APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AND FILLING BAGS AT A CHECKOUT COUNTER OF A SUPERMARKET

摘要

An apparatus for aiding the packing of a plastic bag of the kind having two handle apertures, said apparatus comprising a pair of handle holding supports which, on the handles of an empty bag being placed around the handle holding supports, the handle apertures are held open and the bag is supported in an open configuration in which goods may be packed into the bag, the apparatus being arranged for location within a checkout counter having an horizontal counter-top, and by provision of plastic bag supply means for carrying a strip of attached bags and which is arranged to be located below said counter, while said handle holding means are each located above said counter, and includes a cut-out member which is located in the region of the counter top and defines a cut-out which permits passage of a bag upwards through the counter-top at a given angle to said counter-top for filling e.g. usually upwards, and by bag flow control means located in close adjacency to said cut-out member, the arrangement being such that when a filled bag is pulled upwards at an angle (e.g. 65°) which is different from said given angle to said counter-top, the filled bag can be detached from the remainder of the strip of bags, and in which said bag flow control means provides a temporary hold to the remaining strip of bags as the filled bag is detached.