US3606137A - Dowel handle bag - Google Patents

Abstract

A CONSTRUCTION FOR A PLASTIC BAG WITH A DOWEL HANDLE MADE FROM TUBULAR STOCK WITH WELDED SEAMS IN THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE BAG FOR HOLDING HEAVY BULK MATERIALS OR ITEMS. THE MATERIAL AT THE TOP OF THE BAG IS FOLDED OVER AND FASTENED TO ONE FACE OF THE BAG IS FOLDED OVER FOR A DOWEL, THE FORCE IMPARTED TO THE BAG BY THE DOWEL IS TRANSMITTED SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE WIDTH OF THE BAG AND OTHER THAN ON A WELDED SEAM. A CUT-OUT IS PROVIDED IN THE BAG AND THROUGH THE FOLD, APPROXIMATELY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE SIDES THEROF, SOT THAT THE HAND OF THE HOLDER MAY BE ACCOMMODATED AROUND THE DOWEL. ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS USING SIDE GUSSETED OR SIDE WELDED TUBULAR STOCK OR SHEET STOCK FOR THE BAG ARE DESCRIBED. MEANS MAY BE PROVIDED TO PREVENT THE DOWEL FROM BEING REMOVED FROM THE CHANNEL. FURTHERMORE, IN SOME OF THE EMBODIMENTS IT IS USEFUL TO PROVIDE SNAPS RATHER THAN WELDING FOR THE FOLDED TOP OF THE BAG.

Description

Sept. 20, 1971 KUGLER 3,606,131

DOWEL HANDLE BAG Filed July 8. 1969 FIG./

PRIOR ART i lNVIdNI'HI-f. EMANUEL KUGLER United States Patent 3,606,137 DOWEL HANDLE BAG Emanuel Kugler, Lawrence, N.Y. (Kennedy House, 110-11 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, N.Y. 11375) Filed July 8, 1969, Ser. No. 839,865 Int. Cl. B65d 33/06 U.S. Cl. 229-754 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A construction for a plastic bag with a dowel handle made from tubular stock with welded seams on the top and bottom of the bag for holding heavy bulk materials or items. The material at the top of the bag is folded over and fastened to one face of the bag to provide a channel for a dowel; the force imparted to the bag by the dowel is transmitted substantially along the width of the bag and other than on a welded seam. A cut'out is provided in the bag and through the fold, approximately midway between the sides thereof, so that the hand of the holder may be accommodated around the dowel. Alternative constructions using side gusseted or side welded tubular stock or sheet stock for the bag are described. Means may be provided to prevent the dowel from being removed from the channel. Furthermore, in some of the embodiments it is useful to provide snaps rather than welding for the folded top of the bag.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to plastic bags, and more particularly to improvements in construction of a plastic bag for accommodating a dowel handle.

PRIOR ART The bagging of heavy bulk material such as twentyfive or fifty pounds of ice or fireplace briquettes in a construction providing a handle for supporting that bulk is desirable, particularly to provide a convenient means to support the weight and also to avoid significant contact by the holder with the package if he carries it in his arms. Presently used constructions for providing handles in plastic bags may be divided into two main categories: Firstly, bags are available which provide handle cut-outs to accommodate the holders hand; and secondly, plastic bags are provided with dowels in tubular construction wherein the dowel bears against the welded seam which is immediately above the dowel. In both such constructions there is a tendency for the bag to tear, particularly in the second construction mentioned above where the tear usually occurs along the welded seam. Particularly in the first construction above, the bag tends to buckle without a dowel, thereby leaving a great deal to be desired in supporting the contents of the package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved bag construction having means provided for accommodating a dowel handle and a space for the holders hand in such a way that proper support is given to the weight of the contents.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bag construction with a dowel handle and a space to accommodate the holders hand which is not subject to tearing due to the weight and bulk of the contents.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide such constructions which allow the holder to avoid significant contact with the package.

These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in a preferred, yet illustrative embodiment, which features a tubular bag having seams at the top and 3,606,137 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiments and their constructions, in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a bag construction according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention which features a dowel handle and a cut-out for accommodating the holders hand;

FIG. 2A is a sectional representation taken along the line AA of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows shown;

FIG. 2A is a sectional representation of an alternative construction for the bag of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2B is a pictorial representation of a further alternative construction for the bag of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation is partial view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention featuring a bottom gusseted bag using side welds;

FIG. 4 is a front view representation of a further alternative embodiment of the present invention featuring snap fasteners for the top fold of the bag and sheet stock for the body thereof; and,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the bag of FIG. 4 with the flap in closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS Referring specifically to FIG. 1, the prior art is illustrated by a bag designated generally by the reference 10. The bag is shown to comprise front panel 12, rear panel 14 in a tubular construction connected by side edges 16 and 18. The bottom of said front and rear walls are connected by heat seals 20 or the like to define cavity between said front and rear walls. A further heat seal 22 is provided at the upper edges and openings 24 and 26 in the sides 18 and 16, respectively, are used for insertion of a dowel 28, which with cut-out 30 defines a handle for the bag. It may be seen from FIG. 1 that in this type of construction the major forces of the dowel on the bag, when the bag is being held by the handle, are exerted on the heat seal 22. Therefore, it is apparent that when the bag as illustrated in FIG. 1 is used for carrying weighty or bulky objects, a serious problem will arise in the ability of the heat seal 22 to withstand the forces exerted thereon.

Such problems are overcome by use of the bag illustrated as a preferred embodiment of the present invention in FIGS. 2 through 2B. A construction is there illustrated as including a bag generally designated by the reference numeral 32 comprising a front wall 34, a rear wall 36 of tubular construction with side edges 38 and 40. The bottom opening of the bag between the front and rear walls is sealed by heat seal 42 or the like. The top edge 44 of the bag is folded at fold 46 and heat seal 48 or the like used to affix the folded top to the body of the bag. A dowel 52 is inserted in the channel defined by the folded top and the back panel 36 of the body. A cut-out 50 is provided on the body of the bag approximately midway between the sides 38 and 40 and symmetrical about the fold 46. This cut-out pro-. vides with the dowel 52 a handle for the bag. In the preferred embodiment it is recommended that the dowel be of a length less than the total Width of the front 34 of the bag and of approximately A" diameter. The sides of the channel defined by the folded top and the back 36 of the bag "may be heat sealed, as shown in FIG. 2B at 54 in order to prevent accidental Withdrawal of the dowel 52 from the channel. Alternatively, a pin or staple or other attachment means may be inserted through the film forming the bag to secure the dowel 52 against sideward movement. Adhesive means or selective heat sealing may also be employed to attach the dowel to the bag for this purpose. Also, it should be mentioned that an alternative construction would provide gusset sides 40 for the bag as shown in FIG. 2A to define with front and back panels 34, 36' a side gusseted construction rather than the tubular construction shown in FIG. 2.

A further alternative embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 3 as including a bottom gusseted bag structure comprising bottom gusset 56 and a tubular top edge 58 for connecting the front and rear panels 60, 62 of the bag. An opening is provided at 64 near the top edge 58 of the bag to accommodate a dowel 66 as part of the handle for the bag. Also a cut-out 68 is provided approximately midway between the sides of the bag in the front and rear panels 60, 62 to accommodate the hand of the holder of the bag. The illustration in FIG. 3 shows approximately half the bag for clarity of illustration with the other half being understood as similar but reversed.

Further alternative embodiments are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and as comprising a sheet stock bag having a back panel 70 longer than the front panel 72. Such construction allows the folding of the back panel at 74 for attachment by snaps 78 on the topmost edge 76 with receiving members 80. The fold at 74 defines with the front and rear panels a channel for insertion of the dowel 82. The front and rear panels are sealed to each other at edges 84, 86 by heat sealing to complete the bag construction.

It should be understood in using any of the constructions or variations thereof heretofore discussed, insertion of the contents is made usually through an edge prior to heat sealing or other means of afiixing the front panel to the rear one. Therefore, it may be seen that insertion of such contents may be made either through the bottom of the bag, the top of the bag or the sides depending upon which of these are to be heat sealed or fastened by other means.

Further modifications in this bag construction are made by using more than one line of heat seals and further by the use of various materials for the dowel including wood, plastic, paper, metal, or any other rigid or semirigid material. Also, the heat seal 48 may include all layers of the plastic film from which the bag is formed thereby providing a watertight and airtight chamber for the protection of the packaged product.

What is claimed is: v

1. A composite plastic bag fabricated of heat sealable, tubular material, having in combination front and rear panels which are unitary at the fold lines defining the side edges of said bag, said front and rear panels being connected at a heat seal along their respective bottom edges defining the bottom of said bag, the material of said front and rear panels continuing upwardly beyond the upper edge of said bag and being folded along an upper edge fold line downwardly against the front panel of said bag and defining thereunder a channel, said material being secured to said front panel along a heat seal line below and parallel to the upper edge of said bag, said front and rear panels defining a cut-out approximately midway between said side edges along the upper edge of said bag and above said heat seal line, a dowel positioned within the channel defined by said upper edge fold line to provide a reinforced material carrying handle for the contents of said bag, and means for holding the dowel within said channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,866,241 7/1932 Vineberg 229S4UX 2,457,422 12/1948 Warner 1.7 2,789,571 4/1957 Kurman 150--12X 3,029,853 4/1962 Piazze l501l 3,090,968 5/1963 Buono 1S0l2UX 3,301,452 1/1967 Jester 150-l2X 3,352,411 11/1967 Schwarzkopf 22954X 3,405,863 10/1968 Kugler 150 -1 1X 3,414,032 12/1968 Jortikka 229-54X 3,429,497 2/1969 Dorfman 150-12X 3,506,048 4/ 1970 Jortikka 22954X FOREIGN PATENTS 915,955 11/1946 France 150-1.? 418,807 2/ 1967 Switzerland 22954 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner S. E. LIPMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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