MULTI-MATERIAL CONNECTION AND CARRIER ASSEMBLY USING THE SAME
A partially rigid and partially fabric assembly including a rigid structure having first connector elements, fabric material for being connected to the rigid structure, and a plastic connector structure that connects the fabric material to the rigid structure. The plastic connector structure includes second connector elements constructed and arranged to connect the plastic connector structure to the rigid structure and a fabric connector portion. The partially rigid and partially fabric assembly also includes a sewing material sewn through the fabric connector portion of the plastic connector structure and the fabric material.
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The present application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/290,685, filed on Dec. 29, 2009, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a multi-material connection and carrier assembly using the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONVarious products, such as carrier assemblies, used to carry a plurality of tools and objects are often made from multiple materials. The invention relates to improvements in material connections and products made therewith.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect of the invention provides a partially rigid and partially fabric assembly including a rigid structure having first connector elements and fabric material that is connected to the rigid structure. The assembly further includes a plastic connector structure that connects the fabric material to the rigid structure. The plastic connector structure includes second connector elements constructed and arranged to connect with the first connector elements of the rigid structure so as to connect the plastic connector structure to the rigid structure and a fabric connector portion. The assembly further includes a sewing material sewn through the fabric connector portion of the plastic connector structure and the fabric material, so as to connect the fabric material to the plastic connector structure.
Another aspect of the invention provides a partially rigid and partially fabric container assembly including a rigid bottom portion having first connector elements and a peripheral plastic connector structure having second connector elements constructed and arranged to connect to the first connector elements, so as to connect the rigid bottom portion to the peripheral plastic connector structure. The assembly further includes side walls made of fabric. The fabric side walls are sewn to the peripheral plastic connector structure. The assembly also includes a handle constructed and arranged to enable a user to carry the partially rigid and partially fabric container assembly.
These and other aspects of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment, the structural components illustrated herein can be considered drawn to scale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not a limitation of the invention. In addition, it should be appreciated that structural features shown or described in any one embodiment herein can be used in other embodiments as well. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
In the embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the plastic connector structure 18 has a ring geometry or configuration. Although the ring geometry of the rigid structure 12 and the plastic connector structure 18 are shown to be substantially rectangular, it is contemplated that the rigid structure 12 and/or the plastic connector structure 18 may have other shapes, such as, for example, circular or oval shapes. It is also contemplated that in some embodiments, the plastic connector structure 18 may have a generally straight configuration. For example, rather than a rectangular ring, four continuous separate straight sections can be used for the plastic connector structure. The corners of the straight sections may not be directly connected to one another, depending on the desired configuration or manufacturing characteristics. It should thus also be appreciated that the partially rigid and partially fabric assembly claimed and disclosed herein may be used in a vast array of other products other than the container assembly disclosed herein.
As shown in
In one optional application, the partially rigid and partially fabric assembly 10 may be used as the top container that is latched or connected to a base container of a rolling container assembly, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0290877, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As shown in
Although the lower portion 15 and the fabric connector portion 22 may be generally rectangular in shape, the lower portion 15 may have various other shapes, and may have more edges than the fabric connector portion 22. For example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment, the plastic and fabric container assembly 11 may include straps 104, 106 constructed and arranged to facilitate the carrying of the assembly 11. In the embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, a handle 98 is constructed and arranged to extend between the left wall 86 and the right wall 88 in the interior space 92. The handle 98 may have a generally circular or oval cross-section, although it is contemplated that the handle 98 may have other cross-sectional shapes. In this embodiment, the handle 98 has a generally circular cross-sectional shape, which tapers into a thinner cross-sectional shape towards ends 101 of the handle 98. The handle 98 may be connected to the left wall 86 and the right wall 88 via screws 99. It is contemplated that the handle 98 may be connected to the left wall 86 and the right wall 88 via pins, adhesive, riveting, or other connecting mechanisms. The handle 98 may be made of metal, plastic, wood, any other materials, or a combination thereof. A grip 100 may be provided thereon to enable the user to carry the fabric and plastic container assembly 11. The grip 100 may be made of rubber, plastic, or other anti-slip materials, or may have rubber, plastic, foam, or other anti-slip materials provided on the surface thereof. Grooves or ribs may also be provided on the grip 100 to facilitate the grasping of the grip 100. The storage portion 82 may optionally be constructed and arranged to have other shapes, forms, or configurations.
In this embodiment, the partially rigid and partially fabric container assembly 11 includes the storage portion 82. The storage portion 82 has a front wall 100, a back wall 102, a left wall 104, and a right wall 106 made from the fabric material 16. In some embodiments, the storage portion 82 may be formed from the fabric material 16 without reinforcing material so that the storage portion 82 may be collapsible on top of the rigid structure 12. In some embodiments, reinforcing material may be provided with the fabric material 16 so that the storage portion 82 may stand upright.
The storage portion 82 may be provided with the handle 98 that is constructed and arranged to facilitate the lifting and carrying of the container assembly 11. Although a grip 100 is not shown in this embodiment, a grip 100 may be provided on other embodiments, as described above with respect to the embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the storage portion 82 also includes pockets 104 attached thereon. The pockets 104 may include a body portion 108 and a cover portion 106. The cover portion 106 may be moveable between a closed position preventing access to an interior space of the body portion 108 and an open position permitting access to the interior space of the body portion 108. In the closed position, the cover portion 106 may be connected to the body portion 108 via Velcro, buckles, latches, locks, hooks, buttons, snap buttons, zippers, pins, or other connections.
The rigid structure 12 includes the protrusions 35 that may be used to latch the rigid structure 12 to a base container of a rolling container assembly, as mentioned above. Thus, the partially rigid and partially fabric container assembly 11 formed from the fabric material 16, the plastic connector structure 18, and the rigid structure 12 may be used in a rolling container assembly or carried and used separately.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
Claims
1. A partially relatively rigid and partially fabric assembly comprising:
- a relatively rigid structure having first connector elements;
- fabric material that is connected to the relatively rigid structure;
- a plastic connector structure that connects the fabric material to the relatively rigid structure, the plastic connector structure comprising: second connector elements constructed and arranged to connect with the first connector elements of the relatively rigid structure, so as to connect the plastic connector structure to the relatively rigid structure; and a fabric connector portion;
- a sewing material sewn through the fabric connector portion of the plastic connector structure and the fabric material, so as to connect the fabric material to the plastic connector structure.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plastic connector structure further comprises a support flange constructed and arranged to operate as a stop surface for the fabric material.
3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first connector elements and second connector elements comprise snap-fit connections for connecting the relatively rigid structure to the plastic connector.
4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the relatively rigid structure comprises plastic.
5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the relatively rigid structure comprises rubber.
6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fabric material comprises canvas.
7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fabric material comprises leather.
8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fabric material comprises denim.
9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the fabric material comprises cotton.
10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sewing material comprises nylon.
11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sewing material comprises polyester.
12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sewing material comprises cotton.
13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first connector elements comprise protrusions.
14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second connector elements comprise openings.
15. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plastic connector structure comprises a ring structure.
16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the ring structure is rectangular.
17. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the relatively rigid structure comprises:
- a first wall, the first connector elements being positioned on the first wall;
- a second wall constructed and arranged to extend parallel to the first wall, wherein the first and second walls define a receiving groove for a portion of the plastic connector structure.
18. A container assembly comprising:
- a relatively rigid bottom portion having first connector elements;
- a peripheral plastic connector structure having second connector elements constructed and arranged to connect to the first connector elements, so as to connect the rigid bottom portion to the peripheral plastic connector structure;
- side walls made of fabric, the fabric side walls being sewn to the peripheral plastic connector structure;
- a handle constructed and arranged to enable a user to carry the partially rigid and partially fabric container assembly.
19. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the first connector elements and second connector elements comprise snap-fit connections for connecting the relatively rigid bottom portion to the plastic connector structure.
20. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the relatively rigid bottom portion comprises plastic.
21. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the relatively rigid bottom portion comprises rubber.
22. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the fabric comprises canvas.
23. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the fabric comprises leather.
24. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the fabric comprises denim.
25. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the fabric comprises cotton.
26. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the first connector elements comprise protrusions.
27. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the second connector elements comprise openings.
28. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the relatively rigid bottom portion comprises:
- a first wall, the first connector elements being positioned on the first wall;
- a second wall constructed and arranged to extend parallel to the first wall, wherein the first and second walls define a receiving groove for a portion of the plastic connector structure.
29. The container assembly of claim 18, further comprising a handle constructed and arranged to enable a user to carry the container assembly.
30. The container assembly of claim 18, wherein the plastic connector structure comprises a ring structure.
31. The container assembly of claim 30, wherein the ring structure is rectangular.
32. The container assembly of claim 18, further comprising pockets attached to at least one of the sidewalls.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 7, 2010
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2011
Applicant: The Stanley Works Israel Ltd. (Rosh Ha'Ayin)
Inventor: Iftach GALLER (Kfar-Hess)
Application Number: 12/962,220
International Classification: B65D 30/10 (20060101); B65D 33/02 (20060101); B65D 33/06 (20060101);