Bag and Methods of Use

Abstract

An improved bag for carrying a plurality of items and methods of using the same are disclosed herein. In a preferred embodiment, the bag is made from a biodegradable material, such as paper, and the bag is used for carrying ice. The paper of the bag may be coated in a biodegradable wax laminate, such as a plant-based or animal-based wax, for increased water resistivity.

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to an improved bag and methods of use. More particularly the present disclosure relates to a recyclable and compostable paper bag for carrying ice and methods of using the same.

Description of Related Art

Plastic bags and plastic packaging on goods is a common and known practice. One of the problems with using plastic to transport and store items is that plastic bags are not biodegradable and thus add to the pollution of our planet. Additionally, plastic bags are typically not reused and may be thrown out once any items are emptied from the bag. One area that is impacted by this problem is the area of packaging and transporting ice. Ice, such as dry ice or frozen water, is typically stored in clear plastic bags that are sealed with some sort of tie. While there are numerous potential solutions to the pollution problem, the results of applying such potential solutions are unpredictable.

Therefore, what is needed is an improved bag and methods of using the same having the following characteristics and benefits over the prior art.

SUMMARY

The subject matter of this application may involve, in some cases, interrelated products, alternative solutions to a particular problem, and/or a plurality of different uses of a single system or article.

In one aspect, an improved bag is disclosed. In this aspect, the bag comprises a body, which forms an interior capable of holding a plurality of items. The body also forms an opening, which is sealable by a twine tie. Finally, in this aspect, a first and second handle are connected to the body.

In another aspect, a freezer is disclosed. In this aspect, the freezer comprises a body forming an interior for storing a bag. In this aspect, the bag comprises a body having three layers of material, two handles connected to the body, and a plurality of ice sealed inside the body.

In yet another aspect, a method of using a bag is disclosed. In this aspect, the bag comprises at least one layer of wax laminate and a plurality of ice inside the bag, and the method comprises the step of maintaining an external temperature around the bag below a melting point of the plurality of ice.

It should be expressly understood that the various physical elements of the present disclosure summarized and further disclosed herein may be of varying sizes, shapes, or otherwise dimensions and made from a variety of different materials or methods of manufacture without straying from the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 provides a cross sectional perspective view of another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 provides another cross sectional perspective view of yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 provides a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and does not represent the only forms in which the present disclosure may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments.

Generally, the present disclosure concerns an improved bag for carrying a plurality of items. For example, the improved bag disclosed herein may be used to carry numerous different types of items that are traditionally packaged in plastic, such as groceries and other commonplace items. In a preferred embodiment, the improved bag is used to store and transport ice. Also, in said preferred embodiment, the bag is made from a biodegradable material, such as paper. When the bag is made from paper, the bag may also be coated with a wax laminate. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, not all types of wax are biodegradable. For example, petroleum-based waxes, such as paraffin and microcrystalline wax, may not biodegrade. Therefore, in most embodiments, the wax laminate may be an animal or plant-based wax laminate. Some non-limiting examples of animal wax laminates may include, but are not limited to, beeswax, tallow, lanolin, or ambergris. Plant wax laminates may include, but are not limited to, soy wax or carnauba wax. Petroleum based wax such as paraffin and microcrystalline wax may be used but are preferably not used due to their potential lack of biodegradability.

In most embodiments, the wax paper forms a bag body, which may be sealed with a twine tie. In some embodiments, the material that forms the body of the paper bag may be at most three (3) millimeters (mm) in thickness, and in other embodiments the material that forms the body of the paper bag may be at most 1.5 mm in thickness. The exact thickness of the material that forms the bag body may be critical to the reduction to practice of the present disclosure. For example, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, paper, even paper coated or laminated with wax, is an inferior storage method to plastic for liquids, especially liquid water. The reason for this is that paper is made from cellulose, which is hydrophilic. When liquid water is added to paper, the hydrophilic hydrogen bonds of cellulose’s chemical structure tend to weaken and begin to dissolve in the water. Depending on the quantity of the liquid polar solvent added to a paper material, the tensile strength of the paper may substantially decrease, thus creating a high likelihood of tearing. In other words, the thicker the layer of paper, the higher the amount of polar solvent that will be needed to cause a likelihood of tearing.

Pure paper may be more susceptible to tearing from being wet than paper that is coated or laminated with a biodegradable laminate, such as the wax paper that forms the body of the ice bag in the preferred embodiment. The reason for this is that, unlike cellulose in paper but like plastic, wax is hydrophobic and thus is not soluble in water. Therefore, a paper bag coated with a wax laminate may be even less susceptible to tearing than pure paper. Additionally, coating a paper with a wax laminate may also reduce the thickness required for the bag to be water-resistant, thus allowing the overall combined thickness of the paper and laminate layers in the preferred embodiment to be 1.5 mm or less.

In some embodiments, depending on the method of use, the paper bag’s level of water resistivity may not matter. For example, in most embodiments, the paper bag may be used to transport and hold ice, which is frozen water. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, frozen or solid water is not miscible with paper, waxed or unwaxed, and thus, ice does not tend to create a likelihood of bag tearing from becoming wet. Therefore, in some embodiments, a method of using the paper bag(s) containing ice may comprise the step of maintaining the ice inside the bag at a temperature of zero (0) degrees Celsius (°C). In most embodiments, the bag may not be insulated, which means the temperature of the ice inside the bag may be maintained by maintaining the external temperature of the bag at the requisite degree.

Turning now to FIG. 1, which provides a perspective view of an embodiment of a paper bag 1. In this embodiment, the paper bag 1 comprises an exterior surface 4, which forms the body of the paper bag 1. The paper bag 1 further comprises a first handle 2 and a second handle 3 connected to the body of the bag 1. In this embodiment, the first handle 2 and the second handle 3 are connected to the body of the bag 1 by being integrally formed into the exterior surface 4 of the bag 1. In other words, in this embodiment, the first handle 2 and the second handle 3 are manufactured from the same material as the exterior surface 4 material. Finally, in this embodiment, the body of the bag 1 is sealed by a twine tie 5.

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional perspective view of a segment of the material that forms both the exterior surface 4 and the interior surface 9 of the body of the paper bag 1. In this embodiment, the material has three layers: a first layer 6, a second layer 7, and a third layer 8. The first layer 6 on the exterior surface 4 and third layer 8 on the interior surface 9 both comprise a plant or animal-based wax laminate. The second layer 7, positioned between the first layer 6 and the third layer 8, comprises a paper material. Furthermore, in this embodiment, each individual layer has a thickness of at most five hundred (500) micrometers (µm), for a total combined thickness of at most 1,500 µm or 1.5 mm.

FIG. 3 provides a cross sectional perspective view of the interior of the bag 1. In this embodiment, the bag 1 contains a plurality of ice 10, and the bag 1 is sealed by a twine tie 5. When the bag 1 is sealed properly, the ice 10 is prevented from egressing through the opening 11 of the bag 1, either due to the force of gravity or due to some other external force, when the bag 1 is being carried or otherwise used. The bag 1 may be carried or otherwise used by gripping either the first handle 2 or the second handle 3. In this embodiment, the second handle 3 is attached to a side of the bag 1 that is opposite to the side of the bag 1 that forms the opening 11. This allows for the bag 1 to be carried with the sealed opening 11 facing the ground, if desirable. This configuration may also allow for ice 10 to be more easily removed from the bag 1, when the twine tie 5 is removed and the opening 11 is unsealed, by providing additional leverage to the user as ice 10 flows out of the bag 1.

FIG. 4 provides a perspective view of a freezer 12, which holds a plurality of paper bags 13 containing ice. When the freezer door 14 is closed, the ice inside the plurality of paper bags 13 is maintained at a temperature at or below the melting point of the ice. The purpose of this is to prevent the paper bags 13 from becoming wet, which would lower the tensile strength of the paper material and potentially cause it to tear. For this reason, when the paper bags 13 are being transported to or removed from the freezer 12, it is preferable to keep the bags 13 in an insulated or actively cooled area so as to maintain the temperature of the ice at or below its melting point of 0° C.

While several variations of the present disclosure have been illustrated by way of example in preferred or particular embodiments, it is apparent that further embodiments could be developed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, or the inventive concept thereof. However, it is to be expressly understood that elements described in one embodiment may be incorporated with any other embodiment in combination with any other elements disclosed herein in the various embodiments. It is also to be expressly understood that any modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and are inclusive, but not limited to the following appended claims as set forth.

Claims

1. A bag comprising:

a body, the body forming an interior for holding a plurality of items and comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface;

an opening, the body forming the opening on a side of the body;

wherein the opening is sealable by a twine tie, and the twine tie touches the exterior surface surrounding the opening; and

a first handle and a second handle, the first and second handles being connected to the body.

2. The bag of claim 1 further comprising the plurality of items stored in the interior of the body.

3. The bag of claim 2 wherein the plurality of items comprises a plurality of ice.

4. The bag of claim 1 wherein the interior surface comprises a wax laminate.

5. The bag of claim 4 wherein the wax laminate comprises a biodegradable material.

6. The bag of claim 1 wherein the exterior surface comprises a wax laminate.

7. The bag of claim 6 wherein the wax laminate comprises a biodegradable material.

8. The bag of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a paper material positioned between the interior surface and the exterior surface.

9. The bag of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first handle or the second handle is connected to the body by being integrally formed into the exterior surface.

10. The bag of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first handle or the second handle is connected to the body on a side that is opposite to the side of the body that forms the opening.

11. A freezer comprising:

a body forming an interior for storing a bag, the bag comprising: a body, the body being formed from a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer of material; a first handle and a second handle, the first and second handles being connected to the body; and a plurality of ice sealed inside the body of the bag.

12. The freezer of claim 11 wherein the first layer of the body of the bag comprises a wax laminate.

13. The freezer of claim 12 wherein the wax laminate comprises at least one of a plant-based or an animal-based wax material.

14. The freezer of claim 11 wherein the third layer of the body of the bag comprises a wax laminate.

15. The freezer of claim 14 wherein the wax laminate comprises at least one of a plant-based or an animal-based wax material.

16. The freezer of claim 11 wherein the second layer of the body of the bag comprises a paper material.

17. The freezer of claim 11 wherein at least one of the first handle or the second handle is connected to the body of the bag by being integrally formed into at least one of the first layer, the second layer, or the third layer of the bag.

18. The freezer of claim 11 wherein at least one of the first handle or the second handle of the bag is connected to the body of the bag on a side that is opposite to an other side of the body that forms an opening.

19. A method of using a bag, the bag comprising at least one layer of wax laminate and a plurality of ice inside the bag, the method comprising the step of maintaining an external temperature around the bag below a melting point of the plurality of ice.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the melting point of the plurality of ice is 0° C.