Plastic bag leveling tool and plastic bag leveling tool sheet

Abstract

To provide a shopping bag leveling tool which can be easily assembled from a piece of sheet.SOLUTION: A shopping bag leveling tool 1 includes: a spatula plate part 10 formed of a laterally long sheet piece 20 being folded into two in the longitudinal direction; and a grip part 11 in which a longitudinally long sheet piece 21 connected to the laterally long sheet piece 20 in a T-shaped manner is formed into a cylindrical shape. In the shopping bag leveling tool 1, a locking piece 203 provided at the center of an end side of the spatula plate part 10 opposing to the grip part 11 is inserted in the grip part 11, and two pieces of folding pieces 204 provided on both sides of the locking piece 203 are folded so as to be held by the spatula plate part 10 respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tool for leveling plastic shopping bags, which are plastic shopping bags used to store items purchased at retail stores. [Background technology]

[0002] As plastic shopping bags (hereafter referred to as "plastic bags") used to put products purchased at retail stores are now charged for, an increasing number of consumers are reusing plastic bags purchased at retail stores. In preparation for reuse, it is advisable to neatly fold plastic bags purchased at retail stores when storing them.

[0003] Due to the nature of the material used in plastic bags, they tend to wrinkle when placed in retail stores. Wrinkled bags are difficult to fold, so it is useful to have a tool that helps to neatly fold plastic bags.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a plastic bag folding device that rolls up plastic bags, allowing people to easily fold plastic bags they bring home from retail stores. However, currently, it is common for people to fold plastic bags by hand after they have brought them home from retail stores. Patent Document 2 discloses a plastic bag folding sheet that allows people to easily fold plastic bags by hand after they have brought them home from retail stores. The plastic bag folding sheet disclosed in Patent Document 2 is characterized by the fact that it allows people to fold plastic bags while generating static electricity in them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3183079 [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-248775 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a plastic bag leveling tool that can be easily assembled from a single sheet, and a sheet required for assembling the plastic bag leveling tool. If a plastic bag leveling tool that is useful for smoothing out wrinkles in plastic bags can be assembled from a single sheet, this sheet can be sold at low cost and can also be used as a novelty item or a magazine supplement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is a shopping bag leveling tool, which comprises a spatula section assembled by folding a horizontally long sheet piece in half lengthwise, and a handle section assembled into a cylindrical shape from a vertically long sheet piece connected to the horizontally long sheet piece in a T-shape, and is characterized in that a locking piece provided at the center of the end edge of the spatula section facing the handle section is inserted into the handle section, and two fold-in pieces provided on both sides of the locking piece are folded while being sandwiched between the spatula section. In the first invention, it is preferable that two notches facing each other on the horizontal center line are provided on the end edge of the spatula section facing the folded end. Furthermore, in the first invention, it is preferable that the handle section is assembled into the shape of a triangular prism.

[0008] The second invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is a shopping bag leveling sheet characterized in that a horizontally long sheet piece with a fold line for folding in half vertically and a vertically long sheet piece with at least a fold line for assembling into a tube are connected in a T-shape, a locking piece is provided at the center of the end edge of the horizontally long sheet piece opposite the vertically long sheet piece to be inserted into the vertically long sheet piece assembled into a tube, and two fold-in pieces are provided on both sides of the locking piece to be folded so as to be sandwiched between the horizontally long sheet piece folded in half. In the second invention, it is preferable that two notches facing each other on the horizontal center line are provided on the end edge of the horizontally long sheet piece. Furthermore, in the second invention, it is preferable that the vertically long sheet piece is configured so that it can be assembled into the shape of a triangular prism. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The plastic bag leveling tool of the present invention is configured to keep the spatula plate section in a nearly horizontal position and to apply a force to the spatula plate section to press the plastic bag, so as to make it easier to level the plastic bag. Also, the plastic bag leveling tool sheet of the present invention is configured so that the plastic bag leveling tool of the present invention can be easily assembled. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a plastic bag leveling tool according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a plastic bag leveling sheet according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating how to fold the fold-in piece. [Figure 4] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating how to assemble the locking pieces and the folding pieces. [Diagram 5] A diagram explaining a plastic bag leveling tool used to level plastic bags. [Figure 6] Figure 1 explaining how to assemble the plastic bag equalizing sheet. [Figure 7] Figure 2 explains how to assemble the plastic bag equalizing sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are schematic diagrams drawn for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a plastic bag leveling tool 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 according to this embodiment. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the vertical and horizontal directions are the directions illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0013] The plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Figure 1 is a tool for leveling (flattening) plastic bags 3 brought home from retail stores. The plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Figure 1 is configured so that it can be easily assembled from a single sheet.

[0014] The material for the plastic bag leveling tool 1 can be thick coated paper that is coated on both sides. For example, double-sided coated paper with a basis weight of 420 g / m2 can be used for the plastic bag leveling tool 1. By using double-sided coated paper for the plastic bag leveling tool 1, the slipperiness of the tool 1 is improved, making it easier to level the plastic bags 3. Note that the plastic bag leveling tool 1 can also be made of plastic sheets instead of paper.

[0015] The plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a spatula section 10 assembled by folding a horizontally long sheet piece 20 in half lengthwise, and a handle section 11 assembled into a cylindrical shape by a vertically long sheet piece 21 connected to the horizontally long sheet piece 20 in a T-shape.

[0016] The spatula plate portion 10 is a portion for smoothing out the plastic bag 3. The handle portion 11 is a portion that is gripped by a user using the plastic bag smoothing tool 1. The user holds the handle portion 11 of the plastic bag smoothing tool 1, presses the spatula plate portion 10 against the plastic bag 3, moves the spatula plate portion 10 back and forth, and rubs the surface of the plastic bag 3 with the spatula plate portion 10, thereby smoothing out the wrinkled plastic bag 3. The spatula plate portion 10 is long horizontally so that it can smooth out the entire surface of the plastic bag 3. For example, the dimensions of the spatula plate portion 10 when folded in half are approximately 30 mm in the vertical direction and approximately 300 mm in the horizontal direction. The dimensions of the handle portion 11 are approximately 160 mm in the vertical direction and approximately 30 mm in the horizontal direction.

[0017] The shopping bag leveling sheet 2 shown in Figure 2 has a T-shaped structure consisting of a horizontally elongated sheet piece 20 with a fold line 205 for folding in half vertically and a vertically elongated sheet piece 21 with at least fold lines 217, 218 for assembling into a cylindrical shape.

[0018] In this embodiment, the regions of the horizontally elongated sheet piece 20 divided by the fold line 205 are described separately. The region of the horizontally elongated sheet piece 20 below the fold line 205 is described as the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200, and the region of the horizontally elongated sheet piece 20 above the fold line 205 is described as the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201. The first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200 has a shape in which two notches 202 are provided opposite each other on a horizontal center line. In FIG. 2 and the like, the shape of the notch 202 is a trapezoid, but the shape of the notch 202 may be a rectangle. The shape of the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201 is symmetrical to the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200 with the fold line 205 as the axis of symmetry.

[0019] The second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201 is connected to a piece for engaging the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201 with the handle portion 11. In the shopping bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in FIG. 2, the end edge of the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201 facing the vertically elongated sheet piece 21 is connected to the engaging piece 203 and two fold-in pieces 204. The engaging piece 203 is provided in the horizontal center of the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201. The fold-in pieces 204 are provided on both sides of the engaging piece 203 via a cut line 207. A fold line is provided at the boundary between the fold-in piece 204 and the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201.

[0020] The vertically long sheet pieces 21 may be configured so as to be assembled into a hollow cylindrical shape. In the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in Fig. 2, the vertically long sheet pieces 21 are configured so as to be assembled into a hollow triangular prism. Note that the vertically long sheet pieces 21 may also be assembled into a shape such as a semicylinder or a vertically long cube.

[0021] In this embodiment, the regions of the vertically elongated sheet piece 21 divided by the fold lines 217 and 218 will be described separately. The vertically elongated sheet piece 21 illustrated in Fig. 2 has a first vertically elongated sheet piece 210, a second vertically elongated sheet piece 211, and a third vertically elongated sheet piece 212, each of which is a wall of a hollow triangular prism. The first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 is connected to the second vertically elongated sheet piece 211 via the fold line 217. The second vertically elongated sheet piece 211 is connected to the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 via the fold line 218.

[0022] In the vertically elongated sheet piece 21 shown in Fig. 2, the second vertically elongated sheet piece 211 is connected to the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200 of the horizontally elongated sheet piece 20 without a fold line. A notch 208 is provided at the boundary between the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200, and at the boundary between the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 and the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200. Therefore, the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 can be folded independently of the horizontally elongated sheet piece 20.

[0023] Also, in order to maintain the assembled state into the triangular prism shape, an insertion piece 215 is provided on the right side of the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 via a fold line 219. Furthermore, a flap piece 213 is provided on the left side of the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 via a fold line 216. A slit 214 is provided at the boundary between the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and the flap piece 213.

[0024] From here, a detailed structure of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in FIG.

[0025] The spatula section 10 of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 is assembled by folding in half a horizontal sheet piece 20 having a first horizontal sheet piece 200 and a second horizontal sheet piece 201. In the plastic bag leveling tool 1, a fold line 205 which is the boundary between the first horizontal sheet piece 200 and the second horizontal sheet piece 201 is folded in a valley so that the second horizontal sheet piece 201 covers the first horizontal sheet piece 200.

[0026] By folding spatula plate portion 10 in two, spatula plate portion 10 becomes three-dimensional. Making spatula plate portion 10 three-dimensional can increase the rigidity of spatula plate portion 10. Also, by folding spatula plate portion 10 in two, the leading edge of plastic bag leveling tool 1 becomes the folded end of spatula plate portion 10, so when plastic bag 3 is leveled, the leading edge of plastic bag leveling tool 1 is less likely to get caught on plastic bag 3.

[0027] In addition, in the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in Fig. 2, the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200 and the second horizontally elongated sheet piece 201 are each provided with two notches 202 that face each other at the center line in the left-right direction. The location of the spatula plate portion 10 where the notches 202 are located is narrow in the vertical direction, which allows the spatula plate portion 10 to be flexible. If the spatula plate portion 10 is flexible, excessive force is not applied to the plastic bag 3 when the plastic bag leveling tool 1 is used to level the plastic bag 3, making the plastic bag 3 less likely to tear.

[0028] The handle portion 11 of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 is formed into a triangular prism shape by making a valley fold at the fold line 217 which is the boundary between the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and the second vertically elongated sheet piece 211, and by making a valley fold at the fold line 218 which is the boundary between the second vertically elongated sheet piece 211 and the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212. By making the handle portion 11 into a triangular prism shape, the handle portion 11 has a three-dimensional shape, making it easier to grip. Furthermore, by making the handle portion 11 into a triangular prism shape, the rigidity of the handle portion 11 can be increased.

[0029] Pieces such as the locking piece 203 provided on the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in FIG. 2 are used to maintain the shape of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 assembled from the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2.

[0030] In order to maintain the shape of the handle portion 11, the flap piece 213 provided on the left side of the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 in the handle portion 11 is folded inside the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212, and the insertion piece 215 provided on the right side of the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 is inserted into a slit 214 at the boundary between the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and the flap piece 213. By inserting the insertion piece 215 into the slit 214, the third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 can be engaged with the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210, and the shape of the handle portion 11 can be maintained as a triangular prism.

[0031] Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining how to fold the fold-in piece 204. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining how to assemble the locking piece 203 and the fold-in piece 204.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, when assembling the plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Fig. 1 from the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in Fig. 2, the locking piece 203 is not folded. The fold line 206 which is the border between the fold-in piece 204 and the second horizontally oblong sheet piece 201 is valley-folded, so that the fold-in piece 204 is folded so that it is sandwiched between the first horizontally oblong sheet piece 200 and the second horizontally oblong sheet piece 201.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, when assembling the plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Fig. 1 from the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in Fig. 2, the locking piece 203 is inserted inside the handle portion 11 which is assembled into a triangular prism shape. By inserting the locking piece 203 inside the handle portion 11 which is shaped like a triangular prism, the second horizontally long sheet piece 201 connected to the locking piece 203 is locked to the handle portion 11. At this time, the fold-in piece 204 is sandwiched between the spatula plate portion 10 which is folded in two. The first horizontally long sheet piece 200 constituting the spatula plate portion 10 is connected to the second vertically long sheet piece 211 constituting the handle portion 11.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the plastic bag leveling tool 1 when leveling a plastic bag 3. When leveling a plastic bag 3 using the plastic bag leveling tool 1, it is necessary to keep the spatula plate portion 10 in a substantially horizontal position and apply a force to the spatula plate portion 10 to press the plastic bag 3. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, when leveling a plastic bag 3 using the plastic bag leveling tool 1, the handle portion 11 is inclined relative to the spatula plate portion 10. The inclination angle of the handle portion 11 relative to the spatula plate portion 10 varies depending on the user. As shown in FIG. 5, in the plastic bag leveling tool 1 of this embodiment, the portion where the first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and the first horizontally elongated sheet piece 200 are connected can be bent as desired, so that the inclination angle of the handle portion 11 relative to the spatula plate portion 10 can be changed while keeping the spatula plate portion 10 in a substantially horizontal position.

[0035] Because the fold-in piece 204 is sandwiched between the horizontal sheet pieces 20, the restoring force of the fold-in piece 204 trying to return to its original shape causes the fold-in piece 204 to function as a paper spring. Without the fold-in piece 204 functioning as a paper spring, it would be difficult to transmit the pressing force applied to the second horizontal sheet piece 201 using the handle portion 11 to the first horizontal sheet piece 200. However, with the fold-in piece 204 functioning as a paper spring, the pressing force applied to the second horizontal sheet piece 201 is transmitted to the first horizontal sheet piece 200 via the fold-in piece 204 functioning as a paper spring, making it easier to level the shopping bag 3.

[0036] From here, we will explain how to assemble the plastic bag leveling sheet 2. Fig. 6 is a first diagram explaining how to assemble the plastic bag leveling sheet 2. Fig. 7 is a second diagram explaining how to assemble the plastic bag leveling sheet 2.

[0037] When assembling the plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Fig. 1 from the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in Fig. 2, first, the handle portion 11 of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 is assembled to have a triangular prism shape. When assembling the handle portion 11 of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 to have a triangular prism shape, as shown in Fig. 6(a), a valley fold is made along the fold line 216 at the boundary between the first vertical sheet piece 210 and the flap piece 213. Next, a valley fold is made along the fold line 217 at the boundary between the first vertical sheet piece 210 and the second vertical sheet piece 211 and along the fold line 218 at the boundary between the third vertical sheet piece 212 and the second vertical sheet piece 211 so that the left end of the first vertical sheet piece 210 and the right end of the second vertical sheet piece 211 are in contact. At this time, the flap piece 213 is placed below the second vertical sheet piece 211. Next, insert piece 215 connected to third vertically elongated sheet piece 212 is inserted into slit 214 at the boundary between first vertically elongated sheet piece 210 and flap piece 213, and insert piece 215 is engaged with slit 214, and handle portion 11 of plastic bag leveling tool 1 is assembled into the shape of a triangular prism as shown in Figure 6(b).

[0038] After assembling the handle portion 11 of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 into the shape of a triangular prism, the spatula portion 10 of the plastic bag leveling tool 1 is assembled. When assembling the plastic bag leveling tool 1 from the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 in the state shown in Fig. 6(b), as shown in Fig. 7(a), the fold line 206 at the boundary between the second horizontal sheet piece 201 and the fold-in piece 204 is valley-folded in the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 in the state shown in Fig. 6(b). Next, the fold line 205 at the boundary between the first horizontal sheet piece 200 and the second horizontal sheet piece 201 is valley-folded so that the second horizontal sheet piece 201 is on the upper side of the first horizontal sheet piece 200, and the plastic bag leveling tool 1 shown in Fig. 7(b) is assembled. When assembling the plastic bag leveling tool 1 from the plastic bag leveling tool sheet 2 shown in Figure 7 (a), the locking piece 203 connected to the second horizontal sheet piece 201 is inserted into the inside of the handle portion 11, which has a triangular prism shape, and the second horizontal sheet piece 201 is locked to the handle portion 11 using the locking piece 203. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Plastic bag leveller 10 Spatula 11 Handle 2 Plastic bag leveling sheet 20 Horizontal sheet piece 200 First horizontal sheet piece 201 Second horizontal sheet piece 202 Notch 203 Locking piece 204 Fold-in piece 21 Vertical sheet piece 210 First vertical sheet piece 211 Second vertical sheet piece 212 Third vertical sheet piece 213 Flap piece 214 Slit 215 Insert 3. Plastic bags

Claims

1. The spatula section is formed by folding a horizontally long sheet piece in half lengthwise and assembling it, and the handle section is formed by assembling a vertically long sheet piece connected to the horizontally long sheet piece in a T-shape into a cylindrical shape. A locking piece provided at the center of the end side of the spatula plate portion facing the handle portion is inserted into the handle portion, and two fold-in pieces provided on both sides of the locking piece are folded in a state where they are sandwiched between the spatula plate portion. A plastic bag leveling tool characterized by the above.

2. 2. The plastic bag leveling tool according to claim 1, wherein two notches facing each other on a lateral center line are provided on an end edge of the spatula portion facing the folded end.

3. 3. A plastic bag leveling tool as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the handle portion is assembled into the shape of a triangular prism.

4. A horizontally elongated sheet piece with a fold line for folding in half vertically and a vertically elongated sheet piece with at least a fold line for assembling into a tube are connected in a T-shape, A locking piece is provided at the center of the end of the vertical sheet piece and the horizontal sheet piece facing the vertical sheet piece, which is assembled into a cylindrical shape, and two folding pieces are provided on both sides of the locking piece to be folded so as to be sandwiched between the horizontal sheet piece folded in half. A plastic bag leveling sheet characterized by the above.

5. 5. The plastic bag leveling sheet according to claim 4, characterized in that two notches opposing each other are provided on the end edge of the horizontally elongated sheet piece along a horizontal center line.

6. 6. A plastic bag leveling sheet according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the vertically elongated sheet pieces are configured so as to be able to be assembled into the shape of a triangular prism.

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