BAG SUPPORT SYSTEM

Abstract

A bag support system is designed to universally support plastic shopping bags with integrated loop handles in an upright and open position for re-use as trash bags or receptacles to store and/or sort other materials or components.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/938,932 filed on Nov. 3, 2010, which is specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/938,932 under 35 U.S.C. §120.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of support systems and more particularly to a bag support system for bags with integrated loop handles.

BACKGROUND

Every year, Americans throw away more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags after they've been used to transport goods home from grocery stores and other retail and commercial establishments. Only 1 percent of plastic bags worldwide and approximately 2 percent on plastic bags in the United States are recycled. The remaining bags are simply discarded.

Plastic bags are not biodegradable. The environmental impact of such ubiquitous use and routine discarding of shopping bags has a detrimental environmental impact that is equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil annually.

The negative environmental impact of plastic bags can be substantially reduced by encouraging the re-use of plastic bags for a variety of functions. For example, items may be sorted, stored, processed and labeled using plastic bags as receptacles. Plastic bags may also be used as trash receptacles.

To be used effectively for these uses, it is advantageous for the plastic bags to be stably supported in an open position. Additionally, it is important that a device that supports plastic bags in an open position be lightweight, low cost, and efficiently packaged to be marketed as a consumer impulse item at the point of purchase and to fully encourage environmentally responsible behavior.

Devices for supporting plastic bags in an open position are known in the art. One example of a bag support is illustrated in U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 428,544 (Moffitt '544). Moffitt '544 illustrates a bag support with a C-shaped frame with a round component positioned at each corner on the top part of the frame. A plastic bag is secured by looping the handle portion of the bag around the round components on each side. The bag support illustrated by Moffitt '544 is not desirable because the C-shaped frame is not stable on uneven or soft surfaces and it is not designed to accommodate a variety of plastic bags or bags having varying handle sizes and/or varying handle configurations.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,802 (Scheibe '802) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,942 (Yardley '942) disclose collapsible devices for supporting a plastic bag. Both Scheibe '802 and Yardley '942 have a ring or hoop that is used to support the mouth of the plastic bag and a plurality of legs to support the ring or hoop above the ground. The use of a ring or hoop is undesirable because when the device is collapsed or dissembled, the curved portions take up more space than straight portions, making them more difficult to package.

Scheibe '802 secures the plastic bag inside the ring using a plurality of clips, while the outside of the hoop taught by Yardley '942 contains a plurality of tabs to engage and retain the bag mouth by friction. Using clips to secure the plastic bag to the ring is not desirable because clips are easily misplaced and may loosen over time thereby decreasing their effectiveness. The tabs taught by Scheibe '802 are also not desirable because, in order for the tabs to secure the plastic bag, the mouth of the bag must be tightly stretched over the tabs making it difficult to secure bags with larger mouths or bags that do not have perfectly round mouths.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a bag support system that includes a plurality of crossbars, legs, and lateral supports. Each crossbar includes at least one elongated portion. The elongated portions include a plurality of protruding components that are used to secure the loop handles of a plastic bag with integral loop handles inside the bag support system. Each crossbar may removably attach a plurality of lateral supports and legs. When a lateral support has a crossbar attached at each end, the crossbars are offset a pre-determined distance from each other. The legs are adapted to position the crossbars at a pre-determined distance from a surface on which the bag support system stands that is adequate to allow a bag to hang from the crossbars.

It is desirable to have a bag support system that is capable of accommodating plastic bags with varying sizes and designs of loop handles commonly used by retailers.

It is desirable to have a bag support system for bags with integral loop handles that minimizes the amount of space required for storage or transport of the support system.

It is desirable to have a bag support system that is sturdy on surfaces that are not perfectly flat.

It is desirable to have a lightweight, durable, easy to assemble and disassemble, and inexpensive support system for positioning a plastic bag with integral loop handles in an upright and open configuration.

It is further desirable to have a bag support system that is collapsible in a way that allows it to be broken down and stored in a bag to be sold on a hanging display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a bag support system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bag support system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the bag support system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the bag support system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bag support system of FIG. 1, showing how a bag may be supported by the bag support system.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of another embodiment of a bag support system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bag support system of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the bag support system of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the bag support system of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bag support system of FIG. 6, showing how a bag may be supported by the bag support system.

FIG. 11 is a section view of the bag support system of FIG. 6 taken generally along the line 11-11 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a detail view of the bag support system of FIG. 6 showing an alternate method of supporting a bag.

FIG. 13 is another detail view of the bag support system of FIG. 6 showing another alternate method of supporting a bag.

FIG. 14 is a detail view of the bag support system of FIG. 6 showing the profiles of a connecting standoff and a tube.

FIG. 15 is section view of the bag support system of FIG. 6 taken generally along the line 15-15 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a bag support system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 17 is a section view of the bag support system of FIG. 16 taken generally along the line 17-17 in FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of a bag support system 100. In the embodiment shown, bag support system 100 includes legs 110, lateral supports 120, upper crossbars 130, and lower crossbars 140.

Legs 110 include tubular members 115 connected by a coupling 118. Lateral supports 120 include tubular members 125 connected by a coupling 128. The combining of multiple tubular members 115, 125 decreases the size of packaging required when bag support system 100 is disassembled for purchase, storage, or transport. In various other embodiments, legs 110 and/or lateral supports 120 may include more or less than two tubular members connected by couplings.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, tubular members 115 and tubular members 125 are identical and can be used interchangeably. Likewise, couplings 118 and couplings 128 are identical and can be used interchangeably. Tubular members 115, 125 are tubular shaped with round apertures; however, in other embodiments, tubular members 115, 125 may be square, rectangular or of another shape that facilitates easy assembly and disassembly of the bag support system 100 and is capable of supporting the weight of a bag and its contents.

In order to facilitate assembly, couplings 118, 128 can be formed as tubular components separated into two halves by a divider (not visible). Then, using this type of coupling 118, 128 to assemble legs 110 and lateral supports 120, one tubular member 115, 125 is inserted into the opening at one end of coupling 118, 128 and a second tubular member 115, 125 is inserted into the opening at the other end of coupling 118, 128. Tubular members 115, 125 are inserted into couplings 118, 128 until the end of tubular member 115, 125 contacts the divider, ensuring that legs 110 and lateral supports 120 are correctly assembled.

As shown, in the most preferred form of this embodiment, couplings 118, 128 are approximately 1 inch long with a center divider (not visible) and an outer diameter of approximately 0.5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the openings of couplings 118, 128 include draft on the inner surface, with the opening having a slightly larger diameter than the diameter at the center divider, facilitating insertion of and engaging of the tubular members 115, 125 by couplings 118, 128. In other embodiments, couplings 118, 128 may be shorter or longer, have a thinner or thicker divider, have consistent or varying diameters, or may be eliminated. In various other embodiments, another means for ensuring correct assembly may be used such as threading or markings on the tubular members.

Upper crossbars 130 include an elongated horizontal portion 132, horizontal connectors 134 for receiving lateral supports 120, vertical connectors 136 for receiving insertion members 148 of lower crossbars 140.

Lower crossbars 140 include an elongated horizontal portion 142, horizontal connectors 144 for receiving lateral supports 120, vertical connectors 146 for receiving legs 110, and insertion members 148 for attaching lower crossbars 140 to upper crossbars 130.

In the embodiment shown, elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 are hollow and have three sides. The sides of elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 that face outward when bag support system 100 is assembled include a plurality of support knobs 150 for securing the handles of a plastic bag (see FIG. 5).

In the embodiment shown, elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 have square cross-sections. In various embodiments, the dimensions and/or shape of the cross section of elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 may vary. In various embodiments, all four sides of elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 may be enclosed and/or elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 may be solid.

Each support knob 150 preferably includes a neck portion 252 by which it is connected to the respective horizontal portions 132, 142, and terminates in a larger head portion 254. Support knobs 150 extend outward from elongated horizontal portions 132, 142. In the embodiment shown, each crossbar 130, 140 has six support knobs 150. In alternative embodiments, elongated horizontal portions 132, 142 may have more or fewer support knobs 150 and/or have differently shaped support knobs 150, including but not limited to hexagon-shaped, square, triangular, diamond-shaped, polygonal or of another shape that is capable of securing a plastic bag without making it difficult to remove the bag when it is full. In still other embodiments, there may be more than two rows of support knobs, the configuration of which may be varied.

To assemble bag support system 100, legs 110 and lateral supports 120 are assembled. Insertion members 148 of lower crossbars 140 are then inserted into vertical connectors 136 of upper crossbars 130. One end of lateral supports 120 is then inserted into horizontal connectors 134, 144 of upper and lower crossbars 130, 140 and the second end of lateral supports 120 is inserted into horizontal connectors 134, 144 of upper and lower crossbars 130, 140. One end of legs 110 is then inserted into vertical connectors 146 of lower crossbars 140.

In the embodiment shown, horizontal connectors 134, 144 and vertical connectors 136, 146 have a diameter of approximately 0.5 inches and include sufficient draft to facilitate easy, yet secure insertion of lateral supports 120 and legs 110, respectively.

Vertical connectors 146 are angled slightly outward causing legs 110 to be angled slightly outward, thus increasing the footprint of the bag support system 100, which results in a more stable base on various uneven or soft surfaces, such as grass or sand, and permits an extra amount of room for the eventual contents of the bag.

In the embodiment shown, the cross-sections of insertion members 148 are cross-shaped and include a draft to allow the bag support system 100 to be easily and securely assembled. In various embodiments, the shape and/or length of insertion members 148 may vary. For example, insertion members 148 may be tubular, triangular, hex-shaped, star-shaped, or any other shape compatible with the shape of vertical connectors 136 of upper crossbars 130.

In the embodiment shown, components are made of plastic, but may be made from any other material known in the art to provide a suitably rigid structure, including, but not limited to, wood and metal.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of a bag support system 100 shown in FIG. 1 assembled. When upper and lower crossbars 130, 140 are connected by lateral supports 120, a rectangular-shaped frame is formed. In alternative embodiments, a square frame may be formed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of an exemplary embodiment of bag support system 100.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an exemplary embodiment of bag support system 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a plastic bag 170 supported by an embodiment of bag support system 100. Bag handles 180 are looped around the four middle support knobs 150 on elongated horizontal portions 142 on lower crossbars 140. In various embodiments, bag handles 180 may be looped around more or fewer support knobs 150 and/or may be looped around support knobs 150 on elongated horizontal portions 132 on upper crossbars 130, allowing bag support system 100 to accommodate bags of varying sizes and with varying sizes and styles of loop handles.

When plastic bag 170 is supported by bag support system 100, any logo printed on the bag will be displayed providing additional brand exposure when plastic bags 170 are reused.

Turning now to FIGS. 6-15, another embodiment of a bag support system 200 is shown in accordance with the present invention. The bag support system 200 includes legs 210, lateral supports 220, upper crossbars 230, and lower crossbars 240. The upper and lower crossbars 230, 240 are formed as one piece, with upper and lower crossbars 230, 240 displaced from one another by uprights 236. Also present on each piece are a series of insertion members 234, 246, the cross-section of each of which is cross-shaped in this embodiment and includes sufficient draft to allow easy, yet secure attachment of legs 210 and lateral supports 220.

Legs 210 are preferably identical tubular members that may be interchanged freely with each other. Caps 260 may be attached to the bottom of each leg 210 to both protect the surface on which the bag support system 200 is placed, and to provide increased stability to the bag support system 200 because the caps 260 may have higher coefficients of friction than the bare bottoms of legs 210.

Legs 210 are adapted to removably receive vertical insertion members 246 to provide a four-legged base for the bag support system 200. Meanwhile, lateral supports 220 are adapted to removably receive horizontal insertion members 234 to offset the crossbars 230, 240 apart from each other, thus providing space for a bag to be supported.

To assemble the bag support system 200, the lateral supports 220 are inserted into horizontal insertion members 234. Legs 210 are inserted into vertical insertion members 246, and caps 260 may be applied to the bottoms of the vertical insertion members 246.

As in the previously described embodiment, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-15 includes a plurality of support knobs 250, each of which includes a neck portion 252 connected to the crossbars 230, 240 and a larger head portion 254 supported by the neck portion 252. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-15, the support knobs 250 extend vertically, with three support knobs projecting upwardly, and four support knobs projecting downwardly, the downwardly projecting support knobs being staggered with respect to the upwardly projecting support knobs.

Turning now to FIGS. 10-13, the bag support system 200 is shown with a bag 270 mounted to the bag support system 200. The bag 270 includes handles 280 that, as shown, may engage with the support knobs 250 to securely support the bag 270. As shown, the bag handles 280 are wrapped over the top of the upper crossbars 230, then under the lower crossbars 240, and finally over the top of the lower crossbars 240. The support knobs 250 provide a multitude of mounting points, allowing bags of different sizes and shapes with corresponding handles of varying sizes and shapes to be securely mounted to the bag support system 200.

FIGS. 14-15 show in greater detail how the vertical and lateral supports 210, 220 attach to insertion members 234, 246. As shown, insertion members 234 are cross-shaped, while the interiors of lateral supports 220 include ribs 270. Ribs 270 increase the surface area of the inside of the tubular supporting members 210, 220, thereby enhancing how securely vertical and lateral supports 210, 220 attach to insertion members 234, 246. Ribs 270 also prevent the vertical and lateral supports 210, 220 from rotating around the insertion members 234, 246 once they are attached.

Referring now to FIGS. 16-17, a third embodiment of a bag support system 300 in accordance with the invention is shown. The bag support system 300 is an expansion upon the bag support system 200 described previously. The assembly of bag support system 200 and bag support system 300 is virtually the same, except that bag support system 300 may be expanded upward to provide mounting points for additional bags (not visible) at once, in the embodiment shown, three bags. In order to accommodate three bags, bag support system 300 includes vertical expanders 315 that offset second and third crossbars 330, 340 and horizontal support members 320. In the embodiment shown, the vertical expanders 315 are hollow tubes that engage vertical insertion members 338 on both the bottom and top of uprights 336 that offset the crossbars 330, 340. As described above with respect to the other embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16-17 includes a plurality of support knobs 350, each of which includes a neck portion connected to the crossbars 330, 340 and a larger head portion supported by the neck portion. Also present are a series of insertion members, the cross-section of each of which is cross-shaped and includes sufficient draft to allow easy, yet secure insertion of legs 310, lateral supports 320, and vertical expanders 315.

Although the invention has been herein described in what is perceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above. Rather, it is recognized that modifications may be made by one of skill in the art of the invention without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention and, therefore, the invention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims and the description of the invention herein.

Claims

1. A bag support apparatus for securing a bag with handles comprising:

a plurality of crossbars, each crossbar having at least one elongated portion, the elongated portion having a plurality of knobs, the knobs adapted for securing the bag by the handles,

each crossbar further adapted to removably attach a plurality of lateral supports and legs,

a plurality of lateral supports adapted to removably attach two of the crossbars to each other at a pre-determined distance from one another, and

a plurality of legs adapted to position the crossbars at a pre-determined distance from a surface to provide adequate space for the bag to hang from the crossbars.

2. The bag support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the lateral supports are tubular.

3. The bag support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the legs are tubular.

4. The bag support apparatus of claim 2 wherein the lateral supports are removably attached to the crossbars by inserting one end of the lateral supports onto attachment protrusions on the crossbars.

5. The bag support apparatus of claim 3 wherein the legs are removably attached to the crossbars by inserting one end of the legs onto attachment protrusions on the crossbars.

6. The bag support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the crossbars are adapted to removably attach a plurality of vertical expanders, the vertical expanders adapted to removably attach additional crossbars at a pre-determined vertical distance from each other.

7. A bag support apparatus for securing a bag with handles comprising:

a plurality of crossbars, each crossbar having at least one elongated portion, the elongated portion having a plurality of knobs, the knobs adapted for securing the bag by the handles,

each crossbar further adapted to removably attach a plurality of lateral supports and legs,

a plurality of lateral supports adapted to removably attach two of the crossbars to each other at a pre-determined horizontal distance from one another,

a plurality of vertical expanders adapted to removably attach additional crossbars at a pre-determined vertical distance from each other, and

a plurality of legs adapted to position the crossbars at a pre-determined vertical distance from a surface to provide adequate space for a bag to hang from the crossbars.

8. The bag support apparatus of claim 7 wherein the crossbars are tubular.

9. The bag support apparatus of claim 7 wherein the vertical expanders are tubular.

10. The bag support apparatus of claim 7 wherein the legs are tubular.

11. The bag support apparatus of claim 8 wherein the lateral supports are removably attached to the crossbars by inserting one end of the lateral supports onto attachment protrusions on the crossbars.

12. The bag support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the vertical expanders are removably attached to the crossbars by inserting one end of the lateral supports onto attachment protrusions on the crossbars.

13. The bag support apparatus of claim 10 wherein the legs are removably attached to the crossbars by inserting one end of the legs onto attachment protrusions on the crossbars.

14. A bag support apparatus for securing a bag with handles comprising:

a plurality of upper crossbars, each upper crossbar having a plurality of knobs, the protruding members adapted for securing a bag with integrated loop handles,

each upper crossbar further adapted to removably attach a plurality of lateral supports and to removably attach a lower crossbar,

a plurality of lower crossbars, each lower crossbar having a plurality of protruding members, the protruding members adapted for securing a bag with handles,

each lower crossbar further adapted to removably attach a plurality of lateral supports and legs,

a plurality of lateral supports adapted to removably attach two of the upper or lower crossbars to each other at a pre-determined distance from one another, and

a plurality of legs adapted to position the crossbars at a pre-determined distance from a surface to provide adequate space for a bag to hang from the crossbars.

15. The bag support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the legs and the lateral supports include one or more tubular members connected by one or more couplings.

16. The bag support apparatus of claim 15 wherein the couplings include a divider and two tapered openings for facilitating insertion of a supporting member.

17. The bag support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the elongated horizontal portion of the upper crossbars and the elongated horizontal portion of the lower crossbars have three sides.

18. The bag support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the legs are angled outward.

19. The bag support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the legs are removably attached to the lower crossbar by inserting the legs into openings on the lower crossbars, the openings being tapered such that as the legs are inserted into the openings, interference fits are achieved.

20. The bag support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the lateral supports are removably attached to the upper and lower crossbars by inserting the lateral supports into openings in the upper and lower crossbars, the openings being tapered such that as the lateral supports are inserted in to the openings, interference fits are achieved.

21. The bag support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the lower crossbars are removably attached to the upper crossbars by inserting attachment protrusions on the lower crossbars into tapered openings on the upper crossbars such that an interference fit is achieved.