CARRIER INCLUDING HANDLE AND ATTACHMENT

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This non-provisional application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/653,514, filed on May 30, 2024, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.

BACKGROUND

Many products are packaged in sealed packages. Some packages include handles which are fixed to the package by adhesives such as glue dots or adhesive tape. Adhesives often lose their adherence when temperatures rise, so the packages using adhesives to secure the handles are sensitive to high temperature. Further, it is difficult to affix permanently using adhesives to packages containing cool or cold products (e.g., products that must be refrigerated). Glue dots do not adhere well to refrigerated or moist packaging. Thus, adhesive handles are also sensitive to low temperatures. Often multiple pieces of adhesive tape must be used to secure the handle and the products. For example, two pieces of adhesive tape may secure the handle to two packages and an additional piece of adhesive tape may be fixed to the bottom of the two packages to prevent the adhesive tape securing the handle from being dislodged by ordinary movement from transporting the two attached packages.

Further, attaching handles using adhesives to soft packaging is difficult to automate and applying the handles using adhesives by hand is labor intensive and costly. Handles attached by adhesives are also not reliably reusable.

Other methods of connecting packages together also exist with additional flaws. For example, heat shrink wrap can attach packages together, but it is unattractive and can obscure writing on the packages. Tensioned plastic bands are also unattractive and can obscure portions of the package by covering or crimping/wrinkling the packaging. Equipment for fused tops on gusseted pouches currently do not exist for liquid filled pouches. Heat sealing two or more pouches/packages together makes them unstable, unattractive and incompatible with existing packaging machines. A plastic strap that is heat sealed to the top of one or more pouches has also been tried. However, this method is difficult to automate and is unattractive. Further, none of these methods are reusable.

Some packages do not attach handles and instead have holes placed in them for a person to grasp the bag. This is generally done by having a significant amount of material extend beyond a sealed portion containing the product with the hole placed in the material extending beyond the sealed portion. This results in inefficient use of the material.

Thus, there have not been options for handles for sealed bags of products which are efficient in the use the material of the bag, insensitive to temperature, attractive and reusable.

SUMMARY

The present application provides a carrier which includes a handle and attachment for one or more sealed bags or other objects. The carrier may be made of inexpensive materials and is reusable. The attachment may be inserted through one or more slits in a material forming the sealed bag requiring far less material to extend beyond the sealed portion of the bag than would be necessary to create a handle from the material. The carrier does not rely on adhesives and may be made of a material which is significantly less heat sensitive than adhesives which are currently used to attach handles to bags.

Some example embodiments allow for multiple packages to be secured together. Securing multiple packages together provides several advantages such as increased material storage density (i.e., how many individual package units you can fit on a pallet), significant reduction in plastic material, environmental and social governance (ESG) gains, premium shelf appeal, and reduced shipped weight.

The carrier may include a handle; and at least one prong attached to the handle, the at least one prong being attached to the handle such that a first portion of the prong extends in a first direction from an attachment point to the handle and a second portion of the prong extends in a second direction from the attachment point, the second direction being opposite the first direction. When the carrier is not under tension, a gap between the handle and the first portion of the prong exists.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a carrier with two attachments and two prongs on each attachment;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a carrier with two attachments;

FIG. 3 shows a carrier with two attachments and three prongs on each attachment;

FIG. 4 shows a carrier with four attachments;

FIG. 5 shows a carrier with six attachments;

FIG. 6 shows a carrier with one attachment;

FIG. 7 shows a first side view of an attachment attached to a sealed bag;

FIG. 8 shows a second side view of an attachment attached to a sealed bag; and

FIG. 9 shows an attachment with one prong and including a stopper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments shown in the drawings are intended only as examples. Changes and variations may be made based on the principles discussed below.

FIG. 1 shows a carrier 100 with two attachments 120 and two prongs 121 on each attachment 120. FIG. 2 shows a side view of a carrier 100 with two attachments 120. The carrier 100 may include a handle 110 extending between the two attachments 120. The handle 110 may have dimensions which are suitable for a human hand to grasp the handle 110. The handle 110 may split into multiple shanks 115 to attach to each prong 121 of the attachment 120 such that there is a gap 105 between each prong 121 in the attachment 120. Each shank 115 on a first side of the handle may extend parallel to the other shanks on the first side of the handle. Each shank 115 on a second side of the handle may extend parallel to the other shanks on the second side of the handle. The shanks being parallel causes the lines where the prongs attach to the shanks 115 to be parallel which causes force to be distributed evenly along the prong attachment lines when the carrier 100 is attached to an object and under tension (e.g. being lifted).

The width of the gap may be chosen by the properties of the material to which the attachment 120 is designed to attach. For example, if a woven material such as canvas or burlap is the material of the sealed package, the gap 105 may be about 1 inch or greater such that the slits through which the prongs 121 enter in the material are sufficiently distanced to not compromise the structure of the material and cause a tear in the material when the package is lifted by the handle 110. For materials which are uniform such as plastic packaging, a smaller gap 105 may be used (e.g., 0.5 inches). The width of the gap 105 and width of the prongs 121 may be chosen based on the material of the package and the weight of the package. Also, the material of the carrier 100 may be chosen based on the weight of the package. For example, for packages under about 20 pounds a carrier made of an inexpensive plastic such as softened polyethylene may be used. The use of inexpensive materials for the carrier compared to using additional material for forming handles or having non-reusable adhesively attached handles may reduce the cost of transporting packages. For packages of greater weight more durable plastics or even metal may be used based on the weight of the package.

The prongs 121 may be attached to the shanks 115 at a point 122 in approximately the middle of the prong 121 (e.g., within 10% of the total length of the prong from the middle). A first portion 124 of the prong 121 may extend in a first direction from the point 122, and a second portion 126 of the prong 121 may extend in a second direction, opposite the first direction, from the point 122. The prong 121 may thus form a barb like structure such that when the entire prong 121 is inserted through a slit in the material of the package a gap exists between the first portion of the prong 124 and the shank 115 when the carrier is not under tension. The carrier 100 may be made of a sufficiently flexible material such that the gap between the first portion of the prong 124 and the shank 115 can be reduced or eliminated under tension without damaging the carrier 100. After insertion of the prong, when the handle 110 is pulled upward the material of the package will enter the gap between the first portion of the prong 124 and the shank 115 and be supported by the prong 121 such that the package can be lifted by the handle 110. The second portion of the prong 121 provides a guide for inserting the prong 121 in a slit in the material and also prevents the attachment 120 from rotating relative to the slit in the material to prevent the package from sliding off or being bumped off the attachment 120.

The shape of the prongs 121 causes the forces experienced by the packaging material to be shear forces and not tear forces, leveraging the strengths of most packaging material which are durable to shear forces. The prongs 121 may be flat in a first plane connected along a straight line in the first plane. The prongs 121 may have an oval shape in the first plane, or a square shape with rounded corners. Prongs 121 on opposite sides of the handle 110 may face each other. Facing each other may include being parallel to each other or within about 30 degrees of parallel to each other when the carrier 100 is not under tension. The line of attachment for each prong 121 may be parallel or about parallel (e.g. within 10 degrees of parallel). The handle 110 and the shank 115 forming a (upside-down from the perspective of FIG. 1) ‘U” shape with the prongs on the interior of the ‘U’ shape. The attachment 120 including two or more prongs 121 and thus multiple attachment points to also prevents carrier 100 from rotating relative to the package. Thus, the handle 110 is maintained in a vertical position for easy grasping and the stress on the packaging (from an angled lift where tension would be focused on a corner of the point 122 rather than the entire attachment point 122) is reduced. The reduction in movement also makes it unnecessary to attach packages along the bottom or in other places with adhesive tape. Thus, the process of securing the packages together may be simplified, reducing assembly time and cost.

The barb like structure allows for the prongs 121 to be easily inserted through the packaging by a machine in an automated fashion. For example, the machine can punch slits in the packaging and then insert the prongs 121 of the carrier 100 through the slits to secure the carrier 100 to the package. The prongs 121 may be attached to the shanks 115 of the handle 110 such that the prongs 121 can rotate relative to the shanks 115 of the handle 110 such that the gap between the shanks 115 of the handle 110 and the first portion of the prong 121 is capable of reducing in size under tension, such as when the prongs 121 are pushed through a slit in the material of the packaging. The material of the packaging provides the force to provide tension on the prongs 121 and shanks 115 of the handles to cause the gap to decrease in size. After the prongs 121 are through the slit the tension is released because the material is no longer providing a force on the prongs and handle and the gap is restored to its non-tensioned size.

Each attachment 120 may be attached to a different package or alternatively, both attachments may be attached to the same package with the handle 110 flexing to allow the attachments to be side by side on the package. The handle 110 may be designed with a curve specific to the size of the packages. Tension applied by the carrier's 100 innovative design holds soft packaging straight upright as it would be presented in a single package display for improved display, product packaging information readability and marketing. Additionally, the carrier 100 is ergonomic and elegant, adding to the premium appeal of the product being merchandised.

The prongs 121 may also be inserted into slits in other objects other than sealed packages so that the attachments 120 attach to the other objects. For example, the carrier can be attached via slits on opposite side of a plastic, wood, or metal container (e.g., a storage bin, a kennel, or a crate) such that the carrier 100 arches over the container and acts as a handle for the container.

The handles 110 may be used to suspend attached packages across a bar or other similar structure. Thus, packages can be vertically stored or displayed without crushing each other. Because there is no need to secure the bottom of the packages using the carrier 100, the packages can be easily lifted on and off the bar.

FIG. 3 shows a carrier 100 with two attachments 120 and three prongs 121 on each attachment 120. The carrier 100 may include any number of prongs 121 on each attachment 120. For example, each attachment may include three or four or five prongs 121. Having multiple prongs 121 helps to disperse the load of carrying the package over a greater area and reduce the risk of tearing the material of the package. This eliminates the need in most circumstances of reenforcing the material of the package and reduces cost of manufacture. If the material of the package is not sturdy enough for two prongs 121 to hold the package without tearing, three or four prongs 121 may allow the package to be lifted without tearing or overly stretching the material. The area of the attachment 120 that bears on the edge of the slot in the pouch/package material may also be carefully radiused to reduce stress and tear propagation.

FIG. 4 shows a carrier 100 with four attachments 120. The four attachments 120 are arranged with two attached to each of two handles 110. Each handle 110 and directly attached attachments 120 may be called a carrier strap. The handles 110 may be secured by a pin 112 passing through the two handles 110 or another mechanism for securing objects together. Any number of handles 110 may be attached via the pin 112. Each attachment 120 may be about 90 degrees from each adjacent attachment 120 (e.g., within about 9 degrees of 90 degrees). The carrier 100 with four attachments 120 may attach to four different packages or may attach to four sides of an object. The handles 110 may be able to rotate relative to the pin 112 such that the angle between attachments 120 can be changed. The carrier 100 with four attachments 120 may form a carrousel effect for four packages attached to the carrier 100.

FIG. 5 shows a carrier 100 with six attachments 120. The six attachments 120 are arranged with two attached to each of three handles 110. The handles may be secured by a pin 112 passing through the three handles 110 or another mechanism for securing objects together. The six attachments 120 may be arranged with a larger gap between two adjacent attachments 120, compared to the distance between two other adjacent attachments 120, to allow a human hand to more comfortably fit through to grasp the handles 110. The handles 110 may be able to rotate relative to the pin 112 such that the angle between the attachments can be changed. The carrier 100 with six attachments 120 may attach to six different packages or may attached to six sides of an object. Carriers 100 may also have any number of attachments 120. For example, for lifting a large cylinder a carrier with 10 attachments may be used to distribute the weight over a greater number of prongs 121 and handles 110. The number of attachments 120 may be chosen based on the weight and durability of the materials of the carrier and the package/container/object.

FIG. 6 shows a carrier 100 with one attachment 120. The handle 110 of the carrier 100 may form a loop, ring, or tee and secure to itself to make lifting using the handle more comfortable to a human hand than lifting using a strap.

FIG. 7 shows a first side view of an attachment 120 attached to a sealed bag 300. FIG. 8 shows a second side view of an attachment 120 attached to a sealed bag 300. FIG. 7 shows a side of a sealed bag 300 through which the prongs 121 exit the sealed bag 300 when the attachment 120 is secured to the sealed bag 300. FIG. 8 shows a side of a sealed bag 300 through which the prongs 121 are inserted to secure the attachment 120 to the sealed bag 300. The sealed bag 300 may be an example of a sealed package. The sealed bag 300 includes material above the sealed portion of the bag. The material above the sealed portion includes horizontal slits 310 through which the prongs 121 are inserted then pulled up. Thus, the prongs 121 secure the sealed bag 300 such that the sealed portion is not punctured, and the bag can be lifted by the handle 110. The amount of material above the sealed portion may be minimal. For example, the amount of material may be about 0.5-1 inch. This is far less material than would be needed to form a handle above the sealed portion out of the material of the bag. To remove the carrier 100, the prongs 121 can be pushed downward and toward the shanks 115 and brought upward through the slits 310. Thus, the carrier can be reused. In some embodiments, the second portion 126 of the prong 121 may be sharp and durable enough so that the prong 121 can be pushed through the material of the sealed package to form slits in the material.

FIG. 9 shows an attachment 120 with one prong 121 and including a stopper 130. In this example, the prong 121 is mounted such that the first portion of the prong 124 extends away from the direction of the curvature of the handle 110 rather than toward the inside of the curvature of the handle as shown in FIGS. 1-6. The attachment includes only one prong 121 and the attachment also includes a stopper 130. The stopper 130 may be connected to the handle 110 at a point 132 about in the middle of the stopper (e.g., within about 10% of the total length of the stopper from the middle of the stopper). The stopper 130 functions to prevent the attachment 120 from going too far through the slit 130 which may result in prong 121 slipping through the slit 130 or bouncing with great enough force to damage the material of the package.

As is demonstrated by the example embodiments. The carrier 100 may reusably attach to packages, containers, or objects through slits to allow the packages, container, or objects to be carried using the handle 110. The carrier 100 may allow the amount of material used in a package outside of the sealed portion to be reduced while the attractiveness and utility of the packages is improved. Also, the carrier 110 may also be made of inexpensive materials which reduce the cost of transporting packages.