Pop-In's waste basket liners

Abstract

People purchase decorative wastebaskets to match the color and design scheme of the room where the wastebasket will be used. For cleanness and comfort of waste disposal, people line the wastebasket with a waste bag. Unfortunately, part of the outside decorative surface of the wastebasket is hidden by the waste bag, thus, defeating the purpose of having a decorative wastebasket. The present invention solves this problem by providing a solution for properly lining the wastebasket but not hiding it.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/139,908 filed with the USPTO on Dec. 22, 2008.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to lining of wastebaskets.

2. Description of the Related Art

People purchase decorative wastebaskets to match the color and design scheme of the room where the wastebasket will be used. For cleanness and comfort of waste disposal, people line the wastebasket with a waste bag. Unfortunately, part of the outside decorative surface of the wastebasket is hidden by the waste bag, thus, defeating the purpose of having a decorative wastebasket. The present invention solves this problem by providing a solution for properly lining the wastebasket but not hiding it.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problem of lining decorative wastebaskets by providing a solution for properly lining the wastebasket but not hiding it, thus, preserving its decorative effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the perspective view of a waste bag.

FIG. 2 illustrates the top view of two thin strips of pliable plastic, cardboard, or other similar material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates the top view of one thin strip, which is twice as long as one strip in FIG. 2, and is also made of pliable plastic, cardboard, or other similar material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4-a and 4-b illustrate the perspective view of the front and back, respectively, of a waste bag, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5-a and 5-b illustrate the perspective view of the front and back, respectively, of a waste bag, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing, and the strips of FIG. 2 to be inserted in the said casing, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6-a and 6-b illustrate the perspective view of the front and back, respectively, of a waste bag, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing, and the strips of FIG. 2, inserted in the said casing, which is now sealed, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the perspective view of a waste bag, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing, the strips of FIG. 2, inserted in the said casing, which is now sealed, and the said strips being manually compressed at their ends, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates the perspective view of a wastebasket and the upper side of a waste bag as illustrated in FIG. 7, which is in the process of being inserted in the said wastebasket, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

What follows is a detailed description of specific embodiments of the invention in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The specific embodiments of the invention, which will be described herein, are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 illustrates the perspective view of a waste bag. The preferred waste bag is a thin plastic bag. However, it would be recognized by one of ordinary skills in the art that a waste bag made of other materials, as for example paper or fabric, may be equally appropriate to practice the invention. Furthermore, the waste bag can be a bag manufactured for the specific purpose of functioning as a waste bag or any other bag with similar physical characteristics, as for example a produce type bag. The size of the waste bag can vary and/or be modified to accommodate various shapes and sizes of the wastebasket. In addition, it should be understood that while the disclosure of the invention focuses primarily on the lining of wastebaskets using waste bags, the lining technique described herein can be applied to any other baskets and/or containers which have to be similarly lined for purposes other than waste collection.

FIG. 2 illustrates the top view of two thin strips of pliable plastic, cardboard, or other similar material, as for example wood, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The strips can be made of any material which has the physical properties required to fulfill the functions described herein. The said physical properties of primary concern are pliability, flexibility, and elasticity. The width of each of the two strips may be 7/16 of an inch or any other width sufficient to provide proper adherence of the waste bag to the interior of a wastebasket. The length of each of the two strips may be 13 to 14 inches or any other length which is approximately half of the perimeter of the inside top of the wastebasket. Approximately half means, in this context, exactly half or slightly less if the strips are made of a material which is practically incompressible by hand. By contrast, if the strips are made of a material which can be compressed manually, the length of the strips may be slightly higher than the half of said perimeter. Additionally, if the strips are designed to conform and adhere to the wastebasket by means other than compression/tension as described below, as for example by the use of an adhesive, the length of the strips is not confined to half or approximately half of the said perimeter.

Depending on the wastebasket's design, the said perimeter may be of circular, oval, triangular, square, or rectangular shape. Furthermore, for some wastebaskets the said perimeter may be variable at different wastebasket's height. In such instances, the said perimeter would be the one measured at the height of the wastebasket chosen by the user to secure the waste bag to. The thickness of the strips may vary. For example, if made of cardboard, the thickness of the two strips may be that of the cardboard used to manufacture shirt boxes. Through experimentation it was determined that thin pliable plastic strips work well with round baskets while cardboard strips conform better to square or rectangular baskets.

FIG. 3 illustrates the top view of one thin strip, which is twice as long as one strip in FIG. 2, and is also made of pliable plastic, cardboard, or other similar material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The qualities and characteristics of this strip are the same as the ones described above for the two strips in FIG. 2. The only difference is the length. The length of this strip is twice the length of one strip in FIG. 2. By folding it in half, this strip functions the same as the two strips in FIG. 2 as it will be described below.

FIG. 4-a and 4-b illustrate the perspective view of the front and back, respectively, of a waste bag 401, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing 402, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In order to create the casing, the upper edge of the waste bag may be folded toward the outside or inside of the waste bag.

FIG. 5-a and 5-b illustrate the perspective view of the front and back, respectively, of a waste bag 501, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing 502, and the strips 503 of FIG. 2 to be inserted in the said casing 502, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Alternatively, a folded, full-perimeter strip, as described above, may be inserted in the said casing 502.

FIG. 6-a and 6-b illustrate the perspective view of the front and back, respectively, of a waste bag 601, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing 602, and the strips 603 of FIG. 2, inserted in the said casing 602, which is now sealed 604, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. By sealing the casing, it is ensured that the strips are properly secured to the upper edge of the waste bag. The sealing may be accomplished in various ways, as for example by using appropriate glue. It is to be understood that the strips may be secured to the upper edge of the waste bag and/or of the wastebasket by employing various alternative techniques, as for example by using strips which are self-adhesive on one or both sides. Someone of ordinary skills in the art will recognize that the waste bag modification, and the lining technique described herein may be practiced in a non-commercial way, in an at-home like environment, or, in a commercial way, by manufacturing the modified bag, the strips, and/or lining the basket in a manufacturing facility for sale to the public and businesses. For example, strips of various lengths may be manufactured and sold separately for the user to adjust to his/her own wastebasket, for example, buy a simple cut from the length of the strip(s).

FIG. 7 illustrates the perspective view of a waste bag 701, the upper edge of which is folded to create a casing, the strips 703 of FIG. 2, inserted in the said casing, which is now sealed, and the said strips being manually compressed at their diametrically opposed ends 705, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. When the manual compression of the strips' diametrically opposed ends toward each other occurs, an oval or circular shape of the top of the waste bag may be formed.

FIG. 8 illustrates the perspective view of a wastebasket 806 and the upper side of a waste bag as illustrated in FIG. 7, which is manually compressed at the opposite points of the strips' ends 805 while being inserted in the said wastebasket 806, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The tension in the strips facilitates the conformance and adherence of the waste bag to the inside upper perimeter of the wastebasket. Thus, while the basket is lined and the waste bag held in place, no portion of the basket's exterior surface is hidden. This ensures that the decorative appeal of the basket is maintained, while its functionality, including cleanness and ease of emptying, is fully preserved.

People purchase decorative wastebaskets to match the color and design scheme of the room where the wastebasket will be used. For cleanness and comfort in waste disposal, people line the wastebasket with a waste bag. Unfortunately, part of the outside decorative surface of the wastebasket is hidden by the waste bag, thus, defeating the purpose of having a decorative wastebasket. The present invention solves this problem by providing a solution for properly lining the wastebasket but not hiding it.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for the purpose of disclosing the preferred embodiments, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate embodiments and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the specific embodiments illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover alternate embodiments and/or equivalent variations of the specific embodiments illustrated and/or described herein. Hence, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A strip for lining wastebaskets using waste bags, the said strip being made of a pliable material and being capable of conforming and adhering to the inside perimeter of the said wastebasket, thus securing the said waste bag inside the said wastebasket.

2. The strip of claim 1, wherein the said strip is made of two separate sections, lengthwise.

3. The strip of claim 1, wherein the said strip is made of plastic.

4. The strip of claim 1, wherein the said strip is made of cardboard.

5. The strip of claim 1, wherein the said strip is made of wood.

6. The strip of claim 1, wherein the said strip's conformance and adherence to the inside perimeter of the wastebasket is obtained by cutting from the length of the strip to correspond to the said perimeter, folding the strip by length in half, pressing the newly formed two diametrically opposed strip ends towards each other until the shape of the said perimeter is obtained, and inserting the strip into the wastebasket.

7. A system of lining wastebaskets comprising:

a waste bag, and

a strip made of a pliable material, capable of conforming to the inside perimeter of a wastebasket and securing the said waste bag to the inside of said wastebasket.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the said strip is secured to said waste bag by creating a casing from the upper edge of the the said waste bag, inserting the strip in the said casing, and sealing the said casing.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the said waste bag is secured to the inside of the said wastebasket by folding the strip by length in half, pressing the newly formed two diametrically opposed strip ends towards each other until the shape of the said perimeter is obtained, and inserting the strip into the wastebasket.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the said strip is made of two separate sections, lengthwise.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the said strip length is cut from to correspond to the said wastebasket perimeter before the strip's insertion into the said waste bag's casing.

12. A method of lining wastebaskets comprising the steps of:

creating a casing around the upper edge of a waste bag;

inserting a strip, made of pliable material, and capable of conforming to the inside perimeter of a wastebasket, into the said casing;

sealing the said casing;

bending the said strip by length and the upper edge of the waste bag to obtain the shape of the inside upper perimeter of said wastebasket; and

insert the waste bag into the said wastebasket.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said bending is obtained by folding the strip in half by length and pressing upon newly created two diametrically opposed strip ends toward each other.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said strip is made of two separate sections, lengthwise.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the said strip's length is cut from to correspond to the said wastebasket perimeter before the strip's insertion into the said waste bag's casing.