Patent Application
20170030008
The present invention relates to storage devices and, more particularly, to a portable storage container adapted with peel away wall portions so as to be positionable between a storage configuration and a loading configuration.
After finishing laundry at the laundromat and taking so much time to fold the clothes neatly, trying to get them back into the laundry bag is a chore. The access openings of such laundry bags are never large enough, there is always a part of the bag in the way of the clothing and by the time you're finished stuffing all your washed goods back inside the bag, your neatly folded clothes are unfolded and wrinkled.
As can be seen, there is a need for a portable storage container adapted with peel away wall portions so as to be positionable between a storage configuration and a loading configuration.
In one aspect of the present invention, a storage device positionable between a loading configuration and a storage configuration includes a base portion; a plurality of elongated wall portions extending from a first end to a second end and further defined by two longitudinal edges, wherein the first ends are connected along a periphery of the base portion; and a detachable fastener disposed along each longitudinal edge so that adjacent longitudinal edges are positionable in the loading configuration and the storage configuration forming a tapered storage space.
In another aspect of the present invention, a storage system positionable between a loading configuration and a pronounced tapered storage configuration includes a base portion; a plurality of elongated wall portions extending from a first end to a second end and further defined by two longitudinal edges, wherein the first ends are connected along a periphery of the base portion, and wherein the plurality of wall portions comprise: two side wall portions, each side wall portion forming a generally rectangular shape; and two end wall portions, each end wall portion forming a generally acute trapezoidal shape; a detachable fastener disposed along each longitudinal edge so that adjacent longitudinal edges are positionable in the loading configuration and the storage configuration forming a tapered storage space, wherein the second ends in the storage configuration form an access opening; a flap disposed along a portion of a periphery of the access opening; a pair of backpack straps disposed along the plurality of wall portions; a supporting platform having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface, wherein the upper surface is dimensioned and adapted to accommodate the base portion; a plurality of releasable fasteners for removably securing the storage device to the supporting platform; and a plurality of casters disposed on the lower surface, whereby the base portion is more pronounced in the loading configuration.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a portable storage container adapted with peel away wall portions so as to be positionable between a loading configuration and a tapered storage configuration. The storage container may include a plurality of elongated wall portions connected along a periphery of a base portion. A plurality of detachable fasteners may be disposed along the longitudinal edges of each wall portion so that adjacent wall portions may be joined by attaching the detachable fasteners, forming the storage configuration, and peeled away by detaching the plurality of detachable fasteners, forming the loading configuration. The storage device may include an elevated base support having a supporting platform that maintains the base portion at a readily accessible position above the peeled-away wall portions in the loading configuration.
Referring to
In certain embodiments, the plurality of wall portions 70, 72 may include two side wall portions 70 and two end wall portions 72, having different geometric shapes yet dimensioned and adapted so that the storage configuration forms a tapered shape. For example, the two end wall portions 72 may be generally form a mathematical acute trapezoidal shape, while the two side wall portions 70 form a generally rectangular shape. The two side wall portions 70 and two end wall portions 72 may take any shape as long as they function in accordance with the present invention as described herein, wherein an area of the storage space 62 decreases as a function of its distance from the base portion 48, facilitating the stacking plurality of article 36 of various sizes, as illustrated in
In certain embodiments, the storage device 100 may include an elevated base support 80. The elevated base support 80 may form a supporting platform 40 having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface. The upper surface may be dimensioned and adapted to stably accommodate the base portion 48 thereon. A plurality of releasable fasteners 42, for example hook and loop fasteners, may be disposed on the supporting platform 40 for operatively engaging the plurality of wall portions 70, 72 so as to secure the storage device 100 thereto. A plurality of casters 52 may be disposed on the lower surface for rolling the elevated base support 80 loaded with the storage device 100. In certain embodiments, a retractable handle 54 may be disposed along the base support 80 to facilitate said rolling. Moreover, the supporting platform 40 may elevate the base portion 48 above a surrounding supporting surface, for example a floor or counter top. As a result, in the loading configuration, the plurality of wall portions 70, 72 may drape onto said lower surrounding supporting surface, thereby making the base portion 48 more pronounced, facilitating the sometimes precarious stacking of the plurality of article 36 thereon.
The plurality of wall portions 70, 72 may be formed from an outer layer 10 and an inner layer 12. The outer layer 10 may be made from a durable, weather-resistant material. The inner layer 12 may be made from an anti-microbial material. In certain embodiments, the outer and inner layers may engage opposing surfaces of the base portion 48, as illustrated in
A method of using the present invention may include the following. The storage device 100 disclosed above may be provided. The storage device 100 may be placed on the surrounding surface, such as a folding table or the floor. In the loading configuration, the user 56 stacks a plurality of articles 36, e.g., folded articles of clothes, on the base portion 48, typically with the wider articles nearer the base portion 48 so that a resulting stack tapers as it ascends from the base portion 48, as illustrated in
Then the user 56 may join the plurality of wall portions 70, 72 by reattaching the plurality of detachable fasteners 14, forming the tapered storage configuration, and encasing the stacked plurality of articles 36 within the storage space 62. The user 56 may then secure the flap 16 about the access opening using the buckling system 18, 20, and roll the elevated base support 80 supporting the storage device 100, or alternatively using the pair of straps 26, the plurality of handles 22, or the like to tote the storage device 100.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
