US3796402A

US3796402A - Support assembly for collapsible bags

Info

Publication number: US3796402A
Application number: US00245478A
Authority: US
Inventors: E Trotta
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-04-19
Filing date: 1972-04-19
Publication date: 1974-03-12
Anticipated expiration: 1991-03-12

Abstract

A support assembly is disclosed for holding collapsible bags in either horizontal or vertical attitudes in which a clamping assembly in the form of a ring and a complementary clamping means has attached thereto a foot stake coplanar with the ring and adapted to be pressed into the ground to hold a bag open on a horizontal axis and in which the foot stake can be inserted into a support to hold the bag open on a vertical axis.

Description

United States Patent 1 Trotta [451 Mar. 12, 1974 1 SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR COLLAPSIBLE BAGS [76] Inventor: Edward Trotta, 130 Hobson Ave.,

St. James, NY, 11780 [22] Filed: Apr. 19, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 245,478

[52] US. Cl 248/97, 248/101, 248/156 [51]- Int. Cl B65!) 67/12 [58] Field of Search 248/97, 99, 100, 101, 95, 248/156; l5/257.l, 257.8

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1935 McConnell 248/99 10/1972 Schultz 2/1972 Ross 248/97 758,015 4/1904 Miller 248/156 1,322,445 l1/l9l9 Hyer 248/97 1,542,164 6/1925 Nelson 248/97 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 400,007 4/1966 Switzerland i. 248/97 Primary ExaminerEdward C. Allen [57] ABSTRACT 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures I SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR COLLAPSIBLE BAGS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Refuse bags, particularly formed of sheet plastic,

have become widely accepted as an inexpensive and efficient means for collecting refuse including ground rakings as well as general house trash. Numerous devices are available for holding the bags open on a vertical axis for loading, but they tend either to be costly or lack versatility as, for example, the ability to hold a bag open on a horizontal axis on the ground for filling using a garden rake.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a universal bag-holding assembly which is simple in its design and operation, and which can be utilized to hold a bag in either horizontal or vertical axes and which can be easily stored and shipped in a flat container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, there is provided a support assembly for bags, particularly extruded sheet plastic bags, in which there is formed in a common plane and preferably from a single piece of tubular material, a primary support ring and a foot stake extending from the side and adapted to be pressed into the ground to hold the ring in a vertical plane or, alternatively, to be slipped into an anchoring sleeve on a vertical support member to hold the bag open on a vertical axis. A bag can be secured to the primary ring by folding its margin over the ring and clamping, either by means of a single clamping ring complementary to the primary ring, or by a plurality of individual clamps. The primary support ring is preferably formed in an out-ofround configuration including a straight portion ex tending in either direction from the foot stake so that when mounted on the ground on a horizontal axis with thestake pressed into the ground, an extended opening results flush with the ground. A second supporting member, including a vertical stem adapted to be pressed into the ground or otherwise supported, carries a horizontal mounting sleeve at its upper end to receive the foot stake to hold the bag open on a vertical axis, with the sleeve also forming a transverse handle for pressing the stem into the ground. The primary support ring can be locked against tilting at the horizontal plane I by means of an interlock between the mounting sleeve and a portion of the support ring offset from the mounting stake.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS larged scale taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3 looking upwardly in the direction of the arrows, and showing the detachable coupling with the vertical member;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the support assembly is illustrated holding a collapsible bag, such as an extruded thin-wall plastic bag 10, on a horizontal axis for filling from the side by means, for example, of a garden rake. The support assembly includes a primary support ring 11 which can be formed of a single piece of heavy metal wire and includes a mounting stake portion Ila pressed into the ground, a first straight limb 11b, an arcuate portion 11c, and a second straight limb 11d coextensive with the corresponding limb 11b, all formed in a common plane. The stake is adapted to be pressed into the ground using the foot and, when pressed into the ground, the two straight limbs extending from either side of the stake rest on the ground to present a wide mouth into which material can be easily raked or pushed. v

Thebag 10 is folded over the primary support ring 11 and clamped in place by clamping means 12 which can take the form of a plurality of individual clamps as shown in the drawing, or if preferred by a single clamp having a shape corresponding to that of the primary ring and having a U-shaped cross-section to clamp over the primary ring. The individual clamps can take the form of resilient members formed of rubber or plastic mountedon the primary support ring and including, as best seen in FIG. 1A, a mounting sleeve 12a adapted to be snapped over or slipped into the circular wire of the primary support ring 11 and a U-shaped body portion 12b, the outer limb of which presses against the sleeve 12a. The clamp can be held against turning as by adhesive means or detents (not shown). Also, friction surfaces, such as serrations 12d, can be formed at.

the contacting faces of the clamp. In operation, the edge of the plastic bag is drawn into the U-shaped body to be held by the friction surfaces.

The support assemblycan be mounted for filling in a vertical axis, as seen in FIG. 3, by means of a vertical support '13 which can also be a ground stake of extended length and having a transverse handle 14 attached to its upper end. The handle 14 is a tubular sleeve member, the inside diameter of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the mounting stake 11a, which is adapted to be inserted therein. In order to prevent tilting motion out of the horizontal plane of the primary support ring when it is inserted in the sleeve 14, an offset 15 is formed in the mounting stake near its inner end which is adapted to be received in a shallow groove or slot 14a formed in the sleeve 14, as best seen in FIG. 4. I

Alternatively, as seen in FIG. 4A, the sleeve 14 can be formed with a horizontally disposed slot 14b adapted to receive the inner end of the limb 11b of the primary support ring as shown in FIG. 4A, thus eliminating the need for the offset 15. Because the horizontal slot extends through both walls of the sleeve, it is effective as a lock against tilting movement whichever way the primary ring is mounted in the sleeve.

Referring to FIG. 5, a modification of the invention is illustrated in which the primary support ring 11 can be identical to that disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the addition, however, of a short tubular sleeve 16 affixed to the ring at its junction with the mounting or foot stake 11a. The connection is preferably made, as best seen in enlarged scale in FIG. 5A, by seating the ring 11in a recess 16a in the end of the tubular member 16 and welding it in place. The vertical support for holding the primary support ring on a horizontal axis (for vertical filling) is a straight rod 17 which can be readily pressed into the ground by fitting the sleeve 16 over it and pressing downward. The ring member 11 crossing the upper end of the sleeve 16 defines a stop for the rod 17. In the event it is desired to support the assembly without pressing the rod 17 into the ground, a bottom support, indicated generally by the numeral 18 in FIG. 5, can be used. The bottom support 18 can take the form of a ring unit identical to the primary support ring but inverted to present its sleeve member 16 facing upwardly to receive the rod 17. The three-piece assembly can be readily dismantled for flat storage and, as in the case of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, the primary support rings can be used individually as bag holders for horizontal filling. 7

While the invention has been described having reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it can take various other forms and arrangements within the scope of the invention. It should not, therefore, be regarded as limited except as defined in the following claims:

I claim:

1. A bag-mounting attachment comprising a primary support ring including a first portion defining a desired bag opening, a second portion defining a mounting stake extending radially away from the first portion in a common plane therewith, said first portion having a straight portion adapted to overlie the ground in close proximity thereto when the stake is pressed into the ground, said mounting stake being disposed substantially centrally with respect to said straight portion, and an arcuate portion joining the outer ends of the straight portion, and clamping means on the first portion to secure the edge of a bag thereto, whereby with the stake pressed into the ground material can be loaded horizontally into a bag held by said clamping means, the straight portion, the arcuate portion and the mounting stake being formed as a single integrated unit from one continuous length of rigid wire-like material.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a vertical mounting member for holding the support ring in a horizontal plane for holding a bag on a vertical axis, and a transverse tubular member at the upper end of the vertical member into which said mounting stake can be inserted.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, a vertical mounting member having a lower end adapted to be pressed into the ground, said transverse sleeve defining a handle.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including means to lock the primary mounting ring against tilting out of the horizontal plane including a slot in said transverse tubular member to receive a portion of the primary mounting ring which is offset from the mounting stake.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a mounting sleeve secured to the primary ring at the junction between the mounting stake and the ring and disposed with its axis perpendicular to the plane of the support ring, and means to close the upper end of the sleeve, whereby the support ring can be mounted on a horizontal plane for vertical filling by fitting the sleeve over a vertical support, and whereby the sleeve and ring can be used as a handle to press a vertical member into the ground.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, said means to close the upper end of the sleeve comprising a recess formed in the upper end of the sleeve and means to secure a portion of the primary support ring in the recess to extend across the upper end of the sleeve.