Reusable bag container
A reusable bag container is described, including a reusable bag, a sheath forming a substantially cylindrical shape, the sheath being used to store the reusable bag in an interior vestibule of the sheath, wherein a distal end of the sheath is configured to fit within a proximal opening of a holder, and an opening disposed at a proximal end of the sheath, the opening being configured to allow addition or removal of the reusable bag from the interior vestibule formed by the sheath.
The present invention relates to bags and, more specifically, to a reusable bag container.
BACKGROUNDSacks and bags (“bags”) are typically used to hold items for various purposes. Conventional bags are constructed or made of paper pulp, paper, recycled paper, plastic, and other materials. In various shapes and sizes, conventional bags are useful for holding, wrapping, and carrying items, such as groceries or items purchased from a store. However, conventional bags are also problematic, expensive, environmentally hazardous, and difficult to store and carry.
Some conventional bags are constructed or made from paper and paper pulp. In some cases, paper may be recycled from reused pulp and new paper bags may be produced. However, when soiled or wet, conventional paper bags may become structurally unsound and weaken, thus reducing or eliminating carrying ability and strength. Further, there are significant costs associated with recycling paper bags, including the purchase, installation, and use of recycling equipment and chemicals, personnel training, and chemical treatment or remediation of waste water, which are typically toxic activities. Even more problematic, conventional plastic bags are manufactured in large quantities, but end users such as food, grocery, package, department, specialty, and retail stores must allocate a portion of their operating budgets to purchase, brand, and store plastic bags. Further, after being used, plastic bags are typically not recyclable and are therefore discarded, thus contributing to large amounts of non-recycled garbage and trash that is non-biodegradable and, thus, an inherent threat to the environment. While conventional paper bags and some plastic bags may be recycled, when discarded altogether, substantial unnecessary waste accrual, leaching of toxic chemicals, asphyxiation, and other harmful effects can occur.
Some conventional solutions are reusable bags made of durable materials such as textiles and synthetic fibers. Environmentally sound and often made of biodegradable fibers or materials, reusable bags can be cleaned and re-used, but are often forgotten or stored in inconvenient locations. For example, reusable bags may be stored in other sacks or bags, placed in automobile trunks or other spaces, left in inconvenient locations, or otherwise placed where usage is hindered or precluded altogether. Further, conventional solutions for storing and holding reusable bags such as sacks or tote bags are often bulky and uncomfortable or inconvenient to carry, which further precludes wider adoption and usage of reusable bags.
Thus, a solution for storing reusable bags without the limitations of conventional techniques is required.
The present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and like reference numerals designate like structural elements.
Embodiments or examples of the invention may be implemented in numerous ways, including as an apparatus, system, or process. A detailed description of one or more examples is provided below along with accompanying figures. The detailed description is provided in connection with such examples, but is not limited to any particular example. The scope is limited by the claims, but numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents are encompassed. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding. These details are provided for the purpose of example and the descriptions provided may be used for implementation according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the examples has not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description.
Various alternative implementations and modifications to the examples provided may be used and are not limited to the descriptions, dimensions, or other exemplary details provided herein.
A reusable bag container is described, including, in some examples, a reusable bag including a sheath configured to form a substantially cylindrical shape. In some examples, a reusable bag may be formed from flexible, rigid, or semi-rigid materials such as wood, plastic, metal, glass, textiles, synthetic polymers (e.g., nylon, Sorona®, Gore-Tex®, Supplex®, Kevlar®, and others), fabrics, fibers, alloys (e.g., titanium, molybdenum, and the like) composites (e.g., carbon fiber, and others), or others. Reusable bags and a reusable bag container may also be implemented using reusable and recycled materials, such as reclaimed plastic, wood, pulp, or other materials. The material used to implement reusable bag containers as described is not intended as a limitation and various types, sizes, compositions, and quantities of materials may be used. In other examples, a reusable bag may be stuffed, inserted, or otherwise placed into an interior vestibule of a rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible (i.e., collapsible) sheath, with an adjustable opening provided at a proximal end. An adjustable opening may be configured to allow addition or removal of one or more reusable bags. In other examples, a reusable bag container may be used to hold, store, or dispense reusable or other bags for use when carrying or storing items, such as groceries and other items, thus precluding the use of non-reusable bags or avoiding the use of environmentally-unsound or unsafe bags such as single-use plastic bags and the like. Further, reusable bags may be stored in a reusable bag container and hand-carried, stored in a holder (e.g., cup holder, beverage holder, car beverage holder, and others) and conveniently placed to allow a user when, for example, driving to a grocery store to conveniently and quickly retrieve one or more reusable bags or the whole reusable bag container. Further, a reusable bag container may be hand-carried to a point-of-sale (i.e., cashier, check-out line, and the like), for example, providing a convenient and compact way to retrieve reusable bags for immediate use. In other examples, a reusable bag container may be implemented differently and is not limited to the examples provided.
Here, container 102 may be constructed, fabricated, manufactured, stitched, or otherwise made from natural or synthetic textiles, yarn, or fibers (e.g., cotton, wool, nylon, ripstop nylon, silk, parachute silk, hemp, angora, cashmere, flax, jute, spandex, polyester, blends, microfibers, and others). Various types of natural, synthetic, or composite textiles, yarn, or fibers (“material”) may be used for container 102, base 106, stitches 108-116, and drawstring 120, which are not limited to the examples provided. Further, fibers and microfibers of varying dimensions (e.g., denier or less than one denier in thickness) may be used and are also not intended to limit any implementation. Likewise, lock 120 may be implemented using plastic, metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, alloys, iron, composites, and others), wood, or others to provide a spring-loaded locking mechanism that, when trigger 122 is depressed, a transverse channel is opened to allow drawstring 118 to freely traverse. In other words, by pressing lock 120 and trigger 122 together, drawstring 118 may be lengthened by pulling, which subsequently closes opening 104. Alternatively opening 104 may be widened by allowing drawstring 118 to pass through lock 120, allowing insertion (i.e., stuffing) or retrieval of reusable bags from container 102. Stitches 108-114 may be used to create a circumferential channel, housing, or pocket for drawstring 118, thus allowing opening 104 to be varied in diameter and shape when drawn through lock 120. Further, fewer, more, or different types of stitches may be used to create a circumferential channel, housing, or pocket for drawstring 118. Container 102 may be implemented using fewer, more, or different elements than those shown and is not limited to the examples provided.
Although the foregoing examples have been described in detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and not limited to the details given herein and may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims. In the claims, elements and/or steps do not imply any particular order of operation, unless explicitly stated in the claims.
Claims
1. A reusable bag system, comprising:
- one or more reusable bags; and
- a container configured to house the one or more reusable bags, wherein the container conforms to a substantially cylindrical shape when the one or more reusable bags are housed within the container, the substantially cylindrical shape being configured to slidably engage the container with a holder and, when a force is provided to extract at least one of the one or more reusable bags from the container, the container remains slidably engaged with the holder.
2. The reusable bag system of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable opening disposed at a proximal end of the container.
3. The reusable bag system of claim 1, wherein the material is nylon.
4. The reusable bag system of claim 1, wherein the material is silk.
5. The reusable bag system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises natural fibers.
6. The reusable bag system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises synthetic fibers.
7. A container, comprising:
- a collapsible sheath comprised of a memory material, the memory material being adapted to form a substantially cylindrical shape when one or more reusable bags are stuffed into an interior vestibule formed by the collapsible sheath;
- a base coupled to a distal end of the collapsible sheath, the base having a substantially circular shape and being configured to identify a radius of the collapsible sheath; and
- an adjustable opening provided at a proximal end of the collapsible sheath, the adjustable opening being configured to allow addition or removal of the one or more reusable bags from the interior vestibule formed by the collapsible sheath.
8. The container of claim 7, wherein the memory material comprises nylon.
9. The container of claim 7, wherein the memory material is a polymer.
10. The container of claim 7, wherein the memory material is synthetic.
11. The container of claim 7, wherein the memory material is natural.
12. The container of claim 7, wherein the memory material comprises natural and synthetic fibers.
13. The container of claim 7, wherein the collapsible sheath is configured to slidably engage a holder when the substantially cylindrical shape is formed by inserting the one or more reusable bags into the interior vestibule of the collapsible sheath.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the holder is a cupholder.
15. The container of claim 13, wherein the holder is a car beverage holder.
16. A reusable bag container, comprising:
- a reusable bag;
- a sheath forming a substantially cylindrical shape, the sheath being used to store the reusable bag in an interior vestibule of the sheath, wherein a distal end of the sheath is configured to fit within a proximal opening of a holder; and
- an opening disposed at a proximal end of the sheath, the opening being configured to allow addition or removal of the reusable bag from the interior vestibule formed by the sheath.
17. The container of claim 16, wherein the sheath comprises a rigid structure.
18. The container of claim 16, wherein the sheath comprises a semi-rigid structure.
19. The container of claim 16, wherein the sheath comprises a flexible structure, the flexible structure being configured to collapse when the reusable bag is extracted from the interior vestibule.
20. The container of claim 16, wherein the sheath is configured to slidably engage a holder when the substantially cylindrical shape is inserted into the holder, the sheath being configured to exert a radial frictional force to engage an inner surface of the holder.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 25, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 30, 2008
Applicant: Olive Smart, LLC (Woodside, CA)
Inventor: James Scott Ashworth (Woodside, CA)
Application Number: 11/789,965
International Classification: B65D 33/16 (20060101);