Abstract:
A method and apparatus for securing, loading and singularly dispensing bags in a bag bundle from a dispensing hook includes a bag bundle formed from a plurality of stacked bags. Each bag has apertures are defined in the front panel and the rear panel adjacent the open top, these apertures having an opening of a selected dimension normal to the vertical side walls with an upper edge. A dispensing hook is used having parallel sides separated by a width complimentary to the selected dimension of the apertures to provide a secure, snug fit when the bag bundle is placed on the dispensing hook at the registered apertures. The dispensing hook defining a bag holding surface complimentary to the upper edge of the apertures.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 60/210,933, filed Jun. 12, 2000 by the named inventor herein entitled Method and Apparatus for Bag Loading and Dispensing, is likewise incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     This application references U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/089,582, filed Jun. 17, 1998 by the named inventor herein entitled Plastic Bag Bundling System. patent application Ser. No. 09/258,010, filed Feb. 25, 1999 entitled Plastic Bag Bundling System is likewise incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     This application references U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/089,583, filed Jun. 17, 1998 by the named inventor herein and Don Pansier of Green Bay, Wis. entitled Automatic Ventilating System. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/258,033, filed Feb. 25, 1999 entitled Automatic Ventilating System is likewise incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     This application references U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/092,232, filed Jun. 9, 1998 by the named inventor herein entitled Plastic Bag Manufacturing Process. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/257,843, filed Feb. 25, 1999 entitled Automatic Ventilating System is likewise incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     The above Patent Applications—and all of them—are herein incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein with the subject matter of the present invention being independently patentable over all. 
    
    
     This invention relates to plastic bags and a method of improving their loading and dispensing ability. More specifically, this invention relates to plastic bags that are securely suspended on a compact suspension hook and then efficaciously loaded and dispensed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Presently, stand-up paper bags are used to carry many forms of customer purchases, such as foods sold in fast food restaurants, prescriptions in pharmacies, cookies in bakeries, order fulfillment in distribution warehouses and so on. One of the chief reasons paper bags are commonly used in these applications is due to their ability to stand up and be loaded with product. Most fast food restaurants and many other retailers use paper bags because the ability to stand up aids in loading and when loaded, helps keep the food from spilling out. 
     When using paper bags in high volume fast food restaurants, they are typically stored flat on a shelf. The user extracts a bag from the shelf, inserts a hand to open the bag and to “find the bottom”, and then stands it up on a counter top. This generally takes about 3-5 seconds to prepare for loading. The term “find the bottom” typically refers to the need of a user to prepare the bottom of a bag—paper or otherwise—so that it can be stood up and loaded—or in some cases, properly loaded so it can stand up afterward. 
     Standard side-gusseted plastic bags, referred to as “pinch bottom bags”, are dispensed from boxes or tear-away hooks. Examples include my Dual-Tab bags of U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,639 or those of U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,788, Wilfong, et al. These bags are generally unacceptable for most fast food applications since it takes more time than paper to extract the bag, find the bottom, stand it up and prepare it for loading. 
     Common prior art plastic T-shirt bags (grocery sacks) and their suspension/dispensing systems are used in many supermarket and fast food applications and may allow a user to find the bottom and load the bag as it is maintained in an open disposition on a dispensing rack. This is accomplished by using racks with long suspension arms—8 to 10 inches—in which the T-shirt bag handles are threaded and suspended thereon. The racks also typically have flat bases assisting the user to find the bottom by blousing out the bag and its gussets either before or during the loading process. In fast food applications, these bags are usually used for larger orders of boxes and tubs. But using this type of T-shirt bag and system for smaller bag sizes and orders is impractical and not cost effective. In a high-volume fast food restaurant application, it is also impractical to have a suspension/dispensing rack for every bag size—this would mean four different sizes of racks for a typical restaurant using four sizes of bags. There is simply not enough space to accommodate a multitude of racks. A minimum of two racks per bag size would usually be required so employees are not standing around waiting for the employee in front of them to finish loading a bag on the rack. Thus, eight space consuming racks would be extremely difficult to accommodate in a typical restaurant using 4 bag sizes. These problems represent the chief reasons why paper bags are still being used in most fast food applications. 
     Unfortunately the cost of paper bags has been skyrocketing and the need for a dispensing system for loading small, economic, thin-gauged plastic bags, that enables the user to efficaciously find the bottom has become more important than ever before. The preferred system would not be a space consuming suspension rack like those used with T-shirt bags. A compact suspension means that maintains a bag in a secure disposition, enables a user to find the bottom quickly or preferably upon loading of the bag, be quickly dispensed, and allows thin-gauged plastic bags to stand up after dispensing, would be ideal. It would be more desirable if the bags on the system also self-opened when dispensed. 
     The desirable traits of plastic over paper in many applications are also commonly known. They include superior strength, are more cost effective, improve food preservation qualities, take up less space in warehousing, have lower shipping costs, keep grease from leaking out and so on. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A method and apparatus for securing, loading and singularly dispensing bags in a bag bundle from a dispensing hook includes a bag bundle formed from a plurality of stacked bags. Each bag has at least a front panel, a rear panel, and preferably has two vertical sides, a closed bottom and connection between the at least front panel and the rear panel to define an open top for the bag. Apertures are defined in the front panel and the rear panel adjacent the open top, these apertures having an opening of a selected dimension normal to the vertical side walls with an upper edge. The bag bundle has the respective apertures registered one to another. A dispensing hook is used having parallel sides separated by a width complimentary to the selected dimension of the apertures to provide a secure, snug fit when the bag bundle is placed on the dispensing hook at the registered apertures. The dispensing hook defining a bag holding surface complimentary to the upper edge of the apertures. When the bag bundle is place at the registered apertures on the hook, a rear wall for mounting of the hook and a front retaining edge extending above the bag holding surface confines and secures the bag bundle to the hook. The front retaining edge rises above the bag holding surface to enable bags on a forward-most panel of a forward-most bag to be pulled up and over and free of the front retaining edge. Thus, the forward-most bag may be loaded while securely retained on the hook and, subsequently singularly dispensed by pulling the bag from the hook. Dispensing occurs by pulling a forward-most bag at at least one panel off the bag holding surface over and beyond the front retaining edge. Such pulling enables the aperture of the panel to climb from the bag holding surface, up the front retaining edge and over the top, free of the bag holding surface and retaining edge of the hook. 
     The present invention relates to thin-gauged plastic bags that are suspended and loaded on, and dispensed from, a compact suspension hook (CSH). Various styles of bags may be used and include sideweld or bottom seal bag varieties. A system using a compact suspension hook enables support of a loaded or unloaded bag, enables the user to quickly find the bag bottom for loading, or upon being loaded, allows for efficacious, singular dispensing of the loaded thin-gauged bag so that it may stand up later. 
     The advantages of the present invention are substantial since bags loaded on, and dispensed from a CSH completely eliminate space-consuming, cumbersome grocery sack style racks and greatly improve the ease and speed of singularly dispensing a loaded bag. Using the present invention also results in high productivity than when using paper bags. Furthermore the apertures or die-cut handles cut into the bag and suspended on the CSH are generally far stronger than the weight of the contents of a loaded bag. Thus the system of the present invention may eliminate the need for suspension arms or racks with supporting bases. 
     Bags and their related systems such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,788, the Dual-tab bags of U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,639, or other types of common header bags will not support loaded contents. The weight of the loaded bag will cause the bag to tear free at the perforations connecting to the tabs or headers, or the separation apertures. These bag systems must have suspension arms or supporting bases, or both, to be serviceable as a loading device. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the basic compact suspension hook. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cooperating bag to be used on the compact suspension hook in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the compact suspension hook in FIG. 1 with a pack of bags such as those in FIG. 2 mounted onto it. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the forward-most bag of the bag pack in FIG. 3 loaded with food while suspended on the compact suspension hook of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the forward-most bag of FIG. 4 being dispensed from its compact suspension hook. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the forward-most bag of FIG. 4 loaded, completely free from the compact suspension hook, and standing up on a counter top, ready for additional condiments or napkins to be loaded or to be presented to a customer. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the preferred version of a compact suspension hook. 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of the preferred version of a flat bottom bag to be used on the compact suspension hooks of FIGS. 1 or  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the compact suspension hook in FIG. 7 loaded with bags of the preferred version with the front wall of the forward-most bag open and detached from the compact suspension hook. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a self-opening forward-most bag such as that of FIG. 9 being dispensed from the compact suspension hook and self-opening the next bag in sequence. 
     FIG. 11 is a plan view of a using a smaller dispensing aperture to be dispensed from a much smaller compact suspension hook with a bag that may not have handle apertures. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In FIG. 1 compact suspension hook  10  has a base  12 , a front piece  14  and a back surface  16 . The front piece  14  generally extends upward above base  12 , about ½ to ¾ inches for use with a typical die-cut handle aperture with a 2 inch wide dimension, in order to form a retaining edge  18  so bags will not slip off and will be securely retained on the compact suspension hook. Base  12  is usually about 1½ to 2 inches long so that it may conveniently hold from 200 to 300 bags. Front piece  14  is typically about {fraction (3/32)} inch thick; sufficient to ensure it will not break easily. compact suspension hook  10  may be mounted on the side of a counter or any generally vertical surface near bag loading areas, including bulkheads, or on a portable, stand-up style rack and so on. The compact suspension hook may be affixed by applying a small amount of super glue to back surface  16  or screwing in fasteners through holes (not shown) drilled through the back surface  16 . Typically this type of hook would be made of an injection molded plastic, such as ABS or low-density polyethylene. The height of the retaining edge  18  is important as it must be short enough to allow a bag wall to climb it when subjected to a forward pulling force, and be subsequently free of the compact suspension hook as will be illustrated in the following figures. But it must also be tall enough so that bags will be securely retained before and during the bag loading process. 
     In FIG. 2 bag  20  has an openable top  22 , a sealed bottom  24 , a body  26 , side gussets  28  and  28 ′, and a handle aperture  30 . Handle aperture  30  has a top edge  32 , two side edges  34  and  34 ′ and a bottom  36 . The overall circumference of the handle aperture is somewhat larger than the overall circumference dimensions of the front piece of the compact suspension hook in FIG.  1 . This may be as little as 3%-15% or more. This will allow for the efficacious mounting of multiple bags onto a cooperating compact suspension hook as illustrated in FIG. 3, subsequent removal of the front bag wall from behind the retaining edge, thus opening the bag, then loading of the bag as illustrated in FIG. 4, and finally dispensing of the bag as illustrated in FIG. 5, which allows the rear bag wall to climb the retaining edge  18 . The importance of the dimensions of the handle aperture in relation to the front piece and retaining edge of the compact suspension hook as well as its base, is that there must be a certain amount of “tightness” or friction resistance between the two, thus assisting in the retention of the bag on the compact suspension hook. There are other ways of accomplishing the tightness or friction resistance effect without making the circumference of the bag aperture slightly greater than the front piece or base. For instance, the overall width of the front piece may be slightly wider than the overall width of the handle aperture, thus creating friction resistance at the side edges upon dispensing. In such an example, the overall circumference of the front piece of the compact suspension hook may be substantially less than that of the handle aperture. 
     In FIG. 3 a pack of bags  40 , comprised of bags such as those in FIG. 2, has been mounted onto compact suspension hook  10 , by mounting aligned handle apertures  44  over the front piece  14  and behind the retaining edge  18 , so that the upper edges  42  (shown in a dotted line) of aligned handle apertures  44  rest onto the base top  13  of base  12  (shown in FIG.  1 ). In this resting position, due to the tightness of the handle apertures mounted over and behind the cooperating front piece, the bags will not slip off easily if accidentally jarred by an employee. Also note that the base  12  of compact suspension hook  10  is preferably small enough to allow the bags to slide forward, but at the same time it would have some tightness to keep a bag, or bags, from accidentally sliding too far forward, thus climbing retaining edge  18  and falling off the compact suspension hook when jarred. This tightness may be easily accomplished by the methods described in FIG.  2 . 
     In FIG. 4 forward-most bag  50  of bag pack  40  has had its front wall  52  pulled forward so that the forward-force F has caused front wall handle aperture  56  to climb up and over retaining edge  18  of hook  10 . Rear wall  54  remains securely behind retaining edge  18  allowing bag  50  to be in an open disposition. This is due to the tightness factor as previously described. In other words, forward-force F has been exerted on the front wall  52  of forward-most bag  50  causing front wall aperture  56  to climb retaining edge  18  and be free of compact suspension hook  10 . But due to the tightness of rear wall handle aperture  58  mounted on compact suspension hook base  12  (shown in FIG.  1 ), and combined with the abutment of rear wall portion  60  (represented as the bag wall portion above the dotted line) against retaining edge  18 , rear wall  54  stays behind retaining edge  18  until such time as a sufficient forward pulling force is also applied to it. In this open disposition, the user may load the bag with product, such as a sandwich  57  and a french fry  59 . Depending upon the nature of the product being loaded, a single handle aperture may be able to sustain a loaded weight as great 10 to 15 pounds or more. What is more interesting about loading bags on a compact suspension hook using handle apertures as the bag&#39;s suspension/loading means, is that it becomes easier to find the bag bottom, hence easier to load product so that the bag will stand up after it has been dispensed from the compact suspension hook. This is best accomplished when the back vertical surface in which the compact suspension hook has been mounted, extends below the compact suspension hook maintaining the back of the mounted bag packs vertically against the flat surface. Furthermore, this square-ing out effect is greatly enhanced by using any number of flat bottom plastic bag varieties available in the marketplace today. 
     In FIG. 5 the front bag wall  52  of forward-most bag  50  of bag pack  40  has been pulled forward by pulling force F, which applies a forward pulling force P to rear wall  54  and causes rear wall handle aperture  58  to climb retaining edge  18  and subsequently be free of compact suspension hook  10 . Thus bag  50  may be presented to the customer or stood up on a counter top for further loading of product. Upon effecting the dispensing, which causes bag  50  to separate from the remainder of the bags on compact suspension hook  10 , it is noted that the subsequent bags in bag pack  40  are securely maintained on compact suspension hook  10  due to the tightness between the aligned apertures  44  and compact suspension hook base  12  (as shown in FIG. 1) as well as abutting retaining edge  18  (as described in FIG.  4 ). There is another benefit to this cooperative relationship between the tightness of handle aperture and a base, front piece and retaining edge. When plastic bags are manufactured, they are typically made in unitary packs, which packs are bound together by stacking pins or cold seals. When forward-most bags in unitary packs are dispensed from a handle hook that is not of the present invention, the next bag or bags in sequence will typically tend to stick to the forward-most bag causing a double dispensing. However, this double dispensing is thwarted in the present invention as described herein due to the cooperative tightness of the handle aperture of the next bag in sequence to the compact suspension hook base, front piece and retaining edge. 
     In FIG. 6 forward-most loaded bag  50  has been pulled completely free of compact suspension hook  10  by the user, who has placed it on counter top  70  in a stand-up disposition. It is now ready for additional condiments or napkins to be loaded or to be presented to the customer. It is due to the ability of loading a bag on a compact suspension hook in the previously described sequence that enables the loaded bag—a thin gauged plastic bag—to stand up reasonably well afterward. 
     In FIG. 7 the preferred compact suspension hook  80  has a base  82 , a nose  84  and a back surface  86 . The nose  84  generally extends upward, about ½ to ¾ inches above base  82 , for use with a typical die-cut handle aperture, in order to form a retaining edge  88  so bags will be securely retained on base  82 . Base  82  is usually about 1½ to 2 inches long so that it may conveniently hold from 200 to 300 plastic bags. Nose  84  typically protrudes outward about 1 inch. compact suspension hook  10  may be mounted on the side of a counter or any vertical surface at the order processing, bag loading areas. The compact suspension hook may be affixed by applying a small amount of super glue to back surface  86  or screwing in fasteners through holes (not shown) drilled through the back surface  86 . Typically, the preferred embodiment would be made of an injection molded plastic, such as ABS or low-density polyethylene. The retaining edge  88  serves the same purpose as the compact suspension hook of FIG. 1 by being short enough to allow a bag wall to climb it and be subsequently free of the compact suspension hook. The nose also serves the purpose of maintaining the front bag wall of the forward-most bag in the open position to allow a user to quickly insert a hand to begin the bag loading process. This is particularly important with high-volume, self-opening bags and their related systems. When a bag is dispensed from a compact suspension hook, frequently the next bag in sequence will close—or collapse—back upon itself, thus clinging to the front piece, such as in the compact suspension hook of FIG. 1, and making it difficult for the user to locate the front bag wall edge for opening prior to loading. This may be due to the self-opening bond between the bags not being great enough to cause the bag mouth of the next bag in sequence to open wide. It may also be due to static electricity in the film or any number of deficiencies or inconsistencies related to self-opening bag systems. Having a nose that keeps the bag from collapsing back upon itself may improve productivity significantly. The dispensing of bags from a compact suspension hook may be further improved by having the base  82  tilt slightly downward as illustrated by downward direction S at a 10-degree to 15-degree angle thus allowing bags to slip down the base more easily, and consistently causing the next-bag-in-sequence to be abutted retaining edge  88 . The tightness of a bag aperture in cooperation with base  82  is just enough to allow a minor degree of resistant friction between the elements, but loose enough to allow, or encourage the bag pack to slide forward and abut itself up to retaining edge  88 . This helps ensure more consistent dispensing of self-opening bags. 
     In FIG. 8 flat bottom bag  90  has an openable top  92 , a sealed bottom  94 , a body  96 , side gussets  98  and  98 ′, and a handle aperture  100 . Handle aperture  100  has a top edge  102 , two side edges  104  and  104 ′, two flap elements  105  and  105 ′ and a bottom  106 . Similar to the handle aperture  30  in FIG. 2, the overall circumference of the handle aperture  100  is somewhat larger than the overall circumference dimensions of the base and front piece of the compact suspension hook in FIG. 1 or the base and nose in FIG.  7 . Flap elements  105  and  105 ′ improve the ease of dispensing bags from a compact suspension hook in that the flaps allow the handle apertures to climb a retaining edge more easily. Upon dispensing, the flaps  105  and  105 ′ tend to fold under, forming a smoother, slide-able surface, thus giving a handle aperture less resistance from the abutment against a retaining edge and consequently allowing an aperture and bag wall to climb up and be free from the retaining edge. In addition, flat bottom bag  90  has a flat bottom created by its eight lineal, angular folding axes at the bottom outside portions of the side gussets and outer lower portions of the front and rear bag walls. This type of flat bottom bag is a common variety referred to in the industry as “having angular bottom seals”. It may also incorporate newer technology of using angular hinges or cold seals as in my recent patent applications, or the flat bottom bag means may be that of any number of other technologies. What is important is having a bottom that may square out into a flat surface when loaded. The advantage of using flat bottom bags for dispensing on a compact suspension hook, is that the system allows the user to more efficaciously—more quickly—“find the bottom”. Finding the bottom on square bottom bags when loading on a hook is an important first step. More time is consumed “trying to find the bottom” of a regular pinch bottom bag because the unfolding and/or folding up of the lower gussets portions do not necessarily cooperate with the squaring-out effect. This is because they do not have any predetermined, lineal folding axes. This first step by a user is important because it can save additional seconds in the bag loading process. For high volume users, the savings of just two to three seconds per bag, or per customer waiting in a drive-through line, significantly, positively impacts throughput and profit. It is also more desirable to have flat bottom bags assembled in unitary packs so that a user may mount a pack of 50 to 100 bags onto a compact suspension hook, instead of only a few at a time. It is even more desirable to have the pack of flat bottom bags dispensed from the compact suspension hook in a self-opening system, such as the many various types of bag packs available that use glues, cold seals, treated films and so on, or other mechanical or physical dispensing means. Self-opening in and of itself further improves throughput and contributes to added profit. 
     In FIG. 9, compact suspension hook  80  is loaded with a pack of square bottom bags  110 , of the bag variety in FIG.  8 . Due to force F, front wall aperture  111  has been completely detached from base  82  (shown in FIG. 7) and nose  84 , by climbing retaining edge  88 . This leaves the front wall  112  of the forward-most bag  114  openably separated from the rear wall  116  of forward-most bag  114  and bag pack  110 , and is completely detached from the base  82  (FIG.  7 ), and nose  84  of compact suspension hook  80 , thus maintaining an open disposition and ready for immediate loading by a user. 
     In FIG. 10, compact suspension hook  80  is loaded with a pack of square bottom bags  120 , of the a bag variety in FIGS. 8 and 9, which are of the self-opening bag pack variety. The front wall  122  of the loaded forward-most bag  124  is completely detached from compact suspension hook  80  and is being pulled forward by force F and the rear wall aperture  125  of forward-most bag  124  has also climbed over retaining edge  88  and detached rear wall  126  from compact suspension hook  80 . Rear wall  126  being releasably bonded to the front wall  128  of next-bag-in-sequence  130  at top edge  131 , has caused the front wall handle aperture (not shown) of front wall  128  to also climb retaining edge  88  and freeing front wall  128  from compact suspension hook  80 . This phenomena is due to bond  131  between the rear wall  126  of forward-most bag  124  and the front wall  128  of next-bag-in-sequence  130  being greater than the resistance of the tightness, or friction of base  82  (FIG. 7) and retaining edge  88  and nose  84 , and is also sufficient enough to cause the front wall handle aperture (not shown) of front wall  128  to climb up and over retaining edge  88 , thus detaching front wall  128  from compact suspension hook  80 . In concluding this self-opening action, the bond between the rear wall  126  of forward-most bag  124  and the front wall  128  of next-bag-in-sequence  130  is insufficient to overcome the combination of 1) the bond between the rear wall  132  of next-bag-in-sequence  130  to the front wall  134  of the yet following-bag-in-sequence  136  and back pack  120 , along with; 2) the added tightness of the aligned apertures (not shown) of bag pack  120  at base  82  and nose  84  of compact suspension hook  80 , and along with; 3) the added detention due to the following-bag-in-sequence  136  and bag pack  120  being abutted against retaining edge  88 , thus causing bond  131  between rear wall  126  of forward-most bag  124  and the front wall  128  of next-bag-in-sequence  130  to separate and detach from one another (not shown). The result is that the forward-most bag will stand up when placed on a countertop and may now be presented to the customer, and the next-bag-in-sequence is left in an open disposition, ready for a subsequent loading, like the bag illustrated in FIG.  9 . It is interesting to note that some users dispensing bags in this methodology will tend to develop a natural pattern of pulling the loaded bag straight forward, or slightly upward, and then after the front bag wall of the next-bag-in-sequence clears the compact suspension hook, they will tend to pull slightly downward. This slight downward motion tends to help make the rear wall of next-bag-in-sequence snag firmly on the retaining edge means  88  of the compact suspension hook, hence improving the speed and surety of singular dispensing, perhaps even speeding it up by a fraction of a second. The actual means of self-opening a bag, or a next-bag-in-sequence is not important. What is important is that in cooperation with a compact suspension hook and its elements, the bags being used may be sufficiently secured for loading on the hook, and/or may be maintained in an open disposition for quick access, and/or may be easily dispensed by a user, and/or may be allowed to self-open when dispensed in a one-at-a-time, self-opening manner. 
     In FIG. 11 bag  140  has an openable top  142 , a sealed bottom  144 , a body  146 , side gussets  148  and  148 ′, and a small dispensing aperture  150 , which does not serve as a handle aperture. Dispensing aperture  150  has a top edge  152 , two side edges  154  and  154 ′ and a bottom  156  and may resemble that of the handle aperture of the aforementioned bags, with the only variation being its smaller size, perhaps as small as ½ inch across from side edges  154  to  154 ′ and as tall as ⅜ inch from top edge  152  to bottom edge  156 . The smaller dispensing aperture  150  would typically be mounted onto a cooperating, yet much smaller, compact suspension hook similar in structure to those of FIGS. 1 and 7, which would serve as a “bag mounting peg” of a sort. All other facets would apply, for instance, the overall circumference of the dispensing aperture is somewhat larger than the overall circumference dimensions of the front piece, base or nose of its cooperating compact suspension hook. In utilizing and dispensing a bag of this variety it would be done in much the same manner as the previous bag examples, but would most likely have less suspension strength. Bags using dispensing apertures and compact suspension hooks may or may not have additional die cut handles illustrated by dotted lines  158 . The bags may also be of the common T-shirt bag variety with the dispensing aperture centrally located between the two upwardly extending strap handles. 
     It should also be noted that the size and shape of the handle apertures or dispensing apertures and the cooperating compact suspension hook may vary. That is to say, that the handle or dispensing apertures may be perfectly round and the cooperating compact suspension hook a similar corresponding shape. Or, they may be in the shape of a race track or oval. The bag material may be plastic or may even be paper or some other plastic material. The principles described herein should accomplish the same objective. And once again, it is not important whether the bags are not self-opening or are self-opening, or are self-opened by an external means, what is important is that the compact suspension hook is used for secure loading of bag packs, quick, easy access to a bag being loaded, and efficacious dispensing when required.