A SUPPORT FOR GARBAGE DISPOSAL BAGS

Abstract: The support to be mounted on a cupboard door (2) includes a resilient hoop (30) carrying two frame halves (40, 41) mutually displaceable in relation to a profile mounted on the cupboard door (2), and positionally lockable in said profile. A supporting plate (20) with a retainer hoop member (70) at the lower part of the cupboard door (2) supports a refuse bag (80) placed in the support. Owing to the movability and the positional lockability of the frame halves (40, 41) in relation to the profile on the cupboard door, refuse bags of varying dimensions may be used in the support and the particular design of the support makes it possible to offer the support to purchasers as a space-saving kit.

Description: A support for garbage disposal bags. The invention relates to a support for garbage disposal bags to be affixed on a preferably vertical supporting surface, such as a cupboard door, and of the type comprising a bin made from wires or rods of metal , and designed so as to hold a disposal bag that is kept in place in the bin by folding the upper edge of the bag over the top edge of the bin, and means for mount¬ ing the support on the supporting surface. A support for refuse bags of this well known type is generally designed so that the top edge of the bin constitutes a frame that may be continuous or may be interrupted, e.g. at the side facing away from the cupboard door. This design makes it possible to obtain a certain flexibility of the shape of the upper frame, thereby making it easier for the user to arrange the bag in the support. In another well known design the upper frame over which the upper edge of the bag is to be folded with the view of retaining the bag in the support, is constituted by two parts, viz. firstly a frame part firmly connected with the cupboard door and, secondly, the upper part of the side of the bin facing away from the cupboard door, a bag placed in the support being kept open and stretched due to the spring action actually exerted by that part of t. e bin facing away from the cupboard door. Such supports for garbage disposal bags suffer from various inconveniences. One inconvenience is caused by the circumstance that the support compels the user to use bags of a quite specific size. Such bags are generally purchased in rolls of consecutive bags from which one bag is torn off when to be placed in the support. It is frequently seen that the users also use or reuse common shopping plastic bags. As long as the ready-made plastic bags or shopping bags have suitable dimensions in relation to the support for refuse bags the users may without difficulty arrange such a bag in the support. However, it has further been ascertained that various shops, supermarkets, stores and the like, often make use of, offer or sell bags varying in dimensions, thereby making it difficult for the user to place an arbitrary bag in the support if the size of the bag does not fit in the support. In the vicinity of the upper edge of the bag, common bags of plastic foil have two cutouts or open¬ ings in which the hand is placed when the bag is to be carried. The mouth opening of such bags has a specific dimension that cannot vary much, inter alia because there often is a hem at the upper edge of larger shopping bags. A second type of shopping bags that are nowadays being used more and more, is bags which instead of such cutouts or openings at the upper edge of the bag have two lateral handles projecting upwards relative to the upper edge of the bag. Such plastic bags, so-called "knot bags" that are of course available in varying sizes may due to their shape be "opened" comparatively more than common, ready-made disposal bags or shopping bags. However, the problem for the user is still to get any casual bag to "fit" in the support. Another inconvenience of the supports for gar- bage disposal bags of the above mentioned type is to be found in the following circumstances. In prior art supports, the bin is designed so that its cross-sectional dimension at. the bottom of the bin is smaller than at the upper frame. In this manner the producer is enabled to stack the supports in groups of e.g. ten or twenty and to package a number of such groups for instance in a cardboard box which is then delivered to the retailer. This is a well functioning solution though bulky because the supports are volumin¬ ous and light in comparison with the package size. It has thus been ascertained that there is a need for a support for garbage disposal bags enabling the user to easily make use of bags of varying dimen¬ sions and which contrary to existing supports may be packaged, dispatched and marketed as a kit in a packaging of a quite modest size. It is an object of the invention to fulfil said need and in this respect a support for garbage disposal bags according to the invention is characterized in - that the bag-carrying bin is constituted, on one hand, by a hoop of metallic wire and, on the other hand, by an upper, substantially horizontal two-part frame, that the support mounting means include, firstly, a profile mountable in a preferably horizontal position on the supporting surface and, secondly, means designed to sustain the support at the lower part of the supporting surface, - that the hoop is substantially U-shaped with a bottom branch designed to be supported by said sustain- ing means, and with two upright branches, - that the two upright branches of the hoop are designed to be connected at their uppermost end with their respective part of the two-part frame, and - that the two parts of the frame are designed so as to be carried by, displaced in relation to, and locked in the profile. By using an upper two-part frame in which each part of the frame is connected with its branch of the hoop and is displaceable and lockable in the profile, a support is provided, which may easily be conformed to the dimensions of the garbage bag as used, and as it will appear from the detailed description this support may further be designed as a kit that can easily be assembled by the user and mounted on an appropriate supporting surface. Further characteristic features and advantages of the support according to the invention appear from the patent claims and the detailed description. The invention will be explained in detail in the following with reference to the sche atical drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the support for garbage disposal bags according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a partially sectional perspective view of a profile used for mounting the support on a sup¬ porting surface, Fig. 3 is a partially sectional perspective view of a member for interlocking a frame part with an asso¬ ciated branch of a hoop, Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a sec¬ tion of the profile shown in Fig. 2 with a slider accommodated therein, interlocked with a frame part, Fig. 5 shows the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4 and viewed in the longitudinal direction of the pro- file, Fig. 6 is a view illustrating how a frame part and an associated slider may be interlocked by snap locking, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the supporting plate with the associated assembling hoop member, and Fig. 8 shows the support shown in Fig. 1 with a knot bag placed in the support. The support for garbage disposal bags 1 shown in Fig. 1 is designed to be mounted on a supporting surface, e.g. a wall or on the inner face of a cupboard door 2. This support includes a U-profile 3 consist- ing for instance of metal and which at the ends of one of its flanges (cf. also Fig. 2) has two axially pro¬ jecting flaps 4, 5 with associated holes 6, 7, whereby the profile may be fastened - preferably in the horizontal position - by means of screws, not shown, on the inner face of door 2 in such a manner that it is the profile flange 8 having said two flaps 4, 5 that abuts on door 2 and so that the bottom 3a of profile 3 faces upwards. Fig. 2 illustrates in more detail the design of profile 3. In one flange 8 comprising said flaps 4, 5 of the U-profile 3 there are by punching provided two rows of lobes 10 that are symmetrical in relation to the centre plane 0 of the profile (shown in dashed lines in Fig. 2) and which, as it appears in detail from Fig. 4, are pressed sligtly inwards into profile 3, i.e. in the direction towards the profile flange 9. These lobes 10 are present in a suitable number, e.g. six in each row, as shown in Fig. 2, and as it appears from Fig. 1, the lobes 10 in the first row face in the direction away from the lobes in the second row. In other words, the lobes 10 of the left row in Fig. 2 point in the same direction as the fastening flap 4, whereas the lobes in the right row in Fig. 2 point towards the opposite fastening flap 5 of the profile. As it appears from Figs 1 and 2 , there are pro¬ vided in the other flange 9 of the profile two longi¬ tudinal cutouts 11, 12 that are likewise symmetrical in relation to the centre plane 0 of the profile. A supporting plate 20, e.g. of metal, is mounted on door 2 below profile 3 and at an appro¬ priate distance therefrom. This supporting plate shown in detail in Fig. 7 has an upper edge portion 21 in which two holes 22, 23 are provided, by which said edge portion by means of screws not shown may be fastened on the inner face of door 2. This edge portion 21 forms an angle with the supporting plate 20 so that this plate 20 after fastening of the edge portion 21 on door 2, extends downwards and away from door 2. In order to impart a suitable stiffness to the supporting plate 20 the lower edge thereof is bent as shown by 24. Two flaps 25 and 26 extending down¬ wards above the upper side of the supporting plate are punched at the lower edge 24 of the supporting plate 20, thereby providing an interspace 27 between said flaps 25, 26 and the upper side of the supporting plate 20. The support 1 further comprises a hoop 30, preferably of metallic wire of a diameter of e.g. 4 mm. This hoop 30 has substantially the shape of a U with a lower, preferably rectilinear branch 31 consti¬ tuting the bottom of the U and which in a manner more specifically stated in the following, is to be sup¬ ported by the supporting plate 20, and with two upwards extending, preferably rectilinear branches 32, 33 which in the rest condition of the hoop converge towards each other, i.e. in such a manner that the two upper ends 32a and 33a of the hoop - in the rest condition of the hoop - are spaced apart a distance that is shorter than the length of the lower branch 31 of the hoop. The support 1 further includes - substantially on a level with profile 3 - a bag carrying frame con¬ sisting of two halves 40, 41 that are shape-symme- trical in relation to the centre plane 0. These two frame halves are also made from metallic wire, e.g. of the same type as hoop 30. Either of frame halves 40, 41 has substantial¬ ly the shape of a V whose apex - as explained in detail below with reference to Fig. 3 - is located in a side lock 43, 44, resp. , connected with the upper end 32a, 33a, resp. , of the corresponding branch 32, 33, resp., of hoop 30. Fig. 3 illustrates - in a perspective view and partially cut out - one of the two side locks 43, 44 of the support. Such a side lock consists of a body of cast plastic material, e.g. nylon. During casting there is provided in this body firstly a slot 43a of an appropriate width to receive the apex of the actual frame half 40 which, as it appears from Fig. 3, is provided with a short section 40a that is rectilinear and has a length substantially corresponding to the length of the slot 43a and, secondly, a through hole 45 located below the slot 43a and mainly shaped e.g. as a keyhole. The upper end 32a of the branch 32 of hoop 30 is for instance by press processing provided with a locking head 32b designed to be fixedly locked in said side lock 43 after the apex section 40a of the frame half 40 has been received in its slot 43a while rotating the side lock 43 in relation to hoop 30. The side lock 43 is thus made to be firmly fixed at the end 32a of branch 32 of hoop 30 and to keep the frame half -40 in place in its side lock 43. From the foregoing it may be seen that the other side lock 44 will similarly be firmly locked to the end 33a of the other branch 33 of hoop 30 and retain the other frame half 41 in a similar manner. It further appears from Fig. 1 that the extreme end 40b, 41b, resp. , of frame halves 40, 41, facing away from the profile 3 is bent a little inwards so that both ends 40b, 41b face each other and extend substantially in parallel to profile 3. Figs 4, 5 and 6 illustrate in more detail, how a frame half such as 40 is assembled with a slider 50 designed to be received in profile 3. Support 1 includes two sliders 50 of the same shape and for instance made from cast plastic material, such as nylon. As illustrated in Fig. 1 and as it appears in more detail from Figs 4 to 6 the end 40c of frame half 40 facing profile 3 is bent backwards in the direction away from profile 3, as illustrated by 40", and also downwards in relation to the substantially horizontal plane of the frame, cf. also Fig. 5. In this manner some kind of "beak" 60 is created which is positioned above the bottom 3a of profile 3 and is directed towards door 2. The other frame half 41 has the same shape, however, symmetrical in relation to the centre plane of the support. Behind this bent portion 40' of the frame half 40 the end is again folded in the direction towards profile 3 and as shown by 40" in Fig. 5. Moreover, said end 40" of frame half 40 is flattened in a press and provided with two incisions 62 and 63, cf. Fig. 4 and in particular Fig. 6. Fig. 6 also illustrates a sectional view through one slide 50 which has two lock projections 52, 53 designed to be snap-locked with said two incisions 62, 63 when end 40" of frame half 40 is urged into slide 50 through a mainly rectangular opening 51 in said slider 50. While Fig. 6 shows end 40" of the frame half 40 separated from the associated slider 50 (i.e. the situation prior to snap-locking) , Fig. 4 shows the situation when end 40" of frame part 40 is firmly fixed in its slider 50. Fig. 5 that is a sectional view along the sectional line V-V in Fig. 4 shows frame half 40 snap-locked in the associated slider 50. Besides said rectangular opening 51 for the insertion of end 40" of frame half 40 and besides said two snap lock projections 52, 53, said slider 50 is, as illustrated by the sectional view in Fig. 6, provided with a slide face 54 forming an angle α of preferably 9° with the lateral face 55 of the slider, a front edge 56 intended to get into locking engage¬ ment with some lobe 10 or other in profile flange 8, and a further slide face 57 likewise forming an angle β of preferably 9° with the second lateral face 58 of the slider. In the lateral face 55 of the slider 50 there is provided a longitudinal recess 59. As it appears from Fig. 6, the slide surface 57 extends inwardly towards the front edge 56 of the slider, while the opposite slide surface 54 extends inwardly the opposite way, i.e. away from front edge 56. A slider so designed is able to occupy two extreme positions when accommodated in profile 3, in which the slide surface 54 abuts on the profile flange 8 or in which the slide surface 57 abuts on the profile flange 8. Thus, the slider in the profile is able to effect a smaller angular motion (9°) about a vertical axis. Reference is again made to Fig. 4 showing in solid lines slider 50 interlocked with its frame half 40 in locking engagement with a lobe 10 in profile 3, and showing in dot-and-dash lines slider 50 when made to effect the above mentioned smaller angular motion about a vertical axis caused by traction force in the direction shown by the arrow B, whereby it is released from its locking engagement between its front edge 56 and the actual lobe 10 and may be pushed, for instance upwards in Fig. 4 so that its recess 59 may "ride" over one or more lobes. By such a traction force exerted by the user on frame halves 40, 41, slider 50 will have to effect a tilting movement of preferably 9° from the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4 to the position shown in dot-and-dash lines. The slide surface 57 of slider 50 will then abut slidingly on the inner face of pro¬ file flange 9 while the slide surface 55 of slider 50, which is in two parts because of the presence of the longitudinal recess will abut slidingly on the inner face of profile flange 8. As soon as the traction force exerted by the user on frame half 40 (in the direction shown by arrow B) ceases, the spring force from the hoop 30 (arrows A in Fig. 1) makes the slider together with its frame half tilt 9 β backwards so that the front edge of the slider may again be put into locking engagement with the closest lobe 10. From the above given explanation and from the drawings it appears that the other frame half 41 with the associated, symmetrically positioned slider functions in the same manner. The above described support for garbage disposal bags is used in the following manner: Profile 3 and supporting plate 20 are mounted in a prescribed position on the cupboard door 2. The lower branch 31 of the resilient hoop 30 is inserted in the interspaces 27 beneath flaps 25 and 26 of the supporting plate 20. A substantially U-shaped hoop member 70 - cf. Fig. 7 - has two side branches 71, 72 which in the rest position of said member diverge a little from each other and both of which are provided with an outwardly directed, mainly U-shaped loop 73, 74, resp. The two ends 71' and 72' of branches 70 of the loop member are stuck into the holes in front of the flaps 25, 26 of the supporting plate 20 until the two loops 73 and 74 abut on the upper side of the supporting plate 20 and in such a manner that the branch 31 of the resilient hoop 30 is kept in place under the flaps 25, 26 of the supporting plate. It should be observed that the two branches 71 , 72 of the hoop member 70 have such a length from the loops 73, 74 to the ends 71 ' , 72' of the branches that said ends, once the hoop member is arranged in place, abut on the cupboard door 2, thereby cons¬ tituting a supplementary support for the supporting plate 20. The two frame halves 40, 41 are then placed in their slot 43a in the associated side lock 43, fol¬ lowing which said side locks are firmly locked on their respective ends 32a, 33a, resp., of branches 32, 33 of resilient hoop 30. One of the sliders 50 may then be placed in profile 3 with the front edge 56 of the slider facing the centre 0 of the profile and the end 40" of the frame half 40 is thrusted through the cutout 11 in profile flange 9 and locked by snap action in the slider. The same operation is effected in a similar manner as regards the other frame half 41, but the front edge of the associated slider must also be directed towards the centre of the pro¬ file. After the support 1 has been assembled, the user can place a refuse bag 80 in the support, cf. Fig. 7. If a common refuse bag, e.g. of plastic foil, with or without a handle cutout at the upper edge of the bag is to be used (e.g. a common refuse bag or a shopping bag) the bag is placed in the support, following which the upper edge of the bag is folded over the frame 40, 41 and over the two "beaks" 60, i.e. between the frame and door 2. The diposal bag is thus kept open. Upon exerting a traction force on the two frame halves 40, 41 in the direction away from each other the user, may "adjust" the bag opening at will depending on the size of the bag, since the resilient hoop 30 compels the two sliders 50 to come into locking engagement with their closest lobe 10 in profile 3 as soon as said traction force ceases. If use is made of shopping bags having two elongate carrying handles, the so-called "knot bags" that are nowadays used more and more, such a bag may be arranged in exactly the same manner, but in order to further keep the bag in place, either of the two branches of the resilient hoop 30 may be provided with a protuberance 81, 82 which as illustrated in Fig. 7 is used for hooking the carrying handles of the bag. Once again the user may effect an adjustment of the support in dependence on the size of the bag. It is pointed out that the above described embo¬ diment is the preferred one, but yet it falls within the scope of the invention, in particular as regards the slide and lock function in the profile, to make use of other means than those hereinbefore described. As an example, the profile and the sliders may be designed so that the locking function is ensured by friction instead of by locking engagement between the sliders and the lobes in one profile flange.

Claims: P A T E N T C L A I M S 1. A support for garbage disposal bags to be affixed on a preferably vertical supporting surface, such as a cupboard door (2), and of the type comprising a bin made from wires or rods of metal, and designed so as to hold a disposal bag that is kept in place in the bin by folding the upper edge of the bag over the top edge of the bin, and means for mounting the support on the supporting surface (2), characterized in - that the bag-carrying bin is constituted, on one hand, by a hoop (30) of metal wire and, on the other hand, by an upper, substantially horizontal two-part frame (40, 41), that the support mounting means include, firstly, a profile (3) mountable in a preferably hori- zontal position on the supporting surface (2) and, secondly, means (20) designed to sustain the support (1) at the lower part of the supporting surface (2), - that the hoop (30) is substantially U-shaped with a bottom branch (31) designed to be supported by said means (20), and with two upright branches (32, 33) , - that the two upright branches (32, 33) of the hoop (30) are designed to be connected at their upper¬ most end with their respective part (40, 41) of the two-part frame, and - that the two parts of the;' frame (40, 41) are designed so as to be carried by, displaced in relation to, and locked in the profile (3) . 2. A support for garbage disposal bags according to claim 1, characterized in that the two parts (40, 41) of the frame consist of metallic wire, that both of them are mainly V-shaped and that these two V-shaped frame parts (40, 41) face each other in such a manner that the apices of the two V are directed away from each other. 3. A support for garbage disposal bags according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the pro¬ file (3) to be mounted on the supporting surface (2) includes, on one hand, a profile flange (8) designed to be affixed on the supporting surface (2) and, on the other hand, a profile flange (9) facing away from the supporting surface and having two longitudinal cutouts (11, 12), that the interior of the profile accommodates two posit onally lockable sliders (59) displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the profile, and that the two frame parts (40, 41) are designed so as to be inserted through the associated cutout (11, 12) at their end (40e, 41c) facing the profile (3) and to be locked in the associated slider (5) accommodated in the ' profile (3). 4. A support for garbage disposal bags according to claim 3, characterized in that each slider (50) and the end (40c, 41c) of the associated frame part (40, 41) are designed to be interlocked by snap locking. 5. A support for garbage disposal bags according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profile flange (8) abutting on the supporting sur¬ face (2) is provided with two rows of projections that are symmetrical in relation to the centre of the pro- file (3) and located opposite the associated cutouts (11, 12) in the other flange (9) of the profile (3), and that each slider (50) is blocked in abutment against one of said projections (10) due to the spring force of hoop (30) urging the two branches (32, 33) closer to each other. 6. A support for garbage disposal bags according to claim 5, characterized in that said projections (10) are provided by punching a number of lobes 10) in mutual opposite directions of the two rows, and by bending the lobes (10) in the direction towards the interior of the profile. 7. A support for garbage disposal bags according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that each side of the slider (50) facing towards the profile flange (8) affixed on the supporting surface (2) is provided with faces (54, 55) mutually forming an angle and that the side of each slider (5) facing away from the profile flange (8) affixed on the supporting sur¬ face (2) is provided with faces (57, 58) mutually forming an angle in such a manner that each slider is capable of effecting a smaller rotation about a ver¬ tical axis in the profile. 8. A support for garbage disposal bags according to claim 1, characterized in that said means (20) for sustaining the support (1) at the lower part of the supporting surface (2) include, on one hand, a sup¬ porting plate (20) mountable on the supporting surface (2) and which at its edge facing away from the sup¬ porting surface (2) is provided with means (25, 26) designed to retain the bottom branch (31) of the hoop (30) and, on the other hand, a hoop member (70) lock- able to the supporting plate (20). 9. A support for garbage disposal bags according to claim 8, characterized in that said hoop member (70) lockable to the supporting plate (20) has substantially the shape of a U of metal wire, that each of the two branches of said hoop member has a loop (73, 74) so that part of said two branches (71, 72) extends upwards from the supporting plate (20) when said loops (73, 74) abut on the upper side of the supporting plate (20) and that the lower branch ends (71', 72') of the hoop member abut on the supporting surface (2). 10. A support for garbage disposal bags accord¬ ing to claim 1 , characterized in that protuberances (81, 82) for hooking the handles of a disposal bag (80) placed in the support are provided on the two branches (32, 33) of the hoop (30) of the bag carrying bin.

Inventors: STOBBE JENS MAGNUS DAVID, STOBBE, JENS, MAGNUS, DAVID
Applicants: STOBBE JENS M D, STOBBE, JENS, MAGNUS, DAVID
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65B67
IPC codes: B65B67