Plastic closure clip for closing a mesh bag

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closure clip (1, T) made of plastic material for closing a bag, such as a mesh bag, configured to clamp a gathered portion (9) of the bag. The clip is made in a single piece and comprises two arms (2, 3) with clamping means (21, 31) which, when the arms are brought closer together, cooperate in such a way as to squeeze closed the gathered portion of the bag located between the arms. The arms are joined by a proximal end (2a, 3a) to a connecting bridge (4) and at their distal end (2b, 3b) the arms have complementary retention elements (22, 32) that interlock with each other when the arms are brought closer together. Each arm is joined to the connecting bridge by means of a respective less substantial portion of material (41, 42) of the piece, each defining a respective joint.

Description

[0001]

[0002] “Plastic closing clip for closing a mesh bag”

[0003] Technical sector of the invention

[0004] The present invention relates to a closing clip made of plastic material especially suitable for closing a bag, such as a mesh bag, in particular for pressing a collected portion of said bag.

[0005] Background of the invention

[0006] In the context of the present invention, the term clip is used to designate a tool used to close tubular flexible containers.

[0007] Clips in the form of tweezers are currently known for this purpose.

[0008] For example, patent documents ES 2076889; ES 2058717; and EP 287627 all describe clips in the form of a clamp.

[0009] These clips have in common that they comprise two hinged arms connected to each other. The clip can be positioned in an open position, allowing a longitudinal portion of a bag to be closed to be placed between the arms; and in a closed position, in which the arms are brought together, crushing the portion of the bag placed between the arms.

[0010] These clips also have in common the provision of retention means to keep the arms in the closed position; as well as clamping means, located on the arms and facing each other, which assist or interact with the bag material to better facilitate the grip of the clamp on the bag.

[0011] Retaining means usually consist of complementary elements located at the distal ends of the arms, which can be interlocked when the distal ends of the arms are brought together. These clips also have in common that they are made of a single piece, which is an advantage for their production, as it eliminates the need to assemble or connect parts obtained separately to form the clip.

[0012] The aforementioned clips, however, have some drawbacks that remain to be satisfactorily resolved.

[0013] A first drawback arises when considering using these clips to close bags in automatic packaging processes or machines.

[0014] In such circumstances, the clips must be supplied and processed very quickly, in line with the packaging speeds that the automatic packaging machines are capable of achieving, so as not to represent a bottleneck in terms of productivity.

[0015] At the same time, when the portion of bag that is placed between the arms of the clip is a folded portion of said bag, and is not a flattened portion but rather a bulging one, as if it were a cord, a sudden closing force must be applied to the arms of the clip relatively high so that the clip reaches its closed position with the interposition of the bag material between its arms, which must be crushed offering a certain resistance.

[0016] In the clips of the type described above, this causes the arms to become unpaired, that is, while the arms are coplanar when the clip is at rest, these same arms cease to be coplanar when the clip is forced to close.

[0017] When this occurs, the interlocking elements of the retaining means that hold the arms in the closed position may not meet. In other words, the mismatched arms may cause the clip to fail to close properly. Consequently, either the bag being manufactured must be rejected, or the finished bag may be defective, accidentally opening during normal use because the clip did not close properly. A primary objective of the invention is to create a clip that overcomes this drawback.

[0018] The clips incorporated into the bags for closing them are, in principle, non-reusable accessory elements, intended to be discarded when the bag is opened. This entails assuming other objectives that are also secondary purposes of the present invention.

[0019] For example, it is important to reduce the manufacturing costs of clips, and one measure to consider is the amount of material used to manufacture a clip unit. The less material, the more economical the clip will be. However, the problem with the previously discussed clips arose from the unpairing of the arms. This unpairing is due to the solution adopted for single-piece clips, which hinges the arms together. This solution is based on the deformation of the clip's material, specifically the deformation of a connecting bridge that joins the two arms. If the material is reduced, this connecting bridge will be more likely to prevent both arms from articulating around a theoretical common axis of rotation, which could lead to uncontrolled bending of the material and the arms becoming unpaired, thus ceasing to be coplanar.

[0020] This is a deterrent to designing a lightweight clip that also guarantees a controlled, sufficiently fast and secure closure.

[0021] Another measure to take into account is the cost of tooling or the cost of carrying out the manufacturing process.

[0022] For example, in the case of the clips discussed above, it will be observed that they do not have a rectangular cross-section. Consequently, this requires the use of injection molding processes when the clips are made of plastic.

[0023] In this sense, a clip design that, without sacrificing the aforementioned objectives, can be obtained using an alternative manufacturing process to injection molding, and specifically with greater performance, is desirable.

[0024] Currently, there are proposed materials for making mesh bag nets that offer greater sustainability compared to traditional plastics. One alternative is bioplastics. The modern implementation of separate waste collection encourages users to deposit the generated waste, sorted by the material it is made of, in separate collection containers.

[0025] The addition of non-materials to the bags, such as the clips used to close them, can hinder proper separate waste collection. Specifically, it may require removing the clips and placing them in a different collection container than the one used for the bags, as the clips are made of a different type of material.

[0026] It is therefore also a secondary purpose of the invention to provide a clip that facilitates the correct selective disposal of waste by the user.

[0027] Explanation of the invention

[0028] The proposed clip is a clip according to claim 1.

[0029] The clip is a single piece and comprises two arms with pressure means which, when the arms are brought together, cooperate to close by crushing the collected portion of the bag located between the arms, the arms being joined at a proximal end to a joining bridge and the arms having at their distal end complementary retention elements by mutual crimping when the arms are brought together.

[0030] Essentially, the clip is characterized by each arm being connected to the connecting bridge by means of a respective lightweight portion of the part's material, each determining a respective articulation. That is, the clip has two portions designed or specially configured to act as a flexible hinge, each allowing one arm to be folded down relative to the connecting bridge.

[0031] Preferably, the lightened portions of material present symmetry with respect to an imaginary plane that cuts transversally to the connecting bridge.

[0032] In one case, the lightened portions of material form concave recesses in the piece towards the space between the arms, which in turn form a central portion in the connecting bridge that is thicker than its adjacent, thinner portions; and the clamping means comprise, on each arm and at its respective proximal end, a first projection sized to fit snugly against the connecting bridge when the arms are brought together and the complementary retaining elements engage with each other.

[0033] In another sense, the lightened portions of material determine in the piece two concave recesses towards the outside of the piece, which in turn determine in the joining bridge a central portion of greater thickness than its adjacent portions.

[0034] In any case, the dimensioning of these first projections of the clamping means can be selected appropriate to obstruct the passage of the material constituting the collected portion of the bag, or a package formed by the collected portion of the bag and a sheet forming a label, towards the space enclosed or circumvented by these first projections and the joining bridge when the clip adopts a closed position, that is with the complementary retaining elements mutually interlocked.

[0035] It is envisaged that the clamping means comprise, on each arm and on the inner face of the clip, a plurality of protrusions conveniently arranged so that the protrusions of one arm alternately fit with those of the other arm when the arms are brought together and the complementary retaining elements interlock with each other, without interposing any external element between said arms. This forces the material crushed between the arms of the clip to extend and to be distributed among them, thereby seeking to ensure maximum contact with the surface of said arms, consequently increasing the frictional force between the clip and the crushed material.

[0036] It is contemplated that the complementary interlocking retention elements comprise, on a first arm, a female element with at least one hook formation in the approach direction between the arms; and on the second arm, a male element with at least one detent formation suitable for being engaged by the hook formation of the first arm when the male element is received in the female element.

[0037] In one variant, the male element and the female element are formed in the piece such that they are misaligned, in the direction of insertion of the male element into the female element, to a greater degree when the arms are brought together without interposing any external element between them than when the arms are brought together with a folded portion of the bag interposing between them, resulting in a deformation of the arms by bulging outwards in the second case.

[0038] In one embodiment, the female member has a plural number of hook formations; and the male member has an arrowhead configuration and has a plural number of staggered detent formations corresponding to the number of hook formations of the female member, such that all of the detent formations are engageable by a corresponding hook formation when the arrowhead of the male member is all received in the female member.

[0039] The clip may be a clip obtained by injection molding.

[0040] The clip can be obtained by cross-cutting a bar obtained by extrusion, which offers significant advantages over injection molding, the most well-known being lower machinery costs, more stable production, and greater productivity. To this end, the clip component is designed to have a rectangular cross-section, including the parts with the clamping elements.

[0041] The clip of the invention can give rise to a combination of clip and bag of the same material, facilitating the recycling of the combination, the bag being able to be a mesh bag and the combination a combination of bioplastic or biodegradable material.

[0042] Brief description of the drawings

[0043] Fig. 1 is a plan view of a clip according to the invention, in an open position;

[0044] Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and side views, respectively, of the clip in Fig. 1, in a closed position;

[0045] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clip of Fig. 1, in an open position;

[0046] Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of the clip in Fig. 1 in the closed position, but in use, that is, having been applied to a bag to press a previously collected longitudinal portion of said bag, without and with the interposition of a label, respectively; and

[0047] Fig. 7 is a plan view of another clip according to the invention.

[0048] Detailed description of the invention

[0049] The invention is exemplified by the clip 1 configured according to Figs. 1 to 6.

[0050] Clip 1 is made of plastic material, is flexible and is one piece.

[0051] The clip 1 comprises two arms 2, 3 connected by their proximal end 2a, 3a to a connecting bridge 4. It is characteristic of this clip 1 that each arm 2, 3 is connected to the connecting bridge 4 by means of a respective lightened portion of material 41, 42 of the piece, each determining a respective joint.

[0052] In clip 1, the lightened portions of material 41, 42 that each determine a joint present symmetry with respect to an imaginary plane A that cuts the clip transversely through the middle area of ​​the connecting bridge 4.

[0053] In this example, the lightened portions of material 41 , 42 are formed by curved recesses that are concave towards the space between the arms 2, 3. Consequently, the lightened portions of material 41 , 42 in turn determine a central portion 4a in the connecting bridge 4 that is thicker than its adjacent portions, which are thinner. Note that while the thicker central portion 4a produces a bulge towards the interior of the piece, the connecting bridge 4 has an external contour free of bulges, which results in a contour without irregularities and without a break in continuity.

[0054] This particular configuration, based on two joints, one for each arm 2, 3, allows for better control of the bending deformation of the material from which the clip 1 is made when the arms 2, 3 of the clip are suddenly pushed closer together. Specifically, it prevents the arm uncoupling that affects known clips when their use in automated packaging processes.

[0055] The two joints allow the clip 1 to adopt the open position shown in Fig. 1 and the closed position shown in Fig. 2 and, most importantly, to move from the first to the second position while the arms 2, 3 remain coplanar even when the operation is carried out very quickly and a previously collected longitudinal portion of a bag is placed between the arms, forming a sort of cord, which will offer resistance to being crushed between the arms 2, 3, all of which will be described in greater detail later.

[0056] Figs. 1 and 2 show that the arms 2, 3 of the clip 1 , in a conventional manner, have respective pressing means 21, 31 which, when the arms 2, 3 are brought together, will cooperate to close by crushing the collected portion of the bag arranged between said arms; the arms 2, 3 also being provided, at their distal end 2b, 3b, with respective complementary retaining elements 22, 32 suitable for their mutual crimping when the arms 2, 3 are brought together and placing the clip 1 in a closed position, preventing its accidental or unwanted opening.

[0057] It is characteristic of the example clip 1 that the piece that constitutes it has a rectangular cross-section, including the parts with the oppression elements 21, 31, as shown in combination in Figs. 3 and 4. This fact gives the clip 1 the possibility of being obtained by extrusion.

[0058] Specifically, a clip 1 like the one in the example can be individualized by cross-cutting an extruded bar of the clip's material. This manufacturing process offers significant advantages over injection molding, the most well-known of which are lower machinery costs, more stable production, and higher productivity.

[0059] Contrary to expectations, and despite the choice of a rectangular cross-section, the tests carried out have demonstrated optimal performance of a clip according to the invention with reduced dimensions, which means optimizing material costs. Clip sizes 1 with a z dimension for depth (see Fig. 3) of between 6 mm and 3 mm, for example, 4 mm; with a y dimension for length (see Fig. 2) of between 18 mm and 14 mm, for example, 16 mm; and with an x ​​dimension for width (see again Fig. 2) of between 8 mm and 10 mm, for example, 9.2 mm, have proven satisfactory.

[0060] This performance has been tested with clips made of different materials suitable for extrusion. Particularly notable are those made primarily of polyethylene, with REPSOL ALCUDIA 5703L HDPE (hereinafter referred to as material A) being a suitable candidate; and those made from one or a blend of bioplastics, with INZEA F08 (hereinafter referred to as material C) being a suitable candidate. Also suitable are blends of polyethylene, such as material A, with polypropylenes, with BASELL CLYRELL RC110E being a polypropylene candidate.

[0061] The effectiveness of the clips has been tested on market mesh bags, specifically on tubular bags of 3.5 to 13 g / m linear, with and without interposition of labels of approximate weights of 80 g / m 2 at 230 gr / m 2 , following a test protocol using equipment manufactured in-house, which simulates the handling of a bag by the consumer.

[0062] Essentially, this test protocol consists of holding the tested bags closed by their bottoms in an inverted position with a clip according to the invention. This fastening is achieved by means of a clamp that is suspended or connected to a vertical cylinder with variable pressure regulation that exerts a succession of pulls at different pressures. The cylinder contracts and expands every two seconds, with the pressure increasing by half a bar every five pulls, the succession of pulls beginning at a pressure of 1.5 bar. When the contents of the bag fall out through the opening, it is considered to have broken, and the number of pulls performed up to that point is noted.

[0063] The following shows, by way of non-limiting example, the number of pulls / cycles withstood by tested bags of the type with a 150 micron thick PE label (143 g / m2) and 4.2 g per linear metre Polyethylene mesh, with a content of 2 kg distributed in the form of discrete balls, simulating fruit or vegetables, closed with a clip similar to that in Fig. 1 and sized according to z= 4 mm; y= 16 mm; yx=9.2 mm, without breaking / opening, the clip being made of the aforementioned material A.

[0064] Accepting two pulls as a minimum acceptable threshold value, it is considered that the average value of 3.4 pulls obtained with the test conditions and the clip configuration described above ensures the correct performance of the bag closed with the clip throughout the useful life of said bag (that is, during its handling in the packaging process, during its transport, at its point of sale and at its destination). Advantageously, the aforementioned materials A, B are materials from which a mesh of a bag closed with the clip according to the invention can be made.

[0065] Therefore, the bag and clip can be disposed of in the same separate collection container. This means that it will not be necessary to remove the clip from the bag and dispose of each one in a separate container, appropriate for the material of the bag and clip, respectively.

[0066] Certainly, other aspects have also been noted that, although optional, contribute to the specific clip exemplified by the invention achieving optimal results.

[0067] For example, the aforementioned pressure means 21, 22 comprise, on each arm 2, 3 and on its respective proximal end 2a, 3a, a first projection 21A, 31A facing the space between the arms and sized to fit against the central portion 4a, bulging towards the interior of the piece, of the connecting bridge 4 when the arms 2, 3 come together and engage the complementary retention elements 22, 32 together.

[0068] The technical effect of this feature is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which are plan views of the clip 1 in its closed position but now in use, i.e., having been applied by pressing a folded portion 9 of a mesh bag. In Fig. 5, the clip 1 embraces a folded portion 9 of a tubular mesh; and in Fig. 6, the clip embraces a folded portion 9 of a tubular mesh wrapped with a sheet acting as a label 10 and interposed between the mesh and the arms 3, 4 of the clip 1.

[0069] Figs. 5 and 6 are realistic illustrations and show the extent to which these first projections 21A, 31A referred to above hinder the passage of the material constituting the collected portion 9 of the bag, or the package formed by the collected portion 9 of the bag and the sheet forming the label 10, towards the free space offered by the concave transition recesses between the joining bridge 4 and the arms 2, 3 designed to perform the function of respective joints to be able to pivot the arms 2, 3. The arrangement of material of the collected portion 9 of the bag, or where appropriate of the package formed by the collected portion 9 of the bag and the sheet forming the label 10, in these free spaces may be undesirable in some cases, since it will be less pressed material that may favor the slipping of the clip 1 and its accidental extraction from the bag.

[0070] The invention is also exemplified by the clip T of Fig. 7. Unlike the clip 1 , the lightened portions of material 41 , 42 determine in the joining bridge 4 of the piece constituting the clip a central portion 4a of greater thickness than its adjacent portions, forming in this case a bulge towards the outside of the piece. The first projections 21A, 31A may be configured if desired to fit against each other to hinder the passage of the material constituting the collected portion of the bag, or the package formed by the collected portion of the bag and the sheet forming a label, towards the space enclosed or circumvented by these first projections 21 A, 31A and the joining bridge 4 when the clip 1' adopts a closed position.

[0071] In the example clips 1, 1', the pressure means 21, 22 comprise, in each arm 2, 3, in addition to the first functional projections 21A, 31A explained above, another number of projections also facing the space between the arms 2, 3.

[0072] The invention contemplates the provision of a plural number of projections on each arm 2, 3.

[0073] The invention contemplates various shapes for these projections.

[0074] The following is explained in reference to clip 1 but also applies to clip 1'.

[0075] In the examples, each arm 2, 3 is provided with projecting protrusions 21 B, 21 C; and 31 B, 31 C, 31 D that have a generally triangular shape and are conveniently sized and arranged to fit the protrusions of one arm alternately with those of the other arm when the complementary retaining elements 22, 32 approach and interlock with each other without any external element being interposed between the aforementioned arms 2, 3 (case of Fig. 2).

[0076] The technical effect of this particularity is shown in realistic Figs. 5 and 6, and its purpose is to force the crushed material to extend and to be distributed between the arms 2, 3, thereby seeking to have maximum contact with the surface of said arms, consequently increasing the friction force between the clip 1 and the crushed material.

[0077] A non-alternating arrangement of the protrusions would favor greater pressure in the places where opposite protrusions are closest together; and relaxation in the places with the greatest space between opposite protrusions, with retention concentrated only in the former, where there will be greater pressure.

[0078] On the other hand, the complementary retaining elements 22, 32 are designed to comprise, on a first arm 2, a female element 22 with at least one hook formation 22a in the approach direction between the arms 2, 3; and on the second arm 3, a male element 32, with at least one retaining formation 32a suitable for being caught by the hook formation of the first arm 2 when the male element 32 is received in the female element 22.

[0079] The technical effect sought is similar to a ratchet, which will allow the insertion of the male element 32 into the female element 22 but will prevent its extraction by locking the retaining formations into the hook formations.

[0080] This effect is achieved by playing with the deformation of the material that constitutes the piece, in this case by dimensioning the male element 32 to force the opening, by elastic deformation, of the part of the piece that forms the female element 22 when it receives the male element 32 and each retaining formation slides over the apex of a complementary hook formation, restoring the shape of the female element when the retaining formation exceeds the apex of the hook formation.

[0081] The invention contemplates the provision of a singular or plural number of hook formations and detent formations.

[0082] The invention contemplates different profiles for the hook and retainer formations.

[0083] In the example, the female element 22 is distinguished by an inner wall and an outer wall facing each other, each of which has two hook formations 22a, 22b; and the male element 32 has a general arrowhead configuration, in the case of a double arrow, and has an inner side and an outer side, each of which has two staggered retaining formations 32a, 32b, arranged and sized in correspondence with the hook formations 22a, 22b of the female element 22, such that all of the retaining formations are susceptible to being caught by a corresponding hook formation when the double arrowhead of the male element 32 is all received in the female element 22.

[0084] The invention contemplates, in the case of there being a plural number of hook formations, that these are not all the same.

[0085] Furthermore, the invention also contemplates, in the event of there being a plural number of retainer formations, that these are not all the same.

[0086] In some cases, it may be that all hook shapes are the same, but not all retainer shapes, and vice versa, that all hook shapes are not the same but all retainer shapes are.

[0087] Since the clip 1 is made of a single piece, made of plastic material with flexible properties for the reasons explained above, the forced closure of the clip 1 around a collected portion 9 of a bag, whether without or with the interposition of a sheet that forms a label 10, may cause a slight outward bulging of the arms 2, 3 of the clip 1 when it adopts the closed position. The degree of this bulging will depend on several factors, with special relevance being the quantity of material arranged between the arms 2, 3 of the clip 1 and the space left between the arms when the clamp adopts the closed position.

[0088] This deformation of the clip 1 may affect the crimping capacity of the complementary retention elements 22, 32. The selection of an unequal profile of the hook and retainer formations may favor the crimping between the male and female elements of the complementary retention means when the clip 1 is deformed.

[0089] For example, it is contemplated that the profiles of the hook formations are different on the inner wall and the outer wall of the female element 22 and / or that the profiles of the retainer formations are different on the inner side and the outer side of the male element.

[0090] The invention also contemplates taking other measures, whether in combination or not with the others explained.

[0091] For example, it is contemplated to form the male element 32 and the female element 22 in the clip 1 in such a way that they are slightly misaligned, in the direction of insertion of the male element into the female element, to a greater degree when the arms 2, 3 come together without interposing any external element between them than when the arms 2, 3 come together with material to be pressed between them, with the arms 2, 3 bulging.

[0092] In any case, Figs. 4 and 5 show other interesting aspects that also contribute to ensuring that clip 1 remains closed, once applied to close a bag.

[0093] This is the case of the contour selected for the distal external 3b of arm 3 at the base of male element 33. It is a curved contour, lacking corners that could catch on external elements. A similar measure is seen for the case of the contour of the distal end 2b of arm 2, also curved in the area where it connects with the exterior wall 23 of female element 22. Furthermore, (see Fig. 2) said exterior wall 23 of female element 22, which is also finished curved in what is the mouth of female element 23, is an essentially straight wall following a direction substantially tangent to the curvature of the distal end 3b of arm 3, in order to seek maximum continuity of the contour, interrupted by the coupling between female element 22 and male element 33, in this part of clip 1.

Claims

1. - Closing clip (1, 1') made of plastic material for closing a bag, such as a mesh bag, configured in particular to press a collected portion (9) of the bag, the clip being in a single piece comprising two arms (2, 3) with oppression means (21, 31) which, when the arms come together, cooperate to close by crushing the collected portion (9) of the bag located between the arms, the arms (2, 3) being connected by a proximal end (2a, 3a) to a connecting bridge (4) and the arms having at their distal end (2b, 3b) complementary retention elements (22, 32) by mutual crimping when the arms come together, characterized in that each arm (2, 3) is connected to the connecting bridge (4) by means of a respective lightened portion of material (41, 42) of the piece, each determining a respective joint. 2.- Clip (1, 1') according to claim 1, characterized in that the lightened portions of material (41, 42) have symmetry with respect to an imaginary plane that cuts transversely to the connecting bridge (4). 3.- Clip (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the lightened portions of material (41, 42) determine in the piece two concave recesses towards the space between the arms (2, 3) which in turn determine in the joining bridge (4) a central portion (4a) of greater thickness than its adjacent portions, of lesser thickness; and because the oppression means (21, 31) comprise in each arm (2, 3) and in its respective proximal end (2a, 3a) a first projection (21A, 31A) sized to fit against the joining bridge (4) when the arms approach and engage the complementary retention elements (22, 32) together. 4.- Clip (1) according to the previous claim, characterized in that the central portion (4a) of greater thickness forms a bulge towards the interior of the piece. 5.- Clip (1') according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the lightened portions of material (41, 42) determine in the joining bridge (4) of the piece a central portion (4a) of greater thickness than its contiguous portions which forms a bulge towards the outside of the piece. 6.- Clip (1, T) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressure means (21, 31) comprise on each arm (2, 3) and on the inner face of the clip a plural number of projections (21 B, 21C, 31 B, 31 C, 31 D) conveniently arranged to fit the projections of one arm alternately with those of the other arm when the arms come together and engage the complementary retention elements together without interposing any external element between the aforementioned arms (2, 3).

7. Clip (1, T) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the complementary retaining elements (22, 32) by mutual crimping comprise, in a first arm (2), a female element (22) with at least one hook formation (22a) in the approach direction between the arms (2, 3); and in the second arm (3), a male element (32) with at least one retaining formation (32a) suitable for being caught by the hook formation of the first arm when the male element (32) is received in the female element (22). 8.- Clip (1, T) according to claim 7, characterized in that the male element (32) and the female element (22) are formed in the piece such that they are misaligned, in the direction of introduction of the male element into the female element, to a greater degree when the arms (2, 3) come together without interposing any external element between them than when the arms (2, 3) come together with a collected portion (9) of the bag interposing between them, resulting from a deformation of the arms (2, 3) by bulging outwards in the second case.

9. Clip (1, 1') according to any one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the female element (22) has a plural number of hook formations (22a, 22b); and in that the male element (32) has an arrowhead configuration and has a plural number of retaining formations (32a, 32b), in steps, corresponding to the number of hook formations (22a, 22b), such that all the retaining formations are capable of being caught by a corresponding hook formation when the arrowhead of the male element (32) is fully received in the female element (22). 10.- Clip (1, T) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a rectangular cross-section. 11.- Clip (1, T) according to the previous claim, characterized in that it has been obtained by cross-cutting a bar obtained by extrusion. 12.- Clip (1, 1') according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it has been obtained by injection molding. 13.- A clip (1, 1') according to any one of the preceding claims applied to a collected portion (9) of a bag, pressing it and closing it, the clip being made of the same material as that of the bag. 14.- The combination of clip (1, T) and bag according to claim 13, characterized in that the bag is a mesh bag. 15.- The combination of clip (1, 1') and bag according to claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the material is a bioplastic. 16.- The combination of clip (1, 1') and bag according to claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the material is biodegradable.

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