Easily openable plastic shopping bag

Abstract

To provide a plastic shopping bag that has no problem with strength of a central ridge which is an opening part when opening the plastic shopping bag, does not allow fingers to slip when opening it, does not require moistening of hands, and is easy to open when opening the plastic shopping bag.SOLUTION: The present invention is such that a plastic shopping bag is made easy to be opened by providing distortions such as unevenness and wrinkles by pressing a metal mold heated with hot water or steam onto the vicinity of a center or the vicinity of a tip of a central upper projection side that forms an opening part of the plastic shopping bag, and increasing frictional force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention makes plastic shopping bags, which are commonly known as "plastic bags" and are difficult to open because fingers tend to slip out of them, easier to open by providing distortions such as bumps and wrinkles on the surface of the central upper protruding edge that forms the opening. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, the central upper protruding edge of a plastic bag, which is the opening, is tightly sealed against the inside, making it difficult for fingers to slip open when trying to open it, and requiring the bag to be opened by moistening hands, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Registration number: Utility Model Registration No. 3112720 Registration date: July 13, 2005 Issue date: August 25, 2005 Product name: Easy-to-open plastic shopping bag Application number: Utility Application No. 2005-3461 Application date: May 20, 2005 [Patent Document 2] Registration number: Utility Model Registration No. 3131080 Registration date: March 28, 2007 Issue date: April 19, 2007 Name: Carry bag Application number: Utility Model Application 2007-678 Application date: February 7, 2007 In addition, the following prior art documents, which are different in purpose from the present invention but can be used as references, are listed below. [Patent Document 3] Publication number: JP2007-238136 Publication date: September 20, 2007 Title: Polyethylene bag and method for closing the opening of a polyethylene bag Application number: Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-63444 Application date: March 9, 2006 [Patent Document 4] Publication number: JP 2001-106241 Publication date: April 17, 2001 Name: Plastic shopping bags and holding stand Application number: JP 11-318657 Application date: October 5, 1999. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The conventional invention [Patent Document 1] involves making a slit with sides of 1 cm+ in the upper center of the plastic bag and then pressing the slit open with a finger, while [Patent Document 2] involves punching a small hole in the protruding edge of the opening of the plastic bag, and using the small hole as a handle to shift the two overlapping protruding edges and peel the bag open. These inventions have the following drawbacks: (i) The creation of cuts or small holes can cause problems with strength, such as making the material more susceptible to tearing, depending on the material. (b) Even if plastic bags are cut or have small holes in them, people's fingers still slip through them, making them difficult to open, and so the effect is limited. (c) In addition, with regard to [Patent Document 3] and [Patent Document 4], although the purpose thereof differs from that of the present application, which is to make it easier to open a plastic bag, a hole is drilled in the central upper protruding edge which will be the opening of the plastic bag. If a hole is made in the central upper protruding edge of the plastic bag, it is less likely to tear than the cut in [Patent Document 1] or the small hole in [Patent Document 2], and it is thought that there are fewer strength problems; however, the bag still tends to slip out of the hand, making it difficult to open, and it is not very effective in terms of ease of opening. The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The means for solving the above problems according to the present invention are as follows. (i) The surface of the central upper protruding edge which forms the opening of the plastic bag is made uneven, wrinkled, or otherwise distorted. Many plastic bags are made of polyethylene or similar material, and the surface can be easily stretched by heating or other methods. By stretching the surface to create unevenness, wrinkles, and other distortions, the friction when opening the bag with your fingers is increased, making it less slippery and easier to open. The method of creating distortions such as bumps and wrinkles on the central upper protruding edge of the plastic bag differs from the cuts or small holes used in conventional inventions in that it reduces the risk of the plastic bag ripping and rupturing, and reduces problems with its strength. (b) The position and shape of the unevenness, wrinkles, etc. As shown in Figs. 1C and 2D, examples of the location where unevenness, wrinkles, or other distortions can be provided at the opening of a plastic bag can be anywhere near the opening on the central upper protruding edge, and this can have an effect on ease of opening. In addition, although the shapes are circular and semicircular in Figs. 1C and 2D, as long as distortion such as unevenness and wrinkles is provided, the shape, pattern and size are not important. Effect of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides distortions such as unevenness and wrinkles on the central upper protruding edge of a plastic bag to increase friction, making it less likely for fingers to slip and making it easier to open. As an example of Figure 1, Figures 3 to 5 are photographs in which a heated metal mold is pressed against a plastic bag to create an uneven surface. Naturally, the surface against which the metal mold is pressed will become uneven, but by pressing the metal mold into place, wrinkles will also form around the area, which is expected to make it easier to open. Furthermore, even if the unevenness of plastic bags is crushed by stacking them in mass production, etc., the surface will still retain traces of the unevenness, wrinkles, and other distortions, and it is recognized that the effect of increasing the frictional force on the surface will continue. It is clear that a surface with such irregularities, wrinkles, etc. has a higher frictional force than a smooth plastic bag, making it less likely for fingers to slip, and great benefits are expected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention. The central portion of the central upper protruding side that forms the opening of the shopping bag has a distortion such as unevenness or wrinkles. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention. The upper central protruding edge, which becomes the opening of the shopping bag, has a distortion such as unevenness or wrinkles near the tip. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a photograph of an example of an embodiment of the present invention, taken from the front, showing a state in which projections and recesses are provided near the center of the central upper protruding side that will be the opening of a plastic shopping bag. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a photograph of an example of an embodiment of the present invention, taken from the back side, showing a state in which a projection and recess are provided near the center of the central upper protruding side that forms the opening of a plastic shopping bag. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a photograph of an example of an embodiment of the present invention, in which a projection and recess are provided near the center of the central upper protruding side that forms the opening of the shopping bag, and the photograph was taken with the sealed surface open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A heated metal mold or similar is pressed against the center or tip of the central upper protruding edge that will be the opening of the plastic bag, creating distortions such as unevenness and wrinkles on the surface. Since plastic bags are generally made of polyethylene, if fire is used to heat a metal mold, etc., the temperature may become too high and melt the material of the plastic bag, so it is more effective to heat it with hot water or steam. If plastic bags were mass-produced using this method, the unevenness of the bags might be crushed by the weight, but because the surface material stretches, the marks and wrinkles would remain as distortions on the surface, increasing the friction when opening them with your fingers and thus proving to be a lasting effect. One example of a method for creating unevenness, wrinkles, or other distortions on the central upper protruding edge that forms the opening of a plastic bag is to press a heated metal mold or the like against the edge. Other examples of methods include using a pressing machine instead of a metal mold, or using chemicals instead of heat, but as long as it can create distortion such as unevenness or wrinkles on the central upper protruding edge that will be the opening of the plastic bag, the method is not important. [Explanation of symbols]

[0009] A: The central upper protruding edge that will be the opening of the plastic bag B - Handles at the top of both ends of plastic bags C~Examples of the location and shape of the unevenness, wrinkles, and other distortions on the central upper protruding edge that becomes the opening of the plastic bag, and an example of the case where it is provided near the center of the central upper protruding edge is shown. D~Examples of the location and shape of the unevenness, wrinkles, and other distortions on the central upper protruding edge that forms the opening of the plastic bag, and examples of the case where the unevenness is formed near the tip of the central upper protruding edge are shown.

Claims

[Claim 1] The upper end of a so-called "plastic shopping bag" has handles at both ends and a protruding edge at the upper center that will be the opening, and the protruding edge at the upper center is provided with distortion such as unevenness and wrinkles.

Images