Supply roll of bags and verified quantity and use thereof

Abstract

For plastic bags put up as a supply roll from which the bags are detached one-at-a-time from a free end thereof in the bagging of dry cleaned garments to obviate soilage during transit to the customer's home, the sequential numbering of the bags in the supply roll to verify the starting quantity and usage at the bagging site.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in the practice of bagging with plastic dry cleaned garments and like articles to minimize soilage during transit from the dry cleaning facility to the user's home, as well as providing this function also during home storage of the dry cleaning and, as is also common, packing the dry cleaning preparatory to a vacation trip.

EXAMPLES OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] To preserve the dry cleaned condition of objects, and primarily of clothing, it is prepared for transit at the dry cleaning facility for transit home by enclosure in a plastic bag removed from the free end of a plastic tube put up in a supply roll, the bag for this end use being removed in sequence one bag at a time. This practice is well documented in the patented literature, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,990 for “Rolled Garment Holding Bag Material” issued to Robin on Jul. 6, 1971 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,773 for “Bag and Bag Supply” to Jelling et al. on May 4, 1965, to mention but a few. This practice thus uses to advantage the plastic construction material of the bag to minimize soilage, but little else such as, for example, any utility that can be derived from the manner in which the bagging procedure is implemented.

[0003] Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.

[0004] More particularly, it is an object to also use to advantage the one-bag sequential removal of the bags during the preparation of the dry cleaning for transit to provide useful business information to the proprietor of the dry cleaning facility, all as will be better understood as the description proceeds.

[0005] The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a floor-rack bag dispensing apparatus with bag spreading elements for use with a bag supply provided in accordance with the invention;

[0007] FIG. 2 is a section, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of flatted tubing, the seams and tear lines thereof; and

[0009] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bag producing machine.

[0010] The invention, as will be better understood as the description proceeds, is a covering in a bag configuration 10 primarily for clothing items 12 to prevent soilage during transit and storage which initially, as noted in FIG. 1, is an elongated tube 14 of a selected length of plastic construction material having transverse lines of perforations, individually and collectively designated 32, at spaced apart intervals, as noted at 16, lengthwise of the elongated tube 14 delimiting bag lengths identified by the intervals' designation 16, sequentially numbered, either in ascending or descending order, in what will be understood to be in hundredths' denominations, as permitted by a selection of the length of the elongated tube 14. Custom in the trade is to provide approximately 400 bags per elongated tube 14. At a site of manufacture, such as illustrated in FIG. 4, the sequential numbers are applied, as at locations 114, on each bag 10. The thusly numbered bags 10 are then put up in a supply roll 54 and sent to a purchaser thereof at a dry clearing facility, as illustrated in FIG. 1, at which the bag lengths 16 are detached one at a time from a free end 22 of the supply roll 54 along a line of perforations 32 incident to placement in covering relation over an item of clothing 12 and the number of thusly used bags 10 readily calculated by the number 24 applied to the next to be detached bag 10.

[0011] By virtue of the sequentially numbering of the bag lengths as just described, at the end of the supply roll 20, the bags should correspondingly have imprinted high numbers thereon reflecting their position at the end of the strip or tube, and assuring the dry cleaner that he/she was supplied with the quality of bags paid for. Additionally, by keeping track of the number of the bags used, the proprietor obtains a gauge of the business activity that may be useful, particularly when the business is entrusted to another during a period when the proprietor is not on the premises.

[0012] For completeness sake, it is noted that the apparatus employed with the numbered bags is illustrated in FIG. 1. It employs a bag supply in the form of a continuous series of bags defined or formed in a pliable, flatted tubing.

[0013] Such a flatted tubing is illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein the front and back plastic walls 30, fabricated for example of pliable polyethylene and having a normal thickness of several ten-thousandths of an inch, are arranged in substantially parallel, opposed face-to-face proximate relationship.

[0014] This tubing is provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced alignments or transverse lines 32 of perforations which constitute tear lines and divide the tubing into a sequence of separable sections or bags having, for example, leading edges L and trailing edges T. The alignments 32 are preferably arranged perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tubing and with respect to the lateral extremities or edges 34 and 36 thereof.

[0015] Adjacent each of the tear lines are provided seams 38 and 40 extending from positions 42 and 44 respectively which are equidistantly spaced on opposite sides of the center axis of the tubing. The seams which may be formed by heat sealing and like techniques extend, for example, in angular disposition with respect to the aforesaid tear lines to the lateral extremities 34 and 36 of the tubing, The seams provide for closing one end of the associated bag and eventually come to bear against the articles being covered such as, for example, against the shoulders of a suit jacket or the like.

[0016] The seams 38 and 40 are provided with openings 46 and 48 that are approximately as wide as the distance between portions 42 and 44. These openings are preferably equidistant from the center axis of the tubing and further are preferably spaced by equal distances from the lateral extremities 34 and 36.

[0017] The tubing of FIG. 3 is generally supplied in the form of a roll such as indicated in the form of rolls 50, 52 and 54 of FIG. 1. Each roll such as, for example, roll 54, is mounted on a horizontal shaft 56 having a supporting spool 58 thereon. The rolls are mounted and retained in horizontal disposition by a floor rack or frame 60 that may assume various forms.

[0018] The frame illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises generally two vertical rods 62 and 64, which, together with angled rods 66 and 68, constitute the four legs of the structure, these legs being connected by horizontal bars 70, 72, 74, and 76. The respective shafts of rolls 50, 52 and 54 are mounted in horizontal disposition on elements 66 and 68 whereby a horizontal axis of rotation is provided for each of these rolls.

[0019] The flatted tubing 78 drawn from the roll 54 for use is passed between guide bars or rollers 80 and 82 and then between guide bars or rollers 84 and 86.

[0020] Guide bars 84 and 86 between which passes the flatted tubing 78 are the terminal guide members engaging the flatted tubing before the latter is applied to an article to be covered. These terminal guide elements 84 and 86 are superposed with respect to a vertical post 88 which, by means of a bracket 90 attached to horizontal rod 74, is fixed in position relative to frame 60. Post 88 is provided with a grooved, adjustable head 92 adapted to receive the hook of a hanger 9 (shown in phantom lines) and which when fixed in position defines a bagging zone or station.

[0021] Two spreading elements 94 and 96 are provided which are enveloped by the tubing 78 and which operate to spread the leading edge or mouth of the bag which is next sequential to the bag being applied to an article suspended by post 88.

[0022] Spreading elements 94 and 96 are spaced apart at a predetermined distance corresponding to the distance between openings 46 and 48 in seams 38 and 40 in FIG. 3. The bottom extremities of elements 94 and 96 are spaced above head 92, but by no more than the length of a single bag.

[0023] The application of the flatted tubing 78 to the spreading elements 94 and 96 is best seen in FIG. 2 wherein the tubing and spreading element 94 are shown in section.

[0024] In FIG. 2 it is seen that tubing 78 consists of opposed and intimately adhering walls 98 and 100 where said tubing approaches the upstream extremity of the spreading element.

[0025] The upper extremity 102 of each spreading element is shaped in the form of a hook by means of which the spreading element is suspended from the guide bar 82 in floating relation. The terminal portion or upstream end of the spreading element is provided with a smooth or bulbous protrusion 104 consisting of two hemispheres 106 and 108 fastened by a pin 110 to said upstream end. The purpose of the bulbous protrusion is to avoid contacting the tubing 78 with sharp or rough edges whereby said tubing may be torn.

[0026] A straight intermediate portion 112 of each spreading element depends downwardly from the hook shaped portion 102, said intermediate portion terminating downstream in a bifurcated structure 114 (FIG. 2) consisting of diverging legs 116 and 118 which constitute with portion 112 an inverted Y-shaped structure. Said legs terminate in respective arcuately shaped portions 120 and 122 which are toed-in to avoid endwise engagement with the walls of the aforesaid tubing.

[0027] In operation, flatted tubing 78 is drawn from roll 54 and is passed over the upstream bulbous ends 104 of the spreading elements 94 and 96 and is then drawn along said spreading elements in enveloping relationship with respect thereto between guide rollers 80 and 82 and thence between guide rollers 84 and 86. The tubing is then drawn over the bifurcated structure 114 of each of spreading elements 94 and 96 and is drawn towards the bagging station.

[0028] A garment, for example, supported on a hanger is suspended from means 92 on post 88 in position for a bagging operation. The tubing is drawn downwardly over said garment and hanger, the hook of which passes between positions 42 and 44 (FIG. 3) of the foremost bag. At the same time, spreading elements 94 and 96 pass through openings 46 and 48 and enter into the leading edge of the next successive bag. With seams 38 and 40 seating against the garment which is being covered, the spreading elements 94 and 96 are in such a position in the next successive gag as to maintain the leading edge or mouth thereof in opened condition when the foremost bag is detached along the corresponding tear line. The garment can then be removed and the leading edge of the next successive bag readily engaged by the operator since the walls 98 and 100 are spread apart as is indicated generally in FIG. 1 although in operation this leading edge would of course be in much loser proximity to the bagging station.

[0029] The numbering of the bags 10 is preferably done at the site of manufacture of the elongated tube 14, a site at which the tube 14 is also put up as a supply roll 54 and thusly readied for shipment to the site of use (FIG. 1) for use, as previously described, on the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 to produce a numbered bagged garment as illustrated in FIG. 3. Any one of several bag-producing machines are commercially available for use at a site of manufacture (FIG. 4), but for completeness sake it is noted, with reference to FIG. 4, the preferred use of a bag making machine 126 as shown therein. A supply roller 127 of a synthetic plastic web lies on a unwinding block 128. The web 110 passes over a compensating swinger 129 with a deflecting roller 130 further over a stationary deflecting roller 131 to the printing marks supplying device 114. The device 114 separates the segments 120 with the printing marks 24 from the printing marks strip 116 and attaches them to the web 110. The printing marks supplying device 114 is provided before the pair of pulling rollers 113, 113a considered in the movement direction 132 of the synthetic plastic web. The pulling roller 113 is driven and controlled by a chain of the printing marks supplying device. FIG. 4 shows the printing mark which is, of course, the previously described number 24 in sequence after the previously applied mark.

[0030] While the sequentially numbered dry cleaning-protecting plastic gags, as well as their method of use herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A covering in a bag configuration primarily for clothing items to prevent soilage during transit and storage comprising initially an elongated tube of a selected length of plastic construction material, transverse lines of perforations at spaced apart intervals lengthwise of said elongated tube delimiting bag lengths in hundredths' denominations as permitted by a selection of said length of said elongated tube, numbers applied to said bag lengths in sequential numerical order, and said numbered elongated tube put up in a supply roll, whereby said bag lengths are detached one at a time from a free end of said supply roll along said line of perforations incident to placement in covering relation over an item of clothing and the number of thusly used bags denoted by the number applied thereto.