US3462069A - Thermoplastic carrier bags - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 19, 1969 H. s. suoMlNr-:N

THERMQPLASTIC CARRIER BAGS Filed Jan. 22, 1966 INVENTOR H. S. Suominen BY #MFM M (AA/Lau ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,462,069 THERMOPLASTIC CARRIER BAGS Heikki S. Suominen, Petsamonkaku 14,

Tampere, Finland Filed Jan. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 699,535 Claims priority, applic1ast'i7o/1iinland, Jan. 24, 1967,

Int. Cl. B65d 31/02, 31 /12 U.S. Cl. 229-54 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure relates to thermoplastic carrier bags having one or more transversely extending sleeves at the mouth of the bag in which may be inserted a printed card or the like for identifying the product and for general advertising and/or decorative purposes. The card insert and the sleeve are properly dimensioned relative to each other so that the entire length of the card lits within the sleeve; moreover, the width of the card is slightly less than that of the sleeve so that it can be readily inserted into the sleeve. To ensure that the card will remain in the sleeve under normal conditions of use, the card is provided with one or more indentations along an edge thereof, and the interior of the sleeve is provided with corresponding obstructions along one edge so that when the card is in place within the sleeve each obstruction lits into the corresponding indentation or recess in the card.

Background of the invention Carrier bags formed of thermoplastic material have found wide acceptance for the retailing of goods. Such bags may be attractively decorated and are capable of high volume, low cost production. Quite commonly such bags are printed on one or both side-walls in a decorative fashion, and may include identifying information concerning the nature of the specific product packaged therein. This, however, necessitates the use of a different style of bag for each of the many products which are to be packaged, thereby increasing the cost of using such packaging materials because of the considerable inventory of bags that must be produced and stored. This problem can, of course, be overcome by employing a single type or style of bag to package a considerable variety of products, but when this is done, it has in the past been impractical to distinctively identify specific goods packaged in the bag. In accordance with the present invention, this latter obstacle is also overcome by the provision of a special insert which can be imprinted to identify the particular goods carried in the bag and with such various types of inserts being readily capable of being inserted in a sleeve in a single type or style of bag which is then adapted for packaging a great variety of products.

Summary of the invention It is a feature of this invention to provide a carrier bag formed of thermoplastic material and having adjacent the mouth thereof one or more transversely extending open-ended sleeves, which are capable of receiving an insert of cardboard or similar stiif material which may be imprinted with identifying marks that are indicative of the goods packaged and of the trademark of the retailer or the like. In providing such construction, it is, of course, desirable that the cards be capable of quick and convenient insertion into the sleeve without requiring any further operation such as heating, sealing, cutting, or stapling, or the like, and yet have the inserted cards securely xed within the sleeve so that they will not slip out during normal display and usage of the carrier bag.

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This requirement is met by providing one or more partial obturations within the sleeve and adjacent an edge thereof. Such obturations may readily be formed by heatwelding or sealing together the opposite walls forming the sleeve at one or more distinct locations along an edge of the sleeve. The card inserts are all then correspondingly provided with indentations or recesses along an edge, and such indentations are located so as to correspond to the locations of the obturations formed in the sleeve. The relative dimensions of sleeve and card insert are so made that the insert can readily slide into the sleeve but will encounter some resistance if the non-indented edge of the card attempts to slide past the location of the heatsealed obstruction. However, with the card fully in place in the sleeve, each indentation then fits into the corresponding recess or indentation in the card, subsequently providing frictional resistance which tends to maintain the card secure in the sleeve.

Brief description of the drawings The detailed description of the invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a carrier bag constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken along the section line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of an alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a side View of still another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the illustration of FIG. 4 taken along the section line 5 5.

Description of the illustrated embodiments In FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrier bag is illustrated as being formed of two opposed side-Walls 1 which are joined together at their side edges and also at the bottom to form a closed carrier bag. The opposed side-Walls 1 are also heat-sealed together along a transverse weld 2 which thereby forms a closed top edge for the contentscarrying portion of the bag. Above the transverse weld 2 the opposed side-walls 3 form a transversely extending sleeve which may be open at both ends for the ready insertion therein of a card or other similar device 4 upon which may be imprinted descriptive or advertising material relating particularly to the product which is to be packaged in the bag. It should be understood that the bag walls 1 may themselves be imprinted in a decorative manner or with suitable advertising material.

As shown in FIG. 1, the insert 4 is provided with a plurality of apertures 8 which form finger access apertures for carrying or for holding the bag open upon a rod or the like. It will be understood that the opposite side- Walls 3 of the sleeve will similarly have corresponding apertures 8 therein to permit carrying or holding of the bag as just described.

To ensure that the display card 4 will be securely held within the sleeve, two spot-welds are provided at 5 to weld together opposing walls 3 and thereby provide spaced obturations in the sleeve. The card insert is so dimensioned in its width that it can still be inserted in the remain space left Within the sleeve above the spot-welds 5; however, sufficient frictional force results by reason of the close lit between the two that some force is required to be exerted upon the card 4 to place it within the sleeve. The card 4 is provided with spaced indentations 7 whose spacing and location correspond to that of the spot-welds 5. Consequently, when the card 4 is in place within the sleeve, each of the spot-Welds 5 is positioned within a corresponding indentation 7, thereby ensuring that the card 4 will remain in place.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 is generally similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, with the exception, however, that a single elongate, transversely extending aperture 9 is provided in the card 4, and such aperture is provided with an indentation 10 which enables the carrier bag to hung upon a rod or the like. An aperture 11 may be provided in the side-walls 3 forming the sleeve, and as shown, such aperture may, if desired, be of greater length in the longitudinal direction of the bag than the aperture 9 in card 4.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, two sleeves are provided, each being formed by turning down an edge of the bag mouth and heat-sealing such turned-down edge of the outer wall of the bag along the transverse weld 2. Such construction provides, as shown, two sleeves for accommodating two card inserts 4, each of which is otherwise generally similar in construction to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3.

Having described several embodiments of my invention, I desire it to be understood that various modications and alterations may be made to the specific form shown without departing from the scope of my invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A carrier bag having adjacent the mouth of said bag a transversely extending sleeve which is open at least at one end thereof, said sleeve having at least one partial obturation therein adjacent one interior edge, an insert for said sleeve having a length substantially equalling that obturation when said insert is fully in place within said sleeve.

2. The carrier bag of claim 1 in which said carrier bag is formed of a thermoplastic material and said partial obturation is formed by spot-welding together the opposing walls forming said sleeve.

3. The carrier bag of claim 2 in which the opposing front and back bag walls are heat-sealed together both at the mouth of the bag and along a line parallel to but downwardly of the bag mouth to thereby form said sleeve.

4. The carrier bag of claim 2 in which the front and back bag walls are each turned downwardly and have their respective edges each heat-sealed to the corresponding bag wall to form thereby two parallel-situated sleeves each ladapted for receiving an insert.

5. The carrier bag of claim 1 in which said sleeve and said insert have registering apertures therein for providing finger-access opening and for storing the bag upon a rod or the like.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,079,966 3/1963 Kugler 229-63 3,142,437 7/1964 Grant et al 229-68 3,255,951 6/1966 Kay 229-54 3,348,759 10/1967 Johnson 229-53 FOREIGN PATENTS 634,488 l/ 1962 Canada.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

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