Patent Application
20250160493
The present invention generally relates to storage containers, and in particular, to a flexible bag having a folding bottom member.
Use of a flexible containers, such as bags and luggage items, is often preferred inasmuch as containers are more easily stored because they can be folded or made compact when not in use. Additionally, such containers are typically lighter in weight. Also, because such containers have flexible sides, they may be used to hold and transport uniquely shaped items that could not be easily placed and stored in a hard-sided luggage item or container. Further, flexible containers are often more economical to manufacture and easier to move or transport.
Despite their many desirable characteristics, flexible containers are often difficult to use when loaded with heavy or oddly shaped items, particularly when the container is large. Thus, there has developed a need to provide flexible containers which have certain characteristics that facilitate transport of such large or bulky items, while still maintaining the ability to collapse the container.
In accordance with an embodiment, a flexible bag includes a front panel; a back panel; a first side panel coupled to the front panel and the back panel; a second side panel coupled to the front panel and the back panel; a bottom panel coupled to the front panel, the back panel, the first side panel and the second side panel to define a compartment. The bag may also include a bottom member having rigid material and which is positionable between an extended position and a retracted position. One end of the bottom member is fixedly coupled to an interior location of the bag that generally corresponds to where the first side panel meets the bottom panel. The bottom member is sized to extend over an inside of the bottom panel when in the extended position, and is also structured to be folded to define a first portion and a second portion, which are each positionable relative to an inside portion of the first side panel, to permit collapsing of the flexible bag.
These and other embodiments will also become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures which form a part hereof, and which show by way of illustration specific embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in this technological field that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural as well as procedural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts.
Continuing with
The bottom member 40 may be positionable (e.g., folded) between an extended position and a retracted position. The bottom member may be sized to extend over the bottom panel 35 when the bottom member is in the extended position. When the bottom member 40 is in the retracted position, the second portion 50 is positionable in a relatively upright manner and extends over an inside portion of the first side panel 25, while the first portion 45 is positionable relative to the second portion 50 to face a side (e.g., a top side or a bottom side) of the second portion.
If desired, bag 10 may include a top panel 55, which may be coupled to the front panel 15, the back panel 20, the first side panel 25 and the second side panel 30 to define a top side of the interior compartment. An access portion 60 is shown formed in the top panel 55, and may be configured to open and close (e.g., zipper, hook and loop fasteners, snap buttons, and the like) to respectively provide and prevent access to the interior compartment. As another option, the bag 10 may include one or more handles 65 that may be coupled to the front panel 15 and the rear panel 20.
The various panels, or sides, that form the bag 10 may include a suitably flexible material which permits collapsing of the bag when the bottom member 40 is in a retracted position, and opening of the bag when the bottom member is in the extended position. Examples of such flexible materials include fabric, cloth, canvas, leather, and the like. In some implementations, the bag may be constructed using 600 D. or 1200 D polyester for the various panels.
The flexible bag 10 is shown having a generally rectangular shape, but this is not a requirement and other shapes may be used (e.g., circular, oval, trapezoidal, cylindrical, and the like). Moreover, bottom member 40 is shown being coupled adjacent to first panel 25, but the bottom member 40 may be alternatively coupled adjacent to any of the other sides or panels of the bag. Note that when the bottom member 40 is coupled adjacent to a relatively longer side of the bag (e.g., front panel 15), the collapsing of the bag will typically result in a relatively longer collapsed bag.
The flexible bag 10 may be constructed in any of a variety of sizes to meet a desired purpose. For instance, general consumer sizes include (L×W×H, in inches): 25×14×14, 30×13×14, 36×16×14, and the like. If desired, any of these dimensions may be increased or decreased to achieve a desired sized bag. In some embodiments, the length of the bag 10 (e.g., the length of the front and back panels) is greater than the width of the bag (e.g., the width of the first and second side panels).
The coupling of second portion 50 to the interface region 200 may be accomplished using any of a variety of techniques (e.g., stitching, glue, rivets, combinations thereof, and the like) that permit relative movement between the second portion 50 and adjacent structures such as the front panel, back panel, first side panel, and the bottom panel, while still being coupled to the interface region. This is an example of a fixed, permanent, or relatively permanent, coupling of the second portion 50 to the interface region 200. It is noted that a benefit of having bottom member 40 being permanently affixed to the bag 10 is a user would not be inclined to discard the bottom member, should they, for example, not understand the functionality provided by the rigid bottom member. A less-permanent coupling technique may include fasteners such buttons, zippers, hook and loop, and the like.
In general, a height of the first side panel 25 (and if desired, the second side panel 30) is at least half that of an inside length of the bottom panel 35, where the length is generally defined as the distance between the first side panel and the second side panel. A reason for this is that in the two-equal-portions implementation of bottom member 40, the length of each portion should fit within the height of the first side panel 25.
As one non-limiting example, consider that an interior portion of bottom panel 35 has a length of 30 inches. To sufficiently, or substantially cover this length, bottom member 40 may include the first portion 45 and the second portion 50 as each having a length of about 15 inches. As such, when in the retracted position (
The first and second portions of the bottom member 40 are shown as being generally the same length, but this is not a requirement. The portions could differ in length, and more than two portions may be used to form the bottom member 40, if desired.
Once the bottom member is sufficiently retracted (e.g., as shown in
The first portion 45 and the second portion 50 are typically constructed of a sufficiently rigid material that facilitates maintaining of the shape of the bag 10 to a desired level. Examples of materials that may be used include plastic, cardboard, laminations of material, and the like. The rigidity of the bottom member 40 is generally greater than a rigidity of material that forms some or all of the other portions of the bag 10 (e.g., the bottom panel, the front panel, the back panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the top panel, etc.).
If desired, the first portion 45 and the second portion 50 may be formed using a single element, sheet, or laminate, of material, where such material is sufficiently pliable to permit folding of the material (e.g., folding of the first portion relative to the second portion) while maintaining a desired level of rigidity, when in the expanded configuration. In such embodiments, the material of the first and second portions would extend through the coupling region 205
In some embodiments, cover 400 may be omitted. In such embodiments, first portion 45 and second portion 50 may be formed using a single structure (discussed above), or formed using a material that is sufficiently pliable to be folded and still provide a desired level of rigidity.
Various embodiments are presented in which bag 10 is constructed using panels, which is used herein to identify a particular side, wall, or area of the bag. For instance, the front and rear panels are used to refer to the front and rear sides (or walls) of the bag. Some embodiments may be implemented where some or all of the various panels that define the bag are coupled together (e.g., stitching), while in other embodiments multiple (or all) panels are formed out of a single piece of material.
The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses and processes. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
