US 5,022,316 AGranted

Newspaper bundler with recyclable straps

OwnerJohn Hellwiginventor

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Abstract

A newspaper bundler comprises a rigid frame assembly (FIGS. 1 and 2) for enabling newspapers to be easily stacked into a pile (12). The frame includes a U-shaped crosswise holder (14) whose upstanding opposing side arms are made of sheet metal or plastic channels (22). A stack of paper bundling straps (26) is positioned on the crosswise portion. The channels each have a pocket for holding fan-folded end portions (30) of the stack of paper straps. One end portion of each strap is coated with adhesive (32) so when the end portions of a strap are pulled from their pockets, they can be attached together around the pile of papers to securely bundle them so that they can be carried easily with one hand (FIG. 5). The entire bundle is recyclable at a paper mill. In lieu of sheet metal side channels with pockets, the side pockets can be formed of tubular members (FIG. 6) bent and shaped to form pockets for the fan-folded ends of the straps. Also, the entire frame assembly can be a single, integral injection-molded piece of plastic.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A bundler for bundling a stack of sheets of material, said bundler comprising:

a cradle for holding a stack of sheets of material, each sheet having at least one pair of opposing edges, said cradle having a bottom section for supporting said stack and a plurality of opposing sides extending up from said bottom section and facing each other for guiding and aligning said one pair of opposing edges of said sheets of said stack when they are piled individually into said cradle,
at least one elongated bundling strap,
said strap having a center section and two end sections,
said center section sized to extend across said bottom of said cradle,
each of said end sections being demarcated from said center section by a pair of respective first fold lines which are transverse to the direction of elongation of said strap,
each end section comprising (a) a first portion extending up from one side of said center section to a second fold line which is transverse to the direction of elongation of said strap, (b) a second portion extending down from said second fold line to a third fold line which is transverse to the direction of elongation of said strap, and (c) a third portion extending up from said third fold line to a free end,
each of said two opposing sides of said cradle comprising holder means for holding said bundling strap, said holder means comprises a pocket having a top opening facing generally away from said bottom section of said cradle, said second and third portions of each of said end sections of said bundling strap being inserted into a respective pocket.

4 more elements

A bundler for enabling one to bundle easily and conveniently a stack of sheets of material and for holding a stack of bundling straps, each strap being of the type comprising a flat elongated strip of material having two opposing major surfaces having a predetermined width dimension transverse to its direction of elongation, said major surfaces being joined by two opposing edges, each strap also having a center section and two opposite end sections bounding said center section, each end section being joined to said center section by a bendable fold line, said bundler comprising:

a frame assembly,
said frame assembly having a bottom portion and including a volume of space above said bottom portion,
said frame assembly having a pair of side portions attached to extending up from said bottom portion so as to bound the sides of said volume of space above said bottom portion such that said sheets, when placed into said frame and over said bottom portion, will be aligned by said sides to form said stack,
said side portions facing each other and comprising holder means for (a) holding said end sections, respectively, of said stack of elongated bundling straps at upright orientations to said center sections thereof when said center sections of said straps are placed across said bottom portion of said frame assembly, and for (b) preventing said end sections from falling away, in any direction, from said upright orientations, each of said holder means having a predetermined width approximately equal to the width of said straps.

1 more element

For use with a cradle for bundling a stack of sheets of material of a predetermined width, said cradle having a pair of upwardly opening pocket means on opposite sides of the width dimension of said cradle:

a bundling strap,
said strap being elongated and having a center section and two end sections,
said center section sized to extend across the width of said stack of sheets,
said end sections each joined to said center section by a first fold line which is transverse to the direction of elongation of said strap,
each of said end sections also comprising
a first portion extending up from opposite sides of said bottom section and said first fold line to a second fold line which is transverse to the direction of elongation of said strap,
a second portion extending down from said second fold line to a third fold line which is transverse to the direction of elongation of said strap,
a third portion extending up from said third fold line to a free end, such that said second and third portions of said end sections can be folded together so as to be insertable into said pair of upwardly opening pocket means, and
attachment means on said third portion at one end of said strap for joining it to said third portion at the other end of said strap in overlapping relation, said means and said strap being made of materials which are entirely repulpable.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.