Patent ID: 7416337

Claim:
A bag comprising: a thin, flexible material formed with an opening, which in the bag's flat-laid state is bounded by two facing edges, one or more stiffeners attached to or integrated into either in part or fully along each of the edges, the material, the dimensions, and the geometry of the stiffeners being chosen such that they are sufficiently stiff to hold the bag in an open state where the bag can be filled, yet sufficiently flexible to let themselves be moved or bent to a state where the bag assumes this open state, at least one hinge interconnecting the stiffeners, and means to bend or move the stiffeners in directions opposite to each other, wherein the means comprises two arms, each arm being pivotably connected to at least one stiffener, wherein one or more connections between the arms and stiffeners allow for varying angles between them, and wherein the arms allow a moment to be applied to the stiffeners about a point at, or at a short distance from, one of the at least one hinges, by pivoting the arms.