I have a friend with a delicious problem. Every night he goes to the couch for some newsing and chipping with his favorite bag of artery cloggers when, suddenly and all happening at once, he's awake, has fallen asleep at the wheel and now there's something new. It's those damn tater flats all jammed out on the good earth or the apartment floor, if you like, and well that's the problem.
A resealable bag that has a little motor on the sealing tab so that it, oh say once every five minutes tries to close the thing up, now that's got a fixing ringing sound to it, it does, does it not?-- daseva, Mar 18 2009 rcarty, that is a very simple solution. However, it may cause uncomfortability. Users typically enjoy a nice wide open bag with which to insert languid hands for roaming.-- daseva, Mar 18 2009 Bags of potato chips are quite cheap and I dare say a motor, a microchip and a battery ( or solar panel ) are going to push the price up considerably.
Might I suggest an armchair with a nice wide armrest or maybe a little table?-- Bad Jim, Mar 18 2009 Well, the thing is, this guy, and I'm sure many others, Like to have the bag in their lap. An armchair won't prevent the slumping spilling action, I'm afraid. You are right about price, what a distraction. Hey, but maybe if it was like a retrofit? Like it could scroll across the bag, making a crazy quadruple crease that stays closed... I dunno. I'm going to bone it.-- daseva, Mar 18 2009 Actually I like the retrofit idea. If you only buy one, rather than one with every bag, it should be quite affordable.
Problem with the elastic closing mechanism is that it would keep closing the bag on you as soon as you removed your hand. It would be highly annoying if you are just trying to eat.
However, I suspect that you do not need to fully close the bag to prevent accidents. It might be possible to close the bag to say an inch wide gap, so you can put your fingers in easily but nothing comes out if you shake the bag.-- Bad Jim, Mar 18 2009 Y'all are going about it the wrong way, folks. The chips bag is meant to be thrown away, but the couch is there for keeps.
I'd do a robotic arm that periodically checks for a yawning mouth and then grabs a chip and inserts it into the mouth.
Or whatever else the guy has open at the moment.-- neelandan, Mar 19 2009 tell him to get off his fat arse and do something with his life. :)-- k_sra, Mar 19 2009 ...or switch to Pringles.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 19 2009 What about. A potato chip NECKLACE!-- daseva, Mar 19 2009 individually wrapped chips?
[ducking]
the trick is to keep the chips/crisps in the bag, right? Vacuum pump that sucks the chips down?-- cindik, Mar 20 2009 wotcha want is a small soft-side cauldron'y thing with a bean-bag weighted bottom so when you accidentally step on it it doesn't launch chips across the room... zipper in the bottom to remove the beans for washing when it gets too grotty or when you run out of beans in the pantry... on the other hand your idea could trap the cat's head in the potato-chip bag which has its merits.-- FlyingToaster, Mar 20 2009 mercury tilt switch clipped to the bag, attached to an electromagnet that closes the bag.
Or a model rocket engine that fuses the bag shut.
Or a really loud horn, that doesn't stop chips from being spilled, but will condition the user to stop forgetting the bag in his lap.-- Smurfsahoy, Mar 20 2009 . . . or a table he can put the bag on before he dozes off-- Bad Jim, Mar 21 2009 Now that I'd bun, Mr Jim.-- dbmag9, Mar 22 2009 he just needs a set of clips on a chain, similar to the one used at the dentist' to hold a bib under your chin.-- k_sra, Mar 23 2009 random, halfbakery