SLIM, WASHABLE, FLEXIBLE, PERSONALIZABLE MULTI-USE STORAGE DEVICE
A storage device for storing electrical cords, wire(s) and other objects. The storage device includes at least one sheet of flexible material adhered together on a at least one edge and open on at least one edge. The storage device also includes an elastic or tension feature that is around a circumference of the storage device in close proximity to the at least one open edge. An electrical cord or wire(s) that is wrapped around a section of the at least one sheet of flexible material is held in place by the elastic or tension feature after the at least one open edge is folded over to cover the wrapped electrical cord or wire(s).
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a multi-use storage device and, more particularly, to a flexible multi-use storage device that stores a variety of objects including electrical cords and wires, and that allows for electrical cords and wires to be quickly wound and unwound.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the mobile society of today people often travel with computing and/or handheld devices, such as phones, portable music devices, Bluetooth headsets and mass storage devices (e.g., memory sticks). Many of these devices require electrical cables and/or wires, whether it be for charging, downloading, pairing, or listening purposes. These wires typically need to be wound and unwound several times, and may become tangled. Thus, there is a need in the art for a way to quickly wind and unwind these electrical cords and wires. There is further a need in the art for a way to store and protect, in an untangled manner, the electrical cords and/or wires once they are wound, as well as a need for storing the computing/handheld devices and/or objects associated with the electrical cords and/or wires within the same storage device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a storage device for storing electrical cords, wire(s) and other objects is disclosed that includes at least one sheet of flexible material adhered together on at least one edge and open on at least one edge. The storage device also includes an elastic or tension feature that is around a circumference of the storage device in close proximity to the at least one open edge. An electrical cord or wire(s) that is wrapped around a section of the at least one sheet of flexible material is held in place by the elastic or tension feature after the at least one open edge is folded over to cover the wrapped electrical cord or wire(s).
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The following discussion of the embodiments of the invention directed to multi-use storage devices is merely exemplary in nature, and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses.
The storage device 10 may also include one or more eyelets 18 and/or one or more loop 32. The eyelets 18 may be simple holes or openings with a material around the circumference, and the loop 32 may be made of any suitable material. The eyelets 18 or the loop 32 may be used to clip the storage device 10 to a desired object, such as a belt loop, backpack, purse, etc. using a suitable clip or object 20, such as a carabiner clip. The storage device 10 may also include an electronic accessory retention feature 22 that may be used to hold a wound electrical cord or wire, or a portion of the wound electrical cord or wire, such as an end portion (not shown) in place prior to or after winding the cord or wire. The retention feature 22 may be any suitable material, such as elastic, and may be affixed to the device 10 by sewing, glue, snaps, buttons, Velcro™, etc. The wound cord or wire, or a portion thereof, may be placed or tucked under the retention feature 22 to hold the cord or wire in place.
An elastic or tension feature 24 that extends along a circumference of the storage device 10 near the edge 12 may be included. The elastic or tension feature 24 may be made of elastic, rubber, string, etc., and may extend outside of a circumference of the device 10 or may be confined within a circumference of the device 10. For example, the elastic or tension feature 24 may be an elastic band, similar to an elastic waistband, an elastic band within a circumference of the device 10, similar to certain types of hair accessories such as a hair scrunchie, or may be a strip of material that is fitted around the circumference of the device 10 similar to a drawstring. Although not shown in the embodiment of
The storage device 10 may also include customization openings or features 28. The customization openings or features 28 may be utilized to customize the device 10. For example, by inserting or attaching letters of a person's name, decorative shapes, pins of favorite sports teams and/or characters, or Jibbitz™ the device 10 may be personalized. The personalization provided by the customization openings or features 28 may be permanently attached, for example, by sewing, embroidery or glue, or may be removable using mechanisms such as snaps, buttons, Velcro™, cuff links, etc.
The storage device 10 is made of a flexible material that includes, but is not limited to, cloth, cotton, jean, fleece, felt, leather, plastic, vinyl, rubber, etc. The storage device 10 may be a variety of different colors and designs, for example, solid colors, plaid, polka dots, etc. The storage device 10 may be washable. The storage device 10 is compact, slim and flexible, thereby allowing the device 10 to be collapsed to a thin profile while empty or in use, and for discrete storage in locations such as a child or adult-sized pocket, or a purse, backpack, etc.
Once the cord or wire(s) 40 and/or the device 50 are inserted inside of the storage device 10 these items are secured inside and therefore are more protected than if simply placed in a pocket or backpack, etc. Once the cord or wire(s) 40 are stored inside, the storage device 10 reduces the chances of the cord or wire(s) 40 from getting tangled. Thus, the storage device 10 saves time by preventing tangling and also increases longevity by reducing the wear and tear associated with tangling and untangling of the cord or wire(s) 40. By placing the fingers 38 of the user inside of the device 10 it is easy to wrap the cord or wire(s) 40 around the device 10 because it feels very natural, thereby saving time and frustration of the user. Additionally, removing the cord or wire(s) 40 may be done by sliding the cord or wire(s) off of the storage device and allowing the cord or wire(s) 40 to simply fall into an unwound state. Alternatively, when the storage device 10 is not in use and is not folded, the device 10 may be used to slide over devices such as phones, ipods, etc., to act as a cover to protect such devices from scratches, etc. This aspect of the invention is shown in
In those embodiments where the storage device 10 is open on the edge 12 and the edge 14,
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims
1. A storage device for storing electrical cords, wire(s) and other objects, said storage device comprising:
- at least one sheet of flexible material adhered together on at least one edge and open on at least one edge; and
- an elastic or tension feature that is around a circumference of the storage device in close proximity to the at least one open edge of the storage device, wherein an electrical cord or wire(s) is wrapped around a section of the at least one sheet of flexible material and held in place by the elastic or tension feature after the at least one open edge is folded over to cover the wrapped electrical cord or wire(s).
2. The storage device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one electronic accessory retention feature on a surface of the at least one sheet of flexible material, wherein the electrical cord or wire(s) is wrapped around the section of the at least one sheet of flexible material and a portion of the electrical cord or wire(s) is held in place by the at least one electronic accessory retention feature before the at least one open edge is folded over to cover the wrapped electrical cord or wire(s).
3. The storage device according to claim 1 further comprising a tension retention clip that is affixed to a portion of the elastic or tension feature so as to hold a portion of the storage device in place once the elastic or tension feature is tight around the storage device.
4. The storage device according to claim 1 wherein the storage device fits comfortably over a human hand or fingers.
5. The storage device according to claim 1 further comprising a secondary pocket of the storage device that is large enough to fit an object such as a USB mass storage device, car charger, wall plug charger, Bluetooth earpiece/headset or similar object after the at least one open edge has been folded to cover the wrapped electrical cord or wire(s).
6. The storage device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one of eyelets or loops that may be used to attach the storage device to one or more other storage devices or a desired object.
7. The storage device according to claim 1 further comprising customization openings or features that allow the storage device to be personalized.
8. The storage device according to claim 7 wherein the customization openings are able to receive a pin, cuff link, Jibbitz™, button or similar object.
9. The storage device according to claim 1 wherein the flexible material is made from cloth, leather, jean, felt, plastic, vinyl, rubber or similar materials.
10. A storage device for storing electrical cords, wires, and other objects, said storage device comprising:
- at least one sheet of flexible material adhered together on at least one edge and open on two opposing edges; and
- elastic or tension features that are each around a circumference of the storage device in close proximity to each of the two open and opposing edges, wherein the storage device has a circular shape when each of the two open edges have been folded over.
11. The storage device according to claim 10 further comprising a tension retention clip that is affixed to each of the elastic or tension features so as to hold a portion of the storage device in place once the elastic or tension feature is tight around the storage device.
12. The storage device according to claim 10 wherein the storage device fits comfortably over fingers of a human hand.
13. The storage device according to claim 10 wherein the storage device is large enough to fit an object such as a USB mass storage device, car charger, wall plug charger, blue tooth earpiece/headset or similar object into a secondary pocket of the device on either side of the seam after the at least one open edge that the object is inserted inside has been folded.
14. The storage device according to claim 10 further comprising at least one of eyelets or loops that may be used to attach the storage device to a another storage device or a desired object.
15. The storage device according to claim 10 further comprising customization opening or features that allow for the storage device to be personalized.
16. The storage device according to claim 15 wherein the customization openings are able to receive a pin, cuff link, Jibbitz™, button or similar object.
17. The storage device according to claim 10 wherein the flexible material is made from cloth, leather, jean, felt, plastic, vinyl, rubber or similar materials.
18. The storage device according to claim 10 wherein the storage device may be worn as a bracelet or wristband once both open edges have been folded.
19. The storage device according to claim 10 further comprising electronic accessory retention features, wherein each of the two open edges may be folded over to cover electrical cords or wires that have been wrapped around the storage device and an end portion of each of the electrical cords or wire(s) are held in place by at least one of the electronic accessory retention features.
20. The storage device according to claim 10 wherein a handheld device may be placed inside using one of the open edges.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 15, 2013
Publication Date: Sep 18, 2014
Inventor: Kevin Maurer (Farmington, MI)
Application Number: 13/843,552
International Classification: B65D 85/04 (20060101);