COLLAPSIBLE STORAGE DEVICE
A collapsible storage device having an opening for inserting products therein, and a lower portion that provides support and access to the lower product, allowing a user to draw the lower product when needed. As the lower product is drawn, the stored products automatically shift down, replenishing a lower most position for subsequent product withdrawal. The collapsible storage device comprises at least one suspension device, facilitating easy suspension and removal of the device. The collapsible storage device is made from pliable material or incorporates crease lines such that when it is empty, it can be collapsed down to a small shape and transported or stowed away until subsequent use.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/252,375, filed Oct. 18, 2005, now pending, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to product storage and, more specifically, to a collapsible storage device that is inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are numerous fixtures on the market for storing typical household or shop floor products such as paper towels, diapers, tissue paper boxes, hygienic products, toilet paper and/or other products having a shape or that are stackable. Some existing devices are designed to store paper rolls, others are designed to store and dispense paper, yet they are typically rigid and are permanently placed on or affixed to structure such as walls or cabinet doors.
Known art in the field includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,965 (Reaves), U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,475 (Kaysserian), U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,469 (McCarthy), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,611 (Walton). Although all of these inventions store either paper towel or toilet paper rolls, none are collapsible nor can they be easily suspended or moved from one location to another. These prior art devices are made of rigid material, some with moving parts, and they have to be permanently affixed or placed in position in order to serve their intended use. Therefore, they consume the same amount of space when they are empty as they do when they are in use. Additionally, the materials from which these devices are made are relatively expensive and their manufacturing complicated, subjecting their sale to limited retail outlets. Furthermore, since these devices are rigid and some use a specific length spool, they are fit for either paper towels or toilet paper, but not for both. They are also not suited for storing or dispensing other products such as diapers, canned food and/or tissue paper boxes.
In light of bulk consuming habits in today's marketplace, desire for flexibility, and limited space, consumers continuously demand more flexible storage devices that have more capacity and are less expensive. Furthermore, manufacturers and suppliers increasingly seek to sell their products at multiple retail outlets or to provide as promotional gifts, products that are inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one embodiment, a collapsible storage device comprises a rear panel, a front panel coupled to the rear panel to remain a fixed distance therefrom during use, the front and rear panel combining to form a cavity sized and shaped to retain a plurality of products, each having a shape, during use, a base coupled to the front and rear panels, the base being adapted to support the plurality of products, and having an opening in at least one end thereof through which the plurality of products can pass, and at least one suspension device coupled to one of the front and rear panels and configured for hanging the device from a structure.
In another embodiment, a collapsible storage device for storing and dispensing a plurality of diapers, comprises a collapsible body having at least a front portion, a rear portion, a base, and at least one sealable opening, the front and rear portions being coupled together to remain a fixed distance from each other during use and to define a cavity therebetween sized and shaped to hold a plurality of diapers, the base being configured to retain at least one of the diapers and to support all of the diapers, the sealable opening sized to allow at least one diaper to be deposited in the cavity therethrough, and the body being sufficiently collapsible to be manipulated between an operating configuration for use and a collapsed configuration facilitating storage and transport of the device. The device may further comprise a fastener coupled to an upper portion of the collapsible body, the fastener being adapted to removably couple the device to a structure during use, and an opening interposed between the base and at least one of the front portion and the rear portion, the opening sized to allow a user to selectively withdraw at least one diaper at a time from the opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
In the description that follows, paper products such as paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls are used as examples of products that can be stored in and/or dispensed from a collapsible storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention; however, an individual of ordinary skill in the art having reviewed this disclosure will appreciate that the collapsible storage device can store and/or dispense other products, such as diapers, tissue paper boxes, fabric softener boxes, male or female hygienic products, dishwashing or other sponges, soaps and/or soap boxes, boxed food items or food additives, canned food products, video games or other portable data storage devices, any combination thereof and/or any other product having a shape and/or that can be stacked for convenient storage and dispensing.
The inventor envisions embodiments that do not incorporate one or more panels. For example, the device 10 could be fabricated without the top panel 11. In such embodiments, stiffening elements may be incorporated into the upper edge of the device 10 to help it maintain its shape. In addition, or instead, the device 10 could be fabricated without one or both of the side panels 12. In such embodiments, straps or other elements extending between the front panel 14 and the rear panel 13 can be used to maintain the proper shape during use. An individual of ordinary skill in the art, having reviewed this disclosure, will appreciate these and other variations that can be made to the device 10 without deviating from the spirit of the invention.
Moreover, the collapsible storage device 10 can be suspended by one or more suspension devices 16, attached to a panel. In one embodiment as shown in
A lower securing member 17 can be attached to at least two panels, supporting a lower paper roll 18. In one embodiment, as shown in
Furthermore,
The flexible nature of the collapsible storage device 10 has several advantages. One advantage is that consumers can easily position it where they desire when it is in use and easily collapse and store it when it is not in use. Another advantage is that suppliers can easily and inexpensively manufacture a collapsible storage device 10 and sell it at a profit at a variety of outlets, from grocery stores to retail stores. Still another advantage is the fact that the device 10 can be packaged, shipped, stored and displayed in its collapsed state, minimizing the cost of shipping and retail space occupied. Yet another advantage is that suppliers can include the collapsible storage device as a promotional gift to consumers because the present invention is inexpensive, easy to manufacture, and can fit inside existing product packaging.
In another embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in
In still another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In a further embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
An individual of ordinary skill in the art, having reviewed this disclosure, will appreciate other manners in which the lower portion 217 can be supported. For example, a second stiffening member 229 can be positioned on a periphery of the second opening 227 in place of or in addition to the first stiffening member 228. The stiffening members 228, 229 can be fabricated from plastic, metal, cardboard, composites, or other material that can maintain a shape of the pliable lower portion 217 to support the stored paper rolls 220 and lower paper roll 218. Furthermore, the first stiffening member 228 and second stiffening member 229 may be in the shape of a rod that is attached to an edge or inserted through an edge hemming. A stiffening member (not shown) can also be a flat piece configured to extend from an edge of the rear panel 213 to a periphery of the second opening 227.
The collapsible storage device 210 can include at least one suspension device 216 that may be removably coupled to various structures. In at least one embodiment as illustrated in
The collapsible storage device 310 may comprise a rear panel 313, a front panel 314, and a base 317, together defining an at least partially bounded area to store products 301 such as diapers. The collapsible storage device 310 may further comprise at least one opening 327 adapted to allow convenient dispensing of the diaper 301 in a lower most position, resting on the base 317 without allowing the other stacked diapers to fall out or be dispensed. When the diaper 301 is dispensed, the stacked diapers shift down to allow the next diaper to be dispensed when needed. The collapsible storage device 310 may further include at least one optional divider 319 extending at least partially between the front panel 314 and the rear panel 313, and dividing the collapsible storage device 310 into at least two compartments 323. The collapsible storage device 310 may further include optional side panels 312 for improved containment of the stored diapers. In
The panels 312, 313, 314, base 317 and/or divider 319 can be fabricated from a pliable material, such as cloth, other fabrics, foils or films, pliable plastics, paper products, nylon, or any other material that is pliable to allow collapsing of the collapsible storage device 310 to a thin form when not in use. Additionally, or alternatively, the panels 312, 313, 314, base 317 and/or divider 319 can incorporate crease lines such that when empty, the collapsible storage device 310 can collapse to a thin form and be stowed for transport or until future use. The base 317 can also be fabricated from a material that is less pliable, such as plastics, foams, composites, metals, glass, and/or wood, or any combination thereof, or any material operable to support a weight of a stack of products 301 such as diapers.
The collapsible storage device 310 can be secured using at least one suspension device 316 that can be any suitable suspension device similar to those described herein in conjunction with other embodiments. Furthermore, optional sealable openings 315 can be formed in a panel such as the front panel 314 to assist in loading diapers or other products 301 in the collapsible storage device 310. The openings 315 can be sealed in any suitable manner similar to those described herein in conjunction with other embodiments, such as zippers 321 and/or hook and loop fasteners. Additionally, or alternatively, the storage compartments 323 form chutes having a top opening. A user can load the collapsible storage device 310 by depositing one or more diapers or other products 301 in the top opening, the diapers or other products 301 gravitating toward the base 317. Therefore, the top openings can act as gravity feeds for easy loading of the collapsible storage device 310.
In another aspect of this embodiment, the collapsible storage device 20 310 may include at least one top panel 311 as illustrated in
Alternatively, one top panel can cover both compartments 323. The top panel 311 25 can be fabricated from pliable or non-pliable material such as plastics, nylon, composites, foams, metals, glass, silicone, wood, cloth, other fabrics, foils or films, or any combination thereof and/or any other suitable material to cover a top of the collapsible storage device 310. The top panel 311 may be temporarily removed or opened to load the collapsible storage device 310, for example by unzipping the top panel 311 and pivoting it about a side of the top panel 311, for example a side 333 coinciding with a top edge of the rear panel 313.
All of the above U.S. Pat. Nos., U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications Ser. No., foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A collapsible storage device, comprising:
- a rear panel;
- a front panel coupled to the rear panel to remain a fixed distance therefrom during use, the front and rear panel combining to form a cavity sized and shaped to retain a plurality of products, each having a shape, during use;
- a base coupled to the front and rear panels, the base being adapted to support the plurality of products, and having an opening in at least one end thereof through which a predetermined number of products can pass; and
- at least one suspension device coupled to one of the front and rear panels and configured for hanging the device from a structure.
2. The collapsible storage device according to claim 1 wherein the front and rear panels are made from a pliable material.
3. The collapsible storage device according to claim 1 wherein at least one panel has at least one opening therein.
4. The collapsible storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of opposing side panels extending between the front and rear panels and wherein the opening is interposed between the base and at least one of the front, side and the rear panels.
5. The collapsible storage device according to claim 4 wherein the opening is sized to dispense one product at a time.
6. The collapsible storage device according to claim 4, further comprising at least one top panel extending between the front, rear and side panels, the top panel being sealable during use and operable to open prior to use, allowing a user to deposit the plurality of products in a top opening to load the collapsible storage device.
7. The collapsible storage device according to claim 1 wherein the product is a diaper.
8. The collapsible storage device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one divider at least partially extending between the front panel and the rear panel and operable to form at least two compartments in the collapsible storage device.
9. A collapsible storage device for storing and dispensing a plurality of diapers, the device comprising:
- a collapsible body having at least a front portion, a rear portion, a base, and at least one sealable opening, the front and rear portions being coupled together to remain a fixed distance from each other during use and to define a cavity therebetween sized and shaped to hold a plurality of diapers, the base being configured to retain at least one of the diapers and to support all of the diapers, the sealable opening sized to allow at least one diaper to be deposited in the cavity therethrough, and the body being sufficiently collapsible to be manipulated between an operating configuration for use and a collapsed configuration facilitating storage and transport of the device;
- a fastener coupled to an upper portion of the collapsible body, the fastener being adapted to removably couple the device to a structure during use; and
- an opening interposed between the base and at least one of the front portion and the rear portion, the opening sized to allow a user to selectively withdraw at least one diaper at a time from the opening.
10. The device of claim 9 wherein the sealable opening is in the front portion.
11. The device of claim 9, further comprising at least one side portion, and wherein the opening is in the side portion.
12. The device of claim 9 further comprising at least one divider operable to form at least two chutes in the cavity, each chute having a top opening operable to receive the diapers, the diapers gravitating to the base upon being received in the top opening to load the collapsible storage device.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 21, 2006
Publication Date: Apr 19, 2007
Applicant: Neulines Corp (Redmond, WA)
Inventors: Jason Neubauer (Redmond, WA), Matt Kaplan (Beverly Hills, CA)
Application Number: 11/277,074
International Classification: B65D 83/00 (20060101);