US3439891A - Bag holder - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1969 P. J. PINTO BAG HOLDER v Filed June 20, 1967 INVENTOR. PATRICK J. PINTO United States Patent 3,439,891 BAG HOLDER Patrick I. Pinto, Freehold, N.J., assignor to William E. Young, Stamford, Conn. Filed June 20, 1967, Ser. No. 647,360 Int. Cl. B65b 67/04; A47! 7/00 US. Cl. 248-100 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Field of the invention The general field of art to which this invention pertains is in the class generally deesignated as supports and particularly to the subclassification dealing with bag holders.

Q Other subclasses are those directed towards stands, with mouth-holding frames either prong-type or hook-type or frames with a bracket.

Description 0] the prior art The need or demand for bag holders and the like is evident by the many patents each directed toward a solu tion of a specific problem in the support of a particular type of bag; however, there is a great need for a bag holder adapted to rack or support a large supply of plastic bags. In addition to supporting the bags, the holder must permit the ready opening of each of these bags separately and sequentially. After opening, the loading of the bag is accomplished while it is held in an open-position on the bag holder, after which the removal of the loaded bags from the bag holder is readily accomplished. Typical bag hoIders representative of the present state of the art are exemplified in US. Patent No. 2,899,161 to Bayard of Aug. ll, 1959 and US. Patent No. 2,790.59] to Rosen of Apr. 30, 1957. as well as US. Patent No. 2,875,970 to Gardner of Mar. 3, 1959 and a garment bag dispenser as shown in US. Patent No. 2,997,167 to Westfall of Aug. 22, 1961.

In particular, the racking of bags on a holder as shown in the patent to Bayard provides a support means for square or automatic self-opening bags; however, this support provides means for both the face and back of the bags to be supported and requires much manipulation of the bag at the time of removing the bag from the holder after the bag has been filled. In the supermarkets and like merchandising outlets, bags are customarily provided in bundles and are stacked in bins and the like. The checkout clerk or a clerk helper doing the bagging normally removes one of the bags from the pile or bundle and with manipulation opens the bag and, as best he or she can and with the opened bag sitting on its bottom, in a chute or leaned against a comer, fills the bag with the items that are to be bagged. Bags are thus opened and filled often require extra time, as far as the clerk is concerned, to sup-port the bag while loading the bag and many accidents occur in the filling of the bags.

The bags as presently used by the various marketing services are usually of a kraft-type paper composition and by its composition and manufacture has a certain amount of stiffness. These kraft bags. once open, have a certain ability to stay in the open position while resting upon I their folded bottoms. Plastic bags made of thin film lack this stiffness and under usual packaging conditions are difficult to filland so have been unable to move into this market.

Those bag holders that are known and have been used for the support of thin film plastic bags do not provide a ready support means, in that these film plastic bags have a tendency to crumple or fall upon any supportqisurface. The bag holder of this invention is particularly adapted for use with bags classified as automatic self-opening or square bags with gussets or tucks in their sides, preferably having a square bottom, and with these bags preferably being formed of a thin plastic film of high strength. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The bag holder of this invention is essentially formed of two rod-like members adapted for attachment to a vcr.ical'surface and in,v an attached position to extend outwardly from a said surface. In the attached position the arms are disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to each other. Next to its wall attaching portion each rod is provided with a notch or recess into which a group of bags may be positioned and supported with the outward end of each recess being formed so as to providea shoulder adapted to restrain'the outward movement of a supported bag until it is lifted or urged over this notch and is slide outwardly. These bags are provided with sized and spaced apertures in their, upper portions, the apertured bags being slidable as a group onto the rods. The advantage of such a bag holder is its simplicity of construction and operation and in addition the bag holder may be of a design which is readily adjustable for use with various sizes of bags both in relationship to the height and also to the width ofthe bag.

It is an object of this invention. to provide a bag holder in which a pair of rod-like members are adapted for mounting or support on a. wall and the like, each outwardly extending rod having formed in its upper portion a recess of determined length and having the outer end of the recess formed to provide a shoulder adapted to engage the lip or portion of the bag surrounding a hole Q punched in the front, back and gussets of a bag.

There has been outlined rather broadly the most im-, portant features of the bag holding apparatus of this invention in order that the present contribution to the art may be more fully appreciated. Those persons skilled in this art will appreciate that the concept on which the present disclosure is based may be utilized to provide the basis for other bag holding devices similarly carrying out the bag retaining and support purposes of this invention. There has been chosen a specific embodiment of the apparatus and alternate thereof for the purposes of illus-.

tration and description of the bag holding means of this invention and this apparatus is shownirijthe accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 represents an isomertic view showing a" pre ferred arrangement of an assembled bag holder of this invention;

FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary and enlarged side 55 of FIG. 4 and showing the construction of a recess in the bag holder support member of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 represents a fragmentary and enlarged side view of yet another alternate recess arrangement of a bag holder support member as constructed from a solid rod;

FIG. 7 represents a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 and showing the construction of a recess in a solid rod bag holder support member;

FIG. 8 represents a somewhat diagrammatic plan view in a reduced scale and looking downwardly at the bag holder with a group of bags mounted thereon;

FIG. 9 represents the bag holder of FIG. 8 with an outermost bag being grasped by its front or outer panel so as to open the bag;

FIG. 10 represents the plan view of FIG. 9 but with the bag now opened into a fully expanded or open position; and

FIG. 11 represents the bag of FIG. 10 after being filled and with the bag in the process of being grasped for removal from the holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in particular to FIG. 1, it is to be noted that the bag holder of this embodiment is contemplated to be made of a single rod-like member bent generally into a shape of a U or channel shape and comprising outwardly extending arms and 22 disposed at substantially right angles to short upwardly extending portions 24 and 26 which are a part of or are attached to and are joined by a. spacer portion 28. This spacer portion, midway of its ends, has welded to it an attaching or mounting tab 30 having apertures 32 formed therein and providing for the application of screws therethrough to a wall or the like. Formed in each of the arms 20 and 22 are like recess portions 34 which are better seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 and in which the rod 22 is shown as having a portion 34 formed in its upper surface, said recess 34 having a determined length and a determined depth.

As reduced to practice, the rod 22 is three-eighths of an inch in diameter and each recess 34 formed therein is three thirty-seconds of an inch deep so that the remaining portion of the rod is nine thirty-seconds of an inch. The outward shoulder 36 is shown as being formed in a substantially vertical manner which, as reduced to practice, is the preferred construction. The recess in the solid rod may be formed as by milling, by swaging or by upsetting in a die.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3 as applied to the assembly of FIG. 1, it is to be noted that the support portions 20 through 28 may be made of tubing instead of a solid rod. When the bag holder is to be made of tubing it is bent in the same general U-shape of channel form as is seen in FIG. 1. The tubing arm 122, of course, is machined to form a recess 134 which also is cut about one-sixteenth of an inch deep into the tubing to provide a shoulder 136.

Referring next to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown yet another bag holder which is formed in the same general U-shape as the holder of FIG. 1. In this alternate holder 2. rod 222 of nine thirty-seconds of an inch in diameter is provided with a pair of lengths of tubing 50 each tightly gripping one of the horizontally extending and parallel arms. These lengths of tubing are preferably of plastic such as Teflon or nylon and have portions removed to form recesses 234 on the arm. These recesses, after the tubing has been positioned and mounted in a tight nonslip fit condition on the rods 52, provide a determined bag retaining recess 234 having a forward shoulder 236 on each bag support arm portion.

USE AND OPERATION OF THE BAG SUPPORT APPARATUS and the gusseted sides therebetween have apertures or holes punched or drilled which are sized to be slidable upon the rods 20 and 22. These apertures in the bags are spaced so as to align with rods 20 and 22 and the bags are grouped into a determined quantity so that the recesses 34 are of sufficient length to accept the group of bags 60 after they are moved to the recess. Preferably the recess is disposed in the rear or inner portion of the rods 20 and 22.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 8 through 11, there is shown a group of bags 60 wherein the outermost bag 62 of the group has its face or outermost panel grasped by a hand 64 of a clerk and the like. As seen in FIG. 9, this face or outermost panel of the bag 62 is grasped by the clerk who lifts this panel sufiiciently to cause this panel portion to lift from the recess 34 and from in the way of shoulder 36 after which the panel and gusset portions are slid outwardly onto the outermost portion of the rods 20 and 22.

Referring next to FIG. 10, wherein is seen that the bag 62 has been opened outwardly and that the gusseted ends 66 and 68 of the bag now lie adjacent the rods 20 and 22. The back of the bag is still engaged by the shoulder 36 of the recess which provides means for positioning and retaining the bag on the holder. Preferably the bottom of the bag is adapted to rest upon a support platform, whereupon the bag may be filled with groceries 70 and the like as seen in FIG. 11. After the bag has been filled, the clerk grasps the sides 66 and 68 of the bag and lifting the back panel 72 of bag 62 from in the way of the shoulder 36 causes the bag to he slid outwardly upon the outer portions of the rods 20 and 22 until the bag is slid from the rods.

As reduced to practice, the holes formed in the panels and gussets of the bags 60 are sized so that they slide easily upon the rods 20 and 22 and when mounted in the recesses 34 are so disposed that the bag portions around the apertures engage the shoulder 36 until the bag is lifted from'in way of this shoulder. By means of this shoulder the bag is prevented from accidentally sliding outwardly on the rods and when opened as in the condition of FIGS. 10 and 11 is maintained in an open position for ready loading by means of the clerk. It is also to be noted that film-type plastic bags having no inherent rigidity or stiffness may have their side panels 66 and 68 pulled substantially taut so that the bag may be opened on the rods almost to its maximum extent.

The alternate embodiments as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and in FIGS. 4 and 5 provide substantially the same shoulder means and a like recess which are equivalent to the recess 34 and shoulder 36 in their function as abovedescribed.

It is contemplated that the arms 20 and 22 need not be connected by means of the midportion 28 and may be two separate units mounted in any of several ways; however, the novel concept of this invention resides in the placement and formation of the notch portions of the substantially straight rods, said notch forming the recess 34, 134 and 234. The rods and recesses are sized and spaced so that the bags by their spaced apertures are readily slid onto the rods 20 and 22 until they are received and retained in the recess in each rod. The bags are retained in these recesses until such time as the outermost bag is manipulated over the abutment provided by the shoulders 36, 136 and 236 as above-described. As employed in this invention the recesses prevent the unwanted outward sliding of the bags on the rods until they are physically manipulated over this abutment. The apertures are made slightly larger than the rods so that they may be easily moved on the rods.

tion with the rods 20 and 22 a support platform of determined size and distince below the rods is preferably supplied so as to relieve the load of the filled bag upon the apertures formed in the top of the bag. The use of a platform is conventional and is not considered a part of this invention, hence is not shown in the drawing.

In the above specification and the claims to follow the terms used in conjunction with the description of the bags and their construction is to be defined in accordance with the Glossary of Packaging Terms providing for standard definitions of trade terms commonly used in packaging. The glossary, as a reference, is the third edition compiled and published by the Packaging'lnstitute, Inc., of 342 Madison Ave., New York, NY. 10017 and copyrighted 1961.

The terms in, out, .up, down, across, and the like are applicable to the bag holding device shown and described in conjunction with the drawing. These terms as used are merely for the purpose of description and do not necessarilyapply to the position in which the bag holding apparatus may be constructed or used.

The conception of the bag holding apparatus and its many applications is not limited to the examples abovedescribed but departures therefrom may be made within the scope of the accompanying claims and protection is sought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

What is claimed is: g

.1. A bag holder for a grouping of flexible bags in which the group of bags is provided with a pair of likesized and aligned apertures of determined size and spacing, said bag holder comprising: (a) a pair of substantially straight rod-like arms whose major diameter is less than the diameter of an aperture in the grouping of bags; (b) means for attaching the arms to a support surface so that the arms when mounted are in substantially the same plane and with their axes substantially parallel; (c) a recess portion of like size formed in the outer surface of each arm, the recess of a length to receive and retain at least one grouping of bags of a determined number, said recess being positioned to provide a determined outward extending length of arm for the support of the opened side and face portion of the bag and so that the bag may be smoothly slid on and off the substantially straight rodlike arm, and (d) an abrupt shoulder formed as part of the recess and adjacent the outwardly extending length of arm, the shoulder being substantially normal to the n st axis of the rod and of sufficient depth to provide a stop to the outward sliding movement of the bag in the recess, the outward movement of the bag being accomplished by manipulating the bag so that selected apertured portions of the bag are moved from in way of the shoulder and to the outward extent of the arm.

2. A bag holder for a grouping of flexible bags in which the group of bags is provided with a pair of like-sized and aligned apertures of determined size and spacing, said bag holder comprising: (a) a pair of substantially straight rod-like arms whose major diameter is less than the diameter of an aperture in the grouping of bags; (b) means for attaching the arms to a support surface so that the arms when mounted are in substantially the same plane and with their axes substantially parallel; (c) a tubing sleeve of determined length and wall thickness and mounted on each rod-like arm, the sleeve having a lengthwise portion removed to provide with the rod a recess adapted to receive and retain at least one grouping of bags of a determined number, and outwardly of the tubing sleeve an extending portion of arm providing a support for the opened side and face portion of the opened bag and so that the bag may be smoothly slid on and off the substantially straight rod-like arm, and (d) the removed portion of the sleeve having its outer end formed to provide an abrupt shoulder to the recess, the shoulder being substantially normal to the axis of the rod and of a suffi cient depth to provide a stop to the outward sliding movement of the bag in the recess, the outward movement of the bag being accomplished by manipulating the bag so that selected apertured portions of the bag are moved from in way of the shoulder and to the outward extent of the arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,519,932 8/1950 Rostoker 211-57 X 2,899,161 7/1959 Bayard 248101 3,257,090 6/1966 Frazier 24899 FOREIGN PATENTS 270,432 4/ 1964 Australia.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 21159

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