Closing device comprising two releasable parts

Abstract

A closing device comprises two similar parts, each having a first clamping portion having an edge (14) extending between a tongue end and a receiving end, the tongue end having a tongue portion (15) and the receiving end (17) having a receiving portion comprising curved portion (18) creating a recess, whereby the recess of the each part is arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue portion of the other part, simultaneously, to releasably lock the first part and the second part together.

Description

(001) The present invention relates to a closing device, in particular, a closing device for closing plastic bags and the like.Background(002) In private and professional kitchens, and in other venues, reliable closing of bags such as plastic bags and other containers is important for a number of reasons: to avoid contamination, to enhance fresh keeping of various foods, or just to keep items together and separate from other items. Preferably the closing should be easily reversible, and any device used should be reusable. In particular when storing certain foods, a tight sealing is important for fresh keeping.(003) Different reusable devices for closing plastic bags are known. Generally, such devices comprise ribbons or clamps made from metal and / or plastic. There is a general desire to replace plastic by more sustainable materials, in particular materials that are renewable and biodegradable. Further, plastic materials have been found in some cases to comprise chemicals that are harmful to people.Summary of the invention(004) It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a closing device for reversibly closing bags, such as plastic bags, which is more environmentally sustainable than prior closing devices.(005) This object is achieved according to the present disclosure by a closing device comprising a first part and a second part, the first part and the second part each having a first clamping portion having an edge extending between a tongue end and a receiving end, the tongue end having a tongue portion and the receiving end having a receiving portion comprising a curved portion creating a recess, whereby the recess of the second part is arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue portion of the first part, and the recess of the first part is arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue portion of the second part, simultaneously, to releasably lock the first part and the second part together.(006) By clamping the first part and the second part together, a closing device is achieved which can be used to hold sheets of material together, for example to reversibly close a bag such as a plastic bag. In preferred embodiments, the first part and the second part are identical, so that in a set of first and second parts, any part can be used together with any other part. This makes it easier to combine any two parts to a functioning closing device and avoids having to discard a whole device if one of the parts is damaged.(007) Preferably, the closing device is made of wood, or a wood-based material. Plywood has been found to provide a combination of strength and flexibility that makes it suitable for this application. In particular, devices made of birch plywood are very durable. Hardwood such as oak or teak are also suitable, for the same reason. Alternatively, a light flexible metal such as aluminium may be used, for a particularly durable closing device. By using wood or a wood-based material, or a recyclable metal, the use of plastic can be reduced.(008) The edge of each of the first and second clamping portion may be a straight edge. The tongue portion and the receiving portion may be configured in such a way that when the first and second part are locked together, the edges abut each other fully. In this way, the closing device will tightly close thin items such as thin bags. Alternatively, the tongue portion and the receiving portion may be configured in such a way that when the first and second part are locked together, the edges extend parallel to but at a distance from each other. This allows the closing device to be used on thicker items.(009) In some embodiments, the edge of at least one of the first and second part is concave to create a gap between the edges when the first and second parts are locked together. This also allows the closing device to be used on thicker items.(010) Advantageously, the end of the curved portion includes a protrusion arranged to increase the hold on the tongue portion of the opposite part thereby retaining it in the recess to secure the releasable closure.(011) In preferred embodiments, the tongue portion is slightly bevelled at the edge, in a portion of its circumference interacting with the inside of the curved portion. The small gap that is created in this way allows the tongue portion to be more easily engaged with the curved portion and released from it. It also helps prevent the curved portion from breaking during insertion and removal of the tongue portion.(012) Preferably, the tongue portion has at least one indentation on one side, preferably opposing indentations on either side, or a through hole, to facilitate a user gripping the tongue portion while inserting or extracting the tongue portion.Brief description of drawings(013) The invention will be described in more detail in the following, by way of examples and with reference to the appended drawings.Fig. 1 shows a part constituting half of a closing device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.Fig. 2a shows an example of a closing device comprising two parts in a noninterconnected state and Fig. 2b shows the same closing device with the two parts interconnected.Figs. 3 and 4 illustrates further embodiments of the closing device.Fig. 5 shows an alternative way of interconnecting four parts.Detailed description of embodiments(014) The closing device of the present disclosure includes two substantially identical parts, releasably interconnected with each other.(015) Figure 1 shows one such part 11 constituting half of a closing device according to a first embodiment. The part comprises clamping portion 13 having a straight edge 14 between a first end and a second end. At the first end of the clamping portion there is a tongue portion 15 having a curved shape, such as a part of an ellipse or a circle. At the second end of the clamping portion 13, there is a receiving portion 16. The receiving portion includes a recess 17 arranged to receive and releasably retain an opposing tongue portion of a second, similar part as shown in Figs. 2a and 2b, in such a way that the straight edge 14 abuts a corresponding straight edge of the second part. The recess is created by a curved portion 18, shaped in such a way that it may enclose part of a corresponding tongue portion 15 of the second part to create a complete closing device as shown in Fig. 2b. To ensure a firm hold, the curved portion 18 should enclose more than half of the circumference of the corresponding tongue portion 15, that is, more than 180 degrees. The longer the curved portion extends around the tongue portion, the firmer the hold will be. Between 210 degrees and 204 degrees has been found to result in a firm hold while also being easily releasable. For other purposes, a longer or shorter extension of the curved portion 18 may be used, to provide a suitable trade-off between grip and ease of release.(016) As can be seen in the drawing, the width of the curved portion 18 preferably decreases in the direction from the clamping portion 13 towards its distal end. This serves to make the curved portion 18 more flexible to facilitate closing and opening of the closing device. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the distal end of the curved portion 18, seen from the clamping portion 13, includes a protrusion 19 that will increase the hold of the tongue portion in the recess 17.(017) The tongue portion 15 has a curved, substantially circular or elliptical circumference dimensioned to interact with the curved portion 18 of the second part. In the direction perpendicular to the circumference its sides may extend in any suitable way. The sides may be completely flat, as shown in Fig. 1, or curved outwards (not shown). They may also have indentations, or a through hole may extend through the tongue portion, as discussed in connection with Figs. 2a and 2b.(018) The closing device is made of wood or a material comprising wood, such as plywood. Various types of wood or plywood may be used. Birch plywood has been found to have particularly suitable properties in terms of user-friendliness and durability. Hardwood such as oak and teak are also particularly suitable.(019) Fig. 2a shows a closing device in the non-interconnected state, comprising a first part 21 and a second part 22 each essentially like the part 1 shown in Fig. 1. Each of the first and second parts has clamping portion comprising a straight edge 23, 23’ between a first end and a second end. The first and second halves are releasably connectable to each other in that the receiving portion of the first part 21 is arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue portion 25’ of the second part 22 and the receiving portion of the second part 22 is arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue portion 25 of the first part 21, simultaneously. The receiving portion of each part therefore includes a curved portion 28, 28’ shaped so that it will create the recess 27 to enclose the opposing tongue portion 25, 25’. As in Fig. 1, each of the curved portions 28, 28’ preferably ends in a protrusion arranged to increase the hold of the opposing tongue portion in the recess. Preferably, the sides have dents in them, or through holes, as this will make it easier for a user to grip the tongue portion to insert or extract it in the recess. The closing device of Fig. 2 has through holes 29, 29’ through its tongue portions 25, 25’.(020) When the tongue part 25 of the first part 21 is inserted in the recess 17 of the receiving part of the second part, and the tongue part 25’ of the second part is inserted into the recess 27 of the receiving portion of the first part, the straight edges 24, 24’ of the first and second parts 21, 22, respectively, will run parallel to and abut each other whereby the first and second parts will be clamped together. Any sheets of material inserted between the first and second parts will thereby be clamped together. This makes the closing device suitable for, for example, closing plastic bags or other bags.(021) The first part 21 and the second part 22 are preferably identical, to facilitate the combination of any two parts in a set of parts.(022) Fig. 2b shows the same closing device as in Fig. 2a, in an interconnected state. The curved portion, because of its shape, is slightly flexible so that when closing the device, it will open slightly to allow the insertion of the tongue portion into the recess.(023) The shapes of the recess 17, 27, 27’ and the tongue portion 15, 25, 25’ may be adapted so that the tongue fits snugly in the recess, the distal end of the curved portion encasing the tongue. Preferably, the tongue is able to rotate in the recess. It has been found to be advantageous if a part of the tongue’s outer edge is slightly bevelled to create a small gap between the tongue and the curved portion, as can be seen in Fig. 2b and also in Figs. 3 and 4.(024) The length of the clamping portion 13, 23, 23’, and the dimensions of the tongue portion and the receiving portion may be selected in dependence of the dimensions of the sheets that are to be clamped together. Although the edges of the clamping portions have been shown as straight edges, it is perceivable that they may not be completely straight. For example, they could be arranged such that in the closed position there is a gap between the edges to allow for the clamping together of somewhat thicker sheets or objects. One embodiment of this is shown in Fig. 3, where the tongue part and the receiving part are dimensioned so that the two edges do not completely abut, in other words, so that a gap is formed between the edges. In Fig. 3, this is achieved by a neck 31, 31’ creating a distance between the clamping portion and the tongue portion of each respective part 3 1 , 31 ’ . A similar effect could e achieved by the positioning of the receiving portion relative to the clamping portion. Fig. 4 shows another way of achieving a distance between the edges in the closed position. A first 41 part and a second part 41 ’ are shown, which are similar to the parts shown in Fig. 2a and 2b, except that the edge 44, 44’ of each clamping portion 43, 43’ is concave, thus creating a gap between the edges when the parts are in the closed position.(025) Fig. 5 shows an alternative way of interlocking four parts, which can then be used as a coaster.

Claims

1 . A closure device comprising a first part (11, 21; 31) and a second part (22; 31'), the first part and the second part each having a clamping part (13, 23, 23') with an edge (14, 24, 24'), the clamping part extending between a tongue end and a receiving end (16), the tongue end having a tongue part (15, 25, 25') and the receiving end (16) having a receiving part comprising a curved portion (18; 28, 28') forming a space (17; 27, 27'), the space (27') of the second part (25') being arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue part (15; 25) of the first part, and the space (27) of the first part being arranged to receive and releasably retain the tongue part (15; 25) of the retaining the tongue portion (15; 25) of the second part, at the same time, to releasably hold the first part and the second part together, characterized in that the edge (14; 24, 24') of the clamping portion (13; 23, 23') of each of the first and second parts (21, 22) is a straight edge.

2. A closure device according to claim 1, wherein the tongue part (15; 25, 25') and the receiver part (16) are dimensioned such that the straight edges (14; 24, 24') abut each other when the first (1 1, 21; 31) and the second part (22; 31') are held together.

3. A closure device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first part (11, 21; 31) and the second part (22; 31') further comprises a neck (33, 33') between the clamping part (13) and the tongue part (15), to form a gap between the straight edges (14; 24, 24') when the first and second parts are joined together.

4. Closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved portion (18;28, 28') of one of the parts or both parts includes a protruding part (19) arranged to increase the grip of the tongue part on the opposing part.

5. A closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the edge of the tongue part (15, 25, 25') has a chamfered portion to form a space between the tongue part (15, 25, 25') and the space in a part of the recess.

6. A closure device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tongue part (25, 25') (25, 25') has at least one recess, preferably opposing recesses to facilitate a user's grasping of the tongue part.

7. A closure device according to any one of claims 1 - 6, wherein the tongue part (25, 25') has a through hole (29, 29') to make it easier for a user to grip the tongue part.