Patent Application
20250121971
The present invention relates to the field of bags, and in particular, to flimsy or smooth-sided bags.
Flimsy bags with smooth, or non-textured, surfaces, for example, pet waste bags, as well as, grocery and shopping bags, are usually made available to users and consumers in a flattened state. For several reasons, not least of which is the smooth nature of the material from which these flimsy bags are made, these bags are not easy to open. It can be cumbersome and time-consuming to open one of these bags, especially when using only one free hand. Flattened bags, and especially pet waste bags, currently available in the marketplace do not sufficiently address the need to easily open these types of bags.
Because the material used in certain types of bags, such as grocery bags, vegetable grocery bags, pet waste bags, etc., typically has a smooth texture and the bags themselves are flimsy, the inability to get a sufficient grip on the bag that is needed to separate the sides of the bag at the opening can present challenges to the person opening the bag. Although, once the sides of the bag are separated and an opening is created, little effort is required to open the bag the rest of the way.
When opening these types of bags with one hand, common problems encountered include that a person's fingers slip on the bag's smooth outer material, or with the bag being flimsy, the bag simply crumples up on itself without opening. Even using two hands to separate the sides of the bag at the opening can have poor results for the same reason. In the case of pet waste bags, it is preferable to be able to open the bag with only one hand and as quickly as possible, since the other hand is often pre-occupied holding a dog leash attached to Fido. However, this same scenario can happen when opening grocery bags and vegetable bags in which to place groceries, produce, etc.
Oftentimes when first attempts to open the bag are unsuccessful, a person will resort to licking their fingers to create the grip needed to separate the sides of the bag. Although licking fingers may be an acceptable solution for some, under certain circumstances, licking your fingers to open a bag is simply not feasible or advisable. For example, consider a dogwalker walking multiple dogs at a time, or multiple successive dogs per day, or wearing gloves in cold weather, or being immunocompromised-all situations where licking bare fingers is not desirable.
In view of the foregoing, and in order to address the difficulty in opening bags made with a flimsy material or bags with a smooth surface, it is an object of the present application to provide a bag that allows a user to easily grip and open the bag with one hand, and a method of manufacture of such a bag.
Referring to the drawings,
As further shown, bag 100 further comprises a tackifier 50 applied to the first side 10 and/or to the second side 20, as shown in
Tackifier 50 provides a tactile feel and grip for the user to grasp and open bag 100. Tackifier 50 may also provide a noticeably different texture than the smooth surface of both the first side 10 and second side 20 of the bag. This feature may assist the user in locating the tackifier 50 area on the bag by touch alone. Another benefit is that the position of the tackifier 50 near the top of bag 100 may also identify the open end of the bag.
As used herein, the term tackifier 50 refers to chemical compounds used in formulating adhesives to increase the tack, or the stickiness of the surface of the adhesive. In a non-limiting embodiment, tackifier 50 may be a resin, a resin mixture, an adhesive, wax, or the like. However, it is contemplated that a tackifier of any appropriate composition may be used herein.
Bag 100 is typically constructed of a material having a smooth, non-textured surface on both first side 10 and second side 20. In some cases, however, first side 10 and second side 20 may be made of different materials with similar characteristics. The structure of bag 100 may also be flimsy and unstructured such that, for example, the bag is easily crumpled and/or twisted up, particularly when manipulating the bag to open it. In a non-limiting example, bag 100 may be made of any thin sheet or film of thermoplastic material, e.g., polyethylene, or other elastomeric or plastic material, suitable for the features described herein and that is able to or capable of accepting application of a tackifier 50 to the material. In other examples, bag 100 may be made from compostable, biodegradable, or other environmentally friendly substance, such as, starch or cornstarch, paper, or similar substances.
In a preferred embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment in which tackifier 50 is applied in a rectangular shape (also shown in
In alternative non-limiting embodiments, tackifier 50 may be applied as a particular shape, such as a circle or oval shape in
As shown in
The tackifier 50 substance is flexible so as not to restrict the folding, rolling, or other shape associated with packaging of bag 100. The peel strength of tackifier 50 should not interfere with unrolling and separating individual bags 100 in the roll of the plurality of bags 200. In some embodiments, tackifier 50 may be clear, the same color as the material used to manufacture bag 100, or any other color.
In some embodiments, bag 100 may be folded prior to packaging.
Generally, first side 10 and second side 20 are substantially similar in material, manufacture, and size, so it is inconsequential to the present application how the bag is folded. Further, whether and how bag 100 may be folded are outside the scope of this application.
It is noted that regardless whether bag 100 is folded or not, it will have at least two sides 10, 20. Referring to
However, in an example, folded bag 600A and folded bag 600B may have a visual or graphic placed on the front side 10A only, the back side 20A only, or partly on the front side 10A and the back side 20A. In that case, the placement of the visual or graphic on bag 100 may be a consideration when determining how or whether it is folded. Nevertheless, the determination of which side is folded over the other, is not within the scope of this application. Further, determining whether bag 100 should be folded, at all, and how it is folded, is also not within the scope of this application.
However, it is contemplated that the number of times bag 100 is folded, and how it is folded, may impact effectiveness of tackifier 50, which, in a preferred embodiment, is provided on at least two sides, including a first side 10 and a second side 20 of bag 100 shown in
In an embodiment of manufacturing bag 100, tackifier 50 is applied to bag 100 during manufacture of bag 100 itself. Manufacture of bag 100 may comprise, in no particular order, preparing bag 100 of a certain size and shape, creating perforations, e.g., in roll of bags 200, printing any logos or designs on the bag 100, folding the bag 100, applying tackifier 50, etc. In an alternate embodiment, bag 100 may already be manufactured and prepared for packaging, and tackifier 50 is applied in a separate process to the bag 100 after it is otherwise prepared for packaging.
In an embodiment, tackifier 50 is applied to first side 10 and second side 20 at the same time. In alternate embodiment, tackifier 50 is applied one side at a time. In the case of folded bags 600A and 600B, tackifier 50 is applied after the bag has been folded. In other embodiments, tackifier 50 may be applied prior the bag being folded. In this embodiment, tackifier 50 may be applied to only one side of the bag since after folding, as shown in
Tackifier 50 may be applied to bag 100 via assembly line mechanism, in which tackifier 50 is applied to each bag 100 by stamping, pressing, rolling, or spraying the tackifier 50 onto each bag 100. In an embodiment, an amount of tackifier 50 is applied as determined to provide a particular size or shape on bag 100.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63413920 | Oct 2022 | US |
