PLASTIC BAG OPENER

Abstract

A bag opener device for facilitating the opening of thin plastic bags comprising a pair of arms operative to angularly move toward and away from each other between a closed position and an open position. Each of the arms has a tab on the distal end thereof and a handle portion, and in one preferred embodiment, an inclined surface which is in a plane transverse to the plane of the arms. In use, the arms are squeezed together to cause the distal tabs to engage each other and grip the sides of the plastic bag to be opened and, upon further squeezing of the arms, to cause the tabs to slip relative to each other and thereby cause the bag sides to slide and thereby open the bag.

Description

BACKGROUND

Thin plastic bags are commonly available in supermarkets and grocery stores for use by customers for produce, cheese, and other items. The bags are typically dispensed from a roll from which customers pull a bag and tear it off for use. The bags are often difficult to open by reason of the thin plastic film material from which the bags are made and the fact that when closed the thin material tends to stick to itself making separation of the sides of the bag difficult to open. Customers attempt to open the bag by placing the sides of the bag between the user's fingers, usually the forefinger and thumb, and sliding the fingers together in order to move the plastic sides and break the frictional adherence of the sides. It would be useful to have a tool or implement to facilitate the opening of such thin plastic bags and it is an object of the present invention to provide such an item.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a tool or implement for opening thin plastic bags. The invention is embodied in one aspect as a tweezer-like device having a pair of arms hinged to move toward and away from each other between a closed position and a normally open position. Each of the arms has a tab on the distal end thereof and a handle portion. The tab surfaces may be planar or curved. In one version, at least one of the tabs has an inclined surface which is in a plane transverse to the plane of the arms. When in the closed position, the arms cause the tabs to engage each other and grip the sides of the plastic bag to be opened. Upon squeezing of the arms together by the fingers of a user, the confronting angled surfaces of the tabs slip relative to each other and cause the bag sides therebetween to slide and thereby open the bag. In one embodiment, the arms are formed of a single piece of material which is sufficiently resilient such that the arms can be squeezed together and then upon release opened to a normally open position with the distal ends spaced apart so that the plastic bag material can be inserted therebetween and removed.

In another embodiment, the arms are separate elements which are fastened at one end, and which may include a spring to cause the arms to be in a normally closed position—clothespin-like. Squeezing of the arms against the force of the spring causes their opening. A spring may be utilized in a unitary version of the arms as well.

In other aspects of the invention, at least one of the tabs includes a frictional or furrowed surface which confronts and can engage the surface of the tab of the other arm so that the engaging frictional surfaces grip the sides of a plastic bag placed therebetween and the arms are caused to laterally move by movement of a user's fingers to cause sliding of the tab surfaces and the plastic material therebetween to cause opening of the bag. Usually, each tab has a frictional or furrowed surface, but in some embodiments, only a frictional surface on one of the arms may be sufficient. Preferably the tabs have angled or curved frictional surfaces such that squeezing of the arms together causes the surfaces to slip relative to each other and thereby cause slippage or sliding of the plastic material therebetween. The arms may be molded in a single piece typically by injection molding or may be made of any other suitable material, including plastic, metal or wood. Alternatively, the arms may be separately constructed and fastened or hinged together by any appropriate means. The resulting structure can be similar to a tweezers where the resilient nature of the arm material provides sufficient force to keep the arms in a normally open position. Alternatively, the arms can be fastened together in a manner similar to a clothespin in which a spring mechanism maintains the arms in a normally closed position against the urging of a spring.

The device may be constructed of any convenient size, usually sufficiently small to be readily held and used in a hand of a user and stored in a user's pocket.

The device may be deployed in a supermarket or other store, together with the plastic bag rolls with which they are used so that customers would use the opener available at the store location to provide open bags for later use. However, multiple users handling the same unit may be undesirable for sanitation and health reasons.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described in the following detailed description; in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial view of one embodiment of the invention having angled tab ends;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of another embodiment of the invention having flat non-angled tab ends;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 1 and having handle ends of the arms having a spring to maintain the arms in a normally closed position;

FIG. 4 shows a partial view of an alternative implementation in which the ends of the arms opposite to the tab ends are sufficiently resilient to allow lateral angular movement of the arms relative to each other so that the tabs which engage the bag material when the arms are in a closed position can cause the bag material between the tabs to slip or slide and thereby open the bag; and

FIG. 5 shows a partial view of a variation of the version shown in FIG. 4 in which a pin 50 is placed at the handle ends of the arms to facilitate angular or pivotal movement of the arms relative to each other, under the urging of a user's fingers;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows one preferred embodiment of the invention, and which comprises a U-shaped element 10 which has first and second arms 12 and 14 joined by a U-shaped section 16. Most of the arms 12 and 14 provide a handle portion which can be gripped by the fingers of a user, and which can be squeezed together and released to return to a normally open position as shown. The outer or distal end of each of the arms 12 and 14 include a tab 18 and 20 respectively which are angled in a plane transverse to the plane of the arms. The confronting surface of each of the tabs is frictional or contains a friction pad or material 22 which can engage the frictional pad or surface of the other arm when in a closed position. Alternatively, a frictional surface is provided on only one of the pads.

In use, a user grips the arms and squeezes the arms together to cause the confronting surfaces of the tabs to engage each other and grip the sides of a plastic bag disposed between the tabs. Continued squeezing of the arms together causes slippage of the angled confronting surfaces of the tabs and causes slippage or sliding of the thin plastic material of the sides of the bag which results in the bag being opened for customer use. After the bag has been opened, the user releases the arms which return to a normally open position and at this time the bag can be removed from the arms for use. Movement of the bag material may be enhanced by a frictional surface provided on one or both confronting surfaces of the tabs.

Another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this version the tabs 34 and 36 are flat and do not have angled surfaces as in FIG. 1.

The arms may be formed from a single piece of material, typically molded plastic material, so that the device can be constructed as a single piece to which the tabs are then attached by adhesive or other suitable attachment means. The tabs may be formed integrally with their respective arms in alternative embodiments. Frictional surfaces on the confronting tab can be provided by various means, such as grooves or bumps formed in their confronting surfaces, or bumps or other frictional elements attached to the surfaces such as by adhesive or molding.

In use, the arms 30 and 32 are squeezed together to cause engagement of the confronting surfaces of the tabs 34 and 36 and gripping of the sides of the bag disposed therebetween. In this embodiment, the arms 30 and 32 are laterally moved side to side or longitudinally in the direction of the arms by motion of the user's fingers to cause sliding of the tabs and sliding of the side material of the bags to cause opening of the bag.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 3 which is generally similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1, and which includes handle extensions 40 and 42 of arms 10 and 12 between which a compression spring 44 is disposed. More than one spring may be employed. The arms are in a normally closed position. Squeezing of the handle portions 40 and 42 causes the tab ends to open for insertion of bag material therebetween. Upon release of the handle portions, the tab ends close together and the angled tabs tend to slip laterally to cause bag sides therebetween to slip or slide and thereby open the bag. The arms are opened to remove the bag for use. The spring provides sufficient force to cause slippage of the tabs when the arms are in a closed position. A frictional surface may be provided on one or both confronting surfaces of the tabs.

FIG. 4. Shows an alternative implementation in which the ends of the arms are sufficiently resilient to allow lateral angular movement of the arms relative to each other so that the tabs which engage the bag material when the arms in a closed position can cause the bag material between the tabs to slip or slide and thereby open the bag.

FIG. 5 shows a variation of the version show in FIG. 4 in which a first pin 50 is placed at the handle ends of the arms to facilitate angular of pivotal movement of the arms relative to each other, under the urging of a user's fingers.

The invention is not limited to that which has been shown and described and is intended to encompass the full spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A plastic bag opener comprising: a pair of arms hinged to angularly move toward and away from each other between a closed position and an open position; each of the arms having a tab on the distal end thereof and a handle portion;the arms being operative to be moved to a closed position to cause the tabs to engage and slip relative to each other and cause the bag sides therebetween to slide and thereby open the bag;

2. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 where in the arms are of U-shaped configuration operative to close in response to finger force of a user on the handle portions of the arms and to open in the absence of finger force.

3. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 wherein at least one of the tabs has a frictional surface operative to grip the bag side disposed between the tabs.

4. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 wherein a spring is disposed between the arms to urge the arms to a normally closed position.

5. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 where each of the tabs has an angled surface adapted to engage the angled surface of the tab of the other arm and to laterally slip relative to each other upon squeezing together of the arms.

6. The plastic bag opener of claim 5 wherein each of the angled surfaces has a fictional surface portion.

7. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 wherein each of the tabs has a surface perpendicular to the plane on the arms.

8. The plastic bag opener of claim 7 wherein the arms are operative to move with respect to each other in order to move the tab surfaces and bag material therebetween.

9. The plastic bag opener of claim 8 wherein the arms are operative to move laterally with respect to each other.

10. The plastic bag opener of claim 8 wherein the arms are operative to be moved longitudinally along the axis of the arms.

11. The plastic bag opener of claim 9 wherein the arms are formed from a single piece of material.

12. The plastic bag opener of claim 10 wherein the single piece of material is molded plastic.

13. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 wherein the arms are fastened together at the handle end thereof and wherein the arms are normally open and sufficiently resilient to be pushed together by the force of a user's fingers and to return to an open position when the finger force is removed.

14. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 wherein the tabs each have a confronting surface which can engage a confronting surface of the tab of the other arm; and wherein the arms can be squeezed together to cause the confronting surfaces of the tabs to slide relative to each other and cause the bag sides therebetween to slide and open the bag.

15. The plastic bag opener of claim 1 wherein the handle ends of the arms are pivotally attached to each other to permit pivotal movement of the arms relative to each other.

16. The plastic bag opener of claim 15 having a pivot pin at the handle ends of the arms to permit pivotal movement of the arms.