Paper bags are one of the most utilitarian items in our culture. They house lunches, groceries, and the goodies we purchase at retail stores. Before there were paper bags (or sacks if you live in the mid-west), one either brought their own container, usually a basket, or a shop owner rolled and glued some paper, known as a cornucopia, to hold one’s purchase.

In 1852, Francis Rolle became the first inventor and patent holder of a paper bag machine. Born near Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1817, Rolle served as a Moravian clergyman and an inventor on the side. His product, a simple paper sack, became the founding product for the Union Paper Bag Machine Company formed by Rolle and his brother in 1869. A novelty for its time, the gusset style paper sack was designed more for carrying sugar and coffee and early sizes were referenced by the poundage they could carry.
In 1870, Margret Knight of Boston, while in the employ of the Columbia Paper Bag Company, invented a device to cut, fold and paste paper bag bottoms resulting in the development of the square bottomed bag we know today. Before Knight could solidify her patent, she discovered another inventor, Charles Annan, who had studied her machine on a visit to the factory, was attempting to secure a patent based on her design. Margret Knight, at the age of 33, filed a patent interference suit against Annan. She fought hard securing sixteen days of depositions of herself and co-workers.

Charles Annan counter-sued under the premise that Knight, could not possibly have developed a machine with such complexities because she was a woman. The court, after reviewing the depositions and Knight’s diary entries, ruled in her favor. By the time of her death in 1914, Margret Knight was credited with about ninety inventions and twenty-two patents.
Today, it is estimated Americans use over five billion paper grocery bags per year, and since paper comes from trees, it is biodegradable, recyclable, and a renewable resource that promotes sustainability and responsible stewardship of our planet’s forests.

Ref: Case Paper