GB2522655A

GB2522655A - Article case

Info

Publication number: GB2522655A
Application number: GB1401675.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christin Rauter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-01-31
Filing date: 2014-01-31
Publication date: 2015-08-05
Also published as: GB201401675D0; WO2015114299A1

Abstract

A case 1 for an article such as an umbrella, comprises an elongate pouch 3 formed of flexible material having a top side 5, a bottom side 7 and opposed lateral sides 9, 11. The pouch has an interior chamber for receiving an article therein. A snap-type clip 13 is arranged at the top of the pouch 3 and is biased so as to be normally-closed. It is opened by user force exerted on opposite ends of the clip 13. There is also a slide fastener 17, such as a zipper, extending along one of the lateral sides. A moisture-absorbent material (19, fig. 3), such as micro-fibre material, may be provided inside the case 1. The micro-fibre material may contain an antibacterial agent. Magnets (21, 23, fig.5) may be provided so that the empty case 1 can be folded compact for storage.

Description

Article Case

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a case for an article, particularly, though not exclusively, a case for an umbrella.

S

Background of the Invention

Umbrellas are usually provided with a casing which is typically a flexible sleeve of waterproof or semi-waterproof material having a single opening to the interior chamber which opening is used both for insertion and removal. This can be inconvenient, particularly for insertion after the umbrella has been used.

Further, when the user is finished using the umbrella, it is inevitably wet and even after shaking to remove some moisture, some dampness will remain. This often results in the user having to leave the umbrella somewhere warm and outside of its casing to dry, which is inconvenient and often results in the umbrella being mislaid or left behind in public spaces or on public transport.

Alternatively they may place the damp umbrella within the casing which can be cumbersome for the reason given above, and in any case tends not to remove much moisture and the umbrella remains damp when next used. When the umbrella is next drawn out of the sleeve, some of the moisture will flick-out onto the user. Also, an unpleasant smell can develop as a result of the dampness. Further, the user will avoid putting the damp, encased umbrella in their coat pocket or handbag as water will tend to leak out of the opening and onto clothing or articles inside the bag. Again, this often leads to the umbrella being misplaced and lost.

There is a need for an improved umbrella casing.

Summary of the Invention

A first aspect of the invention provides a case for an article, for example an umbrella, comprising an elongate pouch formed of flexible material having a top side, a bottom side and opposed lateral sides between the top and bottom sides, the pouch having an interior chamber for receiving an article therein, wherein the pouch has at the top side a snap-type clip biased so as to be normally-closed to prevent access to the interior chamber from said end and arranged in use to be opened by user force exerted on opposite ends of the clip to enable an article to be located within the interior chamber, and a slide fastener, e.g. a zipper, extending along one of the lateral sides, which, when opened allows, a further means of access to the interior chamber.

In a preferred embodiment, the slide fastener may extend between said lateral side and S terminates on the bottom side.

The surface of the interior chamber may comprises a moisture-absorbent material. This material may be fixed to the inner surface or be removable.

The case may further comprising an inner pouch arranged to be removably located within the interior chamber and which comprises a moisture-absorbent material. The inner pouch may be temporarily attached to the inner surface of the interior chamber, e.g. by means of a hook and loop fastener.

The moisture-absorbent material may be a micro-fibre material.

The moisture-absorbent material may have an antibacterial agent therein.

The case may further comprising a magnet provided part way down the pouch, between the top and bottom sides, which by means of its attraction to a metallic part provided at or near the top side of the case is configured to enable the pouch to be folded over on itself and retained in the folded state for compact carriage or storage.

The case may further comprise a clip attached on an exterior pad thereof to enable the case to be attached to clothing or the like. The case can be attached to a lateral side, and either side is available. The clip can be of any size.

A second aspect of the invention provides an umbrella case comprising an elongate pouch formed of flexible material having a top side, a bottom side and opposed lateral sides between the top and bottom sides, the pouch having an interior chamber for receiving an article therein, wherein the pouch has at the top side a snap-type clip biased so as to be normally-closed to prevent access to the interior chamber from said end and arranged in use to be opened by user force exerted on opposite ends of the clip to enable an umbrella to be located within the interior chamber, and a slide fastener, e.g. a zipper, extending along one of the lateral sides, which, when opened allows, a further means of access to the interior chamber.

A third aspect of the invention provides an umbrella and corresponding case according to any preceding definition, the shape of the casing's interior chamber conforming generally to that of the umbrella exterior when folded to provide a snug fit between the two.

S A fourth aspect of the invention provides a casing, comprising a pouch formed of flexible material with first and second openings, one of said openings being a pair of normally-closed jaws at one pad thereof, which jaws require user force on opposed opening points in order to force the jaws apartto permit access to the pouch interior, and the second opening comprising an elongate slit that is opened and closed by means of a slide fastener, e.g. a zipper, and which also permits access to the pouch interior.

Brief Description of the Drawincis

The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an umbrella case according to an embodiment of the invention; Figures 2a and 2b are plan views of the top of the umbrella case with a snap-clip shown open and closed, respectively; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the umbrella case with a side-slit opened to reveal a part of an inner lining; Figure 4 is a side view of the umbrella case when folded; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the umbrella case from the opposite side to that visible in Figure 1.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

Embodiments described herein provide an umbrella case in the form of a pouch having two separate openings. The case is considered particularly advantageous in that one opening allows the umbrella to be dropped or pushed into the interior of the pouch quickly and conveniently, even using a one-handed operation to open the case, and the other allows its quick removal through a longer, opening. Further, the inner surface of the pouch may be lined with an absorbent material to help remove moisture when the umbrella is dropped-in after use and is retained within the pouch. Alternatively, a separate inner lining pouch may be provided, formed of absorbent material and which can be removably placed inside the outer pouch.

Referring to Figure 1, a first embodiment umbrella case 1 comprises a piece of flexible material which is formed into a pouch 3 of generally rectangular shape having opposed top and bottom sides 5, 7 and opposed lateral sides 9, 11 which are longer than the top and bottom sides.

The pouch 3 is formed by wrapping the material over on itself where it is sewn at or near one of the lateral sides (e.g. as indicated by reference numeral 12) to form a flat tube. However, multiple pieces of material may be used to form the same general shape. The dimensions of the pouch 3 conform substantially to that of an umbrella (not shown) which is to be encased S within so that there is a relatively snug fit between the two.

The outer surface of the material is formed of waterproof material and may be decorated with a logo or pattern. The material may be leather or synthetic. In some embodiments, a non-waterproof outer material can be used with an inner waterproof lining.

The top side 5 of the pouch 3 is left open, in the sense that the two adjacent faces of the material are not sewn together at this side during manufacture. As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, a snap-type clip 13 of the type fitted to certain types of spectacles cases is provided at this top side 5 to which the perimeter of the material is connected; this keeps the opening normally shut as shown in Figure 2a. The clip 13 is of conventional construction and may comprise two defoirnable pieces of flexible metal or plastic joined at their ends in the manner of a leaf spring.

In order to open the top side opening to provide access to the pouch interior, user force is required on the opposite joining ends which urges the clip 13 to open against its closed biasing, as shown in Figure 2b. When open, an umbrella can be simply dropped or pushed into the case interior.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3, a slit 15 is provided at least part-way down one of the lateral sides, in this case the side indicated by reference numeral 9 and extends along the bottom side 7, therefore having an approximate L-shape. This slit 15 is opened and closed by a slide fastener 17, typically a zipper, the two toothed-parts of which are connected to opposite faces of material either side of the slit. The slit 15 permits easy removal of the umbrella when it is open, primarily because it is longer and opens both the side and bottom parts 9, 7.

The interior surface 19 of the pouch is formed of a microfiber material which is moisture absorbent. The microfiber may be impregnated or coated with an antibacterial agent which may also be perfumed.

In some embodiments, a separate inner pocket (not shown) is provided which provides the moisture absorbent lining. Rather than being sewn or otherwise adhered to the pouch inner surface, the inner pocket is in this case simply slipped within the pouch or can be removably located by means of a hook-and-loop or magnetic engagement.

S

In some embodiments, an exterior pocket is provided on the pouch outer surface, e.g. for the placement of a bus ticket or keys. The pocket may be fixed or removable.

The dimensions of the case 1, particularly its depth or thickness when viewed from the side or S above, is such that the absorbent microfiber 19 makes contact with the majority of an umbrella's outer surface when located within the case. Indeed, when a damp umbrella is dropped or pushed into the case 1 through the top-side 5, an initial wipe' to remove excess moisture occurs with much of the remaining moisture being absorbed through contact with the interior material 19. Tests have indicated that this provides a very efficient way of removing moisture from the umbrella without leaving behind unwanted odour.

Further, because the user is more inclined to remove the umbrella from the side slit 15, rather than the more cumbersome route of withdrawing it upwards through the narrower insertion hole, there is little chance of any further moisture being flicked upwards over the user.

In some embodiments, a magnet 21 (see Figure 1) is provided in or on one of the major faces of the pouch material, in this case nearer the bottom side 7. As shown in Figure 4, this enables the case 1, when not used, to be rolled or folded over on itself to be more compact, with the magnet 21 holding the case in this folded form due to its attraction with either another magnet (e.g. a magnet 23 provided on the opposite side, as indicated in Figure 5) or the metal snap-type clip 13, either being at or near the top side.

In some embodiments, a tab or loop of material 25 is provided on the exterior of the pouch material to allow the casing ito be clipped to a bag, belt-loop or the like. A conventional ring clip or karabiner may be provided as part of the product for this purpose. The tab or loop 25 can be on the opposite side to that shown in the Figure. The clip or karabiner can be of any size.

In some embodiments, the casing 1 is provided with a corresponding umbrella at the point of sale with both articles being of generally the same dimensions to ensure a snug fit.

Alternatively, the casing can be sold separately.

Although the embodiments above relate to an umbrella casing, the general principle can be applied to other products, for example those susceptible to moisture such as swimwear.

Another example is spectacles or sunglasses, in which the inner material can act to clean the lenses, and may be impregnated or sprayed with a cleaning substance.

Although the shape of the pouch 3 is shown as rectangular with four generally perpendicular sides, it will be appreciated that other shapes can be used to achieve the same purpose.

In summary, an improved case for an umbrella or other article is described. In the case of an S umbrella, a user is able to quickly and conveniently locate a damp umbrella within the case using a one-handed operation to open and shut the upper opening, and then place the encased umbrella in a bag or coat (or clip it to either) to avoid it being lost. The slide fastener enables quick release when the umbrella is next needed.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments are purely illustrative and are not limiting on the scope of the invention. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading the present application.

Moreover, the disclosure of the present application should be understood to include any novel features or any novel combination of features either explicitly or implicitly disclosed herein or any generalization thereof and during the prosecution of the present application or of any application derived therefrom, new claims may be formulated to cover any such features and/or combination of such features.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A case for an article, for example an umbrella, comprising an elongate pouch formed of flexible material having a top side, a bottom side and opposed lateral sides between the top and bottom sides, the pouch having an interior chamber for receiving an article therein, wherein the pouch has at the top side a snap-type clip biased so as to be normally-closed to prevent access to the interior chamber from said end and arranged in use to be opened by user force exerted on opposite ends of the clip to enable an article to be located within the interior chamber, and a slide fastener, e.g. a zipper, extending along one of the lateral sides, which, when opened allows, a further means of access to the interior chamber.
2. A case according to claim 1, wherein the slide fastener extends between said lateral side and terminates on the boftom side.
3. A case according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the surface of the interior chamber comprises a moisture-absorbent material.
4. A case according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising an inner pouch arranged to be removably located within the interior chamber and which comprises a moisture-absorbent material.
5. A case according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the moisture-absorbent material is a micro-fibre material.
6. A case according to any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the moisture-absorbent material has an antibacterial agent therein.
7. A case according to any preceding claim, further comprising a magnet provided part way down the pouch, between the top and bottom sides, which by means of its attraction to a metallic part provided at or near the top side of the case is configured to enable the pouch to be folded over on itself and retained in the folded state for compact carriage or storage.
8. A case according to any preceding claim, further comprising a clip attached on an exterior part thereof to enable the case to be attached to clothing or the like.
9. An umbrella case according to any preceding claim.
10. An umbrella and corresponding case according to any preceding claim, the shape of the casing's interior chamber conforming generally to that of the umbrella exterior when folded S to provide a snug fit between the two.
11. A casing for an umbrella, comprising a pouch formed of flexible material with first and second openings, one of said openings being a pair of normally-closed jaws at one part thereof, which jaws require user force on opposed opening points in order to force the jaws apart to permit access to the pouch interior, and the second opening comprising an elongate slit that is opened and closed by means of a slide fastener, e.g. a zipper, and which also permits access to the pouch interior.