GARMENT BAG

Abstract

The invention comprises a garment bag, comprising: a) a bag, with a closed bottom, closed sides, and an open top; b) a drawstring surrounding the open top, operative to substantially close the top via pulling of the drawstring; and c) a set of fasteners, with a first fastening element disposed in the lower third of the bag, and a second fastening element disposed in the middle third region of the bag, operative to reduce the overall length of the bag when the fasteners are connected.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of garment bags. In particular, it relates to an adjustable, reusable garment bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Garment bags, often referred to as dry-cleaning bags, due to common usage in that industry, as designed to fill a dual role of protecting an article of clothing, often a suit or dress, while additionally enabling easy transportation of the article. The most common and basic version of the garment bag, which is in widespread usage at dry cleaners, consists of a thin plastic bag, with an open bottom and a substantially closed top, generally with a small opening to permit passage of the end of a clothes hanger. These bags are cheap and easy to manufacture, however, they provide limited protection to the clothing within, due to the open bottom, and no assistance in transportation. Furthermore, access to multiple articles in a single bag is difficult, due to the closed top inhibiting access to the hangers and preventing easy separation of the articles of clothing.

There is a need for a garment bag that provides for easier transportation and carrying by the user. There is also a need for a garment bag that provides easier access to multiple garments stored within the bag. Ideally, such a garment bag should be durable and reusable.

It is an object of this invention to partially or completely fulfill one or more of the above-mentioned needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises a garment bag, comprising: a) a bag, with a closed bottom, closed sides, and an open top; b) a drawstring surrounding the open top, operative to substantially close the top via pulling of the drawstring; and c) a set of fasteners, with a first fastening element disposed in the lower third of the bag, and a second fastening element disposed in the middle third region of the bag, operative to reduce the overall length of the bag when the fasteners are connected.

The first fastening element is preferably disposed adjacent to the bottom of the bag and, preferably, the second fastening element is disposed along the midpoint of the bag.

The fasteners can be tie-downs, snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, or any other suitable fasteners as are known in the art or may be developed.

Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers refer to like elements, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front view of an open garment bag according to the present invention with tie-down fasteners

FIG. 1B is a front view of an open garment bag according to the present invention with snap fasteners;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the garment bag of FIG. 1 in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the garment bag of FIG. 2 with the fasteners connected;

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a garment bag according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a front perspective view of the garment bag of FIG. 4A with the fasteners connected;

FIG. 5A is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a garment bag according to the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a front perspective view of the garment bag of FIG. 5A with the fasteners connected;

FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a garment bag according to the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a front perspective view of the garment bag of FIG. 6A with the top opening closed; and

FIG. 6c is a front perspective view of the garment bag of FIG. 6B with the fasteners connected

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention presented herein comprises a garment bag 10 with closed sides 20, 30 and a closed bottom 40 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The top 50 remains open to permit insertion of one or more garments, preferably on a clothes hanger 60 (see FIG. 2). Surrounding the top opening 50 is a drawstring 100 which, when drawn, substantially closes the top opening down 50 to a small dimension surrounding the exposed hook of the clothes hanger(s), as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In use, one or more articles of clothing (not shown), disposed on one or more clothes hangers 60, are inserted through the top opening 50, which is then closed to both protect the clothing within and enable easier transport thereof.

Additionally, a set of fasteners 200 is located on the bag, with the first fastening elements 210 disposed in the lower third of the bag, preferably towards the bottom edge 40 of the bag 10, and the second fastening elements 220 around the middle third, preferably above the midpoint. The fastening elements 210, 220 can thus be fastened together to reduce the overall dimension of the garment bag 10, as shown in FIG. 3, without negatively impacting the clothes disposed therein. Various types of fasteners 200 can be used, such as tie-down fasteners, as in FIG. 1A, or snap fasteners, as in FIG. 1B. More generally the fasteners 200 can be tie-downs, snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, or any other suitable fasteners as are known in the art or may be developed.

An alternative embodiment of the garment bag 400 is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. In this embodiment, the top opening 50 is closed by an envelope-style flap 410, rather than a drawstring (as in FIG. 1A). This embodiment is better suited for use with garments having decorative features or embellishments in the shoulder/neck region that could be damaged by the compression of a drawstring enclosure. The garment bag 400 can be reduced in overall dimension by connection of fasteners 420, such as snap fasteners, as shown in FIG. 4B.

An alternative embodiment of the garment bag 500 is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. In this embodiment, the top opening 50 is closed by a zipper 510, rather than a drawstring (as in FIG. 1A). This embodiment is better suited for use with wider garments required a larger entrance opening than that provided by a drawstring enclosure. The garment bag 500 can be reduced in overall dimension by connection of fasteners 520, such as a zipper, as shown in FIG. 5B.

An alternative embodiment of the garment bag 600 is shown in FIGS. 6A 6B and 6C. In this embodiment, the top opening is closed by a drawstring 610, as in FIG. 1A and the bottom 640 is curved outward, as opposed to a flat bottom. However, the garment bag 600 is reduced in overall dimension by hook-and-loop type fasteners 620, as shown in FIG. 6C, which, in combination with the curved bottom 640, provide a larger lower space the other embodiments. This embodiment is better suited for use with garments such dress and gowns which have much more material in the lower half of the garment and require more space for storage and transport.

While the above garment bag embodiments have been presented in the context of a single set of fasteners to reduce the overall length and size, the garment bag can have multiple rows of fasteners to permit multiple variations in size. Additionally, while the garment bag is intended to be reusable, it can be manufactured as a disposable bag, preferably one that is recyclable. A reusable garment bag is preferably made of a flexible, resilient plastic to reduce wear and avoid marking of clothing inserted therein.

This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is intended the scope of the invention be limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A garment bag, comprising:

a) a bag, with a closed bottom, closed sides, and an open top;

b) a drawstring surrounding the open top, operative to substantially close the top via pulling of the drawstring; and

c) a set of fasteners, with a first fastening element disposed in the lower third of the bag, and a second fastening element disposed in the middle third region of the bag, operative to reduce the overall length of the bag when the fasteners are connected.

2. The garment bag of claim 1, wherein the first fastening element is disposed adjacent to the bottom of the bag.

3. The garment bag of claim 2, wherein the second fastening element is disposed along the midpoint of the bag.

4. The garment bag of claim 1, wherein the fastening elements are selected from one of: tie-downs, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, and zippers.

5. The garment bag of claim 1, wherein the garment bag is constructed to be reusable.

6. The garment bag of claim 1, wherein the garment bag is constructed from recyclable materials.

7. The garment bag of claim 1, wherein the bottom is curved outward.

8. A garment bag, comprising:

a) a bag, with a closed bottom, closed sides, and an open top;

b) a foldable panel, moveable from an open position to a closed position, and operative to close the top opening when in the closed position; and

c) a set of fasteners, with a first fastening element disposed in the lower third of the bag, and a second fastening element disposed in the middle third region of the bag, operative to reduce the overall length of the bag when the fasteners are connected materials.

9. The garment bag of claim 8, wherein the first fastening element is disposed adjacent to the bottom of the bag.

10. The garment bag of claim 9, wherein the second fastening element is disposed along the midpoint of the bag.

11. The garment bag of claim 8, wherein the fastening elements are selected from one of: tie-downs, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, and zippers.

12. The garment bag of claim 8, wherein the garment bag is constructed to be reusable.

13. The garment bag of claim 8, wherein the garment bag is constructed from recyclable materials

14. The garment bag of claim 8, wherein the bottom is curved outward.