US3688974A - Handle hole carrier bags - Google Patents

Abstract

A handle hole carrier bag comprises a plastic film, wherein one wall of the bag is longer than the other wall. The shorter wall has one handle hole while the longer wall has two handle holes substantially symmetrically positioned relative to the edge of the shorter wall. The longer wall is reinforced at least in the region which projects above the shorter wall. The shorter wall is reinforced at least in the region of the handle hole. Each said reinforcement is formed by at least one further plastic ply which extends over the entire width of the edge.

Description

United States Patent Gennerich et al.

[ 1 Sept. 5, 1972 v 22 Filed:

[54] HANDLE HOLE CARRIER BAGS [72] Inventors: Max Gennerich, Munsterstrasse 45; Siegfried Wagner, Bahnhofstrasse 53a; August Schwarzkopf, Heinestrasse 2, all of 454 Lengerich of Westphalia, Germany June 3, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 42,981

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 18, 1969 [52] US. Cl. ..229/54 R, 150/12 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 31/00 [58] Field of Search ..229/54, 55; 150/12 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,549,084 12/1970 Canno ..229/54 R Germany ..P 19 30 788.1

1,695,568 12/1928 Wolf ..229/54X 1 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant ExaminerDouglas D. Watts Attorney-Fleit, Gipple & Jacobson ABSTRACT A handle hole carrier bag comprises a plastic film,

wherein one wall of the bag is longer than the other wall. The shorter wall has one handle hole while the longer wall has two handle holes substantially symmetrically positioned relative to the edge of the shorter wall. The longer'wall is reinforced at least in the region which projects above the shorter wall. The

shorter wall is reinforced at least in the region of the handle hole. Each said reinforcementis formed by at least one further plastic ply which extends over the entire width of the edge.

2 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEDsEP 51912 SHEEI 1 OF 2 "Hg- Z9 HANDLE HOLE CARRIER BAGS This invention relates to handle hole carrier bags.

Handle hole carrier bags which comprise plastic film and which are intended in particular for the packaging of textile goods are already known, in which wide reinforcing strips which are made of a stiff material, preferably cardboard, but also plastics material or the like, are disposed on both edges of the mouth of the bag and, like the walls of the bag themselves, are provided with handle holes on both sides of a fold line parallel to the edge of the mouth of the bag, so that the upper edge of the bag can be folded over and then forms a carrier bar. The carrier bar on the one hand provides desirable reinforcement of the region of the handle hole and thus prevents the film material tearing, and on the other hand prevents the upper corners of the carrier bag hanging slackly down, as would otherwise be inevitable owing to the plastics film being of much greater flexibility than paper. 1

The invention is based on the problem of providing a carrier bag which can be made in large numbers by a fully mechanical process, which exclusively comprises plastics material and which reliably protects the bag contents from rain, snow, dust and the like, and which retains its rectangular form as well as possible when it is carried, even when full.

According to the present invention there is provided a handle hole carrier bag which comprises plastics film, wherein one wall of the bag is longer than the other wall and the shorter wall has one handle hole while the longer wall has two handle holes substantially symmetrically positioned relative to the edge of the shorter wall, the longer wall is reinforced at least in the region which projects above the shorter wall, and the shorter wall is reinforced at least in the region of the handle hole, each said reinforcement being formed by at least one further plastics ply which extends over the entire width of the edge.

The projecting portion of the longer wall of the bag obliges the packer or the user of the bag to fold this projecting portion over the region of the handle hole in the shorter wall so that the bag is necessarily closed and thus the contents of the bag are protected. In addition, when the projecting portion of the longer wall is folded over the region of the edge of the bag has at least five plies, thus ensuring that the rectangular form of the carrier bag is retained, even when the bag is full. As the further plastics plies which serve to reinforce the bag extend over the entire width of the bag, the carrier bags can be manufactured in known manner and fall automatically from a semi-tubular plastics web by forming transverse severing weld seams or double weld seams and transverse severing cuts made between them.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a respective plastics reinforcing strip can be welded or stuck to the projecting region of the longer wall of the bag and to a marginal strip of substantially equal with of the shorter wall of the bag, preferably on the inside, at least along the respective edges. These reinforcing strips, which are not formed from the plastics film used to produce the bag, can be of any desired thickness, it only being necessary to ensure that the transverse severing welds or the transverse severing cuts are not impaired. In addition to the reinforcing strip in the region which is folded over, a reinforcing strip which lies opposite the reinforcing strip of the shorter wall can additionally be fixed to the longer wall, thus further reinforcing the bag. It is also possible for the reinforcing strip on the longer wall to be of such a width that it extends as far as the lower edge of the reinforcing strip of the shorter ply.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, both walls can be of double-ply construction in the edge region by being folded over, the folded-over portions being stuck or welded to the associated wall of the bag in per se known manner at their lower edges and also in the region of their fold edges, and/or being reinforced by at least one inserted reinforcing strip. By means of an additional adhesive or weld seam in the region of the fold edges, which is in itself not necessary to form and secure the folded-over portion, the edge regions are suprisingly additionally strengthened in comparison to a folded-over portion which is only secured at the lower edge, as the very flexible film plies can no longer freely move relative to each other in the region of the fold-over. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the inserted reinforcing strip can be additionally provided besides the joints in'the region of the fold edges, or can extend as far as the fold edges and thus replace the additional joints, if it is of a suitable thickness.

The folded-over portion of the longer wall of the bag can be limited to the projecting region thereof or can be about twiceas long as that region, while the foldedover portion of the shorter wall is of substantially the same width as the projecting portion of the longer wall. When the folded-over portion of the longer wall is about twice as long as the projecting portion, it can with particular advantage also be joined to the longer wall at the level of the edge of the shorter wall by a weld or adhesive seam, thus providing further reinforcement and also predetermining the fold line.

Seven carrier bags in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the first carrier bag,

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the first bag,

FIG; 3 shows the second carrier bag,

FIG. 4 is a vertical section through the second bag,

FIG. 5 shows the third carrier bag,

FIG. 6 is a vertical section through the third bag,

FIG. 7 shows the forth carrier bag,

FIG. 8 is a vertical section through the fourth bag,

FIG. 9 is a vertical section through the fifth bag,

FIG. 10 shows the six carrier bag,

FIG. 11 is a vertical section through the sixth bag,

FIG. 12 shows the seventh carrier bag, and

FIG. 13'is a vertical section through the seventh bag.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first carrier bag comprises a shorter wall 1 and a longer wall 2, both of plastics material, which are joined to form the bag by means of side weld seams 3 and 4. In their edge regions, the shorter wall 1 has a handle opening 5 and the longer wall 2 has a handle opening 6 and a further handle opening which is not visible in the drawing and which aligns with the handle opening 5. The walls 1 and 2 are each provided in their edge region with reinforcing strips 7 and 8 which comprise plastics material, through which the handle openings 5 and 6 extend. The reinforcing strips 7 and 8 are advantageously joined to the associated wall of the bag at the inside by a bonding adhesive or by a thermoplastic material. As they extend of adhesive, it is alsopossible to weld the reinforcing strips 7 and 8 in place.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the second carrier bag differs from the first in that a further reinforcing strip 9 is fixed to the longer wall 2 of the bag, opposite the reinforcing strip 8. The longer wall 2 of the bag is folded over the shorter wall 1 between the reinforcing strips 7 and 9.

In the third carrier bag, shown in FIGS. and 6, the two reinforcing strips 7 and 9 of the second bag shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are joined to form a single wide reinforcing strip 10 which is also folded over when the projecting portion of the longer wall 2 is folded over the handle hole region of the shorter wall 1. When selecting the material for the reinforcing strip 10 therefore, care should be taken that the strip 10 on the one hand provides the desired substantial reinforcement of the edge region of the carrier bag, but on the other hand does not exert any excessive resistance to being folded over the edge of the shorter wall 1.

In the fourth carrier bag, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the walls 1 and 2 each have a folded-over portion 11 and 12 in the marginal region. The folded-over portions 11, and 12 are welded or stuck to the associated walls 1 and 2 of the bag at their lower edges by means of the weld seams 13 and 14. Additional strips 15 and 16 of plastics material are inlaid into the folded-over portions, and extend up to the upper fold edges of the folded-over portions.

- In the fifth carrier bag, which is a modification of the fourth and is shown in FIG. 9, these additional reinforcing strips are omitted and the desired reinforcement is achieved by additional weld or adhesive seams 17 and 18 close to the upper fold edges of the folded-over portions; the effect of these seams l7 and 18 having been described above. These additional seams l7 and 18 can however also be provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

The sixth carrier bag, shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, has on the longer wall 2 a folded-over portion 19 which-is twice as wide as the folded-over portion of the shorter wall. Parallel to the upper edge of the shorter wall 1 extends a weld seam 20 which joins the folded-over portion 19 to the longer wall 2, in the center between the upper fold edge of the folded-over portion 19 and its lower weld seam 14. Strip-shaped inserts 21 and 22 which can comprise a plastics material which is the same as or stronger than the film forming the bag, can be disposed respectively in the upper and lower spaces formed by the bag wall 2 and the folded-over portion 19. The weld seam 20 predetermines the fold line at which the projecting portion of the fold-over region of the longer wall 2 is to be folded over.

The seventh carrier bag, shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, corresponds to the sixth except that it has no weld seam 20, and a reinforcing insert 23 which extends substantially over the entire height of the folded-over portion 9 is provided in the space formed by the folded-over portion 19 and the longer wall 2.

We claim:

1. A handle hole carrier bag of plastic film wherein both walls of the bag are made in a double-ply construction in the edge region comprising the handle holes by a folded-over portion, the folded-over portions being secured to the associated wall of the bag at their lower edges and also adjacent to their fold edges.

2. A carrier bag according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said folded-over portions is reinforced by an inserted reinforcing strip.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE: OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 688 974 Dated September 5, 1972 Inventor(s) MAX GENNERICHJ SIEGFRIED WAGNER and AUGUST 'SC'HWARZKOPF It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the title page, insert [73] Assignee: Windmoller & Holscher: Westphalia, Germany "1 Signed ahd sea led this 15th day of May 1973.

(SEAL) Atte'st:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Y

0 ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissiener ofPatents FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 U.S. GQVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I959 0-355-334

Claims (2)

1. A handle hole carrier bag of plastic film wherein both walls of the bag are made in a double-ply construction in the edge region comprising the handle holes by a folded-over portion, the folded-over portions being secured to the associated wall of the bag at their lower edges and also adjacent to their fold edges.

2. A carrier bag according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said folded-over portions is reinforced by an inserted reinforcing strip.

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