Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02470408 2004-06-09
CANA~A
PATENT APPLICATIi~N
PIASETZKI & NENNIGER
File No.: 511002/JTN
Title:
BAG COLLAR FOR LOADING BAGS
Inventor(s):
TOM McLEAN
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Title: BAG COLLAR FOR LOADING BAGS
FIELD OF THE INi/ENTION
This invention relates to the general field of garden accessories, and
more particularly to a yard or garden accessory which may be used in
association with large yard waste bags of the type used for bagging and
disposing of yard waste such as leaves, twigs and the like.
BACI~CGROUND OF THE INIOENTION
Burning of leaves and other yard waste hias been prohibited for many
years in most urban and suburban settings. Home owners are now
encouraged to gather up and bag their yard w<~ste. The bags are then left
at the curb and picked up and disposed of by the local municipality.
Restrictions on land fill sites have encouraged many municipalities to search
for ways to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill. As a result, benign
or compostable yard waste is often diverted from land fill and placed in, for
example, a municipal composting facility. Such yard waste, such as leaves,
weeds and other plant matter, once composted into mulch, can then be
used on municipal flower beds and the like.
At first the municipalities required the use of clear plastic bags, to
permit the collection workers to distinguish between compostable and non-
compostable waste. However, this required that the compostable material
in the bags be removed from the non-degradable plastic bags at the
compost facility, which was expensive and time consuming. More recently
the requirement is to use large biodegradable paper bags, which are clearly
marked as yard waste and which have restrictions on what can be placed in
them (i.e. compostable materials only). Typically in the spring and in the
fall
the bags are filled by homeowners, placed on the curb. Then they are
collected by municipal garbage collectors and taken to a central composting
facility. Because the paper used in the bags i~s easily biodegradable, the
waste need not be separated from the bags and is thus easier to handle.
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Because the bags can be dumped directly into the composter the whole
composting operation less expensive.
Unfortunately, when the homeowner seeks to fill the paperyard waste
bags, the paper bags are very awkward to use. Paper is easily folded and
three or more bags are typically sold together in a small, tightly wrapped,
folded-up package. The bags when unfolded retain some memory of their
folded shape and will quickly collapse back to a closed position even after
being opened. Once partially full they cain retain their open shape
somewhat better, but even then horizontal fold lines can have enough
memory to cause the top to fall over and clo~;e. Typically two hands are
required to hold the top of the bag open, which I!eaves no hands left to place
the yard waste in the open bag. Alternatively ii' two hands are used to pick
up the waste, no hands are left to hold open the paper bag. As a result yard
waste bagging becomes a two-person job, which is inefficient and time
consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is desired is simple and practical way to keep the bag open,
in a hands free manner, so that the hands can be used to lift, rake or
sweep yard waste or debris into the open bag 'top. Such a device should
be quick and easy to use and inexpensive to make, while being effective
and re-usable. Such a device will also facilitate holding the top of the bag
open, whether the bag is lying on its side, with its open top adjacent to the
ground or whether the bag is upright. As well it is desirable if the device
includes means to hogd the bag in position as it is being filled in either the
lying down or upright positions.
According to the present invention there is provided an insert collar
which can be inserted into the top opening of a, paper bag to hold open or
prop open the top. The insert collar then forms a liner, chute or opening
through which yard waste is passed into the bang. The insert collar
includes features to ensure that the collar remains in an open position,
such as an easily positionable element to prop open the collar. This
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element is most preferably retractable so that after use the collar can be
collapsed for easy storage. Preferably the device will be used for bags
which are either in an upright or upright or lying down loading position.
Most preferably the insert collar includes features to help hold the collar in
position for either bag loading position. Additionally the present invention
facilitates the movement of partially full or full bags by providing a handle
and a load distributing structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to drawings which, by way of example
only, illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a bag in;>ert according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is view of a flat panel blank from which the insert of Figure
1 may be formed;
Figure 3 is a top view of the bag insert of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a side view of the bag insert of Figures 1 and 3;
Figure 5 is a view of the bag insert in Figure 1 lying down;
Figure 6 is a view of the bag insert of Figure 5 in use in the lying down
position; and
Figure 7 is a view of the bag insert of the present invention in a bag
and in place on a cart in an upright position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTLON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 shows the present invention in its preferred propped open
or expanded form. In this form the insert collar 10 takes the shape of a
rectangular tube, which is sized to fit closely within the top opening of a
paper yard waste bag. The insert collar 10 may be made from any suitable
material, such as cardboard, treated cardboard or corrugated plastic
material. Although corrugated materials are preferred due to their stiffness
and light weight, other materials are also corr~prehended, such as sheet
material such as plastic or other materials. The most preferred material is
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a corrugated plastic material, which is between 2 and 5 millimetres thick and
most preferable about 3 millimetres thick. A treated cardboard, such as wax
or plastic coated cardboard will also provide reasonable results. In some
cases it may be preferred to use a biodegradable material, so the insert
collar can be disposed of with the bags upon completion of the bagging of
the yard waste. In other cases a longer lasting product, which can be used
for a number of seasons may be preferred. In any case what is desired is
light weight sheet material which is somewhat rigid and puncture resistant,
can be die cut, takes a crease to form a fold lime and has most preferably
some memory. As well, to facilitate using the present invention it is
preferred if the material can be printed, so instructions, and other material
may be printed on the outside faces of the material if desired.
As shown in Figure 1 the present invention comprises generally an
insert collar 10 having an open top 12 and an open bottom 14. Front 16,
side 18, 20 and rear 22 panels are provided, which form a chute between
the open top and the open bottom. The side panels are each of the same
dimensions and the front and back panels are preferably of the same
dimension, but most preferable the front and back panels have a width
greater than a width of the side panels so that the insert from above forms
a rectangle, with the long sides being the front and rear panels. As will be
explained in more detail below, having these panels longer makes it easier
to fill the bag with yard waste.
The most preferred size of the rectangle is one which just closely fits
into a standard yard waste paper bag. In the event there are a number of
paper bag sizes available it is preferred to size the insert collar to fit
within
the smallest standard size. Quite simply, if it fits within the smallest size,
then, the same size will also fit within a larger bang opening. In this sense
fits
into should be a fit that is easy to make, so is not too tight, but is one
that is
not too loose either. The larger the top opening in the insert collar, the
easier it is to place bulky yard waste therein. Similarly, the larger the
cross
sectional area of the chute of the insert collar, the easier it is to pass the
yard waste through the collar and into the bag. However, ease of loading
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yard waste through the collar must be balanced against ease of placing the
collar into the bag in the first place. The collar should not be so big as to
create a tight fit of the collar into the bag whicll is awkward to complete.
While for ease of manufacturing it is preferred to provide only one
standard size of collar, it will be appreciated that the present invention can
be formed to any desired dimensions and thus can be sized to fit closely
within any size of bag opening. Further while in the preferred form the chute
formed by the collar is of a consistent cross sectional area, the present
invention also comprehends that the collar may be funnel shaped or
otherwise change area over its length.
The insert collar 10 of the present invention may be of any height, of
between'/ to the full height of a yard bag. Most preferably, the insert collar
is between about'/ and 2/s of the bag height, with a collar height of about
~/s
of the bag height providing reasonable results,.
In Figure 1 two ears are shown extending from the top edge of the
insert collar 10 at 24, 26. The ears are a prefeirred form of a means to hold
the insert collar, and therefore by extension a bag into which the insert
collar
is inserted into, in position while being filled. The means for holding, or
ears
24, 26 are explained in more detail below. An opening is provided at 28, in
the form of a slot and a handle is provided at 30. Inwardly directed flaps 31,
by reason, for example, of the memory of the n-iaterial, are provided around
the lower opening 14.
Figure 2 shows a preferred form of insert collar 10 according to the
present invention in blank form 32. It will be appreciated that the present
invention can be easily mass produced, such as by die stamping, and thus
can be made quickly and inexpensively. The blank 32 includes the elements
described above, except they are presented in a flat blank format rather than
being supported in an open or in use position as in Figure 1. Thus, there are
the front panel 16, the side panel 18, the back oir rear panel 22 and the
other
side panel 20. Vertical fold lines or creases are shown by dashed lines 36
between each of the adjoining panels. Horizontal fold lines 38 are shown
across the bottoms of each panel and fold lines ~40 are shown across the top
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of front panel 16. Triangular shaped notches 43 are formed between each
of the panels at the bottoms thereof to permit the inward bending of the
bottom flaps 31, about fold lines 38 when the panels are in the assembled
position.
Also shown in Figure 2 is a side fastener strip 42 with glue spots 44.
This strip is used to complete the fourth joint between front and side panels
(the other three joints being fold lines in a continuous sheet of material).
The present invention comprehends many ways to complete the collar by
making the attachment along the edge, such as glue, staples, hot and cold
welding, sonic welding and the like. One preferred way is to cut out the
blank of Figure 2, then fold over the front panel and the side panels, so that
the fastener strip 42 lies over or below the outer face of the front panel.
Heat and pressure can then be applied to cause the pre-applied glue to
secure the front and side panels together. As will be understood by those
skilled in the art, the other forms of connection can also be used.
Once the fastener strip is attached the fold line 50 becomes the last
joint in what is now a continuous insert collar. What is desired is to form a
joint so that when expanded, the insert forms a hollow chute ortube through
which yard waste may pass into an interior of a yard waste bag. In this way
a folded over, completed article can be mass produced and is easily shipped
and stored at retailers for purchased by consumers in the flattened or folded
position. I n this way the product takes up less shelf space at the retail
level.
Most preferably, the folded over insert collars of the present invention can
be band wrapped for shipping and storage or even packed into a carton.
Most preferably the folded over article has one or mare through holes
located at or around a centre of gravity, so a number of folded over devices
can be suspended from a retail display rack, if desired.
While the foregoing method of making a blank and then securing it
along one edge yields good results other meth~ads of construction are also
comprehended by the present invention. For example, the collar may be
formed as a single unitary element, such as by blow molding, injection
molding or the like. In this case the unit could be made to be naturally fully
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expanded in the open position, and could have living hinges formed at the
corners to permit the device to be collapsed.
Once the insert collar of the present invention is to be used, then
certain simple and easy assembly steps are required. The first thing is to
remove the insert collar, in its folded flat position, from any sleeve,
wrapping
or other packaging that it might come in. The next step is to expand the
folded over insert collar from its flat shipping position to an open or in use
position. This is done by simply inserting a hand in between the folded
sections and bending the panels at the preexi:~ting creases at the corners,
until the insert collar is in the form of an open rectangle. Alternatively the
user can urge opposed corners together to cause 'the insert open. The
present invention comprehends that the insert: collar may have a naturally
folded or fiat position, which needs to be e:~panded, or it may have a
naturally expanded position and must be collapsed for storage. In this latter
case the corners would provide enough memory to cause the collar to
remain in an open position. Clips would be provided to temporarily secure
the collar in the collapsed position. The collar could be put into an in use
position by removing the clip to let the collar expand to the open position.
It can now be understood that for a preferred form of the present
invention in which the natural position of the device is in the folded over or
collapsed position what is desired is a means to prop open the insert collar
in the in use position. Although various methods can be used good results
have been achieved as follows. In Figure 2 the blank is shown with an
extended section fi0 above the front panel with a plurality of lateral fold
lines
40. According to a preferred embodiment of thie present invention, the top
edge 66 can be folded over and refolded over again one or more times to
form a triangular bar of folded up panel material. Also shown in Figure 2 is
a pair of triangular cut outs 70, 72 in each of the side panels. As can now
be appreciated, once the extended section is fully folded dawn, then the
ends will be position to fit into the cut outs 70,. 72. In this way the folded
over triangular section acts as a hardy handles to grasp to manipulate the
collar 10 and the registry of the folded over section with the cut outs 70, 72
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retain the folded over section in position so the multiple folds form a beam
to structurally prop the insert collar in an open or in use insert collar
position.
The folded over section can double as a handle since it has the
additional advantage of being relatively strong, due to the multiplicity of
folds
at this section. Thus the folded over section can bear a reasonable amount
of force even when the panel material is otherwise fairly flexible. It will be
understood that such a handle is a useful feature. The paper yard waste
bags used are typically quite weak and easily tear. As such there is a
tendency for them to tear as they are being filled, or even as they are being
moved. The tearing occurs when a load is concentrated on a small section
of the edge of the bag, for example, as the home owner tries to drag a full
bag to the curb. By means of the handle o~n the collar, the forces are
concentrated on the collar, but are spread out across web of the bag by the
collar. Thus, using the handle, where the insE:rt is for example wedged in
place by the contents of a full bag, can reduce the tendency for the paper
bag to tear and spill its contents when manipulating the bag.
Further the preferred location forthe triangular bar handle 60 is above
the front panel, so that it does not form an obstruction to sweeping material
through the collar, when the collar is placed on its rear panel in a bag which
is laying on its side. Tabs can be used to ensure reasonably secure registry
of the folded over triangular bar handle 60 with the notches 70, 72. It can
also be appreciated that the collar may be easily collapsed into a flat or
folded up position, simply by removing the ends of the handle 60 from the
notches, by unrolling or unfolding the handle and then applying a small force
onto said collar to cause it to collapse. In this way the collar may be easily
stored for future reuse, once all of the yard waste is collected and it is no
longer needed.
Turning back to Figure 2, it can be seen that cut lines 80, 82 are
formed in the rear panel and extend across the top of the side panels. The
cut lines 80, 82 define the ears 24, 26. Most preferable the cut lines 80, 82
are formed at the same time as the blank is formed. Further small uncut
lands 83, 85 are most preferably formed in each cut line 80, 82 at the same
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time, which then act as a tear through connection to keep the ears 24, 26 in
place until they are ready to be deployed as explained in more detail below.
Due to the cut lines 80, 82, once the tear through tabs are broken, the ears
may be bent away from the tops of the side panels to extend outwardly. The
ears are a means to to hold the insert collar in place, when the yard waste
is being passed through the collar and into a bag. In a first aspect, the ears
may be bent at a 90 degree angle from the side panels, as shown in Figure
3. In this position they are essentially coplanar with the rear face of the
collar. In this aspect, the collar has been inserted into the top of a bag,
either when the bag is upright or lying down. Tlle ears, at 90 degrees to the
plane of the side panels represent a stop and t)revent the insert collar from
being over inserted into the bag. In other word:a the projecting ears limit
the
downward movement of the insert collar in the Ibag 44. Then, if bag loading
occurs while the bag is laying on its side, the ears can form handy stepping
tabs to help hold the insert collar, and hence the bag, in place during
vigorous raking or sweeping of yard waste through the collar and into the
bag. By being positioned, sized and shaped to be stepped upon when the
insert collar is in use, the ears permit a hands free way of holding the
collar
in place against the forces generated by trying to push or sweep bulky yard
waste through the collar and into the bag. Tlhus, in addition to propping
open the bag the ears permit the bag to be h~sld in place in a hands free
manner. Thus the ears are sized and shaped to be easily clamped underfoot
to in turn hold the collar in position during bag loading when the bag is
lying
down as shown in Figure 6.
The ears also have an additional aspect:, in that they may be further
bent past 90 degrees to about 180 degrees relative to the plane of the side
panels. As shown, the cut lines 80, 82 extend past the intersection of the
side and rear panels, thus permitting the ears to be further extended away
from the rear panel of the collar. The ears are provided with a slot 28 or
other means to permit the ears to be placed over an external support 99
Figure 7. The external support can be a cross member of a cart for
example, or other upstanding structure such as a fence plank which the ears
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can hook over. While the example of a slot is given, other shapes of cut
outs are also comprehended either on the ears or on the collar to facilitate
holding the insert collar upright. A further example is a hook opening 100,
for supporting the collar on a protruding spike, nail or the like, which may
be
strategically located in a post or the like. Accordingly, the present
invention
comprehends that the insert collar is provided with a means to facilitate
being supported by an upstanding structure, whereby the insert can be
supported by the upstanding structure and the bag is supported by the insert
collar in an open position.
It will now be appreciated that the connection of the ears to the
balance of the insert collar will be a region of high stress. Thus, it is
desirable to reinforce or otherwise render this connection secure against
tearing. In one aspect this is accomplished by making the collar from a
strong material such as plastic. Where the collar is made from weaker
material, such as biodegradable cardboard, for example, it may be
necessary to provide reinforcement at the connection between the ears and
the collar, such as a tape or other material or by increasing the width of the
connection.
To facilitate the first placement of the in;>ert collar into an open top of
a flexible bag, the present invention provides the in~nrardly bent flaps 31,
at
the lower edges of the panel sections. This presents a tapered profile to the
lowermost edge of the insert collar making the insertion of the bottom end
into the top of the bag easier. The taper also facilitates placing yard waste
into the bag. It will now be understoad that with the ears retracted, the
insert
collar of the present invention may be placed down at the bottom of the bag
to act as a puncture resistant liner. Then as the bag is filled the collar may
be raised by the handle to allow the liner to contain the force applied to the
debris as it is being stuffed into the bag, until the liner is at the top of
the
bag. Then the ears can be extended if dE;sired. These features, in
combination, permit the insert collar of the present invention to be useful in
both upright and prone bag filling positions and in this way facilitate the
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natural use filing sequence of a bag of first parl:ially filing the bag in a
prone
position and then completing filling the bag in an upright position.
It can now be appreciated that the present invention provides a
simple and yet elegant structure to prop open a yard bag for hands free
filling of the same. The insert may be fully inserted to the bottom of the
bag,
if the ears are not folded out, and in this manner provides a reinforcing
liner
to protect the generally weaker bag material from puncture by sticks or the
like as the yard waste is being packed into the Ibag. The liner can be raised
within the bag as the bag is filled, like a slip foirm by gripping the
triangular
handle 60. Eventually the insert collar can be removed from the bag, when
the bag is full and then the collar may be inserted onto another bag and
reused to fill a second or a further empty bag. The use of a puncture
resistant slip liner can permit the bags to be more densely packed, thus
requiring fewer bags than would otherwise be the case.
While the foregoing description has been in respect of various
preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that other
modifications can be made without departing ifrom the broad scope of the
appended claims. Some ofthese modifications have been suggested above
and others will be apparent to those who are skilled in the art. For example
while two ears are preferred adequate results rrray be obtained with having
only one ear. It expected that this will be less satisfactory however, since
in
this case the ear will be off centre and more awkward to use.
