Patent Application
20110089061
The present invention relates generally to a garment carrier and a method of using the garment carrier.
Garments are traditionally carried in luggage or suitcases. However, luggage is unsuitable in many ways. The garments need to be removed from hangers and carefully packed, requiring long packing times. Further, as a direct consequence of the packing, the garments are crushed due to folding and the heavy pressures experienced during transportation.
Suit carriers overcome some of these problems by allowing suits to be held upright within the carriers. Nevertheless, suit carriers require packing the suits in the special hangers provided for the suits. Suit carriers limit the volume of clothes that can be transported as they are built to carry very few garments. Suit carriers also do not provide any flexible dimensions and are typically heavy and cumbersome.
Hence, light weight, flexible, garment carriers with a greater capacity that allow easy transportation of garments are needed.
These and other problems are generally solved or circumvented, and technical advantages are generally achieved, by preferred embodiments of the present invention.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a garment carrier includes a substantially flat, flexible sheet of material, first and second handles, first and second hanger attachment elements, and first and second closing elements. In one example, the first handle is attached to the sheet of material adjacent the top edge of the sheet of material. The second handle is attached to the sheet of material adjacent the bottom edge of the sheet of material. The first hanger attachment element is attached to a first side of the sheet of material and is adjacent to but spaced from the top edge. The second hanger attachment element is attached to the first side of the sheet of material adjacent to but spaced from the bottom edge. The first closing element is attached to the sheet of material adjacent a side edge of the sheet of material. The second closing element is attached to the sheet of material adjacent the other side edge of the sheet of material.
Another embodiment provides a method for securing garments for travel. A substantially flat, flexible sheet of material is laid out on a surface. A first number of garments are placed over an inner surface of the sheet of material, the garments extending from the top edge toward the bottom edge. The hangers of the first plurality of garments are secured to the inner surface of the sheet of material. A second number of garments are placed over the inner surface of the sheet of material, but extend from the bottom edge toward the top edge. The hangers of the second plurality of garments are also secured to the inner surface of the sheet of material. The first side edge of the sheet of material is moved over the first and second pluralities of garments to at least partially cover the garments. The second side edge of the sheet of material is moved over the first side edge so that the garments are enclosed within the sheet of material. The sheet of material is secured in a folded arrangement to maintain the garments enclosed within the sheet of material.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
The making and using of the presently preferred embodiments are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will be described with respect to preferred embodiments in a specific context, namely a garment carrier. The invention may also be applied, however, to other carriers and bags.
In various embodiments, the garment carrier described herein makes moving clothing on hangers far easier enabling moving more clothes in less space. The process requires none of the separate packing that is typical of traditional luggage, moving boxes and hanging rods. As a result, embodiments of the invention save time. In various embodiments, clothes are removed from the closet on hangers, and placed in the garment carrier without removing the clothing from the hangers. The clothing is securely held on the hangers inside the garment carrier during the transportation. The garment carrier is light weight and compact and can be conveniently transported. At the destination, clothing still on hangers are removed from the garment carrier and hung up. Advantageously, the clothing is minimally wrinkled.
In various embodiments, the garment carrier includes a pair of ties placed adjacent opposite edges on a surface of a sheet. The garment carrier can be opened on the bed or the floor with the ties facing up. Clothes, still on hangers, are placed at the top and the bottom of the garment carrier with the neck of the hanger at the middle of the ties, opposite from one another at the top and the bottom of the garment carrier. Clothes can be piled quite high as each garment carrier can carry many (e.g., up to 50 or more in one specific example) garments, depending on the size of the articles of clothing and the size of the hangers up to the suggested weight limit, e.g., of 25 pounds. For example, this may mean more t-shirts for a child but fewer coats for an adult. In any case, the capacity of the garment carrier can be substantial.
The garment carrier also comprises hook and loop fasteners, e.g., VELCRO™, for securing the garment carrier. The sides of the garment carrier are then folded over so that the fabric hook and loop fasteners meet and attach to one another. The garment carrier can then be folded and carried by the handles or over the shoulder by one person or by each handle at both ends by two people. The garment carrier is then placed in the trunk, on the seat, bed or floorboard of a vehicle. Multiple garment carriers can be stacked on top of one another.
Upon arrival at the destination, the garment carrier is removed from the vehicle and carried just as it was when loaded. The garment carrier is then opened on the bed or floor by separating the hook and loop fasteners and untying the ties that secure the hangers down at the top and bottom. The clothes on hangers are then hung up. Consequently, minimal, if any, ironing is required.
The garment carrier described in various embodiments easily folds and stores in a very small space for future use. The garment carrier is made of durable material and reinforced sewing which enable it to be used multiple times. Embodiments have no moving parts, no zippers or snaps, no metal hardware or frame. Another embodiment includes grommets to reinforce the attachment of the handles to the carrier. It may be used for moving a household across town, to another city, driving vacations, taking students to college or any time when a personal vehicle is used to transport clothing on hangers. The garment carrier saves space, makes moving physically easier and saves hours of removing clothes from hangers, folding them into moving containers, unloading, ironing and then re-hanging at the destination. It also keeps one from having to move the hangers or purchase new ones at the destination. The garment carrier can be used multiple times as the fabric can be easily washed unlike other type of luggage.
Structural embodiments of the garment carrier will be described using
Referring to
In various embodiments, the sheet 10 comprises a rectangular sheet having a width along the top/bottom edges 101/102, and a length along the left/right side edges 103/104. In one embodiment, the length of the sheet 10 is about 4.5 ft to about 5.5 ft and the width of the sheet 10 is about 5 ft to about 6 feet. While not shown, various designs can be imprinted, silk screened or otherwise added to the sheet 10. For example, an outline of a hanger can be printed on the sheet 10 at the location where the hangers will be located to further simplify use of the carrier. Further, a logo (e.g., for a college), a website and/or a monogram can be included on the outer surface of the sheet 10.
A first handle 20 is attached to the sheet 10 adjacent the top edge 101. In one embodiment, the first handle 20 is attached to the sheet 10 in at least two different regions forming a loop as illustrated in
In one embodiment, grommets are used to secure the handles 20 and 30 to the sheet 10. The handles should be able to hold the weight of as many garments as will be carried in the carrier. For example, in one embodiment, the garment carrier is designed to hold up to 25 pounds. The attachment of the handles 20/30 should be designed accordingly. While grommets are mentioned here, it is understood that any other attachment mechanism can be used.
A first hanger attachment 50 is attached adjacent to a top edge 101, while a second hanger attachment 40 is attached adjacent to a bottom edge 102. The first and the second hanger attachment 50 and 40 are configured to attach first hangers 120 and second hangers 110, respectively. Each of the first and the second hangers are configured to hold a plurality of clothing. For example, the first hangers 120 can hold a first set of clothing 140, while the second hangers can hold a second set of clothing 130.
In one embodiment, the first hanger attachment 50 comprises a flexible tie that can be tied down after placing the first hangers 120 on top of the attachment 50. Similarly, in one embodiment, the second hanger attachment 40 comprises a flexible tie that can be tied down after placing the second hangers 110. In another embodiment, the first and the second hanger attachments 40 and 50 comprise webbings such as that used for forming straps. In alternative embodiments, the first and the second hanger attachments 40 and 50 may comprise cords, straps, similar elements threaded through holes or grommets in the sheet 10, tie downs, buttons, bungee cords, toggles, snaps, hooks and eyelets, zippers, elastic lacing, buckles, draw strings, magnetic snaps, snap tap, caplocks, hook and loop fasteners, safety pins, interlocking or connective clips of the male/female components interconnection type, and other similar fasteners, or a combination of two or more such fasteners.
In one embodiment, the first and the second hanger attachments 50 and 40 are disposed symmetrically on the sheet 10. For example, in one embodiment, the first hanger attachment 50 is spaced from the top edge 101 at a first distance, and the second hanger attachment 40 is spaced from the bottom edge 102 by the same first distance.
In an embodiment, the first hanger attachment 50 comprises a first string 50a and a second string 50b (see
Similarly, the second hanger attachment 40 comprises a third string 40a and a fourth string 40b (see
The sheet 10 further comprises a first closing element 60 adjacent the left side edge 104, and a second closing element 70 (see
The locking system between the first and the second closing elements 60 and 70 determines the volume or capacity of the garment carrier. In various embodiments, the first closing element 60 comprises first strips of a first length, and the second closing element 70 comprises second strips of a second length. The second length is larger than the first length to allow for changes in capacity of the garment carrier. In one case, the second strips are at least two to four times longer than the first strips.
A first handle 20, having about 23 inches of webbing (e.g., made of nylon), is attached to the sheet 10 adjacent the top edge 101. Similarly, a second handle 30, having about 23 inches of webbing, is attached to the sheet 10 adjacent the bottom edge 102. In one case, the first and the second handles 20 and 30 are attached to a top surface 105 of the sheet 10.
A locking system comprising a first and a second closing element 60 and 70 is disposed on the sheet 10. The first closing element 60 is attached to the top surface 105 of the sheet 10 whereas the second closing element 70 is attached to a back surface 106 of the sheet 10. The first and the second closing elements 60 and 70 comprise a plurality of fabric hook and loop fasteners (such as a VELCRO®) of about 1.5 inches wide. The first and the second closing elements 60 and 70 are about 3 inches and about 8 inches in length respectively in one embodiment. In one embodiment, each of the first and the second closing elements 60 and 70 has three fabric hook and loop fasteners separated from each other by about 1 ft 5 inches. The fabric hook and loop fasteners of the first and the second closing elements 60 and 70 adjacent the top or bottom edges 101/102 are separated by about 1 ft as illustrated in
A first hanger attachment 50 is attached adjacent to a top edge 101, while a second hanger attachment 40 is attached adjacent to a bottom edge 102. The first and the second hanger attachments 50 and 40 are attached to the top surface 105 of the sheet 10. In one embodiment, the first and the second hanger attachments 50 and 40 are about 30 inches in length and comprise a nylon webbing tie with loop fasteners. Alternatively, other ties such as a shoe string tie could be used. The first and the second closing elements 60 and 70 as well as the first and the second hanger attachments 50 and 40 are sewn to the sheet 10 to secure the clothing items within the carrier bag.
A method of using the garment carrier is described in
A second set of clothing 130 is mounted onto second hangers 110 and placed over the first set of clothing 140. The second set of clothing 130 is however placed opposite to the first set of clothing 140 such that the second set of clothing 130 extends from the bottom edge 102 towards the top edge 101. As illustrated in
The right side edge is lifted and moved over as illustrated in
As next illustrated in
While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments.
