GB2234738A

GB2234738A - Bag dispenser

Info

Publication number: GB2234738A
Application number: GB8916025A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Kennedy Martin; Paul Hartley
Original assignee: Welton Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: Rexam FW Ltd
Priority date: 1989-07-13
Filing date: 1989-07-13
Publication date: 1991-02-13
Also published as: GB8916025D0

Abstract

A bag dispenser comprises a bundle of carrier bags, and a carton (1) containing the bundle of bags. The carton (1) has attachment means (5) engaging a marginal portion of the bundle to retain the bundle within the carton, each of the bags being removable from the bundle by severing the bag. <IMAGE>

Description

A Bag Dispenser and a Method of Dispensing Carrier Bags.

This invention relates to a bag dispenser and to a method of dispensing carrier bags.

It is common practice for stores to provide carrier bags of plastics material at checkout counters.

Particularly where large volumes of goods pass through the checkout, a large number of carrier bags is required and a problem arises in making these readily available to the customer.

Various systems for dispensing bags have been devised. In one known system, the carrier bags are manufactured in bundles with the bags separably joined together. The bags are dispensed at the checkout from a display stand having two parallel arms which extend through holes in the bundle, to support the bundle. A bag is removed from the stand by withdrawing it from the ends of the arms at the same time separating it from the adjacent bag in the bundle. When all the bags have been dispensed a new bundle of bags must be removed from the carton in which it is supplied and threaded onto the arms of the display stand. However, because the plastics bags are slippery and awkward to handle, replenishing the stand is difficult and may take some considerable time.Since it may be necessary to replenish the stand at frequent intervals the use of the dispensing system can, in practice, lead to delays and actually slow down the rate at which customers pass through the checkout. Further, such a dispensing system requires the provision of a separate display stand.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bag dispenser and a method of dispensing carrier bags that mitigates at least some of the above problems.

According to the present invention there is provided a bag dispenser comprising a bundle of carrier bags, and a carton containing the bundle of bags, which carton has attachment means engaging a marginal portion of the bundle to retain the bundle within the carton, each of the bags being removable from the bundle by severing the bag along at least one line of weakness associated with the bag and positioned within or adjacent to the marginal portion of the bundle.

The attachment of the bundle of bags to the carton, to form a complete bag dispenser unit obviates the need for a separate bag dispenser device. Further, since the bags are already attached to the carton in the form in which it is supplied to the store, it is not necessary repeatedly to replenish the dispenser with bundles of bags. Instead, when all the bags in one carton have been dispensed, the dispenser is simply discarded and replaced with a new, full bag dispenser.

The dispensing of bags at a checkout counter is thereby made simple and fast, enabling customers to pass through the checkout without delay.

The bundle of bags may have an opening adjacent to an edge thereof, the marginal portion being defined between the opening and the edge, the attachment means comprising a member that passes around the marginal portion of the bundle and through the opening. Advantageously, the member is part of the carton and is in the form of a strip, the free end of which passes around the marginal portion of the bundle and is secured to a wall of the carton. The member may be provided on its free end with a tab which engages a slot in a wall of the carton.

Advantageously, at least one side of the carton is closed and may be opened to provide access to the bags. The openable side may comprise one or more flap members which may be opened out to provide access to the bags, or alternatively may include at least one panel which may be separated from the carton to provide access to the bags.

The carton may include means for mounting on a display stand.

Each of the bags may be removable from the bundle by severing the bag along lines of weakness provided at opposite ends of the marginal portion, the removed bag being separate from the marginal portion of the bundle, or by severing the bag along one line of weakness provided in the marginal portion, the removed bag including its respective part of the marginal portion of the bundle. The bags may be vest-style carrier bags.

Alternatively, the bags may be removable from the bundle by severing the bag along a line of weakness which extends around the marginal portion and forms a boundary between the marginal portion and the remainder of the bundle, the removed bag being separate from the marginal portion of the bundle.

The lines of weakness may be defined by perforations.

The invention further provides a method of dispensing a carrier bag, wherein a bag dispenser as described above is placed at the position where the bags are to be dispensed, and the bags are dispensed directly from the carton.

The dispenser may be mounted on a display stand at the dispensing position.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carton for bags, having one side flap removed, and Figures 2, 3 and 4 are front views of bundles of bags having three different arrangements of perforations.

Referring first to Figure 1, the bag dispenser includes a carton 1 consisting of a shallow cardboard box, the front side of which may be opened by bending back two flaps 2 about the side edges 3 of the carton (only one of the flaps being shown in the drawing).

Extending from the top side 4 of the carton 1 is a rectangular strip of cardboard 5 which is bent downwards at the front edge of the carton and then towards the rear of the carton to form a loop.

The loop serves as an attachment means for retaining the bundle of bags in the carton 1. The free end 6 of the strip is provided with a tab (not shown) that engages a slot in the rear side 7 of the carton 1, and is secured with glue or adhesive tape.

Two keyhole-shaped holes 8 are provided in the rear side 7 of the carton, for mounting the carton on a display stand.

Bundles of bags suitable for use with the carton 1 are shown in figures 2, 3 and 4. The bundle shown in figure 2 comprises, typically, 200 vest-style plastics carrier bags, each of which has a lower bag part 9 and a pair of upstanding handles 10 joined across their tops by an integral cross member 11.

Two lines of perforations 12 are provided, one at each end of the cross member 11, to enable the cross member to be separated from the remainder of the bag.

The cross members 11 of the bags may be joined to one another, for example by one or more welds extending through the bundle of bags.

The bundle of bags is located within the carton 1 with the cross member 11 adjacent the top side 4 of the carton, and is attached to the carton by the strip of cardboard 5 which passes around the cross member and through the opening 13 between the handles 10.

In use, the bag dispenser is supplied to the store with the bundle of bags already attached within the carton 1. The flaps 2 are at the time of delivery closed to protect the bags and to make transportation easier. When the bags are required, the carton 1, which may be one of a supply kept at the checkout counter or at a central store, is opened by folding back the two flaps 2 in the manner of doors to provide access to the bags. The bag dispenser may then simply be placed on the checkout counter, or may alternatively be mounted on a display stand by inserting suitable projections through the holes 8 in the rear side 7 of the carton 1, or by standing the carton in a suitable supporting structure.

The bag dispenser is then ready for use, and when a bag is required the customer pulls the front bag away from the carton 1, causing tearing along the lines of perforations 12 so that the bag itself is removed and the cross member 11 of the bag remains attached to the bundle within the attachment strip 5 of the carton.

When all the bags have been dispensed, the empty carton 1 is simply discarded and replaced with a new, full, bag dispenser.

Fig. 3 shows a bundle of bags having a second arrangement of perforations. In this case there is a single line 12 of perforations, each running down the cross member 11 at the centre thereof across its entire width. In this case the cross members 11 of the bags in a bundle are not joined together. Thus a bag can be removed from the dispenser by simply pulling the bag itself away from the carton 1, causing tearing along the line 12 of perforations, so that the bag and cross member is removed with opposite halves of the cross member 11 remaining fixed to respective handles 10.

Fig. 4 shows a third arrangement of perforations being used on a bag that is not a vest-style bag but rather has a punched out handle. In this case the bag does not have upstanding handles but has a handle built into the bag part 9 by providing an aperture 14 through the top of the bag. Such bags are well known. In this case there is an upper extension 15 provided as an integral part of the bag the extension having upwardly extending side portions 16 and a transverse cross member 17. An opening 18 is defined between the cross member 17 and the top of the bag part 9. It will be understood that the cross member 17 and side portions 16 correspond to the cross member all and handles 10 respectively of the bags of Figs.

2 and 3 and that the attachment strip 5 is positioned around the cross member 17. In the case of the arrangement of Fig. 4 there are two lines 12 of perforations, each at the boundary between a respective side portion 16 and the bag part 9. The cross members 17 of the bags in the bundle are all joined together, for example by one or more welds extending through the bundle of bags. Thus, a bag can be removed from the dispenser by simply pulling the bag part 9 away from the carton l, causing tearing along both of the lines 12 of perforations, so that the bag part 9 is removed from the bundle and the cross member 17 and side portions 16 remain with the bundle.

Various modifications of the carton 1 are possible. For example, instead of the openable flaps 2, the carton 1 may be provided with one or more panels which may be removed to provide access to the bags.

Perforations may be used to define lines of weakness along which the panels can be separated from the carton, which lines may extend along the side edges 3 of the carton, through the side walls to form cut-away sides to the carton, or may define an aperture in the front wall of the carton.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A bag dispenser comprising a bundle of carrier bags, and a carton containing the bundle of bags, which carton has attachment means engaging a marginal portion of the bundle to retain the bundle within the carton, each of the bags being removable from the bundle by severing the bag along at least one line of weakness associated with the bag and positioned within or adjacent to the marginal portion of the bundle.

2. A bag dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the bundle of bags has an opening adjacent to an edge thereof, the marginal portion being defined between the opening and the edge, the attachment means comprising a member that passes around the marginal portion of the bundle and through the opening.

3. A bag dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the member is part of the carton and is in the form of a strip, the free end of which passes around the marginal portion of the bundle and is secured to a wall of the carton.

4. A bag dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the member is provide on its free end with a tab which engages a slot in a wall of the carton.

5. A bag dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one side of the carton is closed and may be opened to provide access to the bags.

6. A bag dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the openable side comprises one or more flap members which may be opened out to provide access to the bags.

7. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the openable side includes at least one panel which may be separated from the carton to provide access to the bags.

8. A bag dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the carton includes means for mounting on a display stand.

9. A bag dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which each of the bags is removable from the bundle by severing the bag along lines of weakness provided at opposite ends of the marginal portion, the removed bag being separate from the marginal portion of the bundle.

10. A bag dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 7, in which each of the bags is removable from the bundle by severing the bag along one line of weakness provided in the marginal portion, the removed bag including its respective part of the marginal portion of the bundle.

11. A bag dispenser according to claim 8 or 9, in which the bags are vest-style carrier bags.

12. A bag dispenser according to any of claims 1 to 7, in which each of the bags is removable from the bundle by severing the bag along a line of weakness which extends around the marginal portion and forma a boundary between the marginal portion and the remainder of the bundle, the removed bag being separate from the marginal portion of the bundle.

13. A bag dispenser according to any preceding claim in which the lines of weakness are defined by perforations.

14. A bag dispenser substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of dispensing a carrier bag, wherein a bag dispenser according to any preceding claim is placed at the position where the bags are to be dispensed, and the bags are dispensed directly from the carton.

16. A method according to claim 15 when dependent on claim 8, wherein the dispenser is mounted on a display stand at the dispensing position.

17. A method of dispensing a carrier bag, the method being substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.