WO1981003008A1

WO1981003008A1 - Carrying handle for bags,in particular refuse bags

Info

Publication number: WO1981003008A1
Application number: PCT/NL1981/000010
Authority: WO
Inventors: L Schuurman
Original assignee: L Schuurman
Priority date: 1980-04-14
Filing date: 1981-04-13
Publication date: 1981-10-29
Also published as: EP0050123A1; NL8002155A

Abstract

New carrying handle for bags, like refuse bags. Heavy loaded bags, even made of thin sheet material, may be carried with closed receiving opening by the handle, minimising the risk of the bag getting tom open. The handle has two individual receiving openings (4, 5) with smooth lower wall, through each of which a neck is led. At two opposite sides of the receiving end of the bag to be closed and carried, the bag material is taken or twisted together to form said necks, each carrying only half of the weight. The final end of each neck is introduced in a corresponding slot of the handle (6, 7), fitted with retaining or clamping means (11, 12).

Description

Carrying handle for bags, in particular refuse bags.

The invention relates to a carrying handle for bags, in particular refuse bags adapted to be. centrally positioned above the bag to be carried, having a grip at the upper side of an opening for the hand, having at least one opening for receiving at least one bag portion twisted or put together into a neck, in which a number of holding means is provided for engaging each neck and in which the whole is lying in one plane.

Carrying handles of this type are known from the Netherlands patent application 7205892. Said publication discloses a carrying handle positioned centrally above the bag to be carried and in which the open neck of the bag after it is twisted or put together is urged with some force through the opening for the hand into a much smaller opening in which the neck remains locked as to sliding back by resilient wedges destined therefore. A number of teeth provided in the edge of the smaller opening is pressed into the material of the bag in situ of the neck. When the bag is lifted up at the carrying handle the entire weight of the bag with its content is suspended on the teeth through the neck of the bag. Thereby the neck material is pressed forcely against the teeth and it frequently occurs that the weight of the content is too high for the resisting capacity of the neck material so that the teeth of the carrying handle locally tear up the material. The bag becomes not only locally leaking, but is often torn up entirely so thatit may not be closed anymore. Additionally, there is the drawback, that bags which are in practice filled too much, are difficult to be closed, because only one neck stands up with a sufficient length for receiving it in the carrying handle after having been twisted or put together. According to an embodiment of the carrying handle according to said publication, slipping back of the neck out of the handle is prevented by a closing strip. However, this does not obviate the above-mentioned disadvantage, i.e. the total weight is carried by the neck on the sharp teeth. Now, the invention aims to eliminate said disadvantages and to provide for a simple disposable carrying handle which may carry even further filled bags with ease, practically without risk of tearing up of the neck. The carrying handle as described above is characterized according to theinvention in that the grip opening is closed all around and is only adapted for inserting the hand, that at each side alongside of and/or below the opening a receiving opening is provided for one of two bag necks formed in diagonal confronting relation and that near the lower edge of each receiving opening a onesided open slot provided with holding means is provided for clamping the free end of the neck.

Owing to the described embodiment the weight of the bag with its content is carried by two necks formed from the neck material of the bag in diagonal and confronting relation and in which the first opening through which each neck is guided has a smooth edge without teeth, so that at the one side the load is reduced by one half and at the other side the risk of tearing up in the carrying opening is absent practically. The free end of each neck is bent by approximately 180º subsequently after inserting it through the receiving opening and is brought into the slot by which slipping back of each neck is prevented. The load on the neck material in the slot is some factors lower than in the known construction, because the greatest part of the weight is carried already by the neck at the location where it is inserted through the receiving opening and is bent around the lower edge.

According to a preferred embodiment the lower edge of the receiving openings for the necks of the bag is flattened so that local stress concentrations in the neck material are prevented as much as possible and the risk of preliminary tearing up is reduced.

When the carrying handle according to the invention fitted correctly, the side edges of the open bag end between both of the necks rest against each other so that a reasonable closure of the bag is guaranteed. The position of the slots with respect to the receiving openings for the necks influences the lockation of the free neck end in position by influence of the tensile stress in the carrying portion of the neck which can press the free end against the carrying handle. In order to take profit of this phenomenum as much as possible, a preferred embodiment is characterized in that each slot extends horizontally below the respective receiving opening. An alternative embodiment in which said self-locking effect is produced in a less amount, but in which the dimensions of the carrying handle may be slightly reduced and with a reduced material consumption and thereby a lower cost as result, is characterized in that each slot is positioned under the grip opening with its open side directed to the other and the closed end directed to the lower edge of the respective receiving opening, in which between both of the slots sufficient space is left for passing a bag neck twisted or put together.

Finally the carrying handle may be reinforced in its plane by reinforcing ribs extending perpendicular to said plane. They may follow the entire circumference but it isadvantageous for the application of the carrying handle when at least the carrier surface for the hand and for both of the necks are widened. The handle is applicable as disposable article and, therefore, may be manufactured from plastic or hardboard or such material which is disintegratable or destructable. However, the handle may also be manufactured with better quality, so that after transport of a bag, it may be reused for the transport of other bags. In doing so, one may consider in particular its application with fertilizer bags, in which a pouring spout may easily be produced by forming both of the necks not exactly diagonally opposite to each other, but leaving at the pouring side a little more circumferential length of the bag opening than at the opposite side. In operation, by influence of the weight of the bag, the carrying handle will practically lie in a vertical plane. However, in mounted but unloaded condition the carrying handle will come to lie more or less horizontally on the bag by influence of the elasticity of the bag material in the necks. Thereby the stacking of bags provided with carrying handles according to the invention is possible without damage or without the handle getting loose from its bag. By interconnecting a number of carrying handles with tear lips they may be joined into a chain and manufactured simultaneously in for example an injection molding-die with about 5 up to 10 pieces. Such a set of carrying handles may be sold together with a package of household refuse bags.

In the subsequent description of the figures, embodi ments of the carrying handle according to the invention will be explained.

Figure 1 shows a carrying handle according to the in vention having slots beneath the receiving openings ;

Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a carrying handle according to the invention, in which the slots are provided at the lower side of and next to the receiving openings ; Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of a carrying handle according to the invention;

Figure 4 shows a section taken on line IV-IV of Fig 1 with a bag neck drawn schematically therein.

The Figures 1 and 2 show corresponding carrying handles, only with different location of the slot with holding teeth. The carrying handle 1 has a grip opening 2 at the upper side defined by the grip 3. At the lefthand and righthanded side of the grip opening 2 and the grip 3 receiving openings 4 and 5 are provided each destined for a neck twisted or put together of the bag to be carried. According to Figure 1 the slots 6 and 7 are located beneath the receiving openings 4 and 5 and according to Figure 2 alongside at the level of the flattened carrying walls 9 and 10 of the receiving openings 4 and 5. Each of the slots 6 and 7 extends approximately horizontally in operation and is provided with a number of teeth 11 and 12 by v/hich the ends of the bag necks are clamped. The material 13 and 14 defining the open slots at the lower side should have a sufficient resistance against bending. The teeth 11 and 12 may be provided also or only at the upper side of the slot, or also in a higher number and may have smaller dimensions. It is a matter of importance that the slot is sufficiently stiff to prevent sliding away of the neck.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment with a broader carrier surface 9, 10 for the necks and only one tooth or extension 11, 12 at the open end of the slot 6, 7. In this embodiment both of the necks of the bag come nearer to each other in the corners 24 and 25 of the receiving openings 4 and 5 than in using the carrying handles according to figures 1 and 2. The shape of the slot may be adapted to the location of the receiving opening.

As shown in figure 4 reinforcing ridges 15, 16 and 17 may be provided, perpendicular to the plane of the carrying handle, while they increase the loadability of the handle in particular when they are provided along the lower edge 8 of the grip 3 and along the carrying edges 9 and 10 of the receiving openings 4 and 5. With reference number 18, in figure 4 a bag is schematically shown, at one side of which a neck 19 is illustrated. The neck portion 20 is inserted through the receiving opening 4, whereafter the neck is bent back at 21 for sliding it with the portion 22 into the slot 6 where the neck end is locked by the teeth 11. In operation, the final end of the neck 23 is clamped between the toothed lower edge 13, 17 of the slot and the neck end 22, 23 sliding out of the slot 6 is practically entirely absent.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Carrying handle for bags, in particular refuse bags, adapted to be centrally positioned above the bag to be carried, having a grip at the upper. side of an opening for the hand, having at least one opening for receiving a least one neck of the bag twisted or put together, in which a number of holding means is provided for engaging each neck and in which the whole lies in one plane, characterized in that the grip opening (2) is closed all around and is only formed for inserting the hand, that at each side alongside of and/or beneath said opening (2) a receiving opening (4, 5) is provided for one of two bag necks (19) formed in a diagonal and confronting relation and that near the lower edge (9, 10) of each receiving opening (4, 5) a one-sided open slot (6, 7) provided with holding means (11, 12) is provided for clamping the free end (21, 22, 23) of the neck (19, 20).

2. Carrying handle according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving openings (4, 5) have a flattened lower edge (9, 10) for carrying a bag neck.

3. Carrying handle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each slot (6, 7) extends horizontally beneath the respective receiving opening (4, 5).

4. Carrying handle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each slot (6, 7) is located beneath the grip opening (2) having its open side directed to the other and the closed end directed to the lower edge (9, 10) of the respective receiving opening (4, 5) in which between both of the slots a sufficient space is left for passing a bag neck (19-23) twisted or put together.

5. Carrying handle according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized In that reinforcing ribs (15, 16, 17) perpendicular to the plane of the carrying handle widen at least the carrying surfaces for the hand (8) and for both of the necks (9, 10).