US3532146A - Fruit picker's bag - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent Inventor Thurston Carney 352 Mono Court, Ventura, California 93002 App]. No. 747,945 Filed July 26, 1968 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 FRUIT PICKERS BAG 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl i. 150/2, 24/241 Int. Cl A0lg 19/06 Field of Search .i 150/2; 24/24 I P) 56] References Cited UNiTED STATES PATENTS 863,002 8/1907 Seely 24/2411?) 1,017,721 2/1912 Williams t y i i v 150/2 Primary Examiner- Donald F. Norton Attorne) Lyon and Lyon ABSTRACT: A fruit picker's bag in the form of a tube, the bottom portion of which is folded upon itself to close the bag, and a pair of quick-release fasteners secure the bottom portion in its folded condition; each fastener having an upwardly extending retainer bar carried by the upper portion of the bag and a loop secured to the bottom of the bag, each bar being capable of release with one hand so that the fasteners may be operated simultaneously.

Patented Oct. 6, 197-0 I 3,532,146

I" 24 i Z5 INVENTOR.

7/70/85 ON CZe/VEV I I H BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A fruit pickers bag is usually in the form of a canvas tube, having a shoulder strap at its upper end and a foldable bottom portion. Heretofore, the folded bottom has been secured by fastener hooks which require two hands to operate and furthermore require partial lifting of the bag. Inasmuch as a full fruit pickers bag will weigh from 50 to 75 pounds, lifting the bag to accomplish this is not only time consuming,but also tiresome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purposes of the present invention are included in the following objects:

First, to provide a fruit pickers bag of the folded tube type which incorporates a pair of quick-release fasteners, each readily engageable by one hand for simultaneous release without raising the bag.

Second, to provide a fruit pickers bag of the type indicated in the preceding object in which a mounting plate, having a hook and an upwardly directed spring finger, cooperate to hold a ring secured to a corner of the bag bottom, the finger on being released by the hook, being pivoted by the weight of the folded bottom section of the bag until the bag is released.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. I is a front view of the fruit pickers bag, the shoulder strap shown fragmentarily, the bag being shown in its folded condition for receiving and holding fruit.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary edge view, taken from 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing particularly the separable fastening means.

.FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fastening means.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a modified form of the fastening means.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken through 5-5 of FIG. 4.

SPECIFICATION The fruit pickers bag is a tubular bag, designated 1, which includes a front side 2 and a back side 3, joined along their margins by edge reinforcement 4. The upper margin of the front side is provided with a stiffening member 5 to hold it outwardly from theback side to facilitate placement of fruit within the bag. A shoulder strap 6 is connected :to the top of the bag.

In order to retain the contents in the bag, a bottom portion 7 of the bag is folded upwardly in front of the bag. The corners of the bottom edge of the bag are provided with straps 8 which receive metal loops 9.

The construction thus far described may be considered as conventional. It has been the previous practice to provide fastening means at the two margins of the bag above the folded bottom portion. The fastening means conventionally used require two hands to operate, but also require that the bottom of the bag be lifted. In the exercise of the present invention, the special fasteners, designated I0, are capable of operation with one hand so that the fasteners may be disconnected simultaneously. Each fastener includes a base strap ll provided with a pair of rivet holes 12 so as to be secured by I rivets I3 to opposite margins of the bag. The lower end of the base strap is provided with a pair of outwardly directed ears [4, the upper margins I5 of which slope downwardly and outwardly.

The upper end of the base strap is provided with an outwardly directed open loop 16, terminating in a downwardly and inwardly directed hook end 17, having a latch notch 18 at its extremity.

The ears 14 are connected by a journal pin 19, which pivotally supports a spring clip 20, formed of spring wire and having a loop 21 joumaled on the pin 19. One end of the spring clip forrnsa retainer shaft 22, dimensioned to extend upwardly in front of thebase strap and engage hook end 17 and notch 18. The other end of the spring clip formsan abutment shaft 23, which extends into a channel 24, formed in the base strap betweenthe ears 14. The abutment shaft 23 bears against the bottom of the channel 24, as the retainer shaft 22 approaches the hook end 17 so as to provide an outwardly biasing force. When the retainer shaft 22 moves clear of the hook end 17, a short distance, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. ,3, the spring clip pivots freely on the journal pin and readily drops to the dotted line position as shown in FIG. 3. The retainer shaft22 is capable of suffiicient lateral displacement as to pennit the tip end .tobe moved laterally under the hook end 17 so as to be received inthe notch 18.

Operation of thefruit pickers bag is as follows:

When the bag is in use, the bottom'po rtion 7 is folded as in dicated in FIGS. I and 2, and the loops 9 rest on the pairs of ears 14,.as shown best in FIG. 2. When the bag is full, it is held 1 over a field box, intended to receive the fruit, the fruit picker then presses inwardly and laterally on both retainer shafts 22 simultaneously, disengaging the shafts from the base straps. The retainer shafts may bereleased permitting the loops 9 to move by gravity over the upper margins 15, aided to some extent by the abutment shafts 23, which tend to rotate 'in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3. The weight of the fruit within the bag causes the bottom portion 7 to unfold and permit the fruit to cascade from the bag.

Reference is directed to FIGS. 4 and 5, which illustrate a modified form of the fastener. The modified fastener includes a base strap 25, having ears 26 at its lower end between which is a folded tab 27 which extends outwardly. The upper end of the base strap 25 is provided with a hook end 28 having a notch 29 in the manner of the first described structure.

A spring clip 30 is provided which includes a retainer shaft 31 terminating in a loop 32 at one end for pivotal support by a journal pin 33 between the cars 26. The upper margins 34 of the cars 26 slope downwardly and outwardly as in the first described structure.

The tab 27 is provided with a fulcrum notch 35 at its extremity which bears against the retainer shaft 31 intermediate its ends but adjacent the loop 32 so that as the retainer shaft 31 approaches the hook end 28, it must be bent against the biasing force exerted by the tab 27. When the retainer shaft 31 is free of the hook end 28, it is free to pivot. counter-clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5 in the manner of the first described structure. The modified fastener, like the first described fastener, is

capable of operation with one hand so that both fasteners may various parts and their relationships as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A fruit pickers bag, comprising:

a. a tubular bag member adapted to be folded near its bottom end to effect a closure and to be unfolded to permit discharge of its contents;

b. a pair of loop members at the corners of said bottom end;

c. and a pair of fasteners at the side margins of said bag for attachment to said loop members to secure the bottom portion in a folded condition;

d. each of said fasteners including a base strap secured to a margin of said bag; a spring clip pivotally connected to the lower end of said strap and having an upwardly directed retainer shaft; and a fixed latching means at the upper end of said base strap, said latching means extending over the upper end of the retainer shaft and forming a guard therefor, the retainer shaft being laterally movable to clear the latching means;

e. a corresponding loop member being receivable between said base strap and said shaft above said pivotal connection to slip by gravity from said fastener upon disengaging said retainer shaft from said latching means and releasing said shaft.

2. A structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein the pivotal connection for each fastener includes a pair of ears, a pivot shaft and a loop formed in said spring shaft; and the upper edges of said ears slope downwardly and outwardly from said bag for free sliding movement of the corresponding loop member therefrom.

3. A structure, as defined in claim I, wherein said clip includes a second shaft bearing against said base strap as said retainer shaft approaches said latching means thereby to apply a biasing force tending to disengage said retainer shaft.

4. A structure, as defined in claim 1, wherein said base strap includes a tab engaging said retainer shaft intermediate its ends as said retainer shaft approaches said latching means thereby to apply a biasing force tending to disengage said retainer shaft.

5. The combination with a tubular fruit pickers bag adapted to be folded near its bottom end to form a closure and to be unfolded for discharge of its contents, the lower corners of the bag having a pair of loop members, of fastening means disposed in opposite margins of said bag to receive said loop members, each of said fastening means comprising:

a. a base strap secured to a margin of said bag, said base strap having an outwardly projecting member at its lower end the upper edge of which receives a loop member and slopes downwardly whereby said loop member tends to slip by gravity therefrom;

b. a retainer pivotally connected to said projecting member and freely movable to a downwardly directed position to permit said loop member to slip freely therefrom;

c. and a fixed guard and latch means integral with the upper end of said base strap, extending outwardly therefrom over said retainer, then intumed and notched, to secure the retainer in an upwardly directed position thereby to hold said loop member on said outwardly projecting member.

6. A fastening means, as defined in claim 5, wherein said retainer is a spring shaft having a loop near one end to form an abutment shaft engaging said base strap to bias said spring shaft away from said latching means.

7. A fastening means, as defined in claim 5, wherein said retainer is a spring shaft and a tab projects from said base strap to engage said spring shaft intermediate its ends and thereby bias said spring shaft away from said latching means.

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