Support hook for plastic bag

A support hook for supporting a plastic bag inside a waste container comprises two side walls disposed in side by side relation and joined by an intermediate wall which extends therebetween. Three arms project laterally from one side wall and a hook projects laterally from the other side wall.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention disclosed herein relates to a support hook and more 
particularly to a support hook for holding a plastic bag inside a waste 
container. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Recently stores have begun to supply customers with plastic carrying bags 
having handle-forming cutouts adjacent the open ends thereof, such bags 
being stronger and more easily carried than paper bags. Such plastic bags 
are usually thrown away after purchased items are removed therefrom, but 
the invention disclosed herein enables them to be used conveniently as 
liners for waste containers. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
A preferred embodiment of the invention is integrally formed of a polymeric 
material such as polystyrene or the like and comprises a body portion 
having (1) two flat side walls disposed in spaced, parallel relation to 
each other and each having a semicircular top edge and a straight bottom 
edge, and (2) a curved wall extending between and connected to said side 
walls and uniformly spaced from the top edges thereof to provide a curved 
channel for retaining a handle portion of a plastic bag of the type 
referred to hereinbefore. Three elongate arms are joined to one of the 
side walls of the device and project laterally therefrom, two of these 
arms being disposed in opposed relation to each other on opposite sides of 
the side wall and next to its bottom edge and the third arm being centered 
between the opposed arms and in perpendicular relation therewith. Lastly, 
the shank of a hook is joined to the other side wall of the device and 
projects laterally therefrom in parallel relation with said third arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
In FIG. 1 reference number 10 generally designates a body portion of a 
support hook constituting a preferred form of the invention, the body 
portion of the support hook comprising (1) two flat sides walls 12a, 12b 
which are identical in shape and which are disposed in spaced, parallel 
relation to each other, and (2) a curved wall 14 which is illustrated in 
cross section in FIG. 3 and by broken lines in FIG. 2 and which extends 
between and is integrally joined to the side walls. More specifically, 
each side wall 12a, 12b has a semicircular top edge 16 and a straight 
bottom edge 18, and the intermediate wall 14 is uniformly spaced below the 
top edges of the side walls to provide a curved retaining channel 20 (see 
FIG. 3) in the body portion 10 of the support hook. 
Two elongate, flat arms 22a, 22b are integrally joined to side wall 12a and 
project laterally thereform in opposed relation to each other next to the 
bottom edge 18 of the side wall. A third elongate, flat arm 24 is also 
integrally joined to side wall 12a and projects laterally therefrom, this 
third arm being centered between the opposed arms 12a, 12b and in 
perpendicular relation therewith as illustrated. 
In the drawings reference number 26 generally designates a hook formed of 
an elongate strip and having a shank 28 which is integrally joined to side 
wall 12b and which projects laterally thereform and is disposed in side by 
side parallel relation with arm 24. Thus the shank 28 of hook 26 is also 
centered between opposed arms 22a, 22b and is perpendicular thereto like 
arm 24. 
USE OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 4 illustrates a plastic carrying bag 30 having handles 32 formed at 
its open end by circular cutouts 34. Body portion 10 of the disclosed 
support hook is sized so that its side wall 12b will pass through cutout 
34 with a small clearance. In FIG. 1 bag 30 is illustrated as it appears 
when held within a waste receptacle 34 by a pair of support hooks having 
the above-described construction. When bag 30 is to be installed within 
receptacle 34 to serve as a liner, the hook 26 and side wall 12b of each 
support hook are inserted through a respective one of the holes 34 in the 
bag so that the shank 28 of the hook is positioned outside the bag and 
extends upward from its upper edge. Handle portions 32 of the bag are then 
respectively positioned within the curved channels 20 between side walls 
12a, 12b of the two support hooks. Bag 30 is then lowered into receptacle 
34 and hooks 26 are respectively engaged with opposite upper edges of the 
receptacle. Arms 24 of the support hooks assist in retaining the handle 
portions 32 of bag 30 within channels 20 of the support hooks, and opposed 
arms 22a, 22b of the support hooks hold bag 30 adjacent the wall of the 
receptacle 34. Thus bag 30 is securely held within receptacle 30 by a pair 
of the disclosed support hooks. 
It will be recognized that various changes can be made in the device which 
has been illustrated and described, without departing from the concept of 
the invention. For example, opposed arms 22a, 22b can be curved so that 
they conform with the wall of a cylindrical waste receptacle. Hence the 
scope of the invention must be considered to be limited only by the terms 
of claims appended hereto.