Side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack

Abstract

A t-shirt style grocery or merchandise bag pack includes a plurality of plastic bags, each having a pair of bag handles and a central tab located above the bag mouth. The bag pack is suspended from a dispensing rack by openings through the bag handles and a hanging aperture located in the central tab. The tab is designed to rupture at the hanging aperture when the bag is dispensed from the rack. The tab may have a flattened top and a pair of opposed lateral sides or it may have a rounded top. The weakened area may take the form of a cut or a notch. These weakened areas may begin at the hanging aperture or one of the lateral sides of the flattened top tab or at a point below the top most point of the rounded tab. The weakened area may also be perforation or a single opening.

1 . A side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, comprising: 
 a plurality of registered polyethylene bags, each of said bags having front and rear walls joined at substantially parallel first and second side edges thereof;    said front and rear walls being joined at substantially parallel upper and lower edges thereof;    said front and rear walls having a U-shaped cut-out commencing at a first point on said upper edge spaced inwardly from said first side edge, extending downwardly toward said lower edge and returning upwardly to a second point on said upper edge spaced inwardly from said second side edge;    said U-shaped cut-out forming an open bag mouth, a pair of bag handles and at least one of front and rear central tabs extending upwardly from a central point on said bag mouth;    said bag handles being penetrated by first and second apertures, said apertures supporting said bag pack on side arms of a dispensing rack;    said central tab having a top edge, first and second lateral edges and a hanging aperture, said hanging aperture supporting said bag pack on a central projection of the dispensing rack;    said central tab having a weakened area between said hanging aperture and either of said first and second lateral edges; and    whereby, when one of said bags is pulled from said dispensing rack, said weakened area of said central tab will rupture, thereby causing said central tab to remain with said dispensed bag.    
   
   
       2 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , further comprising at least one side gusset, said side gusset extending from said upper edge to said lower edge and inwardly from at least one of said first and second side edges for a first predetermined distance.  
   
   
       3 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , wherein said weakened area comprises a perforation line extending from said hanging aperture to either of said first and second lateral edges.  
   
   
       4 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , wherein said weakened area comprises an opening, said opening being disposed between said hanging aperture and either of said first and second lateral edges.  
   
   
       5 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , wherein said weakened area comprises a first cut, said first cut extending from said hanging aperture toward either of said first and second lateral edges.  
   
   
       6 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , wherein said weakened area comprises a second cut, said second cut extending from either of said first and second lateral edges toward said hanging aperture.  
   
   
       7 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , wherein said weakened area comprises a first notch, said first notch extending from said hanging aperture toward either of said first and second lateral edges.  
   
   
       8 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , wherein said weakened area comprises a second notch, said second notch extending from either of said first and second lateral edges toward said hanging aperture.  
   
   
       9 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 1 , further comprising means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack, thereby causing said subsequent bag to open upon dispensing of said first bag from said dispensing rack.  
   
   
       10 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 9 , wherein said means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack is selected from the group consisting of: 
 glue spotting, hot pinning, cold staking, corona treatment, pressure and corona treatment combined with pressure.    
   
   
       11 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 9 , wherein said means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack is applied to rear surfaces of said bag handles of said first bag and front surfaces of said bag handles of said subsequent bag.  
   
   
       12 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 9 , wherein said means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack is applied to rear surfaces of said central tab of said first bag and front surfaces of said central tab of said subsequent bag.  
   
   
       13 . A side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, comprising: 
 a plurality of registered polyethylene bags, each of said bags having front and rear walls joined at substantially parallel first and second side edges thereof;    said front and rear walls being joined at substantially parallel upper and lower edges thereof;    said front and rear walls having a U-shaped cut-out commencing at a first point on said upper edge spaced inwardly from said first side edge, extending downwardly toward said lower edge and returning upwardly to a second point on said upper edge spaced inwardly from said second side edge;    said U-shaped cut-out forming an open bag mouth, a pair of bag handles and at least one of front and rear central tabs extending upwardly from a central point on said bag mouth;    said bag handles being penetrated by first and second apertures, said apertures supporting said bag stack on side arms of a dispensing rack;    said central tab having a rounded peripheral edge, said peripheral edge having an uppermost point, and a hanging aperture, said hanging aperture supporting said bag pack on a central projection of said dispensing rack;    said central tab having a weakened area between said hanging aperture and a third point below said uppermost point; and    whereby, when one of said bags is pulled from said dispensing rack, said weakened area of said central tab will rupture, thereby causing said central tab to remain with said dispensed bag.    
   
   
       14 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , further comprising at least one side gusset, said side gusset extending from said upper edge to said lower edge and inwardly from at least one of said first and second side edges for a first predetermined distance.  
   
   
       15 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , wherein said weakened area comprises a perforation line extending from said hanging aperture to said third point.  
   
   
       16 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , wherein said weakened area comprises an opening, said opening being disposed between said hanging aperture and said third point.  
   
   
       17 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , wherein said weakened area comprises a first cut, said first cut extending from said hanging aperture toward said third point.  
   
   
       18 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , wherein said weakened area comprises a second cut, said second cut extending from said third point toward said hanging aperture.  
   
   
       19 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , wherein said weakened area comprises a first notch, said first notch extending from said hanging aperture toward said third point.  
   
   
       20 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , wherein said weakened area comprises a second notch, said second notch extending from said third point toward said hanging aperture.  
   
   
       21 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 13 , further comprising means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack, thereby causing said subsequent bag to open upon dispensing of said first bag from said dispensing rack.  
   
   
       22 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 21 , wherein said means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack is selected from the group consisting of: 
 glue spotting, hot pinning, cold staking, corona treatment, pressure and corona treatment combined with pressure.    
   
   
       23 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 21 , wherein said means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack is applied to rear surfaces of said bag handles of said first bag and front surfaces of said bag handles of said subsequent bag.  
   
   
       24 . The side tear tabless T-shirt style bag pack, as described in  claim 21 , wherein said means for releasably adhering a rear surface of said rear wall of a first bag in said bag pack to a front surface of said front wall of a subsequent bag in said bag pack is applied to rear surfaces of said central tab of said first bag and front surfaces of said central tab of said subsequent bag.