Patent Application
20100003887
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates generally to the field of toy holding enclosures and more specifically to a bath time toy bag organizer.
It is a common occurrence that parents or care givers allow young children to play with water friendly toys in the bath tub during bath time. To help keep these toys readily available and yet stored in an organized way, a number of manufacturers have developed and are selling mesh bags that hold the toys. The bags generally have a means to hang from the bathroom wall adjacent to the tub, usually by means of suction cups.
However, there is a deficiency in the prior technology in that younger children may have difficulty in removing the toys from the top opening of the mesh bag and thereby become frustrated with the inability to have easy access to the toys stored in the bag.
The primary objective of the invention is to provide a mesh bag for storing bath toys that allows a child or adult to insert the toys from the top of the bag and to release the toys from the bottom of the bag via zipper enclosures.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a mesh bag for storing bath toys that is constructed of mold and mildew resistant materials.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a mesh bag for storing bath toys that can be held firmly in place on a side wall or walls of a bath tub, but is easily removed for cleaning and travel.
Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a bath time toy bag comprising: a rectangular bag having mesh front panel and a mesh back panel, said panels sewn together at their edges so that the left and right side of said bag are permanently attached and the upper and lower edges of the bag are attached in a removable manner by at least one upper zipper assembly and at least one lower zipper assembly thereby enabling a user to insert play toys through said upper zipper assembly and to remove said play toys through said bottom zipper assembly.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
A right loop 32 and a left loop 30 of material is sewn to the uppermost right and left corners of the bag 100 so that the bag may be hung by suction cups 2, 4 each having J type hooks 34, 36 attached. The suction cups can be easily attached to any smooth finish wall 50 such as ceramic tile, plastic or fiberglass. With regard to walls that have a textured surface, a peel and stick adhesive disk can be fastened to the inner surface of each suction cup and the opposite side of the adhesive disk can be adhered to the wall. The bag 100 of the present invention is intended to be hung on a wall just above a bath tub, but also can be hung in a fashion that spans a corner by placing one suction cup on one wall and the other suction cup on an adjacent wall that is ninety degrees from the first wall. All the materials of the bag 100 of the present invention are made of mold and mildew resistant materials. The mesh panels are made of mold resistant polyester. The zippers and zipper pulls are constructed of plastic and the binding tape and loops are made of mold resistant polyester. The bag 100 can be easily removed for cleaning or storage by unhooking the loops 30, 32 from the J hooks 34, 36. The polyester mesh panels have a large weave so that a child's finger can not be irrevocably entwined in the mesh. The holes are approximately half an inch wide so that children can easily remove their fingers if they put them into the mesh openings. This also allows for quick drainage of water so that there is less opportunity for mold and mildew to grow.
Now further describing the construction of the preferred embodiment, mesh panels 40, 40A are held together at their upper most points by folding over and into a lower middle binding tape 26 that also holds the lower portion of the top zipper 28. Mesh panels 40, 40A are held together at their lower most points by folding over and into lower binding tape 16 which also holds the upper half of zipper 14. The lowest portion of the bag 100 is finished off by binding tape 12 which also holds the lower half of zipper 14. Mesh panels 42, 42A are held at their lowest edge by folding over and into upper middle binding tape 24. Mesh panels 42, 42A are held at their highest edge by uppermost binding tape 8.
This type of construction allows the mesh to be held securely in place without any unfinished edges showing. It also allows the bag to open neatly at the top for easy insertion of toys. Alternate embodiments to the above description include using more than one top zipper or more than one bottom zipper by breaking up the bag's top and bottom openings into separate zippered sections.
The entire assembly of the present invention 100 is easy to manufacture and can be folded into a compact size for easy shipping and storage. By allowing a small child to have easy access to toys via the bottom zipper of the present invention 100, the child will be less frustrated and will develop skills in zipper use and independence in his or her toy choosing ability.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
