Bag for collecting waste

Abstract

 A bag for collecting waste is described, preferably for collection of the wet part of domestic waste, made of paper with a substantially rigid or semi-rigid consistency, provided with one or more foldable upper flaps (33,35a,35b) protruding from the edge of the bag opening. The bottom of the bag is formed by a plurality of lower flaps (31c,31d,33c,W1) with shape complementary to the upper flaps.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a bag for collecting waste and, in particular, a bag which is particularly useful for separate collection of waste, for both the "dry" part and the "wet" part thereof.

[0002] Containers traditionally used for collecting waste include bags made of plastic polymers, in particular polyethylene or similar. Although they are strong, plastic bags are not biodegradable and disposal is therefore difficult and costly.

[0003] Furthermore, plastic bags cannot be used for "wet" waste, i.e. for organic waste or similar. In fact, these bags are not permeable to the air and consequently obstruct the circulation of oxygen towards the organic waste collected in them. The waste tends to quickly rot with consequent formation of unpleasant smells.

[0004] To permit the collection of organic waste, bags made of biodegradable raw materials, for example polymers obtained from maize starch, have recently come onto the market. Although they are almost totally biodegradable, this type of bag has insufficient permeability to the air.

[0005] For the collection of organic waste, the use of bags made of paper has also been proposed. These bags are substantially biodegradable and have excellent permeability to the air.

[0006] To strengthen it, the paper is rigid or semi-rigid, but this makes it difficult to insert and retain the bags in position in the respective bins (or baskets), buckets or stands that support them.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to make available a waste collection bag made of paper which can be easily inserted and retained in position in a bin.

[0008] A further object of the present invention is to make available a paper bag which can be used for collection of both the wet and dry parts of the waste.

[0009] A further object of the present invention is to make available a paper bag for collection of the wet part of the waste, provided with a bottom which is particularly resistant to the weight of the waste contained, resistant to any liquids released and able to retain said liquids for long periods.

[0010] A further object of the present invention is to make available a simple effective method for the production of a paper bag for the collection of waste.

[0011] These objects are achieved by the present invention by means of a bag for collecting waste, of the type made of substantially rigid or semi-rigid paper with at least one opening giving access to the inside of the bag, characterised in that it includes one or more foldable upper flaps protruding from the edge of the opening.

[0012] The upper flaps are preferably folded along the crease lines provided and, if the bag has a substantially prismatic shape when in an erect position, cover at least three sides of the quadrangular opening.

[0013] The upper flaps can protrude uniformly from the edge of the opening or can include portions with differentiated protrusions so as to adapt them to the various configurations of the most widely used bins.

[0014] Once folded, the upper flaps engage the bin in which the bag is inserted, for example the upper flaps overlap at least partly the upper edge of the bin. In other words the upper flaps provide effective anchoring of the bag to the bin. Due to the presence of the flaps, the bag opening is kept open, i.e. the bag does not tend to close due to the elasticity of the component material, i.e. the paper, and does not sag due to the weight of the content. This makes it easier for the user to place the waste inside the bag.

[0015] The bottom of the bag consists of a plurality of lower flaps which must be overlapped, at least partly, before being glued to the body of the bag. The bottom flaps are defined by suitable crease lines.

[0016] The bottom flaps are preferably differentiated elements protruding from the body of the bag in a complementary manner with respect to the foldable upper flaps provided on the opening. In other words the bottom flaps are elements that protrude to different extents from the transverse crease line that delimits the bottom of the bag. In the bag according to the present invention, the bottom is formed of flaps having different lengths, i.e. there will be a first group of flaps having a first length, a second group of flaps which are longer, etc..

[0017] The presence of a plurality of bottom flaps with different lengths offers various advantages in terms of mechanical strength of the bottom of the bag and liquid seal. Once the various portions of the die-cut blank that form the bag have been folded and glued as scheduled, the bottom flaps overlap one another at least partly, forming a barrier against the leakage of liquids. The bottom flaps partly overlap one another due to their different lengths starting from the lower crease line of the bag. By overlapping, the bottom flaps maximise the number of layers of material at the bottom of the bag, with obvious advantages as regards the mechanical resistance of the bottom to the weight of the waste.

[0018] The configuration of the bottom flaps also permits maximisation of the duration of the glue used for gluing the die-cut blank. The barrier which is created by overlapping and folding the bottom flaps at a different height prevents the liquids from reaching the glue spots, or at least greatly delays the progress of the liquids towards the glue spots. In the bag according to the present invention, the harmful solvent action of the liquids released by the waste on the glue used for the die-cut blank is minimised, or completely avoided.

[0019] The present invention furthermore concerns a method for the production of bags for the collection of waste, the bags being made of die-cut paper, characterised in that said bags are produced continuously, by die-cutting a strip of said paper to separate the bags in succession, and in that the die-cutting line between two successive bags separates one or more flaps designed to form the bottom of a first bag and one or more foldable upper flaps designed to protrude from the edge of the opening of a second bag.

[0020] The bag according to the present invention is obtained by continuous die-cutting of a strip of paper. The bags are separated in succession from the strip by the cut performed by the die. In particular, the portion designed to form the bottom of a first bag is separated from the portion designed to form the foldable upper flaps of a second bag. The portions of the bags thus separated are complementary.

[0021] When the paper strip is die-cut to form a new bag, the bottom flaps of said bag are separated from the foldable upper flaps of the following bag, at the level of the die-cutting line. In this way production of the bag is quick and simple.

[0022] In general the foldable upper flaps provided at the edge of the bag opening have a complementary form to the flaps that form the bottom of the bag.

[0023] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description, provided for nonlimiting illustrative purposes with reference to the attached schematic drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a plan view of a die-cut blank for a possible embodiment of a bag according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of a die-cut blank for a further possible embodiment of a bag according to the present invention;
• Figure 2A is a plane view of the die-cut blank of figure 2, folded;
• Figure 3 is a plan view of a die-cut blank for a further possible embodiment of a bag according to the present invention;
• Figure 3A is a plan view of the die-cut blank of figure 3, folded;
• Figure 4 is an elevation perspective view of a bag according to the embodiment of Figure 2, inserted in a supporting bin.

[0024] Figure 1 shows a die-cut blank for producing a substantially prismatic-shaped bag with rectangular base. A horizontal crease line 12 separates the portions 10 which form the bottom wall of the bag from the portions 20 which form a front wall, a rear wall and the side walls of the bag.

[0025] A plurality of vertical crease lines 15 permit the formation of a bag which can be folded according to a substantially flat configuration and then be set to an erect configuration, for example when it is used. On the upper part of the die-cut blank is a horizontal crease line 23 which makes a plurality of upper flaps 30a, 30b and 32 foldable so that said flaps can be at least partly overlapped with a corresponding edge of the container in which the bag is inserted.

[0026] The upper flaps 30a, 30b and 32 illustrated have a uniform height with respect to the crease line 23. The flaps 32 are separated from the respective adjacent flaps 30a and 30b by means of cut lines 39.

[0027] After the necessary folding and gluing phases, the bag in an erect condition will be provided with a foldable flap at the front (or rear) wall, formed by conjunction of the flaps 30a and 30b, and with foldable flaps 32 at the side walls. All the flaps will therefore have a uniform protrusion from the edge of the bag opening.

[0028] A further possible embodiment of a die-cut blank for a bag produced according to the present invention is shown in Figure 2, in which the details identical to Figure 1 are shown with the same numerical references.

[0029] In this embodiment the foldable upper flaps include portions with protrusions differentiated with respect to the crease line 23. In particular, the flaps 31a and 31b, which will form one single front (or rear) flap 31 (Figure 4), both have a portion with greater extension with respect to the rest of each flap. The flaps 31a and 31b can also be provided with respective crease lines 35a and 35b which permit further folding if necessary of the most protruding portions of each flap. This allows for adaptation of the configuration of the upper flaps to different bins in which the bags will be housed.

[0030] In the embodiment shown in figure 2 the bottom flaps are indicated by the reference numbers 31c, 33c, 31d, W1. Said bottom flaps 31c, 33c, 31d, W1 protrude at different lengths with respect to the lower crease line 50. It can be seen, in fact, that the lower line B of the die-cut blank in figure 2 has an extra level compared to line B of the die-cut blank shown in figure 1: a step is present between the bottom flaps 33c and 31d and the flaps 33c and 31c.

[0031] Figure 2A shows the die-cut blank of figure 2 in a folded configuration and before the final gluing. With reference to both figures 2 and 2A, the portion K is folded on the central portion W along the vertical crease line 15. The portion X is folded, along the relative vertical crease line, to overlap portion K. Portion Y is folded along the outer vertical crease line 15 to overlap portions W, K and X. The portions K and X are therefore compressed between the portions W and Y. The portion J is folded analogously to portion K. Portion I is folded analogously to portion X and portion H is folded analogously to portion Y. The result of the above folding operations is shown in figure 2A. The portions H and Y overlap at the level of the vertical band 70.

[0032] The portions of bag which are below the lower transverse crease line 50 define the bottom 10 of the bag, i.e. the horizontal base of the finished bag in an erect open configuration. The flaps 33c of the portions I and J overlap each other and both overlap the flap W1. The flap 31c overlaps the flaps 33c and the flap W1. Analogously the flaps 33c of the portions X and Y overlap each other and both overlap the flap W1. The flap 31d overlaps the flaps 33c and the flap W1.

[0033] The bottom portion 10 formed by the flaps W1, 31c, 33c, 31d is folded along the lower crease line 50 to adhere to the strip of glue 60 appropriately applied previously.

[0034] As can be observed in figure 2A, the flaps W1, 31c, 33c, 31d of the bottom 10 of the bag form a labyrinth for any liquids released by the waste contained in the bag, at the same time maximising the mechanical strength of the bottom 10, the liquid seal and the seal of the strip of glue 60.

[0035] Figure 3 shows another possible embodiment of a die-cut blank for a bag produced according to the present invention in which the adjacent bottom flaps 33c have different lengths with respect to the crease line 50. The details identical to those of Figures 1-2A are shown by the same numerical references. The portions H, I, J, W, K, X, Y of the die-cut blank of figure 3 are folded in an equivalent manner to the corresponding portions H, I, J, W, K, X, Y of the die-cut blank shown in figure 2.

[0036] Figure 3A shows the die-cut blank of figure 3 in a folded configuration and before the final gluing. It can be seen that the bottom flaps W1, 31c, 33c, 31d overlap one another on four layers, i.e. an extra layer is provided with respect to the three layers of the bottom 10 shown in figure 2A, thus further improving mechanical strength and liquid seal.

[0037] Whatever the embodiment, the paper material used to produce the bag according to the present invention is preferably totally biodegradable, having a rigid or semi-rigid consistency. Even more preferably, the material is made wholly or partly of recycled paper, for example having a grammage of approximately 80 g/m².

[0038] Figure 4 illustrates a bin 50 in which a bag 60 according to the present invention is partially inserted, made for example from the die-cut blank of Figure 2.

[0039] The bag 60 shown here has a parallelepiped shape with rectangular base, and has an opening 61 at the level of which foldable upper flaps 33 are provided corresponding to the side walls and a flap 31 corresponding to the front wall. When the bag is housed in its final position inside the bin 50, the flaps 31 and 33 are folded beyond the edge of a frame 55 on which a covering element (not shown) of the bin engages, so as to retain the bag 60 in position inside the same bin 50.

[0040] Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the upper flaps can also be provided on all the sides of the opening 61, and the portions of said flaps can also have other differentiated extensions, in terms of both shape and dimensions, with respect to those illustrated by way of example. In the same way, the bag in an erect position can also have a different shape with respect to the prismatic shape shown here, for example cylindrical, conical or similar, with flaps arranged wholly or partly along the perimeter of the opening.

[0041] Advantageously the upper flaps 31-33, engaging the upper edge of the bin 50, provide valid anchoring of the bag 60 and prevent the opening of the bag 60 from re-closing.

[0042] The bottom portion 10 of the bag is formed by a plurality of lower flaps designed to be folded and glued. For example, with reference to figure 2, the bottom portion is formed by the flaps 31c, 31d, 33c. The foldable flaps 31-33 provided at the edge of the opening of the bag 60 have a complementary shape with respect to the bottom flaps 31c, 31d, 33c, as can be seen by comparing the course of the upper line A and the course of the lower line B of the die-cut blank in figure 2. During production of the bag 60, the paper, preferably fed continuously, is die-cut at the level of the line A (which can be superimposed on line B), separating the bottom portion 10 of a first bag 60 from the portion of the opening of a second bag 60. In this way production of the bag 60 is quick and simple (the lines A and B are indicated by a thick outline). In fact the bottom portion and the portion of the opening are obtained by one single cut of the paper.

[0043] Preferably the bottom of the bag 60 consists of four different overlapped layers, each layer being formed by a flap. The layers are glued so as to be watertight. In other words the glue is uniformly distributed between the various layers, so as to prevent passage of the liquids formed by the waste decomposition processes.

[0044] The bottom is preferably of the "flat" type. The gluing of the final flap of the trapezoidal shoulder, also folded, gives the shoulder and the bag itself an excellent seal and optimal mechanical properties.

[0045] The advantages of the bag according to the present invention derive from the same inventive concept which consists in step-forming the flaps at the level of both the opening and the bottom. The bottom flaps and the foldable flaps of the bag opening are complementary in shape, because they are obtained with the cut of the same blade during the production phase.

Claims

1. Bag for collecting waste, of the type made of paper having a substantially rigid or semi-rigid consistency with at least one opening giving access to the inside of the bag, characterised in that it includes one or more foldable upper flaps (30a, 30b, 31a, 31b, 32, 33, 35a, 35b) protruding from the edge (23) of said opening (61).

2. Bag as claimed in claim 1, in which the bottom of the bag is formed by a plurality of lower flaps (31c, 31d, 33c, W1) folded and glued, having a complementary shape with respect to the shape of said foldable upper flaps (30a, 30b, 31a, 31b, 32, 33, 35a, 35b).

3. Bag as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the bottom of the bag is formed by a plurality of lower flaps which extend from the same transverse crease line (50) according to different lengths.

4. Bag as claimed in claim 3, in which a first pair (31c, 31d) of said lower flaps has a first length, at least one second pair (33c, 33c) of said lower flaps has a second length greater than the first length and a central lower flap (W1) has a third length greater than the second length.

5. Bag as claimed in any one of the claims 1-4, in which said upper and said bottom flaps can be folded along pre-set crease lines (23, 50).

6. Bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the surface of the bag is provided with pre-set crease lines (15) to bring the bag from a substantially flat configuration to an erect configuration.

7. Bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the bag in the erect configuration has a substantially prismatic form with said opening (61) positioned corresponding to one of the bases.

8. Bag as claimed in claim 5, in which the bag has a prismatic form with substantially quadrangular shape.

9. Bag as claimed in claim 6, in which said foldable upper flaps are arranged on at least three sides of the quadrangular opening.

10. Bag as claimed in claim 6, in which said foldable upper flaps are arranged on all four sides of the quadrangular opening.

11. Bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said foldable upper flaps protrude uniformly from the edge of said opening.

12. Bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said foldable upper flaps include portions with differentiated protrusions.

13. Bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said paper material is totally biodegradable.

14. Bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said paper material is produced wholly or partly with recycled paper.

15. Method for the production of bags for collecting waste, said bags being made of die-cut paper material, characterised in that said bags are produced continuously, die-cutting a strip of said paper material to separate the bags in succession, and in that the die-cutting line between two successive bags separates one or more lower flaps (31c, 31d, 33c, W1) designed to form the bottom (10) of a first bag and one or more foldable upper flaps (30a, 30b, 31a, 31b, 32, 33, 35a, 35b) designed to protrude from the edge of the opening (61) of a second bag.

16. Method as claimed in claim 15, in which said die-cutting line is stepped.

Drawing