Patent Publication Number: US-2017355520-A1

Title: Container with Liner Slots

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/347,510, filed on Jun. 8, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates to a container with slots with which to secure handled plastic bags of the type often used in grocery stores. These handled bags are plentiful and are often simply discarded after they are used by consumers to transport products from retail stores to homes. Handled bags have historically been used to line containers, however they often fall into the containers along with the contents as they are not secured to the top or rim of containers. 
     SUMMARY 
     Featured in this disclosure is a container with liner slots which are designed to secure the handles of handled plastic bags, used as liners to keep the container clean, so that the bags will not be pulled into the container along with the container contents. It also allows the plastic bag to maintain the shape of the container so the contents may be emptied from the bag easily if one would like to reuse the plastic bag as the container liner. The unique slots in the container allow the user to easily remove a filled plastic bag from the container to dispose of it or otherwise, allowing a new plastic bag/liner to be placed within the container and held in place by the liner slots. 
     All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in any technically possible way. 
     Embodiments may include a one-piece molded container with a generally rectangular open top connecting two sets of opposing surfaces, a front, a back and two sides. Other shaped containers may be utilized as long as they may host the opposing handles of a handled plastic bag, much like one provided by grocery and retail stores. The container features a mechanism which may easily and reliably secure and release handled plastic bags when they are used as a liner for the container. This allows the container to collect waste or other materials without needing to be cleaned, while also providing a use for handled plastic bags which are often abundantly available. Handled plastic bags are widely used by consumers to line containers, but they often simply overlap the top rim of the container and are easily pulled into the container when trash, or other items, are deposited within the bag. The subject invention features slots in the sides of the container, through which plastic bag handles may be easily inserted and held, while also providing very simple removal of the handles/bag. Also, there are no protruding pegs, hooks, or the like on the external surfaces of the container. Therefore, there are no external protrusions which can be broken or which can inflict scratches upon passing users. Also, the shape of the slots are smooth and continuous, with no sharp edges or points on which a user may be injured while installing or removing a bag. In addition, the liner slots provide aesthetic accents to the exterior surface of the container, while also providing the function of securing plastic bag handles. Therefore, the container provides for the secure, safe, and subtle temporary attachment of handled plastic bags being used as liners. 
     Embodiments may feature liner securing slots which resemble the smooth contour of a parabola with a preferred shape of a sinewave that is 2π radians to 3π radians in total length, with a single lowest point or lower portion at its lateral center, and an upper portion on either side of the lower portion. The lower portion is lower than the upper portions with respect to the upper rim of the container, the lower portion located farther from the upper rim than the upper portions. Each handle of a plastic bag may be inserted from the exterior of a container, through the lower portion of the liner slot, and into the interior of the container. The handle is secured by pulling each side of the handle upward and away from the central lower portion of the slot, toward the upper portions of the slot, adjacent to the lower portion of the slot. The lower portion of the liner slot creates a downward tongue of container material around which the plastic bag handle wraps when pulled upward by the user on either side of the liner slot. Once the handle is secured behind the tongue, above the lower portion of the liner slot, the body of the plastic bag may be inserted into the interior of the container. The downward force of the bag into the container interior further secures the bag handles in place behind the tongue above the lower portion of the liner slot. An installed plastic bag rests within the interior of the container with the bag handles reaching over the upper rim of the container and secured in place by the liner securing slots located appropriately, each opposing another on the container. 
     When a plastic bag is installed within a container, as described in the above embodiment, each handle protrudes from the two upper portions of each slot. To release the handles from the securing mechanism, and therefore release the bag from the container, one must simply move the bag handles protruding from the slot upper portions toward each other so the handle will release from the slot lower portion. There are no objects from which the handles must be unhooked or disconnected, making the use of the container very easy. Also, the tongue is rounded due to its parabola shaped lower portion of the slot, therefore there are no corners or edges or points in the slot that the plastic bag handles must overcome in order to be released. The parabola shaped lower portion of the slot creates a shape of the tongue that keeps the bag handles held in place when the bag is installed within the container. Its shape also provides very simple removal of the bag handles when each side of each handle is moved toward the other of the same handle. 
     Embodiments may include one of the following features, or any combination thereof. The container for use with plastic bags may also include a plurality of securing slots throughout the surface of the container, through which plastic bag handles may be inserted and secured. This feature provides flexibility in terms of the sizes of bags which may be utilized with a container. A variety of bag sizes are provided to consumers by retailers and hence the multiple slots allow varied bag sizes to be used as liners. Multiple slots in the container also provide aesthetic accents to the appearance of the container, while maintaining the strength and rigidity of the container. 
     Embodiments of the container may have a variety of heights, as measured from its bottom to its upper rim, and areas for the open top. Also, the container may have a rectangular open top, a front, a back and two sides. But the container may also be cylindrically shaped or have multiple sides, as long as liner slots in the container oppose each other to host the opposing handles of a handled plastic bag. 
     An embodiment of the container may comprise one or more liner securing slots which are a variety of lengths. Liner slots may be greater than 3π radians in length as long as at least one lower portion of the slot exists between at least two upper portions of the slot. This creates a necessary tongue which secures, and provides simple release of each plastic bag handle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a container with liner securing slots. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view thereof. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view thereof. 
         FIG. 4  is close-up view of the liner securing slot shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5 a    is a close-up interior view of a liner securing slot of a container, with a handle of a plastic bag secured within the liner slot.  FIG. 5 b    is the same close-up after the bag has been installed within the interior of the container. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective side view of a container with plastic bag handles installed within liner securing slots and the plastic bag installed within the container interior. 
         FIG. 7  is an embodiment of a container with multiple liner securing slots on a side of the container. 
         FIG. 8  is an embodiment of a container with multiple liner securing slots on the front of the container. 
         FIG. 9  is an embodiment of a liner securing slot with multiple upper portions and lower portions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Container  10  in  FIG. 1  is preferably a one-piece open top plastic molded container which can be made from any appropriate plastic such as polystyrene, polyethylene, or polypropylene, for example. This perspective view of container  10  features front  12 , back  14 , sides  16 , upper rim  18 , and liner securing slots  20 . The open top of container  10  has a rectangular shape, although this is one of a variety of possible shapes and sizes of the container. Container  10  has an interior  22  and an exterior  24 . Securing slot  20  provides an avenue between interior  22  and exterior  24  so that a handled plastic bag may be secured as a liner within interior  22 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a top view of a container  10  having a front  12 , a back,  14 , two sides  16 , an upper rim  18 , and a bottom  26 . This interior  22  view of open top container  10  reveals a slim view of liner securing slots  20 , each on opposing sides  16  just below upper rim  18 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a side view of container  10  with side  16 , upper rim  18 , liner securing slot  20  and bottom  26  that is smaller in area than the area of the open top circumscribed by upper rim  18 , to allow easy nesting of like containers. In this embodiment liner securing slot  20  is located just under upper rim  18  and resembles a sinewave with a length of approximately 3π radians. 
       FIG. 4  shows a detailed view of liner securing slot  20  in container  10  from  FIG. 3 . In this view liner slot  20  can be seen to have a sinewave shape with a length of approximately 3π radians. With respect to upper rim  18 , the slot&#39;s lateral center is shaped like a parabola with a vertex or lower portion  30 . The slot&#39;s highest points or upper portions  28  are located on either side of lower portion  30 . This sinewave shaped slot  20  through container  10 , with its parabola shaped central lower portion  30 , creates tongue  36  which is ultimately the mechanism that holds prospective bag handles in place on the container. 
       FIG. 5 a    shows a detailed interior  22  view of liner securing slot  20  on side  16  of container  10 , with bag handle  32  looped through slot  20 . Handle  32  is initially inserted into interior  22  of container  10  through lower portion  30  of liner slot  20 . Then bag  34  is pulled upward in direction  37 , pulling handle  32  into slot upper portions  28  and securely behind tongue  36 .  FIG. 5 b    shows the same detailed view as  FIG. 5 a    after bag  34  has been pulled over upper rim  18  and into interior  22  of container  10 . When bag  34  is pushed into interior  22  of the container, handle  32  is pulled so that it rises farther into upper portions  28  of liner slot  20 , thereby further securing handle  32  behind tongue  36 . 
     Container  10  is shown in  FIG. 6  with bag  34  installed within the container. Bag handles  32  are installed on each side  16  of container  10  through liner securing slots  20  (bag handle, slot, and opposing side of container not shown). Bag handle  32  loops over upper rim  18  and through slot lower portion  30 . When the bag in placed within interior  22  of container  10 , handle  32  is pulled upward toward upper rim  18  and into slot upper portions  28  of liner slot  20 . This holds handle  32  securely behind tongue  36 . Bag handle  32  may be easily released from tongue  36  by simply pushing either or both the parts of handle  32 , protruding from upper portions  28 , toward each other in direction  39 . This movement of handle  32  moves it easily to lower portion  30  so that it will come out from behind tongue  36 . This simplifies the release of bag  34  because bag handles  32  do not need to be manipulated to “unhook” them from holders, hooks, pins, or obstacles of any kind, greatly simplifying the process of securing and releasing bag  34  from container  10 . 
       FIG. 7  shows an embodiment of container  38  with multiple liner securing slots  20  on side  40  of the container. There are a variety of bags available from retailers and other sources. Bag sizes and handle lengths may vary significantly, making a single liner securing slot less than adequate for the assortment of bags available. If a bag has a large volume and short handles, one may utilize a liner slot which is closer to upper rim  41 . If a bag has a smaller volume and longer handles, it may utilize a liner slot which is a greater distance from upper rim  41 . 
     Container  42  shown in  FIG. 8  depicts container front  44  featuring multiple liner securing slots  20 . The slots may be used to secure a variety of sizes of plastic handled bags while also providing aesthetic features to front  44 . 
       FIG. 9  shows an alternate embodiment of liner securing slot  46 . Adjacent slot upper portions  48  have slot lower portions  50  between them, creating tongues  52  to secure a bag handle. A single liner slot may be any length which does not compromise the strength of a surface on which is resides. Each tongue  52  is between at least two upper portions  48 , allowing handles to be inserted through a lower portion  50  and pulled into upper portions  48  on each side of tongue  52 . 
     A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that additional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts described herein, and, accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the claims that will be made in the non-provisional application.