WO1988006128A1

WO1988006128A1 - A carrying handle for portable objects

Info

Publication number: WO1988006128A1
Application number: PCT/FI1988/000021
Authority: WO
Inventors: Matti Makkonen
Original assignee: Ristomatti Ratia Oy
Priority date: 1987-02-13
Filing date: 1988-02-11
Publication date: 1988-08-25
Also published as: FI870618A; AU1342788A; FI870618A0

Abstract

A carrying handle for portable objects, such as plastic bags, comprising an elongated frame (2) forming a handle and comprising a longitudinal trough (3) having a U-shaped cross-section for the carrying part of the portable object. For detachably fastening the carrying handle to the carrying part of a plastic bag and for preventing the mouth of the bag from opening, the frame is provided with at least one gripping means (5) for retaining the carrying part detachably on the bottom of the trough.

Description

A carrying handle for portable objects

This invention relates to a carrying handle for portable objects, particularly for plastic bags and the like, the carrying handle comprising an elongated frame forming a handle and comprising a trough for receiving a carrying part of the portable object.

For facilitating the carrying of various ob¬ jects a carrying handle resembling a split piece of pipe has been developed previously. This kind of carrying handle is positioned under a carrying part formed in the object to be carried or a handle at¬ tached to the object primarily for forming an enlarged handle for the hand. A disadvantage of a known carrying handle of this type, however, is that the handle drops off when the grip on the handle is loosened, wherefore the handle is easily lost. A major disadvantage is also that when the bag is not being carried the mouth of the bag cannot be kept closed by means of the carrying handle.

The object of the present invention is to pro¬ vide a carrying handle which avoids the above disad¬ vantages and which can be attached detachably to the object to be carried. This object is achieved by means of a carrying handle according to the invention, which is characterized in that the frame forms a longitudi¬ nal trough having a U-shaped cross-section and being provided with at least one gripping means for retain- ing the carrying part of the portable object detachab¬ ly on the bottom of the trough.

By means of the gripping means the carrying handle can be attached to the carrying part of the portable object with a simple movement of the hand merely by passing the carrying part of the object into the trough of the handle and by drawing the handle upwards. This makes the carrying essentially easier as the carrying handle stays in place even though the grip on the handle would be loosened. The carrying handle keeps the mouth of the plastic bag closed, so that the contents stay in the bag even though the bag would fall over. Nevertheless _r the carrying handle is easy to detach from the object to be carried so that it can be used again and again. The outer surfaces of the walls of the U-shaped trough are very suitable for advertisements, announcements, instructions, and the like.

The invention will be described more closely in the following with reference to the attached drawing, wherein

Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, an end view and a top view, respectively, of one preferred embodiment of a carrying handle according to the in¬ vention, and Figures 4 to 6 illustrate some uses of the carrying handle.

The carrying handle 1 shown in the drawings comprises a plastic frame 2 which is U-shaped in cross-section so that is forms a trough 3 extending from one end of the frame to the other and two essen¬ tially parallel plate-like walls 4. Both ends 3a of the trough .incline obliquely downwards-outwards, as appears from Figure 1.

Both ends of the frame are provided with a gripping means 5 which comprises two retaining plates 6 projecting from the walls of the frame towards each other and defining therebetween an insertion slit 7 which opens in the trough of the frame. The retaining plates are bevelled at the top thereof for facili- tating the insertion of the carrying part. One end of the trough of the carrying handle is ή provided with a hole 8 for e.g. a snap locking means for attachment to a belt, for keys or the like. The outer surfaces of the walls 4 of the handle are suit- 5 able for an advertisement or the like.

It is noted that when the carrying handle is positioned under a carrying part 9a of a plastic bag 9 and the handle is lifted, the carrying part slides automatically through the slits in the gripping means 10 to the bottom of the trough so that the carrying part of the bag is locked under the gripping means, thus preventing the unintentional detachment of the handle from the bag and the opening of the mouth of the bag. Figure 4 shows this kind of use of the carrying 15 handle. However, the carrying handle is easily detach¬ able from the bag by passing the carrying part of the bag through the slits out of the trough. The rounded bottom of the trough of the carrying handle forms a comfortable handle for the hand. 20 Figure 5 shows the carrying handle when at¬ tached to the handle of a paint pot 9', and Figure 6 shows the handle when attached to a carrying opening of a carton 9" . The resilient walls of the frame en¬ able the insertion slits of the handle to enlarge so 25 that the handle engages resiliently with the edge of the carrying opening.

The drawing and the description related thereto are only intended to illustrate the idea of the inven¬ tion. In its details the carrying handle according to 30 the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

Claims :

1. A carrying handle for portable objects, par¬ ticularly for plastic bags and the like, the carrying handle (1) comprising an elongated frame (2) forming a handle and comprising a trough (3) for receiving a carrying part of a portable object (9), c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the frame (2) forms a longi¬ tudinal trough (3) having a U-shaped cross-section and being provided with at least one gripping means (5) for retaining the carrying part (9a) of the portable object detachably on the bottom of the trough.

2. A carrying handle according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the gripping means (5) is provided at both ends of the trough (3) .

3. A carrying handle according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the gripping means (5) is formed by two retaining plates projecting from both walls of the trough (3) towards each other and defining therebetween an insertion slit (7).

4. A carrying handle according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the walls (4) of the trough (3) are essentially parallel and resilient with respect to each other so that the insertion slit (7) is resiliently enlargeable.

5. A carrying handle according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the bottom of the trough (3) inclines downwards- outwards at both ends in the carrying position of the handle.