Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     There are several waste collection device designs that will utilize a bag for collecting and disposing of waste; most require special or purchased bags. The purpose of this invention is to provide an economical means of collecting and disposing waste using plastic bags with handles that are readily available from most grocery and other retail stores. This invention provides a secondary use for a bag that is typically discarded after it is emptied of contents purchased at retail outlets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosed inventive device improves on the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,769 (the &#39;769 patent). The new attachment means is simpler and provides a quicker and easier method to attach bags. The &#39;769 patent used protrusions that captivated most of the bag handle opening. This new design requires only small attachment points to retain the bag in proper working position. The new design also provides a different means to attach the handle to the frame. The new attachment means results in significantly greater tension in the fit of the bag along the perimeter of the frame. The new design also provides a more efficient method of manufacture. The new design reduces the amount of material used and also provides designs that adapt to a plastic molding process as well as to metal fabrication. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top elevation view of an angled, rectangular, straight pass through frame, having a perpendicular attachment plane for handle, with attachments. 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of an angled, rectangular, straight pass through frame, having a perpendicular attachment plane for handle, with attachments. 
     FIG. 3 is a left side elevation view of an angled, rectangular, straight pass through frame, having a perpendicular attachment plane for handle, with attachments, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of an angled, rectangular, straight pass through frame, having a perpendicular attachment plane for handle, with cutouts. 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of an angled, rectangular, straight pass through frame, having a perpendicular attachment plane for handle, with extensions. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of an angled, rectangular, straight pass through frame, having a perpendicular attachment plane for handle, with tabs. 
     FIG. 7 is a top elevation view of a rounded frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a rounded frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of a rounded frame with attachments, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a rounded frame with tabs. 
     FIG. 11 is a top elevation view of a rounded frame with cutouts. 
     FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of a rounded frame with cutouts. 
     FIG. 13 is a left side elevation view of a rounded frame with cutouts, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 14 is a front elevation view of a rounded frame with extensions. 
     FIG. 15 is a top elevation view of a straight squared frame with formed tabs. 
     FIG. 16 is a front elevation view of a straight squared frame with formed tabs. 
     FIG. 17 is a left side elevation view of a straight squared frame with formed tabs, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 18 is a left side elevation view of a straight squared frame with attachments, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 19 is a left side elevation view of a straight squared frame with cutouts, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 20 is a left side elevation view of a straight squared frame with extensions, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. The extension can be positioned on back, front, or both. Shown with back extension. 
     FIG. 21 is a top elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 22 is a front elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 23 is a left side elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with attachments, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 24 is a left side elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with tabs, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 25 is a top elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with cutouts. 
     FIG. 26 is a front elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with cutouts. 
     FIG. 27 is a lade elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with cutouts, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 28 is a top elevation view of a rectangular angled straight pass through frame with extensions. 
     FIG. 29 is a top elevation view of a trapezoidal frame with tabs. 
     FIG. 30 is a front elevation view of a trapezoidal frame with tabs. 
     FIG. 31 is a left side elevation view of a trapezoidal frame with tabs, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 32 is a front elevation view of a trapezoidal frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 33 is a front elevation view of a trapezoidal frame with cutouts. 
     FIG. 34 is a front elevation view of a trapezoidal frame with extensions. 
     FIG. 35 is a top elevation view of an angled triangular frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 36 is a front elevation view of an angled triangular frame with attachments. 
     FIG. 37 is a left side elevation view of an angled triangular frame with attachments, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 38 is a top elevation view of an angled triangular frame with extensions. 
     FIG. 39 is a front elevation view of an angled triangular frame with extensions. 
     FIG. 40 is a left side elevation view of an angled triangular frame with extensions, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. The extension can be positioned on back, front, or both. Shown with back extension. 
     FIG. 41 is a left side elevation view of an angled triangular frame with cutouts, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 42 is a left side elevation view of an angled triangular frame with formed tabs, the right side being a mirror image of the left side shown. 
     FIG. 43 is a perspective view taken from the top, front, and right side of a portable hand held bagging device showing my new design of the angled rectangular frame with cutouts and attached bag. 
     FIG. 44 is a left side elevation view of an angled rectangular frame with cutouts and attached bag. 
     The broken phantom lines in FIGS. 43 and 44 are meant to depict the outline, folds, and wrinkles of the trash bag. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The self-bagging waste collection device of the present invention as seen in FIGS. 1,  2 , and  3 , comprises a handle  10  having proximal and distal ends. The handle may be composed of wood, plastic, metal, or other substantially rigid, elongated material. The proximal end of the handle  10  is grasped by the user while operating the device. A substantially rigid frame  11  is disposed on the distal end of the handle  10 . 
     The frame  11  is attached to handle  10  by handle attachment means  16 . Handle attachment means  16  may comprise one of several embodiments. Such may include sandwiching the handle  10  between edges of the frame  11  and riveting the frame edges together on either side of the handle  10  as shown in FIG.  30 . Also, as in FIGS. 2 and 10, the frame  11  may extend around and be crimped to the distal end of the handle  10 . The frame  11  may also be constructed with a female threaded handle attachment means  16  for acceptance of a handle  10  with male threading on its distal end as in FIG.  22 . It should be apparent that the threading of the handle and same may be reversed. Other appropriate handle attachment means  16  such as nails, screws, pins, welding, adhesive and others should be obvious to those skilled in the art. 
     The frame  11  is an open channeled form defining an interior space that may come in a variety of shapes such as rectangular (FIGS. 1-3 and  21 - 28 ), squared (FIGS.  15 - 20 ), elliptical (FIGS.  7 - 14 ), trapezoidal (FIGS.  29 - 34 ), and triangular (FIGS.  35 - 42 ). These shapes are preferable, however other shapes would not be excluded. Not all views and configurations are shown. The frame  11  is preferably thin-walled, with sufficient width to provide strength and the ability to incorporate attachment means for the handle  10 . The frame  11  may be composed of metal, plastic, composite, wood, or other similar material capable of being configured in the appropriate channeled form. 
     The frame  11  has a bottom wall  12  which is preferably substantially parallel to the ground. The frame  11  is preferably configured to extend the bottom wall  12  outward from the vertical plane encompassing the handle  10 . This forward disposition of the bottom wall  12  eases the user&#39;s waste collection ability, allowing the user to sweep the device along the ground to scoop waste, or sweep waste into the device with another implement without any interference from the handle  10 . 
     In one embodiment, the lateral walls of frame  11  may be symmetrical to each other and normal to the same vertical plane to which the bottom wall  12  is normal. This configuration of the lateral walls of the frame  11  is beneficial if the frame  11  is to be manufactured by a molding process, for example plastic injection molding. In this frame  11  configuration, a simple two piece mold is all that is required. 
     In another embodiment, the lateral walls of the frame  11  may be formed at dihedral angles with the bottom wall  12  while maintaining symmetry with each other. This embodiment is preferable when the frame  11  is constructed using a single band or ribbon of material. Bending the lateral walls of the frame  11  at such complex angles gives the frame  11  added strength and, when bent again in complementary dihedral angles near the attachment point for the handle  10 , completes a conversion of the horizontally planed bottom wall  12  of the frame  11  into a vertically planed edge for attachment to the handle  10  while simultaneously disposing the bottom wall  12  forward of the vertical plane of the handle  10 . 
     The frame  11  has attachment means  13  that hold the bag  15  operatively in place. The attachment means  13  are placed at a location away from the active portion of the frame. The active portion of the frame is the bottom wall  12  that comes in contact with the ground. The attachment means  13  may be a cutout or slot (FIG.  4 ), an extension (FIG.  5 ), a protrusion (FIG.  43 ), a tab (FIG.  6 ), or a device mounted on or affixed to the frame, such as a pin, screw, hook, or dowel as in FIGS. 1-3, or any similar attachment means. It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that handle and bag attachment means that are shown for one frame configuration may also be used on other frame shapes and configurations. 
     A bag  15  such as a plastic bag from a grocery store or other similarly sized plastic shopping bag with bag handles  14  is attached to the device in the following manner. Leading with the open end of the plastic bag  15 , the bag  15  is partially inserted through the opening in the frame  11  from the rear. One edge of the plastic bag  15  between the bag handles  14 , defining the perimeter of the opening of the bag  15 , is fitted and pulled around the bottom wall  12  of the frame  11 . The bag handles  14  are then pulled over the lateral walls of the frame and attached to the frame  11  by looping the bag handles  14  over the corresponding frame attachment means  13 . The outside of the bag  15  thereby completely covers both faces of the bottom wall  12  and at least the interior faces as well as a substantial portion of the exterior faces of the lateral walls of the frame  11 , preventing any soiling of the frame by either the collected waste material or the ground. The waste material and the ground will only have contact with the interior surface of the bag  15 . 
     The attachment means are located symmetrically to each other in positions that will hold the bag  15  in operable position and prevent the bag  15  from disengaging from the bottom wall  12 . The positions of the attachment means  13  can generally be described as located symmetrically on the frame  11  on opposing sides of the bottom wall  12 , such that the distance along the perimeter of the frame  11  between the attachment means  13  inclusive of the bottom wall  12  is roughly equivalent to the perimeter distance of the opening in the bag  15  along one edge between the centers of bag handles  14 . This improved method of attachment results in significantly greater tension in the fit of the bag  15  along the perimeter of the frame  11 . By this manner of attachment the bag  15  remains firmly in place and will accommodate several pounds of waste. No special fittings or clamps are required.

Technology Category: 0