Trash bag raincoat

Abstract

The trash bag raincoat is made of substantially waterproof material, having sufficient length to enclose at least the shoulder, torso and back areas of a person of a predetermined height and size range. Preferably, the trash bag raincoat includes a hood extendable from an opening along the bottom of the bag and sleeves extendable from openings in the side edges of the bag. The openings are equipped with re-sealable fasteners, so that the hood and sleeves are tucked inside the bag with the openings sealed by the fasteners for use as a trash bag. When the openings are unsealed a person can withdraw the hood and sleeve elements and wear the trash bag upside down while placing the wearer's arms through the side openings into the sleeves and placing the wearer's head through the unsealed bottom opening into the hood, thus providing rain protection for the wearer.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to trash bags and rainwear, and more particularly to an inexpensive, waterproof and disposable trash bag, which is convertible into a rain protector or raincoat.

2. Description of the Related Art

Even with modern advances in meteorology, the weather often remains unpredictable. Consequently, construction workers, campers, hikers, spectators of outdoor activities, travelers, school children, and other persons are often caught outdoors by a sudden shower or rainstorm without appropriate raingear. Even when the weather forecast is accurate, many people do not wish to be burdened by either wearing a raincoat or carrying an umbrella when the prospect of precipitation is only a possibility, probability, or less than a certainty, and will take their chances on getting wet.

When it does rain, people who haven't taken adequate precautionary measures will often adopt makeshift or ad hoc solutions to try to keep dry. A common expedient involves cutting a neck hole in a plastic trash bag and wearing the bag as a poncho, often trying to compromise by alternately pulling the neck opening over one's head to keep the head dry and pulling the bag down to keep the hips and waist dry.

Since plastic trash bags are often available on such occasions and are quite inexpensive, it would be desirable to have a trash bag that is manufactured in such a manner that the trash bag is quickly and easily convertible into a raincoat. Thus, a trash bag raincoat solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The trash bag raincoat is made of substantially waterproof material, having sufficient length to enclose at least the shoulder, torso and back areas of a person of a predetermined height and size range. Preferably, the trash bag raincoat includes a hood extendable from an opening along the bottom of the bag and sleeves extendable from openings in the side edges of the bag. The openings are equipped with re-sealable fasteners, so that the hood and sleeves are tucked inside the bag with the openings sealed by the fasteners for use as a trash bag. When the openings are unsealed a person can withdraw the hood and sleeve elements and wear the trash bag upside down while placing the wearer's arms through the side openings into the sleeves and placing the wearer's head through the unsealed bottom opening into the hood, thus providing rain protection for the wearer.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a trash bag raincoat being used as a raincoat according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a trash bag raincoat according to the present invention with the bag in an inverted position to show the locations of the openings for the head and the arms when used as a raincoat.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the trash bag raincoat according to the present invention with the hood and sleeves extended.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the trash bag raincoat according to the present invention with the hood and sleeves tucked into the bag and shown in phantom, the openings being sealed for use as a trash bag.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a trash bag raincoat having re-sealable openings at the head and arm locations and tuck-away hood and sleeve elements. Due to the convertible nature of the present invention, it can also be viewed as having re-sealable closures at the respective head and arm locations. Conversion from trash bag to raincoat or vice versa does not destroy the use of the bag for either purpose. Referring to FIG. 1, in practical terms, a person who is in possession of the trash bag raincoat 100 is prepared for foul weather while still having the advantage of having a trash bag.

Referring to FIG. 2, a trash bag raincoat 100 made of substantially waterproof material, e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, or other plastic material, is shown. The bag 100 may be made in various sizes, and the user should select a bag 100 having sufficient length to enclose at least the shoulder, back and torso areas. For example, a medium height person with a large torso might select a large trash bag. Such a trash bag raincoat 100 has a width 127 and length 126 corresponding to a person of medium height and large girth. The trash bag raincoat may be made with small, medium, and large widths 127, and tall, medium and short lengths 126. Preferably, the bag 100 will have sufficient length to cover the wearer below the hips, and may even extend down to below the wearer's knees. Such a configuration will not only keep the wearer's torso, back, arms and head dry, but will also keep most of the wearer's clothing below the waist dry as well.

Note also that in FIG. 2, the bag is inverted, i.e., upside down, with the top of the trash bag 120 oriented toward the bottom of the figure. It should be understood that associated with the top of the trash bag 120 is a top opening 122 through which trash may be deposited when the trash bag raincoat 100 is configured for use as a trash bag. Optionally, a drawstring 124 is included to cinch up the top opening 122 when it is desired to close the trash bag. However, in the inverted configuration the trash bag would be worn by a person for rain protection. An additional feature is that the drawstring 124 may be used to cinch up the raincoat around the wearer's body. FIG. 2 depicts the bag having oppositely disposed side openings 110 for sleeves. The side openings 110 may be centered in a range from approximately mid-length of the bag to a position proximate to and above the bottom 105 of the bag 100. Preferably, the side openings 110 are of sufficient size to allow the passage of the person's arms through them.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the bottom 100 of the bag 100 has a bottom opening 115 for a hood. The bottom opening 115 is of sufficient size to allow the passage of the person's head through the opening 115.

Now referring to FIG. 3, the trash bag raincoat 100 is shown with the sleeves 125 and hood 130 in extended positions, ready for wear. In this configuration, with sleeve opening fasteners 140 and bottom open fastener 145 in open, unsealed positions, a person may use the trash bag as a raincoat. In addition, the head and arms are protected from rain, since the sleeves 125 and the hood 130 are extended outside of the side openings 110, and the bottom opening 115 of the trash bag 100.

Referring to FIG. 4, it will be noted that each of the sleeve openings 110 is closed by a fastener 140 for configuring the bag 100 for use as a trash container. Preferably the fasteners 140 form a seal for the openings 110 to prevent fluids from leaking from the bag 100, but in any event, have sufficient strength that the fasteners 140 will not pop open under the weight of trash deposited into the bag. For example, fasteners 140 may comprise a tongue and groove type fastening closure mechanism, a hook and loop type fastening closure mechanism, or an adhesive type fastening closure mechanism. Each of the closure mechanisms discussed above is designed to seal off the sleeve elements 125 sufficiently so that the bag can function effectively as a trash bag without spillage of material through the sealed openings. Additionally, the closure mechanism, i.e., fastener 140, regardless of type, may be located anywhere between a distal end 135 of the sleeve 125 and its corresponding side opening 110.

Similarly, the bottom opening 115 of the bag is fitted with a substantially watertight re-sealable fastener 145 for sealing off the hood 130, thus providing for conversion of the bag 100 to a trash container. Bottom fastener 145 may be a tongue and groove type closure mechanism, a hook and loop type closure mechanism, or an adhesive type closure mechanism. Each of the closure mechanisms discussed above is designed to perform as a bottom seal 145 sufficiently so that the bag 100 can function effectively as a trash bag without spillage of material through the sealed bottom opening. The fasteners 140 and 145 may comprise one or more beads disposed along one side of the openings that snap into grooves disposed along the opposite side of the openings, similar to Zip-loc® fasteners. It will be understood that the bottom opening 115 may be defined along the bottom edge or seam of the bag 100, or may be formed in the side panel adjacent the bottom edge or seam.

In the present invention, the manufacturing process for making the trash bag raincoat 100 may involve the same process of fusing seams that is currently used in the production of trash bags. The trash bag raincoat 100 may be made by fusing, e.g., heat fusing, seams of at least two sheets of durable, substantially nonporous, substantially waterproof, flexible material, e.g., thermoplastic sheets, each sheet having a planar shape, together with two sleeves 125, two oppositely disposed side openings 110, a hood 130, and a bottom opening 115.

Again referring to FIG. 3, a distal opening 150, i.e., distal to the corresponding oppositely disposed side opening 110, is cut at each sleeve element 125 at the distal end 135, so that a wearer's hand may slip through the distal opening 150.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A trash bag raincoat, comprising: a bag made of substantially waterproof material, the bag having an open top, a bottom, and opposing side edges, the bag having an opening defined in the bottom and the opposing side edges; a hood attached to the bag adjacent the bottom opening, the hood being movable between an extended position deployed outside the bag and a retracted position tucked within the bag; a pair of sleeves attached to the bag adjacent each of the side openings, respectively, the sleeves being movable between an extended position outside the bag and a retracted position tucked within the bag; and re-sealable fasteners disposed along the bottom opening and the side edge openings; whereby the bag is configurable for use as a trash bag with the sleeves and the hood in the retracted position and the fasteners sealed, and configurable for use as a raincoat with the hood and the sleeves in the extended position, the fasteners being unsealed.

2. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, wherein said re-sealable fasteners comprise tongue and groove fastening closure mechanisms.

3. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, wherein said re-sealable fasteners comprise mating hook and loop fasteners.

4. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, wherein said re-sealable fasteners comprise adhesive fasteners.

5. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, wherein said bag is made from plastic.

6. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, wherein said bag is made from polyethylene.

7. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, wherein said bag is made from polypropylene.

8. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 1, further comprising a drawstring disposed around the open top of the bag.

9. A trash bag raincoat, comprising: a bag made of substantially waterproof material, the bag having an open top, a bottom, and opposing side edges, the bag having an opening defined in the bottom; a hood attached to the bag adjacent the bottom opening, the hood being movable between an extended position deployed outside the bag and a retracted position tucked within the bag; and means for re-sealably fastening the bottom opening; whereby the bag is configurable for use as a trash bag with the hood in the retracted position, and configurable for use as a raincoat with the hood in the extended position.

10. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 9, wherein said bag has openings defined in the side edges, the trash bag raincoat further comprising: a pair of sleeves attached to the bag adjacent each of the side openings, respectively, the sleeves being movable between an extended position outside the bag and a retracted position tucked within the bag; and means for re-sealably fastening the side edge openings.

11. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 10, wherein said means for re-sealably fastening the bottom and side edge openings comprises tongue and groove fastening closure mechanisms.

12. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 9, wherein said bag is made from plastic.

13. A trash bag raincoat, comprising: a bag made of substantially waterproof material, the bag having an open top, a bottom, and opposing side edges, the bag having a bottom opening and openings defined in the opposing side edges; a pair of sleeves attached to the bag adjacent each of the side openings, respectively, the sleeves being movable between an extended position outside the bag and a retracted position tucked within the bag; and means for re-sealably fastening the bottom opening and the opposing side edge openings; whereby the bag is configurable for use as a trash bag with the sleeves in the retracted position, and configurable for use as a raincoat with the sleeves in the extended position.

14. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 13, further comprising a hood attached to the bag adjacent the bottom opening, the hood being movable between an extended position deployed outside the bag and a retracted position tucked within the bag.

15. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 13, wherein said means for re-sealably fastening the bottom and side edge openings comprises tongue and groove fastening closure mechanisms.

16. The trash bag raincoat according to claim 13, wherein said bag is made from plastic.