Three way convertible containment device
OwnerAmy S. Fazackerley, Adam D. Fazackerleyinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A containment device that converts between three different forms and includes a multilayer base. The forms include: 1) a mat or work surface that has a raised lip or edge structure that contains items on the mat or work surface; 2) a small volume bag or flexible container for holding the items inside, where the lip is gathered or compacted, e.g., by a drawstring, to form an annulus from the lip; and 3) a larger-volume, cylindrical-shaped bag, which may be used as a shopping bag. The cylindrical-shaped bag may be stored between the layers of the base when the device is in the mat configuration or the drawstring bag configuration, and the lip may be stored between the layers of the base when the device is in the cylindrical-shaped bag configuration.
Claims20
A device for containing items, the device comprising:
- a flexible, polygonal base that has a perimeter and that comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material, wherein the first layer of material includes an opening;
- a flexible lip having a length that is approximately equal to a circumference of the flexible, polygonal base, the flexible lip comprising at least one piece of thin material that is configured to form at least one envelope;
- wherein the flexible lip is attached near the perimeter of the flexible, polygonal base such that, in a first configuration, at least a portion of the flexible lip is disposed partially perpendicular to the flexible polygonal base when the flexible polygonal base is deployed flat in a substantially horizontal position;
- at least one cord running through the at least one envelope of the flexible lip, wherein pulling the at least one cord forms the device into a first bag that has an annular passage that is nearly completely closed by the at least one piece of thin material of the flexible lip;
- and
- a flexible wall that is attached to the flexible, polygonal base such that the flexible, polygonal base and the wall form an approximately cylindrical bag when the device is in a second configuration;
- wherein the flexible wall of the approximately cylindrical bag is disposed between the first layer of material and the second layer of material of the base when the device is in the first configuration,
- wherein the flexible lip is disposed between the first layer of material and the second layer of material of the base when the device is in the second configuration;
- and
- wherein the flexible lip and the flexible wall of the approximately cylindrical bag are attached near the perimeter of the flexible, polygonal base by stitches.
A device for containing items, the device comprising:
- a flexible, approximately polygonal base that has a perimeter and that comprises a first layer of material and a second layer of material, wherein the first layer of material includes an opening;
- a flexible lip having a length that is approximately equal to a circumference of the flexible, approximately polygonal base, the flexible lip comprising at least one piece of thin material that is configured to form at least one envelope;
- wherein the flexible lip is attached by stitches to the flexible, approximately polygonal base such that, in a first configuration, at least a portion of the flexible lip is disposed partially perpendicular to the flexible, approximately polygonal base when the flexible, approximately polygonal base is deployed flat in a substantially horizontal position;
- at least one cord running through the at least one envelope of the flexible lip, wherein pulling the at least one cord forms the device into a first bag that has an annular passage that is nearly completely closed by the at least one piece of thin material of the flexible lip;
- and
- a flexible wall that is attached by stitches to the flexible, approximately polygonal base such that the flexible, approximately polygonal base and the wall form an approximately cylindrical bag when the device is in a second configuration;
- wherein the flexible wall of the approximately cylindrical bag is disposed between the first layer of material and the second layer of material of the base when the device is in the first configuration, and
- wherein the flexible lip is disposed between the first layer of material and the second layer of material of the base when the device is in the second configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.