COMBINED STORAGE APPARATUS

DISPOSITIF DE RANGEMENT COMBINE

English Abstract

A combined storage apparatus (10) includes a storage bag (12) and a storage
box
(14). The base (20) of the storage bag (12) is gusseted and forms an extended
flat surface
which is attached to a stiff board (32). The board (32) has straps (40A, 40B)
with
buckles (42) which are adjustable to pull taut against the storage bag (12).
After the
storage bag (12) has been sealed by fastener tracks (28A, 28B) and evacuated
of air
through a one-way valve (30), the straps (40A, 40B) are pulled taut against
the storage
bag (12) and the buckles (42) secured. The adjustable straps (40A, 40B), the
buckles
(42), and the board (32) serve as a mechanical restraint to assist in
retaining the storage
bag (12) in a collapsed state. The storage bag (12) and the board (32) are
sized to fit
within the storage box (14). The board (32) also is folded in a manner to
create two
sidewalls (32A, 32B) which provides rigidity to permit multiple storage
apparatuses (10)
to be stacked.

French Abstract

Un dispositif de rangement combiné (10) comprend un sac de rangement (12) et une boîte de rangement (14). La base (20) du sac de rangement (12) est munie d'un soufflet et forme une surface plate prolongée, fixée à une plaque rigide (32). La plaque (32) comprend des courroies (40A, 40B) avec des boucles (42), réglables pour tirer de manière tendue les courroies contre le sac de rangement (12). Une fois le sac de rangement (12) scellé par des rainures de fixation (28A, 28B) et vidé de son air au moyen d'une valve unidirectionnelle (30), les courroies (40A, 40B) sont tirées de manière tendue contre le sac de rangement (12) et les boucles (42) sont fixées. Les courroies réglables (40A, 40B), les boucles (42) et la plaque (32) servent de moyen de contention mécanique pour faciliter la retenue du sac de rangement (12) à l'état affaissé. Le sac de rangement (12) et la plaque (32) sont dimensionnés pour s'assembler dans la boîte de rangement (14). La plaque (32) est également pliée de manière à créer deux parois (32A, 32B) qui assurent la rigidité pour permettant d'empiler de multiples dispositifs de rangement (10).

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A combined storage apparatus, comprising:
a storage bag having two opposite sides, an opening between said two opposite
sides and
two snap strips respectively along said two opposite sides of said opening
said snap strips sealing
said storage bag, said storage bag further including a one-way air valve for
extracting air therein,
said storage bag further including a stiff board having two foldable lateral
sections on opposite
sides thereof foldable upwardly to form two side walls and extending over a
bottom side thereof,
whereby said storage bag is expandable; and
a storage box having a box shaped body, an upper flap for closing the body, an
inner
space or housing said storage bag;
two long sides and two short sides with a handle on each short side, and a
transparent
window on one long side and wherein said stiff board further includes a
plurality of binding
ribbons or buckle belts running across said stiff board with said binding
ribbons attached on the
bottom face of said stiff board and whereby said storage bag is adapted to
contain an article
extracted of air housed in said storage box and wherein said lateral sections
are on opposite sides
of said stiff board reinforce the toughness of said storage box after said
storage bag is placed in
said storage box.
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Description

CA 02488076 2011-04-29
COMBINED STORAGE APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to combined storage apparatuses, more
particularly
to a combined storage apparatus wherein a storage bag is provided with a
gussetted flat
bottom surface which is attached to a stiff board. An article is stored in the
storage bag,
and the storage bag is evacuated of air and then placed in a storage box.
(b) Description of the Prior Art:
The storage bags of the prior art for storing blankets, clothes, or other
articles
comprise a bag body that can be sealed and evacuated of air, so that the
volume of the
bags and their contents can be significantly reduced for saving space. The
storage bags
of the prior art are, however, of irregular shapes and it is difficult to
stack up many
storage bags. It is further disadvantageous that the bags and their contents
may expand
while in storage due to possible infiltration of the air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a combined storage apparatus comprising a
storage bag and a storage box. Typically, articles such as bedding, clothing,
or other
contents are placed through an opening in the storage bag and fastener strips
are then
used to seal the storage bag. A one-way valve is then used to evacuate air
from the
storage bag and the volume of the bag and its contents is reduced as the wall
of the bag is
collapsed against the contents contained therein. A base of the storage bag
forms a
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CA 02488076 2011-04-29
gusseted flat surface and is attached to a stiff board. The stiff board is
provided with
adjustable straps and buckles which may be pulled taut against the storage bag
to retain
the storage bag in a collapsed state. The board, straps, and buckles serve as
a
mechanical restraint to prevent the bag and its contents from expansion in the
event the
bag is punctured or air infiltrates through a fastener strip which is
accidentally opened.or
not completely closed. The storage bag and the board are sized to fit within
the storage
box.
An additional aspect of the invention.is that when the storage bag is
received within the storage box, lateral sections of the stiff board are
folded upward to
form two sidewalls. When the storage bag is placed into the storage box, the
sidewalls
add resilience. Since the combined storage apparatus is boxy and of resilient
structure, a
plurality of them can be stacked up so as to save storage or placement space.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more
readily
understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction
with the
appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a combined storage apparatus according to the
present invention wherein the storage bag and the storage box are separated.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a combined storage apparatus according to the
present invention wherein the bottom board of the storage bag is folded to
form two
sidewalls.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a combined storage apparatus according to the
present invention wherein the storage bag is housed in the storage box.
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Fig. 4 illustrates the sealing of the opening of the storage bag by pulling a
zipper
thereof.
Fig. 5 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the present invention illustrating
the air
in the storage bag being extracted.
Fig.6 is a perspective view of the present invention wherein the storage bag
is
enclosed in the storage box.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Fig. 1, a combined storage. apparatus 10 of the present invention
comprises a storage bag 12 and a storage box 14. The depiction of Fig. 1 shows
the
combined storage apparatus 10 disassembled such that there is no article (such
as
blankets, clothes, or the like) contained therein for storage and the storage
bag 12 and the
storage box 14 are separated. The storage bag 12 includes a flexible wall 16
which forms
a boundary between an interior and an exterior of the storage bag 12, and an
opening 18
which communicates therebetween through which an article to be stored may be
inserted.
The wall 16 further includes a base 20, a left side 22, a right side 24 which
opposes the
left side 22, and a top 26. As should be apparent from the figures, the
opening 18 is
located at the top 26 of the storage bag 12 and the base 20 opposes the top 26
and
terminates in a horizontal flat or gusseted surface.
A. fastener 28 located proximate the opening 18 includes a first fastener
track 28A
and a second fastener track 28B which are capable of mating in an interlocked
position
when the fastener 28 is in the closed position and which are unlocked when the
fastener
28 is in the open position, such as shown in Fig. 1. As also shown in the
figures, the
fastener 28 is a plastic zipper and the tracks 28A and 28B are plastic zipper
profiles.
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The storage bag 12 further includes a one-way valve 30 located on the wall 16
which communicates from the interior of the storage bag 12 to the exterior of
the storage
bag 12, and serves as a passageway through which air may be evacuated from the
storage
bag 12. The one-way valve 30 may be adapted to be attached to a vacuum cleaner
or
other vacuum-creating means. An example of a one-way storage valve is
described in
U.S. Patent Nos. 5,480,030 and 5,931,189, and bothof these patents may be
referred
to for further details. A second example of a one-way storage valve is
described in U.S.
Patent Nos. 6,116,781 and 6,357,915, and both of these patents may be referred
to for
further details. As should be understood, when the fastener 28 is in the
closed position
and air is evacuated through the one-way air valve 30 from the interior of the
storage
bag 12 to the exterior, the wall 16 of the storage bag 12 collapses about any
article
contained within.
As noted above, the base 20 of the storage bag 12 terminates in a flat or
horizontal
surface or gusset. The base 20 of the storage bag 12 is mounted to a stiff
board 32, which
is a member of sufficient rigidity for the use described below. The board 32
includes a
top surface 34, a bottom surface 36, and a periphery 38. The top surface 34 of
the board
32 is adhered or mounted to the exterior of the storage bag 12 at the base 20.
As shown
in Fig. 2, two sections on opposite sides of the board 32 may be folded upward
to form
two sidewalls 32A and 32B. The board 32 has two straps 40A and 40B which are
attached across the bottom surface 36 of the board 32 and are in generally
parallel
arrangement relative to each other. The straps 40A and 40B each extend beyond
the
periphery 38 and each end of the straps terminate in a buckle half. The buckle
halves on
each of the sttaps 40A and 40B snap together to form a complete buckle
assembly 42.
The straps 40A or 40B are each adjustable within the buckle such that the
straps may be
pulled about the storage bag 12 and pulled tight. The combination of the board
32, the
straps 40A and 40B, and the buckle assemblies 42 collectively are used as a
mechanical
restraint to capture the storage bag 12 within, when the storage bag 12 is in
the collapsed
state.
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The storage box 14 further includes a box body 44 and an upper flap 46 for
closing the box body 44. The box body 44 can house the storage bag 12 after
the storage
bag 12 is folded inasmuch as the periphery 38 of the board 32 (to which the
storage bag
12 is attached) is sized to be received within the box body 44 when the
sidewalls 32A and
32B are folded upwards. The box body 44 is further provided with two handles
45 on
two short sides thereof and a window 48 made of transparent material on one
long side
thereof. Additionally, the upper flap 46 may be secured to the box body 44 by
use of a
metal or plastic toothed zipper 50.
In use of the combined storage apparatus 10 of the present invention, an
article,
such as bedding or clothing, is inserted through the opening 18 of the storage
bag 12.
The storage bag 12 is then sealed by mating the first fastener track 28A with
the second
fastener track 28B in an interlocked position. To facilitate the sealing of
the bag, a slider
52 (as seen in Fig. 4) which straddles the fastener tracks 28A and 28B may be
used to
facilitate the interlocking when the slider 52 is urged to travel along the
profiles by the
user. When the sealing of the storage bag 12 is complete, air is evacuated
through the
one-way valve 30 by attachment of a vacuum cleaner or the like, and the wall
16 of the
storage bag 12 collapses or shrinks about the article contained therein. As
shown in Fig.
2, the sidewalls 32A and 32B of the board 32 are folded upward and the storage
bag 12,
the article contained within the storage bag 12, and the board 32, are then
received
within the storage box 14. The storage bag 12 may then be folded or otherwise
manipulated to fit within the storage box 14. The storage bag 12 may have a
pre-formed
fold or folds to facilitate the fitting of the storage bag 12 within the
storage box 14. The
storage bag 12 is bound by connecting the straps 40A and 40B at the buckle
assemblies
42 and the straps 40A and 40B are adjusted to be pulled taut against the board
32. As
best shown in Fig. 5, the strap 40A, the strap 40B, the buckle assemblies 42,
and the
board 32 collectively operate as a mechanical restraint which is used to
retain the wall 16
of the storage bag 12 in the collapsed state, and the board 32 should be of
sufficient
rigidity such that the storage bag 12 may be retained in the collapsed state
between the
board 32 and the straps 40A and 40B. The operation of the board 32, the straps
40A and
40B, and the buckle 42 acting as a mechanical restraint prevents the storage
bag 12 and

CA 02488076 2011-04-29
its contents from expansion in the event the bag is punctured or air
infiltrates through a
fastener strip which is accidentally opened.or not completely closed.
As shown in Fig. 6, the collapsed storage bag 12 as attached to the board
32 may then be closed within the storage box 14 by closing the upper flap 46
and
fastening the toothed zipper 50. Since the combined storage apparatus 10 is
generally
boxy in configuration, it is easy to stack up multiple units, thereby saving
storage space.
The sidewalls 32A and 32B of the board 32 reinforce the strength and toughness
of the
storage box 14 after the storage bag 12 is placed into the storage box 14.
Therefore, the
storage box 14 can sustain stress due to stacking up for an extended time
without
deformation.
As should be understand, modification of certain aspects of the combined
storage
apparatus 10 are considered within the scope of the present invention. For
example, the
aforesaid straps 40A and 40B and the buckles 42 used in association with the
stiff board
32 could be binding ribbons or buckle belt as shown in the figures, for
preventing
expansion of stored articles due to air leakage into the storage bag 12. It
likewise
provides an equivalent effect that the straps 40A and 40B be oriented on the
two long
sides of the peripher 38 instead. Different representations of the fasteners
28 and one-
way valve 30 are possible.
The present invention is thus described, and it will be obvious that the same
may
be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure
from the
spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would
be obvious
to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the
following
claims.
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Representative Drawing