Bulk goods of all types are often stored in bags. These bulk goods include household items like flour or dry pet food, food stuffs used in large scale food production, livestock feeds, gardening supplies, and industrial or construction materials such as sand or cement. A common problem associated with the storage of bulk goods in sacks and bags is the inability to close and carry the bag once it has been opened.
The user of products stored in bags is typically unable to close the bag securely and as a result the bags are often causes of spills if tipped, or are easily contaminated by insects or other pests due to the poor closure techniques used on the bags. If the bags store foodstuffs such as at a food processing plant, there is a strong necessity to maintain bags in an orderly manner where spillage is unlikely. There is an even stronger necessity to insure that the food stuffs do not become contaminated with pests and are not accidently contaminated during cleaning processes.
Bags used to store household bulk items are subject to similar contamination problems. Keeping pets out of opened pet food bags would be an example of this problem. Ants or other insects also can easily get into food stuffs such as flour that are stored in bags that have been opened and ineffectively closed. There is, of course, a strong necessity to properly seal a bag containing any bulk item that could be accidently ingested by a child.
Construction materials like cement or sand that are shipped in large bags are very difficult to close effectively. These bags often are transported within vehicles once opened and are very subject to spillage problems. Spillage of bulk construction materials often occurs where clean up is difficult. Because of this, bag spills often contribute to work environments that are already unsafe and messy.
Other problems with bags are associated with the difficulty of carrying and storing bags containing bulk materials.
The difficulty in storing bags is derived from the inability of the bags to be closed effectively as well as the inability of the bags to be hung. As was previously mentioned, poor closure of a bag can lead to spillage or contamination. Contamination of bags from chemicals or pests is a problem with bags stored on the floor. In addition to this, the inability of a bag to be properly closed prevents the stacking of bags on their sides once opened.
Should the user of the bags desire to hang the bags for storage purposes there is essentially no easy way that bulk storage bags can be hung from a hook. This inability keeps bags close to the floor where the bags are not only susceptible to contamination, but are also obstacles when cleaning. Storing bags on the floor prohibits the use of floor space for more important uses other than storage.
An additional problem with bulk storage bags is the difficulty in moving these bags. Someone moving a large bag often has to grasp the bag by wrapping the arms around the bag and then lift the bag using the muscles of the back. This type of lifting is a cause of serious back injuries. The process of moving bags is particularly damaging when many bags have to be moved. If the bags are already opened, the difficulty of moving the bags is compounded by the necessity to minimize spillage from the bags.
For the foregoing reasons there is a need for a bag closure that effectively closes bags of all types to prevent spillage or contamination of the contents of the bag. There is also a need for a bag closure that allows bags to be picked up and moved in a safe manner. There is additionally a need for a bag closure that allows bags to be effectively closed to allow stacking of opened bags during storage. There is a further need for a bag closure that permits bags to be hung during storage.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds