Abstract:
A bag is configured so as to be convertible from a convenient bag for carrying a customer&#39;s fast food purchase into a protector for the customer&#39;s lap and chest while consuming the fast food meal and then into a package suitable for disposal of trash; and further enables the use of the inside of the bag for advertising or informational purposes.

Description:
NON-PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is entitled to, and claims the benefit of, priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/463,560, filed Feb. 18, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates in general to packaging and more particularly to a convertible packaging especially suitable for the fast food industry. 
         [0004]    2. Background Information 
         [0005]    Fast food is normally delivered to a customer in a bag, typically made of paper. Following the purchase, the customer carries the bag to the location where the meal is to be consumed. Typically, the food is carried in a paper bag with the top folded or rolled over, presenting the risk that the bag will slip out of the customer&#39;s hand. The location is often the customer&#39;s car or another location which does not provide a suitable surface for placing the meal, presenting the risk that food will spill onto the customer&#39;s chest or lap. Once the customer has finished the meal, trash is left over for disposal, and it would be desirable that the bag could be used for that purpose. The terms “bag” and “sac” are both used in the industry and are used herein interchangeably. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The foregoing problems are overcome, and other advantages are provided, by a bag convertible from a convenient bag for carrying a customer&#39;s fast food purchase into a protector for the customer&#39;s lap and chest while consuming the fast food meal and then into a package suitable for disposal of trash. 
         [0007]    It is an object of the invention to provide a bag convertible from a convenient bag for carrying a customer&#39;s fast food purchase into a protector for the customer&#39;s lap and chest while consuming the fast food meal. 
         [0008]    An additional object is to provide a bag manufactured so as to make the surfaces of the interior, which are not normally viewed by a user in prior art bags, available for advertising and marketing purposes when the bag is converted into a protector. 
         [0009]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a bag which, once used as a clothing protector and advertising platform, may then be converted into a package suitable for disposal of trash. 
         [0010]    The first two features of the invention are a long/necklace-loop designed to facilitate carrying multiple bags in one hand, provide bag positioning and to partner with a locking-loop for securing the contents of a bag against accidental spillage. 
         [0011]    Another feature of the invention is a bag having a separating and releasable portion which permits the bag to reconfigure and convert into a cover for a customer&#39;s chest and lap, thereby protecting the customer&#39;s clothing against drips and spills. 
         [0012]    After this conversion, an interior feature of the bag is exposed. A new “inner space” becomes visible for advertising and marketing. This feature may be implemented using images, text or machine-readable codes, for example using a QR code. 
         [0013]    Another feature is the second conversion from a clothing protector into a package suitable for holding trash and left over foods, following consumption of the meal. 
         [0014]    An additional feature of the invention is an adhesive strip positioned on the long necklace-loop. This strip may be used to securely seal the bag closed while neatly containing all trash within. 
         [0015]    The advantages of the invention include, but are not limited to, a convenient and secure bag for carrying a customer&#39;s fast food purchase, a bag which converts into a clothing protector for the customer&#39;s lap and chest, a bag which provides a new advertising space platform, and a bag capable of a second conversion into a package suitable for a clean disposal of trash. 
         [0016]    Additional objects, features and inventions may be found below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The foregoing and still other objects of this invention will become apparent, along with various advantages and features of novelty residing in the present embodiments, from study of the following drawings, in which: 
           [0018]    FIGURE # 1  shows an overview of a typical fast food 12 lb. paper bag/sac used industry wide, along with feature [ 1 ] small locking loop &amp; feature [ 2 ] perforated lines cut vertically and angled to allow separation. 
           [0019]    FIGURE # 2  shows four additional features: feature [ 3 ] long/necklace loop, feature [ 4 ] releasable adhesive strip, feature [ 5 ] sac-lock, and feature [ 6 ] secure carry. 
           [0020]    FIGURE # 3  shows feature [ 7 ] a converting action from bag into clothing protection for a customer&#39;s chest and lap areas of clothing. 
           [0021]    FIGURE # 4  shows 3 views of feature [ 7 ] converting action covering chest and lap in use by a customer. The bag shown in “open position” after the panel conversion action has taken place. 
           [0022]    Figure # 5  shows feature [ 8 ] disposal package, the first 3 action steps of the bag as it converts into a simple clean disposable package containing the meal&#39;s trash. 
           [0023]    FIGURE # 6  shows the last 3 rolling steps of feature [ 8 ] as the bag has been converted into a self contained clean disposal package. 
           [0024]    FIGURE # 7  shows the use of the separable feature of the bag to provide advertising or communication space which may be used by printing inside the bag. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]    Referring to the drawings, the invention is a novel bag, convertible from a convenient typical fast food bag, which converts into a clothing protector for the customer&#39;s chest and lap as shown in FIGURE # 3 . Optionally, various advertisements, messages or machine-readable code may be printed on the interior bag and will be viewable by a customer when the bag is converted and unfolded as shown in FIGURE # 7 . Any remaining food and waste items may be neatly contained by converting the bag a second time, from the clothing protector configuration into a secure disposal package as illustrated in FIGURES # 5  and # 6 . 
         [0026]    The invention may be made and used by adapting an industry-standard paper bag or, alternatively, may be manufactured of other materials. The invention will be illustrated with reference to a 12 lb. paper bag of the type used to deliver meals by fast-food or carry-out restaurants, FIGURE # 1 . Conceptually, the bag has five panels and an open top, which will be referred to as the back (being the panel facing a user when in use), the front (being the panel opposite the back), the bottom (being the panel opposite the open top), and two sides (being the remaining two panels). Each panel has two faces, an inside face (being the face facing the contents of the bag when in use prior to conversion) and an outside face (being the other face of the panel.) 
         [0027]    The first key aspect of the invention is the ability to securely carry one or many meals in one hand, by virtue of four separate features, [ 1 ], [ 3 ], [ 5 ] and [ 6 ]. FEATURE [ 1 ] is a small locking loop (preferably approximately 6″ long) attached to the front panel of the bag. FEATURE [ 3 ] is a long/necklace loop handle (preferably approximately 24″ long/necklace loop, which would be suitable for an average user) attached to a side or rear panel of the bag. 
         [0028]    After placing a meal in the bag, a fast food server implements FEATURE [ 5 ] sac lock, the action of “threading” the long/necklace loop handle [ 3 ] through the locking loop [ 1 ] so as to secure the contents of the bag against accidental spilling. As so secured, FEATURE [ 6 ] allows a user to carry many separate meals in one hand, thereby freeing the second hand. 
         [0029]    A second key aspect and principal goal of the invention is to provide a bag which can be reconfigured as a clothing protector which covers a customer&#39;s lap and chest. A separable segment is provided, and may be formed by perforating a portion of a paper bag as shown in FEATURE [ 2 ]. In a preferred embodiment, two vertically perforated lines are provided in both side panels of the bag so as to allow the creation of a separable portion by tearing along said perforations. Alternatively, a reusable bag may incorporate a zipper, VELCRO™, a ZIPLOC™, SEAL and LOCK™, or double zipper styles of lock and release techniques, snap closure or other releasable element in place of perforations. In a preferred embodiment, two panels of the bag (from the user&#39;s perspective, left and right) will have a perforated line etched along the seam between the side of the bag and the front of the bag, running from the top edge of the bag to within about 2″ of the bottom of the bag and then angled away from the customer to the bottom outer corner of the bag as shown in Figure # 3 . The customer places the long/necklace loop [ 3 ] over the customer&#39;s head to lay the bag beneath the customer&#39;s chin to cover the customer&#39;s chest. The customer now uses feature [ 2 ] by separating the front panel from the rear panel by tearing along the two vertically perforated lines in both side panels of the bag. The front panel folds down to cover the customer&#39;s lap, providing clothing protection from dripping condiments or dropped food. The term separable is used to describe a segment of the bag which may be separated along two lines (as for example, by tearing or cutting a perforated line, by unzipping a zipper provided along the line, by VELCRO™, by a ZIPLOC™, SEAL and LOCK™, or double zipper styles of lock and release techniques) so as to allow the segment to be folded out from the bag along a third line. This converting action is shown in various views in FIGURES # 3  and  4 . A typical 12 lb. fast food bag/sac provides over 260 square inches of clothing protection. This can vary with different bag/sac sizes. 
         [0030]    An additional feature of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE # 7 , the creation of a previously unused area of a bag for advertising and marketing. With the bag open and unfolded on the customers lap, areas which were previously inside the bag become visible to the customer. Thus, the inside of the five panels may be used to provide space for printing advertising, text, images or machine-readable code. One example would be the use of the space to provide a Quick Response code or barcode to allow a user to access information over the internet. 
         [0031]    After use as a clothing protector, the invention allows a bag to be converted into a package for disposal of any trash which remains. With the trash in the lap area of the bag, the user reverses his previous actions and begins a simple 6 step rolling action, displayed in FIGURES # 5  and # 6 . Starting at the small locking loop [ 1 ] the customer begins to roll the bag/sac up towards the customer&#39;s waist, thus securely enclosing all the trash within. Continuing the roll up to the waist, the customer then lifts the long/necklace loop forward over the customer&#39;s head and continues the roll up to the long/necklace loop handle [ 3 ]. Preferably, embedded on this long/necklace loop is a releasable adhesive strip with a protective cover FEATURE [ 4 ], preferably approximately 10 inches in length. The user exposes the adhesive strip by peeling back the protective cover and adding it to the trash. Then while twisting the loop to align the tape, pressing firmly to secure the tape, all the trash is contained within for a simple clean trash disposal package. 
         [0032]    Thus the invention includes a bag defined by five panels (a front, a back, two sides and a bottom); a long/necklace loop handle attached to a side or back panel of the bag and a smaller locking loop attached to the front panel of the bag; and a separable segment defined within the bag so as to allow for unfolding. In addition, the invention may include an adhesive strip attached to the long/necklace loop handle. 
         [0033]    Of course, the invention may be modified and adapted in a manner which would be known to one skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure. 
         [0034]    Therefore, while a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles and that various modifications, alternate constructions, and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.