INTERNAL BAG CLOSURE AND BAG KIT

Abstract

An internal bag closure and a bag kit that includes a bag with handles and the internal bag closure. The internal bag closure includes a central portion dimensioned to cover an open top of a bag and a pair of handle orifices shaped to allow the easy passage of the handles of the bag through each orifice and their subsequent locking within each orifice when the handles are drawn to their natural handle attachment points on the bag.

Claims

1. An internal bag closure for a self opening square bag having a front panel, a back panel, a right side gusset having a fold, a left side gusset having a fold, a bottom gusset, an open top opposite the bottom gusset, a front handle attached to the front panel proximate the open top and a back handle attached to the back panel proximate the open top, wherein a distance between the front panel and the back panel defines a depth of the bag and wherein a distance between the right side gusset and left side gusset defines a width of the bag, wherein said internal bag closure comprises: a front folded over section having a front edge and a back folded over section having a back edge, wherein said front edge of said front folded over section is substantially parallel to said back edge of said back folded over section, a central section disposed between said front folded over section and said back folded over section, wherein said central section comprises a right end and a left end, wherein a minimum distance between said right end and said left end defines a length, and wherein said length is less than the width of the bag; a front fold disposed between said front folded over section and said central section and a back fold disposed between said back folded over section, wherein a distance between said front fold and said back fold defines a width, and wherein said width is substantially equal to the depth of the bag; and a handle orifice disposed through each of said front folded over section and said back folded over section, wherein each handle orifice comprises an expanded center portion shaped and dimensioned to allow the handle of the bag to pass therethrough and a pair of slots extend in opposite directions from said expanded center portion along said length of each folded over section, wherein each of said slots has a width that is less than a thickness of the handle and terminates at an end.

2. The internal bag closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said front folded over section, said back folded over section, said front fold and said back fold are central section disposed between said front folded over section and said back folded over section comprise a single sheet of paper having a paper weight between 250-400 gsm.

3. The internal bag closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said length of said central portion is between ten percent and fifteen percent less the width of the bag.

4. The internal bag closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at said right end and said left end of said central portion are scalloped shaped.

5. The internal bag closure as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said scalloped shaped right end and said scalloped shaped left end define an arc that allows a natural inward tendency of the folds of the left side gusset and right side gusset of the bag to be unimpeded by said internal bag closure.

6. The internal bag closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between said front edge of said front folded over section and said front fold is between twenty and thirty millimeters and wherein a distance between said back edge of said back folded over section and said back fold is between twenty and thirty millimeters.

7. The internal bag closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said front edge and said back edge is a finished edge.

8. The internal bag closures as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bag is a knotted external handle bag, the front handle of the bag passes through a pair of handle openings through the front panel of the bag, back handle of the bag passes through a pair of handle openings through the back panel of the bag, and wherein one handle orifice is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with the handle openings through the front panel and one handle orifice is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with the handle openings through the back panel.

9. The internal bag closures as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bag is in internal handle bag having a turntop, the front handle of the bag passes through a pair of handle openings through the turntop proximate to the front panel, the back handle of the bag passes through a pair of handle openings through the turntop proximate to the back panel of the bag, and wherein one handle orifice is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with said handle openings through the turntop proximate to the front panel and one handle orifice is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with said handle openings through the turntop proximate to the back panel.

10. The internal bag closures as claimed in claim 1 wherein the front handle and the back handle of the bag are ribbon handles and wherein said slots of each handle orifice are slits having a minimal width.

11. A bag kit comprising: a self opening square bag comprising: a front panel, a back panel, a right side gusset having a fold, a left side gusset having a fold, a bottom gusset, an open top opposite said bottom gusset, a front handle attached to said front panel proximate said open top and a back handle attached to said back panel proximate said open top; wherein a distance between said front panel and said back panel defines a depth of said bag and wherein a distance between said right side gusset and said left side gusset defines a width of said bag; and an internal bag closure comprising: a front folded over section having a front edge and a back folded over section having a back edge, wherein said front edge of said front folded over section is substantially parallel to said back edge of said back folded over section, a central section disposed between said front folded over section and said back folded over section, wherein said central section comprises a right end and a left end, wherein a minimum distance between said right end and said left end defines a length, and wherein said length is less than said width of said bag; a front fold disposed between said front folded over section and said central section and a back fold disposed between said back folded over section, wherein a distance between said front fold and said back fold defines a width, and wherein said width is substantially equal to said depth of said bag; and a handle orifice disposed through each of said front folded over section and said back folded over section, wherein each handle orifice comprises an expanded center portion shaped and dimensioned to allow said handle of said bag to pass therethrough and a pair of slots extend in opposite directions from said expanded center portion along said length of each folded over section, wherein each of said slots has a width that is less than a thickness of said handle and terminates at an end; wherein said kit is assembled by disposing said internal bag closure within said open top of said bag, securing said front handle within said front handle orifice and securing said back handle within said back handle orifice

12. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein said front folded over section, said back folded over section, said front fold and said back fold are central section disposed between said front folded over section and said back folded over section comprise a single sheet of paper having a paper weight between 250-400 gsm.

13. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein said length of said central portion of said internal bag closure is between ten percent and fifteen percent less said width of said bag.

14. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein at said right end and said left end of said central portion of said internal bag closure are scalloped shaped.

15. The bag kit as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of said scalloped shaped right end and said scalloped shaped left end of said internal bag closures define an arc that allows a natural inward tendency of said folds of said left side gusset and right side gusset of said bag to be unimpeded by said internal bag closure.

16. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein a distance between said front edge of said front folded over section and said front fold of said internal bag closures is between twenty and thirty millimeters and wherein a distance between said back edge of said back folded over section and said back fold of said internal bag closures is between twenty and thirty millimeters.

17. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of said front edge and said back edge of said internal bag closures is a finished edge.

18. The bag kit as claimed in claim 1: wherein said bag is a knotted external handle bag; wherein said front handle of said bag passes through a pair of handle openings through said front panel of said bag; wherein said back handle of said bag passes through a pair of handle openings through said back panel of said bag; wherein one handle orifice of said internal bag closure is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with said handle openings through said front panel and wherein one handle orifice of said internal bag closure is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with said handle openings through said back panel.

19. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11: wherein said bag is in internal handle bag having a turntop; wherein said front handle of said bag passes through a pair of handle openings through said turntop proximate to said front panel; wherein said back handle of said bag passes through a pair of handle openings through said turntop proximate to said back panel of said bag; wherein one handle orifice is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with said handle openings through said turntop proximate to said front panel; and wherein one handle orifice is dimensioned such that said ends of said slots align with said handle openings through said turntop proximate to said back panel.

20. The bag kit as claimed in claim 11 wherein said front handle and said back handle of said bag are ribbon handles and wherein said slots of each handle orifice of said internal bag closures are slits having a minimal width.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a prior art a knotted external handle bag in an open position.

[0033] FIG. 1B is a front view of the bag of FIG. 1A in a folded position

[0034] FIG. 2A is a top perspective view of a prior art internal handle bag in an open position.

[0035] FIG. 2B is a back view of the bag of FIG. 2A in a folded position

[0036] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art knotted external handle bag with bottom gusset.

[0037] FIG. 4A is an perspective assembly view of the kit of the present invention showing the internal bag closure of the present invention and a prior art knotted external handle bag.

[0038] FIG. 4B is a partially assembled perspective view of the kit of FIG. 4A.

[0039] FIG. 4C is a partially assembled top view of the kit of FIG. 4A showing one handle in its fully assembled position and on handle in its partially assembled position.

[0040] FIG. 4D is a fully assembled top view of the kit of FIG. 4A.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a back perspective view the kit of FIGS. 4A-4D with the internal bag closure in position to be folded flat within the bag.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the internal bag closure of the present invention for use with cord handles.

[0043] FIG. 7A is a back perspective view of an embodiment of the kit of the present invention that includes a prior art internal handle bag with the internal bag closure in position to be folded flat within the bag.

[0044] FIG. 7B is a partially assembled top view of the kit of FIG. 7A showing one handle in its fully assembled position and on handle in its partially assembled position.

[0045] FIG. 7C is a fully assembled top view of the kit of FIG. 7A.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a top view of one embodiment of the internal bag closure of the present invention in which the parallel folded over sections are of a double thickness.

[0047] FIG. 9 is a top view of one embodiment of the internal bag closure of the present invention for use with ribbon handles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a typical prior art SOS bag 10 open in a perspective view. Prior art SOS bag 10 includes a front panel 12, a back panel 14, right side gusset 16, left side gusset 18, bottom gusset 20, an open top opposite the bottom gusset 20, and a turntop 22 that extends around the periphery of the open top. Turntop 22 is an inward fold of sheet forming the front panel 12, back panel 14, right side gusset 16, and left side gusset 18, and is included to reinforce the open top of the SOS bag 10 to resist tearing. However, it is noted that not all SOS bags include a turntop 22.

[0049] Right side gusset 16 and left side gusset 18, and bottom gusset 20 allow the SOS bag 10 to be expanded from a flat folded position to the open position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. When folded, bottom gusset 20 folds upward toward the formerly open top and right side gusset 16, left side gusset 18 fold inward. When expanded and open, prior art SOS bag 10 may rest upright with bottom gusset 20 on the ground forming the bottom of the bag 10. Although the SOS bag 10 of FIG. 3 includes an inverted bottom gusset 20 that folds upward between the front panel 12 and back panels 14 when closed, it is noted that many prior art SOS bags 10, including the bag shown in FIG. 2A and 2B, include bottom gussets 20 that fold upward and cover part of the back panel 14 when folded.

[0050] As is typical of many SOS bags, the SOS bag 10 of FIG. 3 also includes a front handle 24 a back handle (not shown). The front handle 24 and back handle of the SOS bag 10 of FIG. 3 are cords that that pass through handle openings (not shown) through the front panel 12 and back panel 14 respectively and through turntop 22 and are secured by knots 26 that prevent the cords from passing back through the turntop 22. This type of SOS bag is referred to herein as a knotted external handle bag.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2A, it is also common for the front handle 24 and back handle 28 to not extend through the front panel 12 and back panel 14 but, rather, to extend only through the turntop 22. In these bags, the handles 24, 28 are disposed between and secured to the turntop 22 and the front panel 12 and back panel 14 respectively, such that the ends of the handles 24, 28 are hidden from view and the handles 24, 28 extend inside of the SOS bag 10. This type of SOS bag is referred to herein as an internal handle bag.

[0052] It is also common for the front handle 24 and back handle 28 of SOS bags 10 to be made from ribbons instead of cord. Such ribbon handles may be used in knotted external handle bags or internal handle bags in a manner similar to those described above. Referring now to FIGS. 4A-6, one embodiment of the internal bag closure 50 and kit 100 including a knotted external handle bag 10 is shown and described. FIG. 4A is an assembly view of the kit 100 of the present invention. The kit 100 includes a bag 10 and an internal bag closure 50. The bag 10 is a knotted external handle bag that is similar in all respects to the bag 10 described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0053] The internal bag closure 50 is most clearly described with reference to FIG. 6. The internal bag closure 50 is preferably manufactured from a single sheet or panel of paper or lightweight board. The paper weight of the internal bag closure 50 is preferably between 250-400 gsm, but may be more or less depending upon the particular application, and may be laminated or unlaminated, coated or uncoated, or made of any other suitable material that offers a similar function.

[0054] The internal bag closure 50 has a length that is preferably 10-15% less than the width of the bag. The internal bag closure 50 incorporates a right end 70 and left end 72 of its central section 56, which is the section that covers the open top of the bag. The ends 70, 72 are preferably die cut scalloped shaped ends 70, 72 that each define an arc that is geometrically calculated based upon the bag width and depth to allow the natural inward tendency of the folds of the side gussets 16, 18 to be unimpeded.

[0055] The preferred internal bag closure 50 has front folded over section 52 and back folded over section 54 which are substantially parallel, extend the length of the internal bag closure 50. Front fold 53 and back fold 55 in the panel at the interior of the in the parallel folded over sections 52, 54 define a central section 56 having a width approximately equal to the depth of the bag 10. The distance between front edge 71 and front fold 53 and rear edge 73 and rear fold 55 are each preferably approximately 20-30 mm. Each of the parallel folded over sections 52, 54 of the internal bag closure 50 includes a handle orifice 58, 60 therethrough. Each handle orifice 58, 60 is shaped to allow the easy passage of the handles 24, 28 of the bag 10 through the orifice 58, 60 and their subsequent locking within the orifice 58, 60 when the handles are drawn to their natural handle attachment points on the bag 10.

[0056] In the embodiment of the internal bag closure 50 shown in FIG. 6, which is adapted for use with cord handled bags or knotted ribbon handle bags, each handle orifice 58, 60 includes an expanded center portion 62 sized to allow the cord handle 24, 28, or knots 26 of a cord or ribbon handle, to pass therethrough. Slots 64, 65 of a reduced width having a size less than the thickness of the handles 24, 28 or the knots 26 extend from either side of the expanded center portion 62 along the length of each handle orifice 58, 60 and terminate such that the end 66, 67 of each slot is disposed proximate to the location of the handle openings through the bag 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the end 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65 is semicircular in shape. This shape is preferred due to its improved tear resistance over sharply angled ends. However, the end 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65 may take any shape.

[0057] Referring again to FIGS. 4A-4D, the assembly of the kit 100 is described. As shown in FIG. 4A, the internal bag closure 50 is first positioned above the open top of the bag 10. As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the internal bag closure 50 is then fitted into the open top of the bag 10 and the knots 26 of handle 26 are passed through the expanded center portion 62 of orifice 60. The knots 26 are then moved outward through slots 64, 65, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4B, until the knots 26 reach the ends 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65, as shown in FIG. 4C. The knots 26 of the other handle 24 are passed through the orifice 58 as also shown in FIG. 4C and process is then repeated. The end result of this process is shown in FIG. 4D.

[0058] One distinct advantage of the internal bag closure 50 is its ability to be secured and stored flat within the bag 10 when not in use. As shown in FIG. 5, when the bag 10 is emptied and is ready for storage, the knots 26 of one handle 29 are removed from the orifice 60 while the other knots 26 remain in their location at the ends 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65 in orifice 58. This results in the internal bag closure 50 hanging parallel to one side of the bag 10, allowing the bag 10 to be folded flat with the internal bag closure 50 secured within.

[0059] Referring now to FIGS. 7A-7C, a preferred embodiment of the internal bag closure 50 and kit 100 including a internal cord handle bag 10 is shown and described. FIG. 7A shows the bag closure 50 in a stored position within the bag 10 with the handle 24 in its assembled location with ends of the handle 24 at the ends 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65 in orifice 58. As was the case with knotted external handle bag, the ends 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65 align with the location of the handle openings (not shown) in each side of the bag. As shown in FIG. 7B, the internal bag closure 50 is assembled by moving it into position within the open top of the bag 10 and passing the handle 28 through the expanded center portion 62 of the orifice 60. The handle 28 is then drawn outward through slots 64, 65 until the two ends of the handle 24 reach the ends 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65, as shown in FIG. 7C.

[0060] Referring now to FIG. 8, another embodiment of the internal bag closure 50 includes parallel folded over sections 52, 54 that are of a double thickness. As shown in FIG. 8, each of these double thickness portions 52, 54 are formed by including additional sections 90, 92 of equal width to the width of the folded over sections 52, 54, additional folds 94, 96, and identically shaped handle orifices 58A, 58B and 60A, 60B through each section 52, 54 and 90, 92, and folding over the sections along folds 94, 96. The end result of this process when performed on the sheet of FIG. 8 is the internal bag closure of FIG. 6. This arrangement is preferred as it increases the durability of the internal bag closure and provides the closure with finished edges. However, other embodiments are of single thickness.

[0061] In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the end 66, 67 of each slot 64, 65 includes a round opening having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the cord handle 24, 28 but smaller than the knots 26. This design prevents impingement upon the handles 24, 28 that could cause damage to the handles 24, 28 and/or the slots 64, 55 of the internal bag closure. However, this embodiment does not allow the internal bag closure 50 to be held tightly within the bag and, therefore, is not preferred.

[0062] Referring now to FIG. 9, an embodiment of the internal bag closure 50 for use with non-knotted ribbon handles is shown. This internal bag closure 50 is similar in most respects to the internal bag closure 50 of FIG. 6, except for elimination of the scalloped ends and the difference in the slots 64, 65 in the orifice. In this embodiment, the handle orifice 58, 60 includes an expanded center portion 62 sized to allow the ribbon handles to pass through in a manner similar to the cord handle shown in FIGS. 7A-7C. Slots 64, 65 are of a vastly reduced width and essentially take the form of slits having a width less than the thickness of the ribbon from which the handles are formed. Slots 64, 65 extend from either side of the expanded center portion 62 along the length of each handle orifice 58, 60 and terminate such that the end 66, 67 of each slot is disposed proximate to the location of the handle openings through the bag 10. The ends 66, 67 of the slots 64, 65 these embodiments do not include round openings like those of FIG. 6 and, rather are merely extensions of the slots.

[0063] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the description should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.