Bag with tear-resistant handle

Flexible bags – Lifting or suspending element – Unitary with bag

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C383S903000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06231232

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a bag with a tear-resistant handle. The invention relates particularly to the formation of die-cut handles in heavy-duty bags made from single or multiple polyolefin materials, such as LD, HD, and LLD polyethylene, or other thermoplastic material, as well as other woven or nonwoven, synthetic or non-synthetic materials. Such bags are typically used to package materials such as salt, potting soil, small landscaping rocks, pet food, diapers, and similar materials. While the invention has particular application to bags with a capacity of from 10 to 50 pounds, the principle of the invention is applicable to bags of any size and style.
Conventional, heavy-duty bags of the prior art typically include a die-cut handle with a single lateral opening for receiving the hand of the user. This prior art design distributes the stress imposed on the bag handle to the top end of the bag. Due to the typically heavy weight of these bags and their contents, the force required to lift a bag by its handle when the bag is full or nearly full causes a considerable amount of stress at opposing ends of the handle, and, therefore, on the top end of the bag. In addition, the contents of the bag may jostle and shift while the bag is being carried by the handle such that the contents repeatedly impact the bottom of the bag interior, imposing more stress on the opposing ends of the handle and the top of the bag. These lifting and carrying stresses, especially when repeated, can easily tear the handle away from the top end of the bag, causing premature bag rupture and spillage of the bag contents. Such waste burdens manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers with unnecessary product and packaging replacement and clean-up expenses.
The present invention addresses these and other problems by providing a bag with a die-cut handle that better distributes the load of the bag when carried to resist tearing of the handle. The stresses imposed on the opposite ends of the handle when the bag is lifted by the handle and when the contents of the bag impact the bottom of the bag interior while the bag is being carried by the handle are transferred outwardly towards the sides of the bag rather than perpendicularly upward towards the top end of the bag. Distributing the lifting and carrying forces in this manner increases the life of the handle, thereby increasing the likelihood that the bag will maintain its structural integrity and general utility until it has served its intended purpose. The effect of this improvement over the prior art is a reduction in both the product waste and the packaging waste resulting from bag handle failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a bag with a handle that resists tearing when the bag is lifted and carried by the handle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a bag with a handle that distributes the load of the bag towards opposing sides of the bag, rather than perpendicularly upwardly towards the top end of the bag.
It is another object of the invention to provide a bag with a handle that, before tearing, withstands a high number of impacts by the bag contents against the bottom of the bag interior when the bag is lifted and carried by the handle.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a bag with first and second walls having joined first and second opposed side edges, a top end edge, a bottom end edge, and two spaced-apart seal lines adjacent the top end edge of the bag, the improvement comprising a tear-resistant, bag-supporting handle defined within the seal lines. The handle includes a hand-insertion slit defined of a middle slit portion situated parallel to both the top end edge and the bottom end edge of the bag and perpendicular to the side edges of the bag. In addition, the handle includes two arcuate end slit portions, a first end slit portion situated at a first end of the middle slit portion proximate to the first side edge of the bag and a second end slit portion situated at a second end of the middle slit portion proximate to the second side edge of the bag. The end slit portions each define an arc greater than or equal to 180 degrees. Each end slit portion extends greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees of arc below the middle slit portion toward the bottom end edge of the bag.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, each end slit portion defines an arc equal to 360 degrees that extends 0 degrees of arc below the middle slit portion toward the bottom end edge of the bag.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the arcs enclose spaces with center points measuring 3.50 inches apart.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, each end slit portion defines an arc equal to 180 degrees that extends 0 degrees of arc below the middle slit portion toward the bottom end edge of the bag.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, each end slit portion defines an arc greater than 180 degrees and less than or equal to 225 degrees. Each arc extends greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees of arc below the middle slit portion toward the bottom end edge of the bag.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, a bag is provided with first and second walls having joined first and second opposed side edges, a top end edge, a bottom end edge, and two spaced-apart seal lines adjacent the top end edge of the bag, the improvement comprising a tear-resistant, bag-supporting handle defined within the seal lines. The handle includes a hand-insertion slit defined of a first end and a second end measuring 3.50 inches apart and a middle slit portion situated parallel to both the top end edge and the bottom end edge of the bag and perpendicular to the side edges of the bag. In addition, the handle includes two arcuate end slit portions, a first end slit portion situated at a first end of the middle slit portion proximate to the first side edge of the bag and a second end slit portion situated at a second end of the middle slit portion proximate to the second side edge of the bag. The end slit portions each define an arc greater than or equal to 180 degrees. Each end slit portion extends greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees of arc below the middle slit portion toward the bottom end edge of the bag.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, a bag is provided with first and second walls having joined first and second opposed side edges, a top end edge, a bottom end edge, and two spaced-apart seal lines adjacent the top end edge of the bag, the improvement comprising a tear-resistant, bag-supporting handle defined within the seal lines. The handle includes a hand-insertion slit defined of a middle slit portion situated parallel to both the top end edge and the bottom end edge of the bag and perpendicular to the side edges of the bag. In addition, the handle includes two arcuate end slit portions, a first end slit portion situated at a first end of the middle slit portion proximate to the first side edge of the bag and a second end slit portion situated at a second end of the middle slit portion proximate to the second side edge of the bag. The end slit portions each define an arc equal to 360 degrees. Each end slit portion extends 0 degrees of arc below the middle slit portion toward the bottom end edge of the bag.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, each arc has a diameter of 0.5 inches.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, a first end of the slit and a second end of the slit are 3.50 inches apart.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, each arc has a radius of 0.38 inches and forms an inner arc with the middle slit portion, each inner arc having a radius of 0.25 inches.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2758782 (1956-08-01), Mengis

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