Bag dispensing system

In the bag pack disclosed herein, a stack of T-shirt type plastic film bags are held in a paperboard cartridge which is folded to provide front and back panels bridged at the top. The back panel has a cutout tongue which is folded forward under tearaway strips linking the top ends of the bag handle portions. The tongue retains the tearaway strips in the cartridge as individual bags are torn downwardly from the pack.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a bag pack and more particularly to a 
cartridge for holding a stack of T-shirt type plastic film bags suitable 
for enclosing produce and the like. 
As is understood by household shoppers generally as well as by those 
skilled in the art, produce in supermarkets is normally displayed in open 
bins or chill cases so that each shopper can select the individual items 
according to his or her preferences. It is customary to provide a supply 
of bags or sacks for packaging the produce so that it can easily be 
carried to a checkout counter. The most usual arrangement for dispensing 
the bags is to have them wound on a roll which is then hung so that 
individual bags can be drawn down and torn from the roll. This is not an 
entirely satisfactory arrangement in most instances since the roll will 
often overrun instead of releasing an individual bag. The use of both 
hands may be required to separate an individual bag from the roll. 
Further, the bags dispensed are typically simple tubes open at one end 
which may require a wire tie or the like for satisfactory closing. Similar 
problems exist in bakery and delicatessen contexts. The present invention 
provides an effective solution to these various problems and also yields a 
bag pack and dispenser construction which is advantageously useful in a 
variety of environments including convenience stores and supermarkets as 
well as produce, bakery and delicatessen contexts. 
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, it has been 
recognized that T-shirt type plastic film bags constitute a much improved 
mechanism for packaging produce since the loop handles extending upward on 
either side of the mouth of the bag can be tied to retain the contents. In 
accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a novel 
cartridge and dispensing system for providing easy access to individual 
bags in a pack. 
Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the 
provision of a novel bag pack; the provision of such a bag pack which 
facilitates dispensing of individual bags from the pack; the provision of 
such a bag pack which incorporates a cartridge for retaining a stack of 
T-shirt type plastic film bags; the provision of a dispensing system for 
plastic film bags which is easily loaded; the provision of such dispensing 
system which does not create clutter; the provision of such a bag 
dispensing system which is of attractive appearance and which is easily 
operated; the provision of such a bag pack and dispensing system which are 
highly reliable and which are of relatively simple and inexpensive 
construction. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in 
part pointed out hereinafter. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The dispensing system of the present invention employs a cartridge for 
holding a stack of T-shirt type plastic film bags having loop handles 
extending upwardly on either side of the mouth of the bag with the handles 
being linked at their upper ends by a tearaway strip extending between 
them. The cartridge is constructed of a stiff web member such as 
corrugated boxboard which is folded to provide front and back parallel 
panels bridged at their upper ends by a top panel. The handle portions of 
the bags extend upwardly between the front and back panels. The back panel 
has a cutout tongue which is folded forward under the tearaway strips to 
retain them as individual bags are torn downwardly from the pack. This 
tongue extends through an aperture in the front panel for support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 1, a stack of T-shirt type plastic film bags 11 are 
held for dispensing in a folding boxboard cartridge 13 which is, in turn, 
mounted on a bent wire hook 15. As indicated, the bags 11 are generally of 
the T-shirt type and have an outline form as illustrated in FIG. 2. 
The bags 11 are preferably formed from a gussetted tube of a suitable 
plastic film which is heat sealed at intervals to close off the tube at 
each end of the bag. A preferred form of plastic film material is that 
disclosed in copending, coassigned application Ser. No. 07/677,534 filed 
on Mar. 29, 1991 by Dennis N. Caulfield, Eric George and Alex Vaicunas and 
entitled Polymeric Material And Clear Film Produced Therefrom. The method 
of forming the bags themselves is also described in greater detail in said 
copending application Ser. No. 07/677,534 and the disclosure of that 
application is incorporated herein by reference. 
After the heat seals are made, the individual bag blanks are separated and 
stacked. A central cutout, indicated by reference character 25, is then 
made and creates an openable bag mouth and leaves handle portions, 31 and 
33 respectively, on either side of the mouth. In accordance with one 
aspect of the present invention, a tearaway strip 35 is left between the 
handle portions 31 and 33, the strip being partially cut through at each 
end as indicated by reference characters 37 and 39 so that the bags can 
easily be torn away from the central strip during dispensing. The central 
strips 35 in a stack of bags are preferably bonded together, e.g. by hot 
pins, so as to form the bags into a pack of a convenient number, typically 
fifty. In FIG. 2, the bonding points are indicated by reference characters 
40 and 41. 
The cartridge 13 is formed from a corrugated boxboard blank 46 having an 
outline as shown in FIG. 3. The blank 46 is folded along lines 47 and 49 
to provide a front panel 51 which overlies the handle portions of a stack 
of bags and a parallel back panel 52, the front and back panels being 
joined by a top panel 53. Side panels 54 and 55 are folded forward from 
the back panel 52 and overlying side panels 56 and 57 are folded back from 
the front panel 51. The sides 56 and 57 extending from the front panel 
include tabs 58 and 59 which are folded under the top panel 53. 
A large depending tongue portion 61 is cut out from the back panel 52 and 
is folded so that a portion 63 extends forward under the tearaway strips 
35 of a bag pack contained in the cartridge. The tongue portion 63 extends 
through a rectangular opening 65 in the front panel 51 and a further 
portion 66 is folded up parallel to the upper portion of the front panel 
51 and terminates in a tab portion 67 and extends through a slot 68 cut at 
the juncture between the front panel 51 and the top panel 53. When the 
blank 46 is folded as described, it will largely hold itself in assembled 
position but it is preferably secured by tape strips as indicated at 71 in 
FIG. 1. 
As indicated, the cartridge 13 may be assembled with one or more stacks or 
packs of the bags 11 held therein, the tearaway strips being retained by 
the tongue portion 63. In use, the cartridge with contained bag stacks is 
hung on a wire hook 15 or similar fixture with the hook extending through 
the cutout for the tongue portion in the rear panel and the rectangular 
aperture 65 in the front panel 51 with the bags 11 hanging down from the 
tearaway strips. 
A produce customer desiring to obtain a bag merely grasps the front one and 
pulls down so that the handle portions 31 and 33 separate from the 
tearaway strip 35. This can typically be accomplished with one hand. The 
tearaway strips 35 are retained in the cartridge and do not form litter in 
the produce area. When all of the bags have been utilized, the fixture is 
easily re-loaded by removing the exhausted cartridge and replacing it with 
a full one. Not only does the dispensing system of the present invention 
provide easy dispensing of a very functional bag, but it is easily 
serviced and presents a very neat appearance in the supermarket area which 
it is intended to serve. 
In view of the foregoing it may be seen that several objects of the present 
invention are achieved and other advantageous results have been attained. 
As various changes could be made in the above constructions without 
departing from the scope of the invention, it should be understood that 
all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying 
drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.