Plastic bag stand

Abstract

A stand is described for supporting one or more plastic bags while in transit in a vehicle. The stand utilizes a single piece of material folded into a useful, “A” frame shape and secured by fasteners.The stand is described with and without a handle for carrying the stand with bags attached.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 937,402 filed on Jun. 26, 2007. The disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.PRIOR ART CITED[0002]U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,131[0003]U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,945[0004]U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,102[0005]U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,288[0006]U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,189[0007]U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,971[0008]U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,499[0009]U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,612[0010]U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,825[0011]U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,041[0012]U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,743[0013]U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,295[0014]U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,512[0015]U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,534[0016]U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,348[0017]U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,056[0018]U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,656[0019]U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,519[0020]D 371,023[0021]D 302,062FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0022]NONESEQUENCE LISTING[0023]NONEFIELD OF THE INVENTION[0024]The present invention relates to a stand used to stabilize one or more plastic shopping bags during transportation in a ve...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0033]Another advantage of the present invention is that the contents of the plastic bag rest upon the base of the stand and thereby provide ballast for the stand. A subset of the prior art, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,226,348, 4,657,295, 5,050,825 and 5,464,102 embody designs wherein the weight of the bags rest on the base of the device, however these examples are not able to be retained by a seatbelt. The present invention allows a seatbelt to be passed through the device.

[0034]Designs D302,062, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,131,499, 4,723,743 and 4,364,534 describe holders for dispensing and filling plastic bags in a store environment and are not designed to be used in a motor vehicle.

[0035]With respect to all prior inventions of this type, no other device uses a single piece of material that is folded and fastened to itself, as in the case of the present invention. The direct advantages of the single piece construction are lower cost and ease of assembly.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0036]The shortcomings of prior art are overcome by the present invention whereby a stand for supporting plastic bags is made of a single piece of plastic or other suitable material that is fastened to itself and includes a cleat that allows the integral handles of each plastic bag to be hooked over the cleat and thus prevent each bag from opening and contents of each bag escape during transport in a vehicle.

[0037]The invention therefore provides a number of distinct advantages over devices taught in prior inventions, including for example, the following:

[0038]a) The support stand is made of a single piece of material held in shape with fasteners.

Problems solved by technology

Plastic bags however, present a problem when transported in a vehicle.

Thin walled plastic shopping bags are limp and do not adequately support their contents.

However no prior art has been found that addresses the collective functions of the present device.

A subset of the prior art, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,226,348, 4,657,295, 5,050,825 and 5,464,102 embody designs wherein the weight of the bags rest on the base of the device, however these examples are not able to be retained by a seatbelt.

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