Plastic Bag Opener

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application takes priority from Provisional App. No. 63/676,403, filed Jul. 28, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to plastic bag dispensers, and more particularly to devices to make it easier to open plastic bags.

Background of the Invention

Roll-mounted produce bags are widely used in grocery stores for consumers to package fruit and vegetables. Those produce bags are typically made of very thin plastic that has a tendency to cling together. It is often difficult for consumers to open the plastic bag after it is dispensed from the roll-mounted dispenser.

In order to increase friction between their fingers and the bag, some consumers lick their fingers and then rub the plastic bag between their fingers. This is unsanitary, and impossible to do with a face mask on. Therefore, a consumer who is suffering from an airborne infectious disease would have to remove their face mask in order to lick their fingers, thus spreading disease all over the grocery store. A consumer who is not yet suffering from an infectious disease would lick their fingers after touching some of the store surfaces, and possibly become infected with whatever viruses were on their fingers. This contributes to the spread of both airborne disease and fomite-transmitted disease.

Several solutions exist for this problem. For example, consumers can purchase a special salve that increases friction between their fingers and the plastic bag. Another solution is a pair of connected finger cots made of a high-friction rubber; the consumer inserts two fingers into the finger cots and rubs the plastic bag between them. Those, and others, require the consumer to remember to carry a device with them when they go grocery shopping. Since most people already have a very heavy mental load, it is most likely that these devices will be forgotten and left at home when they are needed the most, especially if the consumer is ill and stressed out.

A need exists for a device that can be mounted on or near a plastic bag dispenser at the grocery store and that can assist customers in opening plastic bags without any unsanitary actions required.

LIST OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows a view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows a view of an embodiment of the present invention with the front cover removed to show the interior.

FIG. 3A shows a back view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B shows a back view of an embodiment of the present invention with the backplate removed to show the interior.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a device that can be used to unstick plastic bags in order to open them without licking one's fingers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that can be mounted on a plastic bag dispenser to enable consumers to unstick plastic bags without the need to carry a special device.

In an embodiment, the present invention comprises a base on which a shelf is mounted. The shelf comprises a protrusion. A high-friction wheel with a slightly irregular shape is mounted in such a way that it is free to rotate around an axle parallel to the shelf. The wheel is mounted in such a way that it touches the protrusion at at least one location along its circumference and has a slight gap between the wheel and the protrusion at at least one other location along its circumference. A handle is connected to the wheel to turn it.

In an embodiment, the wheel is oval in shape. In another embodiment, the wheel is a washer made of an elastic material that is stretched over a hexagonal axle, giving it a slight irregularity in its shape. In another embodiment, the wheel comprises multiple points that touch the protrusion and multiple points that do not.

The protrusion may be rounded in cross-section; in an embodiment, it may be a semi-cylinder parallel to the axle. In an embodiment, at least one sloping surface may lead upwards from the edge of the shelf to the protrusion. In another embodiment, two sloping surfaces lead upwards from each edge of the shelf to the protrusion.

In an embodiment, the surface of the protrusion is rough; it may be made of plastic. In an embodiment, the surface of the wheel is a high-friction surface. The wheel may also be entirely made of a high-friction material such as rubber.

An embodiment of the method of the present invention is to use the device as follows. A plastic bag is inserted into the gap between the high-friction wheel and the protrusion. The high-friction wheel is then rotated to draw the plastic bag in and to sandwich it between the high-friction wheel and the protrusion. As the wheel rotates further, it moves the top layer of the plastic bag with respect to the bottom layer, opening the plastic bag. The user can then remove the opened plastic bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While an embodiment of the invention is described below, it is to be understood that the present invention encompasses other embodiments that form reasonable equivalents to the elements of the invention described below, and that the invention is only limited by the appended claims.

The present invention is not limited to grocery-store produce bags, but can be used with any type of plastic bags that experience cling and are difficult to open. Grocery-store produce bags will be described in the below as an illustrative example.

In brief, the present invention provides a high-friction wheel of a slightly irregular shape, which intermittently comes into contact with a rough-surfaced protrusion as the wheel is rotated by a user.

FIG. 1 shows a view of an embodiment of the present invention assembled. It may be mounted in a grocery store next to a plastic bag dispenser, on a shopping cart, or anywhere else in the grocery store that is convenient for users who need to open plastic bags. As shown, the device comprises a housing 100, a handle 110, and a bottom shelf 120 with a protrusion 130 located roughly in the middle of the bottom shelf.

FIG. 2A shows a view of an embodiment of the present invention with the handle removed, and FIG. 2B shows a view of an embodiment of the present invention with the front cover removed to show the interior. A high-friction wheel 200 is mounted on an axle 210 in a way that leaves it free to rotate. The handle 110 (not shown in this view) is connected to the axle 210 in a way that enables the high-friction wheel 200 to rotate when the handle 110 is turned.

As shown in the Figure, the high-friction wheel 200 is configured in such a way as to touch the protrusion 130 at certain locations around its perimeter, and to leave a gap between the wheel and the protrusion at certain other locations around its perimeter.

To use the present invention, a user would insert a plastic bag into the gap between the bottom shelf 120 and the housing 100, and turn the handle 110 in such a way as to draw the plastic bag further into the gap. As the user turns the handle 110, the high-friction wheel 200 reaches a point where it touches the protrusion 130, with the plastic bag sandwiched between the two. The friction between the high-friction wheel and the plastic bag moves the top layer of the plastic bag with respect to the bottom layer, unsticking the two and opening the plastic bag. The user can then withdraw the opened plastic bag by turning the high-friction wheel 200 further to reach a point where it no longer contacts the protrusion 130.

The advantages of the invention are apparent. It opens a plastic bag quickly and easily without any need for the user to lick their fingers or perform any other unsanitary actions. It can be mounted near the plastic bag dispenser, relieving the user of the necessity to carry yet another gadget. Because the only part of it that the user touches is the handle 100, it is easy to sanitize. In an embodiment, the wheel can be turned automatically by a motion detector and motor, making it unnecessary even to touch the handle in order to turn it.

The high-friction wheel 200 may be entirely made of a high-friction material such as rubber or silicone, or may be made of another material and coated with a high-friction material. In an embodiment, the high-friction wheel is made entirely of rubber. The high-friction material preferably has a coefficient of friction that is sufficient for it to “grab” the surface of the plastic bag when used in the present invention.

While the shape of the high-friction wheel 200 shown in the Figures is a gear-like shape, it does not have to be that shape and the present invention is not limited to that particular shape. The only constraint on the shape is that it has to contact the protrusion at at least one point along the high-friction wheel's circumference and to not contact the protrusion at at least one point along the high-friction wheel's circumference. This enables the wheel to “grab” the plastic bag and unstick it. Thus, a wide variety of shapes is acceptable for practicing the present invention. The high-friction wheel can be oval, for example, or it can be a circle with one or more segments cut off to flatten parts of the circumference.

In an embodiment, the axle 210 has a hexagonal cross section and the high-friction wheel is a washer-like shape made of solid rubber. The inner diameter of the high-friction wheel is slightly smaller than the distance between the opposing vertices of the hexagonal cross-section, so that the high-friction wheel deforms slightly when friction-fit onto the axle. This slight deformation makes the wheel slightly irregular in shape so that some points on the outer diameter contact the protrusion and some points do not.

In an embodiment, the axle 210 may have another polygonal cross-section, such as a square, a pentagon, a triangle, or an octagon.

The protrusion 130 is shown as a slightly rounded linear shape, though it can be any shape that contacts the high-friction wheel at some points along its circumference and does not contact it at some other points. Having rounded corners or being a rounded shape makes it easier for the plastic bag to be drawn in without snagging. While the protrusion as shown is a linear shape, a round bump that contacts the high-friction wheel may also be used. The surface of the protrusion is preferably rough, but not as grippy as the surface of the high-friction wheel. For example, roughened plastic may be used. If the surface of the protrusion is too rough, the contact between it and the high-friction wheel will wear away the wheel; if it is too smooth, the bag will slip. A rough plastic surface is a good midpoint between these two extremes.

As shown in the Figures, the bottom shelf 120 may comprise sloping surfaces that lead the bag into the gap created by the protrusion and the high-friction wheel. While those sloping surfaces are not required for the present invention, they are nevertheless helpful in its use.

The dimensions of the device can be any dimensions that can be comfortably placed in a grocery store and used by the consumer. In the preferred embodiment, the wheel is approximately 2″ in diameter at its widest point. However, the invention is not meant to be limited to this particular dimension and may be of any size, as long as a plastic bag can be conveniently inserted into the invention and the handle can be conveniently turned by human hands (if a handle is used; in an embodiment, a motor is used to turn the wheel and a motion detector is used to detect when it needs to turn.)

The device may comprise a backplate that can be mounted on a wall (for example, in a grocery store) or on a plastic bag dispenser. FIG. 3A shows a back view of the device with mounting holes; FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view that shows the backplate cut away.

In an embodiment, the device may comprise mounting features to mount it on the handle or the basket of a shopping cart. This would enable a consumer to use it conveniently without needing to bring it along.