Patent Grant
10207836
Waste bags (e.g. paper lawn bags, plastic trash bags, plastic liners, etc.) are typically not rigid and, as a result, collapse when the user attempts to fill them unless they are supported, such as by a trashcan. When a waste bag is not supported, users are usually required to fill the bag with care, such as by holding the waste bag up and/or open, to prevent the waste bag from collapsing and/or closing. For example, when a user of a paper lawn bag wishes to fill the bag with lawn waste (e.g. leaves, branches, twigs, etc.), the user may begin filling the paper lawn bag by hand or otherwise carefully placing small quantities of lawn waste into the bag to avoid deforming/closing the paper lawn bag until the volume of waste within the paper lawn bag holds the paper lawn bag open, which is not desirable.
To currently address the difficulty of filling waste bags, users may purchase external wire frames, trashcans made to fit a particular size bag, conventional leaf chutes, or some other type of support mechanism. However, these devices have their drawbacks. Some, like trashcans, do not work well with paper bags because paper bags are not flexible and, as a result, tend to rip when deployed in a trashcan. Others, like conventional leaf chutes, may collapse when they are used and can be difficult to deploy into the bag. What is needed is a device that works well with bags made of a variety of different materials, that limits and/or prevents the bag from collapsing when the device is deployed, and that is easily deployed for use within a bag.
According to an embodiment described herein, a foldable support sleeve that may be deployed inside of a waste bag to support the waste bag may include a first side foldably connected to a second side. The second side may be foldably connected to a third side. The third side may be foldably connected to a fourth side. The fourth side may be foldably connected to a fifth side. The foldable support sleeve may be foldable into a pre-deployed state, which may define a first cross section. Additionally, or alternatively, the foldable support sleeve may be foldable into a deployed state, which may define a second cross section. The first cross section may be smaller than the second cross section. The second cross section may be approximately equal to a cross section associated with the waste bag. The fifth side of the foldable support sleeve may limit and/or prevent the foldable support sleeve from unfolding when the foldable support sleeve is in the deployed state inside of the waste bag. The first side of the foldable support sleeve may define a first width. The second side of the foldable support sleeve may define a second width. The fifth side of the foldable support sleeve may define a third width. The third width may be less than at least one of the second width or the first width. The foldable support sleeve may include handles, stops and/or clips.
A method for supporting a waste bag, described herein, may include providing a foldable support sleeve having at least four sides. One of the four sides may be a retaining side. Each of the sides may be foldably connected to at least one other side. The method may further include providing a waste bag. The method may further include folding the foldable support sleeve into a pre-deployed state. The pre-deployed state may define a first cross section. The method may further include placing the foldable support sleeve into the waste bag when the foldable support sleeve is in the pre-deployed state. The method may further include folding the foldable support sleeve into a deployed state, the deployed state may define a second cross section that is larger than the first cross section. The second cross section may be similar in size to a third cross section associated with an opening in the waste bag. The retaining side may limit and/or prevent the foldable support sleeve from becoming unfolded. The method may further include connecting the foldable support sleeve to the waste bag using clips and/or stops.
According to another embodiment described herein, a five-sided support sleeve that may be deployable inside of a paper lawn bag to support the paper lawn bag may include a first side that defines an edge and is foldably connected to a second side The second side may be foldably connected to a third side The third side may be foldably connected to a fourth side The fourth side may be foldably connected to a fifth side. The five-sided support sleeve may further include a first seam located between the fourth side and the fifth side. The five-sided support sleeve may further include a second seam located between the third side and the fourth side. The five-sided support sleeve may be foldable into a pre-deployed state in which the edge is located proximate the second seam. The pre-deployed state may define a first cross section. The five-sided support sleeve may be foldable into a deployed state in which the edge is located proximate the first seam. The deployed state may define a second cross section, and the first cross section may be smaller than the second cross section. The second cross section being approximately equal to a cross section associated with the paper lawn bag. The fifth side of the five-sided support sleeve may limit and/or prevents the five-sided support sleeve from unfolding when the five-sided support sleeve is in the deployed state inside of the paper lawn bag. The first side of the five-sided support sleeve may defines a first width. The fourth side may defines a second width. The fifth side may defines a third width. The third width may be less than at least one of the second width or the first width. The five-sided support sleeve may further include handles, stops and/or clips.
An apparatus, method and/or technology, as described herein, may include a foldable bag support sleeve (hereinafter “support sleeve”) that supports a variety of different bags (e.g., lawn waste bags, trash bags, etc.) made of a variety of materials (e.g. paper, plastic, biodegradable materials, compostable materials, etc.). For example, the support sleeve may support a lawn bag which a user wishes to fill with lawn waste (e.g. leaves, twigs, mulch, etc.) in a way that prevents the bag from collapsing and/or closing when the user attempts to fill the bag with lawn waste. The support sleeve may support a lawn bag when the support sleeve is deployed within the lawn bag as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, when a lawn bag is full of lawn waste (e.g., leaves, twigs, mulch, etc.), the support sleeve may be removed (e.g. slid out by pulling it up and out of the lawn bag, etc.) once any clips and/or stops have been disengaged from the lawn bag. The support sleeve may be stored and used again, and the bag may be discarded.
To deploy the support sleeve in a lawn bag, the support sleeve may be folded into a pre-deployed state to insert the support sleeve into the bag. When in the pre-deployed state, the support sleeve may have a cross section that is smaller than the cross section of the bag when the bag is opened, which may facilitate inserting the support sleeve into the bag. The support sleeve may be folded into a deployed state to support the bag when the user wishes to fill the bag. The cross section of the support sleeve in the deployed state may be approximately equal to the cross section of the bag (e.g. the cross sectional area of the opening in the bag, the cross section of a fully opened dimension within the bag, etc.) the when the bag is fully opened and may allow a user to place debris (e.g. lawn debris, etc.) into the lawn bag. The cross section of the support sleeve in the deployed state is larger than the cross section of the support sleeve when the support sleeve is in the pre-deployed state. The support sleeve may be folded from the pre-deployed to the deployed state when the support sleeve is inside of the bag. A user may connect the support sleeve to the bag and/or to a funnel to be used with the support sleeve, such as by using one or more clips or stops.
The support sleeve may include support sides, which define the shape and/or size of the support sleeve when the support sleeve is in the deployed state, and one or more retaining sides, which may limit and/or prevent the support sleeve from unfolding from the deployed state. The support sleeve may include a wide variety of pre-deployed and deployed cross sections (e.g. triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, etc.) and/or sizes (e.g. 5 gallon, 30 gallon, 100 gallon, etc.) to accommodate the needs of different users who wish to store different types of waste and/or other items in different quantities within different bags.
The embodiments, described herein, correspond to a support sleeve used for lawn-waste bags for explanatory purposes. Additionally, or alternatively, the support sleeve may be used to in connection with other types of bags in addition to or instead of lawn-waste bags. In a non-limiting example, a user may use the foldable bag support sleeve to support a kitchen trash bag, industrial liner, etc. The term “cross section,” when used herein, refers to the size/cross sectional area of the object to which it refers. For example, the cross section of a standard 30 gallon lawn bag, such at that depicted in
Support sleeve 120 may be formed from a material (e.g., a metal alloy, composite, plastics, wood, fiberglass, cardboard, biodegradable materials, compostable materials, etc.) of sufficient strength and rigidity to support the static and/or dynamic loads (e.g., forces, torques, tensions, compressions, stresses, strains, etc.) imparted on support sleeve 120 by the user (e.g., when folding support sleeve 120 into the pre-deployed state, when inserting support sleeve 120 into lawn bag 130, when deploying support sleeve 120, when removing support sleeve 120 from lawn bag 130, when placing lawn waste 110 into lawn bag 130 inside of which support sleeve 120 is located, etc.), lawn bag 130 and/or lawn waste 110. Support sleeve 120 may also, or alternatively, be formed from a material (e.g., stainless steel, composite, plastics, ceramic, fiberglass, etc.) of sufficient corrosion resistance and toughness to withstand exposure to water, solvents, sunlight, and various types of waste. Support sleeve 120 may be composed of one piece of material that may be folded and/or have live hinges. Additionally, or alternatively, support sleeve may be formed from more than one piece of material. The types and shapes of support sleeve 120 are not intended to be limited to those shown in
Support sleeve 120 may be foldable between each of sides 121-125, such as to assist the user in using support sleeve 120. The sides 121-125 may define the size (e.g. height, width, cross section when deployed and/or pre-deployed, etc.) of the support sleeve 120. Each of sides 121-125 may be a different width and/or height. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more of sides 121-125 may have the same height and/or width. First side 121 may be foldably connected (e.g. a seam in material, one or more hinges, etc.) to second side 122. Second side 122 may be foldably connected to third side 123. Third side 123 may be foldably connected to fourth side 124. Fourth side 124 may be foldably connected to fifth side 125. Fifth side 125 may serve as a retaining side, as discussed below in connection with
When support sleeve 120 is placed in the deployed state, first side 121, second side 122, third side 123 and/or fourth side 124 may be folded (e.g. at approximately 90 degrees angles as depicted in
First side 121 may define an edge E. When support sleeve 120 is deployed for use in lawn bag 130, edge E may be located proximate a first seam S1 that is located and/or formed between fourth side 124 and fifth side 125. Further, when support sleeve 120 is deployed, fifth side 125 may make contact with and/or be adjacent to first side 121, which may maintain support sleeve 120 in the deployed state by causing edge E of first side 121 to make contact with and/or be located proximate first seam S1. By causing edge E of first side 121 to make contact with and/or be located proximate first seam S1, fifth side 125 may limit and/or prevent support sleeve 120 from unfolding out of the deployed state and/or retain support sleeve 120 in the deployed state. When deployed in a bag having an approximately equal cross section as the support sleeve 120 in the deployed state, the bag may maintain fifth side 125 in close proximity to first side 121, which may limit and/or prevent support sleeve 120 from leaving the deployed state.
Support sleeve 120 may also be pre-deployed to assist the user in inserting support sleeve 120 into lawn bag 130. When support sleeve 120 is placed in the pre-deployed state, support sleeve 120 may define a smaller cross section than the cross section of support sleeve 120 when support sleeve 120 is placed in the deployed state. Therefore, pre-deployed support sleeve 120 may be easier to insert into lawn bag 130 than deployed support sleeve 120. When support sleeve 120 is in the pre-deployed state, edge E of first side 121 may make contact with or be located proximate a second seam S2, that is located and/or formed between third side 123 and fourth side 124, as depicted in
Support sleeve 120 may include one or more handles 126. The user may use handles 126 when inserting support sleeve 120 into lawn bag 130, removing bag support sleeve 120 from lawn bag 130, or carrying support sleeve 120. As depicted in
Support sleeve 120 may include one or more clips 127 (e.g. alligator-style clips, binder clips, clothespin-style clips, spring clamps, desyne clips, valence clips, bankers clips, bulldog clips, etc.). Clips 127 may apply a clamping force to connect support sleeve 120 to a lawn bag, a funnel, and or other objects (e.g. gloves, a rake, etc.). Clips 127 may be located on any and/or all of the sides of support sleeve 120. Clips 127 may connect support sleeve 120 to a bag, such as to hold the bag in place while it is being filled. Additionally, or alternatively, a user may connect support sleeve 120 using clips 127 to hold a funnel in place while a user fills a bag. A funnel may be an object (e.g. that acts like a conventional funnel) that is used to direct debris into support sleeve 120, such as the lawn waste 110 depicted in
Support sleeve 120 may include one or more stops 128. Stops 128 may be made from a penetration, cut and/or slit through one or more of the sides of support sleeve 120 such that it is made from the same material as the side to which it is connected. Additionally, or alternatively, stops 128 may be connected to (i.e. screws, rivets, adhesives, welding, etc.) one or more sides and be made from a separate piece of material (e.g. cardboard, composite, plastics, metals, etc.). Stops 128 may provide a channel (e.g. a C-channel shape, etc.) that may connect (e.g. slip fit, press fit, etc.) support sleeve 120 to a bag and/or a funnel. While the stops 128 depicted in
As depicted in
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will recognize that other changes and modifications may be made to the foregoing embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, specific shapes of various elements of the illustrated embodiments may be altered to suit particular applications. Additionally, the foldable bag support sleeve may have more or less sides. Further, the embodiments disclosed herein may be used in different applications. For example, the embodiments disclosed herein may be used to support bags other than waste or lawn bags. It is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the disclosure herein and the equivalents.
The foregoing description provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the embodiments.
It will be apparent that the apparatus, devices, methods, technologies and/or techniques, as described above, may be implemented in many different forms of hardware and/or materials in the implementations described herein and illustrated in the figures. The actual or specialized hardware and/or materials used to implement these the apparatus, devices, methods, technologies and/or techniques is not limiting of the embodiments—it being understood that hardware and/or materials can be designed to implement the apparatus, devices, methods, technologies and/or techniques based on the description herein.
It should be emphasized that the terms “comprises”/“comprising” when used in this specification are taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.
Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of the embodiments. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one other claim, the disclosure of the embodiments includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.
No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the embodiments unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one” or “more.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/329,235 filed on Apr. 29, 2016, the entire contents of the provisional application being incorporated herein by reference.
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