Abstract:
A bag holder for plastic bags comprising a container having a pair of spaced apart side walls and a front wall joining the side walls. The side walls diverge slightly moving away from the front wall. The ends of the container are open and the back is also open. The ends of the container are angled toward each other from the back toward the front of the container. There is a panel at each end attached to the side walls and extending forwardly from the back of the container for between about one quarter and one half of the distance between the front and back of the container. The panels partially close each end leaving an opening at the front of each end, one opening forming an inlet for the container and the other opening forming an outlet for the container. The container is nestable in an identical container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention is directed toward a holder for used plastic bags. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Holders for plastic bags are well known. Many employ a small top inlet opening in the holder through which bags are to be loaded. Others employ holders with an open top and bottom. The small inlet makes, loading bags difficult. The open top and bottom make loading bags easy but makes retention of bags in the holder difficult particularly when pressing the already loaded bags in the holder downwardly with a newly loaded bag. Many bag holders are also bulky and thus expensive to manufacture and also require a lot of space to ship and store increasing the cost of the holders. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a plastic bag holder which is simpler in construction and cheaper to manufacture. It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a bag holder which can be more easily loaded. It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a plastic bag holder in which bags can more easily be retained. It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide a plastic bag holder which can be mounted in different positions making it more versatile. It is yet another purpose to provide a plastic bag holder which can be nested one within the other to conserve shipping and storage space. 
         [0006]    In its simplest aspect, the bag holder of the present invention can comprise an elongate, enclosed, container with open ends. One open end will act as a bag inlet to the container and the other open end will act as a bag outlet for the container. At least the one open end has an end panel closing a rear portion of the open end, the panel extending forwardly from the rear of the container to terminate in a front edge. The panel is used to help load a bag into the holder. In one modification, the one open end of the container, with its end panel, is angled toward the other end of the container, from the rear of the container toward the front of the container, at an angle between 15° and 50°, and preferable at about 30°. The sloping end panel helps make loading of the bag even easier. 
         [0007]    In a further aspect of the invention, the other open end of the container can also have an end panel closing the rear portion of the other open end, the panel extending forwardly from the rear of the holder to terminate in a front edge. In a further modification, the other open end, with its end panel, is angled toward the one open end, from the rear of the container to the front of the container, preferably at the same angle, as the one open end is angled toward the other open end. Either end of the container in this embodiment can be used as the inlet with the other end serving as the outlet. 
         [0008]    In a still further aspect of the invention the container can comprise an elongate, partly enclosed, container having a pair of sidewalls joined by a front wall. The back of the container is open. One end of the container is open and forms a bag inlet. The other end of the container is also open and forms a bag outlet. At least the one open end has an end panel closing a rear portion of the open end, the panel extending forwardly from the rear of the container toward the front wall to terminate in a front edge. The one end panel is joined solely to the side walls opposite the front wall. The other open end can also have an end panel closing a rear portion of the open end and terminating in a front edge. The other end panel is also joined solely to the side walls opposite the front wall. Preferably, the one open end, with its end panel, is angled toward the other open end at an angle between 15° and 50°, from the rear of the holder toward the front of the holder and the other open end, with its end panel, is also angled toward the one open end, from the rear of the holder to the front of the holder, preferably at the same angle as the one open end is angled. 
         [0009]    In another aspect of the invention, the side walls are angled slightly toward each other in moving from the rear to the front of the container. In a modification; each side wall has a relatively narrow rear section that is parallel with the narrow rear section of the other side wall and a relatively wide front section that is angled slightly toward the relatively wide front section of the other side wall. Preferably a female connecting strip of a two part connector is mounted on the rear narrow section of one of the side walls and a male connecting strip of the connector is mounted on the rear narrow section of the other side wall. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the simplest embodiment of the bag holder; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a bottom view of a modification of the bag holder of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a partial, broken away, side view of a modified bag holder; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a top view showing another modification of the bag holder; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a partial, broken away, side view of the bag holder shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the top of another modification of the bag holder; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section view along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a right hand view of another embodiment of the bag holder; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a left hand view of the bag holder shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a top view of the bag holder of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a detail top view of the right hand side of the bag holder of  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a detail top view of the left hand side of the bag holder of  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    The plastic bag holder  1 , in one aspect as shown in  FIG. 1 , comprises an elongate, enclosed, container  3 . The container  3  has two side walls  5 ,  7  that are parallel and Joined at the front by a front wall  9  and at the back by a back wall  11 . The four walls are generally of the same width. The front wall  9  can be straight, as shown, or convex, bulging outwardly. The container  3  has open ends  13 ,  15 . The open ends  13 ,  15  are parallel and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  17  of the container  3 . At least one open end  13  has an end panel  19  covering a rear portion of the open end to form an inlet  21 . The end panel  19  is joined to the side walls  5 ,  7  and the back wall  11 . Generally the end panel  19  covers about the rear third of the open end  13  but can cover between one quarter and one half of the one open end  13 . The end panel  19  extends from the back wall  11  toward the front wall  9  terminating in a front edge  23 . The front edge  23  can be straight in its center section  25  with forwardly angled sections  27  at its ends, as shown, or it can be concave. The front edge  23  extends between the side walls  5 ,  7 . 
         [0023]    The enclosed container  3  has a mounting tab  29  extending up from the back wall  11  above the one open end  13  and another mounting tab  30  extending down from the back wall  1  below the other open end  15 . Alternatively, or in conjunction with tabs  29 ,  30 , side mounting tabs  31 ,  33  can extend laterally from the back wall  11  past the side walls  5 ,  7 . The tabs have holes  35  therein through which fasteners can pass. The tabs can be used to fasten the container  3  to a flat vertical wall surface  36 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , with the one open end  13  at the top and the other open end  15  at the bottom. When the container is fastened to the wall surface with the inlet  21  in the one open end  13  at the top, used plastic bags can be compressed on the end panel  19  and then slid along the panel and off the front edge  23  of the panel into the container  3  through the inlet  21 . The bags can be removed through the open end  15  which forms an outlet  37  for the container  3 . 
         [0024]    Preferably, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the enclosed container  3  can be modified to have an end panel  41  covering about a third of the other open end  15  to form an outlet  37   a.  The end panel  41  would be connected to the side walls  5 ,  7  and the back wall  11  and would have the same front edge  23  as the end panel  19 . The size of the end panel  41  could vary in the same range as the size of the end panel  19  varies but preferably covers about the rear third of the other open end  15   a.  The end panel  41  would serve to hold the bags in the container  3 . The container  3  could be used with the open end  15  at the top to form the inlet. The container  3  could also be used when in a horizontal position, loose on a counter or when mounted in a horizontal position under a shelf. Either open end could be used as the inlet. 
         [0025]    The cross-section of the enclosed container  3  is generally a square with about five inch sides. For the container  3  with a restricted inlet  21  and an unrestricted outlet  37  the inlet  21  is about five inches wide and about three and a half inches long and the outlet  37  is about five inches square. For a container  3  with both the inlet  21  and outlet  37   a  restricted in size, both are about five inches wide and about three and a half inches long. The cross sectional area of the container could be a square with sides up to seven inches long and or with sides as short as about three inches. The size would depend on the size of bag being stored. The cross-sectional area could also be rectangular. The container  3  can be from about sixteen to about twenty four inches long. A longitudinal slot  47 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is centrally located in the front wall  9 , the slot wide enough to insert an implement such as pencil or a finger to move bags within the container. 
         [0026]    The enclosed container  3   a  preferably, as shown in  FIG. 3 , has at least the one open end  13   a  and the end panel  19   a  angled downwardly and forwardly toward the other open end  15   a  at an angle β to the horizontal of about 30°. The open end  13   a  is defined by parallel side Walls  5   a,    7   a  and front and back walls  9   a,    11   a . The angle  13  can vary between about 15° and 50°. The angled end  13   a  makes it easier to insert the crumpled bag into the inlet  21   a  from off the sloping end panel  19   a.  The user would crumple the bag both in his hand and against the sloping end panel  19   a,  and the top mounting tab  29  if used, and then just slide crumpled bag down off the front edge  23   a  of the sloping end panel  19   a  into inlet  21   a.  The sloping end panel  19   a  serves to more easily guide the hand holding the bag to the inlet where the bag is released into the inlet  21   a.  If the container  3  has an end panel  41   a  at the other open end  15   a,  the other end  15   a  can also be angled in the same manner as the one open end  13   a  but upwardly and outwardly toward the one open end  13   a.  Having both ends  13   a,    15   a  angled permits either end of the container to be the top inlet  21   a  and the other end to be the bottom outlet  37   a.  It also permits either end  13   a,    15   a  to be the inlet  21   a  when the container  3   a  is mounted horizontally to the bottom of a shelf or the like, or mounted on, or resting on, a horizontal surface. 
         [0027]    The container shown in  FIG. 3  could be used without the back wall  9   a.  The side walls  5   a,    7   a  would extend rearwardly from the front wall  9   a . The space between the rear ends of the side walls  5   a,    7   a,  the back of the container, would be open providing a partly enclosed container. The partly enclosed container is mounted against a wall  36  using the side mounting tabs  33 . The wall closes the back of the container. The end panels  19   a,    41   a  are connected to the side walls. The mounting tabs  29 ,  30  could be made integral with the end panels  19   a,    41   a  and could be used with, or instead of, the side mounting tabs  33 . 
         [0028]    In a preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5 , the holder  1   b , is an elongate, partly enclosed, container  3   b.  The container  3   b  has the side walls  5   b  and  7   b  diverging slightly away from each other in moving from the front wall  9   b  toward the back  49  of the container  3   b.  The back  49  of the container  3   b  is open. The container  3   b  has open ends  13   b ,  15   b  which are angled away from each other, moving away from the front wall  9   b,  toward the open back  49  of the container, at an angle β of 30°. The angle can range between 15° and 45°. Each open end  13   b,    15   b  is partly closed by an end panel  19   b,    41   b  respectively extending forwardly from the back  49  of the container toward the front wall  9   b.  The end panels  19   b,    41   b  close off about the rear third of the open ends  13   b,    15   b  forming an inlet  21   b  at one end  13   b  and an outlet  37   b  at the other end  15   b.  The end panels  19   b,    41   b,  are joined to the ends of the side walls  5   b,    7   b  adjacent the back  49  of the container making the container more rigid. With the side walls  5   b,    7   b  diverging away from each other from the front wall  9   b;  with the open ends  13   b,    15   b,  including the end panels  19   b,    41   b,  angled out and away from the front wall  9   b  and from each other; and with no back wall; the container  3   b  can be stacked within another identical container  3   b  from the back of the container. A number of containers  3   b  can be stacked to conserve space and make shipping and storage cheaper. 
         [0029]    In another aspect of the invention, as shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  the end panel  19   c  at angled end  13   c  of the container  3   c  can be attached a short distance within the end  13   c  of the container to be recessed within the container. The projecting portion of the side walls  5   c ,  7   c  of the container  3   c,  past the end panel  19   c  at end  13   c  would form low fence sections  57 ,  59  respectively. The fence sections  57 ,  59  would combine with the mounting tab  29   e,  if used, to form an enclosure open at the inlet  21   c  that would help in crumpling the bags and also help in guiding the crumpled bags into the inlet  21   c.  The mounting tab  29   c  at end  13   c  could be positioned between the fence sections  57 ,  59  and attached to them and also attached to the back end of the end panel  19   c.  The same construction could be used at the angled other end of the container with the end panel at the other end recessed a short distance within the container from its other end. This embodiment of container could still be nested but not as efficiently as the model with the end panels flush with the ends of the holder. 
         [0030]    In a further aspect of the invention, as shown in  FIGS. 8-12 , the container  3   d  can be provided with connectors on its side walls  5   d,    7   d  for connecting two or more containers  3   d  side by side to increase capacity. The cross-sectional shape of the container  3   d  is slightly modified to have side walls  5   d,    7   d  each with narrow, rear, side sections  67  that are parallel to each other while the wider, front, side sections  69  are angled toward each other and joined by front wall  13   d.  The end panels  19   d,    41   d  at each end  13   d,    15   d  respectively are slightly modified to fit between the side walls  5   d,    7   d.  A female connector strip  71 , forming part of a two part connector, having a very narrow stylized capital C-shaped cross-section, is attached by a rear panel  72  on one rear side section  67  on one side wall  7   d  adjacent its rear edge  73  to have the C-shaped cross-section facing outwardly. A male connector strip  75  having a very narrow stylized capital H-shaped cross section is attached along the other narrow, rear, side section  67  on the other side wall  5   d  adjacent its rear panel  77 . By ‘stylized’ in this instance it is meant that the letter shape is thinner and higher than normal and has an angular, as opposed to a rounded, shape. The H-shaped cross-section has one leg  79  of the two long legs of the capital H slightly shorter than the other leg  81 . The shorter leg  79  faces outwardly and fits snugly within the capital C shape of the female connector strip  71 . The male connector strip  75  is mounted on the side wall  5   d  with the short arm  79  facing outwardly and the long arm  81  adjacent the wall  5   d.    
         [0031]    The male connector strip  75  on one container  3   d  can be interlocked with the female connector strip  71  on an adjacent container  3   d  by sliding the short leg  79  on the male connector  75  into the female connector  71  with their adjacent rear side sections  67  parallel to each other and with their adjacent front side sections  69 , diverging from each other. The containers  3   d  with the connector strips  71 ,  75  are still individually stackable but not as efficiently as the containers  3 . The connector strips  71 ,  75  can be attached to the side walls  5   d,    7   d  with adhesive or other suitable means. Alternatively they could be molded integral with the container. 
         [0032]    The containers with the connector strips can have square or angled ends; can employ only one end panel at one end or a panel at each end; can employ parallel sidewalls or side walls that are angled slightly toward each other; or can employ one or two end panels that are recessed a short distance within the container.