Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BAG TYING APPARATUS AND
METHOD OF DELIVERING PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL USING A BAG TIE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to a bag tying apparatus for easy dispensing
and
packing and in particular to a bag tie to tie the open ends of the bag and to
methods of
providing printed content having entertainment or educational value,
promotional samples, or
other promotional information and advertising using a bag tie.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Grocery and other retail stores world-wide offer plastic bags at their
checkout
counters to hold groceries and other items for transport by their customers.
Such bags are
typically assembled from thin plastic films and have two lateral cut-outs
proximal to the bag's
opening to facilitate the customers to carry such bags by both straps with one
hand when
loaded. Shoppers may also use shopping bags that are reusable, but still have
flexible
handles. With both types of flexible bags, there is a possibility of spilling
out of groceries
from the plastic bags, especially when the customer is traveling in a vehicle
such as a car, as
the spilling out is due to top end of the bags are open.
One possible option to overcome the above drawback is to have a knot at the
two split
ends of the bags tied manually by the customer. But tying and untying a knot
manually is
difficult and time consuming.
Also, retail store owners are looking out for a way to provide advertisement,
and other
promotional material to their customers and potential customers in a cost-
effective manner,
and in a manner that is likely to capture the attention of the customer.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to address the same as discussed above.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention provides a bag tie having a region
defining a
hole/aperture to fit onto the open top ends of the bag so as to fasten the
bag. The bag tie also
has regions other than the aperture to hold advertisements, discounts or other
promotional
material offered by the retailer as a means of business promotions.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a bag tying apparatus for easy
dispensing and packing and in particular a bag tie to tie to the open ends of
the bag. In one
embodiment, the bag tying apparatus comprises a rack base plate with a pair of
horizontal
parallel arms having free outer ends cantilevered from a pair of vertical
supports, a first
vertical rod and a second vertical rod extending upwardly from the bag support
apparatus
base plate, wherein the pair of horizontal parallel arms are configured for
receiving a plurality
of stacked bags. ihe bag tying apparatus also comprises a bag tie support and
loading arm
with a first end of the arm attached with the first vertical rod by a
supporting means, a second
end of the loading arm having a hanging terminal hook-like end and a plurality
of stacked bag
ties positioned coaxially, wherein the loading arm is configured to receive
the handle portion
of the bags and permit the bag tie to be manually moved down over the hook end
and handle
portion of the bag so as to close and fasten the open top ends of the bag.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for delivering business
promotions to a prospective customer, wherein the method comprises the steps
of providing a
bag tie with one of the regions of the bag tie defining an aperture for
allowing the open top
ends of the bag to pass over the bag tie, having promotional information
printed in the region
other than the region defining the aperture and receiving the handle portion
of the bag and
permitting the bag tie to be manually moved over the handle portion of the bag
so as to close
and fasten the open top ends of the bag, while the bag tie is in the view of
the said
prospective customer.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a bag tie closing an opening of a bag;
Figure IA shows a detailed top view of the bag tie shown in Figure 1;
Figure 2 shows a detailed top view of a second embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 3 shows a detailed top view of a third embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 4 shows a detailed perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a bag
tie;
Figure 5 shows a detailed perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 6 shows a detailed perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 7 shows a detailed view of a seventh embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 7A shows the bag tie shown in Figure 7 in an alternate configuration;
Figure 8 shows a detailed view of an eighth embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 8A shows the bag tie shown in Figure 8 in an alternate configuration;
Figure 9 shows a detailed view of a ninth embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 9A shows a cross-sectional view taken along section line 9A-9A of
Figure 9;
Figure 10 shows a detailed view of a tenth embodiment of a bag tie in a first
configuration;
Figure 11A shows a detailed view of the bag tie of Figure 10 in a second
configuration;
Figure 11B shows a detailed view of the bag tie of Figure 10 in a third
configuration;
Figure 12 shows a detailed view of the bag tie of Figure 7 coupled to a
carrier device;
Figure 13 shows a detailed view of an eleventh embodiment of a bag tie;
Figure 14 shows top views of four embodiments of a bag tie, each having a
different
perimeter shape and cover design;
Figure 15 shows a perspective view of a bag tying apparatus having a bag tie
support
arm according to an embodiment of the invention.
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Figure 16 shows a front view of the bag tying apparatus of Figure 15 according
to an
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 17 shows a side view from the bag tie support arm side of Figure 15;
Figure 18 shows a top view of the bag tying apparatus of Figure 15 according
to an
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 19 show an exploded view of a pivotal mounting bracket for the bag ties
support arm of bag tying apparatus of Figure 15 according to an embodiment of
the
invention.
Figure 20 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a pivotal mounting
bracket and bag tie support arm for a bag tying apparatus in accordance with
an embodiment
of the invention.
Figure 21 shows a front view of the embodiment of the pivotal mounting bracket
and
bag tie support arm shown in Figure 20.
Figure 22 shows a side view from the left side of Figure 21 of the embodiment
of the
pivotal mounting bracket and bag tie support arm shown in Figure 20.
Figure 23 shows atop view from the left side of Figure 21 of the embodiment of
the
pivotal mounting bracket and bag tie support arm shown in Figure 20.
Figure 24 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the bag tying
apparatus of
Figure 15, with shopping bags placed onto the horizontal bag support arms of
the apparatus
and with a plurality of bag ties supported on the bag tie support arm.
Figures 25, 26, 27 shows successive views of a bag tie being placed onto the
handles
of a shopping bag supported by the bag tie support arm, showing the manner in
which the bag
tie is attached to the handles in a bag tying apparatus operates according to
one or more
embodiment of the invention.
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Figure 28 shows the top of a shopping bag having a bag tie placed onto the
handles
thereof, alter the shopping bag has been removed from the bag tying apparatus
and ready for
handling and transportation by the customer.
Figure 29 shows a schematic depiction of a computerized method of tracking
costumer rewards and information relating to use of the bag ties of an
embodiment of the
present invention having promotional material printed thereon.
Figure 30 shows a method of delivering business promotions to a prospective
customer according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a binding device, shown as a bag tie
1000,
which may be configured to close the opening of a container, such as a bag A.
It should be
noted that bag tie 1000 may have a wide variety of shapes and configurations.
When the term
bag tie 1000 is used herein, it refers generally to any of the bag tie
embodiments of any shape
or configuration, even if those bag ties are also depicted in this disclosure
using different item
numbers.
The bag A may comprise a plastic grocery bag with opposing handles Al, A2
extending from an opening in the bag A. A user of the bag A may bring the
handles Al, A2
together and tie or bind at least a portion of the handles Al, A2 using bag
tie 1000 to close
the opening.
The bag tie 1000 may be slipped over the handle portions Al, A2 by the user
and onto
a neck portion of the bag A to bind at least a portion of the handles Al, A2
together and close
the opening of the bag A. The bag tie 10 may maintain the bag A in a closed
configuration to
keep any contents in the bag A secure.
The bag tie 1000 may bind the handles Al, A2 together to close the bag A,
without
the user needing to tie the handles together in a knot. This allows the user
to have easy
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access to the contents of the bag A. For example, the bag tie 1000 may be
slipped back over
the handle portions Al, A2 by the user to unbind the handles Al, A2, when it
is desired to
unload the contents of the bag A. Further, the bag tie 1000 also keeps the
contents, such as
groceries, dry, prevents the contents from spilling out during transportation
and does not
damage the grocery and bag.
Figure IA shows a detailed view of the bag tie 1000 according to an embodiment
of
the invention. The bag tie 1000 may comprise a perimeter having a shape. In
the
embodiment shown, the perimeter shape is substantially rectangular comprising
side edges 13
and 14. However, as disclosed herein, the bag tie 1000 may have any number of
shapes and
configurations.
The bag tie 1000 may comprise a substantially flat member having a top surface
11
and a bottom surface 12. As shown in Figure 1 and 1A, the top surface 11 may
comprise a
substantially flat planar surface. In some embodiments, the bottom surface 12
may comprise
a substantially flat planar surface extending in parallel to the top surface
11. The top surface
11 and the bottom surface 12 may be separated by a thickness. In some
embodiments, the
bag tie 1000 is configured as a flat member with a thickness to allow the bag
tie 1000 to be
stackable with other bag ties having a similar configuration.
A first area of the top surface 11 may comprise an aperture 15 extending from
the top
surface 11 through the bag tie 1000 to the bottom surface 12. The aperture 15
may be
configured with a size and shape to allow the handles Al, A2 of the bag A to
pass into and
through the aperture 15 for binding at least a portion of the handles Al, A2
together.
In some embodiments, the aperture 15 may comprise a circular shape. The
diameter
of the circular shape may be configured to substantially close the opening of
the bag A when
the handles Al, A2 have been inserted into the aperture 15 to hold in any
contents of the bag
A. It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the
aperture 15 may
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comprise other suitable shapes, including but not limited to an oval, square,
triangle, and star
shapes.
In some embodiments, one or more weakened portions, cut-lines or perforations
16
(sometimes referred to herein as slits, for convenience) may extend from the
edges of the
aperture 15 along the top surface 11 of the bag tie 10. The slits 16 may
comprise narrow
perforations in the bag tie 1000. The perforations of each slit 16 may extend
from the top
surface 11 to the bottom surface 12. As shown in Figures 1 and IA, the bag tie
1000 may
comprise four slits 16 positioned substantially equidistant about the
circumference of the
aperture 15.
The slits 16 may be configured to allow a portion of the bag tie 1000
extending
between each slit 16 around the aperture 15 to flex or flare away from the
handles Al, A2 as
the handles are being inserted into the aperture 15. The flexing or flaring of
these portions of
the bag tie 1000 expands the size of the aperture 15 and changes its shape to
allow greater
space and flexibility for insertion of the handles Al, A2.
In some embodiments, the portions of the bag tie 1000 extending between each
slit 16
may configured to resiliently bend. For example, the portions may flex or
flare away from a
first undisturbed position as the handles AI. A2 are being inserted. Once
insertion is
complete, the portions may substantially return to their original undisturbed
position. The
resiliency of these portions may have the additional benefit of holding the
position of the bag
tie 100 relative to the handles Al, A2. In some embodiments, portions of the
handles Al, A2
may catch between sides of a slit 16 to provide further holding capability.
The bag tie can be
conveniently made out of plastic, thick paper or card stock or many other
materials. Though
thick paper and card stock have less resiliency than certain plastics, the
resiliency of thick
paper or card stock is sufficient for purposes of the invention.
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Other areas of the top surface 1 1 may comprise printed material, such as
text,
illustrations, entertainment content, bar codes or other subject matter or
devices configured to
convey messages or information. As shown in Figure 1A, the top surface 11 may
comprise
printed offers 17A and 17B for goods or services of third parties to the user
of the bag tie 10.
The offers 17A and 17B may read "20% OFF NEXT PURCHASE" and "ENTER OFFER
CODE flABC123." An information block 17C may identify the party "XYZ COMPANY"
offering the goods or services and provide other useful information, such as
contact
information. The offers I 7A and 17B may communicate advertising, promotional,
or
discount messages from a third party, e.g. XYZ COMPANY. In some embodiments, a
third
party may be responsible for manufacturing the bag tie 10 and may defer costs
of
manufacturing, or obtain profit, by selling areas of the top surface 11 as
advertising or
promotional space to one or more sponsors.
In some embodiments, the sponsor providing the bag tie 1000 may be a grocer or
other retail store that distributes the bag A and/or bag tie 1000 to customers
as part of its
retail services, for example as a grocery bag to hold groceries. The offers
17A and 17B may
comprise in-store coupons or promotions for discounts or prizes that users may
redeem at a
subsequent visit or purchase to the grocery store. In other instances, the
sponsor may be a
third party, such as a merchant or restaurant.
In other embodiments, the offers 17A, 17B, the informational block 17C, or
other
information or data may be printed or positioned on the bottom surface 12. The
bottom
surface 12 may provide additional space to add sponsored information,
advertisements,
promotions, or coupons.
Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a bag tie 20, as a second embodiment of
a bag
tie. The bag tie 20 may comprise a perimeter having a substantially
rectangular shape along
three edges, i.e. edges 23 and 24A and having a fourth rounded edge 2413. The
bag tie 20
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may share one or more of the same features as bag tie 10 (shown in Figures 1
and 1A),
including but not limited to a substantially flat member having a perimeter
with a shape (e.g.
sides 23, 24A, and 2413) with a top surface 21 and a bottom surface 22, and
having an
aperture 25 with slits 26, respectively. An area of the top surface 21 may
comprise an
advertising message 27A and informational block 27C from a third party
sponsor, e.g. "XYZ
COMPANY." In some embodiments, bag tie 20 may further comprise a machine
readable
representation of data, such as a bar code 2713, which can be used by the
store, sponsor or
customer in a variety of manners, including tracking the bag tie and/or
providing the
customer some promotional benefit for using the bag tie in the desired manner,
such as
availing some percentage of discount for a particular product purchased by the
sponsor of the
printed advertisement 27A.
Referring to Figure 3, there is shown a bag tie 30, as a third embodiment of a
bag tie.
The bag tie 30 may share one or more of the same features of bag tie 10 (shown
in Figures 1
and 1A). including but not limited to being a substantially flat member having
a perimeter
with a rectangular shape (e.g. square sides 33) with a top surface 31 and a
bottom surface 32,
and having an aperture 35 with slits 36. An area of the top surface 31 may
comprise an
advertising message 37A and informational block 37C from a third party
sponsor, e.g. "XYZ
COMPANY." In some embodiments, bag tie 30 may further comprise a machine
readable
representation of data, such as a Quick Response ("QR") code 37B, where the
user can use
the code 37B for accessing advertising, promotional materials, offers, or
other useful
information relating to the third party sponsor of the printed advertisement
37A.
As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, in other embodiments, the bag tie 10 may be
made
from various materials. Figure 4 shows the bag tie 40 made from cardboard.
Figure 5 shows
the bag tie 50 made from paper. Figure 6 shows the bag tie 60 made from
plastic. Each of
the embodiments of bag ties 40, 50, and 60 may share one or more of the same
features as
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bag tie 10, including but not limited to a substantially flat member having a
perimeter with a
rectangular shape (e.g. sides 43, 53, and 63) with a top surface (e.g. 41, 51,
and 61) and a
bottom surface (e.g. 42, 52, and 62), and having an aperture (e.g. 45, 55, and
65) with slits
(e.g. 46, 56, and 66), respectively.
It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that other
materials may be
suitable for the bag tie 10 to meet the objectives of the inventions disclosed
here and readily
apparent, including paper, cardboard, plastics, composites, and metals. In
some
embodiments, the bag tie is made from substantially recycled paper (e.g.
approximately
40%).
Figure 7 shows a detailed and open view of the single-fold (double) bag tie
according
to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 7A shows the same single-fold
(double) bag tie in
a partially folded and clamp-like view. The bag tie 70 of this embodiment of
the invention
contains a single fold line 74F in the middle as to create two equal halves
73A and 73B.
Each half contains an aperture 75A and 75B that can be of substantially equal
distance from
74F. Consequently, the apertures substantially completely overlap when the bag
tie is folded
along the fold line 741. This allows for easy deployment of the single fold
(double) bag tie 70
onto the bag 248. Each aperture 75A and 75B contains weakened portions, cut-
lines or
perforations 76A and 76B, respectively, that are equal distance from each
other and radiate
from the edge of the aperture 75A and 75B, which can open up, when necessary,
to permit
the bag handles to enter, thus permitting a tighter fit around the bag
material. The single fold
(double) bag tie has an inner surface 71A and 71B and an outer surface 72A and
72B. The
outer surfaces 72A and 72B may contain promotional offers 77A and 77B,
advertising, and
contact information for an advertiser 77C and/or a bar code. The single-fold
(double) bag tie
70 is rectangular, such that its length 74A and 74B is approximately equal to
each half of the
total width 73A and 73B, respectively.
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The single-fold (double) bag tie 70 is advantageous in that in addition to
providing a
double pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the folding over action will cause
the bag tie 70
to tend to resiliently open partially, as depicted in Figure 7A, resulting in
a tighter grip
between the bag tie 70 with the bag material 248 at each of the apertures 75A
and 75B.
Further, the fold over line 74F may be a perforation line, so as to allow for
independent
advertising, educational, and motivational material on each half, where the
contents of each
half may be coordinated, or independent.
Figure 8 shows a detailed and open view of the double-fold bag tie with
perforation
line(s) according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 8A shows the same
double-fold
bag tie with perforation line(s) in a partially folded view. The bag tie 80 of
the invention
contains a double fold line 84F1 and 841'2 as to create three equal parts 83A,
83B, and 83C.
and the said fold line 84F1 and 84F2 may be perforation lines. One non-center
portion 83A
contains an aperture 85 that is approximately in the center of that portion
83A. Said aperture
85 has four perforations 86 that are placed a substantially equal distance
from each other on
the circumference of the aperture 85. The double fold bag tie 80 with
perforation line(s) has
an inner surface 81A, 81B, and 81C and an outer surface 82A, 82B, and 82C. One
or more of
the outer surface portions 82A, 82B, or 82C. may contain promotional materials
87AA and
87BA, offer coding 8713A and contact information for an advertiser 87CA. The
inner surface
81B and 81C of the non-aperture containing portions 8313 and 83C may include
an opaque
-scratch off" covering concealing secret information 87AB and 87AC, i.e., a
prize
information underneath the "scratch-off' covering, and may be lined with glue,
as to adjoin
the inner surfaces of 83B and 83C. The double-fold bag tie with perforation
line(s) 80 is
rectangular, such that its length 84 is approximately equal to the width of
each portion 83A.
8313, and 83C, respectively.
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The double-fold bag tie 80 with perforation line(s) is advantageous in that,
in addition
to having a single pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the two additional
portions 83B and
83C may contain a significant additional amount of promotional, educational,
entertainment,
and motivational material on each side 8113, 82B, 81C and 82C of each portion
83B and 83C.
The fold over mechanism, based on the fold over lines 84F1 and 84F2, which may
be
perforation lines allows for four surfaces to serve as means for delivering
promotional,
educational, entertainment, and motivational material in a coordinated or
independent
manner, such that at least half of such information may be secreted and
require an interactive
activity with the end user, i.e., scratch off, thereby enhancing the value
assigned by the end
user to the presented material. Additionally, the non-aperture portions 83B
and 83C may
enhance the ease with which the double-fold bag tie 80 is deployed.
Figure 9 shows a detailed view of a single aperture bag tie with an attached
promotional material according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 9A
shows an
enhanced and detailed cross-view of section of the single aperture bag tie 90.
Said bag tie 90
contains a bag tie portion 90A and a portion for promotional material 90B. The
bag tie
portion 90A and the promotional material portion 90B are attached to each
other using an
adhesive 99, such that the shorter length 94B of the promotional material
attaches to the bag
tie portion 90A. The bag tie portion 90A contains a single aperture 95 and has
four
perforations 96 that are placed equal distance from each other on the
circumference of the
aperture 95. Further, the bag tie portion is approximately square, with four
equal sides 93A, a
top surface 91A, and a bottom surface 92A. The promotional material portion
90B can be
rectangular in shape such that its width 94B is no longer than the longest
dimension of the
bag tie portion 90A. Further, the length of the promotional material portion
90B may be
variable so as to accommodate the relevant advertisement(s) 97A and a barcode
97B or other
coding information. Relevant information may be printed on both the top and
bottom
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surfaces 91B and 92B, respectively, of the promotional portion of the single
aperture bag tie
90.
The single aperture bag tie 90 with promotional material is advantageous in
that in
addition to having a single pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the
consumer's attention
would be readily called to the promotional material and such material may be
available for
immediate use, thus serving as a mechanism for instant gratification for
actual customers.
Further, such a reward mechanism allows the merchant and advertiser to provide
more
rewards, promotions, information, education, and/or motivation to those
customers that
purchase large quantities and/or larger sized items.
Figure 10 shows a detailed and open view of the triple aperture bag tie with
fold lines
according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 11A shows the same triple
aperture bag
tie with fold lines in a partially folded view, and Figure 11B shows the same
triple aperture
bag tie with fold lines in a closed view.
The bag tie 100 of the invention contains a double fold line 104F1 and 104172
as to
create three equal parts 103A, 103B, and 103C, and the said fold line 104F1
and 104F2 may
be perforation lines. Each portion 103A, 10313, and 103C contains an aperture
105A, 105B,
and 105C that are, respectively, approximately in the center of that portion,
such that
apertures 105A, 105B, and 105C substantially completely overlap when the said
bag tie 100
is completely closed, as depicted in Figure 11B. Said apertures 105A, 105B,
and 105C each
has four weakened portions, cut-lines or perforations 106A, 106B, and 106C,
respectively,
that are placed equal distances from each other on the circumference of the
apertures 105A,
105B, and 105C. The triple aperture bag tie 100 with double fold lines has an
inner surface
101A, 101B, and 101C and an outer surface 102A, 102B, and 102C. One or more of
the
outer or inner surface(s) 101A-C and/or 102A-C may contain promotional
materials 107A,
offer coding 107B and/or contact information for an advertiser 107C and/or a
bar code. The
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triple aperture bag tie with fold lines 100 is rectangular, such that its
length 104A and 104C
are approximately equal to the width of each portion 103A, 103B, and 103C, and
one-third
the size of the overall width. Further, tape with printed material 109 may be
used to maintain
the triple aperture bag tie with fold lines in a completely closed position.
The triple aperture bag tie 100 with fold lines is advantageous in that, in
addition to
having a triple pass tie mechanism for each bag 248, the folding over action
will cause the
bag tie 100 to tend to resiliently open partially, as depicted in Figure I 1A,
resulting in a
tighter grip between the bag tie 100 with the bag material 248 at each of the
apertures 105A,
105B, and 105C. Further, the fold over lines 104F1 and 104F2 may be
perforation lines, so
as to allow for independent advertising, educational, and motivational
material on each half,
where the contents of each portion may be coordinated or independent. Also,
having the
triple aperture bag tie 100 with double folds closed with tape 109, increases
the mystery, and
the associated consumer interest, as to the contents of the enclosed portions.
And, having the
perforation lines allows consumers to conveniently use the promotions one at a
time or to
share them with family and friends, thereby increasing their perceived value
to actual
customers.
The bag tie of the invention may be of any shape such as a triangle,
rectangle,
polygonal, hexagonal, circular, cylindrical, or a polygonal and structure is
not limited to the
embodiments shown in the invention.
Also, the bag tie may be any design such as a car depicting the discount on a
specific
car service center, a book, a toy or a flower.
Referring now to Figure 12, the bag tie 70. as described in Figures 7 and 7A,
may be
configured to couple to a carrier device, such as a sample bag 70B. The sample
bag 70B may
be configured to hold an item related to the promotions offers 77A (reading
"FREE
SAMPLE!) and 77B (reading "NEXT PURCI IASE ENTER OFFER CODE #ABC123")
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offered by the advertiser identified in the advertiser block 77C. For example,
the carrier
device 70B may hold a free product sample 70B5 of a product of the advertiser
77C to
incentivize a purchase. It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill
that the carrier
device may be configured to hold other items and promotional material.
In some embodiments, the sample bag 70B may comprise side walls 70B3, a front
wall 70B1, a back wall 70B2, a bottom 70B4C, and an opening at the top portion
of the
sample bag 70B. The side, front and back walls of the sample bag 70B may be
grouped
together to close the opening of the sample bag 70B.
The bag tie 70 may be configured to attach to the sample bag 70B and close the
opening of the sample bag 70B to secure any contents in the sample bag 70B. In
some
embodiments, each half 73A and 73B of the bag tie 70 may be secured to the
respective front
wall 70B1 and back wall 70132 to close the opening, when the bag tie 70 is
fully folded, as
shown in Figure 12.
The halves 73A and 73B may be secured together and to the respective front
wall
70B I and back wall 70B2 to close the opening with a fastener. The fastener
may be
configured to prevent unwanted disconnection of the sample bag 70B from the
bag tie 70, for
example during storage or use of the bag tie 70 by manufacturers, retailers,
or customers.
The fastener may be additionally configured for easy disconnection of the
sample bag 70B,
for example when the user applies a disconnection force and wants to access
the contents of
the sample bag 70B. In some embodiments, the fastener comprises an adhesive
material,
such as glue. It will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art
that the fastener
may comprise other suitable fastening materials or devices, including but not
limited to
staples, clips, and snaps.
Referring to Figure 13, a binding device, shown as bag tie 130, may be
integrated
with informational or other functional materials or devices. In one
embodiment, the bag tie
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130 may comprise an aperture 135A configured with a size and shape to allow
the handles
Al, A2 of the bag A to pass into and through the aperture 15 for binding at
least a portion of
the handles Al, A2 together. The aperture 135A may be integrated with an item
that,
although of generally low cost to the sponsor, has an independent value to the
user because of
its intrinsic value to the customer and/or its printed contents, such as a
book portion 137T
(shown titled "CHILDRENS BOOK") of the bag tie 130. The bag tie 130 may
comprise a
substantially flat member having a size, shape, and thickness configured to
support stacking
two or more bag ties 130.
The book portion 137T may comprise a front cover 134A extending on a front
side
132A and a back cover 134B extending on a back side 134B. Each cover 134A and
134B
may comprise a substantially flat planar member extending substantially in
parallel to the
other cover. The separation between each cover 134A and 13413 may establish
the thickness
of the bag tie 130.
The book portion 137T may further comprise a spine 134F which may bind the
front
cover 134A, the back cover 134B, and pages 137P that extend between the covers
134A,
134B and span the thickness of the bag tie 130. The pages 137P may contain
informational
material, such as educational material. For example, the pages 137P may tell a
children's
story or a part of a story as a promotion for the party or a sponsor providing
the bag tie 130 to
the user.
In some embodiments, the front cover 134A and the back cover 134B may comprise
extensions 133HA and 133HB, respectively. Each extension 133HA and 133HB may
extend
away from the portion of the covers 134A and 134B that function to cover the
pages 137P.
Each extension 133HA and 133HB may form a part of the same plane as the
remainder of
each respective cover 134A and 134B so that the bag tie 130 is substantially
flat.
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The aperture 135A may extend through each extension 133HA and 133HB. The user
may pull the handles Al, A2 of the bag A (shown in Figure 1) through the
aperture 135A to
bind at least a portion of the handles Al, A2 together to close the bag A.
In other embodiments, the extensions 1331-IA and 133HB are integrally formed
with
the respective cover 134A and 134B so that each cover 133HA and 133HB is one
piece with
the extension 133HA and 133HB. In other embodiments, the extensions 133HA and
133F1B
may be removable, for example by tearing the extensions 133HA and 133H13 away
so that
after use of the bag tie 130 the book portion 137T may be kept by the user. In
other
embodiments, the bag tie 130 may not include the extensions 133HA and 133HB,
and the
aperture 135 may extend through the book portion 137T and be integrated into
the pages
137P of the book portion 137T.
Figure 14 shows a view of the different shapes of the bag tie according to an
embodiment of the invention. The bag tie of the present invention is of any
shape 140A,
140B, 140C and 140D as shown in Figure 14. The bag tie comprises a bar code
147B,
wherein the customer may scan the bar code of the bag tie using a mobile phone
so as to take
the user to the required website, wherein the required website may provide a
website and/or
allow the possibility of delivering a promotional message.
Figures 15-18 show a bag tying apparatus for facilitating use of bag ties
according to
an embodiment of the invention. The bag tying apparatus 200 comprises a base
plate 210
with a pair of horizontal parallel bag support arms 214, 218 having free outer
ends
cantilevered from a pair of vertical supports 224, 228 (i.e. a first vertical
rod 224 and a
second vertical rod 228) extending upwardly from the base plate 210, wherein
the pair of
horizontal parallel bag support arms 214, 218 are configured for receiving and
supporting the
handles Al and A2, respectively, of a plurality of stacked bags 258 (as shown
in Figure 4).
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The bag support arms 214, 218 permit the user (who could be either the
customer of
the store employee loading goods into the bag) to manually open and then load
the bag with
goods, and then slide the handles of each loaded bag from the plurality of
stacked bags 258
(as shown in figure 25) forwardly so as to remove the loaded bag from the base
plate and to
open the next successive bag. The stacked bags 258 (as shown in FIG 4)
comprises front
walls, rear walls, gusseted side walls, a closed bottom end and a top open
mouth portion,
wherein the top open mouth portion have a pair of spaced support arms in order
to fit in the
free outer ends of the pair of horizontal parallel rods 214, 218.
The bag tying apparatus 200 further comprises a bag tie support arm 234. Bag
tie
support arm 234 has a vertical rod 224 that is supported by a support bracket
190. The bag tie
support arm 234 has a first lower end 238 extending upwardly to generally
horizontal arm
235 having a second end 244. The second end 244 has a terminal end 245 that is
conveniently made out of plastic. To facilitate sliding the bag ties 1000 onto
the bag, in the
manner to be described, the rear part of the terminal end 245 has a conical or
otherwise
sloped end 246.
Terminal end 245 includes cut-outs at the upper side that meet as a "v" in the
terminal
end. These cut-outs function to hold and support the handles Al and A2 of the
bag during
placement of the bag tie 1000 onto the handles Al and A2.
The cut-outs in the upper portion of terminal end 245 include a shallow slope
cut-out
247 at the rear and upper part of the terminal end 245 and a steep slope cut-
out 248 at the
forward and upper part of terminal end 245. The steep slope cut-out 248 helps
to prevent the
bag handles Al and A2 from slipping off the end of terminal end 245 while the
bag handles
Al and A2 are being supported. Preferably, the steep cut-out 248 is either
vertical or slightly
angled away from the -v" where it meets shallow cut-out 247, such that the "v"
has an angle
greater than about 90 degrees and tipped forward slightly. This permits
holding of the bag
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handles Al and A2 satisfactorily and minimizes likelihood of unintended
slippage of the bag
handles off of the terminal end 245, while also minimizing the likelihood of
the bag handles
Al and A2 becoming jammed into the "v.- between the cut-outs 247 and 248 when
the bag
handles Al and A2 are to be removed, as might be the case if the -v" was an
acute angle. To
minimize the possibility of injury, the terminal end 245 is preferably rounded
and of a large
enough size (approximately 1/4 inch in diameter or greater) so as not be pose
a risk of
impaling or scratching a person.
Figure 19 shows an exploded view of the support bracket 190 which is used to
support the lower end of bag tie support arm 234. In one embodiment of the
invention, the
support arm 234 is pivotably retained by support bracket 190. Support bracket
190 has a
front half 190A and a rear half 190B which are held together by screws 191.
The bracket 190
includes bushing 193 through in which the lower end 238 is retained. Each of
the bracket
halves 190A and 190B have slots 188 and 189. Slot 188 retains bushing 193 and
slot 189
fixes the bracket halves 190A and 19B onto vertical support 224 of the bag
tying apparatus.
The support arm 234 is held up by collar 194, which is secured to support arm
234 by
set screw 195, so that support arm 234 can be pivoted in bushing 193. This
allows the
support arm to be pivoted so the end 244 of the support arm can be pivoted to
the side of, or
behind, the bag while groceries or other goods are being loaded into the bag.
A washer 197 is
disposed above collar 194 to minimize entanglement of a stack of bag ties 1000
with collar
194.
Figures 20-23 show an alternate embodiment of a support bracket 290. In this
embodiment, the support bracket 290 includes a flat plate 291, which can be
attached to a
vertical wall or other surface (not shown) by means of bolts 192, rather than
being attached to
the vertical support 224 of the bag tying apparatus. In this embodiment, two
bushings 293
and 294 are used, placed into semi-circular retainers at the upper and lower
parts of the flat
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plate 291, respectively. Similar to the embodiment of the support bracket 190,
a collar 294
and set screw 295 are attached to the lower end of a pivotable support arm 334
to permit
pivoting the support arm to the side or behind, a bag during loading of goods
into the bag,
and to permit pivoting of the support arm over the bag to permit attachment of
bag ties 1000.
The support arm 334 includes a terminal end 245 that can be constructed in the
manner
previously described.
Figure 24 depicts a plurality of stacked bag ties positioned coaxially 254,
wherein the
loading arm 234 is in the position where it is pivoted over the bag to receive
the handle
portion of the bag 248 (shown in Figure 25) and permit the bag tie (from the
plurality of
stacked bag ties 1000) to be manually moved down over the hook end 244 and
handle portion
Al and A2 of the bag 248 (shown in Figure 24) so as to close and fasten the
open top ends of
the bag 248 (shown in Figure 24). However, it is to be understood that the
loading arm 234
would normally be pivoted to the side or behind the bag to prevent the loading
arm 234 from
interfering with actual loading of the goods into the bag.
Once the groceries or other goods are loaded into the bag, the end 244 of the
support
arm can be pivoted over the bag, as depicted in Figure 24, to facilitate
supporting the handles
Al and A2 on the -v" of terminal end 245. The user who has visited the market
for buying
goods (or a store employee), hangs the filled bag 248 onto the hanging
realisably hook end
244.
As depicted sequentially in Figures 25-27, with the handles Al and A2
supported in
this manner, the bag tie 1000 can be easily slid along the length of the
support arm 234 and
down over the handles Al and A2 of the bag, to hold them together as depicted
in Figure 28,
for further transportation without the risk of the bag tipping over and
spilling out the contents.
An advantageous feature of the bag tie 1000 and bag tying apparatus of the
present
invention is that, at all times, at least one bag tie is visible to the
customer or potential
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customer. Since the bag tie 1000 will usually have advertising or other
promotional material
printed on it, having that advertising or other promotional material visible
to the customer or
potential customer while the customer is waiting for the checkout process at
the cash register
to be completed and the bags loaded, increasing the likelihood of the customer
will take the
desired action (such as using a coupon, using a sample etc.) in response to
the promotional
message. Furthermore, because the process of placing the bag tie 1000 onto the
bag tends to
attract the attention of the customer at an otherwise inattentive time, thus
further increasing
the likelihood of successfully delivering the advertising or promotional
message.
The loading arm 234 is capable of holding a substantial number of bag ties
1000
(approximately 50 to 100 or more, depending upon the bag tie design). The
loading arm 234
is also capable of being mounted to any existing bag holder, where the same is
designed to
hold-up to continued use.
The bags can be of the plastic thin film type (usually provided by the store)
which are
often referred to as -T-Shirt" bags because of the similarity of their flat
shape to a short-
sleeved T-Shirt. Alternatively, a user (the customer or employee of the store)
can place the
handles of any flexible bag having flexible handles, such as a reusable cloth
or plastic
shopping bag (not shown) onto the support arms 214 and 214 prior to loading
the goods into
the bag. The manner of loading the goods into the bag and the placement of the
bag tie 1000
onto the handles of such a reusable cloth or plastic bag is the same as for
the plastic thin film
type bag and thus need not be further described.
Figure 29 shows a view illustrating a method of tracking and measuring the
success of
use of the bags times having promotional material printed thereon according to
an
embodiment of the invention. As depicted, beginning from the lower right
corner of Figure
29, a customer shops in the store and has bags bearing the bag ties 1000
(having promotional
material printed thereon) placed onto the bags, as described above. During the
checkout
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process, it is common for a customer to use a -loyalty card" that uniquely
identifies the
customer to the store, so that the store can track the customer's buying
habits. Generally, the
bag ties will bear some kind of bar code that can be read by the store
employee during
checkout as the bags are tied with the bag ties.
When the bags are placed into a shopping cart, or otherwise handled by the
customer
after checkout, the customer will inevitably tend to view the bag ties,
creating another
opportunity for delivering a promotional message.
Once the customer reaches his or her residence, during unloading of the
vehicle, the
customer will handle the bags again, thereby creating another opportunity for
delivering a
promotional message on the bag tie.
When the bags are placed into the customer's residence, and the bag ties
removed to
unload the goods into the customer's residence, the bags are handled again,
creating another
opportunity for delivering a promotional message on the bag tie.
As depicted in lower middle image of Figure 29, the bag bearing the bag ties
is then
placed into the customer's vehicle. During this process, the bags are handled
again, creating
another opportunity for delivering a promotional message.
The retail store owner can have a central database to store information
related to both
the customer's buying habits and which promotional bag ties have been provided
to which
specific customer. As depicted in Figure 29, this customer information can be
transmitted to
the retail store owner's computer and store in a database, as depicted in the
upper middle
image of two computer servers.
When the customer uses the bag tie to receive the promotional reward, depicted
as
"customer rewards" in Figure 29, the retail stores system uses the stored
information
regarding the bag tie, including customer received it, when, and what the
customer purchased
during that visit. Thus, by accessing the stored information related to bag
tie in a central
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database, thereby providing measurement of the effectiveness of the bag tie as
promotional
material for the specific customer that has brought it. For example, the
customer information
collected and stored by the system may show that 60% of customers who has
purchased milk
during a visit when the bag tie was given to them used the bag tie to obtain a
discount to
promote cereal one week later (in accordance with the promotional material,
coupon,
advertising or the like on the bag tie). That information may show, however,
that only 20%
of customers who purchased paper towels used a bag tie promoting cereal used
the bag tie to
obtain a discount on cereal. This information would tend to show that bag ties
promoting
cereal work better for milk buyers than paper towel buyers and would help a
retailer to better
target their promotional material and determine its effectiveness.
Figure 30 shows a method of using the bag ties in accordance with an
embodiment of
the present invention for delivering business promotions to a customer or
prospective
customer. The method for delivering business promotions to a prospective
customer
comprises the steps of: providing a bag tie with one of the region defining an
aperture for
allowing the open top ends of the bag to pass over the bag tie in step 901,
having promotional
information printed in the region other than the region defining the aperture
in step 902. In
step 903, receiving the handle portion of the bag and in step 904 permitting
the bag tie to be
manually moved over the handle portion of the bag so as to close and fasten
the open top
ends of the bag, while the bag tie is in the view of the said prospective
customer. In step 905,
permitting said prospective customer in a subsequent operation to remove the
bag tie from the
bag whenever required by the prospective customer.
'the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention
have
been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not
intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and
obviously many
modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The
embodiments
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were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the
invention and its
practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention
and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the
particular use con-
templated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the
Claims appended
hereto when read and interpreted according to accepted legal principles such
as the doctrine
of equivalents and reversal of parts.
