It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The following disclosure relates to a gift bag with surprise elements that appear when the bag is opened. For example,
As shown in the examples of
For example, to open the gift bag 100, the user can unlock the clip 130 (see
In another example, an opening assembly 700 can be used to open the gift bag 100. For example, the user can pull on a pair of pulls 710 (see
In various embodiments, the couplers 720 can extend through the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A with complementary first and second coupler sides 722, 724 being releasably coupled together over the flaps 152 of the second flap assembly 150B and over the top of the internal bag 110. As shown in the example embodiment of
Additionally, in various embodiments, the pulls 710 can extend through the flaps 152 via holes 714 defined by the first flap assembly 150A, with the pulls 710 in some embodiments being a loop (e.g., a ribbon, string, rope, line, or the like) having an external portion 712 and an internal portion 716 (e.g., a tie, knot, tab, stop, or the like). In various examples, in a closed configuration, the pulls 710 can extend through the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A with the internal portions 716 being disposed over the flaps 152 of the second flap assembly 150B and over the top of the internal bag 110 and below the couplers 720.
Further embodiments can comprise various suitable elements that allow the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A to be pulled, so the example of pulls 710 should not be construed as being limiting. For example,
For example, while
Additionally, in some embodiments, pulls 710 can be absent or present in any suitable plurality. For example, while various embodiments shown herein include a full or partial loop (e.g., loop of ribbon), in some embodiments there can be two or more separate pulls (e.g., a pair of lengths of ribbon that extend through holes 714 of the first flap assembly 150A without being coupled at the internal portions 716). Some embodiments can include a single pull 710, e.g., a knob, handle, rope with knot, single loop of ribbon through a single hole 714, and the like. Also, while various embodiments include one or more pulls 710 comprising a flexible element such as a ribbon, line, rope, twine, or the like, further embodiments can include one or more rigid pulls 710, including a rigid handle, knob, or the like. Also, while various embodiments include both an external portion 712 and internal portion 716 of the one or more pulls 710, in further embodiments, an internal portion 716 can be absent. For example, a pull 710 can be coupled to an external face of the first flap assembly 150A, can extend within and be coupled within the first flap assembly 150A, or the like.
In various embodiments, couplers 720 can comprise pairs of corresponding or complementary coupler sides 722, 724 such as mating snaps (e.g.,
As shown for example in
In various embodiments, the hinges 730 can comprise various suitable elements or structures, including a crease, perforation, holes, dent, depression, thinner portion, or the like, in the flaps 152, or in some examples, the first flap assembly 150A or can comprise a physical structure such as a hinge with leaves, knuckles and a pin; a living hinge of a different material than the rest of the flaps 152, and the like. The hinge 730 can comprise a linear structure that extends a portion or the full length of the flaps 152.
In various examples, the hinges 730 can be disposed in a common plane that is coincident with or above the terminal ends of the flaps 152 of the second flap assembly 150B. In various examples, the hinges 730 can be disposed in a common plane that is coincident with or above the terminal ends of the internal bag 110.
In various embodiments the hinges 730 can be configured to allow the top and bottom portions 732, 734 to assume a concave configuration on the external faces of the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A when the couplers 720 are coupled together such as shown in
Such a configuration of the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A can be desirable to allow the bottom portions 734 of the flaps 152 to generally, substantially or fully lay against or engage the external faces of the flaps 152 of the second flap assembly 150B such as shown in
In various embodiments, such as shown in
Also, in various embodiments, the flaps 152 can extend from a base 154 at various suitable angles. For example, in a closed or loaded configuration such as shown in
In various embodiments, the flaps 152 can be biased to automatically move outward away from the internal bag 110 when released by the user, which can be based on a natural bias of a living hinge between the flaps 152 and base 154, a biasing element such as a coil or leaf spring, biasing of one or more actuating butterflies 300, or the like.
Turning to
In various embodiments, the actuating band 640 can allow the actuating butterfly 300 to be loaded for actuation by rotating the top and bottom portions 610, 620 in opposite directions to introduce a twist into the actuating band 640, which can store a rotation force in the actuating band 640 and generate a loaded configuration for the actuating butterfly 300. To pack the gift bag 100, one or more loaded actuating butterflies 300 can be introduced into one or more of the slots 180, 185 and the slots 180, 185 can be closed such that the rotation force in the actuating band 640 is held by the top and bottom portions 610, 620 being held in place relative to each other in a planar configuration. Accordingly, when the slots 180, 185 are opened as discussed herein, the top and bottom portions 610, 620 can be free to rotate relative to each other and the loaded actuating band 640 can cause rotation of the top and bottom portions 610, 620, which can cause lift for the actuating butterfly 300, which can cause the actuating butterfly 300 to pop or fly out of the slots 180, 185 and fly about above or around the gift bag 100. In some embodiments, a frame of the butterfly 300 can be thinned out or minimized to use less material and to reduce the weight for better flight.
In various embodiments the top portion 610 of an actuating butterfly 300 can comprise a pair of top wings 612 held by a top frame 614 comprising a pair of arms that extend from the axle 630. The bottom portion 620 can comprise a pair of bottom wings 622 held by a bottom frame 624 that surrounds the actuating band 640. In various embodiments, the top and bottom wings 612, 622 can be made of various suitable materials such as paper, plastic, foil, cardboard, or the like. In various embodiments, the top and bottom frame 614, 624 can be made of various suitable materials such as plastic, metal, wood, or the like.
In various embodiments, the gift bag 100 and portions thereof can be made of any suitable materials such as paper, plastic, metal, or the like. Additionally, while the example of
Also, while various embodiments can comprise rectangular planar flaps 152 and/or faces of an internal bag 110, further embodiments can include flaps and/or faces of an internal bag 110 with various suitable regular or irregular shapes, which may or may not be planar. For example, in some embodiments, the flaps 152 can be rounded, oval, scalloped, or the like. In another example, in some embodiments, the flaps 152 can be curved or rounded (e.g., like the petals of a flower).
Additionally, while the examples of
Also, the example of the actuating butterfly 300 herein should not be construed as being limiting and various suitable actuating elements configured to pop or fly out of slots 180, 185 an be used in addition to or as an alternative to the actuating butterfly 300 discussed herein and/or actuating butterflies 300 of any suitable configuration can be used in further embodiments. For example, further embodiments can include actuating birds, frogs, snakes, grasshoppers, confetti, streamers, or the like. Such elements can be actuated or loaded in various suitable ways and with various suitable elements such as a band, coil, spring, or the like.
Also, while various embodiments can include mechanically actuating elements, further embodiments can include electronic or chemical actuation of a switch, pressure plate, or the like, caused by opening and/or closing of slots. Such mechanical, electronic or chemical actuation can include triggering of a physical movement, ejection of one or more elements (e.g., butterflies or confetti), triggering of an audio output, triggering of a haptic output (e.g., vibration), triggering of a release of a substance (e.g., gas, smoke, fog, liquid, foam, or the like), a small explosion for sound or ejection purposes, or the like.
Also, while various embodiments can include a clip 130 (e.g., a binder clip) or snap, or coupler 720 to hold the gift bag 100 closed, further embodiments can include various suitable elements to hold the gift bag 100, which may or may not be separable or integral to portions of the gift bag 100. For example, in some embodiments the gift bag 100 can be held closed with a clasp, friction fit, adhesive, wax, glue, weld, or the like.
The internal bag 110 can be made of various flexible, elastic and/or rigid materials, such as paper, plastic, fabric, textile, cardboard, metal, foil, wood, or the like. In various embodiments, the internal bag can be flexible and configured to fold for opening and closing. In various embodiments, the internal bag 110 can have an open top or can be configured to be closed such as with a drawstring, flap, friction fit, seal, weld or the like.
Also, while various embodiments can include an internal bag 110 that defines a cavity 112 (e.g., where gifts, confectionaries and the like can be held), further embodiments can include any suitable internal element, which may or may not be a bag (e.g., a box). In some embodiments, such an internal bag 110 element can be absent. For example, one or more articles can be enclosed within flaps 152 with an internal bag 110 being absent.
In various embodiments a method of constructing a gift bag 100 can comprise one or more of the following steps, which may or may not be in the following order. Such a manufacturing method can include nesting a second flap assembly 150B within a first flap assembly 150A and coupling the first and second flap assemblies 150A, 150B together at respective bases 154A, 154B (e.g., via glue, weld, adhesive, tape, or other suitable method). The method can further include coupling an internal bag 110 to the base 154B of the second flap assembly 150B. In some embodiments, the method can include generating hinges 730 in the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A. In some embodiments, the method can include generating one or more holes 714 in the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A above the hinges 730 and coupling one or more respective pulls 710 to the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A. In some embodiments, the method can include coupling one or more couplers to the flaps 152 of the first flap assembly 150A above the hinges 730.
In various embodiments a method of loading a gift bag 100 can comprise one or more of the following steps, which may or may not be in the following order. Such a loading method can include disposing one or more gift articles in an internal bag 110. The method can include loading one or more butterflies 300 in a first left slot 180L, loading one or more butterflies 300 in a first right slot 180R, loading one or more butterflies 300 in a second left slot 185L and loading one or more butterflies 300 in a second right slot 185R. Such loading of a butterfly can include winding the butterfly 300 to store a rotation force in the butterfly 300 and generate a loaded configuration for the actuating butterfly 300, inserting the loaded butterfly 300 into a given slot (e.g., 180L, 180R, 185L, 185R), and closing the slot so that the loaded butterfly is held within the slot and to hold the loaded configuration of actuating butterfly 300. The method can further include securing tops of the flaps 152 of the first and second flap assemblies 150A, 150B together. For example, such securing can include securing a clip 130 over one or both of the tops of the flaps 152 of the first and second flap assemblies 150A, 150B; coupling together one or more couplers of one or both of the flaps 152 of the first and second flap assemblies 150A, 150B. As discussed herein, various items can be loaded into the internal bag 110 and various other suitable elements or items can be disposed within the slots 180, 185.
In various embodiments a method of opening a gift bag 100 can comprise one or more of the following steps, which may or may not be in the following order. Such a method in some examples can include a user removing a clip 130 from the top of the gift bag 100 to cause the flaps 152 to open outward and loaded butterflies 300 to be released from one or more slots (e.g., 180L, 180R, 185L, 185R). The method can further include the user removing gift items from the internal bag 110. Such a method in some examples can include a user pulling a pair of pulls 710 on opposing sides of the gift bag 100 to de-couple one or more couplers 720 at the top of the gift bag 100 to cause the flaps 152 to open outward and loaded butterflies 300 to be released from one or more slots (e.g., 180L, 180R, 185L, 185R).
The described embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and specific examples thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the described embodiments are not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the present disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives. Additionally, elements of a given embodiment should not be construed to be applicable to only that example embodiment and therefore elements of one example embodiment can be applicable to other embodiments. Additionally, elements that are specifically shown in example embodiments should be construed to cover embodiments that comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of such elements, or such elements can be explicitly absent from further embodiments. Accordingly, the recitation of an element being present in one example should be construed to support some embodiments where such an element is explicitly absent.
This application is a non-provisional of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/388,050, filed Jul. 11, 2022, entitled “GIFT BAG WITH SURPRISE ELEMENTS WHEN OPENING,”. This application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. This application is related to and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/832,633, filed Mar. 29, 2022, entitled “GIFT BAG,”. This application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. This application is also related to and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/845,809, filed Jul. 11, 2022, entitled “GIFT BAG,”. This application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
D130591 | Oestierreicher | Dec 1941 | S |
3339721 | Goldstein | Sep 1967 | A |
3926364 | Janhohen | Dec 1975 | A |
5120263 | Lerfino | Jun 1992 | A |
D369473 | Gluck | May 1996 | S |
D406468 | Byers | Mar 1999 | S |
5933989 | Volkert | Aug 1999 | A |
D472139 | Rizzuto, Jr. | Mar 2003 | S |
D557904 | Engber | Dec 2007 | S |
D641177 | Chamberlain | Jul 2011 | S |
D730745 | Cowan-Hughes et al. | Jun 2015 | S |
D784824 | Ross | Apr 2017 | S |
D796342 | Ross | Sep 2017 | S |
D802390 | Walbroel | Nov 2017 | S |
10035634 | Murphy | Jul 2018 | B2 |
D842122 | Song | Mar 2019 | S |
D873673 | Yu et al. | Jan 2020 | S |
D873674 | Yu et al. | Jan 2020 | S |
D876239 | Yu et al. | Feb 2020 | S |
D901190 | Horton | Nov 2020 | S |
D953876 | Hishmeh | Jun 2022 | S |
D964858 | Tan | Sep 2022 | S |
D984901 | Liu | May 2023 | S |
D995313 | Siew | Aug 2023 | S |
20060113215 | Clements | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20130341217 | Chasan | Dec 2013 | A1 |
Entry |
---|
Butterflyers, “Exploding Flying Butterfly Gift Box from Butterflyers.com—Quick Tips & Instructions”, youtube.com, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9aXGrMgpdk&t=6s> (Aug. 24, 2021). |
Send a Cake, LLC, “Innovative Cake Gifts—Birthday Cake Gift Delivery,” retrieved from https://sendacake.com/ on Feb. 27, 2024, 7 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20230348144 A1 | Nov 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63388050 | Jul 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 29845809 | Jul 2022 | US |
Child | 18218745 | US | |
Parent | 29832633 | Mar 2022 | US |
Child | 18218745 | US |