GB2208843A

GB2208843A - Flexible refuse bags

Info

Publication number: GB2208843A
Application number: GB8819703A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Carel David Badenhorst
Original assignee: Flexible Bag Manufacturing Co Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Flexible Bag Manufacturing Co Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1987-08-19
Filing date: 1988-08-19
Publication date: 1989-04-19
Also published as: GB8819703D0; DE3828230A1

Description

1 9 - 1 - FLEXIBLE REFUSE BAGS 2208843 This invention relates to flexible

plastic refuse bags. The invention is particularly, but not solely, concerned with flexible plastic bags of the kind used to store garden or domestic refuse prior to dumping or upliftment by municipal garbage disposal personnel.

Conventional refuse bags for this purpose comprise a tube of plastics material, such as thin PVC (polyvinyl chloride) which is transversely heat-seamed at one end to form a closed bottom and which is open at the top. The conventional bags have straight edges about their open mouths and are sold in folded bundles. In use, the bags are located inside standard refuse bins and serve as a lining for the bin.

Conventional refuse bags of this kind have a number of important disadvantages. Most importantly, the bags must be deep enough to permit their walls to be tied together over the refuse, to stop the refuse falling out. Thus it is not possible to utilise the full depth of the bag because a substantial portion of the bag must be left free for the subsequent tying operation. Such bags are therefore wasteful of material. Moreover, with straight edges about the open mouth of the bag, the bag is virtually airtight when filled to the appropriate level with refuse and the straight edges are pulled towards Qne another and tied in a knot. The result of this is that the bags have a tendency to burst open and spill their contents when they are thrown down roughly or dropped.

With increasing costs of the plastics material used to form the conventional bags, it would be clearly desirable to provide a bag which comprises less material than a conventional bag, but which nevertheless has the same normal capacity for refuse as an equivalent conventional bag.

Some solutions to the above-mentioned problems are described in UK patent application 2172575A and US patents 1,941,871 and 2,159,192.

In each of these cases, there are f laps at the mouth of the bag which can be drawn over the ref use in the bag and which are then tied by means of a circumscribing cord. of course, one of the main concerns in the manufacture of flexible refuse bags which are intended for a single use only is cost. It is considered that the provision of a cord and appropriate eyelets for the cord would make the overall cost of the bag too high.

An object of the present invention is to provide a low cost flexible refuse bag which has the facility for tying of the bag over the refuse. Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible refuse bag which is so designed that it can be made and sold in roll form.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a disposable, flexible. plastics sack wherein the edge defining the mouth comprises integral projecting portions capable of being tied to one another.

The terms 'sack" and "bag" as used herein are interchangeable.

The present:Lnvention also provides a flexible refuse bag which is made of plastics material and which has a closed bottom and an open mouth, wherein the open mouth of the bag is defined by an edge having a regular wave-form profile, the wave-form profile presenting a series of spaced lobes which can be tied to one another over refuse in the bag.

1 3 - Another aspect of the invention provides a flexible refuse bag apparatus which comprises a series of flexible refuse bags of plastics material, each bag having a closed bottom and an open mouth wherein the open mouth of the bag is defined by an edge having a regular wave-form profile, the wave-form profile presenting a series of spaced lobes which can be tied to one another over refuse in the bag, the bags being arranged end-to-end and being connected to one another at lines of weakness along which the bags can be torn from one another. The end-to-end bags may be in roll form.

The mouth-defining edge may be continuously scalloped to form a sinusoidal profile. Alternatively, the edge may have a regular rectangular or triangular wave-form profile.

Preferably, the wave-form is such as to present four lobes separated by valleys.

Tne invenziun will now De further illustrated with.reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a conventional plastics refuse bag; Figure 2 shows a refuse bag of the invention at the same scale at the bag seen in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the bag of Figure 2 fitted into a refuse bin; Figure 4 shows the bag of Figure 2 filled with refuse and removed from the bin; Figure 5 shows how the bag is tied; and Figure 6 shows a bag apparatus of the invention in a perspective view, the apparatus being made up of bags like that of Figure 2;.

Figure 7 shows a partial view of another refuse bag of the invention; and Figure 8 shows a partial view of yet another refuse bag of the invention.

The conventional plastic bag 10 seen in Figure 1 is of tubular form with a tubular wall 12. The bag is seen folded into a flat, rectangular shape.

The bottom of the bag is closed by a heat seal 14 forming a seam which extends transversely across the bag. The open mouth of the bag is defined by a straight edge 16.

Figure 2 shows a bag 18 of the invention at the same scale as the bag 10 of Figure 1. This bag is also of tubular form with a heat seal 20 extending transversely across it to form a seam which closes off the bottom of the bag.

What is not conventional about the bag 18 of Figure 2 is the fact that the edge 22 defining the open mouth of the bag is not straight, but is of regular wave form. In the illustrated case the edge 22 is scalloped with a generally sinusoidal profile which includes four lobes 24 which extend away from the bottom of the bag and four valleys 26 between the lobes and extending towards the bottom of the bag.

A comparison of Figures 1 and 2 indicates readily that the bag 18 of Figure 2 embodies far less plastic material than does the bag 10 of Figure 1. While the overall length L of the bag 18 is the same as the overall length L' of the bag 10, the valleys 26 lead to a reduction in the material requirement.

51 1 & 4.

- Figure 3 shows how the bag 18 fits into a standard refuse bin 30 with a portion 28 folded over the lip of the bin to hold the bag in position ready to be filled with refuse.

The bag can be filled right up to the level of the lip of the bin 30 as illustrated by Figure 4 which shows the full bag removed from the bin.

After the full bag of Figure 4 is taken out the bin 30, the lobes 24A and 24C are folded over the top of the refuse and are knotted together. The lobes 24B and 24D are also folded over the top of the refuse and are tied in a knot. The result is shown in Figure 5.

It will be appreciated in Figure 5 that open areas 36 are left between the folded over lobes. The "closed" bag is therefore not airtight and there is less chance of the bag bursting open if it is thrown down or dropped than is the case with a conventional bag whose straight, mouth- defining edges have been pulled over the refuse and tied together.

Even if the bag 18 is not filled right up to the Figure 4 state its top, after tying, will still be partially open to permit free flow of air.

Figure 6 shows how a number of bags 18 can be arranged end-to-end to form a row of bags which are connected to one another along perforated lines of weakness 40, 42. AS illustrated, the row of bags is folded about fold lines 44 extending in the long direction of the row, and is rolled up in a roll 46. The roll 46 can be supported on a bar attached to a wall in, say, a kitchen for easy dispensing of the individual bags. This is clearly far more convenient than conventional bags which are folded up and packaged in a bundle.

2 It will be appreciated that, in the roll, there are pairs of bags connected mouth-to-mouth at the tear lines 40 while other pairs of bags are connected bottom-to-bottom at the tear lines 42. It will also be appreciated that it is the regular nature of the wave-form profile of the mouth-defining edge which makes this arrangement possible, since the valleys of one bag are identical in shape to the lobes of the next bag to which it is connected mouth-to-mouth.

Figure 7 shows a partial view of another embodiment of the invention in which the regular wave-form profile is provided by rectangular, in this case square, lobes and valleys.

Figure 8 shows yet another embodiment in which the regular wave-form profile is provided by triangular lobes and valleys. Of course, other regular wave-form profiles are also possible.

The major advantage of each 'of the described embodiments is the fact that there is a lower material requirement than is the case with conventional bags such as the Figure 1 bag.

Furthermore, the nature of the bags permits them to be made in roll form.

1 7 M&C FOLIO: 230P57127 WANGDOC: 1240C

Claims

1. A disposable. flexible, plastics sack wherein the edge defining the mouth comprises integral projecting portions capable of being tied to one another.

2. A sack according to Claim 1 wherein the projecting 1 portions are equally spaced about the perimeter of the mouth.

3. A sack according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the edge defining the mouth has a regular wave-form profile;

4. A sack according to any preceding Claim wherein the edge presents a series of spaced lobes which can be tied to one another over substances in the sack.

5. A sack according to any preceding Claim, wherein the mouth-defining edge is continuously scalloped to form a regular sinusoidal profile.

6. A sack according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the mouth-defining edge has a rectangular or triangular wave-form profile.

1 8

7. A sack according to any preceding claim. wherein the edge comprises four lobes extending in a direction away from the bottom of the bag and four valleys which separate the lobes from one another and which extend towards the bottom of the bag.

8. A sack according to any preceding claim. wherein the bag is of tubular form

9. A sack according to any preceding claim, wherein the bag has a transverse heat seam forming a closed bottom.

10. A flexible refuse bag which is made of plastics material and which has a closed bottom and an open mouth. wherein the open mouth of the bag is def ined by an edge having a regular wave-form profile. the wave-form profile presenting a series of spaced lobes which can be tied to one another over refuse in the bag.

11. A sack apparatus comprising a series of sacks as described in any preceding Claim. the sacks being arranged end-to-end and being connected to one another at lines of weakness along which the sacks can be torn from one another.

12. Apparatus according to Claim 11, wherein the sacks are arranged in roll form.

1 9

13. Apparatus according to Claim 11 or 12, wherein the mouths of the sacks are connected to one another.

14. A flexible refuse bag apparatus which comprises a series of flexible refuse bags of plastics material, each bag having a closed bottom and an open mouth wherein the open mouth of the bag is defined by an edge having a regular wave-form profile. the wave-form profile presenting a series of spaced lobes which can be tied to one another over refuse in the bag, the bags being arranged end-to-end and being connected to one another at lines of weakness along which the bags can be torn from one another.

15. A sack substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 to 5, 7 or 8 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A sack apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.

Published 1988 at The Patent Office. State House 66'71 High Holborn Londer. WClR 4TP Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office. Sales Branch. St Mary Cray. Orpington. Kent BR.5 3RD Printed by Multiplex techiuques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent. Con 1'81