Grocery bag with pockets
Grocery bag with pockets with a first grocery bag and a plurality of second grocery bags. The bags are rectangular in shape. The first grocery bag has three vertically stacked, external pockets attached to one broad side surface. Each pocket is similar in width to the width of the broad surface of the first bag. Each the pocket is approximately one third the height of the broad surface of the first bag. The first and second grocery bags have sewn on carry handles. The second grocery bags can be folded and inserted into the first grocery bag pockets. The first grocery bag capable of being folded into thirds so that the second grocery bags contained within the pockets of the first grocery bag are also folded within the first grocery bag causing the first and second bags become a single, easy to carry unit.
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIXNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to the field of transportable storage bags and more specifically to a reusable grocery bag with pockets.
For many years, the process of grocery shopping involved going to a market, choosing items and putting them into a basket or cart, going to a checkout stand and having a person at the checkout stand place the items into a paper or a plastic grocery bag. The shopper would then transport the bags home, unpack the bags and then throw out the bags or possibly use them for another purpose such as trash receptacles. As the desire to stop wasting the earths natural resources of trees and oil increase, a current trend in grocery shopping has developed where shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the market to be filled with the goods that they purchase. Indeed, in the City of San Francisco, the use of disposable shopping bags has been made illegal by the city council.
Due to the need for reusable grocery bags, many manufacturers now sell sewn bags that are approximately the same size as a standard paper grocery bag, but are made of durable fabric that can be used many times and can be cleaned by standard means. Several reusable grocery bag designs have been patented. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,251,743, 5,297,872, 6,186,662, and application number 2003/0131447. Although all of the listed patents discuss foldable grocery or shopping bags, none of them discuss the idea of a first bag capable of carrying a plurality additional shopping bags stored in pockets located on the outside of the first bag. There is a history of travel bags that include side pockets for storing additional items, however the side pockets in these travel bags are not specifically designed to store secondary grocery sized bags. Additionally other bags are not designed to be folded into thirds and in the process, capture and store secondary bags making a single compact multi bag holding system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe primary object of the invention is to provide a grocery bag that includes side pockets that hold additional grocery bags.
Another object of the invention is to provide a grocery bag that includes additional smaller pockets for holding items such as a cell phone, keys or a wallet.
Another object of the invention is to provide a grocery bag system that allows plurality of bags to be folded together to form a compact means for carrying reusable grocery bags.
A further object of the invention is to provide a grocery bag that is insulated.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a grocery bag system that allows a plurality of bags to be releasably attached to each other so that the bags are less likely to fall over when full and being transported in a vehicle.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a grocery bag with pockets comprising: a first grocery bag, a plurality of second grocery bags, said first and second bags being rectangular in shape having a pair of opposing broad side surfaces and a pair of opposing narrow side surfaces, a flat rectangular bottom and an integral top cover, said first bag top cover having an integral flap that can be folded over and releasably fastened to said broad side surface by standard attachment means, said first and second grocery bags made from flexible fabric that can be sewn by standard means, said first and second grocery bags having rigid bottom plates, said first grocery bag having three vertically stacked, external pockets attached to one broad side surface, each said pocket being similar in width to the width of said broad surface of said first bag, each said pocket being approximately one third the height of said broad surface of said first bag, said first and second grocery bags having sewn on carry handles, said second grocery bags capable of being folded and inserted into said first grocery bag pockets, said first grocery bag capable of being folded into thirds so that said second grocery bags contained within the pockets of said first grocery bag are also folded within said first grocery bag so that the first and second bags form a single, easy to carry unit, said folded unit having its own carry handle said first bag including a strap that is centrally attached at one end to the top portion of said broad side of said first bag, said strap having a fastening means at its opposite end, said strap fastening means capable of attaching to said mating attachment means located on said flap of said first bag thereby enabling said first bag and captured said second bags to remain folded and compact during transport or storage.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. Grocery bag with pockets comprising:
- a first grocery bag;
- a plurality of second grocery bags;
- said first and second bags each being rectangular in shape having a pair of opposing broad side surfaces and a pair of opposing narrow side surfaces, a flat rectangular bottom and an integral top cover;
- said first bag top cover having an integral flap that can be folded over and releasably fastened to said broad side surface by standard attachment means;
- said first and second grocery bags made from flexible fabric that can be sewn by standard means;
- said first and second grocery bags having rigid bottom plates;
- said first grocery bag having three vertically stacked, external pockets attached to one broad side surface;
- each said pocket being similar in width to the width of said broad surface of said first bag;
- each said pocket being approximately one third the height of said broad surface of said first bag;
- said first and second grocery bags having sewn on carry handles;
- said second grocery bags capable of being folded and inserted into said first grocery bag pockets;
- said first grocery bag capable of being folded into thirds so that said second grocery bags contained within the pockets of said first grocery bag are also folded within said first grocery bag so that the first and second bags become a single, easy to carry unit;
- said folded unit having its own carry handle.
- said first bag including a strap that is centrally attached at one end to the top portion of said broad side of said first bag;
- said strap having a fastening means at its opposite end;
- said strap fastening means capable of attaching to said mating attachment means located on said flap of said first bag thereby enabling said first bag and captured said second bags to remain folded and compact during transport or storage.
2. Grocery bag with pockets as claimed in claim 1 further comprising additional smaller pockets that are sewn onto the outer top surface of said first bag so that when said first bag is folded into its storage position, said smaller pockets are located on the outside of the folded bag surface.
3. Grocery bag with pockets as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second bags include a standard fastening means to releasably attach one said bag to another said bag at their uppermost broad side surfaces so that a plurality of said bags can be attached to each other while residing in a vehicle thereby making them less prone to fall over during transport.
4. Grocery bag with pockets as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first bag includes a stiffening member located under said folded unit carry handle to insure that the fabric under said carry handle does not buckle during use.
5. Grocery bag with pockets as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first bag includes an inner flexible layer of thermally insulating material.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 25, 2007
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2009
Inventor: Setareh Hagen (Draper, VT)
Application Number: 11/903,839
International Classification: B65D 33/06 (20060101); B65D 30/00 (20060101); B65D 81/38 (20060101); B65D 30/22 (20060101);