Patent Application
20060163894
The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the carrying, by individuals, of items with handles. For example, when shopping, the purchases made may often be placed in shopping bags that have looping handles.
These handles typically have two ends that are attached to a surface of the bag, or formed from a portion of the bag, in an arching manner to form an aperture through which an individual can place their hand. In order to use the handles, the individual places a hand through the aperture made between the handle and the bag, and lifts the bag by holding onto the handle.
Other such handles are also used for carrying other items. For example, items like five gallon pails and ice cream pails use arching metal or plastic handles that typically arch from attachment points positioned on opposite sides of the item. An individual lifts the item in a similar manner as described above with respect to the lifting of a bag with a handle.
Handles such as these allow for an individual to pick up one or more items through use of one hand. However, the weight of the item is distributed only to the area that is adjacent to or in contact with the handle. Oftentimes, the weight is also distributed more toward the edges of the hand at the area where the handle leaves the confines of the individual's hand. This is typically due to the looping shape of the handle and the generally flat or concave shape of the surface of an individual's palm.
Typically such handles have a small cross-sectional width. Due to their small cross-sectional width, if the item is heavy, it may cause the individual some discomfort when carrying the item. Additionally, even with handles having larger cross-sectional widths, the handles may have an uncomfortable shape that may cause discomfort when carrying the item, especially for prolong periods of carrying the item. This can be especially difficult for individuals suffering from arthritis or having other such ailments.
Further, when an individual is carrying several items with handles in one hand, when the items are set down, the handles typically do not stay together such that the individual can quickly pick the items up again. The several handles often have to be collected by the individual whenever the items are set down.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide hand grips for use with various items having handles. In various embodiments, the hand grip includes an elongate body. The elongate body includes an elongate lumen formed therein for receiving a portion of an elongate handle of an item to be carried. The hand grip can provide a buffer between the hand of the individual carrying the item and the surface of the handle. This can, for example, distribute the force of the item onto a larger area of the individual's hand.
As shown in
The channel can be of any suitable size. For example, in some embodiments, the channel is sized to accommodate a bag handle, such as a handle from a shopping bag, garbage bag, or other such bags used to transport items. In some embodiments, the channel is sized to accommodate a handle to a storage container, such as an ice cream pail, five gallon pail, laundry detergent box, storage box, or other such containers used to carry items. The channel can also be sized to accommodate handles integrated or connected to the item itself, such as to carry a computer or audio component, for example.
The elongate body can be created from a variety of materials including, but not limited to, rubber, plastic, wood, and metal, or a combination of such materials. For example, if a flexible hand grip is desired, rubber and plastic, or a combination including rubber and/or plastic, may be suitable, among other materials. If a rigid hand grip is desired, then wood and metal, or a combination including wood and/or metal, may be suitable, among other materials. Further, in some embodiments, portions of the hand grip can be flexible while other portions are not.
In various embodiments, the hand grip can also have an elongate body with an exterior surface having a number of recesses and protrusions thereon. These recesses and protrusions can provide a surface that can be easier to grip, can be used to provide a surface with more adhesive properties, or provide a massaging or soothing feeling to the hand.
Other types of recessed surfaces can also be used. Examples include a roughed surface, a grooved surface, a dimpled surface, a bumpy surface, a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, and/or other such surface types.
Further, in various embodiments, one or more of the end surfaces of the elongate body can form a transition with one or more top edges of the side surfaces of the elongate body. For example, in the embodiment shown in
The end surfaces can also be designed to extend outward with respect to an axis of elongation of the elongate body. In this way, the end surface can include a lip around one or more of the ends of the elongate lumen. The lip can provide added rigidity to the elongate body, among other benefits. For example, in
Additionally, in some embodiments, the elongate body can include an end surface that is angled with respect to a plane normal to an axis of elongation of the elongate body. In such embodiments, the bottom surface of the elongate body is therefore longer than the top surface. This can be beneficial in providing a hand grip that can bend to accommodate the bending nature of a handle, for example. For instance, in the embodiment shown in
The embodiment shown in
For example, a clothing retailer can provide the hand grips to their customers for free, for a charge, or based upon a sales threshold (e.g., free with $20 purchase), etc. Their customers can then carry their bags (often having a loop style handle attached to or formed from a portion of a shopping bag) while continuing to shop, traveling to their car, and the like. Such embodiments, can be used to promote the merchandise retailer, for example, by being a source of discussion between consumers and an identifier of the source of goods.
The information can be applied directly to the material forming the elongate body and/or can be applied through use of a label or other such information carrying material. Application methods include, but are not limited to, printing, silk screening, embossing, and engraving, to name a few.
In some embodiments, one or more of the sides can have a top edge with each top edge having a surface extending outward therefrom. In such embodiments, the surface extending from each top edge can, for example, be generally perpendicular to a portion of the elongate body forming each top edge.
As shown in the embodiment of
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In various embodiments, the second width can be larger or smaller than the first width. For example, such embodiments can be constructed from a flexible material in which the material can be flexed to change the width of the elongate channel.
As shown in
For example, the transition can be rounded (as shown in the embodiment of
Additionally, the cross-sectional shape of the hand grip of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be of any shape. For example, circles, ovals, and ellipses are a few such suitable shapes for embodiments of the present disclosure.
In the embodiment of
In such embodiments, an elongate channel (e.g., 418) can be positioned near the smaller width (e.g., 438), thereby providing a small entry channel 418 for placing handles into the hand grip, while providing an enlarged interior space 416 therein. In this way, several handles (e.g., with smaller widths than the width 436) can be placed into the hand grip, for example.
In embodiments where flexible materials are used to form the elongate body, or portions thereof, a diameter of the elongate lumen can be reduced by application of force to a surface of the elongate body. For example, when a heavy item is placed into the confines of the elongate lumen of the hand grip, the weight of the item and/or the force of an individual's hand can cause the diameter of the elongate lumen to be changed based upon the force provided to the interior and/or the exterior surfaces of the elongate body. For instance, with respect to the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the hand grip can be designed such that when a handle is placed within the confines of the hand grip, at least a portion of the elongate channel (e.g., 418) closes. For example, with a hand grip made from a flexible material, the material can bend such that at least a portion of the elongate channel closes. In this way, the hand grip can better maintain the handle within the hand grip.
For instance, if the embodiment of
This tendency can be increased through the use of a lip, such as lip surfaces 226 and 227 shown in
With respect to the transitions 542, the elongate body 510 can include a bottom surface 534, a first end surface 521, and a second end surface 522. These transitions, as with transitions 532 can be of any of various types as discussed with respect to the transitions 432 of
Such rounded chamfered or other types of more gradual transitions can be beneficial, for example, with heavy items. For example, a rounded transition's interface with the handle can reduce the possibility of damage to the handle (e.g., cut, worn, or frayed) by contact with the transition. Additionally, some handles may have an arched shape and, therefore, the rounded shape of the transition may be more suitable for use with such handles. Some embodiments can also include an arched bottom surface to better accommodate such arched handles.
As stated above, embodiments of the present disclosure can be manufactured from any number of suitable materials and combinations thereof. Examples of some suitable materials include, but are not limited to, esters, olefins, urethanes, and vinyls, as well as various woods and metals. Among these materials, polyesters, polyolefins, polyurethanes, and polyvinyls, provide examples of materials that can be used to manufacture flexible hand grips, to name a few.
In various embodiments, the hand grip can be made from such flexible materials. When flexible materials are used, the flexible material can flex to better conform to the shape of the individual's hand. The flexible material can act to cushion the handle of the item which can make the item more stable and make carrying the time more comfortable.
In some embodiments, the flexible material can have a soft durometer. Such soft durometer materials can provide additional comfort and cushioning to the interface between an individual's hand and the handle of an item.
Additionally, the one or more materials used to form the hand grip can, in some embodiments, provide a surface that has better adhesion to the hand of the individual. For example, some embodiments can include a surface that is somewhat tacky. For instance some plastic and rubber materials have a tacky type surface, which can be easier to grip than other materials, such as some metals (e.g., polished aluminum). However, the embodiments of the disclosure are not so limited.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that an arrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. Combination of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
The scope of the various embodiments of the invention includes other applications in which the above structures can be used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the invention require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
