US2811280A

US2811280A - Dispenser for storage bags

Info

Publication number: US2811280A
Application number: US500818A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nicholas D Commisso; Richard D Hayes; Richard M Samuels
Original assignee: Textron Inc
Current assignee: Textron Inc
Priority date: 1955-04-12
Filing date: 1955-04-12
Publication date: 1957-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1974-10-29

Description

Oct. 29, 1957 N. D. COMMISSO ETAL 2,811,280

DISPENSER FOR STORAGE BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 12, 1955 9, 9 7 N. D. COMMISSO ETAL 2,811,280

' DISPENSER FOR STORAGE BAGS Filed April 12, 1955 2 She etsSheet 2 United States PatentO DISPENSER FOR STORAGE *BAGS Nicholas D. Commisso,-Balrnyra,-Richard D.-,Hayes, ,East Rochester, and. Richard M. Samuels, Brighton, N. Y., assignors, by.- mesne. assignments,-to Textron Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application April 12,1955, Serial No-.'50(l,818 4 Claims. (Cl. 221w48) The invention relates to a' dispenser forstorage bags.

An object of the inventionis to.provide a new or generally improved and more satisfactorystorage bag dispenser.

Another object is to provide a dispenser for. storage bags which permits only a single storage, bag to be removed with each dispensing action.

Still another object is to provide a dispenser containing a nested. arrangement of storage bags, each of which is adapted to be individually removed, therefrom without alfecting the nested arrangement of the remaining storage bags.

A further object is the provision of a dispenser having an enclosing wrapper which functions to contain and protect a nested arrangement of storage bags, and which is provided with perforated or weakenedareas which may be easily severed to permit removal-of, thestorage bags from the wrapper.

A still further object is to provide aistoragebagdispenser having means for supporting the .dispenserwith the weight of the dispenser contents directed in a direction away from the dispensing opening.

.A still further object is to provide a storage bag dis penser which is simple, convenient, and reliable in use,

can be easily and economically manufactured, and-presents a neat compact appearance. 7

These and other desirable objects may be attained in .the manner disclosed as an illustrative embodiment of the invention inthe following description and in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the'storage' bag dispenser ofthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the structurev shown -in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the device suspended from a supporting wall, shown in part, ready for use;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation-of thestorage bag support member shown removed from the enclosing envelope or wrapper;

Fig. 5 illustrates the support member of Fig. 4 in opened or expanded position, with a portion of itsfront wall being broken away, and showing the storage bags in their collapsed and nested position;

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section takenthrough a I partially collapsed storage bag approximately on the line through a modified form of theinventiomand i2 Fig. 12 is a front or'face' view-of the storage bag support member shown in Fig; 11, in its opened or expanded position. 1 p U The same reference numerals throughout the -several 5 1 views indicate the same parts.

With reference to" the drawings, the storage bag*dispenser of the present invention includes an outer-or enclosing envelope or wrapperor' container 21 made, preferably, from a thin-flexible sheet material, as-for example a translucent polyethylene plastic. In formingthe envelope, the end portions of the sheet material are overlapped and sealed to eachother by 'heat welding, or any other suitable means, to form a seam as shown; at -23. The material is-then flattenedwith the seam 23 disposed approximately centrally of the rear-surface, and asec- 0nd heat welded seam 25 is formed across the lower-end of the material, slightly above its lower edge. t

The ;upperend of the-envelope 21 remains open until a nested arrangement of storage'bags is inserted therein, after which the upper portion ofthe envelope' is overlappingly folded to provide a reinforced or thickened top portion 27, as-shown irrPig; 8. Since the shee tymaterial employed in forming the enclosing envelope 21 and the storage bags is extremely thin, the conventionalfcrosshatching of these elements shown in section has;1 been omitted'from Figs; 6 and 8-11 'for'thesake'of clarity end simplicity. Spot weldst29 securethe folds of the upper portion of the envelope together, after' which the thickened portion 27 is provided'with'an approximatelyjcentral opening 31 whichis'adapted to receive a suitable fastener, as'for example a, nail,- for supportinguthe dispenser for display or during use.

Alongthe front and

rear surfaces

33 and 35,.respectively, ofthe envelope" 21, adjacent. to either the righLor left edge thereof, are provided a 'plurality .ofspaced slits forming weakened areas ontearlines' '37 and 39, "alo1ng Which the envelope 21 maybe easily severed to provide astorage bag"dispensing opening, as shown inl'Eig..,.1.0.

Since the slits are almost imperceptible, acoloredbroken linetmaybepplaced alongsidetof the'slits to calllthe'users attention to the tear lines and further, suitable instruc- ,tions or symbols, as for example'as'shown by the-arrow 41, may be provided on the envelope, if desired. In

, addition colored squares 143 and45, or other;fsuitable symbols, are, provided in positions as shown. infFig.,-1

to.denote alternative areas which may be gripped by .the

form a front andrear wall 49 and user whentearing awayjthe removable edge portion-.of the envelope.

Contained within'the envelope 21 are the storage bags, neatlynested within a support member 47 whichma intains the bags in their nested arrangementforproper'dispensing. In one form of the invention, the support member 47 .includes a sheet of relativelystiff material, ,-.as for example cardboard, doubled, or folded upon itselfato t 51, respectively, connected by a hinge portion'53, see Figs. 5v and '9. ,To prevent. accidental rupture of the enclosing wrapper or envelope' 21, thefr'ont and

rearwalls

49 and 53 of theisupport member are provided with roundedcorners asshown at 55.

The storage bags 57, shown in Figs..6 and 7, are made of very thin flexible sheet'material, assforexarnpletranslucent polyethylene plastic, to.permit a good supply of storage bags to be disposedwithin the dispenser envelope without providing a bulkyor heavy package Eachi of -the stora'gebags is-formed of a-se'arnless sleeve, laid flat,

-thenrclos'ed, asfor'example -by aheat weld 59.

. iZIn: nestingxthe'i storage: :bags, a pluralityof bags; as for example ten bags, are first stacked upon each other in their flat collapsed condition, with their closed ends being arranged at the same end of the stack. Then, the stacked v. ir1'angen ent of storage bags is folded as a unit at "61 by moving the open ends of the storage. bagsto'wardstheir closed ends. This first fold 61 is spaced from the' closed ends of the stacked bags a distance slightly less than the width of the rear wall of the supporting member. The

.. portion of the stacked storage bags between the fold 61 and their open ends is then folded further as a unit in a serpentine fashion, as seen in Figs. 9 and 10, by providing

folds

63, 65, and 67, the number of folds of course being dependent upon the length of the storage bags. Allfolds, subsequent to the first fold 61, are disposed to one side of a plane passing the closed ends of the storage bags and the first fold 61. It will be noted that the folds 65 I and 67 are offset to the right of the

folds

61 and 63, re-

benoted that all of the folds are spaced laterally away from the closed ends of the storage bags so as to insure that these ends may be easily reached by the user without any interference from any other portions or folds of the bags. By this stacking and nesting arrangement, dispensing of only a single storage bag at one time, as herein after described, is made possible.

The storage bags in their nested arrangement, are then placed between the front and

rear walls

49 and 51, re-

spectively, of the support member, with the closed ends of the storage bags lying adjacent to the free edges of the walls of the support member, as shown in Fig. 4. The

7 support member, along with the nested storage bags, is

then disposed into the envelope or wrapper 21, with the openside edge of the support member adjacent to the removable side edge of the wrapper, as shown in Fig. 1.

As previously. described, the top portion of the wrapper '21 is then folded over upon itself and heat welded at spaced points as shown at 29.

J Secured, as by the staple 69, to the thickened portion '27 of the wrapper 21 is a supporting tab 71 having an adhesive. film 73 on the-uppermost portion of its rear surface. A protective strip 75 covers the adhesive film 73 and may be easily peeled away just prior to use, as shown in Fig.2. The supporting tab 71 as shown in Figs. 1-3, .isfixed to the corner of the envelope 21 above its removable edge so that the envelope when supported solely by the tab,71, will assume an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 3, with its open edge facing in an upward direction. In this manner, the weight of the support member 47, and the storage bags nested therein, is directed away from the open edge of the wrapper 21, and thus eliminates any tendency for the storage bags to accidentally fall therefrom. If desired, the storage bag dispenser may be supported both by a fastener passing through the opening 31 and the supporting tab 71. In this case it is desirable to first support the dispenser on the fastener, and then secure the tab 71 after the envelope 21 has been pivoted into a position as shown in Fig. 3.

In use, the removable edge of the envelope 21 is first severed by tearing along the weakened

areas

37 and 39 as heretofore descibed. The dispenser is then secured to a suitable surface, as for example, the door of a kitchen cabinet 77 (shown in part in Fig. 3), by either a fastener passed through the opening or by the support tab 71, or both if desired. When supported solely by a fastener, it

will be noted that the top portion of the wrapper 21 is of suificient thickness to prevent theweight of the dispenser contents from tearing the wrapper in the vicinity of the fastener. The user may then reach into the envelope, grasp the closed end of a storage bag, and apply a pull approximately perpendicular to the open edge of the envelope. A cut-out or access opening 79 is provided in the front wall 49 of the support member, 47 to enable the user to more easily reachthe closed endsof the storage bags. It is believed evident from Fig. 10 that with each dispensing action the user removes the storage bag having its closed end nearest to the front wall 49 of the support member, and that each storage bag unfolds itself, when pulled outwardly, without affecting the nested relationship of the remainder of the storage bags. By placing the closed ends of the storage bags adjacent to the free ends of the front and rear walls of the support member 47, the user can more easily grasp only a single bag, and in addition the user is insured that no foreign matter, such as dust, has entered into the bags.

In the second form ofthe invention, the construction of the wrapper 21 and the storage bags 57 are the same as heretofore described. In this modification, however, the support member 81 and the nested arrangement of the storage bags has been changed. The support member, as shown in Figs. 11 and i2 is provided with a front wall 83, a rear wall 85 hingedly connected at 87 to the front wall, and an additional reinforcing or guide wall 89, hingedly connected at 91 to fold between the front and

rear walls

83 and 85, respectively. Rounded surfaces are provided on all rounded corners to prevent accidental puncture of the wrapper 21-by the support member 81. The storage bags 57 are folded at 93, 95, and 97, after they have been stacked flat in overlapping flat relationship, in a manner generally similar to that described previously, with all the folds disposed on the same side'of a plane passing through the closed ends of the storage bags and the fold 93, and with the fold 97 being laterally spaced to the right of the fold 93. As with the first described embodiment, the number of folds will, of course, depend upon the length of the storage bags, it being understood that the number of folds can be varied providing the same general folding arrangement is maintained. With this modified construction, however, the free ends of the storage bags extend in the same general direction as the closed ends of the bags.

The folded storage bags are then disposed between the front and

rear walls

83 and 85, respectively, of the support member 81, with the guide wall 89 having its free end adjacent to the last fold 97, as shown in Fig. 11. The nested arrangement of storage bags is placed within the envelope 21 and are dispensed therefrom as explained above I in regard to the first described structure- The added guide wall 89 on the support member provides an additional stiffener holding the storage bags in their nested position, and in addition gives greater assurance that the storage bags, during dispensing, will each unfold in a certain sequence, with the fold 97 being the last to unfold. To assist the user in grasping the closed ends of the nested storage bags, a cut-out or access opening 99 is provided as shown in Fig. 12, this opening, when the support member. is folded as in Fig. 11, lying forwardly of the closed ends of the nested storage bags.

As an added feature of the dispenser the storage bags, prior to folding, may be stacked so as to have the closed ends of alternate storage bags spaced laterally from each other. This, of course, will not affect the dispensing action, but will permit the user to more easily take hold of only a singlebag.

Withoutadding any appreciable weight to the dispenser itself, it is obvious that the exterior surface of the envelope 21 can carry various indicia, such as the trademark of the manufacturer, suggested uses for the storage bags, or even advertising material.

With either of the modifications described, the nested arrangement. of storage bags provides the user with a convenient and compact dispenser which is simple to use and which insures the user that only a single storage bag will be removed with each dispensing action. Further, the dispenser is complete in itself and requires no special technique in folding the storage bags or loadingthe dispenser.envelope itself, and therefore satisfactory operation of the unit is not dependent upon any training or skill of the user.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that the above mentioned objects of the invention are well fulfilled. It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure is given by way of illustrative example only, rather than by way of limitation, and that without departing from the invention, the details may be varied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, certain features of the invention may be used in dispensing a supply of bags which are arranged in flatwise or non-folded relation within the outer container. Also the tear line 37, used in opening the outer container, is not necessarily parallel to one side edge of the outer container, but may under certain conditions be diagonal, or may be parallel to the top or bottom edge.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for plastic storage bags, said dispenser including a flexible envelope closed at its bottom and side edges, said envelope having its top portion provided with a plurality of overlapping folds connected together to form a thickened top edge, a fastener receiving opening extending through said thickened top edge approximately centrally thereof, a support member contained within said envelope, said support member being formed of stiff sheet material and including at least a first and second wall connected to each other along one edge by a flexible hinge portion, a nested arrangement of plastic storage bags positioned between said first and second walls of said support member, with the closed ends of said storage bags disposed adjacent to the open edge of said support member, said nested arrangement of storage bags formed by a plurality of collapsed storage bags stacked in overlapped relationship and folded as a unit along a plurality of fold lines, said plurality of fold lines including a first fold line spaced from the closed ends of said stacked storage bags by a first distance slightly less than the width of said first and second walls of said support member, with the distances between subsequent fold lines being less than said first distance, all of said subsequent fold lines being disposed to one side of a plane passing through said first fold line and the closed ends of said stacked storage bags, said subsequent fold lines being laterally spaced away from the closed ends of said stacked storage bags toward said first fold line, said flexible envelope having a weakened area adjacent to said open edge of said support member, said weakened area forming a tear line along which said flexible envelope may be severed to provide a dispensing opening through which said storage bags may be individually removed without atfecting the nested arrangement of said remaining storage bags, and a supporting tab secured to the thickened top edge of said flexible wrapper above said weakened area, said tab being adapted to be employed alone or in combination with a fastener passing through a fastener receiving opening to support said dispenser in an inclined position with the weight of its contents extending in a direction away from said dispensing opening.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein said support member includes only a first and second wall.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein said support member also includes a third wall connected to one edge of one of said first and second walls by a flexible hinge portion, said third wall having its free edge lying adjacent to the last fold line of said plurality of fold lines.

4. A dispenser for storage bags, said dispenser including a container closed at its bottom and side edges and having a reinforced top edge, a support member positioned within said container, said support member being formed of a stiff sheet material and including a first and second wall of like configuration hingedly connected to each other along one edge, a nested arrangement of storage bags disposed between said first and second walls of said support member with their closed ends being disposed in a position remote from said hinge connection between said first and second walls, said nested arrangement of storage bags including a plurality of collapsed storage bags stacked in overlapping relationship and folded as a unit in a serpentine manner along a plurality of fold lines, said plurality of fold lines including a first fold line spaced from said closed ends of said storage bags by a distance slightly less than the Width of said support member, with the subsequent fold lines lying between but laterally spaced from the closed ends of said storage bags and said first fold line, said container having a removable edge portion lying adjacent to said closed ends of said storage bags and adapted to provide a dispensing opening through which said storage bags may be individually removed without afiecting the nested arrangement of the remaining storage bags, and means for supporting said container in depending relationship with respect to a support member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,214 Allen Dec. 9, 1890 1,686,458 McColl Oct. 2, 1928 1,952,382 MacGregor Mar. 27, 1934 2,005,490 Baxter June 18, 1935 2,348,041 Warner May 2, 1944 2,558,920 Baggs July 3, 1951