Reinforced plastic sheet utility bag
A structurally enhanced plastic bag, comprising front and back plastic sheets interconnected along side edges and along a bottom edge, the sheets having unconnected top edges, at least one top edge defining an undulant upward protrusion along edge medial extents, the two sheets defining at least one transverse medial opening intersecting a portion of the protrusion to define a handle between the upper edge of the protrusion and the opening, and a structural plastic sheet patch bonded to at least one of the front and back sheets and extending proximate the transverse medial opening, and in upward alignment with the handle.
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This invention relates generally to plastic bags, and more particularly to structural enhancement of plastic bags having handles consisting of thin plastic sheet material.
Plastic bags, as for example are used for shopping purposes, typically have elongated, narrow strips of plastic handle material. Such material deforms into long narrow configurations, when such bags are filled and picked up for transport. The strips deformed into narrower configuration, are uncomfortable to handle since their narrow configurations tend to bite into the user's hand or hands. There is need for overcoming these disadvantages, and there is also need for improvements in bag and handle enhancement configurations which ease the transport of filled bags, and which also strengthen such bags without unduly adding to bulk of plastic bag material which is environmentally objectionable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is a major object of the invention to provide an enhanced plastic bag overcoming the above problems and disadvantages. Basically, the structurally enhanced plastic bag now provided by the invention comprises:
a) front and back plastic sheets interconnected along side edges and along a bottom edge, the sheets having unconnected top edges,
b) at least one top edge defining an undulant upward protrusion along edge medial extents,
c) the two sheets defining at least one transverse medial opening intersecting a portion of the protrusion to define a handle between the upper edge of the protrusion and said opening,
d) and a structural plastic sheet patch bonded to at least one of the front and back sheets and extending proximate said transverse medial opening, and in upward alignment with said handle.
In this regard, it is important that each sheet have its own handle, including spaced handle arms, and patch reinforcement of such arms.
As will be seen, the plastic sheet patch is confined to an area of the flat sheet bag side which is less than ⅓ of the total side area, thereby providing structural strength and stability, without interfering with bag use including flexibility, and without adding unduly to total plastic bag sheet volume or area, for environmental compliance.
It as another object of the invention to configure the improved plastic bag in such manner that the transverse opening has a cross dimension of at least 4 centimeters, and preferably between 4 and 5 centimeters in the bag with direction.
A further object is to configure the structurally enhanced bag so as to locate the bulk of the sheet patch between lowermost and uppermost levels of the transverse opening. In this regard, the bulk of the sheet patch in one configuration lies between a lower level below the lowermost level of said opening, and an upper level above the uppermost level of said opening.
Yet another object is to structurally configure the plastic bag so as to locate the upper protrusion defined by said one of the front and back sheets has laterally spaced angled upper edges in lateral alignment with uppermost extent of the sheet patch. In this regard the laterally spaced upper edges typically extend angularly toward uppermost extent of the protrusion and above the sheet patch for optimum strength of the improved bag and handle.
An added object is to provide an undulant or wavy laterally extending uppermost edge, for added structural strength, distributing loading between the handle and bag front and back sheets.
Additional objects include provision of sheet patch glue bonding to one of the sheets, everywhere at one side of the sheet patch; provision of two of the sheet patches respectively bonded to the two sheets at the inner sides thereof that face the bag interior; provision of sheet patch translucence in matching relation to translucence of the two bag sheets for concealment of the sheet patches at the inner sides of the two sheets; and provision of sheet patch laterally lengthwise extent throughout the laterally length dimensions of both said transverse opening and the major lateral length of the undulant top edge forming handle or handles of the two sheets.
A yet further object is to provide the plastic bag to have bag folded bottom sheet edge area wall thickness to substantially increase overall bag wall thickness along its bottom edge for enhanced load carrying structural strength, directly below the handle wavy top edge and below the strength enhancing sheet patch or patches, as referred to.
Another object is to provide bag handle left and right upright extents to which the patch is bonded generally laterally of said opening.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which:
Referring first to
Of importance is the provision of a structural plastic sheet patch 30 everywhere surface-to-surface bonded, as for example by glue or adhesive, or heat sealed, at interface 35 to at least one of the front and back sheets, and to extend proximate the transverse medial opening 19, and in upward alignment with the handle 20. Note that the patch is generally rectangular, having upper and lower edges 31 and 32, and laterally spaced edges 33 and 34 proximate the concave edges 16 and 17 of the two sheets. Upper edge 31 extends above the levels of 16 and 17 and laterally intersects the convex top edge 18. Preferably two such patches are provided, at the inner sides of the two sheets and handles. They provide reinforcement for loading imposed by carried goods, along two patches indicated by arrows 37 and 38, as when upward force is manually transmitted at 39. Such load transition paths extend laterally as well as downwardly.
In
Further, the two sheets 11 and 12, and the patch 30 may consist of translucent flexible plastic sheet material for concealment of the sheet patches at the inner sides of the two sheets. The bag sheets can be of any color, opaque or translucent.
Provision of the patch, and its relation to the bag handle, its wavy upper edge, and in relation to the transverse opening 19, facilitate non-crumpling re-use of the lightweight bag over extended re-use periods, which contribute to desirable environmental efforts and objectives, i.e. obviating one-time use throw-away construction of contemporary plastic bags which easily crumple during one-time use. Thus, the plastic bag of the invention has shape retaining attributes of paper bags.
In
Reinforcement of the bag lower extent 40″ includes sheet in-turned folds at 10a″-1 and 10b″-1 which may be bonded together at 66.
In
In the above, the sheet thickness of the bag sides and handles is between 8 microns and 200 microns. The patch may have the same or similar thickness. Usable plastic materials include polyethylene.
Claims
1. A structurally enhanced plastic bag, comprising in combination:
- a) front and back plastic sheets interconnected along side edges and along a bottom edge, the sheets having unconnected top edges,
- b) at least one top edge defining an undulant upward protrusion along edge medial extents,
- c) the two sheets defining at least one transverse medial opening intersecting a portion of the protrusion to define a handle between the upper edge of the protrusion and said opening,
- d) and a structural plastic sheet patch bonded to at least one of the front and back sheets and extending proximate said transverse medial opening, and in upward alignment with said handle.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said transverse opening has a cross dimension between four and five centimeters, in bag upright position.
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bulk of said sheet patch is above the level of said opening.
4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bulk of the sheet patch lies between the lowermost and the uppermost levels of said opening.
5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bulk of the sheet patch lies between a lower level below the lowermost level of said opening, and an upper level above the uppermost level of said opening.
6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the sheet patch is everywhere bonded to said one of the sheets, by
- x1) glue,
- x2) heat sealing.
7. The combination of claim 1 wherein there are two of said sheet patches respectively bonded to the two sheets at the inner sides thereof that face the bag interior.
8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said sheet patches and the two sheets consist of translucent flexible plastic sheet material for concealment of the sheet patches at the inner sides of the two sheets.
9. The combination of-claim 8 wherein the sheet patches extend laterally lengthwise throughout the lateral length dimensions of both said transverse opening and the major lateral length of the undulant top edges of the two sheets.
10. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bag has folded sheet bottom edge area enhanced wall thickness for substantially increasing overall bag thickness along the bag bottom edge for enhancement of load carrying structural strength of the bag desirably below the strength enhancing sheet patch and below the handle upper undulant edge.
11. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bag one sheet defines handle left and right upright extents to which the patch is bonded generally laterally of said opening.
12. The combination of claim 1 wherein the patch is dimpled for added strength under loading extended along a path or paths in the plane of the patch.
13. The combination of claim 1 wherein protrusion defined by said one of the front and back sheets has laterally spaced angled upper edges in lateral alignment with uppermost extent of the sheet patch.
14. The combination of claim 6 wherein said laterally spaced upper edges extend angularly toward uppermost extent of the protrusion.
15. The combination of claim 11 wherein the bag has an uppermost edge which is laterally undulant above the level of the sheet patch.
16. The bag of claim 13 wherein said patch is bonded to said at least one of the front and back sheets by one of the following:
- x1) glue,
- x2) heat sealing.
17. The bag of claim 1 wherein sheet thickness is between 8 and 200 microns.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 30, 2008
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2009
Applicant:
Inventor: Bong Ai Fa (Jakarta)
Application Number: 12/215,652
International Classification: B65D 33/10 (20060101);