1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of bag holders, and more specifically to the cabinet door mounted holders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cabinet mounted trash bag holding devices or other similar holders have been proposed in various United States Patents. Illustrative arrangements are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,652, Malik, February, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,689, Jones, June, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,478, April, 1988; U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,695, Greenhouse, June, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,385, Breitenstein, February, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,219, Navarro, August, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,378, Plum, October, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,645, Caruso, November, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,553, Bergaila, November, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,212, Monahan, October, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,716, Chan, May, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,717, Stanfield, August, 29003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,241, Kyte, December, 2002; D326752, Griggs, June, 1992; and D510166, Kitchens, April, 2001.
The arrangements of the above prior art patents are listed in recognition of the duty of disclosure of related subject matter, which may be relevant under 37 CFR 1.56.
The arrangements in the above-referenced documents are designed to hold open trash bags for trash collection. However, they target the use of trash bags and fail to efficiently utilize plastic shopping/grocery bags with integral handles dispensed freely to the consumer when buying groceries or shopping at discount stores and other shopping outlets. In addition, many utilize hardware attachments to mount the device on the inside of cabinet doors.
As consumers continue to acquire plastic shopping bags, provided freely with other item purchases from discount or grocery stores, there arises a need to usefully utilize these bags by the consumers.
This bag holder allows the consumer to utilize unused plastic shopping/grocery bags for depositing and collection household trash before disposing into large trash containers. The advantage this invention provides is the simplicity of use while providing savings to the consumer by reducing the need for store purchased trash bags.
This invention has advantages over referenced patents in that it can be freely mounted to the outside of the cabinet door, to the inside of the cabinet door, or can be carried by hand while supporting open plastic shopping/grocery bags looped through the handles and used for household trash collections, or for outdoor collections of objectionable matter such as animal feces.
The present invention provides a bag holder to keep open a plastic shopping/grocery bag provided with integral looped handles, the holder being freely hung over the top of a kitchen-under-counter-cabinet door for depositing trash produced in the kitchen or held by hand and used for depositing animal feces collected from yards by pet owners.
The bag holder of the present invention comprises a U-shaped bracket or handle configured for hanging on top of cabinet doors or held by hand, and a base formed at right angles to the handle and provided with two mirror image extensions or arms designed with specially oriented and configured holding slots for attaching to the bag loops and laterally spaced from one another a suitable distance to form an outwardly open U-shaped space for nesting, supporting and holding open the mouth of the attached plastic shopping/grocery bag when the two loop handles on the bag are engaged and retained by the holding slots, the U-shaped space providing a sufficient opening for users to deposit household produced trash into the bag.
The base and extension arms are integrally formed to form a U-shaped frame, generally coplanar, adapted to be parallel to the ground when in use, and the holding slots on each arm are oriented to open outwardly and face away from the U-shaped space for nesting the mouth of the bag. The holding slots include a rearward L-shaped slot and a forward keyhole shaped slot.
Preferably, an array of first stiffening ribs operate between the base and the handle/bracket to resist flexure and maintain a right angled relation therebetween and a second stiffening rib operates between the base and each extension arm to resist deflection of the bag holding arm due to the weight of the grocery bag. In a preferred embodiment, the first stiffening ribs are L-shaped and the second stiffening ribs are Y-shaped and each includes interconnected first and second rib members, the first rib member extending axially through the arm and between the rearward and forward holding slots thereof and the second rib member extending transversely of the rearward holding slot thereof and terminating proximate to the holding bracket.
The drawings constitute a part of the specification for this invention and will become more fully apparent as this description proceeds with greater detail as referenced in the accompanying embodiments.
Referring now to the drawings,
As shown best in
The bag holder 10 is comprised of a one-piece design including a base 22 having two extensions or beams 24 and 26 and a hanging handle 28 formed onto the base and perpendicular to the two extensions. The base 22 and extensions 24 and 26 are generally coplanar with one another with the extensions 22 and 24 being laterally separated (i.e., spaced apart) a distance sufficient to form with the base 22 a U-shaped space 29 for positioning and supporting the openable end portion of the bag in an upwardly open position.
Each bag support arm or extension 24 and 26 has, respectively, a lateral side 30 and 32, a rearward slot or hook 34 and 36 formed in the lateral side 30 and 32 proximate to the handle 28, and a forward slot or hook 38 and 40 formed in a distal end 42 and 44. The rearward slots 34 and 36 form an L-shaped hook. The forward slots 38 and 40 form a keyhole shape. The handles or loops 18 and 20 are received in the respective sets of slots or hooks, whereupon the extensions 24 and 26 hold the upper end of the bag in an open position and the lower end of the bag hangs vertically downwardly.
The attachment of the bag 12 to the bag holder 10 is illustrated in
The keyhole shaped slots or hooks 38 and 40 have a narrowed inlet at the forward or distal end 42 and 44 of the respective extension 24 and 26 to permit easy axial insertion of the bag handle 18 and 20 into an enlarged rearward chamber of the slot, and captivation therein.
The L-shaped slots or hooks 34 and 36 open on the oppositely facing lateral sides 30 and 32 of the extensions 24 and 26. These L-shaped slots are at the rearward end of the extension, proximate to the base member 22, and include a first portion that is transverse to the keyhole slot at the forward end of the extension, and a second portion that extends forwardly. The L-shaped slots or hooks 34 and 36 allow easy installation and inhibit unwanted withdrawal of the bag handles therefrom.
The hanging handle 28 comprises an inverted squared U-shaped cradle formed by a generally planar first plate 48, attached to and disposed at a right angle to the base 22 and associated bag supports or extensions 24 and 26, a second plate 50, parallel and spaced from the plate 48, and an intermediate plate 52 The handle 28 is adapted to sit atop the top lateral surface 15 of the door 14 in a manner that the plates 48 and 50 are juxtaposed with the interior and exterior surfaces 14a and 14b of the door 14 and the intermediate plate 52 seats atop the door.
Referring to
When the bag holder 10 is mounted atop the door 14, the base and associated bag supports 24 and 26 are substantially perpendicular to the vertical surfaces 14a and 14b of the door and disposed in a horizontal plane. In this regard, the plate 48 is supported against a vertical surface of the door, depending on whether the holder is intended for interior or exterior placement relative to the under the cabinet door.
Referring to
The open position of the mouth of the bag provides an opportunity for a person to pick up pet feces in one hand and deposit into the bag for later disposal.
While the invention has been described in detail on ways of using the bag holder, the use of the bag holder is not limited to these actions as described by the inventor.
Accordingly, various other uses can be embodied by the user as deemed appropriate and still lie within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims.
This invention has advantages over referenced patents in that it can be freely mounted to the outside of the cabinet door, to the inside of the cabinet door, or can be carried by hand while supporting open a plastic shopping/grocery bag looped through the handles and used for household trash collections, or for outdoor collections of animal feces.
Turning to
The bag holder 100 is for supporting a conventional shopping/grocery bag 12 vertically and the mouth at the upper end in an upwardly open position, in a manner as described hereinabove. As above described, the shopping bag 12 is formed of a limp plastic material, upwardly openable to receive groceries and/or other materials to be transported, and provided with opposite loops 18 and 20 which form handles at opposite sides of the top of the bag, which handles are used for carrying and, in the invention herein, suspending the bag from the bag holder.
The bag holder 100 is preferably unitary, such as molded from a polymer or suitable plastic, and comprises a plate member or base 122 formed to include two arms or extensions 124 and 126 for suspending and holding the bag 12 and positioning the mouth thereof in the open position, and a bracket 128 in the form of an inverted U-shape for mounting over the top of a standard door and/or for gripping and carrying by the hand of a user. The base 122 and the arms 124 and 126 are in generally parallel and in coplanar relation with one another, and form a U-shaped frame that is at right angles to the bracket 128. The arms 124 and 126 are laterally spaced from one another, extend from opposite lateral sides of the base member or plate 122, and in combination with the frame, form a U-shaped space 129 that opens outwardly and away from the bracket 128 for receiving and nesting the bag 12.
The extension arms 124 and 126 are generally flat, axially elongated and each has, respectively, an outer lateral side 130 and 132 and a pair of spaced-apart holding slots that form shaped hooks that attach to a respective loop 18 and 20 of the plastic shopping/grocery bag. The holding slots, as described hereinabove, open outwardly and face away from the U-shaped space 129 and the slots of each respective arm are axially spaced relative to one another. Each respective arm 124 and 126 includes a rearward loop holding hook 134 and 136 that is generally L-shaped, proximate to the rearward edge of the base 122, opens outwardly on a respective side 130 and 132, and is oriented, at least in part, to extend transversely and axially relative to the axis of the respective arm. A forward loop holding hook 138 and 140 that is keyhole shaped forms the forward free end 142 and 144 of the respective arm 124 and 126.
The bag holder 100 is preferably provided with reinforcing structure to inhibit the U-shaped holding bracket 128 from flexing relative to the base member 122 and/or cantilevered extension arms 124 and 126 from flexing relative to the base member 122.
As to the former, the reinforcing structure comprises a series of laterally spaced L-shaped ribs 154 that are side-by-side and operate between the forward plate 148 of the inverted U-shaped bracket 128 and the top surface 123 of the base 122. A pair of like configured vertical and horizontally extending axial legs 154a and 154b form each L-shaped rib 154. The vertical leg 154a projects upwardly from the forward end wall 148 of the bracket 128, rises vertically from the upper surface 122a of the base 122, and terminates slightly above a plane including a lower edge 150a of the rearward end wall 150 of the U-shaped bracket 128. The horizontal leg 154b projects upwardly from the upper surface 122a of the base 122, extends horizontally from the end wall 148, and terminates proximate to the U-shaped space 129.
In some applications, the axial legs 154a and 154b may be insufficient to resist flexure. Accordingly, a one-piece panel or web having the shape of a right-angled triangle may replace the L-shaped rib 154.
As to the latter, the reinforcing structure is similar for each arm 124 and 126 but is the mirror image thereof, and comprises a “Y-shaped” rib arrangement that projects, at least in part, from the bottom surface 122b of the base 122 and the respective arms 124 and 126.
Referring to
In a similar fashion, as illustrated in FIGS, 7 and 10, the arm 124 has a first rib member 160 that extends axially between the holding slots 134 and 138, and a second rib member 162 that branches off from the first rib member 160 and follows the contour of the base plate 122, extends in a direction transverse to the axis of the arm 124, and terminates in an end generally aligned with a lateral edge 148b of the forward end wall 148.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the appended claims are intended to include all such changes and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of parent U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/442,783, filed May 30, 2006, now abandoned in which originally filed parent Application the Specification was replaced by a Substitute Specification to obviate informality defects in the drawings and Specification, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2903215 | Metcalf | Sep 1959 | A |
3684225 | Crawford et al. | Aug 1972 | A |
3779496 | Welles | Dec 1973 | A |
4620319 | Sheehan et al. | Oct 1986 | A |
4669689 | Jones | Jun 1987 | A |
4695020 | Collins | Sep 1987 | A |
4923235 | Stewart | May 1990 | A |
5029926 | Dieterich, Jr. | Jul 1991 | A |
5160103 | Breitenstein | Nov 1992 | A |
5222702 | Olmos | Jun 1993 | A |
6098933 | Stein | Aug 2000 | A |
6152408 | O'Grady | Nov 2000 | A |
6488241 | Kyte et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
D471082 | Scola | Mar 2003 | S |
D480295 | Scola | Oct 2003 | S |
6726156 | Scola | Apr 2004 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20080128565 A1 | Jun 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11442783 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 11901896 | US |