Apparatus for Dispensing Plastic Bags
An apparatus for dispensing plastic bags is disclosed. The apparatus includes a dispensing rack having a base, opposing sides, and a front portion. The opposing sides include tracks that accommodate a spindle capable of being inserted through a core of a roll of plastic bags and into the tracks such that the roll of plastic bags is seated in the dispenser rack and rotatable with respect to the spindle. The front portion of the dispensing rack is formed with a tongue which engages with a slit between bags on a roll and causes a bag to separate along a perforation. The front portion of the dispensing rack may also be formed with wedges which angle downward from the sides of the dispensing rack toward a lower portion of the tongue. When a bag is detached, the wedges catch the next bag and hold the next bag in place.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/416,084, filed Nov. 22, 2010, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates generally to a dispenser for dispensing plastic bags on a roll.
In various types of stores, such as supermarkets, food markets, hardware stores, etc., plastic bags on a roll are typically available for bulk purchase of various items, such as produce, bakery products, and hardware parts. The rolls of plastic bags are typically the same width as the bags and many rolls are typically provided in a store for the convenience of consumers. Many retailers are concerned that dispensers for the rolls of plastic bags require too much shelf space and/or floor space. Many retailers are also concerned about the aesthetic appearance of plastic bag dispensers and the functionality provided to consumers.
Rolls of plastic bags are typically mounted horizontally or vertically on a shaft. The bags on the roll have perforations between them for separating the bags. Traditionally, in order for a customer to take a bag from a roll, the customer must grab the end bag with one hand and pull the end bag while holding the next bag or the roll with the other hand. Although there are perforations between the bags on the roll, on many occasions it can be difficult for consumers to separate a bag from the roll. In some cases, the roll may roll too much causing a long string of bags to hang from the roll when a consumer attempts to separate a bag from the roll. Many retailers feel that such a long string of bags hanging from a roll is an eyesore and a potential safety hazard. Another problem a consumer can encounter is that after a bag is separated from a roll the next bag on the roll can lie flat on the surface of the roll making it difficult for a consumer to find and/or grab the next bag.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus for dispensing plastic bags on a roll. Embodiments of the present invention reduce footprint of bags and dispenser and make each bag easier to separate from roll. Further, embodiments of the present invention prevent the roll of bags from spinning out of control thereby leaving a string of bags hanging from the dispenser. Embodiments of the present invention may also provide a dispenser in which the bags are folded in such a way so each bag is easier to open.
In one embodiment, an apparatus for dispensing plastic bags includes a dispensing rack having a base, opposing sides, and a front portion. The opposing sides may include tracks that accommodate a spindle capable of being inserted through a core of a roll of plastic bags and into the tracks such that the roll of plastic bags is seated in the dispenser rack and rotatable with respect to the spindle. The front portion of the dispensing rack may be formed with a tongue which engages with a slit between bags on a roll and causes a bag to separate along a perforation. The front portion of the dispensing rack may also be formed with wedges which angle downward from the sides of the dispensing rack toward a lower portion of the tongue. When a bag is detached from a roll of plastic bags, the wedges catch the next bag and hold the next bag in place to facilitate a user grabbing and pulling the next bag to detach the next bag.
The dispensing rack may also include a resistance bar to contact a roll of plastic bags seated within the dispensing rack and provide resistance to prevent the roll of bags from spinning out of control. As bags are dispensed from the roll and the roll size decreases, the spindle is automatically lowered within the tracks so that adequate friction between the roll and the resistance bar is maintained.
The dispensing rack may also include vertical and/or horizontal mounting plates. The vertical and horizontal mounting plates can be used to mount the dispensing rack on vertical and horizontal surfaces, as well as free standing display stands.
These and other advantages of the disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
As illustrated in
As show in
According to an advantageous embodiment, the performance of the apparatus may be increased if the roll 120 is mounted with the bags coming off the bottom of the roll 120, as shown in
The bags on the roll of plastic bags 120 are each separated with a perforation. This perforation between each bag allows the bags to be wounded into a roll 120 and for each bag to be easily detached from the rest of the roll 120. A slit is formed in the center of each perforation. The slit is used to catch onto the tongue 108 in the dispenser rack 100 to automatically separate each bag as the bags are pulled from the dispenser rack 100 and thereby allow only one bag to be dispensed at a time. This prevents a string of bags from being pulled off the roll 120 at one time. When a bag is detached from the roll 120, the wedges 110a and 110b near the tongue 108 hold the bag in place to facilitate a user grabbing the next bag. The wedges 110a and 110b also serve to guide a bag down onto the tongue 108 when the bag is being pulled from the dispenser rack 100.
It is to be understood that the roll of bags 120 shown in
As shown in
The base 102, sides 104a and 104b, and front portion 106 of the dispenser rack 100 may be welded together, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The wedges 110a and 110b may be welded to the sides 104a and 104b and/or the front portion 106 of the dispenser rack 100, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The vertical and horizontal mounting plates 112 and 114 may be welded to vertical (back) and horizontal (bottom) portions of the base 102 of the dispensing rack 100, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
As shown in
Furthermore, the shape of the wedges 110a and 110b crinkles the top of the next bag 124 which makes the next bag 124 easier for a user to open when the next bag 124 is detached. The action applied by the wedges 110a and 110b on the next bag 124 is similar to a user using his/her hands to crinkle the bag to provide better traction for his/her fingers and to initiate separation between the front and back panels of the next bag 124. Therefore the next bag 124 becomes easier to open for the user.
As described above, an apparatus for dispensing bags on a roll is disclosed. The bags could be used to hold various things such as fresh produce, bakery products and hardware parts. The dispenser rack has a separating tongue in front catches the slit between bags to separate each bag from the roll along the perforation. The dispensing rack has wedges on opposite sides of the tongue that catch a next bag and hold the next bag in place when a previous bag is detached. The dispenser rack utilizes a spindle and track system to support the roll of bags in place within the dispenser rack. The spindle and track system allows the roll of bags to turn with ease around the spindle. As bags are dispensed from the roll, the roll size decreases. The spindle and track automatically adjusts to the roll size so that adequate friction between roll and a resistance bar of the dispensing rack is maintained. This prevents the roll from spinning freely out of control. The dispensing rack can be mounted to vertical or horizontal surfaces, as well as a free standing display stand.
The foregoing Detailed Description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary, but not restrictive, and the scope of the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from the Detailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Those skilled in the art could implement various other feature combinations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. A dispensing rack for dispensing bags, comprising:
- a base;
- a spindle capable of being inserted through a core of a roll of bags;
- opposing sides attached to the base and formed with opposing tracks to accommodate the spindle such that a roll of plastic bags on the spindle is seated in the dispensing rack and rotatable with respect to the spindle; and
- a front portion comprising: a tongue positioned to engage with a slit between bags on a roll to cause a bag to be separated from the roll along a perforation, and wedges positioned to form nooks on opposite sides of the tongue to catch a next bag from the roll of plastic bags when a bag is detached from the roll of plastic bags and hold the next bag in place.
2. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein each wedge is attached to a respective one of the opposing sides of the dispensing rack and angles downward from the respective opposing side toward a lower portion of the tongue.
3. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the wedges angle upward from a lower portion of the tongue such that a distance between the tongue and the wedges increases toward the top of the tongue.
4. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the wedges are attached to opposite sides of a lower portion of the tongue and the nooks are formed where the wedges meet the tongue.
5. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the wedges are attached to a bottom of the front portion of the dispensing rack forming the nooks as gaps between the wedges and a lower portion of the tongue.
6. The dispensing rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a resistance bar connected between the opposing sides and positioned to contact a roll of plastic bags seated within the dispensing rack and provide resistance to the roll of plastic bags when the roll of plastic bags is rotated with respect to the spindle.
7. The dispensing rack of claim 5, wherein as bags are dispensed from the roll of plastic bags and a size of the roll of plastic bags decreases, the spindle lowers within the tracks in the opposing sides of the dispensing rack to maintain contact between the roll of plastic bags and the resistance bar.
8. The dispensing rack of claim 1, further comprising a vertical mounting plate attached to a vertical portion of the base.
9. The dispensing rack of claim 1, further comprising a horizontal mounting plate attached to a horizontal portion of the base.
10. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a horizontal bottom portion and a vertical back portion that are perpendicular with respect to each other, the opposing sides are connected at an angle with respect to the horizontal bottom portion of the base such that top portions of the opposing sides are not parallel to the horizontal bottom portion of the base, and the tracks are perpendicular with respect to the top portions of the opposing sides.
11. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the spindle comprises stoppers at opposite ends of the spindle, wherein a diameter of the stoppers are smaller than a diameter of the core of the roll of plastic bags and larger than a width of the tracks.
12. The dispensing rack of claim 1, further comprising:
- a chain attaching the spindle to the base.
13. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the base in substantially “L”-shaped comprising a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the opposing sides are semi-circular, and a curved portion of each opposing side attaches between the horizontal portion and the vertical portion of the base.
14. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the wedges are angled toward a lower portion of the tongue to guide a bag being pulled from the dispenser rack such that a slit between the bag and a next bag on the roll of bags catches on the tongue.
15. The dispensing rack of claim 1, wherein the wedges crinkle the next bag caught in the nooks to initiate separation between the front and back panels of the next bag to make the next bag easier to open when detached from the dispensing rack.
16. An apparatus comprising:
- a roll of plastic bags comprising a hollow core and a plurality of plastic bags wound around the core, wherein the plastic bags are attached to each other with a perforation separating adjacent bags and a slit is formed in a portion of each perforation; and
- a dispenser for dispensing the plastic bags, the dispenser comprising: a base; a spindle inserted through the core of the roll of plastic bags, opposing sides attached to the base and formed with opposing tracks to accommodate the spindle such that the roll of plastic bags on the spindle is seated in the dispensing rack and rotatable with respect to the spindle, and a front portion comprising: a tongue positioned to engage with the slit between adjacent bags on the roll of plastic bags to cause a bag to be separated a next bag on the roll of plastic bags along the perforation separating the bag and the next bag, and wedges positioned to form nooks on opposite sides of the tongue to catch the next bag when the bag is detached from the roll of plastic bags and hold the next bag in place.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the core is flush with sides of the roll of plastic bags formed by the plurality of plastic bags wound around the core.
18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the dispensing rack further includes a resistance bar connected between the opposing sides and positioned to contact the roll of plastic bags provide resistance to the roll of plastic bags when the roll of plastic bags is rotated with respect to the spindle, and as bags are dispensed from the roll of plastic bags and a size of the roll of plastic bags decreases, the spindle lowers within the tracks in the opposing sides of the dispensing rack to maintain contact between the roll of plastic bags and the resistance bar.
19. A method of dispensing plastic bags from a dispenser comprising:
- pulling on a first bag on a roll of bags that is rotatably seated in a dispenser;
- catching a slit formed in a perforation between the first bag and a second bag on the roll of bags on a tongue of the dispenser;
- causing by the tongue the first bag to be detached from the roll of bags along the perforation between the first bag and the second bag as the first bag is pulled; and
- catching the second bag in nooks formed by wedges of the dispenser on opposite sides of the tongue such that portions of the second bag protrude from the nooks.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
- pulling on the portions of the second bag;
- catching a slit formed in a perforation between the second bag and a third bag on the roll of bags on the tongue;
- causing by the tongue the second bag to be detached from the roll of bags along the perforation between the second bag and the third bag as the second bag is pulled; and
- catching the third bag in the nooks such that portions of the third bag protrude from the nooks.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 18, 2011
Publication Date: May 24, 2012
Applicant: DURATECH PLASTICS CORPORATION (Carlstadt, NJ)
Inventor: Jonathan J. Tsui (Wyckoff, NJ)
Application Number: 13/300,093