Bag bundles and method of and apparatus for manufacture thereof

Claim 1

A bag bundle comprising a plurality of uniformly-disposed joined collapsed tubular plastic bags, each one of said plurality of plastic bags . including a first front wall, a second back wall integral with the first wall at lateral end portions thereof, a closed bottom, an opening in distal relation to said bottom and an integral tab, said bottom being formed at a first longitudinal end portion of said first and second walls, said tab being formed in an opposite longitudinal end portion of said first and second walls, said tab being joined to said first and second walls along a perforated margin adjacent said opening, only said first front wall of each one of said plurality of.bags having an unobstructed hand hole of substantial width and height therethrough from which material of said front wall corresponding to said hole has been removed proximate to said respective tab for inserting a hand into said respective hole of one of said plurality of bags, said respective tabs of adjacent ones of said plurality of bags being joined together in a manner such that said bags are stacked and such that said hand holes are uniformly disposed for successive removal of one of said plurality of bags from the bundle and so that the hand hole of each successive bag will be completely uncovered and unobstructed upon removal of a preceding bag.

Claim 8

A method of forming a uniformly-disposed, joined bag bundle from a collapsed plastic tubular member, said tubular member defining a first wall and a second wall joined along lateral end portions thereof to said first wall, comprising: forming through only said first wall of said tubular member an open unobstructed hand hole of substantial height and width by complete removal of material conforming to the hand hole from said first wall; severing from said tubular member a tube, said tube including said hand hole proximate to a first longitudinal end portion thereof; sealing an opposite longitudinal end portion of said tube thereby forming a bag from said tube, said bag including a first sidewall, a second sidewall integral with said first sidewall at lateral end portions thereof, a sealed bottom and an opening in distal relation to said bottom; stacking a plurality of said bags so that the respective hand hole of each one of said plurality of bags is uniformly disposed relative to the hand hole of an adjacent one of said plurality of bags; affixing said plurality of bags together along a margin intermediate the opening and the hand hole of each respective one of said plurality of bags; forming perforations through said first and second sidewalls intermediate said margin and said hand hole of each respective one of said bags for removing each respective one of said plurality of bags from the remainder of said plurality of bags; and forming at least one support hole through said one of said first and second sidewalls which includes said perforations, said support hole being proximate to said margin and intermediate said perforation and said opening of each respective one of said plurality of bags.

Claim 9

A method of forming a uniformly-disposed, joined bag bundle from a collapsed plastic tubular member, said tubular member defining a first wall and a second wall joined along lateral end portions thereof to said first wall, comprising: forming through only said first wall of said tubular member an open unobstructed hand hole of substantial height and width by complete removal of material conforming to the hand hole from said first wall; severing from said tubular member a tube, said tube including said hand hole proximate to a first longitudinal end portion thereof; sealing an opposite longitudinal end portion of said tube thereby forming a bag from said tube, said bag including a first sidewall, a second sidewall integral with said first sidewall at lateral end portions thereof, a sealed bottom and an opening in distal relation to said bottom; stacking a plurality of said bags so that the respective hand hole of each one of said plurality of bags is uniformly disposed relative to the hand hole of an adjacent one of said plurality of bags; affixing said plurality of bags together along a margin intermediate the opening and the hand hole of each respective one of said plurality of bags; forming perforations through said first and second sidewalls intermediate said margin and said hand hole of each respective one of said bags for removing each respective one of said plurality of bags from the remainder of said plurality of bags; and forming at least one support hole through said one of said first and second sidewalls which includes said perforations, said support hole being proximate to said margin and intermediate said perforation and said opening of each respective one of said plurality of bags.