Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
37 ~ 23514-215
The present invention relates to a bag, the surfaces of
which are joined to each other on both side edges, and which has
bottom folds that are opposite to the openiny.
Tote bags that are constructed as described above have
handles on the side of the opening. Insofar as the handles are in
the form of loops, then there is one loop on each side such that
these loops extend on the longitudinal dimension of the bag, i.e.,
both ends of a loop are secured to one side wall of the bag.
In a tote bag that is made up as formerly it is
difficult to close the opening. In addition, the handle loops are
a hindrance when the bag is being filled.
The present invention is based on creating a tote bag
that is easy to fill and to close, and which has a large volume
but is easy to carry.
The invention provides a bag which comprises two major
side walls of thermoplastics sheet material connected together at
two opposite side edges of the bag and which is provided at one
end between the side edges with a closed or closable filling
opening and, at an end opposite to said one end, with folded
portions forming a base of the bag, a single elongate handle of
thermoplastics sheet material being arranged in the region of the
folded portions and being connected at one end portion thereof
exclusively to one of the side walls at the outer surface thereof
and at the other end portion thereof exclusively to the other side
wall at the outer surface thereo~, and each of the handle end
portions being welded to the associated side wall by an annular
welding seam, of elongated oval shape having ar axis of elongation
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~X~X379 23514-215
which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the side edges of
the bag.
The invention further provides a bag made of thermo-
plastic sheet material comprising a pair of side walls which
are connected to each other along the longitudinal edges thereof;
folded portions extending from said side walls which define a
base; a filling opening which can be closed and which is disposed
opposite to said base; a single handle being a strip of
thermoplastic sheet material welded to the side walls adjacent to
the said base wherein each end of said strip is welded to one of
said side walls by an oval-shaped welding seam having an axis
of elongation which is transverse to said longitudinal edges.
Also provided is a bag made of thermoplastic sheet
material and comprising a pair of side walls each having
longitudinal edges, a bottom portion, and a top portion, the
longitudinal edges of one of the side walls being connected to the
associated longitudinal edges of the other of the side walls so as
to define an interior, the bottom portions having bottom folds,
the top portions after connecting the side walls to each other
defining a filling opening opposite to the bottom fold of each
side wall; and only one one-piece handle of one strip
thermoplastic material and having a width which is considerably
smaller than a ~idth of the side walls, said one-piece one strip
handle being arranged in the region of the bottom folds and only
in a central region spaced from the longitudinal edges and
extending substantially parallel to the latter, said one-piece one
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8X379
strip handle having one end attached to the outside and only with
the one of the side walls and another end attached to the outside
and only with the other of the side walls so that a bridge between
the one side wall and the association bottom fold and between the
other side wall and the associated bottom fold is prevented, the
one and the other end of said one-piece one strip handle being
welded to the associated side wall by a single welding seam which
is of elongated oval shape and has an axis of elongation extending
transversely of the longitudinal edges.
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A tote bag that satisfies many criteria is provided by
the present invention. It can be filled and closed, unhindered by
the carrying handle loop, because the carrying handle loop is at
the end that is opposite the opening. At the same time, because
the sole carrying handle loop is secured only to the side walls,
the bottom folds become fully effective when the bag is being
filled, so that the bag has a very large volume when filled. For
this reason, it is particularly well-suited for use as a diaper
bag. The solution according to the present inven~ion, which
entails using a welded seam that forms a closed circle to join one
end of the handle loop to the associated wall provides a secure
connection that takes up very little space, so that the width of
the handle loop is sufficient to secure it to the wall of the bag.
A further proposal, to pro~ide the bag with a flap at the end that
incorporates ~he opening, makes it simple to fill on the side ~hat
is opposite the carrying handle loop.
In a ~urther development of the present invention it is
proposed that the handle loop is 6 cm or more wide and the welded
seam that is in the form o~ a closed circle, used ko
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secure the end of the handle loop to the wall, consists of ~ ``
an elongated oval that extends over the greater part of the
width of the handle, and the two rectilinear sections of the ~
oval welded seam extend transversely to the longitudinal
axis of the carrying handle loop, and thus parallel to the
base edge of the bag./
A further proposal provides that the carrying handle
loop is approximately 10 cm wide. This width of the
carrying handle loop is available at its ends to secure it
to the bag. The previously cited width can also be in the
handle area, i.e., in the middle section of the carrying
handle loop. Particularly advantageous, however, ie the
solution whereby the carrying handle loop is of a greater
width at its ends that are to be secured than it is in its
middle section, where it is to be grasped by the hand. This
means that the carrying capacity is increased by the
attachment of the carrying handle loop to the bag and that
carrying the bag is made easier by this narrower area where
the handle is held./
The invention will be describad in greater detail on
the basis of exemplary versions shown in the drawings
appended hereto. These drawings are as follows:
Figure 1: a slde view of the tote bag;/
Figure 2: a vertical section through the tote~
bag;/
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1;~8X379
I
Figure 3: the tote bag when filled, in broken/
outline;/
Figures 4 & 5: a side view of the tote bag with/
modified handles;/
Figures 6 & 7: a tote bag with different handle loops,/
in perspective;/
Figure 8: a portion of a tote bag, with the/
carrying handle loops, in plan view;/
Figure 9: a carrying handle loop as in Figure 8, with the folc
made in the carrying handle;/
Figure 10: the carrying handle loop as in Figure/
9, in cross-sectlon./
The tote bag 10 has the two side walls 11,12 that
are joined to each other on the long edges of the bag by
means of the transverse welds 13,14. At the opening with
the edge 15 the bag is provided with a flap 16. Opposite
the opening there are bottom Eolds 17 and 18. Adjacent to
the bottom folds, the ends 19 and 20 of a carryiny handle
loop 21 are secured only on the outside of the side walls 11
and 12./
The bag and the carrying handle loop are of
thermoplastic material sheet. There is a circular welded :
seam 22. The welding of the ends 19,20 to the associated
side walls 11 and 12 only on these walls is possible insofar
as during production and the attachment o~ the carrying
handle loop a plate or mesh, for example of teflon, is
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~8~379
.
arranged between the wall 11 and the loop 17 and between the
wall 12 and the loop 18; this prevents the formation or a
bridge to the side folds 17 and 18 during the attachment of
the welded seam 22 that i5 in the form of a closèd ring./
Figure 3 shows that the side folds 17 and 18 lie folded
up and are thus extended to form the flat bottom . At the
same time, the carrying handle loop 21 is flat in the area
of the bottom 17 and 18. However, it remains sufficiently
loose that it is easy to grasp and can then be lifted easily
away from the bottom, since the side walls 11 and 12 are
flexibleO This also depends on the contents of the bag.
If, for example, the bag contains diapers then, because of
the formation of the bag from sheet or foil material, the
contents and the packing will be soft, which will make it
easier to grasp the handle 21./
The carrying handle loop, which is either at the bottom
of the filled bag or in the area of the bottom, is created
in that its length, measured from ona attachment point to
the other, matches the depth of tha two side folds 17 and
18.
Figure 3, which shows the bag when closed, indicates
that the side walls 11 and 12 are raised in the direction
towards each other in the areas lla and 12a, forming the
edges 23 and 24 thereby. The sections lla and 12a of the
wall, raised in this manner, are joined to each other by the
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transverse welded joint 25. At the same ti.me a separating
cut 26 is incorporated, by which means the flap 16 is
separated./
Figure 4 shows a carrying handle loop 21 that is 6 cm
or more wide. This is joined to the associated side walls
11 and 12 by an elongated oval weld 22 that is closed to
form a ring, as is shown in Figure 2. The carrying handle
loop that is shown in Figure 4 consists of a tube of
thermoplastic plastic material and is thus double-walled and
has rounded side edges 27 and 28./
Figure 5 shows a carrying handle loop 21 that is 10 cm
wide at it two ends that are to be formed with the
associated bag sides. This, too, is welded to the
associated bag walls, this being done by means of a single
welded seam 22 that is in the form of an elongated oval that
extends over the greater part of the width of the handle
loop. The two rectilinear sections 22a and 22b of this oval
welded seam 22 extend at right-angles to the longitudinal
extension of the carrying handle loop 21 or, in other words,
paraIlel to the bottom folds 17 and 18./
According to Figure 5, cut-outs 29 and 30 are made in
the t~o side edges 27 and 28 of the handle loop 21, so that
the middle area 31 that is to be grasped by the hand is
somewhat narrower than the areas at the ends, with which the
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~282379
carrying handle loop is connected to the side walls of the
bag by the welded seam 22. The solution according to Figure
5 results from Figure 7./
Figure 6 shows that in order to reduce the width in
the middle area, an elongated opening 32 can be made in the
centre of the carrying handle loop./
The flap 16 as in Figure 4 incorporates two adjacent
hanging eyelets 33 and 3~, there being a slit 36 between
eyelet 33 and the front edge 35 and the flap 16, with a
section 37 being left intact between the eyelet 33 and the
slit 36./
