BAG HOLDER FOR HYGIENE AND REFUSE BAGS

Abstract: A bag holder for hygiene and refuse bags comprises a rear side member (2) for a detachable securing of a first side of a bag adjacent the bag opening and a front side member (1) for a detachable securing of a second side of the bag opposing said first side and being placed adjacent the bag opening. The front side member (1) and the rear side member (2) are tiltably interconnected substantially along a horizontal axis of rotation positioned below the bag in the mounted state, said front side member (1) and said rear side member (2) being biased into a position in which they are pressed together by means of a spring means (26). The rear side member (2) comprises means for suspension of the bag holder on a wall (21), and the front side member (1) is shaped as a screen substantially covering the entire bag, said front side member comprising an activating means (4) arranged below the hinge and projecting forwards and obliquely downwards so as to be foot operated when the bag (7) opening is to be opened.

Description: Bag holder for hygiene and refuse bags. Technical Field The invention relates to a bag holder for hygiene and refuse bags, said bag holder comprising a rear side member for a detachable securing of a first side of a bag adjacent the bag opening and a front side member for a detachable securing of a second side of the bag opposing said first side and being placed adjacent the bag opening, where the front side member and the rear side member are tiltably interconnected substantially along a horizontal axis of rotation positioned below the bag in the mounted state, said front side member and said rear side member being biased into a position in which they are pressed together by means of a spring means. Background Art Bag holders of the above type are known. These known bag holders are often relatively complicated and designed to be placed on the floor. Furthermore, bag holders for suspension on a wall are known, said bag holders comprising a manually handled clamp for receiving free hanging bags. The clamp is horizontally mounted in such a manner that the hinge is mounted vertically and typically 40 to 60 cm above the floor. When a bag is to be mounted on the known clamps, the bag is pulled sideways over the two legs of the clamp, said bag usually being provided with a channel-shaped passage on both sides adjacent the bag open- ing, and when said bag is to be dismounted it is pulled off in the opposite direction. The bag is hanging visibly on the clamp and is opened by the clamp being subjected to a pressing on the opposite side of the hinge, the clamp being biased by means of a spring into a position in which the bag is closed. The known wall-suspended bag holders meet the desired function concerning holding the bag and ensuring a reasonable closing thereof with respect to avoding a smell. However, an opening of the bag can only be performed manually which is both unhygienic and inconvenient. In addition, the bag is visible which is unpleasant, and furthermore the opening area of the bag is rather small with the result that it is rather difficult to place waste therein. Yet another disadvantage is found in the fact that the clamp requires approximately 50 cm free width on the wall because per se the clamp takes up room on one side of the bag and on the other side of said bag there must be a free space allowing a replacement of the bag. Brief Description of the Invention The object of the present invention is to provide a bag holder requiring only little room and being foot operated, and which ensures an efficient hiding of the bag. The above object is obtained by the bag holder described in the introduction being characterised in that the rear side member comprises means for suspending the bag holder on a wall, and that the front side member is shaped as a screen substantially covering the entire bag, said front side member comprising an activating means arranged below the axis of rotation and projecting forwards and obliquely downwards so as to be foot operated when the bag opening is to be opened. As a result, no room is required at the side for opening the bag opening, and it is easy for the user to open the bag merely by stepping on the lowermost portion of the screen. A suitable form of the screen ensures that the contents of the bag are completely hidden when the bag holder is closed. The detachable securing of the rear side member of the bag may according to the invention be obtained by means of two opposing, substantially horizontal pins. When the bag is of the above conventionally used type and comprises a channel-shaped passage, the above detachable securing renders it easy to mount said bag by each end of said channel-shaped passage being inserted over their respective ends of the two opposing pins. Accordingly, no room is requires next to the bag holder in order to allow the mounting of such a bag. Furthermore, the detachable securing of the front side member of the bag may ac- cording to the invention be obtained by means of an upwardly directed pin centrally positioned on the side of the front side member facing the rear side member. As a result, the bag can be mounted on the front side member in a relatively simple manner by means of a corresponding hole usually provided on a refuse bag of the type in question. At the same time the optimum opening of the bag opening is obtained because when being opened, the bag is provided with an advantageous triangular shape facilitating the disposal of garbage. The front side member and the rear side member may according to the invention each comprise at least one projection, said projections projecting towards one another, whereby the projection on the front side member is adapted to be tiltably arranged on the free edge of the projection on the rear side member in such a manner that it projects over said projection while the free edge of the projection on the rear side member abuts a surface below the projection on the front side member, and whereby the projection on the rear side member is provided along the lower edge of said rear side member, and where a flat spring may be secured on the front side member below the projection, said flat spring being of a substantially Z-shaped cross section and adapted to provide the front side member with a biasing about the axis of rotation towards the rear side member, where one web of said flat spring is secured to the front side member and the second web of said flat spring is adapted to engage behind and abuts the back of the rear side member while the length between the two webs closely abuts the adjacent projection on the rear side member. As a result, a tiltable connection is obtained in a simple manner between the front side member and the rear side member of the bag holder while both a locking of said front side member onto the rear side member as well as a biasing of said front side member and said rear side member into a closed, folded state are obtained as well by means of the flat spring. Moreover, a section bar may according to the invention be mounted between the spring and the front side member, said section bar preferably being made of metal and being of a substantially V-shaped cross section, one leg of the N inclining upwards and rearwards from the bottom side of the adjacent web of the flat spring, whereby said section bar is adapted by its free edge to abut the bottom side of the projection of the rear side member when the front side member is tilted a predetermined length outwards about the axis of rotation. As a result, both a protecting support for the spring and an efficient stop for the outward movement of the front side member in a desired position are obtained. The other leg of the V-shaped section bar abuts the front side member and comprises according to the invention advantageously a bent web extending along the free edge thereof and abutting the bottom side of the projection on the front side member. As a result a good protection of the front side member against wear caused by the tilting about the free edge of the projection on the rear side member is obtained. The upwardly and rearwardly inclining leg of the section bar may according to the invention advantageously be provided with a recess facilitating the mounting of the spring on the front side member. The rear side member may according to the invention be made of a stainless sheet material with the result that it can be relatively thin. The pins for mounting the bag are according to the invention advantageously provided by means of a bracket welded onto the remaining portion of the rear side member. Finally, the front side member may be shaped integral with the activating means from a plastic material by way of a pressing process with the result that in a simple manner it can be provided with a pleasant appearance. Brief Description of the Drawing The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic front view of a bag holder according to the invention, Fig. 2 corresponds to Fig. 1, but where a front side member has been removed for the sake of clarity, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the bag holder taken along the line III-III in Fig. 1 and showing the bag holder in the closed state, Fig. 4 corresponds to Fig. 3, but showing the bag holder in the open state, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bag holder in the closed state, and Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 5, but showing the bag holder in the open state, Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through a preferred embodiment of a bag holder according to the invention seen in the closed state, Fig. 8 corresponds to Fig. 7, but showing the bag holder in the open state, Fig. 9 illustrates on a larger scale the lowermost portion of the bag holder of Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a front view of the bag holder of Figs. 7 to 9, whereby the front side member is removed and a bag is indicated by means of dotted lines. As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the bag holder illustrated in the drawing comprises a front side member 1 and a rear side member 2. The front side member 1 and the rear side member 2 are tiltably interconnected by means of a hinge 3 along a horizontal axis adjacent their lower ends, said hinge being diagrammatically shown. On the side below the hinge 3, the front side member 1 comprises an obliquely downwardly and outwardly projecting activating means 4. When subjected to a pressing, preferably by means of a foot, this activating means 4 allows an opening of the bag holder from the state indicated in Fig. 3 into the state indicated in Fig. 4, a spring not shown here being provided in connection with the hinge 4. This spring biases the front side member 1 into the closed position shown in Fig. 3. The rear side member 2 is suitably made of a stainless sheet material, and at the top it comprises a minor bending, cf. Fig. 4, as well at the very top two opposing pins 5. These pins 5 are adapted to be inserted in their respective ends of a channel- shaped passage not shown in greater detail in one side of a bag 7 at the opening thereof. The opposite side of the bag 7 is usually provided with a hole, which in a similar manner is secured to a hook-like pin on the back of the front side member 1. In use, this bag holder is as mentioned easily opened by operating the activating means 4 by means of a foot. In the open state, it is relatively easy to mount the bag 7, and similarly it is very easy to replace the bag 7. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the opening of the bag presents in the open state of said bag a relatively large triangular opening area which ensures an easy placing of garbage in the bag 7. As the front side member 1 is suitably shaped as a screen hiding both the front and the sides of the bag, said bag is efficiently hidden, and at the same time a hollow space is provided which allows an efficient utilization of the capacity of the bag. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The preferred embodiment of the bag holder illustrated in Figs. 7 to 10 is shown with the same reference numerals as the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 7 with respect to the corresponding parts. Thus, the bag holder of Figs. 7 to 10 also comprises a front side member 1, a rear side member 2, pins 5 and 6 and the bag 7 indicated by means of dotted lines in Fig. 10. The front side member 1 is cast integral of a plastic material by way of a pressing process, and at the sides it is shaped with side portions 8 both covering the bag 7 along the sides and reinforcing the front side member 1. At the botom, a projection 9 is shaped between the side portions 8, said projection projecting rearwardly towards the rear side member 2 in the mounted state of the bag holder. In the mounted state, the projection 9 follows a horizontal course. Immediately below the projection, a small recess 10 is provided. The bottom of the recess 10 extends substantially perpendicular to the projection 9. This recess 10 serves to receive a section bar 11 of a N-shaped cross section. The section bar 11 abuts by one leg 12 the bottom of the recess, and it is secured to said bottom by means of a plurality of screws 13. Along the free longitudinal edge of said leg 12 of the section bar 11, a bent web 14 is provided, said web abutting the bottom side of the projection 9 on the front side member 1. As indicated, the other leg 15 of the section bar 11 is shaped with a longitudinal recess 16 in such a manner that the leg 15 only has its full length at the ends when seen in the longitudinal direction of the section bar. The rear side member 2 is made of a stainless plate material. When seen in the mounted state, the plate is shaped with reinforcing beads 17 and 18 along the vertical sides of said plate. At the bottom, the rear side member 2 comprises a horizontal convex projection 19. On suitable locations, the rear side member 2 is provided with holes 20 and 20' for mounting of the bag holder on a wall 21 by means of suitable fastening means. At the top, a bracket 22 is welded onto the rear side member 2, said bracket comprising a suitably bent bar of a round cross section and obliquely cut ends 23 and 24. These ends 23 and 24 form their respective ends of the pins 5 for facilitating the mounting of a refuse bag. The rear side member 2 is substantially made of a plate which at the top comprises a suitable bending at 25 in order to facilitate the welding of the bracket 22. In the mounted state of the front side member 1 and the rear side member 2, the projection 9 of the front side member 1 projects over the projection 19 on the rear side member 2. The front side member 1 is retained in this state by means of a flat spring 26 of a substantially Z-shaped cross section. One longitudinal web of this flat spring 26 is arranged so as to abut the leg 12 of the V-shaped section bar 11 and is secured to said leg by means of the same screws 13 as are used for securing the V-shaped section bar to the front side member 1. The second web of the Z-shaped flat spring 26 extends upwards along the back of the rear side member 2 while the intermediary length of the spring 26 extends along the bottom side of the projection of the rear side member 2. When the front side member 1 is tilted over the free edge of the projection 19 on the rear side member 2, the Z-shaped flat spring 26 also operates as a spring which by a suitable shaping subjects the front side member 1 to a biasing force ensuring that said front side member 1 is positioned in the closed state shown in Fig. 7 when the activating means 4 is not operated. Thus the flat spring 26 ensures both a securing of the front side member 1 on the rear side member 2 and the necessary biasing of said front side member 1 into the closed state. When seen in the cross-sectional direction, the freely projecting leg 15 of the V-shaped section bar 11 is of such a length that at the ends it abuts the botom side of the projection 19 of the rear side member 2 when the activated front side member 1 has reached its outermost position in the open state. As a result, the V-shaped section bar forms suitable stopping means for the opening movement of the front side member 1. The above longitudinal recess 16 in the freely projecting leg of the V-shaped section bar serves to facilitate the mounting of the flat spring 26 on the front side member 1 before said front side member is connected to the rear side member 2. The pin 6 for mounting a bag 7 on the front side member 1 is moulded in the plastic material of the front side member 1. It is made of a thin bar stock bent in such a manner that it follows a substantially annular course between two parallel ends em- bedded in the front side member 1 , and furthermore in such a manner that it can easily engage a corresponding hole 27 in the bag 7, cf. Fig. 10, in the bag 7. In order to ensure a particularly good closing of the opening of the bag 7 when the front side member 1 is in the closed state, a transverse abutment 28 is provided on the back of said front side member 1. The abutment 28 is adapted to press the bag against the pins 5. This abutment may optionally be provided wih a resilient means for softening the closing stroke. The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Many modifications can be carried out without thereby deviating from the scope of the invention. The hinging of the front side member 1 onto the rear side member 2 can for instance be performed by means of other conventionally known hinges beyond the hinge described in Figs. 7 to 9.

Claims: Claims. 1. Bag holder for hygiene and refuse bags, said bag holder comprising a rear side member (2) for a detachable securing of a first side of a bag (7) adjacent the bag opening and a front side member (1) for a detachable securing of a second side of the bag (7) opposing said first side and being placed adjacent the bag opening, where the front side member (1) and the rear side member (2) are tiltably interconnected substantially along a horizontal axis of rotation positioned below the bag in the mounted state, said front side member (1) and said rear side member (2) being biased into a position in which they are pressed together by means of a spring means (26), characterised in that the rear side member (2) comprises means (19, 20) for suspending the bag holder on a wall, and that the front side member (1) is shaped as a screen substantially covering the entire bag (7), said front side member comprising an activating means (4) arranged below the axis of rotation and projecting forwards and obliquely downwards so as to be foot operated when the bag (7) opening is to be opened. 2. Bag holder as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the detachable securing of the rear side member (2) of the bag (7) is obtained by means of two opposing, substantially horizontal pins (5). 3. Bag holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the detach- able securing of the front side member (1) of the bag (7) is obtained by means of an upwardly directed pin (6) centrally positioned on the side of the front side member (1) facing the rear side member (2). 4. Bag holder as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, characterised in that the front side member (1) and the rear side member (2) each comprises at least one projection (9 and 19, respectively), said projections (9, 19) projecting towards one another, whereby the projection (9) on the front side member (1) is adapted to be tiltably arranged on the free edge of the projection (19) on the rear side member (2) in such a manner that it projects over said projection while the free edge of the projection (19) on the rear side member abuts a surface below the projection (9) on the front side member (1), and whereby the projection on the rear side member (2) is provided along the lower edge of said rear side member, and that a flat spring (26) is secured on the front side member (1) below the projection (9), said flat spring being of a substantially Z-shaped cross section and adapted to provide the front side member (1) with a biasing about the axis of rotation towards the rear side member (2), where one web of said flat spring (26) is secured to the front side member (1) and the second web of said flat spring is adapted to engage behind and abut the back of the rear side member (2) while the length between the two webs closely abuts the adjacent projection (19) on the rear side member (2). 5. Bag holder as claimed in claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that that a section bar (11) is mounted between the spring (26) and the front side member (1), said section bar preferably being made of metal and being of a substantially V-shaped cross section, one leg (15) of the V inclining upwards and rearwards from the bottom side of the web of the flat spring, whereby said section bar is adapted by its free edge to abut the bottom side of the projection (19) of the rear side member (2) when the front side member (1) is tilted a predetermined length outwards about the axis of rotation. 6. Bag holder as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the other leg (12) of the V-shaped section bar (11) abuts the front side member (1) and comprises a bent web (14) extending along the free edge thereof and abutting the bottom side of the projection (9) on the front side member (1). 7. Bag holder as claimed in claim 5 or 6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a recess (16) is provided in the obliquely upwardly and rearwardly projecting leg (15) on the section bar (11), said recess facilitating the mounting of the spring (26) on the front side member. 8. Bag holder as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the rear side member (2) is made of a stainless sheet material. 9. Bag holder as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the front side member (1) is shaped integral with the activating means (4) from a plastic material by way of a pressing process. 10. Bag holder as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the pins (5) for mounting the bag (7) are formed by a bracket (22) welded onto the remaining portion of the rear side member (2) .

Inventors: SOLFELDT HENNING SPARRE, SOLFELDT, HENNING, SPARRE
Applicants: PLH ARKITEKTER AS, SOLFELDT HENNING SPARRE, SOLFELDT, HENNING, SPARRE
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65B67
IPC codes: B65B67, B65F1