Patent Publication Number: US-2020283197-A1

Title: Natural single use 100% gauze grocery bag

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This utility application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/814,074, filed on Mar. 5, 2019, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to shopping bags. More particularly, it relates to multiple use shopping bags. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A bag (also known regionally as a sack) is a common tool in the form of a non-rigid container. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being no more than lengths of animal skin, cotton, or woven plant fibers, folded up at the edges and secured in that shape with strings of the same material. 
     Despite their simplicity, bags have been fundamental for the development of human civilization, as they allow people to easily collect loose materials such as berries or food grains, and to transport more items than could readily be carried in the hands. 
     Cheap disposable paper bags and plastic shopping bags are very common in the retail trade as a convenience for shoppers, and are often supplied by the shop for free or for a small fee. Customers may also take their own shopping bags to use in shops. Although, paper had been used for purposes of wrapping and padding in ancient China since the 2nd century BC, the first use of paper bags (for preserving the flavor of tea in China came during the later Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). 
     There are environmental concerns regarding use and disposal of plastic shopping and trash bags. Efforts are being taken to control and reduce their use in some European Union countries, including Ireland and the Netherlands. In some cases, the cheap bags are taxed so the customer must pay a fee where they may not have done previously. Sometimes heavy-duty reusable plastic and fabric bags are sold and these may replace disposable bags entirely. Sometimes free replacements are offered when the bag wears out. The UK has charged Sp per plastic carrier bag in larger shops since 2015. This trend has spread to some cities in the United States. 
     A bag may or may not be disposable; however, even a disposable bag can often be used many times, for economic and environmental reasons. On the other hand, there may be logistic or hygienic reasons to use a bag only once. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a disposable bag for grocery shopping that can be utilized in multiple other applications thereby solving at least some of the problems described above. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustrated view of an exemplary grocery bag. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of the process to create the exemplary grocery bag shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list. 
     “Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise. 
     Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an illustrated view of an exemplary grocery bag  100  for providing a sanitary use of a grocery bag and subsequent additional uses. The grocery bag  100  is useful for reducing the costs of cotton-based reusable grocery bags, the cost of the reusable bags is a leading reason for consumers declining using these reusable grocery bags. The grocery bag  100  is further useful in having additional uses once the initial use of carrying groceries or other items has occurred, these activities may include cleaning furniture, cleaning counter tops, washing dishes, etc. 
     The grocery bag  100  is preferably made of a natural, 100% cotton gauze material, but other materials are hereby contemplated including, but not limited to, 100% cotton absorbent medical bleached gauze, kitchen cotton cheese cloth, mutton cloth, etc. A body  101  of the grocery bag  100  which has a holding area  102  is preferably eleven (11) inches in height, although any other heights are hereby contemplated. The holding area  102  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100  is preferably eleven (11) inches in length, although any other lengths are hereby contemplated. The holding area  102  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100  is preferably eight (8) inches in width, although any other widths are hereby contemplated. 
     The grocery bag  100  has the body  101 . The body  101  of the grocery bag  100  has the holding area  102 , a first side  103 , a second side  104 , a third side  105 , a fourth side  106 , a top  107 , a bottom  108 , a first handle  109  and a second handle  110 . The holding area  102  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100  is useful for holding items such as groceries, clothes, health and beauty aids, automotive supplies, etc. The holding area  102  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100  is accessible by the top  106  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100 . The top  106  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100  is an opening. 
     The first handle  109  is configured to be an open handle at a first portion  112  of the top  107  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100 . The first handle  109  may be used to hold, pick up, couple to a line, etc. the grocery bag  100 . 
     The second handle  110  is configured to be an open handle at a second portion  111  of the top  107  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100 . The second handle  110  may be used to hold, pick up, couple to a line, etc. the grocery bag  100 . The first handle  110  and the second handle  110  may used together or separately as desired by the consumer. 
     Substantially near each of corner  119  of the bottom  108  of the grocery bag  100  is a seam  113 . The seam  113  is configured when the grocery bag  100  is made. The grocery bag  100  is preferably made from a single piece of material, but any number of pieces is hereby contemplated. The single piece of material is folded in half and the seam  113  is made substantially near the corners  119  of the bottom  108  of the grocery bag  100 . 
     The grocery bag  100  when configured is configured to have a gap which therefrom creates the first side  103  and the third side  105 . The configuration of the first side  103  and the third side  105  determine the depth of the grocery bag  100  and thus the number of items that can be contained in the holding area  102  of the body  101  of the grocery bag  100 . 
     A first loop  117  is securely coupled to substantially near a top portion  115  of the first handle  109 . The first loop  117  is configured to securely couple the grocery bag to a grocery store “hook”. A second loop  116  is securely coupled to substantially near a top portion  114  of the second handle  110 . The second loop  116  is configured to securely couple the grocery bag to the grocery store “hook”. 
     After, or instead of, the grocery bag  100  is used for carrying items, such as groceries, produce, meats, HBA, etc., the grocery bag  100  can then be repurposed to perform other tasks such as, but not limited to, cleaning ovens, cleaning tables, wiping television screens, other cleaning activities, etc. The grocery bag  100  may also be made without loops. 
     Moving now to  FIG. 2 , a flowchart  200  illustrates the creation of the grocery bag  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     At  205 , the process starts. At  210  it is determined if there is enough fabric or any fabric available to make the grocery bag  100 . If at  215  if it is determined that there is not enough fabric or no fabric, then the consumer obtains enough fabric to produce the grocery bag  100 . The fabric is preferably a natural, 100% cotton gauze material, but other materials are hereby contemplated including, but not limited to, 100% cotton absorbent medical bleached gauze, kitchen cotton cheese cloth, mutton cloth, etc. 
     After it has been determined at  210  that enough fabric is available or the fabric has been obtained at  215 , then at  220  the fabric is cut to a fifty centimeter by one hundred-centimeter (50 cm×100 cm) dimension. The fabric utilized for the opening at the top  107  of the grocery bag  100  preferably has self-finishing edges which prevent the edges from fraying when cut (also known as “selvage”). Further, the self-finishing edges reduce costs of production of the grocery bag  100 . 
     At  225 , the cut fabric is folded to create a fifty-centimeter by fifty-centimeter (50 cm×50 cm) bag  100 . Each side of the bag  100  is then folded one and two tenths (1.2) inches on an inside. 
     At  230 , the loop  116 ,  117  is placed between each folded top corner  114 ,  115  and the corner is sewn to securely coupled the loops  116 ,  117  to the bag  100 . 
     At  245 , a gap of seventeen centimeters (17 cm) is left and sewn straight towards the bottom of the bag  100 . Prior to sewing the bottom  108  of the bag  100 , fold the bottom  108  of the bag  100  two and one-half (2.5) inches and then continue, at  240 , sewing to the bottom  108  of the bag  100 . By folding and sewing the bottom  108  of the bag  100  in this manner, it enables the bag  100  to carry items more steadily and firmly while holding a shape of the bag  100  as well. 
     Once the sewing of the bottom  108  of the bag  100  has been completed at  240 , the bag  100  has been made and then at  245  the process for creating the grocery bag  100  has ended and thus the grocery bag  100  can be used. 
     In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application. 
     The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.