WO1993014985A1

WO1993014985A1 - Support member

Info

Publication number: WO1993014985A1
Application number: PCT/GB1993/000161
Authority: WO
Inventors: Keith Lowery; David Cumberland
Original assignee: Polyflex Packaging Limited
Priority date: 1992-01-25
Filing date: 1993-01-25
Publication date: 1993-08-05
Also published as: GB2278595B; GB9414578D0; GB9201643D0; GB2278595A

Abstract

A support member (1) for use with a sheet material packaging is described. The support member comprises an elongated spar (6) adapted for attachment to said sheet material, and a hook member (5) attached to said spar for hanging said spar therefrom. In one embodiment the packaging material may comprise a carrier bag, and goods such as clothes, for example, may be hung on the support member when used as a clothes hanger for display purposes. When the clothing is purchased, it may be packed inside the carrier bag which is then closed by the support member.

Description

161

- 1 - SUPPORT MEMBER

The present invention relates to handles, and particularly, although not exclusively, to a handle suitable for use with a carrier bag.

In retail establishments, for example those concerned with the sale of clothing, goods are conventionally packed in plastics carrier bags having two-part handles, each part of the handle having an elongate spar attached to an upper edge of the carrier bag, and two parts being connecrable together for carrying. Such conventional carrier handles have the disadvantage that they lack rigidity and can be difficult to clip together. The goods are packed into the carrier bags at point of sale which is time consuming and disadvantageous in busy retail establishments.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a support member for use with a sheet material packaging, said support member comprising an elongate spar adapted for attachment to said sheet material, and a hook member attached to said spar for hanging said spar therefrom.

Preferably, the support member further comprises a handle for carrying said spar and/or said packaging.

Preferably, the hook member comprises an upright portion and a substantially horizontal portion forming an open loop.

Preferably, said substantially horizontal portion has a recess for locating with a rail to which the support member is arranged to be hooked. Preferably, said horizontal portion is provided with a downward projection at end of the horizontal portion which is opposite to said upright portion.

Preferably, said substantially horizontal portion has a length in the range 10mm to 40mm, and said upright portion has a length in the range 25mm to 45mm.

Preferably, the support member has a substantially flat region adapted for display of a label or a substantially two dimensional information display.

Preferably, in use, a centre of gravity of the support member and/or packaging lies in a substantially vertical line with a centre of the handle.

Preferably, in use, the spar hangs from the hook member such that a centre of gravity of the support member and/or packaging lies in a substantially vertical line with a centre of the hook.

The support member may be made of a plastics material.

Preferably, the sheet material packaging comprises a carrier bag.

Preferably, the support member further comprises a closure member for retaining the carrier bag in a closed condition.

Preferably, the closure member is arranged on an upper rim of the carrier bag, and is capable of releasably fastening to a corresponding opposite closure member attached to the upper rim of the carrier bag. The invention includes a carrier bag having a support member as described above.

Preferably, the carrier bag is adapted for display of goods whilst hanging on or in the carrier bag.

The invention includes a method of display and packaging of goods as herein described.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure 1 shows a side view of a handle support member;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through a main spar of the handle support member of Figure 1, along the line X- X', and a cross-section through a main spar of a corresponding opposite handle support member;

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the handle support member of Figure 4, along the line Y-Y', along with a cross-section of the corresponding opposite handle member;

Figure 4 shows a detail of the opposite handle support member, corresponding to the handle support member as shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 shows another view of the other side of the second handle support member of Figure 4, and a cross- section through the line Z-Z'.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a support member l for example, as may be used for - 4 - supporting a carrier bag comprises a main body 2 having an upright portion 3, an elongate aperture 4 forming a handle, a hook 5 and an elongate spar member 6.

A lower edge 7 of the spar member 6 is adapted to be fixed to an upper rim of a plastics or paper material carrier bag in conventional manner. The support member 1 cooperates with another corresponding opposite support member, not shown in Figure 1, which has a corresponding profile, such that when the two support members are pressed together they engage each other by clip means 8, provided on the support members. When engaged, the carrier bag is closed and the bag can be carried by placing a hand through the handle aperture 4. The clip means are, for example press-studs.

Inset at A in Figure 1 is shown a portion of the main spar 6 of the of Figure 1, together with a corresponding portion of a main spar of a corresponding support member 11, in which the clip means 8 of the spar 6 engages with a corresponding protrusion 12 on the main spar of the support member 11.

The support member 1 is arranged such that the upright portion 3 and portions around the handle aperture 4 enclose the hook region 5. In use, the support member can be hooked over, for example, a rail, which passes through an opening 14 into the hook region 5.

The dimensions of the support member 1 are such that the hook region 5 will support the carry handle on a rail with the main spar 6 hung in a substantially horizontal attitude. The hook region 5 is positioned substantially vertically above the centre of gravity of the support member when attached to a carrier bag, so that when the - 5 - carrier bag is hanging on the rail, the bag hangs straight down.

The main spar 6 has suitably a length which can be varabled according to the size of carrier bag to be attached. Preferred lengths are 250mm; 350mm; 450mm; or 500mm. One method of producing variable lengths is to mould a support member having a spar of a first length, and to snap off portions of the spar to provide a second spar length, for example at points 19a, 19b or 19c. A thickness of the main spar is preferably of around 3mm, and a height of the main spar is preferably around 20mm. The selected spar height allows for space to weld the carrier bag sides to the main spar, as well as allowing space for the press-stud parts 8, 12. Preferably, the elongate aperture 4 has substantially semi-circular ends having a radius of curvature of 10mm. The upper portion 9 is preferably of height 10mm. The main body 3 is preferably of width 55mm.

The hook region 5 is surrounded by a downwardly pointing protrusion 15 having a radius of curvature of around 7.5mm, the centre of which is positioned 5mm below the carrying edge 16. Horizontal position 16 has a recess 17 for centring a rail on which the carry member is designed to be hung, the recess having a radius of 5mm. Other corners 18 of the support member preferably have a radius of curvature of 15mm.

In use, the support member may be attached to a carrier bag, and hung on a display rail. Clothing may be hung on the support member, being supported by the main spar 6 such that the support member acts as a coat hanger, with the carrier bag hanging from the main spar 6, and clothing hanging around the carrier bag. When a purchase - 6 - of the clothing is contemplated, a customer may take the support member and clothing thereon to a point of sale terminal, at which point the clothing may be packaged inside the carrier bag, which is then closed by clipping together the two support members. The carrier bag can then be carried by means of the handle. On the main body 3 of the support member, information such as bar code, pricing information and/or size, washing instructions and origin of manufacture information, or any other desired information may be attached by means of a label, bar code, or other suitable two-dimensional display.

Alternatively, goods may be placed on display in the carrier bag.

Referring to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, a cross-section of the main spar 6 along the line X-X'in Figure 1 is shown. Similarly, a corresponding main spar of the corresponding support member is shown in cross- section. Each main spar comprises an upper portion 20 and a lower portion 21. The upper portions 20 cooperate to join together and form a cavity 22, whilst the lower portions 21 touch each other. Each lower portion 21 has a height of preferably llmm, whilst each upper portion 20 has a height of preferably 8mm. The total height of each main spar is preferably 20mm, and the width of the two spars together is preferably 6mm. Preferably the thickness of the material from which the main spars are made is l.5mm.

Referring to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a cross-section along the line Y-Y' of the support member shown in Figure 1. Also shown is a cross- section across the main spar of the other corresponding support member. The cross-section is substantially as - 7 - described with reference to Figure 2 above, except that a clip comprising a protrusion 12 together with a press-stud 8 is provided. The protrusion 12 has a flared outer rim 24 which passes past a flared inner rim 25 of the press- stud 8 when the protrusion 12 is pressed into the press- stud 8. Preferred dimensions of the press-stud 8 are as follows: the stud is circular and has an outside diameter of 4.5mm. An inner diameter of the stud, neglecting the inner protruding rim 25 is 2.5mm. An outside diameter of the protrusion 12, neglecting the rim 24 is 2.5mm.

Referring to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a side view of a portion of the other corresponding support member, the handle, hook and main body portions only being shown. The view in Figure 4 is as seen from the outside of the corresponding support member when connected to the member as shown in Figure 1. Dimensions of the corresponding support member correspond with the dimensions of the support member 1 shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

There is provided a substantially flat region 30 for carrying sales information. Preferably the dimensions of this region are 38mm by 3S m square. The region 30 may be transparent, such that a label may be placed on the inside of the carry handle showing outwardly through the transparent region. Alternatively, the region 30 may be adapted for carrying a changeable logo or insert in conventional manner.

Referring to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings there is shown an inner view of the support member shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings. In addition to press-studs along the main spar 6 of the carry handle members, there are also provided press-studs, as previously described on the main body 3 and around the aperture 4.

Also shown are rim protrusions 40 positioned around a rim of the body 3 and aperture 4, and elsewhere in the support member. The rim protrusions are of thickness 1.5mm by 1.5mm and are provided for mechanical rigidity of the support member.

Inset at B in Figure 5 is a section through the line ZZ' of Figure 5.

The specific embodiment as described above may be made preferably from a plastics material and preferably in moulded form.

Specific embodiments of the present invention may have the advantage that a carrier bag may be hung on a rail which is secured at each of two ends, without the necessity for threading a hook over one of the ends of the rail.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention may also have the advantage that garments may be displayed hanging thereon, the support member acting as a coat hanger or clothing hanger, and at a point of sale, the support member may be used for packaging the purchased clothing.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where - 9 - at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodimen (s) . The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

- 10 - CLAIMS

1. A support member for use with a sheet material packaging, said support member comprising an elongate spar adapted for attachment to said sheet material, and a hook member attached to said spar for hanging said spar therefrom.

2. A support member according to claim 1, further comprising a handle for carrying said spar and/or said packaging.

3. A support member according to claim 1 or 2, in which the hook member comprises an upright portion and a substantially horizontal portion forming an open loop.

4. A support member according to claim 3, in which said substantially horizontal portion has a recess for locating with a rail to which the support member is arranged to be hooked.

5. A support member according to claim 3 or 4, in which said horizontal portion is provided with a downward projection at end of the horizontal protion which is opposite to said upright portion.

6. A support member according to any one of claims 3, 4 or 5, in which said substantially horizontal portion has a length in the range 10mm to 40mm, and said upright portion has a length in the range 25mm to 45mm.

7. A support member according to any one of the preceding claims, having a substantially flat region adapted for display of a label or a substantially two dimensional information display. - 11 -

8. A support member according to claim 2, in which, in use, a centre of gravity of the support member and/or packaging lies in a substantially vertical line with a centre of the handle.

9. A support member according to any one of claims 1 to

8, in which, in use, the spar hangs from the hook member such that a centre of gravity of the support member and/or packaging lies in a substantially vertical line with a centre of the hook.

10. A support member according to any one of claims 1 to

9, which is made of a plastics material.

11. A support member according to any one of claims 1 to

10, in which said sheet material packaging comprises a carrier bag.

12. A support member according to claim 11, comprising a closure member for retaining the carrier bag in a closed condition.

13. A support member according to claim 12, in which the closure member is arranged on an upper rim of the carrier bag, and is capable of releasably fastening to a corresponding opposite closure member attached to the upper rim of the carrier bag.

14. A carrier bag having a support member as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

15. A carrier bag according to claim 14, which is adapted for display of goods whilst hanging on or in the carrier bag.