Compact rack construction for mounting T-shirt type plastic bags

A compact rack for mounting a pack of thermoplastic grocery or retail product bags of the T-shirt type having a pair of laterally-spaced handles extending upwardly from a body portion on either side of an open-mouth portion and having apertures of a predetermined length through the handles and a detachable mounting tab extending upwardly from the open mouth portion and having a mounting aperture therein, said rack comprising:

• a wire frame of a size corresponding generally to an open area between the laterally-spaced handles of the bags of the pack and including means for mounting said frame to a flat vertical surface;
• a pair of generally horizontally and outwardly extending laterally-spaced support arms carried at one end by said frame and having a horizontal portion and an outer end portion for receiving the apertures in the handles of the bags in the pack at said outer end portion and for mounting the bag pack on said horizontal portion for consecutive opening and removal of the bags from the bag pack and from said rack, the lateral-spacing of said support arms corresponding generally to the lateral-spacing of the mounting apertures in the handles of the bags so that the handles of the bag pack extend upwardly in their natural shape when the bag pack is mounted on the rack, and said support arms being generally of a length less than the outwardly extending dimensions of the bag opened for loading and greater than the thickness of the bag pack;
• each of said support arms comprising an upper wire member and a lower wire member, each of said wire members extending horizontally at an inner end from said frame to define said support arm horizontal portion and being bent upwardly from horizontal at predetermined different angles near an outer end thereof and joined at the outer end to each other by a looped portion formed with a smooth radius to define said support arm outer end portion having upwardly angled upper and lower straight portions joined by said looped portion, the bend in said lower wire member being outwardly offset from the bend in said upper wire portion to define a horizontal portion of said lower wire member longer than a horizontal portion of said upper wire member by a distance equal to the offset between the bends in said upper and lower wire member, a mounting width of said outer free end portions of each of said support arms measured parallel to said angled straight portions of said upper wire is generally no greater than the predetermined length of the mounting apertures of the handles of the bags to permit easy mounting of the bag packs on said support arms, and a resistance width of said outer free end portions of each of said support arms measured vertically of said support arms is generally greater than the predetermined length of the mounting apertures of the handles of the bags to enhance the resistance to free movement of the bags off said support arms;
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• a bag mounting tab retaining means carried by said frame for receiving the apertures in the mounting tabs and mounting thereon the mounting tabs of the bags in the bag pack and comprising a looped wire hook of sufficient length to provide a surface to support the bag mounting tabs from the rear when a bag on the front of the bag pack is engaged by a user to remove a bag from the bag pack and the rack.

A compact rack for mounting a pack of thermoplastic grocery or retail product bags of the T-shirt type having a pair of laterally-spaced handles extending upwardly from a body portion on either side of an open-mouth portion and having apertures of a predetermined length through the handles and a detachable mounting tab extending upwardly from the open mouth portion and having a mounting aperture therein, said rack comprising:

• a wire frame of a size corresponding generally to an open area between the laterally-spaced handles of the bags of the pack and including means for mounting said frame to a flat vertical surface;
• a pair of generally horizontally and outwardly extending laterally-spaced support arms carried at one end by said frame and having a horizontal portion and an outer end portion for receiving the apertures in the handles of the bags in the pack at said outer end portion and for mounting the bag pack on said horizontal portion for consecutive opening and removal of the bags from the bag pack and from said rack, the lateral-spacing of said support arms corresponding generally to the lateral-spacing of the mounting apertures in the handles of the bags so that the handles of the bag pack extend upwardly in their natural shape when the bag pack is mounted on the rack, and said support arms being generally of a length less than the outwardly extending dimensions of the bag opened for loading and greater than the thickness of the bag pack;
• each of said support arms comprising an upper wire member and a lower wire member, each of said wire members extending horizontally at an inner end from said frame to define said support arm horizontal portion and being bent upwardly from horizontal at predetermined different angles near an outer end thereof and joined at the outer end to each other by a looped portion formed with a smooth radius to define said support arm outer end portion having upwardly angled upper and lower straight portions joined by said looped portion, the upward bend in said lower wire member being outwardly offset from the upward bend in said upper wire portion, said lower wire member further includes a downward bend from said horizontal portion to define a downwardly angled straight portion extending to said upwardly extending bend and said upwardly angled straight portion in said lower wire member, a mounting width of said outer free end portions of each of said support arms measured parallel to said angled straight portions of said upper wire is generally no greater than the predetermined length of the mounting apertures of the handles of the bags to permit easy mounting of the bag packs on said support arms, and a resistance width of said outer free end portions of each of said support arms measured vertically of said support arms is generally greater than the predetermined length of the mounting apertures of the handles of the bags to enhance the resistance to free movement of the bags off said support arms;
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• a bag mounting tab retaining means carried by said frame for receiving the apertures in the mounting tabs and mounting thereon the mounting tabs of the bags in the bag pack and comprising a looped wire hook of sufficient length to provide a surface to support the bag mounting tabs from the rear when a bag on the front of the bag pack is engaged by a user to remove a bag from the bag pack and the rack.