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(11) | EP 4 516 157 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | CLOTHES PACKING DEVICE |
| (57) There is disclosed a rollable clothing packing device comprising: a fabric body having
an outer surface and an inner surface and having first and second opposing edges,
and third and fourth opposing edges; a pocket disposed on the outer surface at the
first edge of the fabric body, the pocket having an opening facing towards the opposing
second edge of the fabric body; and one or more visual markings formed on the outer
and/or inner surface, the one or more visual markings configured to indicate a folding
pattern for the fabric body in which the third and fourth edges are folded inwardly
over the inner surface towards a centreline of the fabric body.
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Background
[0001] It is often desirable to separate dirty items of clothing such as sports clothing from other clean items in order to keep the clean items from becoming dirty. For example, when travelling, it is often desirable to separate clean, unworn clothes, from dirty clothes. This may be difficult or impractical when a traveller has only one bag in which they must contain all of their possessions (e.g., work equipment, clothing, stationery, etc.), potentially leading to the dirty clothes imparting dirt or odour onto the clean clothes or other items in the bag. It is also often desirable to protect delicate or fragile items when travelling to avoid damaging them.
[0002] Several devices exist which attempt to address these issues, but many are often complicated to use, difficult to clean, or otherwise unsuited to fulfilling the tasks mentioned above. Therefore, there exists a need for a new device which eliminates such problems.
Summary
[0003] In a first aspect, there is provided a rollable clothing packing device comprising: a fabric body having an outer surface and an inner surface and having first and second opposing edges, and third and fourth opposing edges; a pocket disposed on the outer surface at the first edge of the fabric body, the pocket having an opening facing towards the opposing second edge of the fabric body; and one or more visual markings formed on the outer and/or inner surface, the one or more visual markings configured to indicate a folding pattern for the fabric body in which the third and fourth edges are folded inwardly over the inner surface towards a centreline of the fabric body.
[0004] The third and fourth edges may be folded inwardly over the inner surface to meet at the centreline of the fabric body. The one or more visual markings may indicate a folding pattern in which the third and fourth edges are folded inwardly over the inner surface to meet at a centreline of the fabric body.
[0005] The visual markings may comprise: a first marking on the outer surface at the third edge of the fabric body and a second complementary marking on the outer surface at the fourth edge of the fabric body, the first and second markings may align so as to form a combined marking when the third and fourth edges are folded to meet at the centreline of the fabric body.
[0006] The first marking may comprise a plurality of first markings on the outer surface at the third edge and the second marking may comprise a plurality of second markings on the outer surface at the fourth edge.
[0007] The visual markings may comprise: a first marking on the outer surface at the third edge of the fabric body, a second marking on the outer surface at the fourth edge of the fabric body, and a third marking on the inner surface of the fabric body, the first, second, and third markings may align so as to form a combined marking when the third and fourth edges are folded towards the centreline of the fabric body.
[0008] The visual markings may comprise a centreline indicator, and at least one fold line indicator located between the centreline indicator and the third or fourth edge, and optionally two fold line indicators located between the centreline indicator and the third and fourth edges respectively, optionally the at least fold line indicator may be located substantially equidistant between the centreline indicator and the third and/or fourth edge.
[0009] The centreline indicator and the fold line indicators may be located on the inner and/or outer surfaces.
[0011] The fabric body may be substantially rectangular, and optionally the first and second edges may be substantially parallel, and the third and fourth edges may be substantially parallel.
[0012] The pocket may comprise a fabric pocket element configured to overlay a portion of the outer surface, the fabric pocket element may be secured to the first edge of the fabric body, and first and second lateral edges of the fabric pocket element may be secured to the fabric body, so as to form a space between the fabric pocket element and the outer surface.
[0013] The fabric pocket element may be an integral portion of the fabric body. The first edge of the fabric body may be formed by folding the fabric pocket element back over the fabric body to overlay a portion of the fabric body. In this way, the fabric pocket element is secured to the first edge of the fabric body by virtue of being an integral part of the fabric body, and it may then be formed into the pocket by securing the lateral edges of the fabric pocket element to the third and fourth edges of the fabric body, such as by stitching. In other examples, the fabric element may be a separate piece of fabric which is arranged to overlay the outer surface and stitched or otherwise secured to the first, third and fourth edges of the fabric body.
[0014] The fabric element may be formed of two fabric layers which form a second pocket space therebetween, an opening of the second pocket space may be arranged on the outer surface at the first edge and facing away from the opposing second edge of the fabric body. In other words, the second pocket space may be arranged to face in the opposite direction to the first pocket space.
[0015] The first and second edges of the fabric body may be shorter than the third and fourth edges of the fabric body.
[0016] The pocket may span at least half the first edge, and optionally the entire first edge of the fabric body.
[0017] An aspect ratio of the fabric body may be between 11:16 and 15:16, or may be between 12:16 and 14:16, or may be between 12:16 and 13:16.
[0018] A ratio of the third and fourth edge lengths to the pocket height may be between 4:1 and 5:1, or may be 32:7.
[0019] The rollable clothing packing device may be configured to be manipulated from an unrolled configuration into a rolled configuration according to the steps of: folding the third edge of the fabric body towards the centreline on the inner surface; folding the fourth edge of the fabric body towards the third edge and the centreline on the inner surface; rolling the second edge down the length of the fabric body until reaching the first edge; and inverting the pocket and wrapping the inverted pocket around the rolled fabric body so as to contain at least a portion of the rolled fabric body within the inverted pocket.
[0020] The manipulation steps may further comprise the initial step of placing one or more items of clothing onto a storage portion of the inner surface, the storage portion being located substantially centrally on the inner surface and being spaced apart from the first, second, third, and fourth edges.
[0021] The rollable clothing packing device may further comprise a visual marking on the inner surface indicating a size, location, and/or shape of the storage portion.
[0022] A ratio of the storage portion height to the pocket height may be between2:1 and 3:1, or may be 17:7.
[0023] The first and second edges of the fabric body may be at least 5cm in length, and may be between 9 cm and 100 cm in length and the third and fourth edges of the fabric body may be at least 10 cm in length, and may be between 12 cm and 128 cm in length.
[0025] The fabric body may be formed of first and second fabric panels attached together at their peripheral edges, thereby forming the inner and outer surfaces of the fabric body respectively, optionally the first and second fabric panels may be formed from different fabrics, and optionally a further layer may be disposed between the first and second fabric panels.
[0026] The first and second fabric panels may be sewn together at a seam along each edge of the first and second fabric panels, optionally the seam may be formed within 10 mm of each edge.
[0027] The rollable clothing packing device may be particularly suited for use by commuters or those travelling for business. The rollable clothing packing device may fit into a cabin bag suitable for stowage in the cabin of, for example, an aircraft or a train.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0028] Arrangements of the invention will now be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figures 1A-1B show a method of assembly of an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 1C shows an alternative method of assembly of an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 1D shows a further embodiment according to the present invention with first and second pockets;
Figures 2A-2D show an embodiment of the present invention in various stages of use;
Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention with alternative markings; and
Figure 4 shows an additional use of the embodiment shown in Figures 2A-2D.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
[0029] Figures 1A and 1B show an embodiment of a rollable packing device 10 (also referred to as "device 10") according to the present invention. Turning to Figure 1A, a plan view of an unassembled device 10 is shown. In this unassembled form, the device 10 comprises a fabric body 100 formed of a flexible fabric material (or materials) and has first, second, third and fourth edges 110', 120, 130 and 140, which in this example form a rectangular shape for the fabric body 100. The fabric body 100 has a fold line 103 parallel and proximate to the first edge 110'. The fold line 103 separates the majority of the fabric body 100 from a fabric element 155, which is used to form a pocket 150.
[0030] To assemble the device 10, the fabric element 155 (i.e., an end portion of the fabric sheet which forms the fabric body 100) is folded over and onto the fabric body 100 at the fold line 103. As shown in Figure 1B, once the fabric element 155 is folded over, it is secured to the fabric body 100 at its lateral edges (shown as stitched seams 152, 154), thereby forming a pocket 150 with an opening 151 at the first edge 110 of the fabric body 100. Once assembled, the rectangular fabric body 100 (also referred to as body 100 or fabric body 100) comprises an outer surface 102 and an inner surface 104 (shown in Figures 2A-2D). The outer and inner surfaces are so named because they form the inner and outer surfaces of the device 10 when in use, but it should be understood that they are simply the opposing surfaces of the fabric body 100. The device has a first edge 110 and a second edge 120 opposite the first edge 110, a third edge 130 adjacent to the first and second edges 110, 120, and a fourth edge 140 opposite the third edge 130. The fold line 103 becomes the first edge 110 once the fabric element 155 has been folded back onto the fabric body 100 and secured at its lateral edges.
[0031] As shown in Figure 1C, in some alternative embodiments such as device 20, a similar pocket 250 is formed of a separate fabric element 255 which is secured along three of its edges to the body 200 at the first edge 210. The separate fabric element 255 is secured by stitching at seams 252, 253, 254, while leaving the top edge open to create a pocket opening 251. In some embodiments, the pocket 250 does not span the entire width of the body 200, for instance the pocket 250 may span half of the width of the body 200 and may be positioned at the first edge 210, equidistant from the third and fourth edges 230, 240.
[0032] In some embodiments (such as the embodiment shown in Figure 1D), the device 30 may include a fabric element 355 which is formed of two fabric layers. The two fabric layers may be arranged one on top of the other on the outer surface 302 and at the first edge 310 of the fabric body 300 to form both the first pocket 350 and a second pocket 360. The opening 351 of the first pocket 350 may face towards the opposing second edge 320 (as described above) while the opening 361 of the second pocket 360 may face away from the opposing second edge 320, in the opposite direction to the first pocket opening 351.
[0033] In embodiments with first and second pockets, the pockets 350, 360 may be formed by overlaying an extended pocket element 355 onto the fabric body 300 twice. In this way, the pocket element 355 is initially folded over onto the fabric body 300 to form the second pocket 360 then the folded portion is folded over onto the outer surface 302 again to form the first pocket 360. During the second fold, it will be understood that the direction faced by the second pocket 360 reverses, resulting in the second pocket 360 facing away from the opposing second edge 320. The lateral edges 352, 354 of each folded section are then secured to the third and fourth edges 330, 340 of the fabric body 300, thereby forming the first and second pockets 350, 360 with opposing openings 351, 361.
[0034] In some embodiments, the fabric body 100, 200, 300 may be formed of first and second rectangular panels of substantially the same size which are attached together. In these embodiments, the two panels are stitched together along each of their peripheral edges thereby forming the fabric body 100, 200, 300. Once attached, only one side of each panel is externally visible. The external sides of the first and second panels form the outer surface and inner surface of the fabric body 100, 200, 300, respectively. In some embodiments a layer of material such as foam or felt may be disposed between the first and second panels to provide additional padding or other functionality. For instance, in some embodiments, a layer of water impermeable material (e.g., plastic film) may be disposed between the first and second panels to prevent liquids from passing from one side of the fabric body 100, 200, 300 through to the other.
[0035] The panels are generally made of woven fabric materials, particularly woven natural fibre materials. Applicable natural fibre materials include (but are not limited to) cotton, linen, hemp, and other derivatives. Such fibres are typically woven to form, for instance, poplin, canvas, twill, drill, or fabrics with other similar weave pattens. Materials formed of synthetic or blended fibres may also be applicable to the present invention. Materials with a degree of elasticity may be particularly useful.
[0036] When determining whether a particular fibre or material is suitable for use, account should be taken of the material smoothness, fuzziness, and linearity of any weave texture. Materials with low smoothness, high fuzziness, and/or low weave linearity may be particularly applicable to the present invention. Materials with antimicrobial characteristics may be used to improve the cleanliness of the device 10, 20, 30 when in use. Any materials used may alternatively or additionally be treated so as to acquire antimicrobial characteristics.
[0037] In some examples, the inner and outer surfaces of the device 10 may have different colours, so as to quickly and easily indicate to a user the correct orientation of the device.
[0038] In general, devices according to the present disclosure have first and second edges of at least 5 cm in length and third and fourth edges of at least 10 cm in length. Often such devices will have first and second edges of between 9 cm and 100 cm in length and third and fourth edges of between 12 cm and 128 cm in length. Such devices are particularly usable as they are able to contain and compress an adequate quantity of clothes while still being highly compact when rolled (as will be described below). This compactness and compression is important as it enables the device to be easily transported by a user without taking up excess space in a larger bag. The compression provided by the device also leads to the clothes or other items being secured and unable to move around inside the device.
[0039] It will be understood that some devices according to this invention may depart from these dimensions, however generally devices will have an overall aspect ratio of between 11:16 and 15:16. Such aspect ratios provide adequate material to sufficiently cover the contained clothes while minimising the overlapping of excess material which may lead to an increased size of the rolled device.
[0040] In general, the height of the pocket (of the device as manufactured) is between one fifth and one quarter of the length of the third and fourth edges. This height ensures there is adequate volume inside the pocket to contain the rolled device. Similarly, the storage portion (described below) will generally have a height of between one third and one half of the length of the third and fourth edges. This ensures there is sufficient material around the storage portion to entirely encapsulate the clothes placed within once rolled.
[0041] The following description will refer, in particular, to the embodiment shown in Figures 1A and 1B where the pocket 150 is formed by folding and securing the fabric pocket element 155. However, it will be understood that the description is also applicable to the embodiments shown in Figures 1C and 1D, and indeed to many other embodiments not specifically shown.
[0042] In a primary use case, the device 10 (and other devices within the scope of this disclosure) is used to separate dirty and clean clothes by isolating clothes placed inside the device 10 from the external environment. To that end, the device 10 is capable of being manipulated so as to form a compact, self-securing roll which entirely encapsulates any clothes placed within. Devices according to the principles of the present disclosure are simple to use, self-contained, and are easily washable. Devices according to the principles of the present disclosure also have a minimised environmental impact and ease of manufacture. The elimination of the need for fasteners (as the device is self-securing) means the use of additional materials in fasteners for the device is not present, and that additional manufacturing steps for attaching fasteners and the like are avoided. The device may be formed of a biodegradable material to further minimise its environmental impact.
[0043] Turning now to Figure 2A, which shows a plan view of the inner surface 104 of the device 10 (the reverse of the outer surface 102 shown in Figure 1B), clothes may initially be placed into a storage portion 108 on the inner surface 104. The storage portion 108 is marked on the inner surface 104 to indicate to the user the shape, dimensions, and position of the storage portion 108. The visual indication of the storage portion 108 may allow a user to position clothes more reliably to be stored in the correct location to provide optimal use of the device 10. The storage portion 108 is generally rectangular in shape, following a substantially similar aspect ratio to the fabric body 100, and has a length of generally between half and three quarters of the length of the fabric body 100. The width of the storage portion 108 is generally half the width of the fabric body 100 and the storage portion 108 is generally centred on the width axis of the fabric body 100.
[0044] The next step in manipulating the device 10 is to fold the third edge 130 of the fabric body 100 along a first fold line 105 to the centreline 106 of the inner surface 104, thereby covering half of the storage portion 108 and any clothes contained within. It will be understood that, depending on height of the clothes stacked in the storage portion 108, the third edge 130 may not fully meet the centreline 106, however the third edge 130 must be able to at least partially cover the stacked clothes. In other words, the third edge 130 must be folded towards the centreline 106.
[0045] The fourth edge 140 is then folded along a second fold line 107 towards the centreline 106 and the third edge 130, as shown in Figure 2B. Again, it will be understood that the fourth edge 140 may not fully meet the centreline 106 or the third edge 130, however the fourth edge 140 must also be able to at least partially cover the stacked clothes. At this stage, the clothes in the storage portion 108 will generally be (at least partially) covered. Generally, the first and second fold lines 105, 107 are colinear with the two longer sides of the storage portion 108, however they may alternatively be closer to the third and fourth edges 130, 140, respectively. Once the third and fourth edges 130, 140 have been folded, the inner surface 104 is generally no longer externally visible. However, where the fold lines are not colinear with the sides of the storage portion 108 (i.e., they are closer to the third and fourth edges 130, 140), a portion of the inner surface 104 may still be visible (shown in Figure 3). It will be appreciated that either the third or fourth edge 130, 140 may be folded over first.
[0046] In some embodiments, including the embodiment shown in Figure 2B, the outer surface 102 may contain first and second markings 132, 142 at the third and fourth edges 130, 140, respectively. These markings 132, 142 may form a combined marking 109 when the third and fourth edges 130, 140 are folded together and aligned correctly at the centreline 106. The first and second markings 132, 142 being aligned to form the combined marking 109 indicates to the user that they have correctly folded the fabric body 100. The first and second markings 132, 142 may each comprise a plurality of markings 132a, 132b, 132c, 142a, 142b, 142c.
[0047] In some embodiments such as the one shown in Figure 3, the outer surface 102 may contain first and second markings 132b, 142b at the third and fourth edges 130, 140, respectively, and the inner surface 104 may comprise a third marking 156. If the third and fourth edges 130, 140 are not folded to meet the centreline 106, but are instead folded towards the centreline 106 (for instance, because many clothes are being packed and the third and fourth edges 130, 140 will not reach the centreline 106) to partially cover to inner surface 104, then the first, second, and third markings 132b, 142b, 156 all align to form a combined marking 109b. Figure 3 shows the markings 132b, 142b, 156 above the storage portion 108, close to the second edge 120 of the fabric body 100. It will be understood that where a third marking 156 such as the one described is used, it will be in a position visible to a user when clothes are placed into the storage portion 108. As shown, additional first and second markings 132a, 142a may also be disposed close to the second edge 120 and/or markings 132c, 142c may be disposed on the pocket 150. The markings 132c, 142c depict the front and back halves of a dog which would combine to form a dog shape.
[0048] Returning to Figure 3, the combined markings 109a, 109b, 109c formed are recognisable markings which the user understands to mean the first and second markings 132, 142 have been aligned correctly and therefore that the third and fourth edges 130, 140 have been folded correctly. The first and second markings 132, 142 may combine to form a word or a recognisable shape or image, where it would be apparent to the user once such a word, shape, or image had been formed and therefore that they had folded the fabric 100 correctly. In the case of Figure 2B, the combined marking 109b is a circle. In the case of Figure 3, the combined marking 109b is a pill shape while the combined marking 109c is a dog shape. Generally, the combined marking 109 will appear to span the interface between the third and fourth edges 130, 140. As noted above, in some embodiments, each of the first, second, and/or third markings 132, 142, 156 may comprise multiple first, second, and/or third markings along the third and fourth edges 130, 140 and on the inner surface 104, respectively.
[0049] In some embodiments, the first and second fold lines 105, 107 and the centreline 106 are visibly marked onto the inside and/or outside surface. These visible markings guide the user by indicating the folding pattern for correctly folding the device 10. For instance, the visible markings indicating the fold lines 105, 107 indicate to the user where to fold the fabric body 100 and the centreline 106 indicates where the third and fourth edges should meet. It will be apparent that such visible markings may be disposed on the inner surface 104 (where they will indicate to the user the location of the fold lines 105, 107 before the process of folding has begun) and/or on the outer surface 102 (where they will be become visible to the user once the user has folded the device correctly).
[0050] It should be understood that, put more generally, the markings 132, 142, 156, and the fold lines 105,107 and centreline 106, are each visual markings which are configured to indicate a folding pattern for the fabric body 100 in which the third and fourth edges 130, 140 are folded inwardly over the inner surface 104 towards a centreline 106 of the fabric body 100. Each set of markings (i.e., the markings 132, 142, 156; and the lines 105, 106, 107) can each indicate this folding pattern, but a further improvement to useability may be provided by including multiple visual markings which indicate the correct folding pattern, such as in the embodiment of Figure 2A and 2B or Figure 3.
[0051] As shown in Figure 2C, the next step in manipulating the device 10 is to roll the fabric body 100 from the second edge 120 to the first edge 110, thereby forming an approximately cylindrical shape from the fabric body 100, where only the outer surface 102 of the fabric body 100 is visible. Starting by turning the second edge 120 over, then continuing to rotate the second edge 120 as the fabric body 100 is wrapped around the second edge 120, the rolled fabric body 100 begins to form. The rolling is complete once the second edge 120 has been rotated all the way down to the first edge 110, so the entire fabric body 100 is now rolled into a cylindrical shape. The pocket 150 (which is on the outer surface 102 and is therefore on the outside of the rolled fabric body 100) is then turned inside out and, in doing so, is pulled over the rolled fabric body 100, causing at least part of the rolled fabric body 100 to be contained within the now inverted pocket 150'. Figure 2D shows the device 10 in the rolled configuration with the rolled fabric body 100 contained partially within the inverted pocket 150'. Only the outer surface 102 is visible.
[0052] In embodiments which include both a first and a second pocket (as described above), the first pocket is turned inside out, and the rolled fabric body is pushed inside the inverted first pocket to encapsulate the rolled fabric body. As a result of the inversion of the first pocket, the second pocket opening becomes exposed on the outside of the rolled fabric body. The second pocket can then either be used to contain additional small items (as will be described later), or the second pocket can be inverted and folded around the rolled fabric body to further secure the rolled fabric body and prevent it from coming loose. It will be understood that by inverting the second pocket, the maximum volume of the rolled fabric body which can be encapsulated is increased. It will also be understood that this increase means that additional clothing can be contained by the device. In embodiments which include both a water impermeable layer between the first and second panels of the fabric body and first and second pockets, the chance of water ingress into or out of the rolled fabric body is reduced, as the second pocket helps to seal an ingress (or egress) point between the first pocket and the rolled fabric body.
[0053] Where such a device is used to contain, compress, and secure a wet item of clothing (for instance a swimming costume) the water retained in the fabric of the clothing is inhibited from seeping or escaping out from the inside of the rolled fabric body.
[0054] The materials used to form the fabric body 100 (and in particular the smoothness, fuzziness, and weave pattern of the materials) are such as to ensure adequate friction between the inside of the inverted pocket 150' (the inside of the inverted pocket 150' being formed of the outer surface 102) and the rolled fabric body 100, to prevent the rolled fabric body 100 from leaving the inverted pocket 150' unintentionally. As a result, no fasteners (e.g., buttons, buckles, pop fasteners, hook and loop fasteners) are required to hold the rolled fabric body 100 in the compact, rolled form. Once in this state, the clothes packed within the device 10 are entirely encapsulated and thus any dirt on them cannot be transferred to any other items outside of the device 10. Equally clean clothes inside the device 10 are protected from contamination from external dirt. The device 10 can then be placed into a larger bag without the risk of other items in the larger bag coming into contact with the contents of the device 10.
[0055] Once the device 10 has been used and has therefore come into contact with dirty clothes or other items in some way, the device 10 can be cleaned. In many embodiments, the device 10 is formed of materials compatible with washing in a standard domestic washing machine.
[0056] As shown in Figure 4, one or more additional objects 12, 14, 16 can be placed into the inverted pocket 150'. Particularly, items which are delicate or fragile may be placed into the inverted pocket 150' to protect them from damage. Adding small objects 12, 14, 16 into the inverted pocket 150' also helps to avoid losing such items in a larger bag amongst other contents.
[0057] As noted above, in embodiments with a first and a second pocket (the opening of which becomes exposed on the outside of the rolled fabric body when the first pocket is inverted), small objects can also be placed into the second pocket between the wall of the second pocket and rolled fabric body. Therefore, in embodiments with two pockets, small objects can be placed in both the inverted first pocket and the second pocket. Objects placed into these pockets are separated by a layer of fabric therebetween and as a result are substantially protected from damage.
[0058] Any markings on the outer or inner surfaces 102, 104 (such as the marking for the storage portion 108, and first and second markings 132, 142) may be printed or otherwise marked onto the fabric body 100 (e.g., by screen printing or digital printing), may be embroidered, or may be provided in some other way. The fold lines 105, 107 and centreline 106 may also be marked on the fabric body 100.
[0059] Any markings added to the fabric body 100 may be affixed after the pocket 150 has been formed and/or after the first and second panels have been attached.
[0060] It will be appreciated that the maximum capacity (the maximum containable volume of clothes) of the device 10 is limited by the fabric body 100 size, pocket 150 size and material thickness. At dimensions of 64 cm in length and 49 cm in width, an exemplary device is capable of containing a volume of 3 litres.
[0061] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the invention has been described by way of example, with reference to one or more exemplary rollable clothing packing devices, it is not limited to the disclosed examples and that alternative examples could be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
1. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) comprising:
a fabric body (100) having an outer surface (102) and an inner surface (104) and having first and second opposing edges (110, 120), and third and fourth opposing edges (130, 140);
a pocket (150) disposed on the outer surface (102) at the first edge (110) of the fabric body (100), the pocket (150) having an opening (151) facing towards the opposing second edge (120) of the fabric body (100); and
one or more visual markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) formed on the outer and/or inner surface (102, 104), the one or more visual markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) configured to indicate a folding pattern for the fabric body (100) in which the third and fourth edges (130, 140) are folded inwardly over the inner surface (104) towards a centreline (106) of the fabric body (100).
2. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the
one or more visual markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) are
configured to indicate a folding pattern for the fabric body (100) in which the third
and fourth edges (130, 140) are folded inwardly over the inner surface (104) to meet
at the centreline (106) of the fabric body (100), optionally wherein the visual markings
(132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) comprise:
a first marking on the outer surface (102) at the third edge (130) of the fabric body (100) and a second complementary marking on the outer surface (102) at the fourth edge (140) of the fabric body (100),
wherein the first and second markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) align so as to form a combined marking (109, 109a, 109b, 109c) when the third and fourth edges (130, 140) are folded to meet at the centreline (106) of the fabric body (100).
3. A rollable clothing pathing device (10, 20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the
visual markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) comprise:
a first marking (132) on the outer surface (102) at the third edge (130) of the fabric body (100), a second marking (142) on the outer surface (102) at the fourth edge (142) of the fabric body (100), and a third marking (156) on the inner surface (104) of the fabric body (100),
wherein the first, second, and third markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c, 156) align so as to form a combined marking (109, 109a, 109b, 109c) when the third and fourth edges (130, 140) are folded towards the centreline (106) of the fabric body (100).
4. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the visual markings (132, 132a, 132b, 132c, 142, 142a, 142b, 142c,
156) comprise a centreline (106) indicator, and at least one fold line indicator located
between the centreline (106) indicator and the third or fourth edge (130, 140), and
optionally two fold line indicators located between the centreline (106) indicator
and the third and fourth edges (130, 140) respectively, optionally wherein the or
each fold line indicator is located substantially equidistant between the centreline
(106) indicator and the third and/or fourth edge (130, 140).
5. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the fabric body (100) is substantially rectangular, and optionally
wherein the first and second edges (110, 120) are substantially parallel, and wherein
the third and fourth edges (130, 140) are substantially parallel.
6. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the pocket (150, 250, 340) comprises a fabric element (155, 255, 355)
configured to overlay a portion of the outer surface (102, 202, 302), the fabric element
(155, 255, 355) being secured to the first edge (110, 210, 310) of the fabric body
(100, 200, 300), and first and second lateral edges (152, 154, 252, 254, 352, 354)
of the fabric element (155, 255, 355) being secured to the fabric body (100, 200,
300), so as to form a pocket (150, 250, 350) space between the fabric element (155,
255, 355) and the outer surface (102, 202, 302), wherein an opening (151, 251, 351)
of the pocket (150, 250, 350) space faces the second edge (120, 220, 320) of the fabric
body (100, 200, 300).
7. A rollable clothing packing device (30) according to any one of the preceding claims,
wherein the fabric element (155) is formed of two fabric layers which form a second
pocket (360) space therebetween, an opening (361) of the second pocket (360) space
being arranged on the outer surface (302) at the first edge (310) and facing away
from the opposing second edge (320) of the fabric body (300).
8. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein:
the first and second edges (110, 120) of the fabric body (100) are shorter than the third and fourth edges (130, 140) of the fabric body (100); and/or
the pocket (150) spans at least half the first edge (110), and optionally the entire first edge (110) of the fabric body (100).
9. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein an aspect ratio of the fabric body (100) is between 11:16 and 15:16.
10. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein a ratio of the third and fourth edge (130, 140) lengths to the pocket
(150) height is between 4:1 and 5:1.
11. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) is configured to
be manipulated from an unrolled configuration into a rolled configuration according
to the steps of:
folding the third edge (130) of the fabric body (100) towards the centreline (106) on the inner surface (104);
folding the fourth edge (140) of the fabric body (100) towards the third edge (130) and the centreline (106) on the inner surface (104);
rolling the second edge (120) down the length of the fabric body (100) until reaching the first edge (110); and
inverting the pocket (150) and wrapping the inverted pocket (150') around the rolled fabric body (100) so as to contain at least a portion of the rolled fabric body (100) within the inverted pocket (150').
12. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to claim 11, wherein the
manipulation steps further comprise the initial step of placing one or more items
of clothing onto a storage portion (108) of the inner surface (104), the storage portion
(108) being located substantially centrally on the inner surface (104) and being spaced
apart from the first, second, third, and fourth edges (110, 120, 130, 140), optionally
wherein:
the rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) further comprises a visual marking on the inner surface (104) indicating a size, location, and/or shape of the storage portion (108); and/or
a ratio of the storage portion (108) height to the pocket (150) height is between 2:1 and 3:1.
13. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the first and second edges (110, 120) of the fabric body (100) are
at least 5 cm in length and optionally between 9 cm and 100 cm in length and wherein
the third and fourth edges (130, 140) of the fabric body (100) are at least 10 cm
in length and optionally between 12 cm and 128 cm in length.
14. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the fabric body (100) is formed of a woven natural fibre, optionally
cotton poplin.
15. A rollable clothing packing device (10, 20, 30) according to any one of the preceding
claims, wherein the fabric body (100) is formed of first and second fabric panels
attached together at their peripheral edges, thereby forming the inner and outer surfaces
of the fabric body (100) respectively, optionally wherein the first and second fabric
panels are formed from different fabrics, and optionally wherein a further layer is
disposed between the first and second fabric panels, and further optionally wherein
the first and second fabric panels are sewn together at a seam along each edge of
the first and second fabric panels, optionally wherein the seam is formed within 10
mm of each edge.