Patent Application
20170253405
Christmas is the pinnacle holiday of the year in the United States as well as many countries throughout the world. While many of the calendar holidays are recognized and practiced by the public to varying degrees, Christmas is clearly by far the most involved. It has transcended from a seasonal December holiday to an extravaganza of consumer obsession. What once started right after Thanksgiving now sees advertising, sales, purchasing, etc., that begins right after Halloween. Like no other holiday, Christmas even extends year round in some forms; dedicated Christmas radio stations and retail stores are commonplace throughout the annum, when previously they were merely seasonal offerings.
As part of the Christmas frenzy, decorations, which include all varieties and types of lights, lawn and housing figures, ornaments, trees, wreaths, and the like, are now a multi-billion dollar industry. Even a large percentage of non-Christian faith practitioners engage in the seasonal festivities. It is without question that the great majority of households has stored to some degree, Christmas holiday decorations, be it, lights, ornaments, trees, etc. And a rapidly expanding industry is the custom storage container industry for all such items.
In the past, seasonal Christmas decorations were all thrown in a common container and stored until the next holiday season; tree owners would shove their faux Christmas tree in the original retail packaging box year after year; and lights were balled up and crammed in with the rest of the decorations, waiting to be untangled the following year. Now, the savvy public has recently enjoyed more favorable customized storage options, such as, custom ornament containers having purposeful dividers to safely accommodate each ornamental bulb and figurine. Christmas light reels and racks now neatly wind lights to prevent tangling. However, the faux Christmas tree, by most, is still relegated to its original packaging box for moving and storing; difficult to move and manipulate, and assuredly destined to be smashed or crushed as other boxes or items are slacked on top of it throughout the year. Moreover, such tree boxes are susceptible to degradations, rips, tears, creases, etc., as it is cycled for storage year after year. And for boxes that are no longer usable, a tree owner may have few or no other alternatives but to store their faux tree in the open leaving it susceptible for damage.
What is needed, and disclosed by this disclosure, are custom storage articles that are specifically tailored for faux Christmas tree moving and storage, and that further comprise internal support panels that provide support and durability, yet may be folded and/or retracted to accommodate compact storage of the article when; not in use, packaged, marketed, shipped, distributed, etc.
Among various representative embodiments, the present collapsible rolling tree bag article comprises an expandable bag-type article to house and store a faux Christmas tree comprising; an expandable flexible bag comprising an expanded volume to accommodate the faux Christmas tree within it, and the flexible bag may comprise a contoured shape to accommodate the outline perimeter shape of the faux Christmas tree. The article may also comprise various handles for manipulating the article; and at least one of wheels/rollers to facilitate moving the article. The article comprises unique internal support panels that fold/retract to allow the entire article to collapse into a compact form for storage, packaging, marketing, distributing, shipping, and the like. The internal support panels may unfold for use when the article is expanded into its usable form. Such panels may include various side panels, bottom panels, and other support panels. Moreover, such panels may operate to not only provide support but to also act as a barrier to wear of the bag by the stored tree.
The article may also comprise some or all of exterior hooks and/or eyelets to facilitate hanging and securing the article for storage; internal securing straps to secure the faux Christmas tree; and the article may also comprise various pockets, sleeves, compartments and the like to store ancillary faux Christmas tree items.
A more complete understanding of the present collapsible rolling tree bag article may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures. In the following figures, like reference numbers refer to similar elements and steps throughout the figures.
Elements in the FIGS. are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular configuration. For example, elements shown may be constructed and/or assembled concurrently or in different order or embodiments, and are illustrated in the FIGS. to help to improve understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present collapsible rolling tree bag article.
The present collapsible rolling tree bag article may be described herein in terms of various functional components and such functional components may be realized by any number of hardware components configured to perform the specified functions and achieve the various results. For example, the present collapsible rolling tree bag may comprise of various bag materials; handle or bag toting configurations; drawstrings, zippers, snaps, Velcro®, and other bag closure mechanisms. It may also comprise wheels/rollers as bag movement facilitation mechanisms, which movement facilitation may also comprise various pegs, knobs, skid plates, and the like. In addition, the present collapsible rolling tree bag may be practiced in conjunction with any number of manners for storing not only faux Christmas trees, but any of a whole host of other items; and any articles described and shown are merely exemplary applications for the collapsible rolling tree bag. Further, the present collapsible rolling tree bag may employ any number of conventional techniques to operate as a collapsible rolling tree bag with internal support panels to store and/or move a faux Christmas tree, and the like, and wherein the internal support panels further serve to deter wear to the article by the faux tree during storage and/or movement.
Various representative embodiments of the present collapsible rolling tree bag may be applied to any collapsible rolling tree bag article with internal support panels. Referring now to
Among various exemplary embodiments, flexible bag 101 may comprise of various shapes sizes, configurations, materials, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, flexible bag 101 comprises of a durable, woven fabric that can withstand repeated use and deter any excessive wear and/or punctures by an internally stored faux Christmas tree. In a continued preferred embodiment, flexible bag 101 further comprises a zipper type fastener, such as zipper 111 to provide access, via flexible bag access panel 115, to the interior volume of the expanded flexible bag 101 and also to secure flexible bag 101 for storage. In other embodiments, though, any other type of flexible bag materials, securing mechanisms, access configurations, and the like may be employed as known by those skilled in the art.
Among various exemplary embodiments, side panels 103 and/or 104 may be integrated with flexible bag 101. For example, and with continued reference to
Among various exemplary embodiments, bottom panel 106 is hinged laterally across bottom panel 106 at approximately a midpoint to facilitate folding bottom panel 106, such as in half, so that all of article 100 may be folded/collapsed into a compact form for storage, packaging, marketing, distributing, shipping, and the like. As shown by
Among various exemplary embodiments, article 100 may comprise at least one of wheel/rollers affixed to flexible bag 101 by, in a preferred embodiment, rolling support mechanism 112 at internal, distal end 105 of flexible bag 101, wherein rolling support mechanism 112, in a preferred embodiment, extends between internal side panels 103 and 104 as well as proximate to bottom panel 106. In a preferred embodiment, and as can be seen with reference to
Continuing with
Retuning briefly to
Among various exemplary embodiments, article 101 may further comprise various ancillary elements to aid with the storage and/or transportation of article 100, and those skilled in the art will understand that such article may employ some, all or none of the various ancillary elements discussed below. Among some embodiments, article 100 may comprise an internal securing strap, such as internal strap 120,
According to various exemplary embodiments, a method for manufacturing a collapsible rolling tree bag article with internal support panels to store a faux Christmas tree may comprise: providing a flexible bag comprising a volume to accommodate the faux Christmas tree, wherein the flexible hag comprises rigid, internal side panels at an internal distal end of the flexible bag, and a rigid, internal bottom panel hinged laterally across the bottom panel to facilitate folding the bottom panel; affixing at least one handle to the article for manipulating the article; and affixing at least one of wheels and rollers to facilitate moving the article.
Various methods may also include manufacturing the article to comprise some or all of the following: internal side panels that are integrated with the flexible bag; manufacturing the article such that the bottom panel is hinged laterally across the bottom panel to facilitate folding the bottom panel in a tri-fold fashion; and manufacturing the articles wherein at least one of wheels and rollers are affixed by a rolling support mechanism at the internal, distal end of the flexible bag, wherein the rolling support mechanism extends between the internal side panels.
In the foregoing specification, the collapsible rolling tree bag has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. Various modifications and changes may be made, however, without departing from the scope of the present collapsible rolling tree bag as set forth in the claims. The specification and figures are illustrative, rather than restrictive, and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present collapsible rolling tree bag. Accordingly, the scope of the collapsible, rolling tree bag should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents rather than by merely the examples described.
For example, the components and/or elements recited in any physical embodiment claims may be assembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety of permutations and are accordingly not limited to the specific configuration recited in the claims.
Benefits, other advantages and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to particular embodiments; however, any benefit, advantage, solution to problem or any element that may cause any particular benefit, advantage or solution to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required or essential features or components of any or all the claims.
As used herein, the terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprising”, “having”, “including”, “includes” or any variation thereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements recited, but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinations and/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements, applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in the practice of the present collapsible rolling tree bag, in addition to those not specifically recited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted to specific environments, manufacturing specifications, design parameters or other operating requirements without departing from the general principles of the same.
