Dispensers for bags

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing individual pre-formed bags from a stack of such bags, the dispenser comprising a base, a body part, a stack support member attached to the body part and stack retention means attached to the stack support member. In one embodiment, the stack support member may comprise a planar region inclined upwards from back to front with respect to the base, wherein the arrangement is such that, in use, the stack of bags are engaged by the stack retention means in such a manner that the handles of the bags are supported by the planar region of the stack support means and a portion of the bags in the region of the mouth of the bags is disposed on a front edge of the stack support member with the body of the bags depending therefrom, such that a first bag of the stack may conveniently be grasped by a user to remove a single bag in a partially open condition from the stack.

1 . A dispenser for dispensing individual pre-formed bags from a stack of such bags, the dispenser comprising a base, a body part, a stack support member attached to the body part and stack retention means attached to the stack support member, the stack support member comprising a planar region inclined upwards from back to front with respect to the base, wherein the arrangement is such that, in use, the stack of bags are engaged by the stack retention means in such a manner that the handles of the bags are supported by the planar region of the stack support means and a portion of the bags in the region of the mouth of the bags is disposed on a front edge of the stack support member with the body of the bags depending therefrom, such that a first bag of the stack may conveniently be grasped by a user to remove a single bag in a partially open condition from the stack.  
   
   
       2 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein an arcuate lip is provided at the front edge of the planar region.  
   
   
       3 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the body part comprises a post extending from the base to the underside of the stack support member.  
   
   
       4 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the body part comprises two parallel side walls extending upwardly from the base with the support member located therebetween.  
   
   
       5 . A dispenser according to  claim 4 , wherein the side walls are inclined with respect to the base by from about 90° to about 45°.  
   
   
       6 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the planar region is inclined with respect to the base by from about 10° to about 80°.  
   
   
       7 . A dispenser according to  claim 6 , wherein the planar region is inclined with respect to the base by from about 30° to about 50°.  
   
   
       8 . A dispenser according to  claim 7 , wherein the planar region is inclined with respect to the base by approximately 45°.  
   
   
       9 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the retention means is located towards the rear of the planar region.  
   
   
       10 . A dispenser according to  claim 9 , wherein the retention means is displaced from the arcuate lip by approximately the length of the handle portion of a conventional stack of bags.  
   
   
       11 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the retention means comprises at least one hooked member for engaging a portion of the stack of bags.  
   
   
       12 . A dispenser according to  claim 11 , wherein the retention means comprises two hooked members.  
   
   
       13 . A dispenser according to  claim 11 , wherein the or each hooked member is arranged to engage with a block header extending between the handle portions of the stack of bags.  
   
   
       14 . A dispenser according to any one of claims  1 , wherein the retention means comprises at least one elongate support member adapted to pass through at least one support member receiving aperture of the stack.  
   
   
       15 . A dispenser according to  claim 14 , wherein the retention means comprises two elongate support members.  
   
   
       16 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein a front wall is provided extending upwardly from the base such that the base portion of the stack of bags hangs down below the level of the front wall.  
   
   
       17 . A dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is formed from sheet metal.