TRANSFORMABLE FOLDABLE PAPER BAG

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/562,269 filed on Mar. 7, 2024, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the foldable and transforming paper bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prevalence of paper bags (a.k.a. brown bags) has become a ubiquitous item in shops and restaurants as a means of packaging and carrying food and goods. In the fast-food industry, these paper bags are extensively utilized for packaging meals for customers due to their cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. However, a significant challenge arises when consumers wish to consume their food directly out of these packaging. The limited surface area provided by the paper bags and even along with napkins included within them often proves inadequate for a comfortable setting and enjoyment of a sit-down meal. The traditional paper bag makes a very poor dining utensil. The napkins also have a tendency of being easily soaked.

Therefore, there is a need for innovative solutions that enhance the utility of the foldable paper bags in the context of fast-food consumption. Specifically, there is an opportunity to design a foldable paper bag that can be transformed into a proper dining utensil for consumers to place their food therewithin and eat out of. Such a design could revolutionize the way people carry and enjoy fast food on the go, providing a clean, tidy, and disposable transformable food container-dining utensil. This innovative approach would not only improve the user experience but also contribute to the overall sustainability and efficiency of fast-food packaging.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to address the shortcomings in the state of the art by providing a clean, tidy, and disposable transformable container for food and dining utensil.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a foldable paper bag that can be transformed is provided. The foldable paper bag includes two flat panels, two perforated panels, and a bottom panel, and each of the perforated panels connects the flat panels, and the bottom panel connects the flat panels and the perforated panels. The flat panels are parallel, and the perforated panels are parallel. The flat panels, the perforated panels, and the bottom panel form a tubular cavity. Each of the perforated panels has a first series of perforations, a second series of perforations, and a third series of perforations. The first series of perforations are arranged along a first straight line, which is parallel with a normal of a surface of the bottom panel in a carrying mode. The second series of perforations are arranged along a second straight line, and the third series of perforations are arranged along a third straight line. An end of the first straight line is adjacent to an opening of the foldable paper bag, and the other end of the first straight line is adjacent to an end of the second straight line and an end of the third straight line. Another end of the second straight line is connected to a side connecting the perforated panel and one of the flat panels, and another end of the third straight line is connected to another side connecting the perforated panel and another flat panel.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a foldable paper bag that can be transformed is provided. The foldable paper bag has two perforated panels that are parallel, and every perforated panel has perforations arranged in a vertically flipped “Y” shape. When the foldable paper bag is in an upright position, every arm of the vertically flipped “Y” shape is connected to one of the vertical edges of the perforated panel, and the leg of the vertically flipped “Y” shape is vertically extend towards the opening of the foldable paper bag.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, a foldable paper bag that can be transformed is provided. The foldable paper bag has two perforated panels that are parallel, and two flat panels that are parallel. Every perforated panel has perforations that divided the perforated panel into a front section, a back section, and a lower section. When the foldable paper bag is in an upright position, the front section is connected to the front flat panel, and the back section is connected to the back flat panel, and the lower section and a bottom panel of the foldable paper bag are connected.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, every perforated panel has a crease, and the crease extends vertically when the foldable paper bag is in an upright position, and the crease and the portion of the perforations that form a vertical straight line keep a gap in-between.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, every perforated panel has a notch on the edge that form the opening of the foldable paper bag, and the notch is aligned with a portion of the perforations that is vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag is in an upright position.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the foldable paper bag is made of paper, and the orientation of the paper is grain long.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the perforated panel has a hole form on the vertical edge, and the hole is aligned with portion of the perforations that is not vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag is in an upright position.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the foldable paper bag is made of paper that has a basis weight ranging from 80 to 100 grams per square meter.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the foldable paper bag is crafted from Kraft paper.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the perforated panel has a hole form between the perforations and the opening of the foldable paper bag, and the hole is aligned with portion of the perforations that is vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag is in an upright position.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the perforated panel has a hole, and the hole is located at the position where the first, second, and third straight lines meet.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the perforated panel has a hole, and the hole is located at the junction of the vertically flipped “Y” shaped.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the perforated panel has a hole, and the hole is located at the position where the front, the back, and the lower sections meet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are described in more details hereinafter with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a foldable paper bag in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a front view of the foldable paper bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a rear view of the foldable paper bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a left-side view of the foldable paper bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a right-side view of the foldable paper bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 depicts a bottom view of the foldable paper bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a top view of the foldable paper bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic view of a die-cut of a foldable paper bag in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of a foldable paper bag in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of a foldable paper bag in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, details of the present invention are set forth as preferred embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications, including additions and/or substitutions may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Specific details may be omitted so as not to obscure the invention; however, the disclosure is written to enable one skilled in the art to practice the teachings herein without undue experimentation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable paper bag of an embodiment. In this embodiment, the foldable paper bag 1 has two flat panels 10, 12, two perforated panels 11, 13, and a bottom panel 14. The perforated panel 11 connects the flat panels 10, 12 at one edge, and the perforated panel 13 connects the flat panels 10, 12 at the other parallel edge. The bottom panel 14 connect the perforated panels 11, 13, and the flat panels 10, 12. The flat panels 10, 12 are parallel, ant the perforated panels 11, 13 are parallel. The flat panels 10, 12, the perforated panels 11, 13 and the bottom panel form a tubular cavity.

The perforated panel 11 has a plurality of perforations 114. To be specific, the perforated panel has the first series of perforations 114A, the second series of perforations 114B, and the third series of perforations 114C. The first series of perforations 114A are arranged along a first straight line, which is parallel with a normal of a surface of the bottom panel 14 in a carrying mode. In the carrying mode, the foldable paper bag 1 is opened and in an upright position.

The second series of perforations 114B are arranged in a second straight line, and the third series of perforations 114C are arranged along a third straight line. An end of the first straight line is adjacent to an opening 15 of the foldable paper bag 1, and the other end of the first straight line is adjacent to an end of the second straight line and an end of the third straight line. In other words, the first, the second and the third straight line that are defined by the locations of these perforations 114 substantially meet at a lower part of the perforated panel 11.

Another end of the second straight line, which is defined by the second series of the perforations 114B, is connected to a side or edge connecting the perforated panel 11 and the flat panel 10. Another end of the third straight line, which is defined by the third series of the perforations 114C, is connected to another side or edge connecting the perforated panel 11 and the flat panel 12.

In this embodiment, the perforated panel 11 has perforations 114 arranged in a vertically flipped “Y” shape. When the foldable paper bag 1 is in the upright position, every arm of the vertically flipped “Y” shape is connected to one of the vertical edges of the perforated panel 11, and the leg of the vertically flipped “Y” shape is vertically extend towards the opening 15 of the foldable paper bag.

In this embodiment, the perforations 114 on perforated panel 11 divide the panel 11 into a front section 110, a back section 111, and a lower section 112. When the foldable paper bag 1 is in the upright position, the front section 110 is connected to the front flat panel 10, and the back portion 111 is connected to the back flat panel 12, and the lower section 112 is connected to the bottom panel 14.

The perforated panel 11 of this embodiment has a crease 113. The crease 113 extends vertically when the foldable paper bag is in an upright position. The crease 113 and the portion of the perforations (i.e., the first series of perforations 114A) that form a vertical straight line keep a gap in-between. The first straight line defined by the first series of perforations 114A do not intersect with the crease 113.

Moreover, the position or a structure on the perforated panel 11 where the first, second, and third straight lines meet also keep a distance from the crease 113.

The perforated panel 11 of this embodiment has a notch 115 on the edge that form the opening 15 of the foldable paper bag 1. The notch 115 is align with a portion of the perforations (i.e., the first series of perforations 114A) that is vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag 1 is in an upright position.

The notch 115 is a V-shape cut in the edge of the perforated panel 11. To be specific, on the edge of the perforated panel 11, there is a distinctive V-shaped notch 115. This small incision creates a symmetrical indentation resembling the letter “V”, characterized by two converging lines that meet at a point, forming an acute angle pointing towards the perforations 114A, to function as a tear starter properly.

In some embodiments, the foldable paper bag 1 is made of paper, and the orientation of the paper is grain long. The fibers of the paper run parallel to the longer dimension of the perforated panels 11, 13 and flat panels 10, 12.

In some embodiments, the perforated panel 11 has a hole 116 form on the vertical edge, and the hole 116 is aligned with portion of the perforations (i.e., the second series of the perforations 114B) that is not vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag 1 is in an upright position. The perforated panel 11 has a hole 117 form on the other vertical edge, and the hole 117 is aligned with portion of the perforations (i.e., the second series of the perforations 114C) that is not vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag 1 is in an upright position.

In some embodiments, the hole 116 has a semicircle shape on the perforated panel 11, which abuts another semicircle shape hole formed on the flat panel 10. In a die-cut of the foldable paper bag 1, these two holes form a complete circle, which improve the efficiency of the manufacture of the foldable paper bag 1 easier, and the hole 116 can stop the tearing when user is tearing the perforated panel 11 along the second series of the perforations 114B.

In some embodiments, the foldable paper bag 1 is made of paper that has a basis weight that is 80 grams per square meter. In some other embodiments, the paper has a basis weight ranges from 80 to 100 grams per square meter.

In some embodiments, the foldable paper bag 1 is made of Kraft paper.

In some embodiments, the perforated panel 11 has a hole 118 form between the perforations 114 and the opening 15. The hole 118 is aligned with portion of the perforations (i.e., the first series of the perforations 114A) that is vertically arranged when the foldable paper bag is in an upright position. To be specific, the hole 118 is located between at an end of the first series of the perforations 114A and the notch 115.

In some embodiments, the perforated panel 11 has a hole 119, and the hole 119 is located at the position where the first, second, and third straight lines meet. In other words, the first, the second, and the third series of the perforation 114A, 114B, 114C extend towards the hole 119.

In this embodiment, the hole 119 is in the shape of a quadrilateral, where the top angle is aligned with the first series of the perforations 114A. One of the side angles is aligned with the second series of the perforations 114B, and the remaining side angle is aligned with the third series of the perforations 114C. When a user tears the perforated panel 11 from an end of the first series of the perforations 114A, the hole 119 can change the direction of tearing easily.

In other words, when the perforations 114 define the vertically flipped “Y” shape, the hole 119 is located at the junction of the vertically flipped “Y” shaped.

In other words, the hole 119 is locate at the position where the front, the back, and the lower sections 110, 111, 112 meet.

In the embodiments above, the perforations are a plurality of small hole in the surface of the foldable paper bag 1. The upright position of the foldable paper bag 1 means the foldable paper bag 1 is standing up-straight while the opening 15 is facing upward, and the bottom panel 14 serves as a base touching the floor or table where the foldable paper bag 1 is disposed.

In the embodiments above, the perforations 114 are configured to be tear along its arrangement, and the straight lines defined by these perforations 114 intersect with the crease no more than once on every perforated panel.

FIG. 9 show one of the states when the perforations are torn, and the foldable paper bag 1 can be opened. The flat panels 10, 12 can be in-folded from the end near the opening 15 of the foldable paper bag 1. FIG. 10 show another state when the perforations are torn and the foldable paper bag 1 is unfolded. The foldable paper bag offers a broad and suitable surface for users to place their food or groceries, and a compartment is provided to contain any sauce, fries, fingerfood, or granular materials such as salts or sugar.

While the present disclosure has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments thereof, these descriptions and illustrations are not limiting. The illustrations may not necessarily be drawn to scale. There may be distinctions between the illustrations in the present disclosure and the actual apparatus due to manufacturing processes and tolerances. There may be other embodiments of the present disclosure which are not specifically illustrated. Modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, method, or process to the objective and scope of the present disclosure. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. While the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations are not limitations.