Cases are used for transporting and protecting a variety of valuable objects, such as guns, rifles, pistols, computers, cell phones, cameras, portable media players, jewelry, money, clothes and passports, for example. These cases can either have a soft shell or a hard shell. Typical soft cases are made from nylon or canvas, are flexible and lightweight, and are opened and closed via a zipper or a flap with Velcro attached thereto. Hard cases are made from some type of hard plastic or metal such as aluminum. Hard cases are normally bulky, difficult to transport and store due to their size and weight, are hard to fit into tight spaces, and can be expensive.
One of the problems with soft cases and hard cases is their vulnerability to the theft of the objects contained inside the case. In some instances, soft and hard cases may be able to be locked. Although locked, soft nylon or canvas cases can usually be cut with a sharp, jagged-edge type of knife to reveal the contents of the case. Some hard cases may be pried apart at the joints or hinges. Therefore what is needed is a flexible, lightweight case that is not susceptible to cutting or prying.
One of the other problems with current soft cases and hard cases is their vulnerability to the theft of a case itself when being transported in a vehicle. There is no easy way for attaching the case to an immovable or stationary part of the vehicle so as to prevent the case from being stolen when the vehicle is burglarized. Therefore what is needed is a soft case that is easily attachable to a stationary part of a vehicle, such as an immovable hook in the trunk of a vehicle or to a base of a vehicle seat, for example.
Another problems with the current cases occurs when the case is stolen. It is impossible to locate the case. Therefore what is needed is a soft case that is easily tracked when it is stolen or misplaced.
In view of the prior art described above, there continues to be a need for a case that is flexible and portable, is easily locked and opened, is able to be securely fastened to stationary objects when being transported, and is cut-resistant, fire-resistant and/or water-proof, and is easily tracked when missing or stolen.
In the preferred embodiment, this invention provides a light-weight, cut-resistant, fire-resistant and/or water-proof case that is easily locked and fastenable to stationary objects. These soft cases contain a Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter that is able to track the location of the case. The case can hold such items as guns, pistols, rifles, computers, netbooks, cell phones, cameras, jewelry, money, watches, valuable documents, birth certificates, passports, military secrets, company secrets and gadgets, and any other confidential material or item where the safe keeping of the item is paramount.
Thieves would be greatly deterred in stealing such cases because of the triple protection provided by these cases. First, it is nearly impossible for thieves to cut through the impregnable soft shell of the case and get the items stored inside due to the cut-resistant fabric. Second, the cases are easily attachable to stationary objects via a steel cable making it virtually impossible for the thieves to cut the steel cable and steal the cases. Third, these cases can be easily tracked using a GPS transmitter. Therefore, if the case was stolen because it was not attached to a stationary object, the case could easily be tracked and located using the GPS transmitter.
In the preferred embodiment, a case comprises a body formed of a substantially cut-resistant fabric, the body being sized and shaped to fold along a central fold line. A zipper having a pull tab fastens to opposing edges of the body to enable complete closure of the body when the body is folded. A first grommet is fastened to the body at a first position and a second grommet is fastened to the body at a second position. The holes of the first and second grommets concentrically align when the body is folded. A lock is located at one end of the zipper, the lock being able to securely hold the zipper and pull tab when in a locked position. The case also can comprise a GPS transmitter for tracking the location of the case.
An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible, light-weight, cut-resistant case that fits around an object to protect it from scratches, mud, snow and dust.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible cut-resistant case that can easily and quickly be attached to a stationary object.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an easy way to track and locate a missing or stolen case.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cut-resistant, fire-resistant and water-proof case that can keep objects safe, dry and not burned.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed and not to limit it.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The material that is used to form the outside shell of case 10 comprises commercially available cut-resistant material, such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, high tenacity high modulus polyethylene, fiber woven Kevlar, DSM's Dyneema, Honeywell's Gold Flex and Spectra, Teijin Twaron's Twaron, Pinnacle Armor's Dragon Skin, Toyobo's Zylon, or Tuff-n-Lite. It will be appreciated that some of these fabrics provide some level of protection against bullets and are thus resistant to bullets. These types of material are soft, flexible, lightweight and substantially impregnable.
The exterior of case 10 is preferably made from one piece of cut-resistant fabric such as shown in
Case 10 has an exterior side and an interior side. The interior of case 10 be padded with one or more layers and lined with regular nylon, and can optionally have pockets of any size, shape and configuration. Although it is preferable to have a single layer of cut-resistant fabric on the shell or exterior of case 10, so as to maintain its flexibility, in alternative embodiments, case 10 may have multiple layers of cut-resistant fabric. These multiple layers provide extra protection against cutting and prying to protect the most valuable of objects.
Case 10 may be padded or non-padded. If case 10 was not padded, the cut-resistant material would be the same material, where one side of the cut-resistant fabric would be on the exterior and the other side of the fabric would comprise the interior part of case 10. If case 10 was padded, case 10 would be layered so that the cut-resistant material would be on the exterior, layered next with foam padding (made of foam or other similar type of material), and then a layer of a ballistic nylon or other type of material on the interior of the case. Having a cheaper nylon on the interior saves on the cost of the materials and the cost of case 10 in general.
It will be appreciated that case 10 can be lined or layered with different material or fabric to give case 10 different levels of protection. In an alternative embodiment, the interior of case 10 could be layered with some form of water-proof fabric. Such a configuration would make case 10 both cut-resistant and water-proof, which is good combination for any type of water-related or outdoor activity. A cut-resistant fabric would still form the exterior shell of case 10, but the interior would be lined with a water-proof fabric. Water-proof fabrics are inherently, or have been treated to become, resistant to penetration by water and wetting. They are usually natural or synthetic fabrics that are laminated to or coated with a water-proofing material such as rubber, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane, silicone elastomer, or fluoropolymers. Examples include rubberized fabric used in rain jackets and inflatable boats. If case 10 was water-proof, a flotation device may be optionally incorporated into case 10 so that case 10 would be capable of floating.
In another alternative embodiment, the cut-resistant exterior of case 10 can also be layered together with Nomix, a fire-resistant material or any other fire-resistant material that is on the market. This would make case 10 both cut-resistant and fire-resistant. It can even be appreciated that if a third water-proof layer was added, case 10 would become both cut-resistant, fire-resistant and water-proof. Although it is preferred that the cut-resistant fabric form the exterior of case 10, it can be appreciated that the exterior of case 10 can be made from a water-proof fabric or fire-resistant fabric. In this instance, the cut-resistant material would line the interior of case 10. By layering different types of fabric into case 10, case 10 can be specifically tailored to provide protection of objects for all types of different activities.
Lock 12 is preferably a bank bag lock, such as Hudson Lock No. 3535 or 3486, for example. It will be appreciated that other types of locks can be used in alternative embodiments. Both of the Hudson locks have a seven pin tumbler-keyed type of lock and are commercially available. Lock 12 can also be any commercially available lock that is capable of securing pull tab 14 and zipper 16 in a closed position. As shown in
As shown in
When case 10 is closed, lock 12 engages and holds the pull tab 14 and zipper slider 36. The zipper slider 36, which is of a low profile design, (low profile so it fits into the lock) is the device that moves up and down the teeth of the zipper chain to open or close the zipper 16. The pull tab 14 is unable to be moved when lock 12 is in the locked position. Key 34 is preferably used to open lock 12, which when opened, disengages the pull tab 14 and zipper slider 36. The zipper slider 36 then can be pulled along the chain of zipper 16 so that case 10 is opened, making the contents of the case accessible for removal. The chain of the zipper is also made from cut-resistant material.
Returning to
Although one pair grommet 18 is used in
A pair of grommets 18 could be located at any position within case 10, but located so that none of the objects contained inside case 10 are exposed by the holes of grommet 18. For example, when case 10 is used for holding a revolver, the revolver must fit inside case 10 without exposing any portion of the revolver. In another example, when case 10 is used for holding a computer, the computer must fit inside case 10 so that a steel cable could be threaded through the hole formed by grommet 18. In some embodiments, one part of a durable grommet 18 or some other durable plastic or metal ring or loop could be sewn into the exterior shell of case 10 so that a part of the grommet 18 is sticking out from case 10.
Anchoring case 10 to a stationary object greatly deters and prevents the theft of case 10. Attaching case 10 to a stationary object can take many forms. In one example, a steel cable that has a loop at both ends is threaded through the hole formed by the hole of grommet 18 and around the stationary object. The loops of the steel cable are then joined together and locked via a separate lock, for example, a padlock with a key or a combination lock. In another example, a long shackle of pad lock is threaded through the hole of grommet 18 and around case 10 whereby a shackle of a padlock fits through the grommet 18 and the end loop of the cable. The other end of the cable is attached or anchored via a separate locking mechanism to a stationary object, such as a seat or stationary part of a vehicle, train, bus, airplane, boat or any other form of transportation. In another example, a hanger, such as found at a gym, could be inserted through the hole of grommet 18. After insertion, then a lock could be placed at the end of the hanger to hold case 10 to the hanger, thus preventing the theft of case 10.
As shown in
As shown in
Alternatively, if case 10 contained a cell phone that had GPS tracking capability, such as the iPhone for example, case 10 could be located using the cell phone's GPS tracking functionality. The GPS tracking device would preferably be non-breakable so it could not be broken or disengaged if a thief tried slamming the case against a hard object in an attempt to disable GPS transmitter 22.
Case 10 may also contain an insert that conforms to and holds a particular item in case 10. The insert may be made of steel, plastic or other durable material that can withstand shock from great force. The insert may be pre-formed or molded into a particular shape and size, or may be configurable in the interior portion of case 10 using a system for making interconnections, such as Velcro for example. For example, case 10 may contain an insert that is formed or molded to hold a gun, revolver or pistol in a certain and unmovable position inside case 10. This is important so that the gun does not move, thus preventing the trigger mechanism from becoming engaged so that the gun is not discharged. In another example, an insert may be formed to hold a number of watches or rings. In another example, an insert may be formed to hold a computer in one location inside case, and a cell phone in another location inside case.
Also illustrated in
While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/105,847 filed on May 11, 2011, which is a non-provisional of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. 61/334,064 filed May 12, 2010, all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61334064 | May 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13105847 | May 2011 | US |
Child | 15090518 | US |