Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to fixtures and more
particularl~ to a rack for supporting a plastic bag in an
open position.
Plastic bags are frequently used in a grocery store
in place of paper bags for holding items purchased by a
customer. Irasmuch as it has been the practice for a
consumer to reuse the paper bags that are brought home from
the grocery stores fox the disposing of trash, it would be
highly desirable to provide a rack that enables the consumer
to reuse the plastic grocery bags for this purpose.
The paper bag is made of a sufficiently stiff paper
so that it can be made available for reu~e as a trash bag
by simply inserting it into a conventional container with its
upper end open. On the other hand, the plastic bag is made
of a thin pliable material that has no stiffness and
consequently must be suspended in an upright open position
for such use. Inasmuch as a rack for holding a plastic bag
is necessarily relatively bulky and cumbersome to handle, it
is highly advantageous to make such a rack collapsible so
that it can be conveniently stored and transported.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the rack includes a rectangular base that is formed of wire
to comprise transverse portions and longitudinal portions
with U-shaped notches at each corner thereof. Each corner
U-shaped notch includes a pair of vertically spaced U-shaped
wire portions with one of the U-shaped wire portion being
formed at one level as a continuation of the transverse
portion and the other U-shaped wire portion being formed at
another level as a continuation of the longitudinal portion
of the base. The rack includes a pair of side supports.
Each side support is formed of wire to comprise a pair of
spaced el~ngated arms with a holder portion joining the upper
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ends thereof and with hooks provided on the lower ends
thereof by which the side support is pivotally held on a
transverse portion of the base.
~hen the base is positioned in an upside down
position with the U-shaped wire portions forming a
con~inuation of the transverse portions located above the
U-shaped wire portions forming a continuation of the
longitudinal portions, the elongated arms of the side supports
can be swung on the respective transverse portions down into
the plane of the base in a collapsed condition~
On the other hand, when the base is turned over
into its rightside up position, with the U-shaped wire
portions forming a continuation of the transverse portions
located below the U-shaped wire portions forminy a
continuation of the longitudinal portions, the elongated arms
of the side supports can be effectively locked hy the latter
U-shaped wire portions in a substantially upright position.
Such an erected structure enables the arm holes on either
side of a plastic bag to be hung over the holder portions
of the side supports to hold the plastic bag is a suspended
position with its mouth in an open position.
Accordingly, one of the objects of the present
invention is to provide an inexpensive, collapsible rack
that can be readily erected for use in holding a plastic
grocery bag in a suspended position with the mouth of the
bag open.
Another object of the present invention is to
provide a wire rack for use in holding a plastic grocery
bag in a suspended position with the mouth of the bag open
wherein notches provided on the corners of the base for
holding the side supports of the rack in an upright position
are integrally formed from portions of the same unitary
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length of wire used to form the lonyitudinal and transverse
portions of a base half~
With these and other objects in view, the
invention consists of the construction, arrangement and
combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the
objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth,
pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings~
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the rack of
the present invention in its collapsed condition:
Figure 2 shows the initial forming of one of the
base halves from a single length of wire,
Figure 3 shows the final forming of the base half
to provide U-shaped notches at the corners thereof;
Figure 4 shows how the side supports of the rack
can be manipulated so that they extend downwardly from
the base with the hooked ends of their arms effectively
locked within the U-shaped notches at the side corners
thereof;
Figure 5 shows the rack with its base in a rightside
up position and with its side supports having a slightly
divergent relationship with respect to each other;
Figure 6 is an elarged partial view taken on
line 6-6 of Figure 5 showing one of the elongated arms of a
side support effectively locked in the U-shaped notch
provided at a side corner of the base; and
Figure 7 shows the erected rack being employed
to hold a plastic bag in a suspended position with the
mouth thereof held open.
Referring to Figure 1, the rack 10 of the present
invention is shown in a collapsed condition with the side
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supports 14 and 15 thereof swung down so as to be positioned
substantially in the plane of the base 11 which is lying
on a hori20ntal surface in an upside down position.
As best seen in Figure 4, the base 11 for the
rack 10 is preferahly made of two identical halves 12 and 13,
each formed of a single length of wire. As shown in Figure 2,
to make base half 12, inward from a straight portion 16
formed on one end of a length of wire, the wire is bent
outwardly at a right angle and then back above itself to
form a first short laterally extending U-shaped projection
18. The length of wire then fQrms a straight transverse
portion 20 which is disposed at right angles to the straight
end portion 61, but at a higher level. The length of wire
beyond the end of the transverse portion 20 is then bent
back below itself to form a second short laterally extending
U-shaped projection 19, and then bent at a right angle to the
transverse portion 20 to form a straight portion 17 on
the other end of the length of wire. The straight portions
16 and 17 of the length of wire are thus disposed parallel
to each other and at right angles to the transverse portion 20.
As shown in Figure 3, each of the laterally
extending U-shaped pro~ections 18 and 19 at the corners is
bent in an outwardly direction back on itself to form U-shaped
notches 27 and 28 at opposite corners of the base half 12.
It should now be clearly understood that each of
the U-shaped notches, such as U-shaped notch 28, is formed
of two ve.rtically spaced U-shaped wire portions 24a and 24b
with the wire portion 24a being a continuation of the
straight transverse portion 20 and the other wire portion 24b
being a continuation of the straight end portion 17 at
the corner of the base half.
As seen in Figure 4, the other half 13 of the base
11 is similarly formed of a single length of wire to
provide straight end portions 22 ancl 23, a transverse portion
21, and U-shaped notches 46 and 47 c>n the opposite corners
of the base half 13.
The two halves 12 and 13 of the base 11 as thus
formed then have their straight end portions 16 and ~2
welded together at 25 to provide the longitudinal portion 48
of the base and have their straight end portions 17 and 23
welded together at 26 to provide the longitudinal portion
10 49 of the base~
The side support 14 of the rack 10 comprises a
single length of wire formed to provide spaced elongated arms
33 and 34 on each end thereof joined by a holder portion 29
at the upper end thereof. Likewise, side support 15 comprises
a single length of wire formed to provide elongated arms
37 and 38 joined by a holder portion 30 at the upper end
thereof~
On side support 14, the upper ends of the elongated
arms 33 and 34 are first bent inwardly and then outwardly and
upwardly to form shoulders 39 on either side of the holder
portion Z9 and the lower ends of the elongated arms 33 and 34
are formed with hooks 31 and 37, respectively, that are
attached to the transverse portion 20 of the base 11.
Similarly, on side support 15, the upper ends of
the elongated arms 37 and 38 are first bent inwardly and then
outwardly and upwardly to form shoulders 40 on either side of
the holder portion 30 and the lower ends of the arms 37 and
38 are formed with hooks 35 and 36, respectively, that are
attached to the transverse portion 21 of the base 11.
The elongated arms 33 and 34 of the side support
14 are formed so that the hooks 31 and 32 on the respective
ends thereof normally reside on the transverse portion 20
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w.ithin the ~-shaped notches 27 and 28 on the opposite side
corners of the base 11. Likewise, the elongated arms 37 and
38 of the side support 15 are formed so that the hooks 35
and 36 on the respective ends thereof normally resi.de on the
transverse portion 21 within the U-shaped notches 46 and 47
on the opposite .side corners of the base 11.
Referring back to Figure 1, i~t shou~ be noted
that the longitudinal arms on each side support are closer
together at the top than the bottom thereof. This enables
one of the side supports, such as side support 75, to be
swung down to lie in a collapsed condition substantially in
the plane of the base 11, which is lying in an upside down
position, with the upper end portions of the elongated arms
37 and 38 thereof residing between the hooks 31 and 32 on
the lower end of the elongated arms 33 and 34 of the other
side support 14. The other side support 14 can then be
swung down so as to lie in a collapsed condition
substantially in the plane of the base 11.
As shown in Figure 4, to open up or erect the rack,
both the side supports 14 and 15 are swung upwardly from their
collapsed position in Figure 1. Then, by flexing the
elongated arms 37 and 38 of one of the side supports 15
inwardly toward each other by applying a modest force, as
indicated by arrows 38, the hooks 35 and 36 on the ends of the
elongated arms are caused to slide inwardly on the transverse
portion 21 and out of the U-shaped notches 46 and 47 at the
side corners of the base. This frees the side support 15 so
that it can be pivoted downwardly on its hooks 35 and 36, as
illustrated by arrow 41 in Figure 4. When the elongated
arms 37 and 38 are released, as a result of the elastic
restoring forces set up therein~ the hooks 35 and 36 slide
outwardly on the transverse portion 21 back into their
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original positîon wi~hin the U-shaped notches 46 and 47 at
the opposite side corners of the base.
The side support 14 can be similarly manipulated
such that when its elongated arms 33 and 34 are pivoted
downwardly and released, as a result of the elastic restoring
forces set up therein, the hooks 31 and 32 on the lower ends
thereof slide outwardly on the transverse portion 20 into
their original position within the U-shaped notches 27 and
28 at the opposite side corners of the base~
After the side supports 14 and 15 have been
manipulated as illustrated in Figure 4, so that they both
extend downwardly from the transverse portions of the base
11, the base can now be turned ovex with the elongated arms
33, 34 and 37, 38 of the side supports 14 and 15 extending
generally upwardly and effectively locked in the U-shaped
notches 27, 28 and 46, 47, respectively, so t~.at the side
supports 14 and 15 have a slightly divergent relationship
with respect to each other, as illustrated in Figures 5
and 6.
As shown in Figure 7, a typical plastic bag 51,
which has previously been used to bring groceries home from
a grocery store, can now be placed with its arm holes 52
and 53 respectively fitted over the holder portions 29 and
30 and against the shoulders 39 and 40 formed on the top of
each side support 14 and 15. To do this, the diverging side
supports 14 and 15 must first be ~lexed inwardly toward each
other by applying a modest force to them. Thus, when the
side supports 14 and 15 are released, the plastic bag 51 is
held with the sides of the opening on its upper end held
taut by the restoring forces set up in the side supports
to form a rectangular shaped mouth 54 with the body 55 of
the bag 51 suspended therebelow between the side supports 14
~21(37~
and 15, thus enabling trash or the like to be placed therein~
When it is desired to dispose the plastic bag 51
after it has been filled with trash, the arm holes 52 and 53
on the upper sides of the plastic bag 51 need merely be
removed, i.e~, slipped off the holder portions 29 ana 30 on
the~upper ends of the side supports 14 and 15 of the rack 10.
Another plastic bag 51 can be positioned with its arm holes
52 and 53 positioned on the handle portions 29 and 30.
It should now be clearly understood that when the
base 11 is upside down with the transverse portions 20 and
21 thereof, on which the elongated arms of the side supports
14 and 15 are pivoted, located in an elevated position with
respect to a horizontal surface, as shown in Figures 1 and .
4, the elongated arms of the respective side supports 14
and 15 can be swung down into and out of the plane of the
base without interference of the bottom U-shaped wire
portions of the corner notches, such as the U-shaped wire
portions 2~b, at the side corners of the base 11~
On the other hand, when the base 11 is rightside
up, with the transverse portions 20 and 21 thereof, on
which the elongated arms of the side supports 14 and 15 are
pivoted, located adjacent a horizontal surface on which
the base lies, a.s shown in Figures 5 and 6, the elevated
U-shaped wire portions of the notches, such as the U-shaped
wire portions 24a, at the side corners of the base, effect-
ively lock the elongated arms of the side supports in a
substantially upright position.
It should now be clearly understood that one of
the advantages of the rack of the present invention is that
the U~shaped notch at each of the corners of the base is
simply integrally formed from a portion of the same unitary
length oi wire used to form the half longitudinal portions
and the transverse portion o a base half. Such a forming
of the corner notches from a unitary length of wire assures
that no protruding sharp ends of the wires are present at
the four corners of the base which could cause damage to
the surface of any other article it may touch during the
use or handling of the rack
While the description has been concerned with a
particular struct~ral embodiment of the present invention,
it is to be understood that many modifications and
variations in the construction and arrangement thereof
may be provided for without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its
advantages and the invention is, therefore, considered
to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the
appended clai~s,
What is claimed is:
