carry in collapsed form. Furthermore, toppling of bags no longer occurs at the checkout or in the trolley.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Multiple bag apparatus for a shopping trolley, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of collapsible bags having stiff sidewalls; interconnection means for releasably interconnecting the bags; and attachment means for releasably attaching the apparatus to a shopping trolley.

2. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collapsible bags have non-fabric sidewalls.

3. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each said collapsible bag includes at least two opposing sidewalls which are foldable onto themselves.

4. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collapsible bags are formed from polyethylene.

5. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the polyethylene is high density polyethylene.

6. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interconnection means includes a plurality of fasteners, each fastener having a first part provided on one of the collapsible bags and a second part provided on another of the collapsible bags.

7. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fasteners are press-fit fasteners.

8. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fasteners are hook and loop fasteners.

9. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fasteners are clips.

10. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the fasteners are provided at or adjacent to an upper free edge of the collapsible bags.

11. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment means includes at least one hook for engagement with a portion of a shopping trolley.

12. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein two said hooks are provided in spaced relationship.

13. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, wherein one or more hooks are attached at or adjacent to an upper free-edge of one or more of the collapsible bags.

14. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein one or more said hooks are on an in use leading said collapsible bag and/or an in use trailing collapsible bag.

15. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of claim 11 to claim 14, wherein the or each hook is disengagable from the or each collapsible bag.

16. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a volume of each collapsible bag is different.

17. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a depth of each collapsible bag substantially matches a depth of a shopping trolley.

18. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus can be flat-packed or substantially flat-packed for storage.

19. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collapsible bags have handles which are integrally formed as part of sidewalls of the bags.

20. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collapsible bags have a coin or trolley token holder integrally formed as part of the sidewall of one or more of the collapsible bags.

21. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collapsible bags have a coin or trolley token holder attached by a leash to one or more of the collapsible bags.

22. Multiple bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in the form of a kit of parts.

23. Multiple bag apparatus substantially as hereinbefore with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A shopping trolley having multiple shopping bag apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.