CARRY-ALL HANDLE

Abstract

A system for manipulating and transporting items of various sizes and shapes comprising a carry-all handle having affixed thereto at least two hook and hook-loop fastened strips of length A, and a plurality of additional hook and loop fastener strips of various lengths which can be connected to the strips of length A so that the carry-all handle can be attached to and manipulate items of various sizes and shapes.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for easily manipulating and transporting items of various sizes and shapes and, in particular, a carry-all handle system which fits in a convenient pocket-sized package, but includes sufficient hook and loop fasteners, along with a handle, to manipulate and transport a wide variety of items having different sizes and shapes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various devices are known which are used to facilitate the manipulation of awkward-sized items such as two and three liter disposable plastic bottles of the type used to package beverages. Such plastic bottles are large and quite heavy when filled with liquid. Lifting and manipulating such containers is difficult for children, older adults, and others who may have difficulty manipulating awkwardly shaped and/or heavy items due to illness or injury. Such devices are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,486,043, 4,842,158, 4,896,913, 5,013,074, 5,183,168, 5,580,343, 6,543,825 and 6,651,838.

All of the devices described in the aforementioned U.S. Patents differ in certain aspects, but all are limited for use with large plastic bottles. None of these references describe or claim a carry-all system that can easily be used for the manipulation and/or transport of a wide variety of items having different sizes and shapes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a carry-all handle system that can easily be used to manipulate and transport a variety of items with different shapes and sizes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a carry-all handle system that can be stored in a pocket or purse, and include all the necessary components to manipulate and transport a wide variety of different items.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for manipulating and transporting items of various sizes and shapes comprising a carry-all handle having affixed thereto at least two hook and hook-loop fastener strips of length A, and a plurality of additional hook and loop fastener strips of various lengths which can be connected to the strips of length A. Either the strips of length A can be used to secure the handle to the item to be manipulated or transported, or a combination of the strips of length A, connected to one or more of the plurality of additional strips, can be used for both larger or smaller items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the carry-all handle system of the present invention, and

FIGS. 2-5 illustrate the various ways in which the invention can be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there is shown the components of the carry-all handle system. The primary component is a handle (10) to which is affixed two hook and loop fasteners (11 and 12). The fasteners 10 and 11 can be affixed to handle 10 in any conventional manner, such as screws or rivets, but should be firmly and permanently attached. Also included as part of the carry-all handle system are additional hook and loop fasteners, such as fasteners 13 and 14, 15 and 16, and 17 and 18.

In order to provide maximum flexibility in manipulating and transporting a variety of items, the hook and loop fasteners should be various lengths. For example, fasteners 11 and 12, which are affixed to handle 10, would typically be 16 inches in length. Fasteners 13 and 14 would be shorter at typically 10 inches in length. Fasteners 15 and 16 would be longer, at 16 inches in length, while fasteners 17 and 18 would be longest, at typically 22 inches in length. It is of course understood that additional or fewer hook and loop fasteners of various lengths could be added to the system for use with the hook and loop fasteners connected to handle 10.

As shown in FIG. 1 A, the handle and all of the fasteners shown in FIG. 1B can be stored in one small box of a size that can be readily carried in a pocket or purse. Therefore a user of the present invention can take the carry-all handle system with him or her while shopping or travelling and have readily available the necessary components to easily manipulate and transport a variety of items having different sizes and shapes.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown the use of the carry-all handle system to attach the handle to a large liquid container such as the one used for soft drinks. Fasteners 11 and 12, permanently affixed to handle 10, are wrapped around the container, while fasteners 13 and fastener 14 (not shown) are placed around the bottom of the container and attached to fasteners 11 and 12. This is one method to provide additional support for a container that may be full of liquid and thus quite heavy. The use of the carry-all handle system allows the container to be manipulated with one hand and to easily pour out liquid from the container without spillage. It is preferred that the loop side of the hook and loop fasteners face the object to which the handle 10 is attached to provide a better grip.

FIG. 5 shows a similar arrangement with a different size and shape container which does not need the additional support of a fastener being placed around the bottom of the container.

FIG. 3 shows the use of the carry-all handle system to transport a number of cylindrical items which, for example, could be drawings or other items stored in each cylinder. Depending on the size of the cylinder, a user could just use handle 10 and fasteners 11 and 12 to carry the cylinders. However, if the cylinders were large, additional fasteners could be added to fasteners 11 and 12 to accommodate larger items. As the fasteners are all hook and loop strips, the fasteners can easily be connected to each other by simply overlapping the ends of the respective fasteners. For light items, a 1 inch overlap is suggested and a 2 inch overlap for heavier items. In this way, the carry-all handle system can easily transport awkward shaped items of various sizes such as cylinders, without difficulty.

FIG. 4 shows the use of the carry-all handle system to transport a number of boxes of different sizes. For this application, a number of hook and loop fasteners, included with the carry-all handle system, would have to be connected together in the manner described above. In this way, the system allows a shopper, for example, to easily transport a plurality of purchases that would not fit in the type of bags normally provided by a retail establishment.

The foregoing is illustrative only of the the principles of the invention. Since modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the invention is not limited to the exact construction and operation shown and described, but covers all equivalents falling within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A multi-component system for manipulating and transporting items of various sizes and shapes, with the components of the system being able to fit within a container capable of being carried within a user's pocket or purse, the system comprising:

a handle, having affixed thereto, at least two strips of a hook and loop fastener material, each strip having a length A, and

a plurality of additional strips of hook and loop fastener material which can be connected to length A by overlapping the strips of hook and loop fastener material wherein the strips of hook and loop fastener material are used to secure the handle to the item to be manipulated or transported by using only the strips of length A or using a combination of the strips of length A connected to one or more of the plurality of additional strips.

2. A multi-component system for manipulating and transporting items of various sizes and shapes, with components of the system being able to fit within a container capable of being carried within a user's pocket or purse, the system comprising:

a handle, having affixed thereto, at least two strips of a hook and loop fastener material, each strip having a length A, and

a plurality of additional strips of hook and loop fastener material, with a first subset of the plurality having a length greater than A and a second subset having a length less than A wherein the strips of hook and loop fastener material are used to secure the handle to the item to be manipulated or transported by using only the strips of length A or a combination of the strips of the first subset connected to the strips of length A for larger items and the strips of the second subset connected to the strips of length A for smaller items.