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(11) | EP 2 957 274 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | HYGIENIC DISPOSABLE BAG |
| (57) A hygienic barf bag has been realized starting from a single film of a bi-laminated
material, folded and sewed so as to form a foldable bag in the form of a bracelet.
Once folded, the bag/bracelet looks fine and does not allow to figure out the use
to which it is destined and may be easily worn by a user.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to hygienic bags and more particularly to a hygienic disposable barf bag.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Barf bags are widely diffused in airplanes and in tourist buses. They are very useful for immediately helping travelers affected by motion sickness in a plane or in a car and for this reason these transportation means must be equipped with them, but their presence may disturb.
[0003] It would be preferable for people affected by motion sickness to bring along a barf bag to be used in case of need. Nevertheless, in order to be used because of a sudden illness, users should keep the bag at hand.
SUMMARY
[0004] In order to obviate to these drawbacks, the inventors have devised a hygienic bag realized from a sheet of bi-laminated material, folded and sewed so as to form a bag that may be folded to assume the shape of a bracelet, that users may easily bring along because it looks fine and does not allow to figure out the use to which it is destined. This hygienic disposable bag comprises a bi-laminated film comprising a layer of waterproof material coupled with a layer of absorbing material, pleated transversally in correspondence of a central portion so as to define at least three valley folds on the layer of absorbing material and to leave at the exterior the waterproof layer, with substantially matched opposed longitudinal edges joined between them for forming a pocket open at one side. The bag is obtained by turning inside out said pocket for placing on the inside the layer of waterproof material and placing on the outside the layer of absorbing material, the pleats of said central portion defining oblong pockets for containing the folded bag. The bag also comprises means for fastening firmly to a wrist of a user, the fastening means being tied to or inserted in one of the oblong containment pockets.
[0005] According to an embodiment, the means for fastening firmly comprise two tapes inserted from opposite sides in an intermediate fold of the valley folds and the opposed longitudinal sides are tied between them and to a respective tape for forming the pocket opened at one side. By turning inside out the pocket, both the layer of absorbing material as well as the tapes for fastening to a wrist are turned outwards.
[0006] According to an alternative embodiment, the means for fastening are composed of a plate that is substantially planar and plastically deformable for being conformed firmly to the wrist of the user, inserted in one of the oblong containment pockets.
[0007] The claims as filed are integral part of this specification and are herein incorporated by reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008]
Figure 1 shows, from the side of the absorbing material, an embodiment according to this disclosure of a bi-laminated film pleated in correspondence of a central portion with three valley folds.
Figure 2 shows the insertion of two tapes threaded in an intermediate valley fold of the bi-laminated film and of a closing lace in a channel realized by folding an edge of the bag.
Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the hygienic bag of the present invention in a completely opened position.
Figures from 4a, 4b to 7a, 7b illustrate operations for closing the hygienic bag of figure 3 up to make it assume the shape of a bracelet.
Figures from 8 to 11 illustrate operations for opening a prototype of the hygienic bag of figure 3.
Figure 12 depicts the hygienic bag of figure 8 folded as a bracelet and closed by an elastic ring that prevents its accidental unrolling.
Figures from 13 to 15 show a plastically deformable plate inserted in an oblong pocket, for fastening to the wrist a bag folded as a bracelet according to the present disclosure without fastening tapes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] A preferred embodiment of the disposable hygienic bag of the present invention is shown in figures from 1 to 3. It substantially comprises a bi-laminated film 1 comprising a layer of waterproof material 2, destined to remain inside the bag, and a layer of absorbing material 3 that will constitute the outside of the bag.
[0010] Preferably but not mandatorily, the bi-laminated film is composed of a waterproof layer made of polyethylene and of an absorbing layer of non-woven fabric of spunbond type. The bi-laminated film 1 is transversally pleated in correspondence of a central portion so as to define at least three valley folds 41, 4c, on the absorbing layer 3. Once pleated, the bi-laminated film looks as in figure 1, with the waterproof layer 2 disposed outwards and with opposed longitudinal edges, that will be attached along the substantially matched dashed lines 5a, 5b. Preferably but not necessarily, the edges 6 destined to remain free and to constitute the opening edge of the bag, after having attached the opposed longitudinal sides along the dashed lines 5, are folded and fixed to the bilaminated film for defining a channel 7, that may be for example 1 cm wide.
[0011] As shown in figure 2, according to the preferred embodiment depicted in the mentioned figures, in an intermediate valley fold 4c of the bi-laminated film 1 two tapes 8a and 8b are inserted for fastening to the wrist of a user. To this end, a tape 8a will have at least a male portion of a snap fastener 9a and the other tape 8b will have at least a female portion of a snap fastener 9b. As an alternative (not depicted in the figures), the male portion of the snap fastener may be replaced with common and the female portion of the snap fastener may be replaced with button holes. According to yet another alternative embodiment (not depicted in the figures), it is possible to replace the male and female portions of the snap fasteners with hook and loop fasteners (Velcro™).
[0012] According to another embodiment, that will be illustrated hereinafter, the bag is realized without tapes and is fastened to the wrist by means of a plastically deformable thin plate.
[0013] More generally, the bag folded as a bracelet is fixed using means for fastening adapted to fasten it firmly to the wrist of the user, the expression means for fastening referring to any suitable element such as the two tapes with snap fasteners or buttons and button holes or hook and loop fasteners (Velcro™), or the plastically deformable plate, or even two laces that may be knotted together around the wrist. In the ensuing description, reference will be made to the preferred embodiment in which the bag has two tapes provided with male and female portions of snap fasteners.
[0014] The opposed longitudinal edges are sewed along the lines 5a and 5b together with the respective tapes 8a and 8b and a closing lace 10 is inserted in the channel 7 for closing the bag after its use. Once these operations are carried out, the so realized pocket is turned inside out for turning inward the layer of impermeable material 2 and bringing outward the absorbing layer 3 and the tapes 8a and 8b, as shown in figure 3.
[0015] The hygienic bag of figure 3 may be folded to constitute a bracelet by carrying out the operations illustrated in the figures from 4a, 4b to 7a, 7b. In practice, the central fold 41, 4c, after having turned inside out the pocket, forms two oblong pockets each adapted to contain the folded bag. The invention of the present disclosure will appear as shown in figure 7a and in this form, folded as a bracelet, it may be easily worn by a user around his/her wrist.
[0016] The layer of absorbing material will be in contact with the skin, thus the bag/bracelet may be worn around the wrist without annoying. The fact that there is a plurality of buttons/snap fasteners allows to regulate the bracelet at the right size.
[0017] Figure 8 depicts a prototype of the hygienic bag of the present invention as it could be marketed, ready to be worn. In case, the bag is detached from the user's wrist, it is opened by removing it from the oblong containment pocket, as shown in figure 9, then it is unrolled completely (figure 10) and opened (figure 11). Once used, by pulling the closing lace the bag will keep its content without leaving it leaking out.
[0018] Optionally, in order to prevent the bag from exiting from the oblong pocket in which it is contained when folded as a bracelet, it may be provided with a containment ring or band, as shown in figure 12, positioned so as to prevent its undesired opening. This ring, that will not be soiled and thus that may be reused, will conveniently have a decoration element that will make the product more attractive.
[0019] According to an alternative embodiment shown in figures from 13 to 15, the bag is realized without tapes and is fastened to the wrist by means of a plastically deformable thin plate 11 inserted in one of the oblong pockets. This plate may be realized for example with a metal core covered with plastic or with rubber and may be conformed to the wrist of a user holding it firmly. When the bag is to be used, the bracelet is opened by bending the plate 11 and the bag inserted in one of the oblong pockets is unrolled. Preferably, the size of the bag may be of about 20cm x 20.5cm when completely open, and the tapes 8a and 8b may be about 2cm x 5cm and 2cm x 2.5cm, respectively. When folded, the bag/bracelet may be 2.5cm wide and 17cm long.
a bi-laminated film comprising a layer of waterproof material coupled with a layer of absorbing material, said bi-laminated film being pleated transversally in correspondence of a central portion so as to define at least three valley folds on the layer of absorbing material and to leave at the outside the waterproof layer with substantially matched opposed longitudinal edges, said opposed longitudinal edges being attached together for defining a pocket open at one side and the bag being obtained by turning inside out said pocket for placing inside the layer of waterproof material and placing outside the layer of absorbing material, pleats of said central portion defining oblong pockets for containing the folded bag;
means for fastening firmly to a wrist of a user, tied to or inserted in one of said oblong containment pockets.
said means for fastening firmly comprise two tapes inserted from opposite sides in an intermediate fold of said valley folds;
said opposed longitudinal sides are tied between them and to a respective tape of said tapes for forming said pocket opened at one side;
the bag being obtained by turning inside out said pocket bringing outside the tapes.
a free edge of the bag is folded inside or is folded toward the outside of the bag and is fixed to the bi-laminated film so as to define a channel;
said bag comprises a closing lace threaded in a sliding manner in said channel.