FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to a clamp.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The most common garbage bins used by the public are municipality or local government issue garbage bins. These bins generally have a large storage space with a lid to cover the storage space. Most commonly they also now have wheels at the bottom on one side thereof with a handle at the top so that they can easily be moved around to be emptied and used again. Plastic bags are placed into the interior of these bins to line the interior space so that the garbage put into the bins falls into and collects in these bags. These plastic bags are generally tucked over the rim of the openings of these bins in order to secure them into position in the bins. The problem with this is however that, as these bags are generally made of thin slippery plastic material, they tend not to stay securely tucked over the rim of a bin but rather tend to slip into the storage space of the bin and eventually fall into the bin as it is filled with garbage.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this problem of the plastic bin liner bags slipping and falling into the garbage bins while they are being used to collect garbage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a clamp which includes a base member of bendable material, the base member being bendable at a first bend about an axis so as to form at least two opposed end portions on either side of the axis, each of these end portions having a surface which is urgable against the inner surface of a recess into which the base member may be beatable, a middle portion being located between the two end portions, the middle portion being bendable at a second bend about the axis, the second bend being in substantially the opposite direction to the first bend, and the middle portion providing an urging force by which the surface on the end portions are urgable against the surface of a recess.

The middle portion may comprise an elongate member being formed by at least one slit being cut in the base member. Preferably the middle portion comprises an elongate member being formed by two slits substantially parallel to each other being cut in the base member.

In one form of the invention the middle portion may comprise a separate elongate member, which is attachable to each of the end portions of the base member. Preferably, each end of this middle portion may be attachable to each end portion of the base member by means of at least one rivet means that is located on either side of the second bend.

The bendable material of which the base member is made may be a material which retains a memory after it has been bent and tends towards being in a partially bent form after it has been bent.

In another form of the invention, the bendable material of which the base member is made may be a material which is resilient and which tends towards being in an unbent form after it has been bent.

The bendable material may be a plastics material which is at least one of polypropylene, High Impact Polystyrene, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and Polyester Terafalate Glycol.

The clamp may be used to locate a bag into a recess provided by a rigid container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 shows a top view of a clamp according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a side view of the clamp in a partially bent form;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the clamp in a bent form; and

Figure 4 shows a three-dimentional view of the clamp in the bent form;

Figure 5 shows a bottom view of a clamp according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 shows a side view of the second embodiment of the clamp;

Figure 7 shows a side view of the second embodiment of the clamp in a partially bent form;

Figure 8 shows a side view of the second embodiment of the clamp in a bent form; and

Figure 9 shows a three-dimentional view of the second embodiment of the clamp in the bent form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A clamp 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings. A number of clamps 10 are used to locate the edges of plastic garbage bin bags into recesses at the edges of the openings of garbage bins. The garbage bins most commonly used are municipality or local government issue garbage bins, which have an overhanging lip that extends along the edges of their openings. This overhanging lip has a recess on its underside and the clamps 10 are beatable at various positions in this recess. Clamps 10 are thus used to locate the edges of plastic garbage bin bags securely at various positions in these recesses of a garbage bin. This secures the plastic bags at the edges of the opening in the bins and prevents them from slipping and falling

completely into the bins while they are being used to collect garbage being put into the bins.

In Figure 1 , clamp 10 is shown from the top view in an unfolded form. Clamp 10 includes a base member 12 made of bendable plastics material such as, for example, polypropylene (PPH), High Impact Polystyrene (PST or HIPS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or Polyester Terafalate Glycole (PETG). The base member 12 is bendable at a first bend 14 about an axis 16, shown by a dotted line in Figure 2. The axis 16 is situated along the width of base member 12, at substantially its centre along its length. There are two opposed end portions 18 and 20 on either side of the axis 16 in base portion 12. Each of these end portions 18, 20 have an outer surface 22, 24, respectively, which are urgable against the inner surface of a recess of the overhanging lip of a garbage bin when clamp 10 is located therein.

A middle portion 26 is located between the two end portions 18 and 20. This middle portion is formed by cutting two slits 17 and 19 in the base member 12. The middle portion 26 is also bendable at a second bend 28 about the same axis 16, as shown in Figure 2. The second bend 28, however, is bent in substantially the opposite direction to the first bend 14. Further bending of the end portions 18, 20 about axis 16 and the consequent further bending of the middle portion 26, is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. The middle portion 26 provides the urging force by which outer surfaces 22, 24 of the end portions 18, 20 are urged against the inner surface of the recess of the overhanging lip of a garbage bin. As shown in Figures 2

to 4, there are spikes 21 on part of the outer surface of portions 18 and 20. These spikes 21 serve to pierce a plastic garbage bin bag at various positions and help to secure the bag more firmly inside the recess of the overhanging lip of the garbage bin.

The bendable material of which the base member 12 is made may be a plastics material such as, for example, polypropylene (PPH), High Impact Polystyrene (PST or HIPS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or Polyester Terafalate Glycol (PETG). The preferred material is polypropylene, which retains a memory after it has been bent for the first time and tends to return towards being in a partially bent form, such as is shown in Figure 2, after it is removed from being used in a limited space such as in an elongate recess of a garbage bin.

A further form of clamp 10, in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, is shown in Figures 5 to 9 of the accompanying drawings. Where appropriate, the same numbering as used in Figures 1 to 4 has also been used in Figures 5 to 9. In Figure 5, clamp 10 is shown from the bottom view and is in an unfolded form. This second embodiment of clamp 10 includes a base member 12, which is of a bendable resilient material such as a plastics material that tends towards returning to an unfolded form rather than a folded form after being bent.

In this second embodiment of the invention, the middle portion 26 comprise a separate elongate member 30, which is attachable to each of the end portions 18, 20 of the base member 12. As shown, each end 32, 34 of this middle

portion 26 is attached to each end portion 20, 18, respectively, of the base member 12 by means of a pop-rivet and washer combination 36, 38 that is located on either side of the second bend 28.

The bendable material of which the base member 12 is made in this second embodiment may also be a plastics material such as, for example, polypropylene (PPH), High Impact Polystyrene (PST or HIPS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or Polyester Terafalate Glycole (PETG). The material in this case retains a memory after it has been bent for the first time and tends to return towards being in an unbent form, such as is shown in Figure 6, after it is removed from being used in a limited space such as in an elongate recess of a garbage bin. After some use, the material may also retain some memory and start to tend towards returning towards being in a partially bent form, such as is shown in Figure 7, after it is removed from being used.