The present invention relates to the use of a hygienic liner on item carrying containers.

Trays for airport controls convey many germs and viruses due to frequent contact with the hands of passengers and with objects such as shoes and computers.

Other storage containers, such as baskets used in supermarkets, have a similar problem.

The speed with which containers such as the ones exemplified above must be reused does not easily allow their sterilization after each use.

The aim of the present invention is to improve the background art in one or more of the aspects indicated above.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to reduce the transmission of germs or viruses via storage containers used by multiple people, such as trays for airport controls or the like or shopping baskets for supermarkets.

Another object of the invention is to allow this reduction rapidly on existing storage containers.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the background art in a manner that is alternative to any existing solutions.

This aim, as well as these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a use according to claim 1 , optionally provided with one or more of the characteristics of the dependent claims.

The aim and objects of the invention are also achieved by a container according to claim 7, optionally provided with one or more of the characteristics of the dependent claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the use according to the invention, illustrated by way of non- limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded view showing the use of the hygienic liner on a tray for airport controls or the like, according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a view of the tray of Figure 1 lined according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a view showing the use according to the invention in the context of an airport control barrier;

Figure 4 is a view showing the use of the liner according to the invention on a shopping basket for supermarkets.

With reference to the figures, the storage container 1, 6 according to the invention can comprise a tray 2 for airport controls or the like, a shopping basket 61 for supermarkets, or other types of container which are reused continuously by various people to contain and carry objects in environments that are not sterile or without particular hygienic controls.

Reference is now made to the embodiment of Figures 1-3, although the same remarks also apply to the embodiment of Figure 4.

The container 1 comprises at least one recess 21 that is designed to receive objects 4 to be carried and is delimited by a bottom 22 and by side walls 23, 24, 25, 26, which surround the bottom 22 and form in an upper region a rim 27 of the recess 21.

The container 1 further comprises a disposable removable hygienic liner 3 which, after its application to the container 1, completely covers the recess 21 of the container.

The liner 3 has the particularity of being a shroud 32 which has a mouth 31 which can be extended by means of an elastic edge, in order to be able to expand elastically the mouth 31 and fit the lining 3 on the recess 21 of the container 1, adapting the mouth 31 to the external perimeter of the recess 21 formed by the side walls 23-26.

The shroud 32 is disposable and made of preferably recycled or recyclable plastic material, and can be manufactured starting from a film made of plastic material with the same methods known for manufacturing shower caps of the type having an elasticized edge, obtained for example with a ring made of elastomeric material which is expanded and heat-sealed on the perimeter of the source film of plastic material. The only difference with respect to the background art would be the surface dimensions of the initial film, such as to allow to fit the shroud 32 from above onto the container 1, 6.

In particular, the mouth 31 has a perimeter at rest that is smaller than the perimeter of the rim 27 of the recess 21, while the perimeter of the mouth 31 at its maximum extension is greater than the perimeter of said rim 27, in order to allow the user to expand the mouth 31 in order to be able to fit it all around the side walls 23-26 and then utilize its elastic return to tighten the mouth 31 around them.

Again with reference to the dimensions, the surface extension of the shroud 32 is such that the liner 3, applied to the container 1 and deformed manually or with the objects 4, substantially imitates its recess 21, without necessarily having complete adherence between the recess of the liner 3 and the recess 21 of the container 1. For this purpose, it is sufficient for the surface extension of the shroud 32 without the elasticized edge 31 to be greater than the internal surface extension of the recess 21 of the container 1.

A tray for airport controls or the like which can be used with the liner 3 according to the invention preferably has a length comprised between 370 mm and 760 mm, a width comprised between 300 mm and 550 mm, and a depth comprised between 70 mm and 160 mm.

Advantageously, the shroud 32 and/or its packaging can comprise characters and/or images of an informational and/or advertising type.

The operation of the invention is evident from the description.

In the context of an airport control or in any case of a control at an access barrier, trays 2 are typically provided in which the users must store metallic objects and/or objects containing liquids, as well as bags or carry-on baggage.

These trays 2 are carried by a roller conveyor or conveyor belt 5 typically toward a metal detector.

Before storing the objects, the user picks up a disposable shroud 32 from an automatic dispenser or from a box with which he is already equipped or which is provided ahead of the access barrier.

Then the user expands the elastic edge 31 of the shroud 32 and fits it around the side walls 23-26 of the tray 2 so that the edge 31 is folded onto the rim 27 and adheres externally to said side walls due to its elastic return. If the recess on the liner 3 has not already been created with this operation, the user can generate it by pushing the material of the shroud 32 that is located above the recess 21 toward the inside of said recess, either manually or by inserting the objects 4 to be controlled.

After controls with the metal detector and after the removal of the objects 4 from the tray 2, the liner 3 can be easily removed manually and discarded.

A similar process for the application and removal of the liner 3 is obviously applicable for lining the shopping basket 61.

In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, since the liner 3 used according to the invention allows the objects inserted in the container to avoid contaminating the container itself, by virtue of the interposition of the liner 3, which, being disposable, is then discarded after use.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102019000020540 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.