US3927445A

US3927445A - Refuse bag retainer

Info

Publication number: US3927445A
Application number: US444499A
Authority: US
Inventors: Allen T Pavlish
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-02-21
Filing date: 1974-02-21
Publication date: 1975-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-23

Abstract

There is disclosed herein a retainer for holding the outwardly turned upper edge portion of a flexible sheet liner or bag against the outer surface of a rigid refuse container to prevent the bag from being swept into the container by incoming refuse. A flexible band is provided with a handle on its circumference to facilitate manipulation of the retainer. According to other embodiments, adjustable fastener means are provided for adjusting the circumferential size of the retainer to accommodate retainers of different sizes.

Description

United States Patent 1 Pavlish Dec. 23, 1975 REFUSE BAG RETAINER [76] Inventor: Allen T. Pavlish, 6574 Annandale Road, Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124 [22] Filed: Feb. 21, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 444,499

[52] US. .Cl .1 24/243-K; 24/30.5 L; 248/95 [51] Int. Cl. B65B 67/12 [58] Field of Search 248/95, 97, 101; 24/49 S, 24/161 PB, 17 A, 17 B, 30.5. L, 115 H, 129

W, 136 B, 176, 186, 243 K, 256

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 301,294 7/1884 Ryle et a1 24/129 W 1,797,539 3/1931 Arthur 24/17 B 2,140,199 12/1938 Constantine 248/101 2,572,889 10/1951 Strykower 24/1 15 H 2,598,334 5/1952 Ahlburg 24/115 H 3,614,041 10/1971 Koger 1 248/97 3,701,339 10/1972 Kemmerling 24/115 l-l Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Hafer 1 ABSTRACT There is disclosed herein a retainer for holding the outwardly turned upper edge portion of a flexible sheet liner or bag against the outer surface of a rigid refuse container to prevent the bag from being swept into the container by incoming refuse. A flexible band is provided with a handle on its circumference to facilitate manipulation of the retainer. According to other embodiments, adjustable fastener means are provided for adjusting the circumferential size of the retainer to accommodate retainers of different sizes.

8 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,927,445

US. Patent Dec.23, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,927,445

FIG. 8.

FIG.II.

FIG.IO.

FIG. l3.

FIG. I2.

FIG. I4.

. v ,1. I a 1-1 I SE BAG R TAINER invention relatesto a retainer for use with a flexible sheet or fabric bag type liner for a refuse container to maintain the open end of the bag draped over the edge of the container while refuse is being dumped into the container.

It is common modern practice to dispose of various types of refuse by placing the same in lightweight disposable bags which are commonly made of thin sheet plastic material, and then tying off the upper end of the bag with a wire twist fastener or a plastic lock fastener. Since the bags have no inherent strength for standing alone, there is a tendency forthe bag to collapse and fall inwardly of the container when refuse is dumped into the container. The incoming grass, leaves or other refuse tend to drag the sides of thebag downwardly until the open upper end of the'bag collapses and closes whereby the refuse tends to be deposited outside the bag or between the bag and the rigid container. Even if the open edge of the bag is held by one hand, the bag still tends to collapse. Frequently, both hands are necessary for dumping the refuse into the container whereby repeated rearrangement of the bag is necessary while it is being-filled.

The present invention comprises an elastic retaining loop provided with a convenient handle at one point in the periphery thereof, the loop being adapted to resiliently engage the upper edge portion of the refuse bag which is folded outwardly and downwardly over the upper edge of the refuse container. The retaining loop effectively holds the upper edge portion of the bag against the outer surface of the container thereby preventing the bag from collapsing inwardly when refuse is thrown into the container. The elastic characteristic of the retaining loop makes it immediately adaptable to any external shape of refuse container, and the provision of a handle enables the same to be quickly mounted to the container or stripped therefrom. Persons engaged in, for example, yard work or gardening will frequently be wearing gloves, and the presence of a handle makes manipulation and removal of the retainer quite easy even with gloved hands.

"Ihepresent invention additionally contemplates the use of fastening means for use in adjusting the size of the retainer loop to fit different size containers.

In view of the foregoing, the general object of this inventionv is to provide simple and convenient means for'retaining a flexible bag 'or liner on the open end of a substantially rigid refuse container.

.More specifically,,it is an object of this invention to provide such a retainerwhich'is readily adaptable to fit refuse containers of various shapes.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a retainer which'will hold the upper, backwardly turned edge portion of a bag against the outer surface of a rigid container and can be easily and readily removed therefrom by a person wearing gloves.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a retainer of the type set forth above which is adaptable 7 unique adjustable fastener means for adjusting the elasfor use with containers of at least two substantially justable between the largestand the smallest refuse containers in ordinary use.

tic retaining loop toany desired size and degree of tension.

Other objects of the invention and the invention itself will be readily understood from the following description thereof and the accompanying drawings, in which said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the refuse bag retainer of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a refuse container or trash can showing-the manner in which the retainer holds the refuse bag in place;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the refuse bag retainer;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of still another embodiment showing a modified handle means therefor;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing a form of the retainer having an adjustable fastener for varying the size thereof;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, side elevation of the retainer shown in the embodiment of FIG: 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the fastener as shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a section taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7 further illustrating the manner in which the adjustable fastener retains the loop of the bag retainer in any adjusted position;

FIG. 9 is a section similar to FIG. 8 showing the manner in which the elastic of the retainer is manipulated during adjustment thereof;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of a modified form of the retainer of FIGS. 6-9;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the modified fastener of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view similar to FIGS. 1 and 5 showing another modification of the refuse bag retainer having a different form of adjustment means;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged detail of the fastener means and handle of the embodiment of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view similar to FIGS. 1, 5, and 12 showing still another modification of adjustable refuse bag retainers.

Referring now to the drawings in all of which like parts are designated by like reference numerals, FIG. 1 shows a refuse bag retainer 10 comprising a resilient loop 11 having a handle 12 connected at one point in the circumference thereof by a short strap or bridge portion 13. As herein illustrated, the loop 11 and strap portion 13 are manufactured from elongated, flat resilient material 15 in strip form, such as rubber or elastic webbing. Both the loop 11 and strap portion 13 may comprise portions of a single piece of the elastic material 15 a portion of which engages the handle 12 and end portions of which overlap in the area of said strap portion. The overlapping end portions and strap portion are secured together in any suitable manner such as rivets 14. "Ihe handle 12 as herein illustrated comprises a simple ring preferably made of a solid material such as a rigid plastic, metal or suitable substitute. It will be understood that the elongated elastic material 15 may be of any suitable cross sectional shape and that the means for fastening the ends of said material may comprise any suitable means such as riveting, sewing, clamping, or the like. It will be furtherunderstood that the handle 12 may be of any suitable shape for easy grasping in the manipulation of the retainer 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a conventional trash can 18 of suitable rigid construction is provided with a lightweight refuse bag liner 19 which is disposed within the trash can with the upper edge portion 19a projecting above the top of the can and folded backwardly and downwardly over the upper edge thereof. The retainer. is attached to the can 18 with the resilient loop portion 11 disposed around the upper edge portion 19a of the bag thereby holding said upper edge portion snugly against the can and preventing said upper edge portion from being pulled or dragged into the can by refuse which is dumped therein. It will be noted that the short strap portion 13 causes the handle 12 to project or dangle a short distance from the can and gives the user a grasping point of the retainer which is easy to find and engage even by a heavily gloved hand. Thus, especially when removing the retainer 10, the user does not have. to try to engage the elastic material 15 with his fingernails or fingertips to remove the same from the upper end of the trash can. Also, if the user pulls upwardly on the handle 12 to strip the retainer 10 from the can, the upper edge portion 19a of the refuse bag 19 will automatically be pulled off the upper end of the can whereby the same will be ready to be tied off.

Itwill be understood that the method and means of making the above referred to and described retainer may be varied, the specific embodiment described comprising a simple and effective means for providing an elastic loop for encircling the can and a suitable handle or gripping means for grasping and manipulating the retainer even while wearing gloves.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, it is anticipated that the entire retainer can be integrally formed or molded from a resilient material such as a resilient plastic. In FIG. 3, a retainer 10a comprises a resilient loop 11a and a handle 12a integrally connected by a strap or bridge portion 13a. The handle 12a is preferably thickened respect to the loop 11a to reduce the resilience thereof and more closely resemble the preferably rigid handle 12. j

The remaining embodiments of the invention are all adapted to be utilized in the same manner as that described connection with the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. In the'embodiment of FIG. 4, the handle 12 comprising a ring or annulus merely has a portion of a resilient or elastic loop 21 projected therethrough. Thus, the handle 12 may be readily slipped or moved to any point on the periphery of the retainer and at the same time provides a suitable grasping means for manipulating and removing said retainer.

FIG. 5 shows a retainer 10 of the first embodiment further modified by addition of an adjustable fastener 24 adapted to adjustably reduce the size of the loop 11 whereby said retainer is adaptable for use with refuse receptacles of different sizes. The adjustable fastener 24 comprises a tubular sleeve 25 which is open at both ends and made of a substantially rigid material such as metal or a rigid plastic. The inner diameter of the sleeve 25 ispreferably slightly smaller than the width of the elastic material 15. As herein illustrated, the sleeve 25 is circular in transverse section but does not necessarily have to be limited to that configuration. One end of the sleeve 25 is provided with generally axially directed, integral prongs 26 which, as herein illustrated, are fivein number. The prongs 26 are tapered in the axial direction away from the sleeve 25 whereby to provide a plurality of substantially sharp points 27. The

prongs 26 are preferably slightly convergently angled toward the axis of the sleeve 25 whereby said points 27 project slightly inwardly over the inner diameter of the sleeve 25. The result is that the aggregate of points 27 forms an opening slightly smaller than the opening afforded by the sleeve 25. This is easily seen in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

FIG. 8 of the drawings shows the mode of retaining an adjusted size in the loop 11 by the adjustable fastener 24. The loop 11 is collapsed whereby portions of the elongated elastic material 15 on either side of the loop are brought together flatwise after which the flattened loop is threaded through the sleeve 25 from the bottom end thereof as shown in FIG. 5 and outwardly through the prongs 26. This can be done by, for example, initially folding or rolling the material 15 about its longitudinal axis whereby to force a portion of the material through the prongs 26. Once enough material projects beyond said prongs to be grasped by the hand, the fastener 24 can be quickly and readily slipped toward thehandle 12 with very little resistance because the relative movement is away from the points 27 of the prongs 26. At any desired adjusted position, the fastener 24 may be stopped thus determining the size of the loop 11 which is immediately ready for use. When the loop 1 l is stretched to engage a trash can 18 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2, portions of the elongated elastic material 15 are pulled in opposite directions as shown in FIG. 8 whereby they are engaged by the points 27 of the prongs 26. The tighter the loop 11 is stretched, the deeper the points 27 of the prongs 26 engage the elastic material 15 thereby preventing any further enlargement of said loop other than that afforded by stretching said material. The engagement of the prongs 26 with the elastic material 15 is fully automatic at any adjusted position of the fastener 24 without further manipulation of either the fastener or the elastic material.

FIG. 9 shows the manner in which the adjustable fastener 24 may be adjusted in the direction of the prongs 26. Obviously, if one attempts to move the fastener outwardly away from the handle as illustrated in FIG. 5, there will be a tendency for the points 27 to catch on and impale the elastic material 15. However, by longitudinally stretching the elastic material 15, said material is cross-sectionally reduced in size as shown in FIG. 9 whereby the fastener 24 can be moved along the elastic material without the prongs 26 engaging said material. Once the preferred adjusted position is reached, release of the material returns the same to its normal cross-sectional size. To facilitate manipulation of therfastener 24, the outer surface thereof may be knurled as indicated at 28 or otherwise provided with a gripping surface.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a modified form of the adjustable fastener 24, the modified fastener being designated by the numeral 34. Said fastener 34 comprises a sleeve 35 which may be made of metal and a coaxial disc-36 secured across the end of said sleeve in any suitable manner such as by brazing, welding, or the like. The disc 36 may be made of thin sheet metal and is provided with upwardly struck prongs 37 which are integrally formed from the metal of the disc 36 and converge slightly in the axial direction in the same manner as the prongs 26 of the foregoing embodiment. The adjustable fastener 34 works in exactly the same manner as described hereinabove with respect to the fastener 24 and bears the additional advantage that the disc 36 can be dimensioned to project beyond the outer diameter of the sleeve 35 in the manner illustrated to provide a slight shoulder 36a for grasping and pushing the fastener during adjustment thereof. It will be understood that the fastener 34 may also be made of plastic with the parts thereof adhesively bonded or integrally formed, and the outer surface thereof may be knurled as shown at 38.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate another modification of the invention comprising a retainer generally indicated at 40. The retainer 40 comprises a complete elastic loop 41 preferably of a size adapted for use with the largest trash can on which it is anticipated that the retainer would be used. The handle 12 (FIG. 13) is separately attached by a strap 43 which may be made of any suitable, preferably flat, strap material. The end of the strap opposite the handle 12 is attached to an adjustable fastener 44 by projecting through a slot 45 in said last mentioned fastener. The fastener 44 is formed of a substantially heavy, rigid sheet material such as steel or hard plastic and is provided with a slot 46 which opens at the bottom edge thereof. The slot 46 is necked down inwardly of the bottom edge whereby it can be forcefully slipped over a double thickness of the elastic material 15. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the loop 41 can be adjusted to any size by bringing opposite portions of the elastic material together flatwise and sliding the material tightly into the restricting slot 46. Thus a retainer of adjusted size is provided with a suitable handle 12 for manipulation and removal.

The final embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 14 and is designated by the numeral 50. The retainer 50 comprises a loop 51 formed from the elongated elastic material 15. Said loop has a handle 12 secured at one point in its circumference to a strap portion 13 made by looping the elastic material through said handle and securing the ends thereof by any suitable means such as rivets 14. Adjustment of the size of the loop 51 is effected by means of at least one pair of complementary fastener means 52a providing a snap fastener 52 of well-known construction. This embodiment of the invention is preset for adjustment to substantially different size trash cans of known dimensions, and its versatility may be increased by adding increased numbers of snap fasteners 52.

In all of the embodiments of the invention, there is capacity for a certain amount of adjustment to different size trash cans and refuse bags due to the inherent elasticity of the material from which the loop portion is made. All of the embodiments are provided with a suitable handle, which as stated need not be limited to the simple ring shown, whereby' the retainer can be readily and easily manipulated and removed from the refuse container even when the user is wearing gloves. An additional convenience can be afforded with each of the embodiments when using ahandle of the form illustrated since said handle provides a convenient means for temporarily attaching plastic or wire fasteners F as illustrated in FIG. 4. The various types of further adjustment means for the loops of the retainers add immeasurably to the utility and flexibility of the invention.

It will be understood that many changes in the details of the invention as herein described and illustrated may be made without, however, departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable loop retainer comprising an elongated flexible member forrned into a loop, a handle of substantial size for easy grasping connected to said loop, and an adjustable sleeve member having a through opening and material engaging means disposed around one axially directed end thereof and projecting generally in the .axial direction, wherein the improvement comprises, said loop being disposed through said sleeve from the end thereof opposite said material engaging means whereby said material engaging means are directed toward the portion of the loop to be ad- 15 justed; said material engagingmeans being comprised of pointed projections extending from an end of said sleeve and angled slightly toward the axis of said sleeve member; and said flexible member comprising thin flat elastic material in strip form having a width greater than the through opening in said sleeve whereby at any adjusted position of said sleeve member, spreading said loop to engage an object causes said material engaging means to engage said elastic material at opposite sides of said one end of said sleeve and retain said loop at its adjusted size.

2. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retainer is made of integrally molded elastic material; said retainer including means whereby said handle engages said loop comprising an integral bridge portion of said elastic material.

3. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 2 wherein said handle comprises an integrally molded ring projecting from the outer periphery of said loop; the material defining said ring having a cross-sectional area of substantial thickness relative to the cross-sectional area of the elastic material forming said loop whereby to afford increased stiffness in said ring.

4. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sleeve member is circular in cross section.

5. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said material engaging means comprises a plurality of prongs spaced around said one axially directed end of said sleeve member.

6. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said material engaging means comprises a plurality of generally axially directed prongs spaced around said one axially directed end of said sleeve member; said prongs having pointed tips defining an opening at said one axially directed end of said sleeve member which is slightly smaller than the diameter of said through opening.

7. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said material engaging means comprises a flat piece of sheet material secured across said one axially directed end of said sleeve member; said piece of sheet material having generally axially outwardly struck prongs spaced around said one end and directed axially away from said sleeve member; said prongs having pointed tips defining an opening at said one axially directed end of said sleeve member.

8. An adjustable loop retainer as set forth in claim 7 wherein said piece of sheet material is larger than the transverse dimension of said sleeve and provides shoulder means for grasping and pushing said sleeve member during adjustment thereof.

Claims

1. An adjustable loop retainer comprising an elongated flexible member formed into a loop, a handle of substantial size for easy grasping connected to said loop, and an adjustable sleeve member having a through opening and material engaging means disposed around one axially directed end thereof and projecting generally in the axial direction, wherein the improvement comprises, said loop being disposed through said sleeve from the end thereof opposite said material engaging means whereby said material engaging means are directed toward the portion of the loop to be adjusted; said material engaging means being comprised of pointed projections extending from an end of said sleeve and angled slightly toward the axis of said sleeve member; and said flexible member comprising thin flat elastic material in strip form having a width greater than the through opening in said sleeve whereby at any adjusted position of said sleeve member, spreading said loop to engage an object causes said material engaging means to engage said elastic material at opposite sides of said one end of said sleeve and retain said loop at its adjusted size.