US20150128535A1

US20150128535A1 - Bag tying apparatus and method of delivering promotional material using a bag tie

Info

Publication number: US20150128535A1
Application number: US14/539,633
Authority: US
Inventors: Lee McInnis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-11-13
Filing date: 2014-11-12
Publication date: 2015-05-14
Also published as: CA2870433A1

Abstract

A bag tying apparatus and method for easy dispensing and packing. The bag tying apparatus comprises a base with a pair of horizontal parallel bag support arms having free outer ends cantilevered from a pair of vertical supports. The bag tying apparatus further comprises a pivotable bag tie support and loading arm with a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the loading arm is attached with the first vertical rod by a supporting means, a second end of the loading arm having a terminal end having a cut-out therein to retain a handle of a bag, and a plurality of stacked bag ties positioned coaxially. The terminal end having a cut-out therein of the bag tie support and loading arm is configured to receive the handle portion of the bags and permit the bag tie to be manually moved down over the terminal end having a cut-out therein and handle portion so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag. The bag ties have promotional material printed thereon. The invention also provides a computerized method for the measurement of the effectiveness of the usage of the bag tie as promotional material.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a bag tying apparatus for easy dispensing and packing and in particular to a bag tie to tie the open ends of the bag and to methods of providing printed content having entertainment or educational value, promotional samples, or other promotional information and advertising using a bag tie.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Grocery and other retail stores world-wide offer plastic bags at their checkout counters to hold groceries and other items for transport by their customers. Such bags are typically assembled from thin plastic films and have two lateral cut-outs proximal to the bag's opening to facilitate the customers to carry such bags by both straps with one hand when loaded. Shoppers may also use shopping bags that are reusable, but still have flexible handles. With both types of flexible bags, there is a possibility of spilling out of groceries from the plastic bags, especially when the customer is traveling in a vehicle such as a car, as the spilling out is due to top end of the bags are open.
One possible option to overcome the above drawback is to have a knot at the two split ends of the bags tied manually by the customer. But tying and untying a knot manually is difficult and time consuming.
Also, retail store owners are looking out for a way to provide advertisement, and other promotional material to their customers and potential customers in a cost-effective manner, and in a manner that is likely to capture the attention of the customer.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to address the same as discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a bag tie having a region defining a hole/aperture to fit onto the open top ends of the bag so as to fasten the bag. The bag tie also has regions other than the aperture to hold advertisements, discounts or other promotional material offered by the retailer as a means of business promotions.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a bag tying apparatus for easy dispensing and packing and in particular a bag tie to tie to the open ends of the bag. In one embodiment, the bag tying apparatus comprises a rack base plate with a pair of horizontal parallel arms having free outer ends cantilevered from a pair of vertical supports, a first vertical rod and a second vertical rod extending upwardly from the bag support apparatus base plate, wherein the pair of horizontal parallel arms are configured for receiving a plurality of stacked bags. The bag tying apparatus also comprises a bag tie support and loading arm with a first end of the arm attached with the first vertical rod by a supporting means, a second end of the loading arm having a hanging terminal hook-like end and a plurality of stacked bag ties positioned coaxially, wherein the loading arm is configured to receive the handle portion of the bags and permit the bag tie to be manually moved down over the hook end and handle portion of the bag so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for delivering business promotions to a prospective customer, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a bag tie with one of the regions of the bag tie defining an aperture for allowing the open top ends of the bag to pass over the bag tie, having promotional information printed in the region other than the region defining the aperture and receiving the handle portion of the bag and permitting the bag tie to be manually moved over the handle portion of the bag so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag, while the bag tie is in the view of the said prospective customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a bag tie closing an opening of a bag;

FIG. 1A shows a detailed top view of the bag tie shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 shows a detailed top view of a second embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 3 shows a detailed top view of a third embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 4 shows a detailed perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 5 shows a detailed perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 6 shows a detailed perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of a seventh embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 7A shows the bag tie shown in FIG. 7 in an alternate configuration;

FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of an eighth embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 8A shows the bag tie shown in FIG. 8 in an alternate configuration;

FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of a ninth embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 9A shows a cross-sectional view taken along section line 9A-9A of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 shows a detailed view of a tenth embodiment of a bag tie in a first configuration;

FIG. 11A shows a detailed view of the bag tie of FIG. 10 in a second configuration;

FIG. 11B shows a detailed view of the bag tie of FIG. 10 in a third configuration;

FIG. 12 shows a detailed view of the bag tie of FIG. 7 coupled to a carrier device;

FIG. 13 shows a detailed view of an eleventh embodiment of a bag tie;

FIG. 14 shows top views of four embodiments of a bag tie, each having a different perimeter shape and cover design;

FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of a bag tying apparatus having a bag tie support arm according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 shows a front view of the bag tying apparatus of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 shows a side view from the bag tie support arm side of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 shows a top view of the bag tying apparatus of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 show an exploded view of a pivotal mounting bracket for the bag ties support arm of bag tying apparatus of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a pivotal mounting bracket and bag tie support arm for a bag tying apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 shows a front view of the embodiment of the pivotal mounting bracket and bag tie support arm shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 shows a side view from the left side of FIG. 21 of the embodiment of the pivotal mounting bracket and bag tie support arm shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 23 shows a top view from the left side of FIG. 21 of the embodiment of the pivotal mounting bracket and bag tie support arm shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 24 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the bag tying apparatus of FIG. 15, with shopping bags placed onto the horizontal bag support arms of the apparatus and with a plurality of bag ties supported on the bag tie support arm.

FIGS. 25, 26, 27 shows successive views of a bag tie being placed onto the handles of a shopping bag supported by the bag tie support arm, showing the manner in which the bag tie is attached to the handles in a bag tying apparatus operates according to one or more embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 28 shows the top of a shopping bag having a bag tie placed onto the handles thereof, after the shopping bag has been removed from the bag tying apparatus and ready for handling and transportation by the customer.

FIG. 29 shows a schematic depiction of a computerized method of tracking customer rewards and information relating to use of the bag ties of an embodiment of the present invention having promotional material printed thereon.

FIG. 30 shows a method of delivering business promotions to a prospective customer according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a binding device, shown as a bag tie 1000, which may be configured to close the opening of a container, such as a bag A. It should be noted that bag tie 1000 may have a wide variety of shapes and configurations. When the term bag tie 1000 is used herein, it refers generally to any of the bag tie embodiments of any shape or configuration, even if those bag ties are also depicted in this disclosure using different item numbers.
The bag A may comprise a plastic grocery bag with opposing handles A1, A2 extending from an opening in the bag A. A user of the bag A may bring the handles A1, A2 together and tie or bind at least a portion of the handles A1, A2 using bag tie 1000 to close the opening.
The bag tie 1000 may be slipped over the handle portions A1, A2 by the user and onto a neck portion of the bag A to bind at least a portion of the handles A1, A2 together and close the opening of the bag A. The bag tie 10 may maintain the bag A in a closed configuration to keep any contents in the bag A secure.
The bag tie 1000 may bind the handles A1, A2 together to close the bag A, without the user needing to tie the handles together in a knot. This allows the user to have easy access to the contents of the bag A. For example, the bag tie 1000 may be slipped back over the handle portions A1, A2 by the user to unbind the handles A1, A2, when it is desired to unload the contents of the bag A. Further, the bag tie 1000 also keeps the contents, such as groceries, dry, prevents the contents from spilling out during transportation and does not damage the grocery and bag.
FIG. 1A shows a detailed view of the bag tie 1000 according to an embodiment of the invention. The bag tie 1000 may comprise a perimeter having a shape. In the embodiment shown, the perimeter shape is substantially rectangular comprising side edges 13 and 14. However, as disclosed herein, the bag tie 1000 may have any number of shapes and configurations.
The bag tie 1000 may comprise a substantially flat member having a top surface 11 and a bottom surface 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, the top surface 11 may comprise a substantially flat planar surface. In some embodiments, the bottom surface 12 may comprise a substantially flat planar surface extending in parallel to the top surface 11. The top surface 11 and the bottom surface 12 may be separated by a thickness. In some embodiments, the bag tie 1000 is configured as a flat member with a thickness to allow the bag tie 1000 to be stackable with other bag ties having a similar configuration.
A first area of the top surface 11 may comprise an aperture 15 extending from the top surface 11 through the bag tie 1000 to the bottom surface 12. The aperture 15 may be configured with a size and shape to allow the handles A1, A2 of the bag A to pass into and through the aperture 15 for binding at least a portion of the handles A1, A2 together.
In some embodiments, the aperture 15 may comprise a circular shape. The diameter of the circular shape may be configured to substantially close the opening of the bag A when the handles A1, A2 have been inserted into the aperture 15 to hold in any contents of the bag A. It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the aperture 15 may comprise other suitable shapes, including but not limited to an oval, square, triangle, and star shapes.
In some embodiments, one or more weakened portions, cut-lines or perforations 16 (sometimes referred to herein as slits, for convenience) may extend from the edges of the aperture 15 along the top surface 11 of the bag tie 10. The slits 16 may comprise narrow perforations in the bag tie 1000. The perforations of each slit 16 may extend from the top surface 11 to the bottom surface 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, the bag tie 1000 may comprise four slits 16 positioned substantially equidistant about the circumference of the aperture 15.
The slits 16 may be configured to allow a portion of the bag tie 1000 extending between each slit 16 around the aperture 15 to flex or flare away from the handles A1, A2 as the handles are being inserted into the aperture 15. The flexing or flaring of these portions of the bag tie 1000 expands the size of the aperture 15 and changes its shape to allow greater space and flexibility for insertion of the handles A1, A2.
In some embodiments, the portions of the bag tie 1000 extending between each slit 16 may configured to resiliently bend. For example, the portions may flex or flare away from a first undisturbed position as the handles A1, A2 are being inserted. Once insertion is complete, the portions may substantially return to their original undisturbed position. The resiliency of these portions may have the additional benefit of holding the position of the bag tie 100 relative to the handles A1, A2. In some embodiments, portions of the handles A1, A2 may catch between sides of a slit 16 to provide further holding capability. The bag tie can be conveniently made out of plastic, thick paper or card stock or many other materials. Though thick paper and card stock have less resiliency than certain plastics, the resiliency of thick paper or card stock is sufficient for purposes of the invention.
Other areas of the top surface 11 may comprise printed material, such as text, illustrations, entertainment content, bar codes or other subject matter or devices configured to convey messages or information. As shown in FIG. 1A, the top surface 11 may comprise printed offers 17A and 17B for goods or services of third parties to the user of the bag tie 10. The offers 17A and 17B may read “20% OFF NEXT PURCHASE” and “ENTER OFFER CODE #ABC123.” An information block 17C may identify the party “XYZ COMPANY” offering the goods or services and provide other useful information, such as contact information. The offers 17A and 17B may communicate advertising, promotional, or discount messages from a third party, e.g. XYZ COMPANY. In some embodiments, a third party may be responsible for manufacturing the bag tie 10 and may defer costs of manufacturing, or obtain profit, by selling areas of the top surface 11 as advertising or promotional space to one or more sponsors.
In some embodiments, the sponsor providing the bag tie 1000 may be a grocer or other retail store that distributes the bag A and/or bag tie 1000 to customers as part of its retail services, for example as a grocery bag to hold groceries. The offers 17A and 17B may comprise in-store coupons or promotions for discounts or prizes that users may redeem at a subsequent visit or purchase to the grocery store. In other instances, the sponsor may be a third party, such as a merchant or restaurant.
In other embodiments, the offers 17A, 17B, the informational block 17C, or other information or data may be printed or positioned on the bottom surface 12. The bottom surface 12 may provide additional space to add sponsored information, advertisements, promotions, or coupons.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a bag tie 20, as a second embodiment of a bag tie. The bag tie 20 may comprise a perimeter having a substantially rectangular shape along three edges, i.e. edges 23 and 24A and having a fourth rounded edge 24B. The bag tie 20 may share one or more of the same features as bag tie 10 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A), including but not limited to a substantially flat member having a perimeter with a shape (e.g. sides 23, 24A, and 24B) with a top surface 21 and a bottom surface 22, and having an aperture 25 with slits 26, respectively. An area of the top surface 21 may comprise an advertising message 27A and informational block 27C from a third party sponsor, e.g. “XYZ COMPANY.” In some embodiments, bag tie 20 may further comprise a machine readable representation of data, such as a bar code 27B, which can be used by the store, sponsor or customer in a variety of manners, including tracking the bag tie and/or providing the customer some promotional benefit for using the bag tie in the desired manner, such as availing some percentage of discount for a particular product purchased by the sponsor of the printed advertisement 27A.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a bag tie 30, as a third embodiment of a bag tie. The bag tie 30 may share one or more of the same features of bag tie 10 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A), including but not limited to being a substantially flat member having a perimeter with a rectangular shape (e.g. square sides 33) with a top surface 31 and a bottom surface 32, and having an aperture 35 with slits 36. An area of the top surface 31 may comprise an advertising message 37A and informational block 37C from a third party sponsor, e.g. “XYZ COMPANY.” In some embodiments, bag tie 30 may further comprise a machine readable representation of data, such as a Quick Response (“QR”) code 37B, where the user can use the code 37B for accessing advertising, promotional materials, offers, or other useful information relating to the third party sponsor of the printed advertisement 37A.
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, in other embodiments, the bag tie 10 may be made from various materials. FIG. 4 shows the bag tie 40 made from cardboard. FIG. 5 shows the bag tie 50 made from paper. FIG. 6 shows the bag tie 60 made from plastic. Each of the embodiments of bag ties 40, 50, and 60 may share one or more of the same features as bag tie 10, including but not limited to a substantially flat member having a perimeter with a rectangular shape (e.g. sides 43, 53, and 63) with a top surface (e.g. 41, 51, and 61) and a bottom surface (e.g. 42, 52, and 62), and having an aperture (e.g. 45, 55, and 65) with slits (e.g. 46, 56, and 66), respectively.
It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that other materials may be suitable for the bag tie 10 to meet the objectives of the inventions disclosed here and readily apparent, including paper, cardboard, plastics, composites, and metals. In some embodiments, the bag tie is made from substantially recycled paper (e.g. approximately 40%).
FIG. 7 shows a detailed and open view of the single-fold (double) bag tie according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7A shows the same single-fold (double) bag tie in a partially folded and clamp-like view. The bag tie 70 of this embodiment of the invention contains a single fold line 74F in the middle as to create two equal halves 73A and 73B. Each half contains an aperture 75A and 75B that can be of substantially equal distance from 74F. Consequently, the apertures substantially completely overlap when the bag tie is folded along the fold line 74F. This allows for easy deployment of the single fold (double) bag tie 70 onto the bag 248. Each aperture 75A and 75B contains weakened portions, cut-lines or perforations 76A and 76B, respectively, that are equal distance from each other and radiate from the edge of the aperture 75A and 75B, which can open up, when necessary, to permit the bag handles to enter, thus permitting a tighter fit around the bag material. The single fold (double) bag tie has an inner surface 71A and 71B and an outer surface 72A and 72B. The outer surfaces 72A and 72B may contain promotional offers 77A and 77B, advertising, and contact information for an advertiser 77C and/or a bar code. The single-fold (double) bag tie 70 is rectangular, such that its length 74A and 74B is approximately equal to each half of the total width 73A and 73B, respectively.
The single-fold (double) bag tie 70 is advantageous in that in addition to providing a double pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the folding over action will cause the bag tie 70 to tend to resiliently open partially, as depicted in FIG. 7A, resulting in a tighter grip between the bag tie 70 with the bag material 248 at each of the apertures 75A and 75B. Further, the fold over line 74F may be a perforation line, so as to allow for independent advertising, educational, and motivational material on each half, where the contents of each half may be coordinated, or independent.
FIG. 8 shows a detailed and open view of the double-fold bag tie with perforation line(s) according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8A shows the same double-fold bag tie with perforation line(s) in a partially folded view. The bag tie 80 of the invention contains a double fold line 84F1 and 84F2 as to create three equal parts 83A, 83B, and 83C, and the said fold line 84F1 and 84F2 may be perforation lines. One non-center portion 83A contains an aperture 85 that is approximately in the center of that portion 83A. Said aperture 85 has four perforations 86 that are placed a substantially equal distance from each other on the circumference of the aperture 85. The double fold bag tie 80 with perforation line(s) has an inner surface 81A, 81B, and 81C and an outer surface 82A, 82B, and 82C. One or more of the outer surface portions 82A, 82B, or 82C, may contain promotional materials 87AA and 87BA, offer coding 87BA and contact information for an advertiser 87CA. The inner surface 81B and 81C of the non-aperture containing portions 83B and 83C may include an opaque “scratch off” covering concealing secret information 87AB and 87AC, i.e., a prize information underneath the “scratch-off” covering, and may be lined with glue, as to adjoin the inner surfaces of 83B and 83C. The double-fold bag tie with perforation line(s) 80 is rectangular, such that its length 84 is approximately equal to the width of each portion 83A, 83B, and 83C, respectively.
The double-fold bag tie 80 with perforation line(s) is advantageous in that, in addition to having a single pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the two additional portions 83B and 83C may contain a significant additional amount of promotional, educational, entertainment, and motivational material on each side 81B, 82B, 81C and 82C of each portion 83B and 83C. The fold over mechanism, based on the fold over lines 84F1 and 84F2, which may be perforation lines allows for four surfaces to serve as means for delivering promotional, educational, entertainment, and motivational material in a coordinated or independent manner, such that at least half of such information may be secreted and require an interactive activity with the end user, i.e., scratch off, thereby enhancing the value assigned by the end user to the presented material. Additionally, the non-aperture portions 83B and 83C may enhance the ease with which the double-fold bag tie 80 is deployed.
FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of a single aperture bag tie with an attached promotional material according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9A shows an enhanced and detailed cross-view of section of the single aperture bag tie 90. Said bag tie 90 contains a bag tie portion 90A and a portion for promotional material 90B. The bag tie portion 90A and the promotional material portion 90B are attached to each other using an adhesive 99, such that the shorter length 94B of the promotional material attaches to the bag tie portion 90A. The bag tie portion 90A contains a single aperture 95 and has four perforations 96 that are placed equal distance from each other on the circumference of the aperture 95. Further, the bag tie portion is approximately square, with four equal sides 93A, a top surface 91A, and a bottom surface 92A. The promotional material portion 90B can be rectangular in shape such that its width 94B is no longer than the longest dimension of the bag tie portion 90A. Further, the length of the promotional material portion 90B may be variable so as to accommodate the relevant advertisement(s) 97A and a barcode 97B or other coding information. Relevant information may be printed on both the top and bottom surfaces 91B and 92B, respectively, of the promotional portion of the single aperture bag tie 90.
The single aperture bag tie 90 with promotional material is advantageous in that in addition to having a single pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the consumer's attention would be readily called to the promotional material and such material may be available for immediate use, thus serving as a mechanism for instant gratification for actual customers. Further, such a reward mechanism allows the merchant and advertiser to provide more rewards, promotions, information, education, and/or motivation to those customers that purchase large quantities and/or larger sized items.
FIG. 10 shows a detailed and open view of the triple aperture bag tie with fold lines according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 11A shows the same triple aperture bag tie with fold lines in a partially folded view, and FIG. 11B shows the same triple aperture bag tie with fold lines in a closed view.
The bag tie 100 of the invention contains a double fold line 104F1 and 104F2 as to create three equal parts 103A, 103B, and 103C, and the said fold line 104F1 and 104F2 may be perforation lines. Each portion 103A, 103B, and 103C contains an aperture 105A, 105B, and 105C that are, respectively, approximately in the center of that portion, such that apertures 105A, 105B, and 105C substantially completely overlap when the said bag tie 100 is completely closed, as depicted in FIG. 11B. Said apertures 105A, 105B, and 105C each has four weakened portions, cut-lines or perforations 106A, 106B, and 106C, respectively, that are placed equal distances from each other on the circumference of the apertures 105A, 105B, and 105C. The triple aperture bag tie 100 with double fold lines has an inner surface 101A, 101B, and 101C and an outer surface 102A, 102B, and 102C. One or more of the outer or inner surface(s) 101A-C and/or 102A-C may contain promotional materials 107A, offer coding 107B and/or contact information for an advertiser 107C and/or a bar code. The triple aperture bag tie with fold lines 100 is rectangular, such that its length 104A and 104C are approximately equal to the width of each portion 103A, 103B, and 103C, and one-third the size of the overall width. Further, tape with printed material 109 may be used to maintain the triple aperture bag tie with fold lines in a completely closed position.
The triple aperture bag tie 100 with fold lines is advantageous in that, in addition to having a triple pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the folding over action will cause the bag tie 100 to tend to resiliently open partially, as depicted in FIG. 11A, resulting in a tighter grip between the bag tie 100 with the bag material 248 at each of the apertures 105A, 105B, and 105C. Further, the fold over lines 104F1 and 104F2 may be perforation lines, so as to allow for independent advertising, educational, and motivational material on each half, where the contents of each portion may be coordinated or independent. Also, having the triple aperture bag tie 100 with double folds closed with tape 109, increases the mystery, and the associated consumer interest, as to the contents of the enclosed portions. And, having the perforation lines allows consumers to conveniently use the promotions one at a time or to share them with family and friends, thereby increasing their perceived value to actual customers.
The bag tie of the invention may be of any shape such as a triangle, rectangle, polygonal, hexagonal, circular, cylindrical, or a polygonal and structure is not limited to the embodiments shown in the invention.
Also, the bag tie may be any design such as a car depicting the discount on a specific car service center, a book, a toy or a flower.
Referring now to FIG. 12, the bag tie 70, as described in FIGS. 7 and 7A, may be configured to couple to a carrier device, such as a sample bag 70B. The sample bag 70B may be configured to hold an item related to the promotions offers 77A (reading “FREE SAMPLE!) and 77B (reading “NEXT PURCHASE ENTER OFFER CODE #ABC123”) offered by the advertiser identified in the advertiser block 77C. For example, the carrier device 70B may hold a free product sample 70B5 of a product of the advertiser 77C to incentivize a purchase. It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill that the carrier device may be configured to hold other items and promotional material.
In some embodiments, the sample bag 70B may comprise side walls 70B3, a front wall 70B1, a back wall 70B2, a bottom 70B4C, and an opening at the top portion of the sample bag 70B. The side, front and back walls of the sample bag 70B may be grouped together to close the opening of the sample bag 70B.
The bag tie 70 may be configured to attach to the sample bag 70B and close the opening of the sample bag 70B to secure any contents in the sample bag 70B. In some embodiments, each half 73A and 73B of the bag tie 70 may be secured to the respective front wall 70B 1 and back wall 70B2 to close the opening, when the bag tie 70 is fully folded, as shown in FIG. 12.
The halves 73A and 73B may be secured together and to the respective front wall 70B 1 and back wall 70B2 to close the opening with a fastener. The fastener may be configured to prevent unwanted disconnection of the sample bag 70B from the bag tie 70, for example during storage or use of the bag tie 70 by manufacturers, retailers, or customers. The fastener may be additionally configured for easy disconnection of the sample bag 70B, for example when the user applies a disconnection force and wants to access the contents of the sample bag 70B. In some embodiments, the fastener comprises an adhesive material, such as glue. It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the fastener may comprise other suitable fastening materials or devices, including but not limited to staples, clips, and snaps.
Referring to FIG. 13, a binding device, shown as bag tie 130, may be integrated with informational or other functional materials or devices. In one embodiment, the bag tie 130 may comprise an aperture 135A configured with a size and shape to allow the handles A1, A2 of the bag A to pass into and through the aperture 15 for binding at least a portion of the handles A1, A2 together. The aperture 135A may be integrated with an item that, although of generally low cost to the sponsor, has an independent value to the user because of its intrinsic value to the customer and/or its printed contents, such as a book portion 137T (shown titled “CHILDRENS BOOK”) of the bag tie 130. The bag tie 130 may comprise a substantially flat member having a size, shape, and thickness configured to support stacking two or more bag ties 130.
The book portion 137T may comprise a front cover 134A extending on a front side 132A and a back cover 134B extending on a back side 134B. Each cover 134A and 134B may comprise a substantially flat planar member extending substantially in parallel to the other cover. The separation between each cover 134A and 134B may establish the thickness of the bag tie 130.
The book portion 137T may further comprise a spine 134F which may bind the front cover 134A, the back cover 134B, and pages 137P that extend between the covers 134A, 134B and span the thickness of the bag tie 130. The pages 137P may contain informational material, such as educational material. For example, the pages 137P may tell a children's story or a part of a story as a promotion for the party or a sponsor providing the bag tie 130 to the user.
In some embodiments, the front cover 134A and the back cover 134B may comprise extensions 133HA and 133HB, respectively. Each extension 133HA and 133HB may extend away from the portion of the covers 134A and 134B that function to cover the pages 137P. Each extension 133HA and 133HB may form a part of the same plane as the remainder of each respective cover 134A and 134B so that the bag tie 130 is substantially flat.
The aperture 135A may extend through each extension 133HA and 133HB. The user may pull the handles A1, A2 of the bag A (shown in FIG. 1) through the aperture 135A to bind at least a portion of the handles A1, A2 together to close the bag A.
In other embodiments, the extensions 133HA and 133HB are integrally formed with the respective cover 134A and 134B so that each cover 133HA and 133HB is one piece with the extension 133HA and 133HB. In other embodiments, the extensions 133HA and 133HB may be removable, for example by tearing the extensions 133HA and 133HB away so that after use of the bag tie 130 the book portion 137T may be kept by the user. In other embodiments, the bag tie 130 may not include the extensions 133HA and 133HB, and the aperture 135 may extend through the book portion 137T and be integrated into the pages 137P of the book portion 137T.
FIG. 14 shows a view of the different shapes of the bag tie according to an embodiment of the invention. The bag tie of the present invention is of any shape 140A, 140B, 140C and 140D as shown in FIG. 14. The bag tie comprises a bar code 147B, wherein the customer may scan the bar code of the bag tie using a mobile phone so as to take the user to the required website, wherein the required website may provide a website and/or allow the possibility of delivering a promotional message.
FIGS. 15-18 show a bag tying apparatus for facilitating use of bag ties according to an embodiment of the invention. The bag tying apparatus 200 comprises a base plate 210 with a pair of horizontal parallel bag support arms 214, 218 having free outer ends cantilevered from a pair of vertical supports 224, 228 (i.e. a first vertical rod 224 and a second vertical rod 228) extending upwardly from the base plate 210, wherein the pair of horizontal parallel bag support arms 214, 218 are configured for receiving and supporting the handles A1 and A2, respectively, of a plurality of stacked bags 258 (as shown in FIG. 4).
The bag support arms 214, 218 permit the user (who could be either the customer of the store employee loading goods into the bag) to manually open and then load the bag with goods, and then slide the handles of each loaded bag from the plurality of stacked bags 258 (as shown in FIG. 25) forwardly so as to remove the loaded bag from the base plate and to open the next successive bag. The stacked bags 258 (as shown in FIG. 4) comprises front walls, rear walls, gusseted side walls, a closed bottom end and a top open mouth portion, wherein the top open mouth portion have a pair of spaced support arms in order to fit in the free outer ends of the pair of horizontal parallel rods 214, 218.
The bag tying apparatus 200 further comprises a bag tie support arm 234. Bag tie support arm 234 has a vertical rod 224 that is supported by a support bracket 190. The bag tie support arm 234 has a first lower end 238 extending upwardly to generally horizontal arm 235 having a second end 244. The second end 244 has a terminal end 245 that is conveniently made out of plastic. To facilitate sliding the bag ties 1000 onto the bag, in the manner to be described, the rear part of the terminal end 245 has a conical or otherwise sloped end 246.
Terminal end 245 includes cut-outs at the upper side that meet as a “v” in the terminal end. These cut-outs function to hold and support the handles A1 and A2 of the bag during placement of the bag tie 1000 onto the handles A1 and A2.
The cut-outs in the upper portion of terminal end 245 include a shallow slope cut-out 247 at the rear and upper part of the terminal end 245 and a steep slope cut-out 248 at the forward and upper part of terminal end 245. The steep slope cut-out 248 helps to prevent the bag handles A1 and A2 from slipping off the end of terminal end 245 while the bag handles A1 and A2 are being supported. Preferably, the steep cut-out 248 is either vertical or slightly angled away from the “v” where it meets shallow cut-out 247, such that the “v” has an angle greater than about 90 degrees and tipped forward slightly. This permits holding of the bag handles A1 and A2 satisfactorily and minimizes likelihood of unintended slippage of the bag handles off of the terminal end 245, while also minimizing the likelihood of the bag handles A1 and A2 becoming jammed into the “v” between the cut-outs 247 and 248 when the bag handles A1 and A2 are to be removed, as might be the case if the “v” was an acute angle. To minimize the possibility of injury, the terminal end 245 is preferably rounded and of a large enough size (approximately ¼ inch in diameter or greater) so as not be pose a risk of impaling or scratching a person.
FIG. 19 shows an exploded view of the support bracket 190 which is used to support the lower end of bag tie support arm 234. In one embodiment of the invention, the support arm 234 is pivotably retained by support bracket 190. Support bracket 190 has a front half 190A and a rear half 190B which are held together by screws 191. The bracket 190 includes bushing 193 through in which the lower end 238 is retained. Each of the bracket halves 190A and 190B have slots 188 and 189. Slot 188 retains bushing 193 and slot 189 fixes the bracket halves 190A and 19B onto vertical support 224 of the bag tying apparatus.
The support arm 234 is held up by collar 194, which is secured to support arm 234 by set screw 195, so that support arm 234 can be pivoted in bushing 193. This allows the support arm to be pivoted so the end 244 of the support arm can be pivoted to the side of, or behind, the bag while groceries or other goods are being loaded into the bag. A washer 197 is disposed above collar 194 to minimize entanglement of a stack of bag ties 1000 with collar 194.
FIGS. 20-23 show an alternate embodiment of a support bracket 290. In this embodiment, the support bracket 290 includes a flat plate 291, which can be attached to a vertical wall or other surface (not shown) by means of bolts 192, rather than being attached to the vertical support 224 of the bag tying apparatus. In this embodiment, two bushings 293 and 294 are used, placed into semi-circular retainers at the upper and lower parts of the flat plate 291, respectively. Similar to the embodiment of the support bracket 190, a collar 294 and set screw 295 are attached to the lower end of a pivotable support arm 334 to permit pivoting the support arm to the side or behind, a bag during loading of goods into the bag, and to permit pivoting of the support arm over the bag to permit attachment of bag ties 1000. The support arm 334 includes a terminal end 245 that can be constructed in the manner previously described.
FIG. 24 depicts a plurality of stacked bag ties positioned coaxially 254, wherein the loading arm 234 is in the position where it is pivoted over the bag to receive the handle portion of the bag 248 (shown in FIG. 25) and permit the bag tie (from the plurality of stacked bag ties 1000) to be manually moved down over the hook end 244 and handle portion A1 and A2 of the bag 248 (shown in FIG. 24) so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag 248 (shown in FIG. 24). However, it is to be understood that the loading arm 234 would normally be pivoted to the side or behind the bag to prevent the loading arm 234 from interfering with actual loading of the goods into the bag.
Once the groceries or other goods are loaded into the bag, the end 244 of the support arm can be pivoted over the bag, as depicted in FIG. 24, to facilitate supporting the handles A1 and A2 on the “v” of terminal end 245. The user who has visited the market for buying goods (or a store employee), hangs the filled bag 248 onto the hanging realisably hook end 244.
As depicted sequentially in FIGS. 25-27, with the handles A1 and A2 supported in this manner, the bag tie 1000 can be easily slid along the length of the support arm 234 and down over the handles A1 and A2 of the bag, to hold them together as depicted in FIG. 28, for further transportation without the risk of the bag tipping over and spilling out the contents.
An advantageous feature of the bag tie 1000 and bag tying apparatus of the present invention is that, at all times, at least one bag tie is visible to the customer or potential customer. Since the bag tie 1000 will usually have advertising or other promotional material printed on it, having that advertising or other promotional material visible to the customer or potential customer while the customer is waiting for the checkout process at the cash register to be completed and the bags loaded, increasing the likelihood of the customer will take the desired action (such as using a coupon, using a sample etc.) in response to the promotional message. Furthermore, because the process of placing the bag tie 1000 onto the bag tends to attract the attention of the customer at an otherwise inattentive time, thus further increasing the likelihood of successfully delivering the advertising or promotional message.
The loading arm 234 is capable of holding a substantial number of bag ties 1000 (approximately 50 to 100 or more, depending upon the bag tie design). The loading arm 234 is also capable of being mounted to any existing bag holder, where the same is designed to hold-up to continued use.
The bags can be of the plastic thin film type (usually provided by the store) which are often referred to as “T-Shirt” bags because of the similarity of their flat shape to a short-sleeved T-Shirt. Alternatively, a user (the customer or employee of the store) can place the handles of any flexible bag having flexible handles, such as a reusable cloth or plastic shopping bag (not shown) onto the support arms 214 and 214 prior to loading the goods into the bag. The manner of loading the goods into the bag and the placement of the bag tie 1000 onto the handles of such a reusable cloth or plastic bag is the same as for the plastic thin film type bag and thus need not be further described.
FIG. 29 shows a view illustrating a method of tracking and measuring the success of use of the bags times having promotional material printed thereon according to an embodiment of the invention. As depicted, beginning from the lower right corner of FIG. 29, a customer shops in the store and has bags bearing the bag ties 1000 (having promotional material printed thereon) placed onto the bags, as described above. During the checkout process, it is common for a customer to use a “loyalty card” that uniquely identifies the customer to the store, so that the store can track the customer's buying habits. Generally, the bag ties will bear some kind of bar code that can be read by the store employee during checkout as the bags are tied with the bag ties.
When the bags are placed into a shopping cart, or otherwise handled by the customer after checkout, the customer will inevitably tend to view the bag ties, creating another opportunity for delivering a promotional message.
Once the customer reaches his or her residence, during unloading of the vehicle, the customer will handle the bags again, thereby creating another opportunity for delivering a promotional message on the bag tie.
When the bags are placed into the customer's residence, and the bag ties removed to unload the goods into the customer's residence, the bags are handled again, creating another opportunity for delivering a promotional message on the bag tie.
As depicted in lower middle image of FIG. 29, the bag bearing the bag ties is then placed into the customer's vehicle. During this process, the bags are handled again, creating another opportunity for delivering a promotional message.
The retail store owner can have a central database to store information related to both the customer's buying habits and which promotional bag ties have been provided to which specific customer. As depicted in FIG. 29, this customer information can be transmitted to the retail store owner's computer and store in a database, as depicted in the upper middle image of two computer servers.
When the customer uses the bag tie to receive the promotional reward, depicted as “customer rewards” in FIG. 29, the retail stores system uses the stored information regarding the bag tie, including customer received it, when, and what the customer purchased during that visit. Thus, by accessing the stored information related to bag tie in a central database, thereby providing measurement of the effectiveness of the bag tie as promotional material for the specific customer that has brought it. For example, the customer information collected and stored by the system may show that 60% of customers who has purchased milk during a visit when the bag tie was given to them used the bag tie to obtain a discount to promote cereal one week later (in accordance with the promotional material, coupon, advertising or the like on the bag tie). That information may show, however, that only 20% of customers who purchased paper towels used a bag tie promoting cereal used the bag tie to obtain a discount on cereal. This information would tend to show that bag ties promoting cereal work better for milk buyers than paper towel buyers and would help a retailer to better target their promotional material and determine its effectiveness.
FIG. 30 shows a method of using the bag ties in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention for delivering business promotions to a customer or prospective customer. The method for delivering business promotions to a prospective customer comprises the steps of: providing a bag tie with one of the region defining an aperture for allowing the open top ends of the bag to pass over the bag tie in step 901, having promotional information printed in the region other than the region defining the aperture in step 902. In step 903, receiving the handle portion of the bag and in step 904 permitting the bag tie to be manually moved over the handle portion of the bag so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag, while the bag tie is in the view of the said prospective customer. In step 905, permitting said prospective customer in a subsequent operation to remove the bag tie from the bag whenever required by the prospective customer.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use con-templated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto when read and interpreted according to accepted legal principles such as the doctrine of equivalents and reversal of parts.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A bag tying apparatus, comprising:

a base with a pair of horizontal parallel bag supports having free outer ends cantilevered from a pair of vertical supports extending upwardly from the base, wherein the pair of horizontal parallel supports are configured for receiving the handles of a plurality of stacked bags; and

a bag tie support and loading arm having a first end attached to the first vertical support by a supporting means, a second end of the bag tie support and loading arm having terminal end having a cut-out therein and a plurality of stacked bag ties positioned coaxially.

2. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal end having a cut-out therein of the bag tie support and loading arm:

supports a handle portion of the bag; and

permits the bag tie to be manually moved down along the bag ties support and loading arm and over the terminal end having a cut therein so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag.

3. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base includes a stationary base.

4. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag tie support and loading arm is pivotably attached such that it can pivot so as to be disposed either over the bag or not over the bag.

5. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag tie comprises one or more regions.

6. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein least one of the regions of the bag tie defines an aperture for allowing the open top ends of the bag to pass over the bag tie.

7. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the region other than aperture comprises printed promotional information

8. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the printed promotional information is an advertisement or a discount offer.

9. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bag tie comprises a bar code so as to allow the user to use the barcode for availing some percentage of discount for a particular product.

10. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the customer scans the bar code of the bag tie using a mobile phone so as to cause the mobile phone to connect to a website.

11. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the required website delivers a promotional message to the customer on receiving the scanned bar code.

12. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape of the bag tie is triangle, rectangle, polygonal, hexagonal, circular, cylindrical, or a polygonal, or the shape of a recognizable object.

13. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag tie is made up of approximately 40% recycled paper.

14. The bag tying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag tie has multiple layers so as to connect the bag tie to the bag firmly.

15. The bag tie as claimed in claim 14, wherein the multiple layers provide more surface for printing more promotional information instead of a single layer.

16. The bag tie as claimed in claim 15, wherein the system records identifying information regarding the identity of the customer and the customer's purchases at the time the customer receives the bag tie, and also when the customer uses the bag tie for its promotional material, so as measure of the effectiveness of the bag tie as a promotional material.

17. A method for delivering business promotions to a prospective customer comprising the steps of:

providing a bag tie with one of the region of the bag tie defining an aperture for allowing the open top ends of the bag to pass over the bag tie;

having promotional information printed in the region other than the region defining the aperture;

receiving the handle portion of the bag; and

permitting the bag tie to be manually moved over the handle portion of the bag so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag, while the bag tie is in the view of the said prospective customer.

The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the steps of permitting the prospective customer in a subsequent operation to remove the bag tie from the bag whenever required.

The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the promotional information comprises advertisement and other discount offers for the prospective customers.