Patent Publication Number: US-2007098306-A1

Title: Garbage bag cover

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to the field of waste collection. In particular, the present invention provides a net covering for protecting garbage bags.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Traditionally, residential garbage is collected by the homeowner in large plastic garbage bags. These bags should be stored in a shed, garage, or purpose-built garbage containers and then periodically, the homeowner brings them to the curb for collection. It is important that the bags are not left open and unattended at the curb, because if they are, birds, especially crows and seagulls, will peck at the bags, causing garbage to be strewn about. Therefore, homeowners sometimes erect unsightly garbage boxes at curbside, to hold the bags. These boxes are often not permitted by municipalities, so a person must use rolling garbage cans to hold their garbage bags. A problem with garbage cans is that if they are over-filled, the lids for them will not fit on, and birds can then access the garbage. Moreover, the lids for garbage cans are easily lost, and even if properly placed on a can by a homeowner, they are often tossed aside when the garbage is collected, and so can be blown away, be run over, or be swept away by a snow plow. Furthermore, garbage cans are expensive and very easily broken in freezing conditions.  
      Some homeowners construct small sheds or hinged-lid boxes at the roadside to hold garbage bags. This is unsightly, and can result in infestation of vermin. Moreover, the boxes are often destroyed by snowplows, and some municipalities have outlawed them.  
      Merely placing a tarp or the like over a collection of garbage bags can be somewhat effective, but squirrels or birds can get under the tarp. Water can also build up on the tarp.  
      The present applicant has developed a garbage bag cover that effectively and efficiently covers a collection of garbage bags, preventing squirrels and birds, particularly crows and seagulls, from picking at the garbage. The present invention utilizes fairly small mesh netting, fabricated into a large bag-like construction with an easily manipulable drawstring, to cover a collection of garbage bags. The net is of a mesh size selected so that a bird pushing its beak through the net cannot actually open its beak to pick at the garbage. Moreover, the material such as nylon or polyethylene cord from which the net is fabricated, is of a robust weight so that a bird or rodent cannot easily bite, chew, or claw through it.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In a broad aspect, the present invention relates to cover for one or more garbage bags comprising a bag made of material selected for its ability to deter pests including crows and seagulls, said bag having an open end that is provided with a drawstring, said drawstring being provided with a tightening device to permit a person to tighten said drawstring around the lower part of said garbage bags, said tightening device releasing said drawstring as said bag is lifted from said garbage bag.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is perspective view of a garbage bag cover according to the present invention, placed over several garbage bags.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 1 , pulled completely over the bags, with the drawstring of the cover pulled.  
       FIG. 3  is a detail view of the drawstring and drawstring tightener of the cover of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a net cover  1  for garbage bags. The net bag is of simple construction, comprising a large rectangle of net  2  folded in two about a mid-line and then tied together along two edges by a cord or line  3  defining a seam  4  up the side and across the top edges. The bottom edge defines the opening of the cover, and has a drawstring  5  threaded into it, as shown in detail in  FIG. 3 . The two ends  6 ,  7  of the drawstring are threaded through a drawstring tightening device  8 , which can comprise a cylinder such as a length of PVC tube, of a diameter selected to fit the two drawstrings fairly snugly, so that when the drawstring ends  6 ,  7  are pulled through the tightener, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and the net cover  1  is thereby drawn tightly around the bottom of the bags so that birds or rodents cannot go under the cover  1 , the tightener  8  will keep the drawstring tight. However, it will be appreciated that a mere friction fit of two cords in a cylinder is not a very tight fit, and this fact is used to advantage in the cover of the present invention. Accordingly, in order to remove the cover from a pile of garbage bags, the sanitation worker or homeowner merely grasps the top end  9  of the cover  1  and pulls up. This will cause the drawstring to loosen from the tightener without any further manipulation. This feature permits the easy uncovering of the bags, and ensures that the cover of the present invention will not be rejected for use by municipalities or garbage collection sub-contractors. It also makes it unnecessary to locate the tightener, which may be covered by snow or leaves, before lifting the cover.  
      The cover of the present invention is preferably made from a strong, durable netting material such as polyethylene twine, or polypropylene twine. Mesh size may be up to about one inch, but smaller mesh size may be used if desired. The applicant has discovered that with a mesh size up to about one inch, a bird may push its beak through the mesh, but it cannot then open its beak. Moreover, any attempt to open its beak will cause discomfort to the bird, such that the bird will thereafter be discouraged from attacking garbage bags covered with the net of the present invention. There is no minimum mesh size for the net of the present invention, and in fact, the concept of the present invention, i.e., utilizing a self-loosening drawstring in connection with a cover, will function with a cover made from a material like canvas, or fibre reinforced polyethylene sheeting.