Apparatus for securing a bag in a container

A one piece apparatus for securing a bag in a container, the apparatus comprising:

• a main body having a front surface, a back surface, and a rib extending along the front surface for strengthening the main body;
• a mounting member attached to the back surface of the main body for securing the apparatus to an outer surface of the container;
• a retaining tab extending from the main body, the retaining tab being substantially perpendicular to the main body so that the retaining tab is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the container;
• and
• a plurality of support members extending between the retaining tab and the front surface of the main body to prevent bending movement of the retaining tab relative to the main body,
• a central membrane area on the retaining tab, the membrane area having a plurality of generally radially disposed slits defined a plurality of generally pie shaped flexible flaps in the central membrane area for receiving and securing the bag, each flap having a first edge and a second edge with the edges of flaps being beveled on the top side of the flap and the first edge of each flap being immediately adjacent the second edge of an adjacent flap and each flap having a vertex with the vertex of each flap being immediately adjacent the vertex of all the other flaps, the central membrane having a thickness one half the thickness of the retainer tab,
• wherein the bevels along the edges of the flaps facilitate insertion, from the top side of the membrane, of a portion of a liner bag through the slits and between the flexible flaps in the membrane, and wherein the thinned edges adjacent the bottom side facilitate retention by the flexible flaps of the liner bag through the slits
• wherein the retaining tab and the central membrane have a top surface and a bottom surface and wherein the top surface of the retaining tab is contiguous with the top surface of the central membrane and the bottom surface of the central membrane is recessed from the bottom surface of the retaining tab.

A container system for securing a bag, the system comprising:

• a container having a plurality of sidewalls and a rim connecting the sidewalls to define a chamber for receiving the bag, the sidewalls having inner and outer walls;
• a retaining tab extending from an outer wall of one of the plurality of sidewalls, wherein the retaining tab is substantially perpendicular to the outer wall;
• and
• a central membrane on the retaining tab having a plurality of slits defining a plurality of flexible, pie shaped flaps in the central membrane for receiving and securing a bag, each flap having a first edge and a second edge with the wherein the first edge of each flap is immediately adjacent the second edge of an adjacent flap and each flap has a vertex with the vertex of each flap being immediately adjacent the vertex of all the other flaps.

An apparatus for securing a bag in a container, the apparatus comprising:

• a retaining tab securable on a surface of the container so that the retaining tab extends from and is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the container;
• and
• a central membrane on the retaining tab having a plurality of slits defining a plurality of flexible flaps in the central membrane for receiving and securing the bag, each flap having a first edge and a second edge wherein the first edge of each flap is immediately adjacent the second edge of an adjacent flap, and wherein the edges of the flaps have a beveled shape, and each flap has a vertex with the vertex of each flap being immediately adjacent the vertex of all the other flaps, and
• wherein the retaining tab and the central membrane have a top surface and a bottom surface and wherein the top surface of the retaining tab is contiguous with the top surface of the central membrane and the bottom surface of the central membrane is recessed from the bottom surface of the retaining tab, and the central membrane has a thickness one half the thickness of the retainer tab.

In a retainer for a liner bag of a container such as a waste or recycling receptacle wherein the container has an outer wall, the improvement comprising:

• a retaining tab, the tab having a mounting portion securable on the outer wall of the container and a retainer portion extending outwardly from the mounting portion;
• and
• a central membrane area on the retainer portion, the membrane area having a top side and a bottom side, and the membrane area having a plurality of generally radially disposed slits therethrough which define a plurality of generally pie-shaped, flexible flaps in the membrane area, adjacent flaps having opposed edges alongside the slits, with the edge of each flap being beveled on the top side of the flap to be thinner adjacent its respective slit than the rest of the flap, wherein the edge of each flap is immediately adjacent the edge of an adjacent flap and each flap has a vertex with the vertex of each flap being immediately adjacent the vertex of all of the other flaps so that the slaps occupy substantially the entire central membrane, and
• wherein the bevels along the edges of the flaps facilitate insertion, from the top side of the membrane, of a portion of a liner bag through the slits and between the flexible flaps in the membrane, and wherein the thinned edges adjacent the bottom side facilitate retention by the flexible flaps of the liner bag through the slits.