Patent Application
20240409263
The disclosure relates to garbage bag devices and more particularly pertains to a new garbage bag device for holding a garbage bag open for filling the garbage bag with garbage. The device includes a pair of arms hingedly attached together which can be inserted into a band opening in a neck of a garbage bag. The arms are positionable in a deployed position to hold the neck of the garbage bag open and the device includes a latch that is positionable in a locked position for retaining the arms in the deployed position.
The prior art relates to garbage bag devices including a variety of trash bag holder devices for holding a trach bag open which each includes a gripping mechanism that is attachable to an outside of a trash bag for holding the trash bag open. In no instance does the prior art disclose a garbage bag opener that includes a pair of arms that are insertable into a neck of a garbage bag for holding the neck open.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pair of arms hingedly coupled together for inserting into a band opening in a neck of a garbage bag. The pair of arms is positionable in a deployed position to hold the garbage bag open for receiving garbage. A pair of pins is each attached to a respective one of the pair of arms and a latch is rotatably attached to a respective one of the pair of pins. The latch is positionable in a locked position to engage the other of the pair of pins when the arms are in the deployed position for retaining the pair of arms in the deployed position. The latch is positionable in an unlocked position to disengage the other of the pins to facilitate the pair of arms to be positioned in the stored position.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the pair of arms 12 has a first end 20, a second end 22 and an outer surface 24 extending between the first end 20 and the second end 22 and the outer surface 24 has a front side 26 and a back side 28. The first end 20 of each of the pair of arms 12 is positioned adjacent to each other. Additionally, the second end 22 of each of the pair of arms 12 is rounded to inhibit catching on the garbage bag 18 when the pair of arms 12 is inserted into the band opening 14 in the neck 16 of the garbage bag 18. A cylinder 29 may be attached to the second end 22 of each of the arms 12 to facilitate the second end 22 to be rounded. Each of the arms 12 may have a length ranging between approximately 25.0 cm and 35.0 cm.
A hinge 30 is included which has a first panel 32 that is hingedly coupled to a second panel 34. Each of the first panel 32 and the second panel 34 lies against the back side 28 of the outer surface 24 of a respective one of the arms 12 having each of the first panel 32 and the second panel 34 being attached to the back side 28. The first end 20 of each of the pair of arms 12 abuts each other when the pair of arms 12 is in the deployed position. The second end 22 of each of the pair of arms 12 is spaced apart from each other when the pair of arms 12 is in the stored position.
A pair of grips 36 is provided and each of the grips 36 is attached to a respective one of the pair of arms 12. Each of the grips 36 has a coupled surface 38, an exposed surface 40 and a primary end 42 extending between the coupled surface 38 and the exposed surface 40. The coupled surface 38 of each of the pair of grips 36 is coupled to the front side 26 of the outer surface 24 of the pair of arms 12. The primary end 42 of each of the pair of grips 36 abuts each other when the pair of arms 12 is in the deployed position.
A pair of pins 44 is each attached to a respective one of the pair of grips 36. Each of the pins 44 has a stem 46 extending away from the exposed surface 40 of a respective one of the grips 36 and a head 48 that is spaced from the exposed surface 40 of the respective grip 36. A latch 50 is provided and the latch 50 is rotatably attached to a respective one of the pair of pins 44. The latch 50 is positionable in a locked position to engage the other of the pair of pins 44 when the arms 12 are in the deployed position for retaining the pair of arms 12 in the deployed position. Conversely, the latch 50 is positionable in an unlocked position to disengage the other of the pins 44 to facilitate the pair of arms 12 to be positioned in the stored position.
The latch 50 has a closed ring 52 extending around the stem 46 of the respective pin 44 and a finger 54 extending away from the closed ring 52. The finger 54 has a distal end 56 with respect to the closed ring 52. Furthermore, the finger 54 has a curve 58 adjacent to the distal end 56 such that the distal end 56 is directed toward the closed ring 52. The curve 58 extends around the stem 46 of the other of the pins 44 when the latch 50 is positioned in the locked position.
In use, the second end 22 of each of the pair of arms 12 is inserted into the band opening 14 in the neck 16 of the garbage bag 18 and the pair of arms 12 is positioned in the deployed position to hold the neck 16 of the garbage bag 18 open. Additionally, the latch 50 is moved into the locking position to retain the arms 12 in the deployed position. In this way the garbage bag 18 can be filled with garbage without requiring a person to hold the garbage bag 18 open. The latch 50 is moved into the unlocking position and the arms 12 are moved out of the deployed position to facilitate the pair of arms 12 to be removed from the band opening 14.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, device and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
