Hanging bag with a resiliently adjustable opening

Abstract

A trash bag includes a flexible receptacle having an open top and a closed bottom, a resilient stiffener attached to extend around the open top, and an attachment tab extending from the resilient stiffener for fastening the trash bag to hang from a structure within a vehicle. For example, both the flexible receptacle and the resilient stiffener are composed of a thermoplastic resin, being attached by heat sealing. Alternately, the flexible receptacle may be composed of paper, being adhesively attached to a cardboard or plastic stiffener.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A bag comprising: 
 a flexible receptacle having an open top and a closed bottom; and    a resilient stiffener including a plurality of flexibly connected segments extending end to end along said resilient stiffener, wherein said segments are fastened to said receptacle to extend essentially around a periphery of said open top, wherein said segments are substantially thicker than an adjacent wall of said flexible receptacle, wherein said segments are moved by flexure between adjacent segments between a closed position holding opposite sides of said open top close to one another and an open position holding said opposite sides of said open top separated from one another.    
     
     
         2 . The bag of  claim 1 , wherein 
 said flexible receptacle is folded into a plurality of sections, and    each section in said plurality of sections extends downward from a segment in said plurality of segments.    
     
     
         3 . The bag of  claim 2 , wherein an adjacent pair of segments in said plurality of segments extends inward with said segments in said closed position.  
     
     
         4 . The bag of  claim 3 , wherein said plurality of segments include: 
 front and rear segments, extending along front and rear sections of said flexible receptacle forming said opposite sides of said open top;    a first pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a first end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said first end of said front section with said segments in said closed position; and    a second pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a second end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said end of said front section with said segments in said closed position.    
     
     
         5 . The bag of  claim 3 , wherein 
 said flexible receptacle and said resilient stiffener are each composed of a thermoplastic resin, and    each section of said flexible receptacle is attached to a segment of said resilient stiffener by heat sealing.    
     
     
         6 . The bag of  claim 5 , wherein 
 adjacent segments within said resilient stiffener are joined by flexible sections of said resilient stiffener, and    said segments of said resilient stiffener are substantially thicker than said flexible sections thereof.    
     
     
         7 . The bag of  claim 6 , wherein said plurality of segments include: 
 front and rear segments, extending along front and rear sections of said flexible receptacle forming said opposite sides of said open top;    a first pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a first end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said first end of said front section with said segments in said closed position; and    a second pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a second end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said end of said front section with said segments in said closed position.    
     
     
         8 . The bag of  claim 7 , wherein said bottom of said flexible receptacle is closed by heat sealing said front and rear sections to one another and to sections extending inward between said front and rear sections.  
     
     
         9 . The bag of  claim 8 , wherein said flexible receptacle is composed of a fibrous sheet of material adhesively fastened to form said flexible receptacle, and 
 each section in said plurality of sections in said flexible receptacle is adhesively attached to a segment in said plurality of segments in said resilient stiffener.    
     
     
         10 . The bag of  claim 9 , wherein 
 said resilient stiffener is composed of a thermoplastic resin,    adjacent segments within said resilient stiffener are joined by flexible sections of said resilient stiffener, and    said segments of said resilient stiffener are substantially thicker than said flexible sections thereof.    
     
     
         11 . The bag of  claim 9 , wherein 
 said resilient stiffener is composed of a fibrous material,    adjacent segments within said resilient stiffener are joined by flexible sections of said resilient stiffener, and    said segments of said resilient stiffener are substantially thicker than said flexible sections thereof.    
     
     
         12 . The bag of  claim 9 , wherein said plurality of segments include: 
 front and rear segments, extending along front and rear sections of said flexible receptacle forming said opposite sides of said open top;    a first pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a first end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said first end of said front section with said segments in said closed position; and    a second pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a second end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said end of said front section with said segments in said closed position.    
     
     
         13 . The bag of  claim 1 , additionally comprising an attachment tab extending from said resilient stiffener.  
     
     
         14 . The bag of  claim 13 , wherein 
 said attachment tab is pivotally mounted to said resilient stiffener; and    said attachment tab includes an aperture.    
     
     
         15 . The bag of  claim 13 , wherein said attachment tab extends downward as an integral portion of said resilient stiffener.  
     
     
         16 . The bag of  claim 13 , wherein 
 said flexible receptacle is folded into a plurality of sections, and    each section in said plurality of sections extends downward from a segment in said plurality of segments.    
     
     
         17 . The bag of  claim 16 , wherein 
 said flexible receptacle and said resilient stiffener are each composed of a thermoplastic resin,    each section of said flexible receptacle is attached to a segment of said resilient stiffener by heat sealing,    adjacent segments within said resilient stiffener are joined by flexible sections of said resilient stiffener, and    said segments of said resilient stiffener are substantially thicker than said flexible sections thereof.    
     
     
         18 . The bag of  claim 17 , wherein 
 said plurality of segments include: 
 front and rear segments, extending along front and rear sections of said flexible receptacle forming said opposite sides of said open top;  
 a first pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a first end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said first end of said front section with said segments in said closed position; and  
 a second pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a second end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said end of said front section with said segments in said closed position.  
   
     
     
         19 . The bag of  claim 16 , wherein said flexible receptacle is composed of a fibrous sheet of material adhesively fastened to form said flexible receptacle, and 
 each section in said plurality of sections in said flexible receptacle is adhesively attached to a segment in said plurality of segments in said resilient stiffener.    
     
     
         20 . The bag of  claim 19 , wherein 
 said plurality of segments include: 
 front and rear segments, extending along front and rear sections of said flexible receptacle forming said opposite sides of said open top;  
 a first pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a first end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said first end of said front section with said segments in said closed position; and  
 a second pair of end segments extending inward with said segments in said closed position from a second end of said front section to an end of said rear section adjacent said end of said front section with said segments in said closed position.