WO2004037035A1

WO2004037035A1 - A bag

Info

Publication number: WO2004037035A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/004605
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adam Dickinson
Original assignee: Eps (Llc)
Priority date: 2002-10-26
Filing date: 2003-10-24
Publication date: 2004-05-06
Also published as: GB0224958D0; AU2003274379A1

Abstract

A bag (10) has four side walls (12, 14, 16, 18) and a base (20). The base (20) is at least semi-rigid and has a predetermined fold (34) which runs between the mid-points of the two longest walls (14, 18), dividing the base in two parts. The base parts can be folded so as to enclose the walls.

Description

A Bag

The present invention relates to a bag. The bag is used, typically, but not exclusively, for

the transportation of groceries from a retail environment to a shopper's destination.

It is typical for a shopper to use free "vest style" carrier bags for the transportation of

goods. Carrier bags having a flat base are also generally available for the same purpose.

Since the specification and volume of the material used in flat base bags is higher in terms

of strength and size with respect to the vest style bag, flat base bags are suitable for reuse.

One problem with known reusable bags is their large size when stored. The known reusable bags take up a great deal of retail space that could be given over to higher profit grossing

products. Once used by the consumer, the consumer also needs to be able to store the bag

in a manner so as not to take up too much space.

An aim of the invention is provide an improved bag.

According to the invention there is provided a bag having walls and a base, the base having

at least one predetermined fold, which divides the base into two or more base parts, the

base parts being arranged to be folded about the or each fold in such a way that the walls are substantially enclosed by the base parts.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the base has only one fold. The base is preferably divided by the or each fold into substantially equal size parts.

Where there is one fold, the fold is preferably on a line of symmetry between the two base

parts.

The walls may have predetermined wall fold or folds which allow the walls to be collapsed

toward the base. Preferably, the walls are arranged to lie substantially parallel to the base

parts after folding.

The wall fold or folds are preferably arranged so that the folding of the base parts about the

base fold or folds is the final fold or folds in compacting the bag. Most preferably, the wall

folds comprise at least one fold running generally parallel with the base and a fold running

perpendicular to the base for each base fold. Thus, where only one base fold is provided the bag has only one fold running perpendicular to the base. In that way, to collapse the bag,

the walls are folded first about the parallel wall folds, then the base parts are folded

together, the walls then being folded about the perpendicular fold.

Preferably, a plurality of parallel folds are provided to allow concertina folding of the walls.

The base is preferably substantially rigid or semi-rigid relative to the wall material. The stored bag in accordance with the invention represents a considerably smaller overall

size than an equivalent standard bag. The bag offers the retailer a saleable, easy to store,

high stacking volume, presentable, folded bag enclosure. The bag offers the consumer a

bag that has the added function of a full or partially rigid base member, which provides a

solid form for the purchased articles to be placed on or against. Also, the bag is a larger

volume bagging product that is reusable and easy to fill and store in an aesthetic enclosure.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the bag has a flat base, to which a pre formed rigid

plate, produced of thermoformed plastic, card, or other suitable material, is externally

adhered, by means of adhesive, stitching, heat welding or other method, to the underside of

the bag base. Alternatively, the base may define a pocket for receiving the plate. The rigid

member has at least one fold across its width, to facilitate the final folding of the collapsed

flexible bag form and rigid base to create an enclosure around the collapsed flexible bag. In

another embodiment, the rigid base comprises two such rigid plates, the "fold" being

defined by the space between the plates.

In one embodiment, the folded bag is arranged to be secured in its folded state by means of a zip style fastener that is adhered, welded or sewn around the perimeter of the two

portions divided by the aforementioned fold of the rigid base member, to which can be

semi permanently secured by the user for storage.

A further adaptation is that the outermost facing surfaces of the rigid base, when in its folded state, include a means of semi permanent adhesion or fixture to the like surface of an identical bag, thereby allowing multiple bags to be easily stored together. The bag preferably has a handle. The handle is preferably arranged so that, when the bag is

folded, the handle can secure the bag in its folded state. The rigid base may include a

formation to receive part of the handle to aid securing of the bag in its folded state by the

handle. The handle may be woven through appropriately placed holes in the upper edge of

the bag aperture or pulled through a slot or channel, with the handle being exposed via cut

outs in the uppermost edge to allow the handle to be pulled through for the user to grasp,

both methods facilitating firstly the 'drawstring' closure of the bag aperture and secondly to

protrude in the centre of the unopened hag face to create a loop by which the user can hold

the bag when closing the flexible wall structure in a predetermined manner. The handle

maybe made of rope.

Any other means of securing the base parts when folded at the fold can be provided, to

prevent the bag from opening without user intervention, e.g. string, press studs, buttons,

loops and eyes, hook and loop material, etc.

The external rigid member may have indicia thereon, e.g. to advertise brands.

The rigid member may be produced with an embossed or relief form of any kind.

The bags facilitate the gross movement of goods in a protected manner from the store to the destination. It is typical that the bags are of a low unit cost, and are therefore preferably

produced of very thin gauge materials with minimum 'boxed' structure, such as HDPE,

LDPE, PP, PLA, Cotton, Hemp or any other suitable material. These materials may be flat film or sheet, whereby the construction of the bag may be by fully automated tubular

construction or component fabrication.

It is preferable for the consumer to be able to fill the bags quickly and efficiently with their

purchased products, whereby the nature of the bagging products used can aid or hamper the

speed and efficiency of the bag fill depending of the design. It is beneficial for the

packaging used to be presented open for the consumer to pack into, and to retain its form

whilst the products are being inserted, it is not uncommon for the packaging 'bag' to be

distorted in shape when the first article is inserted, thereby restricting the aperture or

causing the flexible structure to collapse. Upon inserting breakable articles into the flexible

wall bag the thin nature of the wall section and high probability of the structure collapsing

increases the likelihood of the breakable item being damaged.

In one embodiment, the bag has one or more dividers, the dividers being arranged to lie substantially parallel with side walls.

The dividers are preferably in the form of loops of material. Six loops may be provided.

Four loops may extend from corners of the side walls. The two other loops may extend

from the middle of the two opposite (longest) side walls.

A bag in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bag in accordance with a first embodiment of the

invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the bag of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the bag of Figures 1 and 2, showing walls of the bag being

folded in use,

Figure 4 is another perspective view of the bag of Figure 3, showing a base of the bag

being folded in use,

Figure 5 is yet another perspective view of the bag of Figure 3, being secured in use,

Figure 6 is a plan view of a bag in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention,

Figure 7 is a view of a first side of the bag of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a bottom view of the bag of Figure 6,

Figure 9 is a view of a second side of the bag of Figure 6,

Figure 10 is a plan view of a piece of material for use in making the bag of Figures 6 to 9, Figure 11 is another side view, in the direction of the view of Figure 7, showing walls of

the bag being collapsed,

Figure 12 is another side view, in the direction of the view of Figure 7, showing walls of

the bag being collapsed,

Figure 13 is another side view, in the direction of the view of Figure 7, showing a base of

the bag being collapsed, and

Figure 14 is another bottom view of the bag of Figure 6, showing the bag being secured.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a "shopping" bag 10 comprises four side walls 12, 14, 16, 18,

each of elongate rectangular shape, and a base 20, also of elongate rectangular shape. The

walls 12, 14, 16, 18 of the bag 10 are constructed of a suitably flexible material such as

HDPE, LDPE, woven PP, Spun Bonded PP, PLA, cotton or other suitably flexible material.

The base 20 is at least semi-rigid so that the bag can sit on its base whilst being filled by a

person in a retail checkout environment. The flexible walls can be arranged to have

sufficient strength to be self supporting, when necessary.

Referring to Figure 1, free ends 22 of each of the four walls 12, 14, 16, 18 are folded

inward and attached to the four walls to form a channel defining apertures 24 (see Figure 10 for more detailed description). A cord 26 is passed through the channel and forms two handles 28, 30 (the latter of which is shown in Figure 2). Referring to Figure 2, six loops 32 of flexible material are attached to the inside surfaces of

the walls 12, 14, 16, 18 adjacent the base 20. In particular, four of the six loops 32 extend

from four inner corners defined by the four walls 12, 14, 16, 18. The other two of the six

loops 32 extend from the middle of the two longest walls 14, 18, which are opposite each

other.

The base 20 has a fold 34 which runs between the mid-points of the two longest walls 14,

18, parallel to the two shortest walls 12, 16. The fold 34 thus divides the base in two equal

areas, which are symmetrical in the fold.

Referring to Figures 3 to 5, the bag 10 is stored, e.g. in a retail environment, in a

compacted condition. To put the bag 10 in a compacted condition, the free ends 22 of the

widest of the four walls 14, 18 are pushed together. The walls 14, 18 are then folded

downward until the walls 14, 18 lie parallel to, and adjacent, the base 20. The two handles

28, 30 are kept free.

Next, the base 20 is folded in half at the fold 34, so as to enclose the walls 12, 14, 16, 18.

The base is folded until the area of the base on one side of the fold is substantially parallel to the area on the other side of the fold. The two handles 28, 30 are kept free.

Then, the two handles 28, 30 are looped over the adjacent corners of the two parts of the base 20. h this way, the bag 10 is secured in a compact configuration. The relatively rigid base parts form an outer enclosure for the reminder of the bag, protecting the weaker flexible wall material of the bag. Referring to Figures 6 to 9, in another embodiment of the invention, a bag 40 comprises

some parts similar with parts of the bag of Figures 1 to 5 which will not be described and

referenced again.

Referring to Figure 10, a flat template 42 of bag wall material comprises four wall sections

44, 46, 48, 50 divided by and defined by fold lines 45, 47, 49. The template 42 has circular

apertures, 54, 56, 58, 60 cut out therefrom adjacent an upper edge 52 thereof. The

apertures, 54, 56, 58, 60 are formed respectively at the ends of the template, and at the fold

lines 45, 47, 49. The template 42 also has approximately oval shaped apertures 62, 64

adjacent the middle of the edge of walls 44, 48. The radii of the apertures 54, 56, 58, 60

and the longitudinal axis of the oval apertures 62, 64 coincide on a line 66 parallel to the

edge 52.

Referring now to Figures 6 and 10, a base 67 is fitted to a lower edge 68 of the four walls

44, 46, 48, 50. The walls 46 , 50 each have loops of material 70, 72 running approximately

parallel to the walls for a distance of more than half the length of the walls (as shown in

Figure 7). Each loop of material 70, 72 has two ends which depart from the wall 46 , 50,

the ends being spaced by a distance substantially equal to the radius of the loop of material.

Also, the loops 70, 72 are slightly spaced from the walls 44, 48 as seen in Figures 6 and 9.

Figure 7 shows the bag 40 after the edge 52 is folded about the line 66 and attached to the walls to define a channel for a cord 74. The cord 74 forms two handles (only one of which, 76, is shown). The cord 74 forming the handles protrudes from the oval apertures 62, 64 which, being shallower than the circular apertures, cause less stress on the material of the

walls.

Referring to Figure 8, the bag 40 comprises a rectangular base 76, divided at a fold 78

which runs parallel to the walls 46, 50, ie the fold divides the base into two equally sized

base parts 80, 82. The base 76 has ribs 84 which run parallel to the fold 78.

Referring to Figure 11, in order to fold the bag 40, the walls 44, 48 (obscured in Figure 11)

are pressed together and the walls 44, 48 are folded downwards until the walls 44, 48 lie parallel to, and adjacent, the base 76. The two handles 76, which protrude from adjacent

the fold 78, are kept free.

Next, as shown in Figure 12, the base 76 is folded in half at the fold 78, ribs 84 outward, so as to enclose the walls 44, 46, 48, 50. The base 76 is folded until the base part 80 is

substantially parallel to the base part 82, as shown in Figure 13 The two handles 76 are kept free.

Then, as shown in Figure 14, the two handles 76 are looped from a point adjacent the fold

over the base parts 80, 82 and edges 86, 88 of the base parts 80, 82 remote from the fold

78. An angle of about 70 degrees exists between an axis A of the secured handles 76 and

the plane of the edges 86, 88. Such an angle, coupled with the resilient bias of the folded bag pushing outwardly on the base parts, tends to holds the handles 76 in place. In this way, the bag 40 is secured in a compact configuration. Alternative securing means can be provided, for example a hook material tab on one base part and a loop material tab on the other base part arranged to secure the base parts together. Alternatively, a zip-like arrangement can be provided on the edge of the base parts.

Claims

1. A bag having walls and a base, the base having at least one predetermined fold, which divides the base into two or more base parts, the base parts being arranged to be folded about the or each fold in such a way that the walls are substantially enclosed by the base parts.

2. A bag according to claim 1, in which the base has only one fold.

3. A bag according to claim 1 or 2, in which the base is divided by the or each fold into substantially equal size parts.

4. A bag according to claim 2, in which the fold is on a line of symmetry between the two base parts.

5. A bag according to any preceding claim, in which the walls have predetermined wall fold or folds which allow the walls to be collapsed toward the base.

6. A bag according to any preceding claim, in which the walls are arranged to lie substantially parallel to the base parts after folding.

7. A bag according to claim 5, in which the wall fold or folds are arranged so that the folding of the base parts about the base fold or folds is the final fold or folds in compacting the bag.

8. A bag according to claim 5 or 7, in which the wall folds comprise at least one fold running generally parallel with the base and a fold running perpendicular to the base for each base fold.

9. A bag according to claim 5 or 7, in which a plurality of parallel folds is provided to allow concertina folding of the walls.

10. A bag according to any preceding claim, in which the base is substantially rigid or semi-rigid relative to the wall material.

11. A bag according to any preceding claim, in which the bag has a flat base, to which a pre formed rigid plate, produced of thermoformed plastic, card, or other suitable material is externally adhered, by means of adhesive, stitching, heat welding or other method, to the underside of the bag base.

12. A bag according to any of claims 1 to 10, in which the base defines a pocket for receiving a rigid plate.

13. A bag according to claim 11 or 12, in which the rigid member has at least one fold across its width, to facilitate the final folding of the collapsed flexible bag form and rigid base to create an enclosure around the collapsed flexible bag.

14. A bag according to claim 11 or 12, in which the rigid base comprises two such rigid plates, the "fold" being defined by the space between the plates.

15. A bag according to claim 10 or any claim depending therefrom, in which the folded bag is arranged to be secured in its folded state by means of a zip style fastener that is adhered, welded or sewn around the perimeter of the two portions divided by the aforementioned fold of the rigid base member, which fastener can be semi permanently secured by the user for storage.

16. A bag according to claim 10 or any claim depending therefrom, in which the outermost facing surfaces of the rigid base, when in its folded state, include a means of semi permanent adhesion or fixture to the like surface of an identical bag, thereby allowing multiple bags to be easily stored together.

17. A bag according to any preceding claim, in which the bag has a handle.

18. A bag according to claim 17, in which the handle is arranged so that, when the bag is folded, the handle can secure the bag in its folded state.

19. A bag according to claim 18, in which the rigid base may include a formation to receive part of the handle to aid securing of the bag in its folded state by the handle.

20. A bag according to any of claim 17 to 19, in which the handle is woven through appropriately placed holes in the upper edge of the bag aperture or pulled through a slot or channel, with the handle being exposed via cut outs in the uppermost edge to allow the handle to be pulled through for the user to grasp.

21. A bag according to any of claims 17 to 20, in which the handle is made from rope.

22. A bag according to any preceding claim, in which the bag has one or more dividers, the dividers being arranged to lie substantially parallel with side walls.

23. A bag according to claim 22, in which the dividers are in the form of loops of material.

24. A bag according to claim 23, in which six loops are provided.

25. A bag according to claim 24, in which four loops extend from corners of the side walls and the two other loops extend from the middle of the two opposite (longest) side walls.

26. A bag having walls and a base, the bag having one or more dividers parallel with the walls in the form of loops of material.

27. A bag according to claim 26, in which the dividers are in the form of loops of material.

28. A bag according to claim 27, in which six loops are provided.

29. A bag according to claim 28, in which four loops extend from corners of the side walls and the two other loops extend from the middle of the two opposite (longest) side walls.