Improvements in Bags or Sacks.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1900-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1900
Improvements in Bags or Sacks.
I, ORSINI STUART, of 41, Castle Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto in coal bags and sacks that are so largely used for coaling vessels
one man has to hold the empty sack upright with its mouth open while another
man fills the coal in. The present invention is designed to provide sacks so
constructed that they will remain open and upright while the operators fill them
without the necessity of having to employ extra hands for holding the sacks open.
My invention, though specially applicable for use in connection with coal sacks,
is applicable also for other kinds of sacks and bags.
The object of the invention is effected by constructing the bag or sack as
follows:-
I take a strip of material of the required width and of suitable length and
fold it transversely in the middle Laying the material thus folded flat, the
fabric is now seamed at the outer longitudinal edges, thus forming a flat bag
whose sides are seamed at the side edges and whose bottom is made by the fold
aforesaid, the end opposite to that of the fold being left open so as to form the
sack's mouth. The mouth of the sack may be hemmed and stitched to strengthen
it, or it may have a rope edging secured round its edge. Sewn longitudinally
to the sack are a pair of ropes continuous on the two sides and bottom, and at
the top forming the handles to lift the sack by. The width of the ropes apart
at the bottom is equal to the width of the sack, while at a certain point transverse
ropes may be sewn to the sack. The sack is now opened out into rectangular
shape in cross section, the transverse ropes together with the longitudinal ones
that are sewn to the fabric forming the edges of the bottom, while the longitudinal
ropes alone form the four corners of the sack, and to them and the rectangular
bottom is largely or mainly due the keeping of the sack upright when empty
instead of collapsing. The corners of the sack at the bottom which are left pro-
jecting by the forming of the flat sack into one of rectangular form in cross
section, are tucked into the sack and laid on the bottom in the inside, being
left loose in that position or secured in place by stitching or by means of ad-
hesive material. I also make the ropes aforesaid with a long lay at the top and
a short lay at the bottom, in other words the strands of the rope are twisted much
tighter at the bottom than the top, and this is found to prevent the bag sagging
and ensure it being kept upright much better than would be the case if the rope
was an equal lay throughout. Thus, in making the bags, the strands of the rope
are twisted as tight as possible for about half the length of the bag and secured
by stitching to the fabric, and for the remainder of the length of the bag at the
top. the strands of the rope are slackened by twisting in the opposite direction.
and in this condition with longer lay, the rope is stitched to the fabric. The
handles aforesaid at the top are arched handles, and also have the effect of stiffen-
ing the bag to prevent collapse. By this invention empty sacks as much as four

page_text: feet high or more can be made to stand upright without any necessity of their
being held by hand in that position, and furthermore the sacks need not neces-
sarily be made of very stiff material so long as the roped corners provide the
requisite rigidity and stiffness to prevent the bags collapsing. In thus describing
the invention, it must be understood that the seams need not necessarily be at
the side edges, as the sides of the bag can be made in one piece, with a separate
bottom stitched in of any suitable shape, and the ropes applied in the manner
described.
1011
1
1000
Improvements in Bags or Sacks.
I, ORSINI STUART, of 41, Castle Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Hitherto in coal bags and sacks that are so largely used for coaling vessels
one man has to hold the empty sack upright with its mouth open while another
man fills the coal in. The present invention is designed to provide sacks so
constructed that they will reniain open and upright while the operators fill them
without the necessity of having to employ extra hands for holding the sacks open.
My invention, though specially applicable for use in connection with coal sacks,
is applicable also for other kinds of sacks and bags.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation of a flat sack with ropes applied before folding the
bottom; and
Figure 2, a perspective view of same opened out and with the ends folded in
on the bottom in accordance with the invention;
Figures 3 and 3 are elevation and cross section of a flat sack in which the
seams are formed away from the edges;
Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating a ready method of forming
the bottom folds; and
Figure 6, a perspective view of a fully roped bag.
The object of the invention is effected by constructing the bag or sack as
follows:-
I take a strip of material of the required width and of suitable length and fold
it transversely in the middle. Laying the material thus folded flat, the fabric
is now seamed at the outer longitudinal edges, thus forming a flat bag whose sides
are seamed at the side edges, and whose bottom is made by the fold aforesaid,
the end opposite to that of the fold being left open so as to form the sack's mouth.
The mouth of the sack may be hemmed and stitched to strengthen it. or it may
have a rope edging secured round its edge. Sewn longitudinally to the sack, as
shown in Figure 1, are a pair of ropes A A continuous on the two sides and
bottom, and at the top forming the handles to lift the sack by. The width of
the ropes apart at the bottom is equal to the width of the sack, while at a certain
point transverse ropes B may be sewn to the sack. The sack is now opened out
into rectangular shape in cross section, as shown in perspective in Figure 2, the
transverse ropes B B together with the longitudinal ones A A that are sewn to

page_text: the fabric forming the edges of the bottom, while the longitudinal ropes alone
form the four corners of the sack, and to them and the rectangular bottom is
largely or mainly due the keeping of the sack upright when empty instead of
collapsing The rectangular bottom however by reason of the special folding
as will be now described, is in itself sufficient to maintain the sack or bag upright
when empty, even without the
ropes.
The corners of the sack at the bottom which are left projecting by the forming
of the flat sack into one of rectangular form in cross section, are tucked into the
sack and laid on the bottom in the inside as shown in Figure 2, being left loose
in that position or secured in place by stitching or by means of adhesive material.
I also make the ropes aforesaid with a long lay at the top and a short lay
at the bottom, in other words the strands of the rope are twisted much tighter
at the bottom than the top, and this is found to prevent the bag sagging and
ensure it being kept upright much better than would be the case if the rope
was an equal lay throughout. Thus in making the bags, the strands of the rope
are twisted as tight as possible for about half the length of the bag and secured
by stitching to the fabric, and for the remainder of the length of the bag at the
top, the strands of the rope are slackened by twisting in the opposite direction,
and in this condition with longer lay, the rope is stitched to the fabric. The
handles aforesaid at the top are arched handles, and also have the effect of stiffen-
ing the bag to prevent collapse. By this invention empty sacks as much as four
feet high or more can be made to stand upright without any necessity of their
being held by hand in that position, and furthermore the sacks need not neces-
sarily be made of very stiff material so long as the roped corners provide the
requisite rigidity and stiffness to prevent the bags collapsing.
The most ready and time-saving method of folding the bag bottom into the
shape described, particularly when the bag is not roped, consists in taking hold
of the sack whilst inside out with one hand at a and the other at b, as shown
in Figures 3 and 3ª, and pulling outward, a similar pull being then given at c d
By this means any ordinary flat bag can be pulled into the shape shown in
Figure 4, the vertical edges of the bag being creased straight by drawing the
hands along them. The two flaps f f are then folded together as shown in
Figure 5 and secured by stitching or otherwise, and the bag then turned right
side out. The bottom corners may however be simply tucked in as described in
the first instance. In any case the folded corner may be laid either inside or
outside the bag and on either the bottom or the sides. The bag may now be
roped on all or some of its edges, or left entirely without ropes according to the
use to which it is to be put. Figure 6 shows such a bag fully roped. When not
roped the quasi-pocket formed by tucking in the bottom corners should preferably
be closed by stitching
In thus describing the invention, it must be understood that the seams need
not necessarily be at the side edges. as the sides of the bag can be made in one
piece, with a separate bottom stitched in of any suitable shape, and the ropes
applied in the manner described. For instance by forming the seams away from
the edges, as shown in Figures 3 and 3*, such as by splitting open the bottom of
an ordinary sack and turning the sides until the seams come into the required
position and then seaming the bottom, or as described in my previous Patent
No. 18665 of 1895, a sack or bag may be obtained which by folding in accordance
with the present invention will have the vertical seams at two opposite angles e b
(Figures 3 and 6) where they can be covered and protected by the ropes as shown.
This position of the seams also adds to the tendency of the bag to keep upright
when not roped, but the invention is not limited to bags having the seams in
any particular position.
The completed bags may be collapsed for transport or storage, by pushing
in two opposite sides, without losing it capability of keeping upright when again
opened out.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improvement in bags or sacks which consists in opening out a flat bag
or sack into a rectangular shape in cross section and then tucking in or folding
the otherwise projecting bottom corners and securing them in such a way as to
form a rectangular bottom and render the bag capable of standing upright, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In bags or sacks having the sides or edges roped, the method of assisting
them to stand upright alone, which consists in applying the vertical or longi-
tudinal ropes with a long lay at the top and a short lay at the bottom substan-
tially as described.
3. The construction of bags or sacks of the kind described from flat bags or
sacks having their side seams away from the edges in such a way that when
opened out into rectangular form in cross section the bags or sacks will have the
seams at the corners or vertical edges where they may be protected by the roping
when such is employed, substantially as described.
4. The improved bags or sacks constructed with or without ropes, substantially
as herein before described with reference to the several figures of the drawings.
Dated this 19th day of Tul 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.