Method for preparing pieces of fabric; pieces and bag derived from application of the method

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for preparing a fabric portion comprising a synthetic fabric bag to stiffen the bag wall and give it greater strength; the present invention also relates to parts and bags resulting from the use of the method.

[0003] Synthetic cloth bags having a bottom and four vertical sides, generally two long and two short, are all known, can be mentioned as a simple reference document EP0691286 (B1). Other packs of fabric are, for example, known from US 2007/0082158, US2011 / 0268375, US 2716558 and GB 2346078.

[0004] The use of bubble wrap to create packages is known, for example, from GB 2274085, US 5855978 and US 4679242.

[0005] Theoretically, when they are drawn on paper, these bags stand perfectly vertically, their sides are respectively vertical and stiffened, and the opening of the bag remains open and properly spread to accept what we want to transfer in the bag.

In practice, the sides of a real bag are much less submissive than on paper, tend to bend, then to fold inside the bag, sometimes to twist with the opposite side, but in any case the result is that the opening of the bag closes more or less imperceptibly.

[0007] Hardly anyone who did not experience the fact that he held an object or load in front of him with two hands (a sand shovel or a handful of dry leaves) to put it in a bag was unable to open the bag's opening, and to ask another person for help open bag.

[0008] Obviously, the main difference between a bag and a rigid box is that the bag can easily be folded that the space it occupies when folded is minimal compared to its distributed useful volume and that it is infinitely lighter than a rigid container. There is no question of abandoning these traditional advantages of the bag, resorting to a certain form of the inner or outer frame in order to overcome the above drawbacks. The improvement is to result only from the modification of the properties of the fabric parts, and even their placement.

Summary and Detailed Description of the Invention [0009] The present invention aims to provide a method for fabricating a fabric portion, in particular for forming vertical sides of a bag in such a way that the packaged bag made with the aforementioned parts has a more pronounced tendency than ever before being left vertically. when it is empty, and to maintain such shape that, above all, its opening remains open. The present invention is also intended to provide a fabric part made according to the method, regardless of the intended purpose of the part, and finally the bag having the strength properties that the components made according to the method give to it.

[0010] As is often the case with technically simple objects or constructions, the solution consists in linking two components that are not predestined to connect, the second component coming from a different technical field and having a different role with other functions there.

[0011] In this case reference should be made to a bubble wrap, well known and commonly used for packaging delicate items. The function of bubbles filled with air contained in the foil is absorbing and shock absorption, and thus protecting objects wrapped with a bubble wrap.

The invention relates to a method for making a portion of a fabric according to claim 1, a portion of a fabric according to claim 6 and a bag according to claim 10.

In its most limited version, the method according to the invention consists in joining two individual parts of a synthetic fabric, e.g. polypropylene, and a bubble foil placed on a spacer between said parts, the joining being done by gluing or not one of the surface parts of the fabric. , then inserting and gluing (optionally) a portion of the bubble wrap, the dimensions of which are associated (preferably not identical) with those of the fabric portion. The two individual parts of the fabric are joined, for example, by stitching, laminating or gluing or by other equivalent methods.

[0014] We can apply a smooth side or uneven side of the bubble wrap to the glued portion of the fabric when one of the surfaces of one part of the fabric is glued. One or the other of the methods does not lead to exactly the same result, where the gluing of a non-uniform surface gives the whole a slightly higher stiffness.

[0015] We may choose to keep or not to above-mentioned sizing and optionally to make it on both sides of the bubble wrap or on one side only.

] 0016] Leaving the bubble wrap to extend to the end of the edge of the fabric portion can be troublesome because the film and bubbles interfere in the zone where the fabric of the fabric is to be stitched between the two to construct the bag. Therefore, it is preferable to leave a blank mark on the perimeter of a part of the fabric and thus to connect each part of the fabric to a portion of the bubble wrap, whose dimensions (e.g. width and / or height) are slightly smaller than the dimensions of the fabric portion.

[0017] The difference in the respective dimensions of the individual parts of the fabric and part of the bubble wrap provides a margin of freedom. In fact, the larger the dimensional difference, the easier it will be to fold the bag by its edge. The smaller the difference, the higher the bag's strength will be. An appropriate compromise should be found depending on the bubble wrap itself and the properties of the fabric, especially its weight.

[0018] In an embodiment on the principle of a spacer, one of the fabric parts, the one that will occupy the outer position, will be responsible for ensuring the bag's durability; while the second part of the fabric will only serve to imprison the bubble film and can thus be selected with a lower fabric weight than the basis weight of the fabric part for external use.

[0019] The entrapment of the bubble wrap between the two parts of the fabric can also be made by laminating one part of the fabric on the other.

[0020] Finally, there are no obstacles to using two parts of the fabric of identical basis weight, and therefore to use flattened sections of a seamless fabric, inside which the bubble wrap is placed in the manner in which the hand is inserted into the sock. If desired, it can therefore be advantageous to use a seamless fabric, the cost of which is smaller.

[0021] As already mentioned at the outset in the introduction, folding is a fundamental aspect in the bag industry. In most cases, the folding of the bag takes place at least partially along its edges, i.e. on the common seam lines, by means of which the underside and the four sides of the bag are sewn together. However, folding lines are often arranged in a different location than along the edge, in particular when the short sides and the underside pivot together when folded into a harmonica that can be pointed either inside the bag, as in the case of a paper shopping bag, or outside the bag.

[0022] The result of the method according to the invention, i.e. the connection of at least two individual parts of the fabric with the bubble wrap to form the side of the bag, presents here a very impressive advantage. In fact, when a side made in this way is folded, for example, by an oblique line extending from the bottom corner to create a pleat with the bottom, the bending markings in the double material (synthetic fabric and bubble wrap) provide an unknown and new effect, namely that the line folding becomes a favorable spring distribution line. For the sake of simplicity, a conventional cloth bag tends only to bend over the fold lines we have set on it.

[0023] Of course, the bag will not fold apart and will set itself vertically by mere sight, but the bag tends to noticeably return to a comfortable position that is open and unfolded rather than closed and folded. This is, of course, an a priori unexpected feature of the fabric - bubble wrap assembly, but is particularly advantageous in relation to the problem the invention is to solve and is therefore advantageous for achieving the purpose of the invention.

[0024] It should be noted that the tandem synthetic fabric - bubble wrap is not an obstacle to folding, will thicken the bag wall only to a small extent, which will not be embarrassing, and finally whose additional mass will be insignificant.

Detailed description of the figures [0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention are described, referring to a drawing in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view from above pointing downwards to the bag according to the invention.

figure 2 is a partial view of a set of fabric and bubble wrap parts;

figure 3 is a perspective view from above of the partially truncated bag according to the invention.

[0026] In figures 1 and 2, the bottom 1 of the bag can be seen, as well as two vertical long sides 2 and two vertical short sides 3. The four sides are made with two pieces of synthetic fabric 20, 21 (figure 2), e.g. polypropylene, each of which is permanently connected to the four portions of the bubble wrap 22 (figure 2). The vertical edges of the fabric parts on the four sides are stapled 4 with each other at their common vertical edges and are generally stitched at the bottom 1 in the same manner. You can see the traces of folding in the harmonica 5, which are marked in the fabric parts from the short sides 3.

[0027] Finally, it is seen that the braided synthetic handles 6 are stitched 7 close to the ends of the two long sides 2 of the bag.

[0028] Observing figure 1, we realize that because the bag is folded into a pleat, the short sides remain slightly drawn to the outside, giving the bag a slightly hexagonal shape.

[0029] It should be noted that figure 1 is made according to the actual photograph of a bag which is itself held upright and open. The figure therefore does not use the magic of the drawing in any way, this is really achieved by constructing the bag according to the method.

[0030] Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with a set of wall forming elements (2 or 3) of a bag. In this way, each wall comprises two individual parts of fabric 20, 21 between which a bubble wrap 22 is arranged. Preferably, the dimension of the film 22 is smaller than the dimension of the parts 20, 21 to allow the two individual parts of the fabric to be folded 20.21 on top of each other, it is described above.

3 shows the bag as well as the two long sides 2. There are also visible pleating folds 5 appearing on the short sides 3 (of which only one is shown in the figure). In relation to figure 1 only the underside is changed, which adopts the system allowing the bag to ride on the floor.

[0032] This arrangement consists of adding two hinged tabs 7 of a synthetic fabric, sewn together at the common edges between the bottom 1 and the long sides 2. Each of these two flaps comprises a fastening element (velcro-type material) 8 so that they can be lead to mutual cooperation. On the bottom of 1 bag there are also holes forming windows, the number and position of which allows them to pass through the wheels 10 attached under the plate 12.

[0033] The plate 12 is preferably made of bubble polypropylene (honeycomb) for the stiffness, durability and thus lightness properties.

[0034] When it is desired to adapt the plate 12 to the bottom 1, raise the two tabs 7 and insert the wheels 10 into the hole 9 until the plate rests on the bottom fabric. Then, the two flaps 7 are lowered and the plate on the bottom is locked by pressing the elements 8 together.

[0035] Finally, it can be seen that the handle 13 is attached to at least the short side 3 in such a way that the user can pull the traveling bag behind him according to a second variant of the bag according to the invention.

Due to the properties of various fabric parts permanently connected to the bubble foil portions that result from the method according to the invention, we obtain a bag that really stays open and vertical, especially when mounted on wheels, as in the second variant, because the plate performs fully also the role of a stabilizer. Reaching its purpose, the bag according to the invention opens up new horizons of application, for example in shopping malls and supermarkets. In contrast to the traditional shopping cart, the customer can transfer and load the filled bag directly to the trunk of his car.

[0037] Embodiments of the invention are given by way of illustration and should not be considered as limiting. As part of the claimed protection, changes are possible, especially when referring to equivalent measures.

[0038] As a variant, it may be considered to propose more complex fabric portions comprising not only two fabric parts and a bubble wrap liner, but more than one bubble foil between two fabric portions, or a set of three fabric parts and two bubble foils, the elements being they are placed alternately. In this case, different parts of the fabric may have the same weight or not, and the bubble films have the same structure (density, size, bubble shape) or not. The selection may be made depending on the application, circumstances or desired properties of the item (e.g. a bag) to be made.