GB2314552A - Compartmented carrier bag for bottles - Google Patents

Abstract

A plastic bag suitable for carrying bottles has a single central compartment (4) extending in a median plane of the bag and plural end compartments (5) distributed across the median plane. The end compartments (5) can be made by creating a re-entrant fold (13) of the bag wall and joining it to the inside of the side wall at an upright join corresponding to the end of the central compartment. Handles (22) can be provided at the top of the central compartment walls. The bag is particularly suitable for carrying bottles.

Description

BAGS This invention relates to bags which are sub-divided into compartments. We particularly envisage that the bags could be used for carrying bottles.

It is also envisaged that the bags may be simply made from plastics sheet material, although the invention is not necessarily limited to that.

The general idea of sub-dividing carrier bags is not new. The main driving force for such developments has been the desire for a bag suitable for carrying more than one bottle. Bottles present certain special problems.

They are heavy, they tend to fall over and many are made of glass and are liable to break if they strike against one another. Partitioning of a bag, either by introducing extra partition walls or by fastening together the bag's side walls at spaced locations, can reduce the problems of falling and breakage. Another difficulty when carrying larger numbers of bottles is that they interfere with the legs of the person carrying them. This can make walking difficult and also increases the tendency for the bottles to strike against one another forcibly.

We now put forward new bag arrangements and ways of making a bag specially suitable for carrying larger numbers of bottles.

In one aspect we provide a sub-divided bag having a central compartment extending in a median plane of the bag and having a top opening, with at each end of the bag a set of end compartments (typically two) opposed to one another across the median plane. The bag handles may be provided at the top of the central compartment.

With this arrangement, each side of the bag when filled has a recess at the central compartment between the relatively projecting end compartments at each end of the bag on that side. This recess gives clearance for the user's leg and makes the bag more comfortable to hold. At the same time the bag can hold a large number of articles e.g. bottles. Each set of end compartments can take two, while the central compartment may be made to take e.g. one, two or three in-line. The central compartment may or may not be itself partitioned. We find that with a two-bottle central compartment a partition between them is not needed.

Another aspect relates to a way of arranging bag walls to achieve a compartmented arrangement, which may be as explained above in the first aspect. The bag wall has opposed central side portions defining a central compartment between them, closed at either end by a generally upright line of closure such as a seam. At each end of the bag beyond the closure of the central compartment is an end wall loop with a mid-portion having a re-entrant fold attached at or adjacent the closure of the central compartment so that each end wall defines two end compartments separated by the re-entrant fold.

In particular, the attachment of the re-entrant part of the end wall may be along an upright closure line which is adjacent and most preferably coincident with the closure of the central compartment.

In either aspect the bag may be made from plastics sheet material. Closure lines may be formed by heatsealing. At a given end of a bag a single heat-sealed line may bond the point of the re-entrant end wall fold to the side wall portions at either side and thereby form in one operation the closure of the central compartment and the creation of the end compartments.

Preferably the closures do not extend right down to the foot of the bag; a short open region is left facilitating expansion at the bottom of the bag to receive the bases of articles e.g. bottles.

An embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig 1 is a side view of a bottle-carrier bag laid out flat; Fig 2 is a section at X-X of Fig 1, showing the arrangement of walls in the bag; Fig 3 is a corresponding section showing the conditions of the walls when the bag is filled with bottles, and Fig 4 is a perspective view of the bag in an expanded condition.

This example is a bag designed to carry six bottles.

After the preferred fashion of modern carrier bag construction it is made from a single sheet or tube of plastics film. Any conventional bag film will do provided that it is selected to be of adequate strength for the anticipated load. A typical film thickness would therefore be 50 to 150 ssm. Low-density polyethylene is a suitable material. In this embodiment the film is a 110 ijm LDPE film.

Fig 4 shows that the bag has a single undivided central compartment 4, and a pair of end compartments 5 at each end of the bag. The central compartment 4 is a single undivided compartment of a size to take two bottles in-line with the bag's median plane, and with a snug fit.

As best seen from Figs 1 and 2, the compartments 4, 5 are created using closure lines e.g. heat-sealed seams 3 joining the bag walls to one another. Each side of the bag has a central rectangular wall portion 11 and vertical heat-seal lines 3 border this on either side to close off the central compartment 4. The nature of the seal lines 3 is best seen with reference to Fig 2 which shows that a re-entrant fold or gusset 13 of each of the bag's end wall portions 12 is brought back towards the middle of the bag and its extreme edge 14 implicated in the seal line 3. Fig 2 indicates by arrows A, B how, once the gusset 13 has been formed and positioned, a single heat-sealing operation using opposed heating elements from opposite sides of the bag can create a seal between the two sides of the gusset edge 14 and the respective opposed bag side walls. In this embodiment the seal does not weld the walls of the gusset 13 to one another and that is not necessay, but may be done if sufficient heating power is available.

In addition to being sealed to the side walls, there are other differences between this gusset construction and the side gusset of a conventional vest carrier.

Firstly the closure line 3 does not extend right down to the base of the bag. There is an open region, e.g. about 6 cm in vertical extent, where the compartments 4, 5 communicate. Secondly, the four bottom edges 15 at the gusseted end parts are not all sealed to one another.

The wall portions forming the respective end compartments 5 are free to move away from one another. These features have the result that a bottle can be inserted into the end compartments 5 to substantially the same depth as a bottle can be inserted into the central compartment 4, because the entire bottom area of the bag is able to flatten without damage or strain to the sealing lines 3.

Fig 3 illustrates the arrangement of six bottles 6 in the bag, and like Fig 4 shows how the centre of the bag is recessed relative to the laterally-projecting end compartments, giving better clearance for the leg of a person holding the bag. This is much more comfortable than a bag holding six bottles in a 3 x 2 arrangement using internal walls.

A handle 2 is provided at the top of each central wall portion 11. Because of the weight of bottles it is preferred to use discrete handle units rather than loops or holes cut in the bag material itself. The present embodiment uses high-strength semi-rigid plastics handle units having an arch 22 integral with a strip portion 21 which attaches to the bag material by known means. In this embodiment we also use fastener studs 23 of a known type enabling the two handle units to clip together.

The invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, but the skilled reader will of course be able to envisage variant constructions using the same principles.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS:

1. A sub-divided carrier bag having a central compartment extending in a median plane of the bag and having a top opening, and a set of end compartments at each end of the bag, distributed across the median plane.

2. A bag according to claim 1 in which bag handles are provided at the top of the central compartment.

3. A bag according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which there are two end compartments at each end of the bag, opposed to one another across the median plane.

4. A bag according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in which each end compartment is sized to hold a single bottle and the central compartment is sized to hold two or three similarly-sized bottles in-line in the median plane.

5. A bag according to any one of the preceding claims comprising opposed bag walls whose opposed central side portions define the central compartment, the central compartment being closed at either end by an upright line of closure between the opposed walls, and the end compartments being defined by an end wall loop having a mid-portion with a re-entrant fold attached at or adjacent the closure of the central compartment so as to form and separate two end compartments.

6. A bag substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.