FOLDABLE BAG SUPPORT

Abstract

A stiffening system and method for a foldable bag. A foldable bag is disclosed having: one or more fold lines; a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section separated by a fold line; and a stiffener having a first portion pre-fastened to the first adjacent section and a second portion that includes a mechanism for manual attachment to the second adjacent section for maintaining the foldable bag in an open position.

Description

This application claims priority to co-pending provision application “Paper Bag Mouth Opening Support” filed on Oct. 31, 2008, Ser. No. 61/110,211, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure is related generally to foldable bags and similar structures and more particularly to stiffening devices for stiffening fold lines in foldable paper bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many people use paper bags to collect, store and dispose of refuse. An example includes the common brown paper bags used in grocery stores to transport groceries. A second example is the taller version of brown “leaf bags” sold in hardware stores. The primary use of the leaf bags is to store refuse, and grocery bags are often secondarily used for refuse.

While these bags are very useful for storing and disposing refuse, they can be difficult to use given their tendency to either flop over when empty or have their mouth opening flop shut when not held open by a user. Accordingly, when attempting to place refuse (or any other item) in the bag, it is quite common for spills to occur because the bag is not in the maximal, upright and open position.

Various devices and approaches have been proposed to overcome such deficiencies, including “frames”, “stands” and relatively large devices that are inserted into the bag, or which hold the bag. Unfortunately, these typically require additional structures separate from the bag itself that are heavy and/or relatively expensive. Accordingly, a more efficient approach is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a stiffening system and method for stiffening a fold line that separates adjacent sections of a paper bag or other similar structures.

In one embodiment, there is a foldable bag, comprising: a fold line; a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section separated by the fold line; and a stiffener having a first portion pre-fastened to the first adjacent section and a second portion that includes a mechanism for manual attachment to the second adjacent section to maintain the foldable paper bag in an open position.

In a second embodiment, there is a method of implementing a foldable bag, comprising: forming the foldable bag to include a fold line that separates a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section; and pre-fastening a first portion of a stiffener to the first adjacent section, wherein the stiffener includes a second portion having a mechanism for manual attachment to the second adjacent section to maintain the foldable bag in an open position.

In a third embodiment, there is a bag stiffening system, comprising: a foldable bag having a fold line separating a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section; and a stiffener, wherein the stiffener comprises a substantially flat piece of material having an adhesive on one side, said stiffener being adapted to be manually adhered to the first adjacent section and the second adjacent section across the fold line.

The illustrative aspects of the present invention are designed to solve the problems herein described and other problems not discussed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a bag opening having pre-fastened stiffeners in an un-deployed configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts the bag opening of FIG. 1 with the pre-fastened stiffeners in a deployed configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts an isometric view of a bag having pre-fastened stiffeners attached proximate to the mouth of the bag in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts the bag of FIG. 3 with one of the stiffeners deployed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 depicts the bag of FIG. 3 with both of the stiffeners deployed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a leaf bag in partially folded state in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depicts cut-away side views of the leaf bag of FIG. 6 with a stiffener in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 depicts an exploded view of the bag of FIGS. 6 and 7A and 7B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a solution for supporting two or more adjacent foldable sections of a paper bag or other similar structures. FIGS. 1-5 depict an illustrative embodiment of a stiffener implementation. In particular, FIG. 1 depicts a top view of bag 10 having six side sections that form an opening or “mouth”. Such configurations are commonly found in paper lawn bags and grocery bags. Note however that the invention is not intended to be limited to a particular bag configuration. Instead, the stiffening systems described herein may be applied to any bag configuration or similar structure having adjacent sections that are foldable relative to each other. This may include stiffening complex arrangements, e.g., three or more sections that are separated by multiple non-orthogonal fold lines.

Bag 10 includes side sections 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22. As can be seen, side sections 12 and 14 are separated by a vertical fold line 34, and side sections 18 and 20 are separated by a vertical fold line 36. Attached to side sections 14 and 20 are a pair of stiffeners 24 and 26, which are shown in an un-deployed position. In this embodiment, each stiffener encompasses a relatively flat, straight, stiff piece of material having a portion that is pre-fastened to one of two adjacent side sections separated by a fold. For instance, a portion of stiffener 24 is pre-fastened to side section 24 with an adhesive 28. In this un-deployed mode, a second portion of the stiffener 24 extends un-fastened to any side section, thus allowing the bag 10 to be folded, e.g., for storage.

Although described herein being attached with an adhesive, stiffener 24 may be pre-fasted to side 14 in any manner, e.g., using staples, tape, tabs/cut-outs, rivets, etc. Stiffener 24 may be made from any material that provides a requisite amount of stiffness for holding two (or more) adjacent sections in place. In one embodiment, stiffener 24 may be made from a biodegradable material, such as cardboard or fiber board. A typical stiffener for the embodiment of FIG. 1 may, e.g., comprise a section of non-corrugated cardboard having dimension 2½″×6″.

On the non-pre-fastened portion of stiffener 24 is a second adhesive 30 that may be provided with a removable covering 32. Removable covering 32 may comprise a biodegradable material such as paper that can be easily removed and deposited into the bag 10 as waste. Once removed, exposed adhesive 30 can be manually secured to side section 12 to deploy the stiffener 14. In an alternative embodiment, rather than using an adhesive 30, stiffener 24 could be attached to side section 12 using other known techniques, e.g., tape, string, tabs/cut-outs, riveting, the adhesive commonly found on 3M® “sticky notes”, etc.

FIG. 2 depicts bag 10 with stiffeners 24 and 26 in the fully deployed position. For example, with reference to stiffener 24, adhesive 30 has been fasted to side section 12. Accordingly, fold line 34, which separates side sections 12 and 14, has been stiffened such that side sections 12 and 14 are secured in a straight arrangement. In this deployed position, the mouth of the bag 10 will experience significantly less propensity of “flopping,” and thus can be more readily maintained in an open and upright position.

It is understood that although shown with two stiffeners 24, 26, bag 10 may include any number or arrangement of stiffeners. Moreover, although described as flat and straight, stiffeners 24, 26 could be implemented in other configurations, e.g., angled, curved, etc. Furthermore, although described as having one portion that is pre-fastened to a section of the bag, stiffener 24 could be provided as an add-on device, with an adhesive that could be attached to two (or more) adjacent sections. Accordingly, stiffeners may be integrated into a bag during manufacture, or provided as an add-on device for later attachment. Still further, although shown being attached to interior side sections of bag 10, stiffeners could be implemented to attach to exterior side sections. Finally, it is also understood that the particular shape, dimensions, and material used to implement a stiffener can vary depending upon the particular amount of stiffness required.

FIG. 3 depicts an isometric view of a partially opened bag 40 having stiffeners 44, 46 in an un-deployed position, similar to that shown in FIG. 1. Bag 40 includes two fold lines 50, 52 which, when extended, provide access to opening 42. In this embodiment, stiffeners 44, 46 are pre-fastened to side sections 54 and 56. An adhesive 48 (e.g., with a removable cover) can be seen on the back side of fastener 46. Stiffener 44 likewise includes an adhesive, but cannot be seen in this view. Note that in this embodiment, stiffeners 44, 46 are pre-fastened to side sections 54, 56 in a kitty-corner manner, such that the un-fastened portions extend in opposite directions. However, it is understood that the invention is not limited to such an implementation. For instance, stiffener 46 could be pre-fastened to side section 58 instead of side section 56.

FIG. 4 depicts bag 40 of FIG. 3 in which stiffer 44 has been deployed to stiffen fold line 50. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by removing a removable adhesive cover to expose an adhesive on the back un-fastened portion of stiffener 44, and manually affixing the stiffener 44 to side section 54.

FIG. 5 depicts bag 40 of FIGS. 3 and 4 in a fully opened state in which stiffeners 44 and 46 (shown in phantom) have been fully deployed. As can be seen, stiffeners 44 and 46 stiffen the vertical fold lines 50, 52 to create a more stable opening that is much less susceptible to flopping over.

As noted, stiffeners may be utilized to stiffen any fold line that joins adjacent sections in a foldable bag or similar structure. FIGS. 6-8 depict a further embodiment in which a stiffener is utilized to stiffen a horizontal fold line 66, which joins sections 70 and 72 of bag 60. FIG. 6 depicts an isometric view of bag 60 in a partially unfolded state, and includes a bottom section 62, a lower fold line 66, a higher fold line 68, and adjacent side sections 64, 70 and 72.

FIG. 7A depicts bag 60 in a cut-away side view in a partially unfolded state. In this embodiment, a first portion of stiffener 74 is pre-fastened to side section 72 and a second portion freely extends into the bag 60. Note that like the embodiments of FIG. 1-5, stiffener 74 is placed in such a manner that it does not interfere with the folding of bag 60.

FIG. 7B depicts bag 60 in a fully unfolded state with stiffener 74 fully deployed. As can be seen, stiffener 74 stiffens horizontal fold line 66 such that side sections 70, 72 are firmly held in the open position. FIG. 8 depicts an exploded view of bag 60 with stiffener 74 being deployed to stiffen fold line 66. Note that in this embodiment stiffener 74 is implemented with a single wide rectangular piece of material to provide the necessary support. However, it is understood that this configuration is for illustrative purposes only, and the specific configuration, number and arrangement of stiffener 74 may vary without departing from the scope of the invention. In one embodiment, stiffener 74 may, e.g., comprise a section of non-corrugated cardboard having dimensions 5″×5″.

Also shown in FIG. 8 is an additional embodiment involving an add-on stiffener 80, which in this case is utilized to stiffen horizontal fold line 68. Add-on stiffener 80 is inserted (or attached to the exterior) after the bag 60 is opened by the user and is manually attached to both sections 64 and 70. Indicia, such as dotted line 82 may be placed on the bag to indicate where the stiffener should be placed. Add-on stiffeners may be particularly useful for certain fold lines, such as fold line 68, since a pre-fastened stiffener as described above would interfere with the folding of sections 64 and 70.

As noted, pre-fastening of one or more stiffeners onto sections of a bag or similar structure may be done in-line during the manufacturing of the bag. Any technique for attaching stiffeners may be utilized during such a process, and such techniques are well understood in the art of packaging and constructing paper bags and similar structures. Typical paper bags are manufactured with rolls of continuously fed paper, rotary and pinch rollers, cutting blades, folding devices and press rollers. Stiffeners may be adhered to the bag during any step of the process, and more particularly may be adhered in manner similar to the process in which paper handles are fasted to paper bags.

Alternatively, stiffeners may be provided as an add-on device (e.g., packaged separately with the bag) that includes any mechanism for attachment to adjacent sections that are separated by a fold line. In still a further embodiment, a first component of the stiffener could be integrated with the bag (e.g., adhesive strips) and a second component could be added when needed (e.g., a stiffening strip).

Note that the terms “vertical” and “horizontal” fold lines are not intended to be limiting to a particular orientation, but are instead intended to describe fold lines found on a typical grocery or leaf bag.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that the invention has other applications in other environments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A foldable bag, comprising:

a fold line;

a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section separated by the fold line; and

a stiffener having a first portion pre-fastened to the first adjacent section and a second portion that includes a mechanism for manual attachment to the second adjacent section to maintain the foldable paper bag in an open position.

2. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the stiffener is adapted to be folded within the foldable paper bag in a non-interfering manner.

3. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the foldable bag and stiffener each comprise a biodegradable substance.

4. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the stiffener is pre-fastened to the first adjacent section with an adhesive.

5. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the mechanism for manual attachment includes an adhesive strip with a removable cover.

6. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the fold line comprises a vertical fold line extending from an opening of the foldable bag towards a bottom section.

7. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the fold line comprises a horizontal fold line extending across the foldable bag.

8. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein the stiffener comprises a substantially flat piece of material.

9. The foldable bag of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portions of the stiffener utilize an attachment mechanism selected from the group consisting of: glue, tape, a staple, string, riveting, and cut-outs/tabs.

10. A method of implementing a foldable bag, comprising:

forming the foldable bag to include a fold line that separates a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section; and

pre-fastening a first portion of a stiffener to the first adjacent section, wherein the stiffener includes a second portion having a mechanism for manual attachment to the second adjacent section to maintain the foldable bag in an open position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the stiffener is adapted to be folded within the foldable bag in a non-interfering manner.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the stiffener and foldable bag each comprise a biodegradable substance.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the stiffener is pre-fastened to the first adjacent section with one of: an adhesive, tape, a staple riveting, and a cut-out/tab.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the mechanism for manual attachment includes an adhesive strip with a removable cover.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the fold line comprises a vertical fold line extending from an opening of the foldable bag towards a bottom section.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the fold line comprises a horizontal fold line extending across the foldable bag.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the stiffener comprises a substantially flat rectangular section of material.

18. A bag stiffening system, comprising:

a foldable bag having a fold line separating a first adjacent section and a second adjacent section; and

a stiffener, wherein the stiffener comprises a substantially flat piece of material having an adhesive on one side, said stiffener being adapted to be manually adhered to the first adjacent section and the second adjacent section across the fold line.

19. The bag stiffening system of claim 18, wherein the foldable bag and stiffener are manufactured from a paper-based material.

20. The bag stiffening system of claim 18, wherein the foldable bag includes an indicia for locating the stiffener.