Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
VACUUM COMPRESSION STORAGE BAGS
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to vacuum
compression storage bags. More specifically, the
invention is directed to large vacuum compression storage
bags for clothing and other items which include a stand-
off for optimizing the air flow and evacuation of air
from the bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Vacuum compression storage bags are known in
the art. For example, SPACE BAG brand vacuum
compression storage bags are commercially available for
storage of clothing and other items. Such storage bags
generally include a first side panel and a second side
panel which side panels are sealed at the edges and the
bottom forming the bag having an open top. These bags
further include a re-closable closure mechanism near the
top portion of the bag for opening and closing the bag.
The bags further include a valve for release of air from
the storage bag after the bag is filled with the material
to be stored such as disclosed, for example, in U.S.
Patent No. 6,408,872. Air is removed from the bag by
placing a pump over the valve to remove the air. One
shortcoming of such large vacuum compression storage bags
for clothing and other items is the need to use a rather
large and complex injection molded valve. Such valves
increase the cost of manufacture of the bag and the
corresponding cost to the consumer. The complexity of
the valve is often necessary in order to obtain the
removal of substantially all of the air in the bag. The
1
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
valve will include rigid legs or protrusions to prevent
the valve from contacting the adjacent side panel of the
bag or the items, e.g. clothing, stored in the bag to
avoid inhibiting the air flow and removal of the air from
the bag.
(0003) Referring to Figure 3, there is illustrated
such a prior art vacuum compression storage bag 100
having a valve 102. When pump P is placed over valve 102
to evacuate air from bag 100, the air flow is generally
not inhibited when the content C of the bag is adjacent
to the valve due to the size and complexity of the valve,
including the plurality of legs L which are provided to
allow substantially complete evacuation of the air from
the bag.
[0004] Accordingly, while the current vacuum
compression storage bags may be useful in storing
clothing or other items, there is room for improvement,
including providing a large vacuum compression storage
bag using a simple valve and stand-off which are easy and
inexpensive to manufacture while providing for
substantially complete evacuation of air from the storage
bag.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is directed to large
vacuum compression storage bags for clothing and other
items which are simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
The storage bags of the present invention include a valve
and a stand-off for evacuation of air from the bag after
the bag has been closed with the item(s) to be stored
therein. The bags have a first side wall, a second side
wall and a bottom portion which forms the bag and having
an open top portion for receiving and removing items to
2
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
be stored, such as clothing, blankets or other items.
The bag further includes a closure mechanism near the
open top of the bag, such as a zipper closure, which
provides for a re-closable bag. The bag includes a one-
way valve for evacuation of air from the bag after the
material to be stored has been placed in the bag and the
closure mechanism closed. The air is evacuated using a
pump placed over the valve. The present invention
provides for an improved stand-off which will allow for
improved air flow and evacuation of air from the bag.
Various embodiments of the improved stand-off and valve
are disclosed herein.
[0006] The improved stand-off of the invention is made
from a plastic material such as polyethylene or other
thermoplastic material and is preferably made by
extrusion. The stand-off includes a base having an
aperture therein for alignment with the valve. The base
further includes a plurality of ribs. The stand-off may
include a variety of geometries. However, the stand-off
must be of sufficient length and width to cover the valve
area; it may extend from one side of the bag to the other
side of the bag or include variations thereof in size.
In one embodiment, the standoff base is adhered to the
inside side wall of the bag adjacent to the valve such
that the aperture in the base, the aperture in the bag
and the aperture in the valve are in alignment. The
stand-off ribs extend inwardly toward the storage portion
of the bag. When the pump is placed over the valve to
evacuate air, the ribs of the standoff will maintain
space between the side wall to which the stand-off is
adhered and the opposite side wall or maintain space
between the stand-off and the contents of the bag,
3
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
thereby providing for improved air flow and evacuation of
air from the bag.
[0007] Another embodiment of the vacuum compression
storage bag using the stand-off of the invention is to
have the stand-off adhered to an inside side wall of the
bag with the base facing toward the storage portion of
the bag and the ribs of the stand-off being adjacent to
the inside side wall of the bag and the valve. In this
embodiment, a series of minute apertures are provided in
the grooves between the ribs to aid in evacuation of air
from the bag by the pump. Having the base facing the
storage portion of.the bag provides for a flush or smooth
contact surface of the stand-off with the material being
stored or with the opposite side wall.
[0008] A further advantage of the stand-off of the
invention is that it provides additional rigidity to the
bag at the location of the valve. If the stand-off
extends from one side of the bag to the other, this
provides further rigidity to the bag and to the
aesthetics of the ornamental design of the bag.
Additionally, such rigidity limits the valve protrusion
toward the inside of the bag. This is significant in
that if the valve protrudes toward the inside of the bag,
there is convex arching of the bag which results in the
bag remaining taut and inhibiting avenues of airflow
through the valve.
[0009] As discussed above, current valves are pre-
made. As an alternative to using a pre-made valve, the
stand-off of the invention may be modified to function as
part of the valve assembly. Specifically, the bag will
include an aperture in the side wall in the form of a
hole or slit. Adjacent thereto on the inside portion of
the side wall, the flat base portion of the stand-off is
4
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
adhered to the side wall. The ribs of the stand-off
extend inwardly toward the storage portion of the bag.
The stand-off further includes at least one hole or slit
positioned on the stand-off such that the hole or slit is
adjacent the hole or slit in the bag. Preferably, the
stand-off includes two holes or slits aligned
symmetrically on either side of the hole or slit of the
bag. When the pump is placed over the hole or slit in
the bag and the holes and slits of the stand-off, air
will be evacuated. Accordingly, the holes and slits in
the stand-off work in conjunction with the hole or slit
in the bag to evacuate the air. The stand-off,
therefore, also functions as part of the valve assembly.
[0010] The different embodiments of the invention will
be apparent from the following description of the
preferred embodiments of the invention and from the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The following detailed description of specific
non-limiting embodiments of the present invention can be
best understood when read in conjunction with the
following drawings, where like structures are indicated
with like reference numbers.
[0012] Figure 1 is a top perspective exploded view of
a portion of a vacuum compression storage bag
illustrating a valve and the stand-off of the present
invention.
[0013] Figure 2 is a reverse view of Figure 1
illustrating an inside portion of the bag with the stand-
off of the present invention.
[0014] Figure 3 is a side partial cross-sectional view
of a portion of a prior art bag and valve.
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
[0015] Figure 4 is a side partial cross-sectional view
generally taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1 of a vacuum
compression storage bag and the stand-off of the present
invention illustrating the evacuation of air from the bag
and the air flow thereof.
[0016] Figure 5 is a front view of a vacuum
compression storage bag illustrating one embodiment of
the stand-off shown in Figure 1.
[0017] Figure 6 is a front view of a vacuum
compression storage bag illustrating another embodiment
of the stand-off shown in Figure 1.
(0018] Figure 7 is a front view of a vacuum
compression storage bag illustrating another embodiment
of the stand-off of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 8 is a front view of a vacuum
compression storage bag illustrating another embodiment
of the stand-off of the present invention
[0020] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along
line 9-9 of Figure 7.
[0021] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along
line 10-10 of Figure 7.
[0022] Figure 11 is a top perspective view of a
portion of a vacuum compression storage bag illustrating
another embodiment of the stand-off of the present
invention.
[0023] Figure 12 is a reverse view of Figure 11
illustrating an inside portion of the bag with the stand-
off of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present invention is directed to large
vacuum compression storage bags which are simple and
6
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
inexpensive to manufacture while providing substantially
complete evacuation of air from the bag without the need
for a complex and expensive valve and bag assembly. The
storage bag of the invention includes a simple and
inexpensive valve and an improved stand-off which
provides for efficient evacuation of air from the storage
bag after it is filled with the items, e.g. clothing,
blankets and other material, to be stored and closed.
The improved stand-off of the invention is preferably
made by extrusion from a plastic material such as
polyethylene. The stand-off is flexible and rigid, i.e.
it has greater thickness than the storage bag walls.
Other materials may also be used for the stand-off such
as polypropylene, nylon or bioplastics.
[0025] Referring generally to Figures 5-8, large
vacuum compression storage bags, e.g. in the range of
about 18 inches by 20 inches to about 35 inches to 48
inches, include a first side wall 10, a second side wall
12 and a bottom portion 14 which forms the bag and having
an open top portion 16 for receiving and removing items
to be stored, such as clothing, blankets or other items.
The side walls and bottom wall are sealed using known
sealing techniques such as heat sealing. The bag may be
made of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, bioplastics
or like materials. The bag further includes a closure
mechanism 18 near the top of the bag such as a zipper
closure which provides for a re-closable bag. Zipper
closures are known in the art. Such storage bags may
include ribs 20 on the inside of each side wall for
gripping to aid in opening of the bag, although these are
not necessary to a good storage bag.
[0026] The storage bags further include a valve 22 for
evacuation of air from the bag. One type of valve is a
7
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
label valve and as best shown in the Figures 1 and 4.
Label valve assemblies comprise a hole or slit 24 in the
side wall of the bag and a plastic label 26 covering the
hole or slit on the outside of the side wall. The
plastic label is sealed to the bag side wall by an
adhesive. The degree of sealing strength may vary. The
plastic label 26 further includes a hole or slit 28. In
one preferred embodiment of label valves, the bag side
wall 10 includes an annular slit 24 and the thermoplastic
label 26 includes an annular hole 28 covered by a
separate piece of plastic 29.
[0027] Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the improved
stand-off 30 of the present invention is adhered to a
first side wall 10 of a vacuum compression storage bag by
thermal welding, adhesives or by other known bonding
means. The stand-off is adjacent valve 22. The stand-
off comprises an extruded thermoplastic material
comprised of polyethylene or other thermoplastic material
such as polypropylene, nylon or bioplastics. The stand-
off includes a base 32, aperture 34 and a plurality of
ribs 36. In a preferred embodiment, the stand-off
includes three ribs 36 as best shown in Figure 2. The
stand-off 30 is positioned adjacent to valve 22 such that
aperture 34 is in alignment with the apertures 24 and 28
of the valve assembly. Ribs 36 include rib 36a which has
a space 36b at aperture 34. The stand-off 30 must be
sufficiently large in dimension to fully cover the valve
22 and the pump area as shown, for example, in Figure 4.
As seen in Figure 5, stand-off 30 may cover only a
segmented portion of the bag side wall or, as shown in
Figure 6, may extend from one edge of the bag to the
other edge of the bag.
8
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
[0028] As stated above, the stand-off in a preferred
embodiment is an extruded thermoplastic such as
polyethylene. The plastic base has a thickness generally
greater than the thickness of the side walls 10 and 12
and while flexible provides rigidity to the valve and
stand-off assembly. The ribs 36 may be of different
shapes, the preferred being a rectangular shape as shown
in the drawings. However, other shapes may be used
without departing from the scope of the invention, for
example the ribs may have rounded edges. The ribs
dimensions will be relative to the size of the storage
bag and the evacuation of air from the storage bag.
Therefore, the stand-off 30 has greater rigidity than the
side walls 10 and 12. This will provide additional
rigidity to the bag at the valve, thereby providing
additional strength to the bag when using the pump to
evacuate air from the bag. Additionally, this will
provide for improved air flow as the valve will not be
held too taut when the pump is placed over the valve.
[0029] As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the base 32 of the
stand-off is adhered to the inside wall of the bag with
the ribs 36 facing inwardly toward the inside storage
portion of the bag. Referring to Figure 4 which is
generally a partial cross-section along line 4-4 of
Figure 1 and further showing the operation of the
invention, when the pump P is placed over the valve 22,
stand-off 30 with ribs 36 will provide for improved air
flow as referenced by the arrows in the Figure when
evacuating air from the bag. Ribs 36 will prevent the
content C of the bag from contacting the stand-off base,
thereby preventing the inhibition of the air flow.
[0030] In an alternative embodiment and referring to
Figures 11 and 12, the stand-off 30 may be adhered to the
9
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
side wall of the bag adjacent the valve (which is not
shown in Figure 11 for simplicity of illustration) with
the ribs 36 in contact with the side wall and the base
portion 32 facing the interior storage area of the bag.
In this embodiment, a series of minute holes or slits 38
are punched in grooves 39 formed by ribs 36. Such holes
and/or slits contribute to and allow for evacuation of
the air. Additionally, air may also be evacuated from
the bag at the ends of the stand-off.
[0031) A further alternative embodiment is stand-off
50 shown in Figures 7 and 8. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate
the same stand-off 50 except for the dimensions of the
stand-off, namely Figure 7 shows the stand-off covering
only a segmented portion of the bag and Figure 8 shows
the stand-off extending from one edge of the bag to the
other edge of the bag. The stand-off 50 is the same as
shown in Figures 1 and 2 except that instead of aperture
34 it includes two holes or slits 58 which function as
part of the valve assembly as discussed hereafter. In
this embodiment, no pre-made valve is necessary in the
storage bag. Rather, the side wall 10 of the bag
includes an annular hole or slit 11. The stand-off 50
includes holes or slits 58 symmetrically on each side of
hole 11. Referring to Figure 9, there is shown a cross-
section of the stand-off 50 along line 9-9 of Figure 7
and illustrating bag 10, base 52 and ribs 56. Referring
to Figure 10, there is shown a cross-section of the
stand-off 50 along line 10-10 of Figure 7 illustrating
bag 10, stand-off 50 with base 52, ribs 56 and hole or
slit 58. The stand-off 50 is attached along its outer
longitudinal edges to side wall 10 in order that the film
can bow up and create a path for air to evacuate.
When pump P is placed over hole or slit 11 in the bag and
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
holes or slits 58 in the stand-off, air will be evacuated
from the bag through hole or slit 11 and slits or holes
58 of stand-off 50. Therefore, this alternative
embodiment of the stand-off while providing the benefits
of the stand-off discussed above also functions as part
of the valve assembly. While the preferred embodiment in
Figures 7 and 8 utilizes two slits or holes 58, it is
understood that one slit or hole or a plurality of slits
and holes may be used without departing from the scope of
the invention.
[0032] As seen above, large compression storage bags
can be made using a simple and inexpensive valve based on
the improved stand-offs of the invention. The stand-off
of the present invention provides for improved air flow
in evacuating air from a large vacuum compression storage
bag. The stand-off may be used with a label valve as
disclosed herein or with other one-way valves known in
the art. The stand-off also provides additional rigidity
to the bag at the valve which is useful in large storage
bags.
[0033] The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are
not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit
the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments
were chosen and described in order to explain the
principles of the present invention so that others
skilled in the art may practice the invention. As will
be apparent to one skilled in the art, various
modifications can be made within the scope of the
aforesaid description. For example, while the invention
has been disclosed in relation to large storage bags, it
may be useful in smaller vacuum compression storage bags.
Such modifications being within the ability of one
11
CA 02755105 2011-10-14
skilled in the art form a part of the present invention
and are embraced by the appended claims.
12
