US3451613A - Bag and handle means - Google Patents

Description

June 1969 G. VANDE SANDE 3,451,613

BAG AND HANDLE MEANS Filed Feb. 19, 1968 Sheet 3 of 2 INVENTOR GEORGE VANDE SANDE 34 BY #241 PM MWJZMV ATTORNEY June 24, 1969 G vANDE SANDE BAG AND HANDLE MEANS Sheet Filed Feb. 19, 1968 INVENTOR GEORGE VANDE SANDE /M, 7%: (Am LEM,

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,451,613 BAG AND HANDLE MEANS George Vande Sande, Bethesda, Md., assignor to CTP Industries, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Feb. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 706,486 Int. Cl. B65d 33/06 U.S. Cl. 229-54 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure relates to a reusable plastic bag, and in particular, recloseable handle means for such a bag. The handle members are of a partially overlapping configuration wherein each of the handle members forms a portion of the handle, allowing the handle members to form a complete handle when the members are locked together but enabling the handle members to be easily separated by moving the non-overlapping portions in opposite directions to unlock or open the bag.

Background of the invention Reusable bags formed of thermoplastic material have found wide acceptance for the retailing of goods. Such bags may be attractively decorated and are capable of high volume, low cost production. Quite commonly, such bags are printed on one or both side walls in a decorative fashion, and include handle members which are designed to be closed together with integral locking attachments to provide an attractive, reusable and inexpensive bag. Some of the prior art bags include a combination handle and closure means for the bag which makes it possible to provide a tight closure so that its contents cannot readily be lost, nor can dirt and moisture readily enter the bag.

An example of such bags is illustrated in U.S. Patent 3,310,224, issued to L. K. Laguerre. This patent discloses a unitary handle and closure means formed so as to comprise two substantially congruent strips each having a length substantially equaling the width of the front and rear bag walls at the mouth of the bag. The two strips normally overlie each other and are joined at their extreme ends by means which are integral with both strips, and hold the strips closely adjacent each other and parallel to each other at their ends. Because of the parallel relationship of the ends of the strips and because of the resilience of the material which forms the unitary closure means, the handle members resist any forces tending to separate or open the handles. To open these bags, it is necesary to grasp the two handle portions with the right and left hands, respectively, and separate the two handle portions by pulling in opposite directions. Quite often, a securing or locking means is employed which tends to hold the two coextensive handle portion together, thereby effectively maintaining the tight closure at the mouth of the bag. In its most practical form, such a fastening means may comprise a small protuberance of one member which frictionally engages an indentation or recess in the opposite member as is illustarted in the Laguerre patent 3,310,224. To open the bag, which is provided with such a closure means, it is again only necessary to separate the two handle portions, but now somewhat more force is required to accomplish this because the fastener must first be unsnapped.

Extensive experience has shown, however, that with the types of bag construction described thus far, it is often difiicult to initially separate the two members so that the handles may be grasped for pulling the locking mechanism apart. Due to the resilience of the handle members, and the closing effect of the securing or locking means, or for a variety of other reasons, the handles may tend to cling "ice together requiring that the user separate the handle portions initially with his fingernails before the handles may be grasped to pull the bag apart.

Summary of the invention It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a plastic bag or container with a combination closure and handle means and a novel handle configuration that allows the bag handles to separate easily and quickly to open the bag.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel, twopart handle which may or may not be formed of unitary construction, with partially coextensive handle members, wherein each of the handle portions has a noncoextensive portion that may readily be grasped to separate the bag handles.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an integrally molded flange portion to provide protection against pinching of the fingers, and provide greater surface area for distributing the load while carrying the bag.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel aligning means for aligning the closing members of a selflocking handle to facilitate its closing together and lockmg.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the handles in a spaced-apart relationship;

FIGURE 2 i a side or plan view of the handles with the members joined or locked together;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the interlocking means used to join the handles together and taken along the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the sealing and aligning members which facilitate locking the bag together, and provide a positive seal against dirt and moisture and is taken along the section line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an isometric view of an alternate form of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 6-6 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view of an end portion of the handle member of the embodiment of either of FIG- URES 1 or 5.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments In accordance with the invention, as illustrated in FIG- URE l, the members generally indicated at 8 and 9 are the handle members shown in a spaced-apart relationship. Each of the members have partially coextensive handle portions 13 and 14 which are coextensive over a small end portion of the handle member, but are substantially noncoextensive over their remaining portions 52 and 53. The base of each of these members is attached to an elongate strip member 11 or 12 shown in a spaced relationship in FIGURE 1 but which cooperate to define a U-shaped handle, when placed with their end portions 13 and 14 juxtaposed to close the mouth of the bag as in FIGURE 2.

In the prior art devices, which have entirely coextensive handle portions, it is necessary to grasp the two handle portions with ones right and left hands, respectively, and separate the two handle portions by pulling them apart. When these handles are equipped with an integrally molded fastening means, it becomes more difficult to open the bag, as somewhat more force is required to unsnap the fasteners. Both the fasteners and the natural resilience of the handle members cause the handles to cling to one another. In order to open the handle portions, it is generally necessary for the user to insert his fingernails to pry the two apart at the top in a somewhat awkward fashion.

In the subject invention, however, it is only necessary to grasp handle portions 52 and 53 and pull in opposite directions, and the handles will simply and easily separate, these handle portions being noncoextensive with each other.

Thus, by means of the novel configuration illustrated in FIGURE 1, it is possible to quickly and easily unsnap the handles, thereby unlocking the fastening means and separating the handles to open the bag portion. This may be done more quickly, more easily, and efiiciently with the handle configuration of the subject invention than with the previous prior art devices.

Each of the handle members 8 and 9 is provided with locking protuberances 16 and 17 on one end of the elongated strip portions 11 and indentations 18 and 19 on the other end of the strip 11. The opposing handle is equipped with recesses 20 and 21 on one portion and protuberances 22 and 23 on the other portion. The cr section of a typical type of engaging or locking member is illustrated in FIGURE 3, in which the protuberance 16 is molded slightly larger than the opening 20 in whi h the protuberance is placed. The frictional engagement of these two members thereby hold the handle members 3 and 9 together.

To facilitate the mating of the protuberance with its adjoining recess, aligning members 25 and 26 are aligned in each handle portion with adjoining recesses 27 and 28 on the oppositely disposed handle portions. The configuration of these aligning members is best illustrated in FIG- URE 4 wherein a bevelled protuberance 25 is shown engaging recess portion 28. It should be pointed out that engaging protuberance 25 is generally longer than the protuberance 16 illustrated in FIGURE 3 so that in mating the handles together, the handles are brought together and slid until the bevelled protuberance 25 engages recess 28 in which case the handle members are pressed firmly together forcing the enlarged protuberance 16 into recess 20, and thereby locking the handle portions together. Once the handles are closed together, the bevelled protuberances provide a dust seal to prevent the entry of dust or excess moisture between the handles. As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the joint shown in dotted lines at 26 and 28 extends along substantially the entire length of elongated strip members 11 and 12, thereby providing a nearly continuous dust seal for the bag.

Integrally molded with handle portions 8 and 9 are traverse webs or flanges 31 and 32. These webs are also patrially coextensive so that when the handle portions are brought together in a locked relationship, a continuous traverse web extends over the entire upper portion of the handle, thereby protecting the fingers against pinching between members 13 and 14 and distributing the load carried in the bag over a wide area of the fingertips, rather than over a rather narrow portion as in the previous prior art devices. Flanges 31 and 32 also have the effect of imparting greater rigidity to the handle members 8 and 9, enabling them to be made economically of a light gauge plastic without having a flimsy appearance.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 6, traverse web portion 31 overhangs both sides of handle 9 and end portion 13, the web forming a T-joint with the handle. Traverse web 32 is similarly positioned on handle 8, and each handle is offset from the center of the traverse web enough to allow the webs to mate at butt joint 54 (FIGURE 2) and form a smooth handle with aligned Webs.

In addition to the traverse web structure illustrated in the drawings, it would be possible to form a variety of matched joint configurations at the web juncture in place of the butt joint configuration as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

In order to provide the necessary strength, engaging protuberances 33 and 34 are mounted on the handle members to engage recesses 35 and 36. Thus, when locked together at their respective overlapping portions 13 and 14, the handle members are able to support a great deal of weight, even though each is only partially coextensive with the other. The traverse webs 31 and 32 also help 4 in distributing the weight over the entire handle, avoiding an uneven displacement of stresses at areas 13 and 14 which might otherwise tend to separate the handle members at their juncture.

Spacing the protuberances and recesses alternately along the handle portions enables the locking members to retain their strength even if one portion of the handle, or some of the protuberances should become worn through repeated usage. It should be understood that the male and female members or joints illustrated in FIG- URES 3 and 4 are only representative of the many possible configurations which could be used.

Analternate construction for areas 13 and 14 of the handle members is illustrated in FIGURE 7. When snapped together, the end 56 of handle portion 13 butts tightly against recess 57. End 58 of member 14 fits into recess 59, in a similar manner, thereby forming a fitted lapped joint and a continuous handle member with no overlapping edges.

In the preferred embodiment, the handle members are symmetrical about the section line 6-6 shown in FIG- URE 2 with protuberances 16, 17 and 25 formed on one side of section 6-6 and recesses 18, 19 and 27 formed in the other side. This enables the handles to be formed from a single mold resulting in substantial savings due to the single molding operation. A reduction of inventory needed in manufacturing is possible as it is no longer necessary to maintain two separate stocks of supplies, one for right handles and one for left and the molding costs are also substantially reduced as only one mold is necessary for both handle members.

The handles illustrated above in the preferred embodiment are mounted in the mouth of a polyethylene or synthetic resinous bag, as shown in FIGURE 2. The handles are quite commonly heat-sealed as at 37 by the application of heat or high frequency dielectric energy. While the preferred embodiment has been illustrated, it is considered to be within the scope of the invention to mount such handles on a paper or cloth bag and utilize adhesive or mechanical sealing means instead of heatseal 37.

An alternate form of the invention is illustrated in FIG- URE 5 wherein both handle portions are formed out of a unitary block of synthetic resinous material. The advantages of using a unitary block of material, as opposed to two handle members, is discussed at length in the Laguerre Patent 3,310,224 mentioned previously. In this embodiment, the elastic material at ends 38 and 39 tend to force the handle portions together, which would ordinarily make it necessary at times to resort to the fingernails to pry the handle portions apart. In this embodiment, the partially coextensive handle members are highly desirable as they enable the user to grip handle portions 40 and 41 with the right and left-hands respectively and pull the handle apart, disengaging the locking members illustrated at 42 and 43. The alternate form of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 5 may also be provided with aligning members and locking protuberances illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 and discussed previously.

As best illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, strip members 11 and 12 have a recessed area 60 on their lower edges. The surface of the recessed portion is knurled to provide a sealing surface for the heat seal 37 illustrated in FIG- URES 2 and 6, as experience has shown that a more desirable and long-lasting seal results from a knurled surface, as opposed to a smooth surface.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the traverse webs 31 and 32 extend back inwardly towards the center of the bandles ending over locking members 17, 18, 21 and 22. Thus, when the areas 52 and 53 are grasped and pulled apart to open the bag, the webs 31 and 32 transmit the force back inwardly to open the inner locking members, whereas the natural flexing of the handle material will transmit force to the outer locking members.

The embodiment of FIGURE 5 requires that the handle members extend over the entire length of the bag mouth, however it should be understood that in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1, the length of the handle does not always equal the bag mouth width. In certain types of bags, it may even be desirable to have a short handle and a wide bag mouth.

Having describe an improved plastic bag, and, particularly a novel handle configuration and closure means therefor, it is to be understood that various modifications and alterations may be made to the specific form illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A carrying handle for bags, comprising:

(a) first and second elongated strip members coextensive with each other along the base of said handle;

(b) first and second substantially noncoextensive handle members, the first said handle member attached at its base to said first strip member, and said second handle member attached at its base to said second strip member in a spaced apart relationship with respect to said first handle member, said first and second handle members being engaged together only at their ends to define an inverted U-shaped handle,

whereby the first and second elongated strip members may be pulled apart by disengaging the handle members at their extreme ends and pulling in opposite directions on said handle members.

2. A carrying handle for bags as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said handle members has an integrally molded flange extending around the interior of said handle member, the flange molded on said first handle member forming a matched joint with the flange molded on said second handle member, whereby a continuous protective flange is formed around the interior of said handle when said handle members are engaged to each other.

3. A carrying handle for bags as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said elongated strip members is provided with at least one fastener means, comprising first and second functionally engaging elements respectively located on facing surfaces of said elongated strips when in register, for securing together said strips at at least one point between their adjoining ends whereby said strip members may be fastened together in a coextensive relationship.

4. A carrying handle for bags as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first elongated strip member is provided with at least one elongated bevelled protuberance, and said second elongated strip member defines an elongated bevelled recess in register with said elongated bevelled protuberance, whereby the bevelled protuberance forms a seal with said strip defined recess when said elongated strip members are brought into a coextensive relationship.

5. A carrying handle for bags as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second handle members and said first and second elongated strip members are formed of a single unitary block of resilient, elastic, nonbrittle material.

6. In a bag having front and back walls formed of a thin film material, the improvement which comprises:

(a) closure means attached to the Walls of the bag in the plane of said Walls at the mouth of the bag, said closure means being formed of a resilient, elastic, nonbrittle material, having a tensile strength substantially greater than the Walls of the bag;

(b) said closure means comprising a first and second generally coextensive elongated strips, normally overlying each other and having a first and second substantially noncoextensive handle members formed therewith, the first said handle member attached at its base to said first strip member, and said second handle member attached at its base to said second strip member in a spaced apart relationship with respect to said first handle member, said first and second handle members being engaged together only at their extreme ends to define an inverted U-shaped handle; and

(c) at least one fastener means comprising a first and second functionally engaging elements respectively located on facing surfaces of said strips when in register for securing together said strips at a point between their adjoining ends.

7. A bag as claimed in claim 6, wherein additional means join said first and second elongated coextensive strip members at each end, comprising an end portion which is integral with both said strips, and normally maintaining the adjoining ends of said strips in parallel relationship; said resilence of said material together with said parallel relationship of the corresponding ends of said strips cooperating to maintain said strips normally closed parallel over their length thereby tending to maintain the mouth of said bag closed and automatically bringing said first and second engaging elements into alignment to thereby facilitate their engagement.

8. A bag as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first elongated strip member and second elongated strip member defines an elongated bevelled recess opposite from said elongated bevelled protuberance, whereby the bevelled protuberance forms a seal with said strip to define recess when said elongated strip members are brought into coextensive relationship.

9. In a handle and closure device adapted to be fitted in a thermoplastic bag with the first and second elongated thermal strip members heat-welded along the two opposed edges of the opening of said bag, wherein each of the strips has a centrally disposed looped gripping handle formed integrally with said strip and extending laterally of the elongated strip member, the improvement which comprises; forming a first partially coextensive handle member on said first elongated strip member, a second partially coextensive handle member on said second elongated strip member, each handle member having a noncoextensive portion, each handle member having engaging means mounted on its coextensive portion to hold said handle members together, whereby said handle members and attached strip members may be disengaged or separated by pulling in opposite directions on said noncoextensive portions.

10. A handle and closure device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first elongated strip member is provided with at least one elongated bevelled protuberance, and said second elongated strip .member defines an elongated bevelled recess opposite from said elongated bevelled protuberance, whereby the bevelled protuberance forms a seal with said strip defined recess when said elongated strip members are brought into a coextensive relationship.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,140,038 7/ 1964 Laguerre 229-54 3,310,224 3/ 1967 Laguerre 229-54 3,339,823 9/1967 Nielsen 229-54 DAXIIID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 15 0-12

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