Bag clip

Abstract

A bag clip with an elongate extruded plastic member having a profile of an inverted teardrop where the downwardly facing edges of the the extruded teardrop shape touch each other and where at least one corner of one surface of the teardrop profile is flared outwards so that a folded top of a bag can easily be slid into the bag clip without having to physically open the clip first. A preferred embodiment includes the extruded plastic member is made of ABS plastic.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of bag closures and more specifically to a bag clip.

A common problem for purchasers of food products that come in flexible bags is that once the bag is opened, it is sometimes difficult to re-close the bag in a relatively air tight manner so that any remaining food items remain fresh.

A recent common way to hold bags closed is through the use of a spring biased clip where the gripping portion of the clip has been widened for the purpose of sealing the top portion of a bag. The clips are made of injection molded plastic and are made in two halves and then pinned together by a shaft at a central pivot point where a torsion spring placed on the shaft holds the clip in a normally closed position.

While the current bag clips are effective in holding a bag top in the folded and closed position, there are deficiencies in the prior technology.

First, the current spring biased clips tend to be bulky because they need to have spread apart compressible members that squeeze to cause the clip to open for use.
Second, the clips are assembled from two injection molded plastic pieces as well as a shaft and a torsion spring. The molded pieces require expensive tooling and take time to mold and assemble making the resulting clip relatively expensive to manufacture.
Third, the clips are injection molded to a specific width, so that making clips of different widths requires expensive tooling for each desired width.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealing opened bags such as chip bags.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealing bags that allows for easy bag insertion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealing bags that does not have to be physically opened by the user during the process of installation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip for resealing bags that is inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag clip that can be manufactured in different widths without requiring new tooling for each new desired width.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed bag clip comprising: an elongate extruded plastic member having a profile of an inverted teardrop where the downwardly facing edges of the said extruded teardrop shape touch each other and where at least one corner of one surface of said teardrop profile is flared outwards so that a folded top of a bag can easily be slid into said bag clip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the invention mounted onto a plastic bag.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a person about to insert a folded bag into the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a person sliding the clip of the present invention onto a folded bag top.

FIG. 8 is a side section view of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side section view of an alternate version of the invention having one flat wall.

FIG. 10 is a side section view of an alternate version of the invention having two flat walls.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a front view of a plastic bag 2 whose opened top 20 has been folded over and is being held shut in a relatively air tight manner by the bag clip of the present invention 100. The clip is extruded from a resilient plastic such as ABS which has a natural springiness. The resulting extruded shape resembles an inverted teardrop as shown in the section view, referenced by section line 30 in FIG. 5 and shown in FIG. 8. An alternate cross sectional configuration can be seen in FIG. 9 where one side 32 of the inverted teardrop shape is flattened to make it easier to print graphics on the flattened side. Another version of the cross sectional configuration can be triangular in shape as shown in FIG. 10 Where the side panels 34, 38 and the top 36 panel are flat. However, the teardrop shape is preferred because the entire shape can perform more effectively as a spring.

The natural spring quality of the extruded ABS plastic allows the bottom edges 8, 6 to be sprung outwards to accommodate the thickness of the folded bag top being held and to hold the bag top firmly closed. FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the invention 100. Here it can be seen that the corners 4, 10 have been flared outwards to assist the user in sliding in the folded bag top without having to use a second hand to physically open the closed edges 6, 8 of the clip. In the present embodiment clip surface 14 is flared out at the left side corner and clip surface 12 is flared out at the right side corner. Other embodiments can include only one corner flared out, or all corners flared out.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the flared portion 4 of surface 12. FIG. 4 shows a side view of the clip 100 and of flared portion 4. FIG. 5 shows a front view of the clip 100 with flared portion 4 shown at the right hand corner. Because the clip 100 is made by an extrusion process, it can be manufactured to any desired length by a standard cross cutting process. Once the clip is cut to length, it is put in a fixture to hold the flare portion 4 in position until the plastic has cooled and hardened. There can also be smaller versions of the overall clip design of the present invention designed and manufactured to be used in place of standard paperclips in office and home applications.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a user 22 about to slide the clip 100 onto a folded bag top 20 as indicated by dotted arrow 24. If the user had to perform the task of physically separating the bottom edges of the clip, the operation of inserting the bag top 20 into the clip 100 would be made significantly more difficult because the user would have to spread the clip edges with one hand while holding the clip with the other hand, leaving no additional hands for holding onto the folded bag. Once the folded bag top 20 has been partially slid into the clip 100 as shown in FIG. 7, the user's hand 22 can grab the bag 2 on the left side and easily slide the clip 100 on while holding the leading portion of the clip 100 with the other hand. Alternately, for heavier bags, the user can simply hold the center portion of the bag and slide the clip 100 on in one motion with the other hand.

Because the clip 100 is extruded, it can be cut to any length depending on the size of the bag it is intended to be used on. The flared portions of the clip 4, 10 can be bent just after the extrusion and cutting process while the plastic is still warm enough to deform and be held in place by a fixture designed for the purpose.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. bag clip comprising:

an elongate extruded plastic member having a profile of an inverted teardrop where the downwardly facing edges of the said extruded teardrop shape touch each other and where at least one corner of one surface of said teardrop profile clip is flared outwards so that a folded top of a bag can easily be slid into said bag clip.

2. Bag clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said extruded plastic member is made of ABS plastic.

3. Bag clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plastic member is manufactured by being extruded, cut to length and said corner surface is physically flared while said plastic is still warm and malleable, and where said flared portion is held in place by a fixture during cooling of said plastic member.

4. Bag clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said clip does not have to be physically opened by a user before insertion of said folded bag top.