Plastics bag dispenser

Abstract

 In a bag dispenser a leading edge of a bag of a string of bags on a roll is lead out through a slot (5) in a housing (1) of the bag dispenser. The slot is defined by two members (2a, 2b) so shaped that the slot (5) is wider at lateral portions (5a) thereof than at a middle portion thereof, at which middle portion one (2b) of the members overlaps the other (2a) of the members and presents an edge portion to check dispensing movement of a middle portion of the string of bags to enable the dispensed bag to be torn off the string of bags.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a plastics bag dispenser.

[0002] There are many situations in which it is desirable to dispense plastics bag one at a time and in some of these situations it may be desired to dispense plastics bag one at a time to individual members of the public who have not been trained in the use of the bag dispenser. Thus the bag dispenser must be able to compensate for being used in a variety of ways. The bags may be for example be provided as a continuous strip on a roll with transverse perforations at which a bag can be torn from the roll and the dispensing means must be able to dispense bags reliably when a bag is subjected to a slow steady pull or a short jerky pull and variations therebetween and also, particularly having regard to the likely variations in height of the persons effecting the pull, an upward pull, a downward pull or a horizontal pull.

[0003] It is also desirable that a fresh roll of bags can rapidly be loaded into the dispenser.

[0004] The invention has particular although not exclusive application to a dispenser for plastics bags each of which has a gusset at each respective lateral side and at an upper part of the bag, having regard to the orientation of the bag in use, lateral portions which extend above a middle portion and form handles by which the bag can be carried, the bags being arranged on the roll so that they come off the roll with their bottom edges leading such that each bag is connected to the next successive bag, before being detached therefrom, by the upper edges of its handle portions being secured to the lower lateral edges of the next successive bag.

[0005] According to the invention a plastics bag dispenser comprises a housing in which a roll of bags can be supported, the housing incorporating two members between which the leading end of a string of bags from the roll can be led, the two members being so shaped and disposed that between them they present a laterally extending slot through which the bags of the roll can be drawn, the slot being wider at lateral portions thereof than at a middle portion thereof, at which middle portion one of the members is overlapped by the other of the members and said other of the members presents an edge portion to check dispensing movement of a middle portion in the width of the string of bags.

[0006] Preferably the two members form wall portions of the housing in which the roll of bags is supported and the slot is formed between a straight edge on one of the members and a curved edge on the other of the members with the two members substantially abutting at their middle portions and the curved edge of said other of the members overlapping the straight edge of said one of the members on the inside of the housing. Thus the middle portion of the curved edge of said other of the members constitutes said edge portion and, upon dispensing of bags, projects into an aperture formed in the string of bags between the handles of a bag. The leading edge of the aperture is defined by the upper edge of a middle portion of the bag between the handles and the trailing edge of the aperture is defined by the bottom edge of the next following bag of the string.

[0007] Thus as the leading bag of the string is pulled through the slot, the curved edge of said other of the members drops into said aperture of the bag and the bottom edge of the next following bag of the string abuts the edge of the middle portion of said other of the members and checks the middle portion of said next following bag while allowing lateral portions, that is to say the bottom corners of the bag to be drawn out through the wide lateral portions of the slot. Checking the middle portion of the bottom edge of the next following bag causes a dispensing force applied to the bag to tear that bag off from the next following bag leaving the bottom corners of the next following bag projecting from the slot to be grasped by the next customer.

[0008] The housing to support the roll of bags may for example be a generally cylindrical shaped housing with the longitudinal axis horizontal and the two members forming part of the curved configuration of the peripheral wall of the housing with the slot generally horizontally extending and advantageously provided at approximately the level of the centre of the cylindrical housing. Preferably such cylindrical housing has only one end wall such that a new roll of bags can be loaded into the housing by moving the roll in an axial direction into the housing.

[0009] Alternatively the housing could for example be an open top tray, preferably with a semi-cylindrical bottom wall, in which a roll of bags can be placed from above with the two wall members forming one side wall portion of the housing, one above the other with the slot horizontal and formed at or little below the level of the centre of the roll of bags when new.

[0010] The two wall members can advantageously be formed of a transparent, rigid, plastics material for example of two to six millimetres thickness.

[0011] The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a plastics bag dispenser according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a plastics bag dispenser according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation corresponding to Figure 1 or Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of a string of bags to be dispensed through a plastics bag dispenser according to the invention.

[0012] Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figure 1, a plastics bag dispenser 1 comprises a generally cylindrical housing having a peripheral wall 2, an end wall 3 at one end and a circumferential end wall rim 4 at the other end. At one position around the periphery of the wall 2, two cooperating portions 2a and 2b of the peripheral wall 2 cooperate to form a slot 5 therebetween. The slot 5 has wide lateral portions 5a and a narrow middle portion 5b which may have no significant width in that the members 2a and 2b can be physically in contact at their middle portions. The member 2a has a curved edge and at its middle portion overlaps the member 2b on the inside, that is to say projects down the inner face of the member 2b.

[0013] The housing 6 shown in Figure 2 is very similar to the housing 1 of Figure 1 except that its two end walls 3, 4 are identical and the peripheral wall 2 is not complete in that the upper part is missing so that an open top housing is formed. The relationship between the members 2a and 2b which form part of the peripheral wall 2 is substantially the same as in Figure 1.

[0014] Figure 4 shows a roll 7 of bags being dispensed through the slot 5 with a leading bag 8 having already passed through the slot 5 and shows that the member 2a may have a smaller wall thickness than the member 2b if desired.

[0015] Figure 5 shows the leading bag 8 of a string of bags and a next following bag 9. Each bag 8, 9 has its bottom edge 10 leading, has gussets 11 indicated by dotted lines at the sides and has handles 12 at the trailing end connected at their upper edges to the bottom edge 10 of the next following bag. Between the handles 12 of the bag is an aperture 13 defined at its leading edge by an edge portion 14 forming the upper edge of a middle portion of the bag and at its trailing edge by a portion of the bottom edge 10 of the next following bag 9.

[0016] As the bags are dispensed in the direction indicated by the arrow 15 in Figure 5, they pass through the slot 5 and after the edge portion 14 passes the upper edge of the member 2b, the middle portion of the curved edge of the member 2a drops into the aperture 13 between the handles 12 of the bag and snags the middle portion of the bottom edge 10 of the next following bag 9. The lateral portions of the edge 10 can pass out through the wide portions 5a at the lateral sides of the slot 5 but checking the middle portion of the bottom edge 10 causes the bag 8 to tear off from the bag 9 at the perforations at the upper ends of the handles 12 leaving the lateral portions of the bottom edge 10 projecting from the wide portions 5a of the slot 5 ready to be grasped by the next customer so that that next bag can be pulled outwardly through the slot 5.

Claims

1. A plastics bag dispenser comprising a housing (1, 6) in which a roll (7) of bags can be supported, the housing incorporating two members (2a, 2b) between which the leading end of a string of bags from the roll (7) can be led, the two members (2a, 2b) being so shaped and disposed that between them they present a laterally extending slot (5) through which the bags of the roll can be drawn, the slot being wider at lateral portions (5a) thereof than at a middle portion (5b) thereof, at which middle portion (5b) one (2b) of the members is overlapped by the other (2a) of the members and said other (2a) of the members presents an edge portion to check dispensing movement of a middle portion in the width of the string of bags.

2. A plastics bag dispenser according to claim 1, in which the two members form wall portions of the housing in which the roll (7) of bags is supported and the slot (5) is formed between a straight edge on said one (2b) of the members and a curved edge on the other (2a) of the members with the two members (2a, 2b) substantially abutting at their middle portions and the curved edge of said other (2a) of the members overlapping the straight edge of said one (2b) of the members on the inside of the housing.

3. A plastics bag dispenser according to claim 2, in which the middle portion of the curved edge of said other (2a) of the members constitutes said edge portion and, upon dispensing of bags, projects into an aperture (13) formed in the string of bags between handles of (12) a bag

4. A plastics bag dispenser according to claim 3, in which the leading edge of the aperture (13) is defined by the upper edge (14) of a middle portion of the bag between the handles and the trailing edge of the aperture is defined by the bottom edge (10) of the next following bag (9) of the string.

5. A plastics bag dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the housing to support the roll of bags is a generally cylindrical shaped housing (1) with the longitudinal axis horizontal and the two members (2a, 2b) forming part of the curved configuration of the peripheral wall of the housing (1) with the slot (5) generally horizontally extending.

6. A plastics bag dispenser according to claim 5, in which the slot is provided at approximately the level of the centre of the cylindrical housing (1).

7. A plastics bag dispenser according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the cylindrical housing (1) has only one end wall (3) such that a new roll (7) of bags can be loaded into the housing by moving the roll in an axial direction into the housing (1).

8. A plastics bag dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the housing is an open top tray (6) with a semi-cylindrical bottom wall, in which a roll (7) of bags can be placed from above with the two members (2a, 2b) forming one side wall portion of the housing, one above the other with the slot (5) horizontal and formed at or little below the level of the centre of the roll (7) of bags when new.

9. A plastics bag dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the two members (2a, 2b) are formed of a transparent, rigid, plastics material of two to six millimetres thickness.

10. A method of dispensing bags from a plastics bag dispenser according to claim 4, in which upon pulling the leading bag of a string of plastics bags through the slot (5), the curved edge of said other (2a) of the members drops into the aperture (13) of the bag and the bottom edge (10) of the next following bag (9) of the string abuts the edge of the middle portion of said other (2a) of the members and checks the middle portion of said next following bag (9) while allowing lateral portions, that is to say the bottom corners of the bag, to be drawn out through the wider lateral portions of the slot, thereby to cause a dispensing force applied to the bag (8) to tear that bag (8) off from the next following bag (9) leaving the bottom corners of the next following bag (9) projecting from the slot (5) to be grasped by the next customer.

Drawing