Bag Sealing Apparatus
The present invention is a bag sealing apparatus, which allows a user to fold, seal and carry bags including food bags. The present invention also allows the content of the engaged bag to stay fresh and wholesome for later uses. The present invention can be carried to a workplace of the user conveniently with one hand. The bag sealing apparatus is comprised of a bag securing rod and an elongated tube, whereto the bag securing rod is securely engaged. The bag securing rod is engaged to the elongated tube via the engagement of a raised dot on the bag securing rod to a fastener hole on the elongated tube. The engagement of the bag securing rod to the elongated tube allows the bag to be attached to both the bag securing rod and the elongated tube. Thus, the engagement allows the bag to be sealed by the bag sealing apparatus.
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method of sealing opened bags to keep the contents therein fresh for extended periods of time. The apparatus can also be used to seal bags which contain non-edible objects such as toys, school supplies, crafts, and jewelry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMany food products are offered for sale in hermetically sealed bags to prevent the contamination of the products therein, and to generally preserve the quality of the products prior to sale. When a bag is opened by a consumer, the product contained therein is exposed to air, which may progressively degrade the quality of the product. For example, where the product is a food product, an opened bag generally exposes the product to microbial agents such as bacteria that accelerate the decay of the product. The food product may also be exposed to atmospheric moisture that may render the food product less appealing. Alternatively, moisture present in the food product may be lost to the atmosphere, so that the food product becomes dehydrated. As a consequence, it is necessary to reseal a bag after opening in order to preserve the food product.
The present invention is not only used to preserve food products but also to store objects containable within the present invention. The containable objects include, but are not limited to toys, school supplies, crafts, jewelry, and fish baits.
The present invention comprises a handle and a label panel. The handle allows the user to carry the present invention and the attached bag on-the-go and to his or her workplace. In addition to transportability, the handle also allows the present invention to be hooked onto or engaged to a surface with a receiver such as a wall with a nail or anywhere with a hook. Thus, the present invention can be hung and stored. The label panel of the present invention allows the user to place user-generated indicia onto an erasable surface thereof. Furthermore, the label panel also allows the user to imprint any arbitrary trademark, logo and design onto either surface thereof for marketing and advertising purposes. The present invention can be manufactured at various lengths, diameters, and slit sizes for different sizes of bags.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a bag sealing apparatus and a method of use thereof. The bag sealing apparatus comprises a bag securing rod 1 and an elongated tube 5, which the bag securing rod 1 situates therewithin. The bag securing rod 1 is to be engaged to the elongated tube 5. Therefore, the bag securing rod 1 can be sheathed by the elongated tube 5 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
While the slit 7 traverses along the length of the elongated tube 5 opposite to the handle 9, the plurality of ventilation holes 8 traverses laterally through the elongated tube 5. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, there is a plurality of ventilation holes 8 traversing through the frontal portion of the elongated tube 5 as there is another plurality of ventilation holes 8 traversing through the back portion of the elongated tube 5. The plurality of ventilation holes 8 located on the frontal portion of the elongated tube 5 are parallel to the plurality of ventilation holes 8 located on the back portion of the elongated tube 5. The purpose of the plurality of ventilation holes 8 is to push out the air inside the bag while the bag is being slid through the elongated tube 5. In the preferred embodiment, there are four ventilation holes on the frontal portion and the back portion of the elongated tube 5. The number of the ventilation holes required for the present invention is dependent on the length of the present invention as the present invention may be of various lengths to accommodate various bag sizes. Large bags such as those used in containing pet food and lawn care products may need six to eight ventilation holes on both the frontal portion and the back portion of the elongated tube 5. Smaller bags such as cocoa mix or snack bags or seeds may need only two ventilation holes on both the frontal portion and the back portion of the elongated tube 5.
The bag securing rod 1 is situated within the hollow space 6 of the elongated tube 5 in a manner wherein the circumference of the bag securing rod 1 is smaller than the inner circumference of the elongated tube 5 as shown in
Along with the triangular elongated solid body 15, the bag securing rod 1 comprises the raised dot 3, the pull tab 2, and the bent end 4 as shown in
As illustrated in
The bent end 4 gives the user better control in guiding the engaged bag into the hollow space 6 and through the elongated tube 5 via the slit 7. The bent end 4 comprises a ball 16 at a tip thereof. The ball 16 allows the bent end 4 and consequently the bag securing rod 1 to easily glide through the hollow space 6 within the elongated tube 5. Moreover, the ball 16 of the bent end 4 also allows the user to easily glide through the width of a folded bag prior to engaging the bag to the elongated tube 5. In order for the bag securing rod 1 with the bent end 4 to fit within the elongated tube 5, the base of the elongated tube 5 located correspondingly to the bent end 4 has been removed to allow bent end 4 to point toward the slit 7. Moreover, the removed base of the elongated tube 5 allows the bag securing rod 1 to fit concentrically within the elongated tube 5 with both the elongated tube 5 and the triangular elongated solid body 15 being parallel to each other.
Attached to the elongated tube 5 is a handle 9. As illustrated in
Attached above the label panel 11 is the handle hole 10, which allows the user to carry and transport the present invention conveniently with only one hand or one finger. The handle hole 10 also allows the present invention to be carried to the work space of the user and to be hung onto a hook or a nail on a wall. The handle hole 10 further allows the user to control and hold the elongated tube 5 in place while the user is either engaging or disengaging both the bag and the bag securing rod 1 to and from the elongated tube 5 enclosing the handle portion 13 and both ends of the label panel 11 of the handle 9 is a handle grip 12 made of comfortable materials. The handle grip 12 provides extra comfort to the palm of the user while he or she is gripping the handle portion 13 of the handle 9. The handle grip 12 also prevents the sharp edges of the handle hole 10 from cutting into the palm of the user.
The present invention further comprises the method of use thereof. The method of use is initiated by the user folding a top portion of a bag over a body of the bag to create an empty folded space. Then, the user inserts a bent end 4 of the bag securing rod 1 into the empty folded space by gliding the bent end 4 of the bag securing rod 1 through to the other side of a width of the bag so the width thereof completely covers a length of the bag securing rod 1. The user then guides a folded width of the bag past a slit 7 of the elongated tube 5 and into a hollow space 6 of the elongated tube 5. In the process of feeding the folded width of the bag past the slit 7 and into the hollow space 6, the user rotates the bag securing rod 1 axially via the pull tab 2 until the engaged bag is securely attached to the present invention. Afterwards, the user may carry the engaged bag and the present invention via a handle 9. When the user desires to detach the bag from the bag sealing apparatus, the user may remove the bag by pulling and rotating the pull tab 2 axially and pulling the subject bag out from the opposite end of the elongated tube 5. The disengagement of the bag from the present invention involves rotating the bag securing rod 1 axially via the pull tab 2 and pulling the bag away from the bag sealing apparatus. The length of the bag securing rod 1 and the length of the elongated tube 5 are arbitrary as the widths of various bags are also arbitrary. The present invention is convenient for household usage. The sealing effectiveness and performance are dependent on the material, the strength, and the quality of the bag.
The present invention comprises an alternative embodiment. The alternative embodiment of the present invention is similar to the preferred embodiment. Unlike the preferred embodiment, the alternative embodiment does not comprise the handle hole 10, but only the label panel 11 and the handle grip 12 as illustrated from
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
1. A bag sealing apparatus comprises,
- a bag securing rod;
- an elongated tube;
- a handle;
- the bag securing rod comprises a triangular solid body, a pull tab, a raised dot, and a bent end;
- the elongated tube comprises a hollow space, a slit, a plurality of ventilation holes, and a fastener hole; and
- the handle comprises a handle hole, a label panel, a handle grip and an handle portion.
2. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprises,
- the bag securing rod being engaged to the elongated tube;
- the bag securing rod being sheathed by the elongated tube; and
- the bag securing rod being situated within the hollow space.
3. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprises,
- the bag securing rod being engaged to the elongated tube via the triangular solid body;
- the bag securing rod being attached to the elongated tube via the raised dot; and
- the bag securing rod being attached to the elongated tube via the fastener hole.
4. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprises,
- the slit traversing along the elongated tube; and
- the slit being positioned opposite to the handle.
5. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprises,
- the raised dot being positioned on the bag securing rod;
- the fastener hole traversing through the elongated tube;
- the fastener hole being positioned correspondingly to the raised dot;
- the plurality of ventilation holes traversing laterally through the elongated tube;
- the pull tab being abutted opposite to the bent end along the bag securing rod; and
- the handle being attached longitudinally to the elongated tube.
6. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 comprises,
- the raised dot being positioned adjacent to the pull tab; and
- the raised dot traversing through the fastener hole.
7. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprises,
- the handle portion being positioned above the handle hole; and
- the handle grip enclosing the handle portion of the handle.
8. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pull tab can be of any arbitrary shape and design.
9. The method of utilizing a bag sealing apparatus comprises the steps of:
- a) folding a top portion of a bag over a body of the bag to create an empty folded space;
- b) inserting an bent end of an bag securing rod into the empty folded space by gliding the bent end of the bag securing rod through to the other side of a width of the bag so the width thereof completely covers a length of the bag securing rod;
- c) guiding a folded width of the bag with the bag securing rod past a slit and into a hollow space of an elongated tube
- d) carrying the bag and the bag sealing apparatus via a handle; and
- e) removing the bag securing rod from the elongated tube by rotating the bag securing rod axially via the pull tab and pulling the bag away from bag sealing apparatus.
10. The method of utilizing the bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein step c) includes rotating the bag securing rod axially via the pull tab or the elongated tube.
11. A bag sealing apparatus comprises,
- a bag securing rod;
- an elongated tube;
- a handle;
- the bag securing rod comprises a triangular solid body, a pull tab, a raised dot, and a bent end;
- the elongated tube comprises a hollow space, a slit, a plurality of ventilation holes, and a fastener hole;
- the handle comprises a handle hole, a label panel, a handle grip and an handle portion; and
- the bag securing rod being engaged to the elongated tube;
- the bag securing rod being engaged to the elongated tube via the triangular solid body;
- the slit traversing along the elongated tube;
- the slit being positioned opposite to the handle;
- the plurality of ventilation holes traversing laterally through the elongated tube; and
- the handle being attached longitudinally to the elongated tube.
12. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 11 comprises,
- the bag securing rod being sheathed by the elongated tube; and
- the bag securing rod being situated within the hollow space.
13. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 12 comprises,
- the bag securing rod being attached to the elongated tube via the raised dot; and
- the bag securing rod being attached to the elongated tube via the fastener hole.
14. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 11 comprises,
- the raised dot being positioned on the bag securing rod;
- the fastener hole traversing through the elongated tube;
- the fastener hole being positioned correspondingly to the raised dot; and
- the pull tab being abutted opposite to the bent end along the bag securing rod.
15. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 14 comprises,
- the raised dot being positioned adjacent to the pull tab; and
- the raised dot traversing through the fastener hole.
16. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 11 comprises,
- the handle portion being positioned above the handle hole; and
- the handle grip enclosing the handle portion of the handle.
17. The bag sealing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pull tab can be of any arbitrary shape and design.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 16, 2012
Publication Date: Feb 20, 2014
Inventor: Ching Hua WANG (Rolling Meadows, IL)
Application Number: 13/587,653
International Classification: B65D 33/16 (20060101); B65B 51/04 (20060101);