BAG GRIPPER

Abstract

A bag gripper for securing a trash bag to a trash can. According to one embodiment the bag gripper comprises a front wall, side wall and back wall with a thickness that define a hollow chamber. The front wall has at number of slits that define one or more tabs. In another embodiment the side wall has a groove with a first and second surface, and the back wall has a hole whose perimeter aligns with the interior of the side wall. In another embodiment the bag gripper is part of a trash can. In another embodiment the bag gripper is integral with a trash can.

Claims

1. A bag gripper to secure a bag to a container having an outer surface, the bag gripper comprising: a body having a back wall that is attachable to the outer surface and a front wall wherein the front wall and the back wall are coupled together by at least one side wall forming a hollow chamber; and the front wall having at least one slit defining at least two tabs.

2. The bag gripper of claim 1, wherein the front wall has at least two slits that intersect at an intersection point, defining at least four tabs.

3. The gripper of claim 2, wherein the substantial center of the at least two slits intersect in the substantial center of the front wall.

4. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the back wall exterior has an adhesive.

5. The gripper of claim 4, wherein the adhesive has a removable backing.

6. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the back wall has a hole, the hole perimeter aligning with the interior of the side wall.

7. The gripper of claim 1, wherein the side wall further comprises a groove with a first surface and a second surface.

8. The gripper of claim 7, wherein the first surface and second surface have an adhesive

9. The gripper of claim 1 wherein the front wall is made of flexible and durable materials

10. The gripper of claim 9, wherein the flexible and durable materials are rubber, nylon, or plastic

11. A container to accommodate a bag, the container comprising: a bag gripper having a body with a front wall, a back wall, and at least one side wall defining a hollow chamber; wherein the front wall has at least one slit defining at least two tabs and the side wall comprises a groove having a first surface and a second surface; and the back wall having a hole wherein the perimeter of the hole aligns with the interior of the side wall; and wherein the at least one bag gripper is attached to the at least one side of the can over the at least one hole in such a way that the at least one side of the can is sandwiched between the first and second surfaces.

12. The can of claim 11, wherein the front wall has at least two slits that intersect at an intersection point, defining at least four tabs.

13. The can of claim 12, wherein the substantial center of the at least 2 slits intersect in the substantial center of the front wall.

14. The can of claim 15, wherein the front wall is made of flexible and durable materials.

15. The can of claim 14, wherein the flexible and durable materials are rubber, nylon, or plastic.

16. A container for accommodating a bag, the container comprising: a can with a bottom and at least one side; wherein the at least one side contains at least two slits which intersect at an intersection point; wherein the at least two slits define at least four tabs wherein the at least four tabs narrow from the side wall to the intersection point

17. The can of claim 16 wherein the at least one can side is made of flexible and durable materials.

18. The can of claim 17, wherein the flexible and durable materials are rubber, nylon, or plastic.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present specification will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0018] FIG. 1 is an isomeric view of a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0019] FIGS. 2a and 2b and is a cross-sectional view and side view of a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross section view of an embodiment of a bag gripper on a can in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0021] FIG. 4 is an isomeric top view of another embodiment of a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0022] FIGS. 5a and 5b are cross sectional and side view of a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 6 is a profile view of an embodiment of a can with a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of a bag gripper integral with a can in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0025] FIG. 7a is a close cross sectional view of an embodiment of an integral bag gripper;

[0026] FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments; and

[0027] FIG. 9 is front view of an embodiment of a bag gripper in accordance to one, or more embodiments.

[0028] Elements and acts in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence or embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and technologies to which the disclosed inventions may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.

[0030] A bag gripper is a device that can grip a trash can liner that can hold the trash can liner in place while it is folded over the top of a trash can, allowing for quick and clean trash can liner changes. The bag gripper can be attached to a trash can, or it can be integral with the trash can which eliminates the possibility of the gripper becoming lost or soiled by falling into the refuse.

[0031] Referring initially to FIG. 1 through 2b, an embodiment of a bag gripper shown generally at 10. The bag gripper 10 can comprise a front wall 12, a back wall 16, and at least one side wall 14 wherein the front wall 12, back wall 16, and side wall 14 can form one complete piece. The front wall 12 can be any shape, such as, for example, circular, elliptical, triangular, square, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, dodecagonal, or the like. The front wall 12, side wall 14, and back wall 16 each have a thickness and can define a hollow chamber 17. The hollow chamber 17 can extend from the front wall 12 to the back wall 16 defining the front wall and side wall 14 thickness. The hollow chamber 17 can be any shape, such as circular, elliptical, triangular, or the like or it can be the same shape as the front wall 12 and the back wall 16. In certain embodiments, the hollow chamber 17 can extend partially or fully through the back wall 16.

[0032] The front wall 12 has at least one slit 8 which defines at least two tabs 6. Preferably, the front wall 12 has at least two slits 8 which intersect at an intersection point 4, which can define at least four tabs 6, but the slit can have more than two slits or one slit which can define the number of tabs on the front wall 12. The intersection point 4 can be in the approximate center of a slit, or it can be off-centered towards an end, or any combination of centered and off-centered as shown in FIG. 9. The intersection point 4 can be substantially centered on the front wall 12, or the intersection point can be off center. The tabs 6 can be configured to grip a thin material, such as, for example, a trash can liner fabric, sheet of plastic, plastic bag, small rope, and the like. The tabs 6 can be thin walled wherein the tabs can bend, but not break when they are pushed on by the user. In other embodiments, the tabs 6 can be thick-walled material wherein the tabs will only bend when sufficient force is pushed against them to allow a portion of a bag into the hollow chamber 17. The side wall 14 can be straight, or it can be sloped, or it can be any combination of straight and sloped.

[0033] The back wall 16 can be flat, or it can be curved to conform to the shape of another object, such as a conventional garbage can. The back wall 16 can also have an adhesive 18 applied to it, allowing the bag gripper 10 to be attached to another object, such as, for example, a conventional garbage can, a waste basket, a bedpan, a metal container, a plastic or metal drum, a table, a cabinet, or the like. The adhesive (not shown) can be a glue, tape, polyimide, epoxy, polyurethane, paste, liquid, film, or the like, or any combination thereof. The adhesive can have a removable backing 19 to protect the adhesive before it is attached to the other object.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 3, shows an example usage of the trash liner attaching to the bag gripper 10 attached to a can 30 wherein the can be such as, for example, garbage can, dustbin, wastebasket, ash bin, trash barrel, dumpster, or the like. The excess liner 34 is gathered around the top of the can 30, cinching the liner around the can. The excess liner 34 is then pushed through the slits 8, shown in FIG. 1, of the bag gripper 10, and into the hollow chamber 17. The bag gripper 10 holds the excess liner 34 keeping a liner 32 cinched around the can, preventing the liner 32 from falling into the can, preventing the liner from becoming soiled with refuse, preventing the refuse from escaping the liner and soiling the can, and allowing the use of multiple bag sizes for a single can. When the liner 32 is ready to be removed the excess liner 34 is gently pulled from the bag gripper 10 and the liner is removed from the trash can 30. Since the gripper 10 can be adhered to the trash can, it will not fall into the refuse. The liner 32 can be such as, for example, a trash bag, trash can liner, bin bag, or the like which can be plastic, rubber, or the like. Additionally, the bag gripper 10 will not become lost since it is not necessary to remove the bag gripper in order to remove the bag, allowing for quick removal and/or replacement of a trash can liner.

[0035] FIG. 4 through 6, shows another embodiment of a bag gripper shown generally at 40. The bag gripper 40 can comprise a side wall 14 having a groove 52, and the back wall having a hole 58. The hole's 58 perimeter aligning with the interior surface 13 of the side wall. The groove 52 defines two surfaces, a first surface 54 and a second surface 56. In this embodiment the bag gripper 40 can be inserted into a hole on one or more locations on the can 30. The bag gripper 40 can be attached to the trash 30 through the hole by the first surface 54 and the second surface 56 wherein the first surface and second surface can sandwich the walls of the can, securing the bag gripper 40 to the can preventing the bag gripper from falling into the refuse and from getting lost as shown in FIG. 8. In certain embodiments, the bag gripper 40 can have adhesive 18 on one of the first surface 54 or the second surface 56 or both surfaces. The adhesive 18 can be a glue, tape, polyimide, epoxy, polyurethane, paste, liquid, film, or the like. The adhesive 18 can have a removable backing 19 to protect the adhesive before it is attached to the can 30 or another object. The hole 58 in the back wall allows for the excess liner to be pulled tight around the can, through the slits 8, and into the interior of the trash can 30.

[0036] FIGS. 7-7a, shows another embodiment in which the bag gripper is integrated within the trash can, shown generally at 70. In this embodiment the side wall 72 of the trash can 70 has two slits 8 which intersect at an intersection point 4, and which define four tabs 6. The bag gripper here can have one or more slits, which in turn can define more or fewer tabs. The intersection point 4 can be in the approximate center of the slits, or it can be off-centered towards one end, or a combination of centered and off-centered. The can 70 can be manufactured such that the tabs 6 are thinner than the rest of the side wall 72, narrowing from the side wall 72 to the intersection point 4. This allows the tabs 6 to be more flexible and less rigid which makes it easier to insert a trash can liner 32. The tabs can be configured to grip a thin material, such as, for example, a trash can liner, fabric, sheet of plastic, plastic bag, small rope, and the like. In this embodiment the excess liner is pulled through the slits and into the interior of the can 30. The can 72 can be manufactured from such as, for example, flexible and durable materials such as rubber, nylon, plastic, or the like.

[0037] In closing, it is to be understood that although aspects of the present specification are highlighted by referring to specific embodiments, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these disclosed embodiments are only illustrative of the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is in no way limited to a particular methodology, protocol, and/or reagent, etc., described herein. As such, various modifications or changes to or alternative configurations of the disclosed subject matter can be made in accordance with the teachings herein without departing from the spirit of the present specification. Lastly, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined solely by the claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those precisely as shown and described.

[0038] Certain embodiments are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the methods and devices described herein. Of course, variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.