Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BAGGING STATION BAGGING CLIP
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to bagging stations used in retail stores,
and more specifically,
to a bagging clip used at a bagging station to hold shopping bags on a bag
holder hook of a
shopping bag holder.
State of the Art
[0002] A bagging station is a fixture located in a retail store that
includes a bag holder.
Bagging stations include bag holders that dispense shopping bags. A bag holder
holds a stack of
shopping bags, and dispenses these bags as they are filled with products a
customer has
purchased. The shopping bags are held by the bag holder in a manner and
position such that it is
easy and convenient for a person to open one bag at a time, place purchased
items in the bag, and
then remove the bag and the enclosed products from the bag holder. Shopping
bags are slid onto
a bag holder hook of the bag holder in a stack, and are pulled open one at a
time from the bag
holder hook. The problem is, when one bag is pulled open or off of the bag
holder hook, one or
more additional bags often fall off or are pulled off of the bag holder hook
and need to be
replaced. It takes time and effort for employees and customers to constantly
replace the stack of
shopping bags on the bag holder hook after they have inadvertently fallen off
or slid off. Rubber
bands or tape are often used on the bag holder hook to try to hold the stack
of shopping bags on
the bag holder hook, but these fixes are temporary and ineffective.
[0003] Accordingly, what is needed is a device that holds the stack of
shopping bags on the
bag holder hook, allowing one bag to be opened and/or removed from the bag
holder hook while
retaining the remainder of the stack of shopping bags on the bag holder hook.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 show a perspective view of a bagging station with a number of
bag holders,
where each bag holder has a bagging clip coupled to a bag holder hook of the
bag holder;
[0005] FIG. 2 shows a bag holder of a bagging station;
[0006] FIG. 3 shows a close-up view of a bag holder hook of a bag holder,
with a plurality of
shopping bags and a bagging clip coupled to the bag holder hook;
[0007] FIG. 4 shows a front perspective view of a bagging clip;
[0008] FIG. 5 shows a front perspective view of the bagging clip of FIG. 4;
[0009] FIG. 6 shows a front view of the bagging clip of FIG. 4;
[0010] FIG. 7 shows a side view of the bagging clip of FIG. 4;
[0011] FIG. 8 illustrates a method of keeping a plurality of shopping bags
on a bag holder
hook of a bagging station
[0012] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a bag
holder, with a
further embodiment of a bagging clip coupled to a bag holder hook of the bag
holder;
[0013] FIG. 10 shows a front perspective view of a further embodiment of a
bagging clip;
[0014] FIG. 11 shows a front view of the bagging clip of FIG. 10;
[0015] FIG. 12 shows a rear view of the bagging clip of FIG. 10;
[0016] FIG. 13 shows a side view of the bagging clip of FIG. 10; and
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[0017] FIG. 14 illustrates a method 300 of keeping a plurality of bags on a
bag holder hook
of a bagging station.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0018] As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to
bagging stations
used in retail stores, and more specifically to a bagging clip used to hold
shopping bags on a bag
holder hook of a shopping bag holder. Disclosed is a shopping bag bagging
station that includes
a bagging clip. The bagging station includes at least one bag holder with a
bag holder hook.
The disclosed bagging clip couples to the bag holder hook of the bag holder.
The bagging clip
helps to keep shopping bags hung from the bag holder hook in place as one of
the shopping bags
is opened, filled, and then removed from the bag holder. The bagging clip
includes a plate,
which can be any shape including a round disk, with at least one slot in the
plate. The slot is a
cutout in the plate, with the cutout extending all the way through the plate
from a front surface of
the plate to a back surface of the plate. The slot is configured to couple to
a rail of the bag holder
hook of the bag holder, which couples the bagging clip to the bag holder hook.
Once the
bagging clip is coupled to the bag holder hook, shopping bags hung from the
bag holder hook
will stay in place as individual shopping bags are filled and removed from the
bag holder hook.
[0019] The bagging clip saves employees and customers time, because they no
longer have
to replace shopping bags that have inadvertently fallen off the bag holder
hook when another
shopping bag is removed. The bagging clip also has a strap hole for coupling a
strap, cord, or
wire to the bagging clip. The strap, cord, or wire is used to couple the
bagging clip to the bag
holder or the bagging station, so the bagging clip does not get lost or
separated from the bag
holder.
[0020] Disclosed is a bagging clip for a shopping bag bagging station that
includes a disk,
and a means to couple the disk to a bag holder hook of a shopping bag holder.
Once the disk is
coupled to the bag holder hook, the bagging clip holds a plurality of shopping
bags on the bag
holder hook, keeping the plurality of shopping bags from sliding off or
falling off of the bag
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holder hook as individual shopping bags are filled or removed from the bag
holder hook. In
some embodiments, the means to couple the disk to the bag holder hook includes
a means to
couple the disk to a first rail of the bag holder hook, and a means to couple
the disk to a second
rail of the bag holder hook.
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a shopping bag bagging
station 112 that
includes shopping bag holders 114 and 214, and bagging clips 110 and 210.
Bagging clip 110 is
coupled to shopping bag holder 114 of bagging station 112. Bagging clip 110 is
used to keep a
plurality of shopping bags 120 hanging from a bag holder hook 116 of shopping
bag holder 114
when individual shopping bags are removed from bag holder hook 116. When one
of plurality
of shopping bags 120 is opened, filled, and/or removed from bag holder hook
116, bagging clip
110 keeps the remainder of plurality of shopping bags 120 hanging from bag
holder hook 116.
[0022] Bagging clip 210 is coupled to shopping bag holder 214 of bagging
station 112.
Bagging clip 210 is used to keep a plurality of shopping bags 220 hanging from
a bag holder
hook 216 while one of plurality of shopping bags 220 is opened, filled, and/or
removed from bag
holder hook 216.
[0023] Bagging clip 110 and 210 are both means to keep a plurality of
shopping bags from
falling off a bag holder hook of a shopping bag holder, but they are designed
for different types
of bag holder hooks, as shown and described herein. Bagging clip 110 (FIG. 1
and FIG. 3
through FIG. 7) is designed for use with a bag holder hook 116, which has two
parallel rails (or
rods or bars) that are fairly close together (about 1/16th inch apart in the
embodiment shown).
Bagging clip 210 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 9 through FIG. 13) is for use with a bag
holder hook 216,
which has two parallel rails farther apart (about 1 inch apart in the
embodiment shown). Two
bagging clips 210 are used on bag holder hook 216, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
9, with one
bagging clip 210 on each rail.
[0024] Bagging station 112 is located in a retail store, often at a
checkout register, or
wherever items purchased are bagged by cashiers, employees, or customers.
Bagging station 112
includes at least one bag holder 114 or 214. Bagging station 112 is shown in
FIG. 1 with at least
one bag holder 114 and at least one bag holder 214 attached to bagging station
112. It is to be
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understood that bagging station 112 can have either or both types of bag
holders 114 and 214
attached to bagging station 112. In some embodiments, bagging station 112 has
only bag holders
114. In some embodiments, bagging station 112 has only bag holders 214. In
some
embodiments, bagging station 112 can have different types of bag holders that
use bagging clips
110 or 210.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of bag holder
114. Bag
holder 114, shown in FIG. 2 without shopping bags hanging from it, is used to
hold a plurality of
shopping bags 120 at bagging station 112. Bag holder 114 can take many
different forms. Bag
holder 114, in this embodiment, includes a support bar 122, a first handle
holder arm 118 and a
second handle holder arm 119 coupled to and extending from support bar 122,
and a bag holder
hook 116 coupled to and extending from support bar 122, as shown in FIG. 2.
Bag holder hook
116 extends from support bar 122 between first handle holder arm 118 and
second handle holder
arm 119. In this embodiment of bag holder 114, plurality of shopping bags 120
are hung on bag
holder hook 116, with the arms of plurality of shopping bags 120 hung on each
of handle holder
arms 118 and 119, as shown in FIG. 1. Bag holder hook 116 includes two
adjacent rails 126 and
128, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Bag holder 114 is a part of bagging
station 112 as shown in
FIG. 1. Bag holder 114 is the part of bagging station 112 that dispenses
plurality of shopping
bags 120. Bag holder 114 can take many different forms, but each bag holder
114 has a bag
holder hook 116 that holds plurality of shopping bags 120. Bag holder 214 is
similar to bag
holder 114 except that bag holder 214 has a bag holder hook 216 instead of a
bag holder hook
116. Bag holder hook 216 has more distance between adjacent rails, as shown in
FIG. 9.
Bagging clip 110 will not work on bag holder hook 216 because the adjacent
rails of bag holder
214 are too far apart.
[0026] FIG. 3 shows a close-up front perspective view of bag holder hook
116 holding
plurality of shopping bags 120, with bagging clip 110 coupled to bag holder
hook 116. Bagging
clip 110 keeps plurality of shopping bags 120 from sliding off or falling off
of bag holder hook
116 as an individual one of plurality of shopping bags 120 is opened, filled,
or removed from bag
holder hook 116. Bagging clip 110 allows one at a time of plurality of
shopping bags 120 to be
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opened and removed, while keeping the remaining shopping bags hanging from bag
holder hook
116.
[0027] FIG. 4 through FIG. 7 show additional details of bagging clip 110.
FIG. 4 shows a
front perspective view of bagging clip 110. FIG. 5 shows bagging clip 110 with
a strap 140
coupled to a strap hole 138. FIG. 6 shows a front view of bagging clip 110.
FIG. 7 shows a
side view of bagging clip 110.
[0028] Bagging clip 110 is formed of a plate, which in this embodiment is
in the shape of a
disk 142. It is to be understood that the plate forming bagging clip 110 can
be many other shapes
and configurations other than a disk, such as a square, rectangular,
triangular, or oval shape, for
example, but not meant to be limiting. Disk 142 includes at least one slot in
the plate, which in
this embodiment includes first slot 132 and second slot 134 in disk 142. Slots
132 and 134
couple disk 142 to a rail of bag holder hook 116. First slot 132 and second
slot 134, in this
embodiment, are the means to couple disk 142 to bag holder hook 116 of
shopping bag holder
114. Each of first and second slot 132 and 134 couple to a rail of bag holder
hook 116 of
shopping bag holder 114.
[0029] Bag holder hook 116, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG.
3, is formed
in part of a number of metal rails, which includes a first rail 126 and a
second rail 128 (see FIG.2
and FIG. 3). First rail 126 and second rail 128 are about 1/16th inch apart in
this embodiment,
but this is not meant to be limiting. First rail 126 and second rail 128 are
parallel to each other in
this embodiment, and are coupled together at an end 176 of bag holder hook
116. In this
embodiment, first slot 132 is a means to couple disk 142 of bagging clip 110
to first rail 126 of
bag holder hook 116, and second slot 134 is a means to couple disk 142 of
bagging clip 110 to
second rail 128 of bag holder hook 116, as shown in FIG. 3. The use of two
slots, first slot 132
and second slot 134, ensures that bagging clip 110 couples securely to bag
holder hook 116 and
does not fall off of bag holder hook 116. It is to be understood that bag
holder hook 116 can
take many other forms, and the means to couple disk 142 of bagging clip 110 to
bag holder hook
116 can take many different forms other than first and second slots 132 and
134. In some
embodiments, a bagging clip includes only one slot that couples the bagging
clip to the bag
holder hook, see, for example, bagging clip 210 shown and described in FIG. 9
through FIG. 13.
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[0030] Referring back to FIG. 4 through FIG. 7, first and second slot 132
and 134 are each
cutouts in disk 142. The cutouts extend all the way through disk 142, from a
disk front surface
166 to a disk back surface 168 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 7) of disk 142. First slot
132 and second slot
134 are approximately parallel to each other in the embodiment of bagging clip
110 shown in the
figures (see FIG. 6), but this is not meant to be limiting. In some
embodiments, first slot 132 and
second slot 134 are not parallel to each other.
[0031] Center support 130 is between first slot 132 and second slot 134.
Center support 130
is less than about 1/16" wide, in this embodiment, because first slot 132 and
second slot 134 are
equal to or less than about 1/16" apart. First slot 132 and second slot 134
are equal to or less
than about 1/16" apart because first rail 126 and second rail 128 are about
1/16" apart in this
embodiment. It is to be understood that the width of center support 130 and
the distance between
first and second slot 132 and 134 is different in some embodiments to
accommodate different
sizes of bag holder hooks 116 with different sizes of bagging clips 110.
[0032] As can best be seen in FIG. 6, first slot 132 extends from a first
slot opening 146 at a
first slot first end 148 to a rail hole 150 at a first slot second end 152.
First slot second end 152
opposes first slot first end 148. A first neck portion 170 extends along the
length of first slot 132
between opening 146 and rail hole 150. Rail hole 150 is circular in shape in
this embodiment,
and is sized to encircle first rail 126 of bag holder hook 116. First neck 170
is equal to or
slightly smaller than the diameter of first rail 126, so that once first rail
126 is slid into slot 132,
first rail 126 is captured in rail hole 150, coupling bagging clip 110 to
first rail 126.
[0033] Second slot 134 extends from a second slot opening 154 at a second
slot first end 156
to a rail hole 158 at a second slot second end 160 of second slot 134. Second
slot second end
160 opposes second slot first end 156. A second neck portion 172 extends along
the length of
second slot 134 between opening 154 and rail hole 158. Rail hole 158 is
circular in shape in this
embodiment, and is sized to encircle second rail 128 of bag holder hook 116.
Second neck 172
is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of second rail 128, so that
once second rail 128 is
slid into slot 134, second rail 128 is captured in rail hole 158, coupling
bagging clip 110 to
second rail 128.
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[0034] Bagging clip 110 is coupled to bag holder hook 116 in this
embodiment by coupling
first slot 132 to first rail 126 and coupling second slot 134 to second rail
128. First slot 132 is
coupled to first rail 126 by sliding first rail 126 into first slot 132 until
first rail 126 is captured in
rail hole 150. Second slot 134 is coupled to second rail 128 by sliding second
rail 128 into
second slot 134 until second rail 128 is captured in rail hole 158, as shown
in FIG. 3. First and
second neck portions 170 and 172 keep first rail 126 and second rail 128
captured in first slot
132 and second slot 134, respectively.
[0035] Center support 130 is between first and second slots 132 and 134.
Center support 130
keeps bagging clip 110 from sliding off end 176 of bag holder hook 116. As
bagging clip 110
slides to end 176 of bag holder hook 116, center support 130 hits end 176 of
bag holder hook
130, keeping bagging clip 110 from falling off of bag holder hook 116. Center
support 130 in
this embodiment includes a sloped protrusion 136 that extends from center
support 130 (see FIG.
4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, for example). Protrusion 136 is a sloped protrusion in
this embodiment,but
this is not meant to be limiting. Protrusion 136 has a protrusion front
surface 164 (see FIG. 4
through FIG. 7). Protrusion front surface 164 of protrusion 136 is sloped such
that protrusion
front surface 164 lies in a protrusion plane 186 that is not parallel to a
disk plane 188 of disk
front surface 166, as shown in FIG. 7. An angle 178 is between protrusion
plane 186 and disk
plane 188. In this embodiment angle 178 is about 15 degrees. In some
embodiments, angle 178
is between 10 degrees and 20 degrees. An angle 178 of between 10 and 20
degrees provides the
optimum shape of protrusion 136 so that protrusion 136 catches end 176 of bag
holder hook 116.
The sloped shape of protrusion 136 helps center support 130 catch and hold end
176 of bag
holder hook 116 and keep bagging clip 110 coupled to bag holder hook 116.
[0036] In some embodiments, bagging clip 110 includes strap 140, as shown
in FIG. 5.
Strap 140 in this embodiment is coupled to disk 142 through a strap hole 138.
Strap 140 is used
to couple bagging clip 110 to bagging station 112 so that bagging clip 110
does not get
misplaced, lost, or stolen. Strap 140 can couple to bagging station 112, to
bag holder 114, or to
bag holder hook 116, for example, but not by way of limitation. Strap 140 can
be a wire, a rope,
a string, a strap, a cord, or any other elongate element that can couple
bagging clip 110 to
bagging station 112.
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[0037] FIG. 8 illustrates a method 200 of keeping a plurality of shopping
bags on a bag
holder hook of a bagging station. Method 200 includes an act 210 of forming a
bagging clip
comprising a first and a second slot. Method 200 also includes an act 220 of
coupling the first
slot to a first rail of the bag holder hook of a bag holder. And method 200
includes an act 230 of
coupling the second slot to a second rail of the bag holder hook. Method 200
can include many
other acts. In some embodiments, method 200 includes coupling a strap to the
bagging clip and
to the bag holder. In some embodiments, method 200 includes coupling the
bagging clip to the
bagging station with a strap.
[0038] FIG. 9 through FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of bagging clip 210.
Bagging clip 210
is similar to bagging clip 110, except bagging clip 210 has only one slot for
coupling to a rail of
a bag holder hook. FIG. 9 shows a close-up front perspective view of bag
holder 214 with bag
holder hook 216, with two bagging clips 210 coupled to bag holder hook 216.
Bagging clips
210 keep plurality of shopping bags 220 (FIG. 1) from sliding off, being
pulled off, or falling off
of, bag holder hook 216 as an individual one of plurality of shopping bags 220
is opened, filled,
or removed from bag holder hook 216. Bagging clips 210 allow one at a time of
plurality of
shopping bags 220 to be opened and removed, while keeping the remaining
shopping bags
hanging from bag holder hook 216. Bagging clip 210 is used with bag holder
hook 216 because
the parallel rails 226 and 228 (FIG. 9) of bag holder hook 216 are too far
apart for bagging clip
110 to be coupled to both rail 226 and 228 simultaneously. In this embodiment,
rails 226 and
228 are about 1 inch apart, but this is not meant to be limiting. In the
embodiment of bagging
clip 210 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9 through FIG. 13, two bagging clips 210 are
used, as shown
in FIG. 9, to keep plurality of shopping bags 220 from coming off of bag
holder hook 216. One
bagging clip 210 is coupled to rail 226, and one bagging clip 210 is coupled
to rail 228, as shown
in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9. In some embodiments, only one bagging clip 210 is used
to hold plurality
of bags 220 on bag holder hook 216.
[0039] FIG. 10 through FIG. 13 show additional details of bagging clip 210.
FIG. 10 shows a
front perspective view of bagging clip 210. FIG. 11 shows a front view of
bagging clip 210.
FIG. 12 shows a rear view of bagging clip 210. FIG. 13 shows a side view of
bagging clip
210.
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[0040] Bagging clip 210 is formed of a plate, which in this embodiment is
in the shape of a
disk 242. It is to be understood that the plate forming bagging clip 210 can
be many other shapes
and configurations other than a disk. Disk 242 includes a slot 232 in disk
242. Slot 232 couples
disk 242 to a rail of bag holder hook 216, as shown in FIG. 9. Slot 232 is the
means to couple
disk 242 to bag holder hook 216 of shopping bag holder 214. Slot 232 is
configured to couple
bagging clip 210 to rail 226 or 228 of shopping bag holder 214.
[0041] Bag holder hook 216, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 9,
is formed in
part of a number of metal rails (also known as rods or a bars), and includes a
first rail 226 and a
second rail 228 (see FIG. 9). First rail 226 and second rail 228 are parallel
to each other in this
embodiment, and are coupled together at an end 276 of bag holder hook 216. In
this
embodiment, first rail 226 and second rail 228 are about 1 inch apart, which
is too far apart for a
bagging clip 110 to be able to couple to both first rail 226 and second rail
228. In this
embodiment, one bagging clip 210 couples to first rail 226 and one bagging
clip 210 couples to
second rail 228. Slot 232 is a means to couple disk 242 of bagging clip 210 to
first rail 226 of
bag holder hook 216, and slot 232 is a means to couple disk 242 of bagging
clip 210 to second
rail 228 of bag holder hook 216. It is to be understood that bag holder hook
216 can take many
other forms, and the means to couple disk 242 of bagging clip 210 to bag
holder hook 216 can
take many different forms other than slot 232.
[0042] Slot 232 is a cutout in disk 242 (see FIG. 10 through FIG. 13). The
cutout extends all
the way through disk 242, from a disk front surface 266 to a disk back surface
268 of disk 242.
[0043] As can best be seen in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, slot 232 extends from a
slot opening 246
at a slot first end 248 to a rail hole 250 at a slot second end 252. Slot
second end 252 opposes
slot first end 248. A neck portion 270 extends along the length of slot 232
between opening 246
and rail hole 250. Rail hole 250 is circular in shape in this embodiment, and
is sized to encircle
rail 226 or rail 228 of bag holder hook 216. Neck portion 270 is equal to or
slightly smaller than
the diameter of rail 226 or 228, so that once rail 226 or rail 228 is slid
into slot 232, rail 226 or
228 is captured in rail hole 250, coupling bagging clip 210 to rail 226 or
rail 228.
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[0044] Bagging clip 210 is coupled to bag holder hook 216 in this
embodiment by sliding
rail 226 or rail 228 into slot 232 until rail 226 or 228 is captured in rail
hole 250, as shown in
FIG. 9. Neck portion 270 keeps rail 226 or 228 captured in slot 232.
[0045] Bagging clip 210 includes a first protrusion 236 and a second
protrusion 237, as
shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. 13. First and second protrusion 236 and
237 are protrusions
extending from front surface 266 of bagging clip 210. First and second
protrusion 236 and 237
are on opposing sides of slot 232. First and second protrusion 236 and 237 are
used to help
bagging clip 210 stay on bag holder hook 216. First and second protrusion 236
and 237 grab
onto end 276 when bagging clip 210 slides to end 276 of bag holder hook 216,
helping to keep
bagging clip 210 in place on bag holder hook 216. Protrusion 236 and 237 are
both sloped
protrusions in this embodiment. First protrusion 236 has a first protrusion
front surface 264, and
second protrusion 237 has a second protrusion front surface 265 (see FIG. 10,
FIG. 11, and FIG.
13). First protrusion front surface 264 is sloped, and second protrusion front
surface 265 is
sloped. First protrusion front surface 264 and second protrusion front surface
265 both lie in a
protrusion plane 286 that is not parallel to a disk plane 288 of front surface
266 of disk 242, as
shown in FIG. 13. Angle 278 is the angle between protrusion plane 286 and disk
plane 288. In
this embodiment, angle 278 is about 25 degrees, which provides sloped
protrusions 264 and 265
which easily grab end 276 of bag holder hook 216. In some embodiments, angle
278 is between
degrees and 30 degrees, which provides for protrusions 264 and 265 which grab
onto end 276
but do not extend too far from front surface 266 or make the shape of bagging
clip 210 unwieldy.
The sloped shape of protrusion 236 and 237 helps bagging clip 210 catch and
hold end 276 of
bag holder hook 216 and keep bagging clip 210 coupled to bag holder hook 216.
[0046] Bagging clip 210 includes a strap 240, as shown in FIG. 10. Strap
240 in this
embodiment is coupled to disk 242 through a strap hole 238. Strap 240 is used
to couple
bagging clip 210 to bagging station 212 so that bagging clip 210 does not get
misplaced, lost, or
stolen. Strap 240 can couple to bagging station 212, to bag holder 214, or to
bag holder hook
216, for example, but not by way of limitation. Strap 240 can be a wire, a
rope, a string, a strap,
a cord, or any other elongate element that can couple bagging clip 210 to
bagging station 212. In
the embodiment shown, strap 240 is an elongate strap of material.
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[0047] Bagging clips have been shown and described that couple to the bag
holder hook of a
bag holder at a bagging station. The bagging clips keep a stack of plastic
shopping bags that are
hung from the bag holder hook from falling off of the bag holder hook when one
of the shopping
bags are removed. The bagging clips each include a disk with at least one
slot. The slot couples
to a rail of the bag holder hook. With the bagging clip coupled to the bag
holder hook, the
plurality of shopping bags remain hung from the bag holder hook when a
shopping bag is
removed.
[0048] FIG. 14 illustrates a method 300 of keeping a plurality of bags on a
bag holder hook
of a bagging station. Method 300 includes an act 310 of cutting a first and a
second slot in a flat
disk to form a bagging clip. The first and the second slot are parallel to
each other in some
embodiments. Method 300 also includes an act 320 of hanging the plurality of
bags on the bag
holder hook, where the bag holder hook comprises a first and a second rail.
[0049] Method 300 includes an act 330 of coupling the bagging clip to the
bag holder hook,
wherein the bagging clip keeps the plurality of bags on the bag holder hook.
In some
embodiments, act 330 of coupling the bagging clip to the bag holder hook
includes coupling the
first slot to the first rail of the bagging station. In some embodiments, act
330 of coupling the
bagging clip to the bag holder hook includes coupling the second slot to the
second rail of the
bagging station.
[0050] Method 300 can include many other acts. In some embodiments, method
300
includes forming a sloped protrusion on the flat disk, where the sloped
protrusion extends from
the flat disk between the first and the second slot. In some embodiments, a
protrusion front
surface lies in a first plane, and a flat disk front surface lies in a second
plane, and the first plane
and the second plane are not parallel to each other.
[0051] The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in
order to best
explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby
enable those of ordinary
skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary
skill in the art will
recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for
the purposes of
illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to
be exhaustive or to
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limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and
variations are possible
in light of the teachings above.
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