CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION ( S )

The present application claims priority on United States Provisional Application No. 61/383,020, filed on September 15, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference .

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The present application relates to a portable bag dispenser unit supporting a plurality of bags for the dispensing thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

There is often a need to carry bags in order to dispose of odorous waste. For instance, because of municipal regulations, dog waste must be picked up by the guardian of the dog. In another example, it may occur that diapers with feces must be disposed of, away from diaper disposal systems. However, by simply throwing waste with feces into typical garbage cans, the odors emanating from the waste will hardly be bearable over time. It is therefore desired to sealingly wrap or bag such odorous waste items individually to prevent this problem .

In some instances, bags for diaper disposal systems use types of polymers having specific airtightness characteristics, to retain the odors in the sealed bag. One copolymer commonly used for this purpose is an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (also known as EVOH) . However, such polymers are relatively expensive, whereby their use must be maximized.

Dispensing devices and bag rolls therefor have been devised to dipense single-use bags to collect waste. The bags used for such applications are typically square

- l - or rectangular bags when laid flat. Therefore, a sufficient amount of bag material is required atop the waste when the waste is captured, to form an elongated strip that will be tied into a knot. This standard way of making knots requires a non-negligible amount of material .

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION

It is a feature of the present disclosure to provide a novel bag dispenser unit.

It is another feature of the present disclosure to provide a novel bag roll.

It is another feature of the present disclosure to provide a bag roll reducing the amount of material required to tie the bag.

Therefore, in accordance with a first embodiment, there is provided a roll of bags comprising: a length of tubular material in a flat condition and coiled into a roll; seams extending width-wise in the tubular material, the seams being spaced apart at given distances along the length of the tubular material; tearing lines adjacent to the seams and extending width-wise in the tubular material, the tearing lines being spaced apart at given distances along the length of the tubular material, with sets of one of the seams and one of the tearing lines respectively defining a closed end and an open end of a bag with a segment of the tubular material between the set forming the bag; a depression pattern defined by the tearing lines to form a depression in a top open edge of the bags in the flat condition; and a projecting pattern defined by the seams to define a projection in a bottom closed end of the bags in the flat condition.

Further in accordance with the first embodiment, the depression pattern of one of the bags and the projecting pattern of an adjacent one of the bags are matingly side by side in the roll. Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the length of tubular material comprises at least one fold line extending lengthwise such that each bag is folded in the roll .

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the length of tubular material comprises two fold lines extending lengthwise such that each bag is folded in the roll.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, said bags have a height ranging between 8 inches and 12 inches.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, said bags have a width ranging 7 inches and 12 inches .

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the tubular material is made of an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, the depression pattern has any one of an arcuate shape, a sine waveform shape, a square waveform shape and a triangular waveform shape.

Still further in accordance with the first embodiment, there is provided a support tube upon which is coiled the roll of tubular material .

Further in accordance with a second embodiment, there is provided a dispensing device for dispensing bags comprising: a roll of bags as described above; a casing having an inner cavity for receiving the roll of bags and defining an opening for outletting a free end of the roll of bags to dispense bags; an axle rotatably mounted to an interior of the casing and engaged with an interior of the roll for rotating therewith; and a handle at least partially outside of the casing and in rotatable arrangement with the axle to rotate the roll of bags.

Further in accordance with a second embodiment, an attachment clip is provided on the casing. Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the casing is constituted of two shells releasably interconnected.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the opening of the casing defines a portion of an ornament, and the handle defines a complementary portion of the ornament.

Still further in accordance with the second embodiment, the axle and the roll comprise complementary flat engagement surfaces for concurrent rotation.

In accordance with a third embodiment, there is provided a method for bagging waste comprising: opening a bag; inserting a hand in the bag with some fingers being in a central projection in a closed bottom end of the bag and a thumb adjacent to a corner of the bag; picking waste with an exterior of the bag; turning the bag inside out to capture the waste inside the bag; and forming a knot at the top open end of the bag with lateral projections separated by a depression in the top edge of the bag.

Further in accordance with the third embodiment, the bag is torn from a roll of bags prior to opening the bag.

Still further in accordance with the third embodiment, the bag torn from the roll is unfolded prior to opening the bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is an assembly of a bag dispenser unit 12 and bag roll 14 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a partly sectioned elevation view of the assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bag roll of

Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a schematic view of two bags of the bag roll of Fig. 3 ;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a bag of the bag roll of Fig. 3, with a waste item prior to being tied;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the bag of Fig. 5, once tied to hold capture the waste item; and

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the bag of Fig. 5, with a hand therein to grasp items.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings and, more particularly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated an assembly 10 of a bag dispenser unit 12 with a bag roll 14. As shown in Fig. 1, a free end 16 of the bag roll 14 projects out of the dispenser unit 12 to be grasped for unrolling a length of the bag roll 14.

Referring concurrently to Figs. 1 and 2, the bag dispenser unit 12 is shown having a hollow casing 20. The hollow casing 20 has an inner cavity 21, sized so as to accommodate the bag roll 14. In an embodiment, the casing 20 is made of two interconnected shells separable from one another so as to insert a bag roll 14 into the bag dispenser unit 12. The shells may be hinged to one another. According to an embodiment, the shells are made of a molded polymer, with the shells being integrally connected via the hinge . Any other appropriate construction and materials (e.g., metal) are also considered .

For illustrative purposes, a rotational axis is shown at A and represents the axis about which the bag roll 14 rotates when inserted into the casing 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the casing 20 has a dispensing opening 22 defined therein. The dispensing opening 22 has an oval shape having a longitudinal direction generally parallel to the rotational axis A. Although an oval shape is shown, any other appropriate shape may be used for the dispensing opening 22. It is considered to shape the opening 22 with ornamental outlines.

A clip 23 may be provided on a side of the casing 20 opposite the dispensing opening 22. The clip 23 has some level of resilience by its cantilevered construction, allowing the casing 20 to be clipped, for instance, to a belt or a strap. A depression is defined in the casing 20 to receive a portion of free end of the clip 23.

In order to interconnect the two shells of the casing 20, there may be provided a release tab 24 snapping against a depression within the inner cavity 21. Any other appropriate means to interconnect the shells of the casing 20 are considered. Moreover, although a separation line is generally illustrated between the two shells of the casing 20 as being in a plane of the rotational axis A, any other appropriate arrangement can be made to allow access to an interior of the casing 20. For instance, an end of the casing 20 may be opened to access an interior of the casing 21.

A throughbore 25 is defined in a top end of the casing 20, and is axially aligned with the rotational axis A. Support walls 26 are provided in the opposite end of the casing 20, and concurrently define a bearing support. The support walls each have a semicircular outline axially aligned with the rotational axis A, the outlines being sized such that the support walls 26 concurrently rotatably support an end of an axle 30. The support walls 26 overlap one another in the illustrated embodiment, but any other configuration is also considered, with another throughbore in the opposite end of the casing 20, etc.

Accordingly, the axle 30 is rotatably supported at opposed ends by the casing 20, such that the axle 30 may rotate about the rotational axis A. At a first end, the axle 30 has a pair of spaced-apart flanges 31. The spaced-apart flanges 31 receive therebetween the periphery of the throughbore 25 (e.g., with a collar about the throughbore 25) . At the other end of the axle 30, a shoulder 32 of the axle is received within the semicircular outlines of the support walls 26.

A handle 33 projects out of the casing 20. The handle 33 is integral with the axle 30, whereby a rotation of the handle 33 allows the bag roll 14 to be rotated to wind excess bag back into the dispenser unit 12. The handle 33 may have an opening 34, for instance, to hang the dispenser unit 12.

Referring concurrently to Figs. 3 and 4, there is illustrated the bag roll 14, in accordance with one embodiment. The bag roll 14 has a tube 40 supporting a length of bags 41. The tube 40 is mounted about the axle 30 when the bag roll 14 is in the casing 20. Accordingly, the bag roll 14 may rotate about the axle 30 (with the axle 30 being fixed in the casing 20), or the bag roll 14 and the axle 30 rotate concurrently in the casing 20. To have the bag roll 14 and axle 30 rotate concurrently, the tube 40 may have an inner contact surface 40A that will come into an abutment relation with a complementary surface on the axle 30. Other configurations are also considered for the concurrent rotation of the axle 30 with the bag roll 14.

The length of bags 41 is typically a length of a tubular material, in a sheet condition. The tubular material is perforated and sealed width-wise to define a plurality of bags 41 connected end to end, namely with the segment of bags between sets of a seam and a tearing line. The bags 41 are separated by a seam 42 made by the sealing of the tubular material . Accordingly, the seam 42 defines a bottom of the bag. In the roll, the seam 42 is adjacent to a tearing line 43 (resulting from the perforating), with the tearing line 43 being the joint between a pair of bags 41. Therefore, a bag at the free end 16 of the bag roll 14 may be torn off a remainder of the bag roll 14 for use.

In the illustrated embodiment of Fig. 3, the free end 16 is defined by an open end of one of the bags 41 (i.e., opposite the seam 42), but could also be defined by the closed end of one of the bags 41 (i.e., with the seam 42) .

The tubular sheet may be of any appropriate polymeric material, in one or multiple layers. Considering the odorous nature of some waste items that may be wrapped in the bag 41, a layer of an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, among other possibilities, may be used. Any other suitable sheet polymer or sheet fibers could be used for the bag roll 14.

According to an embodiment, the tear-off strip 43 has a specific pattern to optimize the use of the bag 41. The pattern at the top open edge of the bag 41 (i.e., the edge opposite to the seam 42) defines a depression, illustrated by a pair of peaks 44 adjacent to the lateral sides of the bag 41, with the peaks 44 separated by a valley 45. Accordingly, the depression of the top open edge of the bag 41 is defined by a generally central portion thereof being lower than the peaks adjacent to the lateral sides of the bag 41.

As the bag 41 is in the roll 14, the depression pattern of the top open edge results in a protrusion (a.k.a., nose, projection, convexity) projecting downwardly at the bottom closed edge of the bag 41, as the bags 41 are sequentially connected top to bottom in the roll 14. In this configuration of mating bottom edge and top edge of adjacent bags 41, there is no waste of plastic for each bag 41 that is perforated into the tubular sheet. More specifically, considering that the bag 41 of an embodiment has a uniform height, and considering the mating outlines of bags 41 interconnected end to end, there is no waste of bag material as there would be if the bag 41 had a straight bottom edge. However, it is also considered to have a straight bottom edge for the bags 41, with a cutout of the tubular material allowing the depression to be formed at the top open edge .

Although the peaks-and-valley depression edge of the bag 41 is shown with a sinusoidal outline in the illustrations, the peaks-and-valley edge may also have other outlines, such as a square waveform, a triangular waveform, among numerous other possibilities. The peaks 44 may also be offset vertically from one another.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown a diaper D following usage, with the diaper D being received in the bag 41. It is shown that the peaks 44 define a pair of tabs that are brought together as shown in Fig. 5 to form a knot K (Fig. 6) . The depression between the peaks 44 facilitates the formation of the knot K. It is observed in Fig. 6 that the nose at the bottom edge of the bag 41 defines an ergonomic space to receive the waste item, once the knot K has been formed.

Referring to Fig. 7, the specific shape of the bag 41 is ergonomically efficient when the bag 41 is used as a mitt for hand H. The thumb lodges in a corner of the bag 41, while the remainder of the fingers are in the nose at the bottom of the bag 41 (i.e., central projection), thereby facilitating the manipulation and grasping of objects with the bag 41. Accordingly, typical suitable dimensions for the bag 41 are a width ranging between 7 inches and 12 inches, and the height of the lateral edges range between 8 inches and 12 inches. However, other dimensions may be used, depending on the application .

Therefore, when the bag 41 is used as a mitt, once the waste has been collected, the bag 41 is turned inside out with the waste being captured inside as a result of the operation. The bag 41 is then tied up, forming a knot K in the manner described above.

As shown in Fig. 3, the bag may be folded so as to reduce the height of the casing 20. In Fig. 3, the bags 41 are in a folded condition on the roll 14, with two fold lines as seen from the positioning of the peaks 44 and valley 45. The bags 41 may have a single fold line, or more than two fold lines as well.