WO2000000054A1

WO2000000054A1 - Bag extending device

Info

Publication number: WO2000000054A1
Application number: PCT/FR1999/001471
Authority: WO
Inventors: Denis Morlon
Original assignee: Delsey
Priority date: 1998-06-26
Filing date: 1999-06-18
Publication date: 2000-01-06
Also published as: AU4269499A; FR2780252B1; FR2780252A1

Abstract

The invention concerns an extension device (1) capable of being arranged inside a bag, comprising at least three articulated flaps (9, 10, 11), and at least an elastic element (27) for unfolding the bag from a folded or flattened position to an extended position. The flaps comprise free ends (35, 36) urged substantially edge-to-edge by the action of the elastic elements (27), thereby forming a substantially tubular structure stressed by the elastic elements (27) remaining taut in extended position.

Description

EXTENSION DEVICE FOR BAG

The invention relates to an extension device able to be placed inside a flexible bag.

The technical field of the invention is the field of manufacturing bags for personal use.

The invention is applicable to an extension device able to be introduced into a flexible bag such as a backpack, a travel bag, a sports bag and similar bags, in particular those whose walls are essentially made up synthetic materials, for example fabric. The documents EP 404 448, US 4,993,846, US 4,969,751 and US 4,946,292 describe various flexible bag extension devices.

As explained in these documents, it is important to have an expander for flexible bags which are manufactured in different countries, in order to allow the transport of these bags containing the expander, in the flattened state to occupy a minimum volume, until delivery of the bag to a retailer, where the flexible bag can be deployed automatically by the action of the expander it contains, so that the bag is exposed for sale in its deployed state, and this in order to minimize transport costs, to avoid the costs caused by manual jamming using materials such as paper, and to offer for sale bags in the deployed state in order to promote the presentation and sale of these bags.

A first device illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 of patent EP 404 448 comprises a flat element of cardboard, corrugated cardboard or other suitable material, which is folded in two sections, a resilient element such as a rubber elastic, which is attached directly to the two sections of the flat element, adjacent to the opposite free ends, being inserted into slots, and one or two rigid flat cardboard inserts.

When this expander is flattened under the action of an external force to be inserted in a transport bag, the resilient element is stretched and the flat element is flat; when the external force is no longer applicable, ^the resilient element causes rotation of the articulated sections along the fold line and causes approximation of the free ends of the sections, which results in the spacing and inserts bag walls against which these inserts bear, resulting in swelling of the bag; in the deployed position, the two sections form an angle, that is to say form a ridge or roof.

According to an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 12 of patent EP 404 448, one of the two inserts extends the flat element by forming a single piece provided with two folds and comprises a slot cooperating with a tab to form a stop when the expander is in the deployed position.

Another device illustrated in FIGS. 21 to 24 of patent EP 404 448 consists of three separate panels: a central panel provided with tabs each engaging in a slot respectively provided in the two outer panels; a resilient element fixed to the central panel and to an exterior panel acts on the central panel so that it separates the two exterior panels.

Other devices illustrated in FIGS. 29 to 44 of patent EP 404 448 comprise an extensible part corresponding substantially to two extensible parts as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 20 of the same patent.

This patent also describes other extensor devices comprising a cord instead of an elastic.

These various known expanders have drawbacks which hinder their industrial development. A major drawback lies in the low mechanical resistance of the expander structures in the deployed state; this drawback is particularly marked concerning the expanders which have separate inserts to transmit to the walls of the bag the forces exerted by the elastic deploying the central structure: poor initial positioning of the rigid inserts relative to the central structure equipped with the elastic can result in incomplete or faulty deployment.

In the event that an inappropriate sliding of the insert relative to the central structure occurs, 1 ^" insert may play its role of incomplete support distributor against the internal face of the walls of the bag.

In the case where a correct deployment is obtained, an external force applied to the walls of the deployed bag, for example by a seller or a customer examining the bag, can also result in a slip of the insert and in a deformation of the stent and the bag, detrimental to its external appearance.

This drawback also exists in the devices illustrated in FIGS. 21 to 44 of patent EP 404 448, in which a certain possibility of connection between the inserts and the central articulated structure is effected by the presence of tabs penetrating into slots provided in the inserts.

Another significant drawback is linked to the presence of tabs which have to engage in slots, in the deployed position to form a stop: in fact, the deployment movement which is not guided may, depending on the conditions in which it is s 'operates, in particular according to the stresses and mechanical forces exerted on the expander, in particular the gravity forces applied to the different parts of the expander and the walls of the bag, to be deflected or stopped so that the engagement reciprocal tabs and slots is no longer guaranteed. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved "automatic" expander.

Another object of the invention is to provide an expander whose structure is very simple and whose improved operation effectively and certainly allows the expansion of a flexible bag in which it has been previously disposed and folded. Another object of the invention is to propose an expander whose stability is improved, that is to say whose mechanical resistance to external stresses or forces liable to deform it, when it is in the deployed state, is improved.

The subject of the invention is an extension device able to be placed inside a bag, comprising at least three articulated flaps, and at least one elastic element capable of causing the deployment of the device from a folded position or flattened to a deployed position, characterized in that the flaps have free ends coming substantially edge to edge under the action of the elastic elements, constituting a substantially tubular structure constrained by the elastic elements remaining stretched in the deployed position. The invention further provides an expander comprising at least two flat elements or panels articulated along at least one fold line, and at least an elastic connection element or means, in particular two or three elastic connection means connecting thin elements or panels, which elements forming panels and said elastic connection means being such that the stent substantially conforms, in the deployed position, to a tubular shape said to be closed, preferably of polygonal section, in particular of triangular, rectangular or trapezoidal, pentagonal, or hexagonal section.

The invention also provides an expander made up of elements of flat, thin and light panels forming facets of a substantially cylindrical or frustoconical structure, and comprising at least one elastic connection means, connecting at least two facets, said elastic element being fixed in the immediate vicinity of the free ends of two facets, so that in the absence of external compressive forces, the free ends of the facets are arranged substantially edge to edge, if necessary two by two if several separate elastic means are provided , to obtain a generally tubular structure. The invention finally proposes a bag expander essentially consisting of at least three facets or articulated flaps and at least one flexible elastic element causing the deployment of the expander in which said flaps form in the deployed state a substantially tubular structure (and / or a closed shell) constrained.

According to an important characteristic of the invention, in the deployed position of the stent where the free ends of the panel or facet elements are arranged substantially edge to edge, the elastic elements or means which are connected or fixed to these free ends and the approach, are tensioned according to a residual voltage, so that the stent of the tubular structure is put under stress, in the absence ^of external forces. The tubular shape of the stent structure can be flared, for example frustoconical, but it is preferably straight or cylindrical, that is to say of constant section in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the structure, thanks to the presence in the planar elements forming panels or facets, folds or fold lines parallel to each other and parallel to the longitudinal free edges of the panels or facets.

To prevent or limit the possibility of escape of elastic filiform elements, in particular during the folding of the structure of ^the stent, the elements panels or facets are pierced with orifices, either not opening on the edges arranged along these edges, or sinuous notches or grooves, or orifices connected to the edges by a thin slot, preferably obtained by a section, preferably angled s ^"extending along two distinct axes or directions, for example mutually perpendicular.

The elastic means preferably comprise a closed elastic bracelet, if necessary obtained by closing an elastic band using a knot, and extend through at least two orifices provided in the panels. The elastic bracelet can extend through at least four holes, for example through eight holes, in particular when it surrounds at least part of the structure.

Preferably, a bracelet portion extends along and against one of the panels or facets, substantially longitudinally between two orifices provided in said panel or facet element, along the free edge, to constitute a "reserve" of elasticity: thus, when the structure of the stent is in the deployed position, the bracelet and / or said bracelet portion remain tensioned according to said residual tension. In addition, by providing a portion of bracelet which extends along one of the free edges and / or which surrounds part of the structure and which thus constitutes a "reserve" of elasticity, a significant elongation of the bracelet is authorized. , without risking breaking it. In order to limit the mass while ensuring a sufficient stiffness of the elements of panels or facets of the structure, these are obtained from a material

• y flat whose mass per unit area is at least equal to 350 grams per m and at most equal to 2000 grams per m, preferably extending in the range from

-y from 500 to 1500 grams per m-, in particular close to 750 to 1000 grams per

• y m. The choice of this material and its density is made in particular according to the size and the stiffness of the material constituting the walls of the bag to be equipped with this expander.

To ensure an effort allowing the deployment of the bag, which is sufficient, provision is made to link two free edges by at least one, preferably and in particular by two, three or four strands or portions of rubber strap whose cumulative section is at less than 15 mm ^"and usually less than 135 ^mm", preferably ^extending in the range from 30 to 65 mm ", in particular neighboring 40 to 50 mm ^" , and whose elasticity is in the range from 0.05 to 0.45 meters per kilogram.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention corresponding to the configuration illustrated in Figures 2, 6 and 10, the free edges were connected two by two, by two portions or strands of a strip of flat natural rubber, of thickness close to 1 millimeter, of width close to 10 millimeters, whose elasticity coefficient is of the order of 0.15 meters per kilogram. In this exemplary embodiment, the elongation of each strand of the elastic is close to the height of the flap, in this case close to 10 centimeters, which corresponds to a tension force of the strand which is of the order of 0.67 kg; we note in this example that in the folded position, by placing an object of mass close to two kilograms on the upper panel of the expander arranged horizontally, the restoring effort developed by the four strands of elastic is sufficient to deploy the structure by lifting said object.

The resistance to sinking, in the deployed position, of the expander structure according to the invention, results in particular from the residual tension of the elastic elements, which causes in the deployed state a restoring force which makes it possible to avoid the need to provide stops, and the relative stiffening of the joints between two adjacent free edges connected by these elastic elements and resulting from said residual tension. The deformation capacity of the stent, in the deployed state, also results to a lesser extent from the relative stiffness of the joints resulting from the folds formed in the panels, which is notably linked to the rigidity of the material used for the manufacture of such panels or facets, as well as the stability of the closed tubular shape, in which the adjacent free edges are in contact in pairs and support one against ^the other.

The increased capacity for extension of the expanders according to the invention, as well as the predictable and reproducible nature of their deployment movement, makes it possible to use them to deploy flexible bags of large dimensions or made of materials such as thick and relatively synthetic fabrics. stiff, and has a considerable advantage over systems ^extension of flexible bags known. This increased capacity results in particular from: - the ease of deployment of the tubular shape of the stent structure, from a flattened folded shape, by sliding with reduced friction of the free edges against portions of flat wall, under the action of the elastic elements; - the significant deployment effort developed by the elastic elements, which itself results from the presence of several stretched strands, the large section of the strands and the significant elongation of the strands or sections of elastic, in the folded position stent; which is preferably at least 10% of the idle (or empty) length of the elastic element, in particular situated in a range from 30% to 150% of said empty length of the elastic element, preferably of the order of 40% to 100%;

- to a lesser extent, from the distribution of the forces participating in the deployment and developed by the elastic bands, in several planes arranged spaced along the longitudinal axis of the structure, resulting from the spacing of the orifices traversed by the elastic elements, the along the free edges of the panels, and the presence of several strands extending in these planes and exerting their forces in these planes.

The simplicity of the device results from its constitution based on one, two or three deformable panels, for example in thick corrugated cardboard of rectangular shape, provided on each of its free longitudinal edges with two through buttonholes allowing the use of a bracelet. closed (or else of two non-opening circular orifices then requiring the use of an open bracelet which is introduced and passed through the orifice then closed by a knot), and by one, two or three elastic bracelets. The structure of the stent according to the invention requires neither the fixing of panels to each other by gluing or the like, nor the presence of tabs cooperating with slots in order to form stops, nor the addition of separate panels ( or inserts) intended to distribute the forces over a substantial part of the walls of the bag to be deployed; for this purpose, the stent is preferably such that its largest dimension, for example its length measured along its longitudinal axis, or at least 50% of the length (or largest dimension) of the volume of the bag at the deployed state, in particular of the order of 70 to 98% of this length. The ^invention facilitates the folding of the stent and its implementation in the folded state inside a bag and allows to provide stents adapted to various shapes of bags, in particular by providing cylindrical tubular shapes or frustoconical. The advantages provided by the invention will be better understood through the following description which refers to the appended drawings, which illustrate without any limiting nature the preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings, identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated, have the same references from one figure to another. FIGS. 1 to 4 respectively illustrate four embodiments of a shaping and expanding device for bags or luggage according to the invention:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cylindrical expander of substantially triangular section;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cylindrical expander of substantially trapezoidal section;

FIG. 3 illustrates a stent of rectangular section;

Figure 4 illustrates a pentagonal section expander.

Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 respectively illustrate, in sectional view through a transverse plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stents, the stents represented in Figures 1 to 4, and are respectively views according to V / V, VI / VI, VII / VII, and VIII / VIII of Figures 1 to 4; in FIGS. 5 to 8, the sections of the stents are shown in the deployed state of the stent; Figures 9 to 12 respectively illustrate the cross sections of the stent of Figures 5 to 8, in the folded or flattened position. FIGS. 13 and 14 schematically illustrate a top view of the free edges of the panels and the orifices arranged near these free edges and are substantially views according to XIII / XIV of FIG. 9.

Figures 15 and 16 illustrate, respectively in the deployed state and in the flattened state, another embodiment of a stent of pentagonal section, equipped with a strap completely encircling the tubular structure of the stent. FIG. 17 illustrates in plan view a panel with three flaps in the unfolded state, making it possible to obtain a triangular expander of tapered flared shape.

FIG. 18 illustrates in transverse schematic view a bag containing a stent according to the invention, in the deployed state, to favor the presentation of the bag at the point of sale.

Figure 19 illustrates in schematic perspective view a bag containing a short tubular expander, the longitudinal axis of which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bag.

With reference to FIG. 18, the stent 1 of tubular shape elongated along its longitudinal axis 7, extends over a length 41 close to (and little less than) the length 42 of the bag 8.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 17, the various expanders preferably comprise one or two panels: the expanders 1 (FIGS. 1, 5 and 9), 5

(Figures 15 and 16) and 6 (Figure 17) have a single panel with at least two fold lines, while the expanders 2 (Figures 2, 6 and 10), 3 (Figures 3, 7 and 11) and 4 (Figures 4, 8 and 12) are constructed from two panels.

The expander 1 consists of a panel 32 provided with two folds 39 parallel to each other, parallel to the longitudinal axis 7 of the expander and parallel to the free edges 35 and 36 of the longitudinal panel 32; the panel 32 provided with the two folds 39 thus constitutes three facets or shutters 9, 10 and 11 of rectangular shape elongated along the axis 7; the closed elastic strap 27 extends through two holes 34 provided in the flap 1 1 near the longitudinal edge 35, as shown particularly in Figures 13 and 14, and also extends through two holes 34 provided near the longitudinal edge 36 of the flap 9, which orifices are arranged substantially opposite one another in pairs when the expander is in the deployed position, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5.

In order to facilitate the reading of the drawings, the longitudinal edges 35, 36 of the various expander panels have been shown slightly distant; however, as detailed above, due to the residual voltage of the elastic ring 27 when the stent is in the deployed position, this residual voltage maintains the flaps 9 and 1 1 of ^the stent 1 into contact substantially along their edges longitudinal 35 and 36; it is the same for the other embodiments of expanders shown in Figures 2 to 4 and 15 in particular; for the same reasons, the stents shown in the folded position in FIGS. 9 to 12 and 16, are illustrated with very large radii of curvature or folding to facilitate reading, while in practice these radii are small, such so that the thickness 43 of the folded expander is little more than three times the thickness of the panels (and / or the thickness of the panel flaps), in particular close to four to six times the thickness of the panels; the thickness of the panels is preferably of the order of 2 to 10 millimeters for corrugated cardboard panels, in particular close to 3 to 7 millimeters; in the case of panels of more rigid material such as plastic, this thickness can be of the order of 1 to 2 millimeters.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 5 and 13 in particular, the elastic strap 27 extends in two long portions (or strands) 271 and 274 extending against the flaps 11 and 9 respectively, outside of these, and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 7 of the articulated structure of the stent; two strands (short in the deployed position) 273 and 272 connect the longitudinal strands 271 and 274 and the assembly forms a closed bracelet; this bracelet is inserted into the four orifices 34 provided along the longitudinal free edges 35, 36 of the flaps 9 and 11, by means of bent cuts 37 connecting each orifice 34 to the free edges 35, 36. In the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 , these bent cuts 37 are replaced by bent slots 38 playing the same role, namely to prevent the unexpected release of the elastic strap from the holes 34 drilled in the flaps of the panel.

The stent is folded back from its deployed position illustrated in FIG. 5 to its folded position illustrated in FIG. 9, is carried out by folding down the side flap 9 of the panel 32 against the arrow A against the central flap 10, along the lower fold line 39 , then folding the side flap 11 along arrow B above the side flap 9 already folded down, to arrive at the configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, in which the elastic strap and in particular the strands 272 and 273 (which extend between the flap 9 and the flap 1 1) are elongated by a length close to the width 44 of the flaps 9, 10 and 1 1. This significant elongation of the elastic bracelet is made possible by the presence of the relatively long portions 271 and 274 of the bracelet elastic which extend longitudinally, over a length for example at least equal to said width 44, corresponding to the distance separating the two orifices 34 provided in each flap.

The arrangement of the closed elastic strap to connect the free edges 35, 36 of the extender panels illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, is identical or similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1, while the elastic bracelet 28 illustrated in FIG. 4 surrounds and extends transversely along the upper panel 31, and that the elastic strap 29 of FIGS. 15 and 16 completely surrounds the panel 33 of the expander, presenting a greater length of strap and consequently a greater reserve of elasticity, making it possible greater elongation of the bracelet without risking breaking it.

The expander 2 (in particular FIG. 2) comprises an upper planar panel 30 devoid of folding and forming a flap 12, as well as a second panel 32 comprising three flaps 9 to 1 1 folded along two fold lines 39 parallel to the axis 7. The expander 3 (shown in Figure 3 in particular) has two panels 31 each defining two flaps 15 and 16 (17 and 18 respectively), separated by a fold line 39 parallel to the axis 7. The expander 4 (figure 4) has an upper panel 31 defining two flaps 13 and 14 separated by a longitudinal fold line and a lower panel 32 defining three flaps 9, 10, 1 1 separated by two fold lines, like the panels 32 of Figures 1 and 2 The folding of the structures illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 allows the passage from the deployed configuration illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8 to the folded configurations illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12 respectively, and this in a manner similar to those explained above p. for the expander 1 of FIGS. 1, 5 and 9: the flaps 15 and 18 are folded down respectively against the flaps 16 and 17 (FIGS. 3, 7 and 11) by rotation along the fold line 39 separating two flaps and forming a joint .

While the facets or flaps 9 to 23 are of rectangular shape elongated along said longitudinal axis 7, the expander panel 32 (FIG. 17) is provided with two fold lines 40 (separating the panel into three flaps 24 to 26) which are inclined, for example by an angle close to 5 to 10 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 7 of symmetry of the flat shape illustrated in FIG. 17; the longitudinal side edges 35, 36 are also inclined relative to the fold lines 40 and relative to the axis 7. for example by an angle of the same order of magnitude. Folding the three parts similarly to that explained above for the stent 1, there is obtained a structure ^of tubular articulated stent according to the fold lines 40 and connected by its free edges 35 and 36 by a strap (not shown Figure 17), which is frustoconical. With reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, in this embodiment, the expander consists of a panel 33 cooperating with one or more closed elastic bracelets 29 encircling almost the entire panel 33; this comprises four fold lines 39 allowing the formation of five flaps 19 to 23.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19 of a bag 8 elongated along an axis 82 and provided, on its upper wall, with a zipper 81 parallel to the axis 82, the bag 8 is equipped with an expander 1 of longitudinal axis 7 vertical, that is to say perpendicular to the horizontal plane containing the closure 81 of the bag. A customer can thus, after opening the closure 81, access the interior volume of the bag, see and feel the bottom and part of the walls of the bag, then close the bag, without having to deform or extract the expander; in this case and according to the geometry of the bag, the largest dimension of the tubular expander is not necessarily that measured along its longitudinal axis 7.

Figure 20 illustrates in schematic sectional view through a horizontal plane, the deployed bag 8 of Figure 19 equipped with its expander also in the substantially deployed state. In this state, each of the four flat flaps 9 to 12 of the tubular expander of rectangular section presses respectively, by its external face, on the internal face of the side walls (86, 83, 84, 85 respectively) of the bag, and the the expander allows visual and tactile access to the bottom wall 87 of the bag 8.

Claims

1. Extension device capable of being placed inside a bag, comprising at least three articulated flaps, and at least one elastic element capable of causing the deployment of the device from a folded or flattened position to a deployed position , characterized in that the flaps have free ends coming substantially edge to edge under the action of the elastic elements, constituting a substantially tubular structure constrained by the elastic elements remaining stretched in the deployed position.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic element remains taut to ensure a residual stress tension constituting a reserve of elasticity and ensuring good mechanical strength of the expander.

3. Device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, which is constituted by one or two panels (30 to 33) connected by one or two elastic bracelets.

4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each panel has four orifices (34) for passage of said elastic element, which are located in the vicinity of two longitudinal free edges (35, 36) of the panel.

5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the orifice is connected to the neighboring free edge by a cut (37) or a bent groove (38).

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the panels are made of corrugated cardboard, folded along one or more lines (39) parallel to the longitudinal free edges of the panels, to form a cylindrical articulated structure of polygonal section. .

7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the panels are made of corrugated cardboard, folded along one or more lines (40) inclined to each other and / or relative to the longitudinal free edges of the panels, to form a frustoconical articulated structure of polygonal section.

8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the density of the material constituting the panels is situated in the range going from 350 grams per m "to 2000 grams per m", in which the elasticity of the elastic element and located between 0.05 and 0.45 meters per kilogram.

9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the elongation of the elastic element when the stent is folded is located in a range from 10% to 150%.

10. flexible bag (8) characterized in that it contains a removable expander according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the largest dimension (41) of which is around 70 to 98% of the length ( 42) of the volume of the bag in the deployed state.