Bag having tie tabs and dispenser

Abstract

The present invention provides a bag comprising front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges. The front and rear walls further define an upper edge that defines a bag opening for use in inserting items into the bag, a pair of spaced apart handles, and one or more tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to bags and, more particularly, to bags having tie tabs, and an associated bag dispenser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plastic bags are commonly used at checkout counters in many types of stores, such as supermarkets, department stores and retail stores. Such bags typically are inexpensive and yet provide substantial carrying capacity. These bags are commonly used in combination with a dispensing rack to facilitate rapid loading by checkout attendants.

Typically, the dispensing rack suspends several bags from an upper portion of the bags, providing access to the bag for loading. Once a bag is filled, the checkout attendant removes it from the rack and then commences loading of a subsequent bag. The filled bags are simply left on the counter while other bags are filled. Sometimes, when the bag is improperly loaded, the bag can tip over, spilling its contents.

In view of the above drawbacks, there exists a need for a bag including tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, wherein the tie tabs are configured to maintain the contents within the bag. The present invention fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bag including tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, wherein the tie tabs are configured to maintain the contents within the bag.

Briefly, and in general terms, a plastic bag is provided that is configured to maintain its contents within the bag, once loaded. In an exemplary embodiment, tie tabs are disposed along an upper edge of the bag on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs can be coupled to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

In a detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the tabs are configured to be tied together. Other embodiments are contemplated incorporating various additional configurations for maintaining the contents within the bag. For example, a single tab can be provided along the upper edge on a first side of the opening, and a slot can be provided on a second side of the opening for receiving the single tab. In another embodiment, several tabs can be provided along the upper edge.

In another detailed aspect, the bag optionally includes two handles spaced apart from each other, disposed along opposing side edges of the bag, forming a configuration referred to as a “T-shirt” bag. In addition, the handles can be provided with two plies of material, and two longitudinally oriented side gussets can be extended along the side edges. In other embodiments of the invention, handles can be excluded entirely. Various other bag configurations can be used without departing from the invention.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the front and rear walls can be integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges. The bag may be formed of a unitary piece that is sealed along a lower seam. The lower seam is adjacent to the bottom edge, and the upper seams are disposed in the handles, adjacent to the upper edge.

The bag can be configured for mounting on a dispensing rack. For example, the rack can be configured to suspend the bag to facilitate loading. In an exemplary embodiment, the bag defines an aperture for receiving a support of the rack. Several apertures can be provided, as required. For example, two outer apertures in proximity to the side edges can be aligned to receive corresponding support of the rack. Other apertures, e.g., in an intermediate region of the bag, adjacent to the upper edge, can also be included.

In a detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, cuts (e.g., U-shaped) are provided on the handles, defining two outer apertures for receiving horizontal arms of the dispensing rack. In addition, cuts (e.g., J-shaped) are provided on in support regions located in an intermediate region edges can be aligned to receive corresponding support of the rack. Intermediate apertures, e.g., in an intermediate region of the bag, adjacent to the upper edge, can also be provided for receiving intermediate supports of the rack.

In another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the intermediate apertures are located in support regions at the base of two tie tabs. In each support region, a frangible section is defined between the upper edge and the upper most portion of the corresponding cut.

The invention also resides in a combination of a bag and dispensing rack configured to suspend the bag to facilitate loading. In an exemplary embodiment, the bag defines an aperture for receiving a support of the rack. Several apertures can be provided, as required. For example, two outer apertures in proximity to the side edges can be aligned to receive corresponding support of the rack. Other apertures, e.g., in an intermediate region of the bag, adjacent to the upper edge, can also be included. Various other dispensing methods can be used, e.g., dispensing box, dispensing bags, and so on.

A plurality of bags registered in substantial alignment can be provided in a bag stack. Preferably, the bag stack is configured to facilitate a self-opening feature for the bags. For example, as an outer bag is removed, contact between the bags causes the next bag of the stack to open. Moreover, the tie tabs can serve as convenient means for opening a bag while on a dispensing rack. Thus, the tie tabs aid in manual or self-opening features of the bag.

In an exemplary embodiment, “cold pin” areas are formed in that bag stack by piercing cold pins transversely through the bag stack for maintaining the bags in the bag stack in substantial registration. In a detailed aspect, four “cold pin” areas are formed in proximity to cuts in the bag stack. The number and location of “cold pin” areas can vary in other embodiments. In addition, other approaches for maintaining registration of the bags of the bag stack can be used, if desired, or excluded entirely.

An aspect of the invention involves a bag, comprising front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges. The bag further comprises an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, a pair of spaced apart handles and tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag. The tie tabs preferably are disposed on opposing sides of the opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs are coupled to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag. The bag may be sealed along a lower seam and two upper seams, such that two longitudinally oriented side gussets extend along the side edges. The lower seam is adjacent to the bottom edge, whereas the upper seams are disposed in the handles, adjacent to the upper edge. One suitable material for the bag comprises a thin film of polyethylene

Another aspect of the invention involves a bag and dispensing rack assembly, comprising a bag having spaced apart handles and a dispensing rack including horizontal arms for suspending the bag, wherein the bag includes an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, wherein the bag includes tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and wherein the bag includes cuts provided on the handles that form flaps defining outer apertures for receiving the horizontal arms of the dispensing rack. In particular, the cuts on the handles are substantially U-shaped. The bag and dispensing rack assembly may further comprise substantially J-shaped tie tab cuts provided on opposing sides of the bag at the base of the tie tabs, wherein the tie tab cuts define intermediate apertures aligned to receive hooks of the dispensing rack. The tie tabs are preferably disposed on opposing sides of the opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs are coupled to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

A further aspect of the invention involves a bag stack, comprising a plurality of bags, each bag including an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, a pair of spaced apart handles, tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges. The bag stack may be configured to suspend from a dispensing rack, which includes hooks for holding the bag stack together and horizontal arms for suspending the bag. Each bag includes a pair of aligned apertures dimensioned to receive the horizontal arms of the dispensing rack. Each bag includes another pair of aligned apertures dimensioned to receive the hooks of the dispensing rack. The bag stack may further comprise cold pin areas formed in the bag stack for maintaining the bags in the bag stack in substantial registration.

An additional aspect of the invention involves a bag, comprising: front and rear walls, each wall defining left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges, and wherein the front and rear walls further define an upper edge that defines a bag opening for use in inserting items into the bag; and one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, when the bag is filled with contents, the tie tabs can be tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

Yet another aspect of the invention involves a bag stack, comprising a plurality of bags, each bag comprising an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, one or more tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges. The tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs are tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag. The bag stack may also include cold pin areas formed in the bag stack, for maintaining the bags in the bag stack in substantial registration.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a bag in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view the bag of FIG. 1, depicting the bag filled and the bag's tie tabs ready for tying.

FIG. 3 is a front isometric view of a bag stack comprising a plurality of bags identical to the bag of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is front elevational view of the bag stack of FIG. 3, disposed on a dispensing rack.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the bag stack and dispensing rack of FIG. 4, depicting the first bag of the stack open for loading.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a dispensing rack for use with bags in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a plastic bag 10 having tie tabs 12 disposed along an upper edge 14 of the bag. The upper edge also defines an opening 16 of the bag for inserting items into the bag. The tie tabs 12 are disposed on opposing sides of the opening 16 such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs 12 can be coupled to each other, to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag 10. The bag 10 may further include two spaced-apart handles 18, providing a configuration referred to as a “T-shirt” bag.

More particularly, the bag 10 includes front and rear polyethylene film walls 20, 22, respectively, each wall having left and right side edges 24, 26, a portion of the upper edge 14, and a bottom edge 28. Although the upper edge 14 is generally straight in the exemplary embodiment, the upper edge 14 alternatively could be rounded, e.g., including rounded corners, to provide stress relief for the bag 10. The front and rear walls 20, 22 are integrally joined at their left and right side edges 24, 26, and they are secured together at their bottom edges 28. More particularly, in the exemplary embodiment, the bag 10 is formed of a unitary piece of polyethylene film, sealed along a lower seam 30 and two upper seams 32, such that two longitudinally oriented side gussets 34 extend along the side edges 24, 26. In this manner, the handles 18 are configured with two plies of material. The lower seam 30 is disposed adjacent to the bottom edge, and the upper seams 32 are disposed in the handles 18, adjacent to the upper edge 14. In other embodiments, a bottom gusset can be used. Also, in other embodiments, the front and rear walls 20, 22 can be integrally joined at their bottom edges and secured together at their side edges, e.g., via heat seal.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bag 10 is configured to be suspendable from a dispensing rack 36. In this regard, the bag 10 defines apertures for receiving a pair of horizontal arms 44 and a pair of hooks 52 of the rack. In the exemplary embodiment, U-shaped cuts 38 are provided on the handles 18, forming flaps 40 and defining two outer apertures 42 for receiving the dispensing rack's horizontal arms 44. In addition, J-shaped cuts 48 are provided on opposing sides for the tie tabs 12 in support regions 46 at the base of the tie tabs 12. The J-shaped cuts 48 define two intermediate apertures 50 aligned for receiving the dispensing rack's hooks 52. In each support region 46, a frangible section 54 is defined between the upper edge 14 and the upper most portion of the J-shaped cut 48. In other embodiments, the shape of the intermediate apertures 50 can vary, e.g., inverted J-shape, U-shape, L-shape, or any other shape that results in removing the bag 10 from the bag stack and does not adversely affect the bag's integrity.

The bag 10 preferably is formed of a plastic material that is durable and yet cost-effective. In selected embodiments, the bag 10 can be formed of materials and processes disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/644,435 (see, U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2005/0041890), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In the exemplary embodiment, the bag 10 is formulated from high density, high molecular weight polyethylene (about 40-48 wt. %), high density, medium molecular weight polyethylene (12-20 wt. %), linear low-density polyethylene (20-30 wt. %), and color concentrate (0-8 wt. %). In addition, the upper portions of the front and rear walls have been corona-treated.

As seen in FIG. 2, with the bag 10 filled, the tie tabs 12 are conveniently disposed on opposing sides of the opening 16. By tying the tabs together, the user can inhibit the bag's contents from spilling out accidentally. In the exemplary embodiment, the tabs 12 are configured to be tied together; however, other embodiments are contemplated incorporating various other configurations for maintaining the contents within the bag 10. For example, a single tab can be provided along the upper edge on a first side of the opening, a slot having a prescribed configuration can be provided on a second side of the opening for receiving the single tab. In another embodiment, several tabs can be provided on along the bag's upper edge.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a bag stack 56 is shown comprising a plurality of bags 10. During manufacturing, “cold pin” areas 58 are formed in the bag stack 56 for piercing a cold pin transversely through the bag stack 56, for maintaining the bags 10 in the bag stack 56 in substantial registration. In the exemplary embodiment, four “cold pin” areas 58 are formed in proximity to the two U-shaped cuts 38 and the two J-shaped cuts 48. The number and location of “cold pin” areas 58 can vary in other embodiments. In addition, other approaches for maintaining registration of the bags of the bag stack can be used, if desired, or excluded entirely. For example, hot pins can used to pierce transversely through the bag stack 56 for maintaining the bags 10 in the bag stack 56 in substantial registration.

With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the bag stack 56 is configured to suspend from the dispensing rack 36. More particularly, the outer apertures 42 of each of the bags 10 are aligned to receive the dispensing rack's horizontal arms 44, and the intermediate apertures 50 of each of the bags are aligned to receive the dispensing rack's hooks 52. The hooks 52 maintain the bag stack together. In other embodiments, the number and location of supports can vary. For example, a single support alternatively can be provided for supporting the bag stack.

To load a bag 10, the front wall 20 of the outermost bag is pulled forward, thereby detaching it from the hooks 52 and widening the opening 16 for loading. The frangible sections 54 of the front wall can be torn. The bag 10 is positioned in a staging area, suspended from the horizontal arms 44. Once loaded, the bag 10 can be removed from the dispensing rack 36. Friction, e.g., “cold pin” areas, between the loaded bag and the next bag of the bag stack 56, can cause the next bag of the stack to open while the loaded bag is removed. In this manner, the bags of the bag stack 56 are self-opening.

With reference now to FIG. 6, there is shown another embodiment of a dispensing rack 60, in accordance with the principles of the invention. In particular, the dispensing rack 60 includes intermediate hooks 62 formed from a unitary piece. These intermediate hooks 62 are disposed between horizontal supports 64. In other embodiment, the horizontal supports are excluded.

The present invention has been described above in terms of presently preferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed. However, there are other embodiments not specifically described herein for which the present invention is applicable. Therefore, the present invention should not to be seen as limited to the forms shown, which is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A bag, comprising: front and rear walls, each wall defining left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges, and wherein the front and rear walls further define an upper edge that defines a bag opening for use in inserting items into the bag; a pair of spaced-apart handles; and one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge.

2. The bag of claim 1, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, when the bag is filled with contents, the tie tabs can be tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

3. The bag of claim 1, wherein the front and rear walls, the pair of spaced-apart handles, and tie tabs all comprise a thin film of polyethylene.

4. The bag of claim 1, wherein the bag is formulated from: high density, high molecular weight polyethylene; high density, medium molecular weight polyethylene; linear low-density polyethylene; and a color concentrate.

5. The bag of claim 1, wherein the bag is sealed along a lower seam and two upper seams, such that two longitudinally oriented side gussets extend along the left and right side edges.

6. The bag of claim 5, wherein the lower seam is disposed adjacent to the bottom edge and the two upper seams are disposed in the handles, adjacent to the upper edge.

7. A bag and dispensing rack assembly, comprising: a bag having spaced-apart handles; and a dispensing rack including horizontal arms for suspending the bag; wherein the bag includes an upper edge that defines a bag opening, for use in inserting items into the bag; wherein the bag includes tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge; and wherein the bag further includes cuts provided on the handles that form outer apertures for receiving the horizontal arms of the dispensing rack.

8. The bag and dispensing rack assembly of claim 7, wherein the cuts on the handles are substantially U-shaped.

9. The bag and dispensing rack assembly of claim 7, further comprising tie tab cuts provided on opposing sides of the bag at the base of the tie tabs.

10. The bag and dispensing rack assembly of claim 9, wherein the tie tab cuts are substantially J-shaped.

11. The bag and dispensing rack assembly of claim 9, wherein the tie tab cuts define intermediate apertures aligned to receive hooks of the dispensing rack.

12. The bag and dispensing rack assembly of claim 7, wherein the bag comprises front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges.

13. The bag and dispensing rack assembly of claim 7, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs can be coupled to each other, to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

14. A bag stack, comprising: a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, a pair of spaced apart handles, one or more tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges.

15. The bag stack of claim 14, wherein the bag stack is configured to suspend from a dispensing rack, which includes hooks for holding the bag stack together and horizontal arms for suspending the bag.

16. The bag stack of claim 15, wherein each bag includes a pair of aligned apertures dimensioned to receive the horizontal arms of the dispensing rack.

17. The bag stack of claim 15, wherein each bag includes a pair of aligned apertures dimensioned to receive the hooks of the dispensing rack.

18. The bag stack of claim 14, further comprising cold pin areas formed in the bag stack, for maintaining the bags in the bag stack in substantial registration.

19. The bag stack of claim 14, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs are tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

20. The bag stack of claim 14, wherein each bag is sealed along a lower seam and two upper seams, such that two longitudinally oriented side gussets extend along the left and right side edges.

21. A bag, comprising: front and rear walls, each wall defining left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges, and wherein the front and rear walls further define an upper edge that defines a bag opening for use in inserting items into the bag; and one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge.

22. The bag of claim 21, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, when the bag is filled with contents, the tie tabs can be tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

23. The bag of claim 21, wherein the front and rear walls and the tie tabs all comprise a thin film of polyethylene.

24. The bag of claim 21, wherein the bag is formulated from: high density, high molecular weight polyethylene; high density, medium molecular weight polyethylene; linear low-density polyethylene; and a color concentrate.

25. The bag of claim 21, wherein the bag is sealed along a lower seam and two upper seams, such that two longitudinally oriented side gussets extend along the left and right side edges.

26. The bag of claim 25, wherein the lower seam is disposed adjacent to the bottom edge and the two upper seams are disposed adjacent to the upper edge.

27. A bag stack, comprising: a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, one or more tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their bottom edges.

28. The bag stack of claim 27, further comprising cold pin areas formed in the bag stack, for maintaining the bags in the bag stack in substantial registration.

29. The bag stack of claim 27, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs are tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

30. The bag stack of claim 27, wherein each bag is sealed along a lower seam and two upper seams, such that two longitudinally oriented side gussets extend along the left and right side edges.

31. The bag of claim 1, wherein the bag is sealed along the side seams such that a horizontally oriented bottom gusset extends along the bottom edges.

32. The bag of claim 21, wherein the bag is sealed along the side seams such that a horizontally oriented bottom gusset extends along the bottom edges.

33. A bag stack, comprising: a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, one or more tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their bottom edges and are secured together at their left and right edges.

34. A bag, comprising: front and rear walls, each wall defining left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their upper edges, and wherein the front and rear walls further define a bottom edge that defines a bag opening for use in inserting items into the bag; and one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's bottom edge.

35. A bag stack, comprising: a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: a bottom edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, one or more tie tabs disposed along the bottom edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their left and right side edges and are secured together at their upper edges.

36. A bag, comprising: front and rear walls, each wall defining left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their bottom edges and are secured together at their left and right edges, and wherein the front and rear walls further define an upper edge that defines a bag opening for use in inserting items into the bag; a pair of spaced-apart handles; and one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge.

37. The bag of claim 36, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, when the bag is filled with contents, the tie tabs can be tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

38. The bag of claim 36, wherein the front and rear walls, the pair of spaced-apart handles, and tie tabs all comprise a thin film of polyethylene.

39. The bag of claim 36, wherein the bag is formulated from: high density, high molecular weight polyethylene; high density, medium molecular weight polyethylene; linear low-density polyethylene; and a color concentrate.

40. A bag stack, comprising: a plurality of bags, each bag comprising: an upper edge that defines an opening of the bag for inserting items into the bag, a pair of spaced apart handles, one or more tie tabs disposed along an upper edge of the bag, and front and rear walls, each wall having left and right side edges, an upper edge, and a bottom edge, wherein the front and rear walls are integrally joined at their bottom edges and are secured together at their left and right edges.

41. The bag stack of claim 40, wherein the bag stack is configured to suspend from a dispensing rack, which includes hooks for holding the bag stack together and horizontal arms for suspending the bag.

42. The bag stack of claim 40, wherein each bag includes a pair of aligned apertures dimensioned to receive the horizontal arms of the dispensing rack.

43. The bag stack of claim 40, wherein each bag includes a pair of aligned apertures dimensioned to receive the hooks of the dispensing rack.

44. The bag stack of claim 40, further comprising cold pin areas formed in the bag stack, for maintaining the bags in the bag stack in substantial registration.

45. The bag stack of claim 40, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the opening such that, with the bag filled, the tie tabs are tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

46. A header bag with one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge.

47. The bag of claim 46, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, when the bag is filled with contents, the tie tabs can be tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

48. The bag of claim 46, wherein the front and rear walls and tie tabs all comprise a thin film of polyethylene.

49. The bag of claim 46, wherein the bag is formulated from: high density, high molecular weight polyethylene; high density, medium molecular weight polyethylene; linear low-density polyethylene; and a color concentrate.

50. A merchandise bag with one or more tie tabs disposed along the bag's upper edge.

51. The bag of claim 50, wherein the tie tabs are disposed on opposing sides of the bag opening such that, when the bag is filled with contents, the tie tabs can be tied to aid in maintaining the contents within the bag.

52. The bag of claim 50, wherein the front and rear walls and tie tabs all comprise a thin film of polyethylene.

53. The bag of claim 50, wherein the bag is formulated from: high density, high molecular weight polyethylene; high density, medium molecular weight polyethylene; linear low-density polyethylene; and a color concentrate.