Abstract:
Disclosed is a bag holder for supporting a flexible bag having a first handle and a second handle, each handle having a first root connected to the bag, a second root connected to the bag and an arc portion linking the first root to the second root. The bag holder may comprise a frame having a substantially horizontal member. A stand fastener may elevate a top portion of the frame when attached to a stand. A first slot may attach to a second slot formed from the substantially horizontal member of the frame, wherein the first slot is configured to support the first handle at the first root and second root. A first arc portion fastener can attach to the frame. A third slot may indirectly attach to the frame and couple to the second slot, wherein the third slot is approximately tangential to and horizontally displaced from the second slot as compared to a line connecting the first slot to the second slot. In addition, a second arc portion fastener may be coupled to the frame.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for supporting bags. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for providing a bag opening in a generally horizontal position so that the bag may be loaded. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Grocery shoppers have responded to the trend of environmental awareness by using durable shopping bags that are re-used for multiple shopping outings. 
         [0005]    Manufacturers of bag holding apparatus have built bag holders currently in use to take advantage of mass-produced disposable bags. A disposable bag of this type is typically made of a lightweight plastic that is amenable to folding the bag into a roughly square form. Storeowners have benefitted from such a bag design since such bags can be bundled into a stack and dispensed from a compact location attached to a bag holder. 
         [0006]    One typical disposable bag form is the ‘T-shirt’ bag. The t-shirt bag comprises two large panels that form straps. Such a bag, when viewed from the side, resembles a sleeve-less T-shirt. Holes for grasping the handles are made in a pleated portion that is generally not visible when the bags are placed in their stacked form by the manufacturer. Accordingly, the pleated side is invariably made to be expandable when the bag is loaded or carried. The mouth of such bags is chiefly made up of sides that are formed by two pleated sides and two unpleated or broad sides. The unpleated sides are wider than the pleated sides. 
         [0007]    Such bags, being highly flexible, are generally best presented for loading by applying tension between the two handles. Each handle joins to the body of the bag by two roots. 
         [0008]    A root is the part of the bag where a handle joins to the main body of the bag. Accordingly, each handle has two roots, and weight is generally distributed equally to each root. 
         [0009]    Prior art bag holders of disposable bags rely on the pleated sides, from which the handles rise, being shorter than the unpleated sides. Accordingly, in order to place the mouth of such bags into a loading position, the prior art holders generally support a handle by the roots so as to keep the roots of a handle far from the roots of a second handle. More specifically, each root of a handle is held closer to each other than the distance between two roots of different handles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,576,310, 4,695,020, and 6,726,156. 
         [0010]    In contrast, a re-usable bag, as shown in  FIG. 1 , moves left handles  101  and right handle  103  so that the roots of a handle are placed on the broader side  105  of the mouth of the bag. Consequently, the narrower sides  107  and  109  of such bags lack handles. Prior art bag holders could hold such a re-usable bag, however, in order to leave a considerable slack in the handles so that the root of the handle falls or otherwise fails to develop tension on the bag mouth. Other holders in the art can also create unwanted puckering in the mouth of the bag, for the reason that the roots  111 ,  113 ,  115 , and  117  of the handles are supported at a width far wider than the narrow side, for example, side  109 , that separates the side to which each handle attaches. In addition, the existing holders fail to account for reusable bags that have arc portions  150  that are larger than the material provided as handles in the plastic bags. Thus, when a reusable bag having proportions shown in  FIG. 1  is used with a prior art support, roots  111 ,  113 ,  115 , and  117  tend to dangle below the supported position of the arc portion  150  of each handle. Furthermore, prior art bag holders can also leave unwanted slack in the handles and/or bag, which can lead to the bag collapsing while loading the bag. 
         [0011]    The use of reusable bags at the checkout station is problematic in that the bags lack an adequate support mechanism, unlike the currently used disposable plastic bags. In particular, a need exists to hold open such durable bags, regardless of size of the bag. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention provides a bag holder for supporting a flexible bag having a first handle and a second handle, each handle having a first root connected to the bag, a second root connected to the bag and an arc portion linking the first root to the second root. The bag holder may comprise a frame having a substantially horizontal member. A stand fastener may elevate a top portion of the frame when attached to a stand. A first slot may attach to a second slot formed from the substantially horizontal member of the frame, wherein the first slot is configured to support the first handle at the first root and second root. A first arc portion fastener can attach to the frame. A third slot may indirectly attach to the frame and couple to the second slot, wherein the third slot is approximately tangential to and horizontally displaced from the second slot as compared to a line connecting the first slot to the second slot. In addition, a second arc portion fastener may be coupled to the frame. 
         [0013]    A bag holder for supporting a flexible bag having a first handle and a second handle, each handle having a first root connected to the bag, a second root connected to the bag and an arc portion linking the first root to the second root. The bag holder may comprise a frame, and a stand fastener for elevating a substantially horizontal member of the frame when attached to a stand. In addition, the frame may have a handle support slidably engaged with the frame to provide movement relative to the first arc portion fastener, the handle support having a first slot attached to a second slot, wherein the first slot is configured to support a first handle at the first root and second root. The frame may further include a first arc portion fastener, and a third slot coupled to the second slot, wherein the third slot is configured to be vertically adjusted to be approximately tangential to and horizontally displaced from the second slot as compared to a line connecting the first slot to the second slot. 
         [0014]    A bag holder comprising a support track, a first handle support rigidly attached to the support track. The first handle support may further include a first support member supporting a first substantially horizontal member above the support track, a first slot within the first substantially horizontal member, and a second slot within the first substantially horizontal member a horizontal distance from the first slot. A first hook may be attached to the first handle support substantially below the first slot and second slot, such that the first hook is arranged to trap an arc portion that is upwardly biased. The bag holder may include a second handle support slidably engaged with the support track. The second handle support may further include a second support member supporting a second substantially horizontal member above the support track, a third slot within the second substantially horizontal member, a fourth slot within the second substantially horizontal member, and a track carrier for slidably moving the second handle support along the support track relative the first handle support. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a prior art reusable bag; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a prior art checkout stand or counter; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a bag holder in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway of a vertical member within which an adjustable hook travels in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a bag holder in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a bag holder with a vertically adjustable handle support in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]      FIG. 2  is a prior art checkout stand or counter. Stand  200  provides a flat surface for items to be reviewed for the value or price associated with the item. Stand  200  includes bagging area  210  including surface  220  on which bagged groceries or other products may be placed. 
         [0023]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
         [0024]    The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 
         [0025]    The illustrative embodiments provide an apparatus for suspending a reusable bag at or near the roots of the bag in a generally upright manner. One or more embodiments may permit a checkout clerk to adjust height and width of one or more handle supports to accommodate bags of varying heights and widths. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a bag holder in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Frame  301  is held in place with a stand fastener. A stand fastener is hardware that attaches the frame to a stand. The stand fastener may be, for example, screws, a bracket, welds, or any other fastening apparatus. A frame may be bolted to stand  200  using screws  309 . Outer access hole  311  permits the screw to be inserted through the top of the frame. Lower screw hole  313  may be fastened by a screw head to stand  200  when the frame is assembled to the stand. 
         [0027]    First slot  315  has first slot outer edge  321 . Second slot  317  has second slot outer edge  323 . A slot is a groove or indentation or other depression in a substantially horizontal member that allows for a strap, or other material that forms a handle, to be placed within the slot. Accordingly, a handle support is an apparatus that can support a bag at or near the roots of a handle. As depicted in  FIG. 3 , handle support  306  is a roughly ‘T’ shaped member that extends upwards from frame  301 . A slot outer edge is a discontinuity in the slot that either forces a draped handle to fall into the slot, or causes a draped handle to fall away from the slot. The distance between first slot and second slot is distance  325 . A depth is the distance along a substantially horizontal support between outer slot edges. First handle support, within which the first slot  315  and second slot  317  are located, is located width  335  from a second handle support. A width is a measurement of distance between slots for a handle support where the handle support is at a level that is common to the second handle support. In other words, the level, if adjustable, is adjusted to be a same vertical distance so that the slots are approximately level with respect to each other. Distance  325  is greater than width  335 . In other words, first slot  315  and third  319  slot when arranged at a common level is smaller than a depth or a distance between first slot  315  and the second slot  317 . Each handle support may have a hook, for example, hook  333 . Similarly, a right handle support  304 , has hook  302  that may be arranged to mirror the hook orientation of hook  333 . 
         [0028]    A checkout clerk may use a reusable bag of the prior art, for example, as shown in  FIG. 1  with any one of the embodiments shown herein. For example, when using the illustrative embodiment bag holder of  FIG. 3 , a checkout clerk may place the body of the bag between left handle support  306 , and right handle support  304 . Next, the checkout clerk may place left handle  101 , and in particular the arc portion, under hook  333  of  FIG. 3  so that the bag&#39;s left side is support by the roots at first slot  315  and second slot  317 . Similarly, the checkout clerk may place right handle  103  under hook  302  so that the bag&#39;s right side is supported by the roots using at least third slot  319 . The bag may then be loaded in a manner where the opening of the bag can be kept in a roughly rectangular form. Unloading may simply involve the checkout clerk removing each handle from the respective hook, and lifting the bag from between the handle supports. 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  is a cutaway view of a vertical member within which an adjustable hook travels in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Vertical member  400  may be used instead of vertical member  303  and hook  333  of  FIG. 3 . Vertical member  400  may support a track  410  that provides a partially enclosed groove for a hook carrier. Hook  401  is bolted on to hook carrier  405  or otherwise attached thereto. The hook carrier may be made from a resilient elastomer that provides some flexibility. Hook carrier  405  may travel along line  450  within track  410 . Tine  411  and tine  413 , attached to hook carrier  405 , may provide concave curved surfaces that may flex inwardly as the hook carrier is placed in the track. Conversely, tine  411  and tine  413  may flex outwardly and snap curved surfaces in place when tine  411  reaches an opposing hole  421  and tine  413  reaches opposing hole  423 . Accordingly, a checkout clerk may move hook  401  by grasping opposing tines  411  and  413 , and pressing the tines inward toward gap  419  to release the tines from their respective holes. Thus, hook  401  may be adjusted to receive and hold handles of varying lengths. 
         [0030]    An alternative embodiment may include a support track without holes. If formed without holes, a hook carrier may slide without impediment by tines entering holes. Instead, the hook carrier may be biased with additional weight to provide a downward force to offset the weight of a bag tugging at a handle over vertical member  400 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  is a bag holder in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Frame  501  may be fastened to stand  200 . Stand  200  shown in cutaway form, may be stand  200  of  FIG. 2 . A frame is a core piece of material that couples to a stand or floor to provide stability for the bag holder. Frame  501  may attach to a handle support. The handle support may be formed from a support member  507  and substantially horizontal member  541 . A support member is a support that may support the weight of a bag as distributed through the roots of a handle. A substantially horizontal member is attached to the support member to provide grooves or slots within which the handle roots may be placed such that the roots are in a consistent position. Within substantially horizontal member  541  is first slot  517  and second slot  519 . 
         [0032]    A frame may be a support track. A support track is a device that provides a slidable groove, raceway, or other track that allows a second handle support to move towards or from a first handle support. The support track  525  of frame  501  may be a tube, for example, having a rectangular cross-section. A narrower tube may be placed within the support track, for example, slidable tube  523 . A track carrier is a portion of a handle support that slidably engages to the frame or support track. In this case, slidable tube  523  is the track carrier. Slidable tube  523  may have a displaceable pin that may be biased outward from the slidable tube. A displaceable pin is a rounded pin that projects from a tube or other enclosing structure such that the pin is biased outward from the tube. The displaceable pin is arranged so that it may fit within a hole in an outer tube through which the first tube travels, as well as may be pressed out of alignment with the hole by finger pressure. Accordingly, as slidable tube  523  progresses into support track of frame  501 , displaceable pin  521  may be seated in hole  522 , formed in support track  525 , to provide a locked horizontal position to support member  505 . A position can be a configuration of a horizontal member to a height or lateral location selected by a checkout clerk. Conversely, a checkout clerk may apply finger pressure to displaceable pin  521  to push the pin substantially inside the support track of frame  501  so that the slidable tube  523  may be adjusted sideways to accommodate a bag of a width different than the width of the former position of the handle supports. Once the slidable tube is arranged so that the handle supports reach the width that the checkout clerk desires, the clerk may permit the displaceable pin  521  to enter hole  522  among holes  529  of support track  525 , to provide a stable width to the handle supports. It is appreciated that equivalent additional mechanical features may provide equivalent detent retention of a handle support, for example, the displaceable pin  521  may seat into alternate embodiment inner-wall concavities in an outer tube. Alternatively, elastomeric plastic parts may be used in place of displaceable pin  521  to provide nubs that extend into holes along a support track. 
         [0033]    Thus, slidable tube  523  may support a second handle support comprising support member  505  as well as a substantially horizontal support. Within the second handle support may be third slot  511  and fourth slot  515 . Third slot  511  is approximately tangential to and horizontally displaced from the second slot  519 , as compared to a line (not shown) connecting first slot  517  and second slot  519 . 
         [0034]    A reusable bag&#39;s handle draped over first slot  517  and second slot  519  may hang in an arc below the substantially horizontal member. An arc portion fastener is a device to grasp, clasp, hook or otherwise hold a handle or arc portion of a bag. An arc portion, as shown by arc portion  150  in  FIG. 1 , is a part of a handle that is grasped by a person when moving, stowing, or otherwise positioning a bag by way of moving the handles of the bag. The arc portion may have curved parts and/or parts that are roughly straight. A checkout clerk may use an arc portion fastener to grasp and hold the arc portion of the handle to prevent the bag from falling through the bag holder. The arc portion fastener may be, for example, a hook or other suitable fastener. The arc portion fastener may be, for example, hook  531  attached to vertical support  507  or hook  533  attached to vertical support  505 . Hook  533  may be substantially below third slot  511  and/or fourth slot  515 . Hook  531  may be substantially below first slot  517  and/or second slot  519 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  is a bag holder with a vertically adjustable handle support in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Handle support  600  is made up of an adjustable post that moves around and vertically over vertical member  601 . An adjustable post is a post or other member that can be adjusted to a locking position so that a handle support raises or lowers the points where handle roots drape over the handle support. An adjustable post may be, for example, slidable tube  603  or any other mechanism to vary the height of handle support. Displaceable pin  605  may provide several positions at which handle support  600  may be locked into place to accommodate bags having handles of varying lengths. A checkout clerk may adjust the positions by extending or reducing the length a handle is pulled by hook  615  over a substantially horizontal member of the handle support. Accordingly, displaceable pin  605  may fit within hole  611  selected from among holes  629 , in slidable tube  603 , by a checkout clerk to arrange slots to hold roots at an elevation suitable to the bag. 
         [0036]    The illustrative embodiments provide an apparatus for suspending a reusable bag at or near the roots of the bag in a generally upright manner. Several alternate manners of adjusting the handle supports have been shown to arrange slots for substantially horizontal members to be elevated to a level and other positions as desired by a checkout clerk. 
         [0037]    The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.