Abstract:
A hook arrangement, for suspending plastic or polyethylene bags that are connected by means of a disposable header, which does not occupy any floor space in the establishments it is to be used in, and which is stable, easy to use, pleasing to the eye, inexpensive to fabricate, and places the plastic bags, that are used in conjunction with it, within easy reach of the consumers requiring the use of such bags.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates generally to hook arrangements, and more particularly, to such arrangements used for suspending plastic or polyethylene bags of the variety used in retail stores such as grocery stores and supermarkets.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    In recent years, plastic merchandise bags have been replacing paper bags in the retail and grocery products industries due to the superior and inherent moisture resistant properties of plastic. Nowhere is the trend of using plastic bags in the place of paper bags more evident than in the produce sections of grocery stores and supermarkets where customers almost exclusively use plastic bags to hold the various fruits and/or vegetables that are sought to be purchased. In addition to having moisture resistant properties that are superior to paper bags, plastic bags are cheaper and easier to handle, ship and store than paper pages.  
           [0005]    Plastic merchandise bags have traditionally either been the generally flat top rectangular bags or the T-shirt type and are usually provided to and used by the grocery and retail product industries in the form of stacks of a plurality of such bags. When sought to be combined into a pack, the manufacturers of such bag stacks will usually include anywhere from 50 to 200 bags or more into each pack, arranging the bags such that they lay flat on top of each other and connecting a disposable upper portion to the top portion of each bag, which upper portion may include an elongated opening therethrough, one or more apertures, or any combination thereof.  
           [0006]    Heretofore, such bag stacks have either been made available to customers or cashiers by simply locating the stacks in convenient areas around the grocery or retail stores they are to be found in, or suspending such stacks from a variety of support assemblies for consecutive detachment of the bags from each pack.  
           [0007]    When floor standing assemblies are used to hold the bag stacks, the two typical methods of mounting such stacks on such assemblies are either placing the opening in the upper portion of the bag stacks on the portion of the floor stand assembly that extends to support said upper portion. Several bag stacks will typically be hung or supported on the floor standing dispensing assembly at one time.  
           [0008]    Among the problems that have traditionally been encountered with using such plastic bag stack and rack systems are the facts that they often take up space in establishments that could otherwise be used for merchandise. Consequently, it is desirable to have a way to suspend such bag back which does not occupy any additional real estate space, is stable, and pleasing to the eye. It is also desirable to have a less expensive alternative to the floor standing dispensing assemblies that is easy to use and that places the plastic bag stacks within easy reach of the consumers of such stacks.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The object of this invention is to provide owners of retail stores such as grocery stores and supermarkets with a device that allows for almost effortless suspension of bag stacks and that is also easily mountable on or in existing structures inside a grocery or retail store.  
           [0010]    By virtue of this invention, such object may be accomplished by providing a hook arrangement for the mounting thereon of one or more bag stacks in a generally vertically suspended position, while the hook arrangement itself may be mounted on or disposed about a variety of surfaces in the store they are to be used in, such as on a table, a counter, a shelf, or openings in vegetable and/or fruit misting and/or chilling. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been set forth, other objects and advantages will appear from the detail descriptions of the embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the first embodiment of the hook arrangement.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to a desired edge.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 shows a front view of a second embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 shows a side view of the second embodiment of the hook arrangement.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the second embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to the holes in a misting and/or chilling apparatus.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 shows a front view of a third embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 shows a side view of the third embodiment of the hook arrangement.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the third embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to the holes in a misting and/or chilling apparatus.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 10 shows a front view of a fourth embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11 shows a side view of the fourth embodiment of the hook arrangement.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to a desired surface.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 13 shows a front view of a fifth embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 14 shows a side view of the fifth embodiment of the hook arrangement.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to a desired edge. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]    [0027]FIGS. 1 through 3 show the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring first to FIG. 1, a mounting plate  10  is shown with a plurality of holes  29  formed therethrough and which further has two laterally spaced hooks  11  and a single hook  24 , all of which are welded or otherwise suitably affixed to mounting plate  10 . FIG. 1 further shows the front portion  12  of mounting plate  10  while FIG. 2 best shows the back portion  13  of said mounting plate. Hook  24 , which is best shown in FIG. 3, is located between hooks  11 . Although hooks  11  are similar in size and configuration and are preferably made out of metal, as are both the mounting plate  10  and hook  24 , hooks  11  do not have to be absolutely identical in size and configuration and any or all of mounting plate  10 , hooks  11  and hook  24  can be made of materials other than metal, such as a plastic, an alloy, or a polymer. Hooks  11  and  24  that are utilized in conjunction with the present invention are formed, through bending, molding, or other method of shaping, from a single and continuous rod type member into the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Addressing hooks  11  first, each of said hooks has a first end  14  and a second end  15 , a first bend  16  of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend  17  of approximately 180 degrees as shown, a third bend  18  of approximately 180 degrees as shown, and a fourth bend  19  of approximately 180 degrees as shown. The portion of hook  11  with bends  16 ,  17 , and  18  protrudes from the front portion  12  of mounting plate  10  and has a U-shape configuration when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 2, while the extension of hook  11  with bend  19  and which terminates at end  15  protrudes from the back portion  13 , in an inverted U-shape configuration when viewed from the side as further shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 best illustrates the general configuration of hook  24  whereby hook  24  has a first end  25 , a second end  26 , and a bend  27  of about 180 degrees as shown. The portions of hooks  11  and  24  with their respective bends  19  and  27  are designed such that the hook arrangement may be mounted onto or otherwise attached to the edge  23  of any enclosure  22  that is usually found in grocery stores and supermarkets around produce such as apples, oranges, or the like. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the portions of hooks  11  with bends  16 ,  17 , and  18  are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures  20  which are shown in FIG. 3 to be formed in the upper portion  21  of the bag stacks. Also shown in FIG. 3 are the plastic bags  28  that are suspended from the upper portion  21  of those bags. Desirably, each of the four bends in hooks  11  and the single bend in hook  24  described above result in distinct U-Shaped configurations whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, however, since none of the bends necessarily have to be 180 degrees, it is envisioned that the hooks could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the first embodiment could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.  
         [0029]    The second and third embodiments of the present invention, which are shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 and FIGS. 7 through 9 respectively are similar in that the hook arrangements of each of those embodiments are intended to be mounted on or in apertures, holes, or crevices in the misting and/or chilling apparatus generally found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets. The second embodiment of the present invention that is shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 is similar in configuration to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 described above in that mounting plate  30  also has a plurality of holes  45  formed therethrough and at least two laterally spaced hooks  33 , each formed from a single rod member, that are welded or otherwise affixed to mounting plate  30 , which plate has a front portion  31  and a back portion  32 . The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the extension of each of said hooks  33  that curves around the front portion  31  of the mounting plate  30  to protrude from the back portion  32  of the mounting plate  30  is much longer than that described in the first embodiment and does not have the same inverted U-shape configuration when viewed from the side, as in FIG. 5.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 best illustrates the general configuration of hook  33  whereby hook  33  has a first end  34  and a second end  35 , a first bend  36  of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend  37  of approximately 180 degrees as shown, a third bend  38  of approximately 180 degrees as shown, a fourth bend  39  of approximately 100 degrees as shown, and a fifth bend  40  of approximately 100 degrees as shown. For rigidity purposes, a single rod member  41  may be welded or otherwise affixed to hooks  33 , thereby acting as a support or a brace. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 through 6, the portions of hooks  33  with bends  36 ,  37 , and  38  are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures  42  which are shown in FIG. 6 to be formed in the upper portion  43  of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the portions of hooks  33  with bends  40  are designed such that the second ends  35  of hooks  33  are insertable into the plurality of holes  46  that are formed in the misting and/or chilling apparatus generally found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets. Also shown in FIG. 6 are the plastic bags  44  that are customarily attached to the upper portion  43  of said bag stacks. Desirably, each of the bends  36 ,  37 , and  38  described above results in a distinct U-Shaped configuration whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, while each of the bends  39  and  40  described above results in a approximately an L-Shaped configuration whereby each of bends  39  and  40  is of the order of approximately 100 degrees as shown. However, since none of the bends  36 ,  37 , or  38  necessarily have to be 180 degrees, and none of the bends  39  and  40  necessarily have to be 100 degrees, it is envisioned that the hooks could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend.  
         [0031]    The third embodiment of the present invention that is shown in FIGS. 7 through 9 is similar in configuration to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 and described above in that mounting plate  50  also has a plurality of holes  77  formed therethrough and at least two laterally spaced hooks  53 , each formed from a single rod member, that are welded or otherwise affixed to a mounting plate  50 , which has a front portion  51  and a back portion  52 . The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that said hooks  53  do not have a portion that extends or otherwise depends from the rear portion  52  of the mounting plate. Instead, a single discrete rod member  54  is welded or otherwise affixed, at a portion close to its first end  55 , to the back portion  52  of mounting plate  50 . Rod member  54  is welded or otherwise affixed, at a portion close to its second end  56  to the back portion  59  of a second mounting plate  57 , having a front portion  58 , a back portion  59 , and a plurality of holes  76  formed therethrough. Further welded or otherwise affixed to back portion  59  of mounting plate  57  is another discrete rod member  60 , having a first end  61 , a second end  62 , a first bend  63  of approximately 100 degrees as shown and a second bend  64  of approximately 100 degrees as shown. Member  60  is welded or otherwise affixed to the back portion  59  of mounting plate  57  at a portion of member  60  near its first end  61 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 best illustrates the general configuration of hook  53  whereby hook  53  has a first end  66 , a second end  67 , a first bend  68  of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend  69  of approximately 180 degrees as shown, and a third bend  70  of approximately 180 degrees as shown. For rigidity purposes, a single rod member  71  may be welded or otherwise affixed to hooks  53 , thereby acting as a support or a brace. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 through 9, the portions of hooks  53  with bends  68 ,  69 , and  70  are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures  72  which are shown in FIG. 9 to be formed in the upper portion  73  of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the portions of member  60  with bends  64  are designed such that the second ends  62  of members  60  are insertable into the plurality of holes  74  that are formed in the misting and/or chilling apparatus generally found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets. Also shown in FIG. 9 are the plastic bags  75  that are customarily suspended from the upper portion  73 . Desirably, each of the bends  68 ,  69 , and  70  described above results in a distinct U-Shaped configuration whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, while each of the bends  63  and  64  described above results in a approximately an L-Shaped configuration whereby each of bends  63  and  64  are of the order of approximately 100 degrees as shown. However, since none of the bends  68 ,  69 , or  70  necessarily have to be 180 degrees, and none of the bends  63  or  64  necessarily have to be 100 degrees, it is envisioned that the both hooks  53  and members  60  could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend.  
         [0033]    Desirably, in the second and third embodiments described above, hooks  33  and  53  should be U-shaped, made from metal, and welded onto the front portions  31  and  51  of their respective mounting plates. However, hooks  33  and  53  could take on different forms and/or configurations, such as a V-shape, may be made from a material other than metal, such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer, and may be attached and/or affixed to either the front or back portions of their respective mounting plates  30  and  50  by methods other than welding such as by glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Similarly, whereas the remaining portions of the hook arrangements described in each of the second and third embodiments are preferably made from metal and are welded in the portions where the various members attach to each other, the materials used could be any suitable material, such as plastics, alloys, or polymers, and they may be attached by to each other by methods other than welding, such as by glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the second and third embodiments could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.  
         [0034]    In the fourth embodiment of the present invention that is shown in FIGS. 10 through 12, the hook arrangement consists of a base member  80 , with a top face  81 , a bottom face  82 , and a plurality of mounting holes  83  formed through member  80  as shown, a vertical member  84  with a first end  85  and a second end  86 , and a hook member  87 , formed from a single discrete rod, with a first end  88  and a second end  89 . Vertical member  84  is welded or otherwise affixed perpendicularly at its first end  85  to the top face  81  of base member  80  at a location near the center of base member  80  as shown. Hook member  87  is welded or otherwise affixed perpendicularly, at a point on the horizontal portion of hook member  87  near the center of hook member  87  to a location on vertical member  84  near the second end  86  of vertical member  84 .  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 12 best illustrates the general configuration of hook  87  whereby hook  87  has a first end  88  and a second end  89 , a first bend  90  of about 150 degrees as shown, a second bend  91  of approximately 90 degrees as shown, a third bend  92  of approximately 90 degrees as shown, and a fourth bend  93  of approximately 150 degrees as shown. When affixed to vertical member  84 , the portions of hook  87  between bends  90  and  91  on one side of vertical member  84  and between bends  92  and  93  on the other side of vertical member  84  depend away from vertical member  84  and at an incline, forming two mostly parallel segments as shown. Hook member  87  is designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures  94  which are shown in FIG. 12 to be formed in the upper portion  95  of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the base member  80  is designed to either be attached to or placed upon the surface of a counter or any table-like structure  96  that holds, supports or otherwise displays the merchandise to be sold. Also shown in FIG. 12 are the plastic bags  97  that are customarily suspended from the upper portion  95 . Desirably, each of bends  90  and  93  described above results in a V-Shaped configurations whereby each bend is approximately 150 degrees, however, since neither of said bends necessarily has to be 150 degrees, it is envisioned that the hooks could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend. Furthermore, whereas it is desirable that base member  80 , vertical member  84  and hook member  87  of this embodiment be made from metal and that the various members be welded to each other in the locations described in this embodiment, it is envisioned that any or all of said members may be made from materials other than metal, such as a plastic, an alloy, or a polymer, and any or all of said members may be attached to each other in the locations described in this embodiment by means other than welding, such as glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the fourth embodiment could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIGS. 13 through 15 show the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Referring first to FIG. 13, a mounting plate  100  is shown with a plurality of holes  101  formed therethrough and which further has two laterally spaced hooks  102  and two laterally spaced rectangular sections  105 , forming two independent bracket configurations, all of which are welded or otherwise affixed to mounting plate  100 . FIG. 13 further shows the front portion  103  of mounting plate  100  while FIG. 14 best shows the back portion  104  of said mounting plate. Although both hooks  102  are similar in size and configuration, and although brackets  105  are also similar in size and configuration, and both hooks  102  and brackets  105  are preferably made out of metal, as is the mounting plate  100 , hooks  102  do not have to be absolutely identical in size and configuration, brackets  105  do not have to be absolutely identical in size and configuration, and any or all of mounting plate  100 , hooks  102  and brackets  105  can be made of materials other than metal, such as a plastic, an alloy, or a polymer. Hooks  102  that are utilized in conjunction with the present invention are formed, through bending, molding, or other method of shaping, from a single and continuous rod type member into the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 through 15. Brackets  105  that are utilized in conjunction with the present invention are formed, through bending, molding, or other method of shaping, from a single and continuous flat rectangular member into the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 through 15.  
         [0037]    As shown in both FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, brackets  105  have a first end  106  and a second end  107 , a first bend  118  of approximately 90 degrees as shown, a second bend  119  of 90 degrees as shown, and each of brackets  105  also has a single hole  108  formed in the portion of each bracket  105  toward each of ends  106  and  107  as shown in FIG. 15.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 15 best illustrates the general configuration of hooks  102  whereby each of hooks  102  has a first end  109 , a second end  110 , a first bend  111  of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend  112  of approximately 180 degrees as shown, and a third bend  113  of approximately 180 degrees as shown. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 through 15, the portions of hooks  102  with bends  111 ,  112 , and  113  are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures  114  which are shown in FIG. 15 to be formed in the upper portion  115  of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the brackets  105  that are shown in FIGS. 13 through 15 are designed to fit over any given shelf or edge  116  and may be secured thereto by inserting a screw or other fastening device into one or more of holes  108 . Although FIG. 15 shows brackets  105  being disposed about a horizontal edge, said brackets  105  could just as easily be disposed about a vertical edge and the invention could be used in the same manner described herein. Also shown in FIG. 15 are the plastic bags  117  that are customarily suspended from the upper portion  115 . Desirably, each of the bends  111 ,  112 , and  113  described above results in a distinct U-Shaped configuration whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, while each of the bends  118  and  119  described above results in approximately an L-Shaped configuration whereby each of bends  118  and  119  are of the order of approximately 90 degrees as shown. However, since none of the bends  111 ,  112 , or  113  necessarily have to be 180 degrees, and none of the bends  118  or  119  necessarily have to be 90 degrees, it is envisioned that both hooks  102  and brackets  105  could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each of the aforementioned bends. Desirably, in the fifth embodiment described above, hooks  102  and brackets  105  are made from metal and welded onto the front portion  103  of mounting plate  100 . However, hooks  102  and brackets  105  may be made from a material other than metal, such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer, and may be attached and/or affixed to either the front or back portions of mounting plate  100  by methods other than welding such as by glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the fifth embodiment could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.  
         [0039]    It is understood that the present disclosure of the above embodiments has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.