Abstract:
The present invention is directed toward an elastic drawstring trash compactor bag, the bag having an upper opening, a hem located along the upper opening of the bag, an elastic drawstring disposed within the hem, the upper opening of the bag defining a circumference of less than 50 inches in a relaxed state, and the upper opening of the bag being expandable such that the exertion of force expands the circumference in a stretched state. Furthermore, the upper opening of the bag retracts when the exertion of force is removed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to improvements in the construction and manufacture of polymeric bags. In particular, the present invention relates to improvements in the construction and manufacture of polymeric bags for use in trash compactors. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Polymeric bags are ubiquitous in modern society. The widespread adoption and use has resulted in polymeric bags being available in different combinations of material, capacity, thickness, dimensions and color. In terms of potential applications, polymeric bags may be used for product packaging, long-term storage of goods, food storage, and trash collection among other uses. In response to consumer demand, manufacturers of polymeric bags have developed innovative, new technology over the years to improve the utility and performance of polymeric bags. The present invention described herein is one such improvement and is of particular interest to the use of polymeric bags for residential or office trash compactors. 
         [0006]    Trash compactors are used in numerous applications to reduce the volume of a particular amount of waste material that must be hauled away and disposed. In commercial settings, trash compactors are frequently used to compact cardboard boxes and other bulky paper material into smaller sizes. In this example, the compacted cardboard can then be bundled and shipped off for recycling or reprocessing. Reducing the volume of the cardboard material results in less frequent trips to haul the material away for recycling, meaning increased efficiency as a result of reduced transportation costs. It is also common to find compactor bags in home and office settings in the form of under-the-counter trash compactors. Like their commercial counterparts, the home and office compactors minimize the size of the trash that must be hauled away. The present invention is directed primarily toward bags used in such under-the-counter trash compactors. 
         [0007]    Trash compactor bags are a good example of a niche market of trash bags. Trash compactor bags must be specially designed to address the unique challenges presented by use in a residential or office trash compactor. Several different types of bags have traditionally been used in connection with trash compactors. One example of a trash compactor bag is the heavy paper compactor bags which are similar to paper grocery store bags. The paper compactor bags are usually sized to fit in standard-sized compactors, but must be specially coated with a plastic film or other liquid-impermeable layer to prevent leakage of the paper bag when liquids are present. The coating layer and the higher costs of paper bag manufacture make paper compactor bags markedly more expensive than plastic compactor bags, which in contrast do not require special coatings. 
         [0008]    Although plastic compactor bags do not require special coatings to prevent leakage of liquids placed in the compactor, plastic compactor bags must be significantly stronger than similarly sized plastic trash bags for several reasons. First, the compactor mechanism itself raises a risk that the bag will be punctured or torn during operation—either by the compactor mechanism itself or by objects in the trash compactor being forced into the sides of the bag. Additionally, as plastic compactor bags carry significantly more trash by weight than an typical trash bag of the same physical size, the plastic compactor bag must be stronger than a typical plastic trash bag to ensure that it does not rip when the bag is being carried or during removal from the compactor. Therefore, a thicker, stronger bag is used to reduce the risk of puncture or tear. 
         [0009]    One of the biggest problems with plastic bags used in home or office trash compactors is that the bags are not rigid and therefore cannot stand on their own within the receptacle of the trash compactor. Therefore, the upper opening of the plastic compactor bag must be secured over the upper lips of the trash receptacle. Furthermore, as the trash compactor mechanism operates to compact the trash, it has a tendency to pull the sides of the plastic bag downward and can even result in the bag falling into the receptacle. To attempt to address these issues, plastic compactor bags in the prior art have been designed to be significantly longer than the height of the trash compactor receptacle. The longer length is used to pull the upper opening of the bag far down over the upper lips of the receptacle. However, after compaction, a person may still need to readjust the bag by pulling the bag over and around the receptacle. 
         [0010]    Drawstrings have not historically been incorporated into trash compactor bags for several reasons. First, the manufacturing processes of thicker drawstring bags are significantly more complicated than those used to manufacture thinner drawstring bags. All drawstring bags require that certain holes and cut-outs be provided in the drawstring bag while also requiring that the drawstrings be sealed within hems located at the top of the bag. These processes are significantly more difficult as the thicknesses of both the bag material and the drawtape increase. Additionally, prior art drawstring bags adapted for use with a trash compactor would suffer from the same deficiencies as twist-tie or wave-cut bags. In particular, typical prior art drawstring bags would still require considerable additional length to allow the bag to be sufficiently pulled over the upper lips of the receptacle. The additional length required increases the amount of material needed to manufacture the bag, which in turn drives up the cost of the product. 
         [0011]    To address the foregoing challenges, the present invention introduces a new apparatus and method for keeping compactor bags securely on the trash receptacle by providing an elastic drawstring trash compactor bag. The present invention addresses the need for a trash compactor bag which provides a positive gripping force around the outside of a trash receptacle when placed thereon. The present invention further addresses the need for a bag which does not require any additional length or the use of superfluous material to allow the bag to be sufficiently pulled over and around the receptacle of a trash compactor. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention is directed toward an improved construction of trash bag for use in a trash compactor. In particular, the present invention is directed toward an elastic drawstring trash compactor bag, the bag having an upper opening, at least one hem located along the upper opening of the bag, and at least one elastic drawstring disposed within the at least one hem. The upper opening of the bag defines a circumference of the bag being less than 50 inches in a relaxed state. When a force is exerted by a person in an outward direction along the upper opening of the bag, the circumference of the bag can be expanded to be greater than 50 inches in a stretched state. Furthermore, the upper opening of the bag retracts and grips the receptacle when the outward force is removed. 
         [0013]    It is contemplated that the present invention may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present invention is intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such uses are not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the present invention should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the present invention and preferred embodiment when viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be briefly described as follows. 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  provides an elevation view of an elastic drawstring trash bag as contemplated by one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  provides a perspective view of an elastic drawstring trash bag as contemplated by one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  provides a cross-sectional view of the hem region of an elastic drawstring trash bag as contemplated by one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  provides an enlarged view of the short seal region of an elastic drawstring trash bag as contemplated by one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The present disclosure illustrates one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all embodiments contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the present invention contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that innumerable modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise included within the present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed herein. The appended claims are intended to more fully and accurately encompass the invention to the fullest extent possible, but it is fully appreciated that certain limitations on the use of particular terms is not intended to conclusively limit the scope of protection. 
         [0020]    An elevation view of an elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100  is depicted in  FIG. 1  to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The same embodiment is also depicted in a perspective view in  FIG. 2  to provide a better understanding of the present invention. In the depicted preferred embodiment, the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100  is a polyethylene bag constructed from a first panel  102  and a second panel  104 . The elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100  has two side edges  108  and a bottom  106 . The upper edges  112  of the first panel  102  and second panel  104  define the upper opening  120  of the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100 . The length of the bag from the upper edges  112  of the bag to the bottom  106  of the bag is preferably 25 to 35 inches in length. 
         [0021]    In the depicted embodiment, the first and second panels  102  and  104  are formed from a single polyethylene sheet which is folded in half. The fold of the polyethylene sheet forms the bottom  106  of the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100 . After the polyethylene sheet is folded, side seals  110  are provided which run substantially the entire length of the bag along a line spaced slightly inside the sides  108  of the first and second panels  102  and  104 . Although this is the preferred method of construction, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the present invention is not necessarily limited to this construction method and that alternative bag construction techniques may be used without diverging from the spirit of the present invention. 
         [0022]    As can be better seen with reference to  FIG. 3 , an elastic drawstring  116  is disposed within hems formed in the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100 . To provide the hems for containing the elastic drawstrings  116 , the uppermost portion of the first and second panels  102  and  104  are folded over the elastic drawstrings  116 . A hem seal  114  is then provided on each panel  102  and  104  to close the hem, encapsulating the elastic drawstrings  116  within the respective hem. The hem seal  114  may generally be formed by applying a combination of heat and pressure to each panel, sealing the two layers of polyethylene film together. Furthermore, the bag  100  may provided with air ventilation holes  122  which allow the air within the hem to escape during manufacture and use. 
         [0023]    The materials used in constructing the present invention are markedly thicker than those used in a typical plastic trash bag. For example, the typical thickness of the first and second panel in a traditional drawstring trash bag as known in the prior art may only be in the range of 0.6 to 1.2 mils (0.0006 inches to 0.0012 inches). However, the thickness of the first and second panels  102  and  104  for an elastic drawstring compactor bag as disclosed herein would typically be between 1.75 to 3.25 mils, and preferably in the range of 2.0 to 2.5 mils. Likewise, the elastic drawstrings  116  are also thicker than drawstrings used in an typical trash bag known in the prior art. 
         [0024]    The drawstrings in a typical trash bag are generally 1.5 to 2.5 mils in thickness. Drawstrings are commonly made predominantly from high density polyethylene which results in the drawstrings resisting a tendency to stretch. Furthermore, in the event that the typical drawstring stretches after applying a large amount of force, it will not retract in any meaningful way. In construction of the depicted embodiment of the present invention, a combination of elastomers and polyethylene materials are used to provide an elastic drawstring  116  that stretches a certain amount when an outward force is applied to the elastic drawstring  116 . More importantly, the elastic drawstring  116  retracts when the force is removed. The elastic drawstring  116  of the present invention is generally between 3 mils and 6 mils in thickness, with a preferred thickness of approximately 4.5 mils. 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the upper corner of an embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 4 , the short seal  118  can be seen that is located in the upper corner of the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100 . The short seals  118  are provided to seal the first panel  102  and the second panel  104  to the respective ends of the elastic drawstrings  116  disposed within each hem. Furthermore, each short seal  118  welds a large area of the first panel  102  to the second panel  104 . 
         [0026]    Looking now back at  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the width of the upper opening  120  of the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100  is defined by the distance between the inner edges of the two short seals  118 . The total circumference of the upper opening is therefore two times the distance between the inner edges of the two short seals  118 . The standard home or office trash compactor has a rectangular trash receptacle with dimensions of approximately nine inches by sixteen inches. Therefore, the total circumference of the trash receptacle of the trash compactor is approximately fifty inches. A large majority of trash compactors have a trash receptacle with a circumference within one linear inch of this size. Therefore, the upper opening  120  of the elastic drawstring trash compactor bag  100  may be selected to provide a circumference, in a relaxed state, of less than 50 inches, preferably 46-49 inches. 
         [0027]    When a force is applied, the elastic drawstrings  116  are elongated. As a result, the elastic drawstrings  116  will stretch with the first panel  102  and the second panel  104 , and consequently the circumference of the upper opening  120  will increase to allow the upper opening  120  of the bag to stretch over the upper lips of a compactor trash receptacle. After stretching the upper opening  120  over the upper lip of the trash compactor receptacle, the force is removed and the elastic drawstrings  116  will have a tendency to retract. Since the circumference of the trash receptacle is greater than the upper opening  120  of the bag, the elastic drawstrings  116  will contract to fit around the trash receptacle, providing a holding force for the bag. The holding force reduces the likelihood that the elastic drawstring bag  100  will fall into the receptacle during use of the trash compactor. 
         [0028]    As noted, the embodiments depicted herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, it is contemplated that any number of different embodiments may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to more fully encompass the scope of the present invention.