Patent Application
20240308733
Bag holders, as a patented concept, have been around since at least the 1860's with one of the first issued patents in this area, U.S. Pat. No. 36,328, covering a bag holder for use in agricultural collection. Since that era, patents and publications relating to bags and their holders evolved to cover paper bags used in grocery stores and commercial establishments, as well as at home for refuse, trash, and debris. That transitioned into lightweight and flexible plastic bags, for uses similar to paper bags, but with the added benefit of a comparable degree of waterproofing. Compared to when water gets into a paper bag and quickly spreads throughout it causing it to rip or tear once weight has been added, plastic bags allow a user to merely wipe the moisture away. Within the past several decades, plastic bags of varying material compositions, weights, and designs have been utilized in a myriad of different occupations for a variety of separate uses, such as in the aforementioned grocery and commercial businesses for bagging purchased items, the construction industry for collection of debris and refuse, the agriculture industry for collection of crops, winemaking industry for the fermentation process, and of course the average household where extra bags are usually kept to be used as trash bags, lunch bags, and doggy bags. Recently, however, there has been a push by a variety of environmentally conscious organizations to ban the use of these lightweight plastic bags due to their lack of recyclability causing an abundance of them to dwell in landfills and the ocean. Some jurisdictions have made the legislative move to outright ban the use of such bags and encourage shoppers, instead, to bring their own reusable shopping bags, which are usually made of some heavier plastic or woven fabric material and which collapse or fold down for storage.
As each developmental step in bag manufacturing has occurred, there have been patents and published literature dedicated to new bag holders and support systems.
Beginning with the average paper bag, few patents and publications detail methods or systems designed to maintain an open and upright orientation therefor, since the material used in their manufacturing allows for this already. One such patent, covers a collapsible bag holder meant to be used with ordinary paper bags, wherein U-shaped bag supports comprising parallel side bars joined by a straight connecting bar include bag fasteners on their upper ends that provide all around support of the bag to counter any undue bulging and quick removal without mutilation or tearing. Similar in concept are inventions that comprise a pair of disposable U-shaped (or V-shaped) stiffener clamps that can be mounted over the upper edges of opposing side panels of a paper bag to maintain one specific orientation. Designed to be slightly longer than the length of the side panels of the bag, the invention extends over the bag's side panels to clamp down on and grip the bag's side, thereby maintaining the rigidity of the side panel(s) and open orientation of the bag.
As plastic bags came to be used in addition to, then in lieu of, paper bags, a multitude of bag holders and support systems cropped up for use in commercial establishments as well as for use in households and personal vehicles. A variety of references and disclosed patent documents cover apparatuses created to support plastic bags and keep them upright in an open vertical position while they are filled then removed, mainly through the utilization of support arms or cuff/fold-over regions for the bag's handles and/or upper edge to occupy, respectively. Additional references and patent documents are directed to cover apparatuses or systems that keeps plastic bags open and mounted for use by individuals in their homes, vehicles, or yards for the collection of debris, refuse, garbage, or the like through the utilization of stands, hooks, brackets, and similar structural components. As opposed to systems for keeping flimsy lightweight plastic bags open for the uses mentioned above, several more disclosed patent documents detail the use of separate systems and apparatuses that utilize snap-ring constructions, circumferential strips, and other flexible/bendable means of keeping reusable containers held open or sealed.
Although potentially utilized for different purposes than those stated above, several disclosed patent documents relating to freestanding bags and collapsible containers, carts, and bags are also considered. One such reference covers a freestanding bag of some plastic material that is formed with a triangular bottom fold-in insert, inclusive of sidewalls free of creases, and made from preferably embossed, striated, or quilted double strength material that is specifically patterned in a diamond, hexagonal, brick-wall, or similar stabilizing formation. Another reference claims the use of a collapsible, semi-rigid, spring-reinforced frame covered by a fabric shell formed of flexible panels that includes a drawstring opening and reinforced bottom, which is mainly used as a decoy bag but also resembles other collapsible freestanding bags found in the prior art. While yet another reference covers a container assembly with bendable hinge-less support member that remain upright and resistant to folding/collapse until a threshold force being applied on a diagonally situated support member is reached.
Additionally, several references cover alternative freestanding bags, sometimes referred to as block bottom bags due to the insertion of an element at the base of the bag. One such patent includes a front and back panel connected by lateral seams to form a filling opening, with an inwardly folding base wherein an assembly strip and reinforcing strip are installed in the area of the inwardly folded base and filling opening, respectively. A separate patent publication envisions a stiffening panel element inserted coplanar with the bottom panel with the inclusion of optional additional panels perpendicular thereto, all of which must be removed before the bag can completely collapse. Focusing on effective and inexpensive reinforcement of a bag's bottom area without sacrificing collapsibility, another reference's inventive feature is a pop-out panel secured within the bag to one of its interior walls and so mounted that it will automatically unfold with the extension of the bag to assume an inclined position until a loaded item pushes it the rest of the way down to the bottom. Likewise, another referenced patent employs a pivotally mounted rectangular rigidifying panel that moves, due to a change in air pressure, from a collapsed bag position to a position overlaying the bottom wall of the bag once it has been snapped open.
In addition to block bottom bags, there are a number of disclosed reference documents for systems and methods of keeping creased and pre-folded bags, regardless of their construction material, open and upright solely through interaction with the upper edges of their panels. Specifically, two disclosed reference documents embody inventions having an edge stiffening device wherein individual strips of material are adhesively attached to opposite upper edges of a bag and can be used to give plastic bags a stable edge, which enables the bag's opening to remain open or closed. Another referenced patent comprises a semi-rigid drawstring with a handle and flexible cord (or strap) encased in a hem or within a fold at the upper edge of the bag, all of which allows the bag to be held open while it's either sitting stationary on a surface or suspending from some object. A separate referenced patent claims a soft-sided fabric carryall container that uses longitudinal rigid members (such as dowels) mounted to the upper edges with resilient stiffeners mounted along opposite edges in order to keep the bag in its upright and open position. Yet another patent document describes a stiffening system for a foldable bag wherein two straight flat strips of material are fastened to the upper edge of opposite side panels over the crease line, such that the first portion of one stiffener may be fastened to one side of the crease and the second portion may include a mechanism for attachment to the other side of the crease, potentially through the use of adhesive (like sticky notes), tape, staples, cut-outs, or rivets, as the second portion must be detached prior to the bag being folded down.
Based on the disclosed references discussed above, and in consideration of a reusable foldably-creased shopping bag (also called a bag-for-life), the use of clips, clamps, and any of the U-shaped apparatuses require removal and reattachment every single time they are used, while the use of drawstrings, deformable material, and cuffs/fold-over regions will eventually lead to the wearing out of any such system, apparatus, or components thereof due to the consistently applied stress-strain. Similarly, the use of stiffener components that utilize adhesives to temporarily keep a bag open and upright before unsticking the component in order to fold-down, or collapse, will eventually fail as well due to the wearing out of the component's adhesive capabilities or if too much dust, lint, fabric particles, dirt, etc. coats the adhesive portion.
Additionally, the use of dowels, separate panels, and other insertable components necessarily added in order to maintain an erect and open position, and then removed in order to collapse the bag, are likewise cumbersome and inconvenient. Where block bottom bag mechanisms and elements are utilized successfully in paper bags and some plastic bags, the use of such a component in a cloth, fabric, or plastic reusable bag will likely cause the top to collapse (or fold) inward into a stabilized open bottom, and the user will still find it quite difficult to load the bag since the user would need to use one hand to hold the top open while doing so.
Therefore, in view of all the disclosed and discussed patent documents above, what is currently needed in the art is a system, apparatus, or method of stabilizing a foldable or collapsible bag that is lightweight, simply operated by an individual, and small enough that it may remain attached when the bag is folded-down or collapsed. As has been discussed above, the location of the structure, component, or element at a mid-to-upper edge region of the bag along its creased wall(s) is more likely to result in easier loading and unloading for a user compared to solely utilizing such components or elements on the bottom, or base, of such a bag wherein said user may still be required to hold open the bag during loading.
The present invention relates generally to stabilizing the opening of foldable or collapsible bags, and similar structures, more particularly to mechanically engaging stabilizing devices that attach to bag walls and intersect fold or crease lines thereon and that do not require consistent removal to store and reattachment to use without affecting the bag's collapsibility and compact storage.
In terms of broad inclusion, the general purpose of the present invention is to offer mechanically engageable bag stabilizers capable of simply, effectively, and repeatedly maintaining the upright and open structure of at least the mouth of a foldable or collapsible bag once installed such that a user may utilize both hands to load items into said bag without fear of inadvertent collapse. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide stabilizers that may either be removably attachable or permanently affixable to a foldable or collapsible bag in order to create a stabilized upright and open-mouthed freestanding bag once the user has expeditiously mechanically engaged said stabilizers. These stabilizers may then just as expeditiously be disengaged, or bent while engaged, to allow for the bag to fold-down or collapse without the need for removal.
One embodiment of the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers contemplates the inclusion of at least two tabular members that may be removably attached, or permanently affixed, to one wall of an operably foldable or collapsible bag that is already in a user's possession. In another example embodiment contemplated herein, the manufacturing of a foldable, or collapsible, bag includes the attachment or affixation of the tabular members at their proper location prior to being sold. The present invention may be disposed upon the bag's interior, exterior, or portions of both at a location proximal its mouth (or upper edge) including locations along the upper half of the given bag wall, typically those containing a crease or fold line, when standing upright. In another example embodiment, the two tabular members may be broken into complementary members having mechanically engaging portions such that when the bag has been folded down, or collapsed, the pair of complementary members may lay parallel atop another, either entirely separated or still engaged to one another, albeit possibly through at least one layer of the bag's material. And when the bag is opened, and the invention's components are directed into longitudinal alignment, said pair of complementary members may mechanically re-engage to thereby stabilize the bag's wall and maintain the bag in an open and structurally secure orientation.
In this example embodiment, these complementary members are contemplated as either remaining mechanically engaged or separating entirely into two distinct complementary members upon collapse of the bag. Contemplated embodiments of the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers that are capable of remaining mechanically engaged while the bag remains folded down, or collapsed, may at least include separable hinges and bend-and-snap engageable members.
As it pertains to another contemplated example embodiment, particularly one in which a user opts to affix the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers onto their own foldable bag, the process of affixation simply requires the stabilizers be placed onto one of the bag's walls (typically the one which contains a crease line) such that the meeting point of the complementary tabular members is aligned parallel to the crease (or fold) line and, utilizing one of the contemplated affixation methods known in the art and/or identified below, securely affix the components to the bag. Alternatively, securably removable attachment of said components is also contemplated as it relates to this and all other contemplated example embodiments, wherein the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers may be securably removably attached to a pre-owned bag, some examples of which are described below.
In some of the example embodiments contemplated herein, the individual stabilizers or complementary tabular members, may be rendered of a stiff, flat, and lightweight material that resists deformation, corrosion, and warping in consideration of repetitive use (i.e. repeated stressing-straining or potential use during inclement weather), such as plastic, polymer, metal, alloys thereof, treated wood, or other substances as generally seen in the art that may possess said qualities. As it pertains to another example embodiment that contemplates the utilization of recyclable materials, the composition of the present invention's elements may be capable of being comprised of recycled materials as well as materials capable of being recycled through at least one generally known method.
Relating to aforementioned example embodiments and additional ones contemplated herein, the elements of the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers may be capable of either attachment or affixation to a foldable or collapsible bag already in existence, as well as those that may be manufactured in their entirety from scratch, such that the present invention's components may not require removal and reattachment in between uses, but may instead remain permanently affixed in their position, such as via adhesives (including glues, tapes, or peel-and-stick), sewn threads, rivets, heat transference, or other methods known in the art. Additionally, said aforementioned and otherwise contemplated embodiments may include attachment portions utilizing securably removable fastener elements, such as snaps, slides, clasps, clamps, clips, latches, pins, magnets, springs, or similar structures as known in the art.
In at least one example embodiment contemplated herein, the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers may be comprised of two complementary tabular members such that the first possesses a protruding portion whilst the second possesses a receiving portion, wherein said portions may be brought into close proximity to one another and become mechanically engaged, or otherwise interconnected, with the addition of some force by a given user. In this and additionally contemplated example embodiments, the complementary sections may take on a myriad of shapes, formations, and profiles, while being limited by the overall dimensions of the tabular stabilizer itself. Regardless, said complementary sections are capable of meeting when the foldable or collapsible bag is being opened by a user, and mechanically engaging with one another given the addition of force by said user such that the sections will remain interconnected and/or interlocked due to the effects of friction and tension, thereby keeping the bag from folding down, or otherwise collapsing unintentionally, until the user may reapply said force in the opposite direction to bend or disengage the complementary sections in order to stow, or store, the bag for future use.
Given the sheer variety of potential shapes, profiles, and formations that the complementary protruding and receiving sections may exhibit in any of the aforementioned example embodiments, some examples from the myriad of potentially viable options are depicted in the illustrated Figures below. While the utilization of complementary protrusion and recess portions of the members may allow for open-mouth stability and structural integrity to a user's bag, additional example embodiments may include the disposition of some frictive material along the edges of each stabilizer, such as the addition of some rubberized plastic, polymer, sand paper (or other particulate material), as well as other materials generally known in the art that may be utilized to increase stability and integrity, such as magnets.
Regardless of which embodiment is contemplated, once the complementary tabular members have been separated, with application of force from the user, the foldable bag may then be collapsed along its crease lines without the need to remove or detach either portion of the present invention. In at least one embodiment contemplated herein, the thinness of each member may allow each tabular member to be housed within the bag's folded walls such that their presence may not inhibit storage, or stowing, of said bag for future use.
Another example embodiment contemplated herein may include tabular members of unequal length (or general dimensionality) wherein the longer, or protruding, member may possess a first fastener half whilst the shorter, or recessed, member may possess a second complementary fastener half. When said members are disposed in longitudinal orientation, said fastener halves may mechanically engage to one another thereby maintaining a bag's open and upright orientation. It is also contemplated that these tabular members may be of equal length or dimensionality while the fastener utilized may be one of those aforementioned or otherwise known in the art.
Yet another example embodiment contemplated herein may include the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers as equal in shape and form such that each member may be visually equivalent to the letter I with a base line that has been extended at least double its current length while retaining vertical symmetry (such that a T-rail engagement portion may be formed). Upon one of the tabular member, an open-ended hollow tabular sliding engageable member possessing a complementary recess, or channel, along the central longitudinal axis of its obverse side may be installed. Once said tabular members have been affixed, or attached, to a wall of a given foldable, or collapsible, bag in such a longitudinal orientation that they may meet end-to-end upon opening of said bag, then said tabular sliding engageable member may be utilized to bridge the intersectional divide, thereby mechanically engaging both tabular members and maintaining the bag's open and upright orientation.
In separate but related contemplated example embodiment, the shape or formation of each member may resemble that of the letter H rotated 90 degrees, such that the base portion and the upper portion may be equal in length, while the tabular sliding engageable member's interior recess will be altered, relative to the immediately previous contemplated example embodiment, to complement the increase in length of the upper portion. In regard to the aforementioned two example embodiments, either or both may also include the addition of a slidestop, backstop, or ridge structure at or near the end of the first and second tabular members at a position furthest from the bag's creased line, thereby barring the tabular sliding engageable member from being able to slide, glide, or otherwise fall off the backend.
Another contemplated embodiment, similar to those possessing a slideable engageable member, includes a bend-and-snap engageable member that may include two slideable engageable members having a bendable and snappable length of material connection portion. In this and similar embodiments, each slideable engageable member may be disposed on each tabular member's engagement portion while the length of material connecting them may be able to bend when placed into a parallel orientation, thereby allowing for complete bag collapse, then snap into a stiff engageable member when placed into a longitudinal orientation. Said connecting material may be composed of plastic, polymer, metal, or an alloy thereof that is durable and resilient given the repeated stress and strain of the bending and snapping.
Another contemplated example embodiment, may include portions of the stabilizers as the base portions of clips, wherein each will fold over the mouth of a bag's wall, wherein mechanical engagement may occur on both sides of the bag's wall when the tabular members are engaged. Similar to the previously discussed embodiments, these clips may be attached or affixed to the bag using aforementioned methods.
Separately contemplated, though applicable to all of the aforementioned example embodiments, is the potential coating of any element, component, or member of the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers with etched, embossed, stamped, engraved, or otherwise imprinted designs, decorations, and branding.
Thus has been broadly outline the more important features of the mechanically engageable bag stabilizers so that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better understood. For better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, specific objectives attained by its use, and several non-exhaustive contemplated features or elements related thereto, refer to the accompanying drawings and descriptions.
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular
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Reiterated here, though previously discussed, the materiality of each component is contemplated as durable and resilient enough to withstand the attributed utility in consideration, in some cases, of the repeated stress and strain applied thereto. As such, it is contemplated herein that each component may be formed of one or more plastics, polymers, metals, alloys thereof, treated wood, or equivalent compositions that may withstand the rigors of usage described herein.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/490,338 filed Mar. 15, 2023, the complete subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63490338 | Mar 2023 | US |
