Technical Field
This invention relates to fixtures for retail stores, and more specifically to a fixture for holding a paper-type bag open at a bagging station while the bag is being filled.
State of the Art
A bagging station is a fixture in a retail store where purchased items are loaded into bags so the items can be carried out of the store by the customer. Bagging stations are often located at checkout registers where purchased items are paid for. Bagging stations are usually designed to store and dispense plastic bags. Bagging stations that dispense plastic bags will have hooks for hanging the plastic bags from. When paper-type bags are being dispensed at a bagging station instead of plastic bags, it is often difficult to keep the open bag in one place while it is being filled. The hooks used for plastic bags are usually not useful for paper-type bags. The open bag is often placed on the bagging station top surface, but it often slides and moves around unless something is used to hold the bag in place.
Accordingly, what is needed is a bag retaining fixture that can temporarily hold an open paper-type bag in place at a bagging station, keeping the open bag from moving around while it is being filled at the bagging station.
The disclosed invention relates to fixtures for a retail store, and more specifically to a fixture for holding a paper-type bag in place while the bag is being filled at a bagging station.
A bagging station is a location in a retail store where purchased items are loaded into bags so the items can be carried out of the store by the customer. Bagging stations are often at checkout registers where purchased items are paid for. Bagging stations are usually designed to store and dispense plastic bags. The bagging station for plastic bags will often will have hooks and arms for holding stacks of plastic bags, and for hanging plastic bag arms from, to keep the plastic bag open while filling. In some locations and jurisdictions, however, paper-type bags are used instead of plastic bags. A paper-type bag is a bag made of semi-rigid material. Paper-type bags includes traditional brown paper bags, as well as bags made of semi-rigid plastic or composite materials. Paper-type bags often do not hang from their arms, but instead are rigid enough to sit, when open, on their bottom on a flat surface. The term “paper bag” is used throughout this document, but it is to be understood that bags formed of other semi-rigid material such as plastic or composite materials can be substituted for the paper bags described in this document. Some customers and locations prefer paper bags over plastic. Some jurisdictions have ruled that paper bags should be used instead of plastic bags. Environmental laws or restrictions can often dictate that paper bags be used in retail stores instead of plastic bags.
In order to make bagging stations work well with paper bags, it is desirable to have a bag retaining fixture that will hold an open paper bag on the bagging station while the bag is being filled. Described herein is a bagging station that uses a bag retaining fixture. The bag retaining fixture holds open paper bags at the bagging station so the paper bags can be filled without the bag moving or falling off the bagging station. The bag retaining fixture includes an elongate rod and a roller wheel that slides onto the elongate rod and rotates on the elongate rod. The bag retaining fixture is coupled to the bagging station. The elongate rod, with the roller wheel slid onto the elongate rod, is coupled to a side of the bagging station such that the elongate rod with roller wheel captures a side of a paper bag between the roller wheel and the side wall of the bagging station. The bagging station can have a number of bag retaining fixtures coupled to it, so that a number of bags can be held open at a time and filled with purchased items. The described bag retaining fixture can be used with any bag with a side that can be held between the bag retaining fixture and a wall of the bagging station. The bag retaining fixtures keep paper bags in place at the bagging station, allow bagging station carousels to rotate without throwing off the open paper bags, and keeps bagging stations neat and useful with paper bags as well as plastic bags.
Bagging station 108 is a carousel-type bagging station that is often used at a checkout register of a retail store for bagging items that have been purchased in the retail store. Bagging station 108 includes a bagging station carousel 102 that includes a rotating platform 101 and a center section 103 with three side walls, including side wall 170 and side wall 171. Bagging station 108 also includes at least one bag 174 positioned on carousel 102. Center section 103 has a cabinet 172 for holding a stack of paper bags 176, in this embodiment. Bagging station 108 includes at least one bag retaining fixture 110 coupled to one of the side walls 170 or 171. Center section 103, in this embodiment, has a number of bag retaining fixtures 110 on its side walls 170 and 171, as shown in
Each bag retaining fixture 110 is coupled to a side wall 170 or 171 of bagging station 108, as shown in
Bag retaining fixture 110 includes elongate rod 112 and roller wheel 114, as shown in the figures. Roller wheel 114 is coupled to elongate rod 112. Roller wheel 114 is a slidable roller wheel 114 because roller wheel 114 slides onto elongate rod 112 to couple roller wheel 114 to elongate rod 112. Also, roller wheel 114 slidingly rotates on elongate rod 112 once roller wheel 114 is slid onto elongate rod 112. Roller wheel 114 sliding onto elongate rod 112 means that elongate rod 112 extends through an axle hole 117 in roller wheel 114 (see
Roller wheel 114 has a roller wheel diameter 115 (
Elongate rod 112 has an elongate rod first end 116 and an elongate rod second end 118. Elongate rod first end 116 and elongate rod second end 118 are both coupled to a side wall 170 or 171 of bagging station 108, as shown in
Elongate rod 112 is divided into several sections, with bends between the sections that help shape elongate rod 112 to hold bags 174 on bagging station 108. Elongate rod 112 has a first end portion 120 and a second end portion 124, see
First end portion 120 extends from elongate rod first end 116 to a first leg portion end 182, as shown in
Second end portion 124 extends from elongate rod second end 118 to a second leg portion end 184, as shown in
Elongate rod 112 also has a first leg portion 136, a second leg portion 138, and a bag retaining section 130, see
First leg portion 136 extends from first leg portion end 182 to a bag retaining section first end 132, see
Bag retaining section 130 extends from bag retaining section first end 132 to bag retaining section second end 134, see
Bag retaining section 130 is divided into several different lengths of elongate rod 112. Bag retaining section 130 includes a first extension arm 140, a second extension arm 160, a first roller arm 144 and a second roller arm 154, and a roller axle 150. Roller wheel 114 is coupled to, and rotates around, roller axle 150, as shown in
First extension arm 140 is coupled to first leg portion 136. First extension arm 140 extends from bag retaining section first end 132 to a first roller arm first end 142. First extension arm 140 forms a first leg angle 137 (
Second extension arm 160 is coupled to second leg portion 138. Second extension arm 160 extends from bag retaining section second end 134 to a second roller arm first end 156. Second extension arm 160 is coupled to second roller arm first end 156 off a second roller arm 154. Second extension arm 160 forms a second leg angle 139 (
First roller arm 144 is coupled to first extension arm 140. First roller arm 144 extends from first roller arm first end 142 to first roller arm second end 146 (
Second roller arm 154 is coupled to second extension arm 160. Second roller arm 154 extends from second roller arm first end 156 to second roller arm second end 152. Second roller arm 154 forms a second roller arm angle 157 (
Roller axle 150 is a straight section of elongate rod 112 that extends from first roller arm second end 146 to second roller arm second end 152. Roller wheel 114 is coupled to roller axle 150. Roller axle 150 extends through axle hole 117 in roller wheel 114 such that roller axle 150 acts as an axle to roller wheel 114. Roller wheel 114 rotates about roller axle 150. Roller axle 150 forms a first roller axle angle 147 between roller axle 150 and first roller arm 144. In this embodiment, roller axle 150 is perpendicular to first roller arm 144, and so first roller axle angle 147 is a 90 degree angle. In some embodiments, first roller axle angle 147 is between 85 and 135 degrees. Roller axle 150 forms a second roller axle angle 149 between roller axle 150 and second roller arm 154. In this embodiment, roller axle 150 is perpendicular to second roller arm 154, and so second roller axle angle 149 is a 90 degree angle. In some embodiments, second roller axle angle 149 is between 85 and 135 degrees. Roller axle 150, in this embodiment, is parallel to first leg portion 136 and second leg portion 138, but this is not meant to be limiting.
In the embodiment of bag retaining fixture 110 shown in the figures, first leg portion 136, first extension arm 140, second extension arm 160, and second leg portion 138 each lie in a first plane 162, as shown in
A bagging station has been shown and described that holds bags for filling with purchased products. The bagging station holds paper bags instead of the traditional plastic bags used by many retail stores. The bagging station holds paper bags because the bagging station includes a bag retaining fixture that can hold paper bags instead of hooks for holding plastic bags. The bag retaining fixture includes an elongate rod and a roller wheel. The roller wheel is coupled to the elongate rod and rotates on the elongate rod. The elongate rod acts as an axle for the roller wheel. The elongate rod is bent or otherwise formed into several different portions that help to hold paper bags at the bagging station. The elongate rod is coupled to a side wall of the bagging station. The elongate rod biases the roller wheel against the side wall. A side of a paper bag placed between the roller wheel and the side wall holds the paper bag in position on the bagging station so the bag can be filled with purchased items, then removed to be carried out of the store.
The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above.
This invention claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/577,433, filed Oct. 26, 2017, and entitled “Bag Retaining Fixture”, which is incorporated entirely herein by reference.
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