Bag Holder

• US 20180154837A1
• Filed: 01/07/2016
• Published: 06/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLCC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: JLCC, Inc.
• Inventors: Nolan, Vernon L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,214,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/90 Details or parts not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/905 the head-rest or seat used as an anchorage point, for an object not covered by groups in B60N, e.g. for a canvas
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/043 mounted on or under a seat

Abstract

A shaped elongate strap enables a plastic grocery bag to be used for trash disposal in a vehicle. It has a shaped headrest post gripping top portion at one end and a shaped grocery bag handle gripping portion at the other. The top portion encircles both headrest posts, allowing the strap to drape over the shoulder of the seat so that the bag gripping portion hangs between the seats. The bag gripping portion comprises two spaced-apart hook parts for the bag handles.

Claims

1. A bag holder, comprising:

an elongate strap having a top end, a bottom end, a forward-facing edge, a rearward-facing edge, and a flexible middle portion connecting the top end and the bottom end;

a seat top portion proximate to the top end and shaped to be placed between a vehicle seat headrest and the top of a vehicle seat;

the flexible middle portion shaped to drape over the shoulder of the vehicle seat; and

a seat side portion proximate to the bottom end, affixed to the middle portion, and shaped to hang in a substantially vertical plane alongside the vehicle seat;

the seat top portion comprising;

a first headrest post slot shaped to engage the vehicle headrest post farthest from the centerline of the vehicle; and

a second headrest post slot shaped to engage the vehicle headrest post closest to the centerline of the vehicle;

the flexible middle portion extending from the seat top portion toward the centerline of the vehicle and downward over the shoulder of the vehicle seat, and comprising parallel corrugations; and

the seat side portion comprising;

a first hook part for a trash bag handle comprising a first hook hole having a first center; and

a second hook part for a trash bag handle comprising a second hook hole having a second center;

the angle in a vertical plane between the corrugations and a horizontal plane containing the line joining the first center and the second center is an acute non-zero angle α

;

the vertex of the acute non-zero angle α

facing rearward.

2. The bag holder of claim 1, wherein:

said first headrest post slot comprises an obround hole with a forward-facing opening, and an elongate axis substantially parallel with said forward-facing edge; and

said second headrest post slot comprises a circular hole with an opening toward said rearward-facing edge;

the center of the circular hole being closer to said rearward-facing edge than said elongate axis.

3. The bag holder of claim 2, wherein:

said second headrest post slot comprises a means for gripping a headrest post.

4. The bag holder of claim 3, wherein:

said means for gripping comprises a pair of resilient opposing tabs that must be forced apart by the headrest post both to seat the headrest post within said circular hole and to remove the headrest post from said circular hole.

5. The bag holder of claim 4, wherein:

said second hook part for a trash bag handle comprises an upward-facing nip connecting downwardly into said second hook hole, the upward-facing nip having an upward-pointing fluke substantially aligned with said rearward-facing edge so that the upward-facing nip is forward of said rearward-facing edge.

6. The bag holder of claim 5, wherein:

said middle portion comprises a substantially rectangular part and said seat top portion is shaped to allow a hollow sleeve to be slid onto said middle portion from said top end; and

said substantially rectangular part comprises means for retaining the hollow sleeve.

7. The bag holder of claim 6, wherein:

said hollow sleeve comprises a cylinder of flexible material with an upper opening and a lower opening, the upper and lower openings each comprising upper and lower elastic cuffs, respectively; and

said means for retaining said hollow sleeve comprises an upper and a lower pair of notches in said substantially rectangular part shaped to grip the elastic cuffs.

8. A bag holder, comprising:

means for gripping a vehicle seat, the seat comprising;

a back support capable of being inclined at angles to the vertical including an acute angle α

;

a substantially planar seat top lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the back support;

a substantially vertical seat side proximate to the centerline of the vehicle and connected to the seat top by a seat shoulder;

the centerline of the vehicle defining a forward direction toward the front of the vehicle and a rearward direction toward the rear of the vehicle;

a headrest supported above the seat top by at least a first headrest post and a second headrest post;

the bag holder further comprising;

a planar seat top portion comprising means for gripping the first and second headrest posts;

the intersection of the plane of the seat top portion with the first and second headrest posts being a first circle and a second circle having a first post center and a second post center;

the first post center and second post center being connected by a post centerline;

a seat side portion comprising;

a first hook part for a trash bag handle comprising a first hook hole having a first hole center; and

a second hook part for a trash bag handle comprising a second hook hole having a second hole center, the second hole center being rearward of the first hole center;

the first and second hole centers being connected by a hole centerline;

an elongate flexible middle portion comprising parallel corrugations and connecting the seat top portion and the seat side portion along an axis;

the corrugations have a maximum rearward extent;

the axis being perpendicular to the corrugations and passing through the second post center;

the angle in a vertical plane between any corrugation and the horizontal plane containing the hook hole centerline being an acute angle α

; and

the angle in a horizontal plane between the axis and the post centerline being an acute angle β

.

9. The bag holder of claim 8, wherein:

said means for gripping said first headrest post is an obround hole with a major axis substantially parallel with said axis, said first headrest post being inserted into the obround hole through a first access slot; and

said means for gripping said second headrest post is a second headrest post collar, accessed by aligning said second headrest post with an entryway and snapping said second headrest post into the second headrest post collar through resilient tabs.

10. The bag holder of claim 9, wherein:

said resilient tabs oppose each other on either side of said entryway and must be forced apart by said second headrest post both to seat said second headrest post within said second headrest post collar and to remove the headrest post from said circular second headrest post collar.

11. The bag holder of claim 8, wherein:

said second hook part for a trash bag handle comprises an upward-facing nip connecting downwardly into said second hook hole, the upward-facing nip having an upward-pointing fluke that is forward of said maximum rearward extent.

12. The bag holder of claim 8, wherein:

said middle portion comprises a substantially rectangular part and said seat top portion is shaped to allow a hollow sleeve to be slid over said seat top portion onto said middle portion; and

said substantially rectangular part comprises means for retaining the hollow sleeve.

13. The bag holder of claim 12, wherein:

said hollow sleeve comprises a cylinder of flexible material with an upper opening and a lower opening, the upper and lower openings each comprising upper and lower elastic cuffs, respectively; and

said means for retaining said hollow sleeve comprises an upper and a lower pair of notches in said substantially rectangular part.