WO2002022451A1

WO2002022451A1 - A shopping bag handle carrier

Info

Publication number: WO2002022451A1
Application number: PCT/AU2001/001105
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brian Patrick Bowe; Graeme Alfred Monachan
Original assignee: Brian Patrick Bowe; Graeme Alfred Monachan
Priority date: 2000-09-13
Filing date: 2001-09-03
Publication date: 2002-03-21
Also published as: AUPR005300A0

Abstract

A handle carrier (10) for receiving and facilitating easy and comfortable carriage and transporting of shopping or grocery bags with handle loops. The flexible planar carrier (10) has opposed necked entries (1) leading into enlarged apertures (2). The loops of the bags may pass through the entries (1) and into the apertures (2) to be retained therein. Upon grasping the carrier by the user, the planar configuration is deformed or folded upwards into a substantially U-shaped configuration.

Description

A Shopping Bag Handle Carrier

This invention relates to a bag handle carrier.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to a carrier for receiving plastic shopping bag handles but it should be appreciated that this is by way of example only and that the carrier of the invention may be used for receiving handles of other shopping bags and carry bags.

For most people, the carrying of loaded conventional "singlet handle" supermarket shopping bags can be a painful experience because of the weight of articles within the bags causing the handles to cut into the hand causing blood flow restriction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bag handle carrier, which at least minimises the disadvantage referred to above.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a carrier for receiving handles of at least one shopping bag, the carrier having opposed openings with relatively narrow necked entries and leading into inwardly located enlarged receiving apertures, whereby, handles of the shopping bags may be inserted through the entries and be retained within the receiving apertures and a carrier may be grasped by a user to thereby carry the bag or bags.

It is preferred that the carrier be substantially planar in configuration when it retains the handles of the shopping bag and the carrier may be performed from that configuration when grasped by the user.

The carrier may be made from any suitable material. It is preferred that the carrier be made from a synthetic material.

The carrier of the invention is preferably made from flexible or resilient material.

Whilst the carrier of the invention may have any desired peripheral shape, it is preferred that the carrier have a rectangular peripheral shape when viewed in plan. When the carrier has a rectangular peripheral shape, it is preferred that the entries are located in opposed sides of the rectangular shape. In a particular preferred form, the entries are located in opposed shorter sides of the rectangular shape.

When the carrier has a rectangular peripheral shape, it is preferred that the carrier has rounded corners.

The carrier of the invention may be made from relatively thin material .

A particular preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a handle carrier according to one preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the carrier shown in figure 1 of the drawings;

Figure 3 is a side view of the carrier of figure 1 shown in the configuration it will assume when it is used to receive and retain a plurality of shopping bag handles when grasped by a user;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the carrier of figure 1 shown retaining a plurality of bag handles within the receiving apertures;

Figure 5 is a side view of the carrier in the configuration it will assume when it receives and retains a plurality of shopping bag handles and is grasped by a user;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view through the carrier shown in figure 5.

With reference to figure 1 and 2 there is shown a shopping bag handle carrier 10 of a substantially rectangular appearance. As shown in figure 2 the carrier 10 is made of a relatively thin material. The carrier 10 has rounded corners 11. Necked entries 1 are located in the opposed short sides 12 of the carrier 10. The entries 1 lead into inwardly located enlarged receiving apertures 2. The apertures 2 have an outwardly curved inner profile 13.

Figure 3 shows the carrier 10 deformed into a substantially U-shaped configuration. This same configuration is also shown in figures 5 and 6 except that in figures 5 and 6 the handles 14 of the shopping bags are shown located within the receiving apertures 2. In figure 6 the users hand 15 is shown and the hand 15 receives the carrier 10 and is spaced from the handles 14 of the bags by the carrier 10. In this way, the handles 14 do not contact the user's hand and are not able to cut into the hand to cause blood flow restriction or other discomfort.

Figure 4 shows the carrier 10 in its relaxed flat configuration. When in this configuration, the bag handles 14 are received and retained within the apertures 2 once they are inserted through the narrow necked entries 1. Thus, the carrier 10 when in the configurations shown in figure 4 serves to maintain a group of handles 14 in a collected configuration. This allows the shopping bags to be placed upon a receiving surface and released by the user and allows the user to once again pick up the bags without the need for once again collecting the handles together as a group.

Claims

1. A carrier for receiving handles of at least one shopping bag, the carrier having opposed openings with relatively narrow necked entries (1) and leading into inwardly located enlarged receiving apertures (2), whereby, handles of the shopping bags may be inserted through the entries and be retained within the receiving apertures (2) and the carrier may be grasped by a user to thereby carry the bags (14).

2. The carrier of claim 1 whereby the carrier is substantially planar in configuration when it retains the handles and may be deformed from that configuration when grasped by the user.

3. The carrier of claim 1 or 2 wherein the carrier is made from synthetic material.

4. The carrier of any preceding wherein the carrier is made of flexible or resilient material.

5 The carrier of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the carrier is rectangular in shape when viewed in plan and the entries are located in opposed sides of the rectangular shape.

6 The carrier of claim 5 wherein the rectangular shape has rounded corners.

7. The carrier of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the carrier is relatively thin.

8. A carrier substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.