GB2590649A - Omnimat - a drawstring product - Google Patents

Abstract

A drawstring product, such as a utility mat, is convertible into a bag, and comprises a web of flexible fabric 1 which closes into a bag of which it defines the mouth. A drawstring 3 is slidingly connected to multiple discrete locations 7 distributed about the mouth, so as to close the mouth when the drawstring is pulled. The drawstring is connected to the mouth at each location by a rigid hoop 8, such as a metal or plastic D-ring, which is attached to the web at each of the locations. Each hoop extends away from the surface of the web and inwardly with respect to the mouth. When a user pulls the drawstring to close the mouth, the hoop guides the drawstring inboard of the mouth. Each hoop can pivot about its attachment to the web so as to lie substantially flat against the web when the mouth is open, and pivot away from the web when the drawstring is pulled. The attachment to the web can be by a strip of fabric which allows the hoop to pivot a predetermined distance from the web. A padded section can be provided in the mat for a user’s knees.

Description

A Drawstring Product The present invention relates to a drawstring product, and is applicable to the fields of mats such as utility mats, play mats changing mats, and bags such as camping bags, handbags, dufflebags and sport bags.

The drawstring is a closure mechanism that is well known for closing bags for a variety of purposes, and also is known for use in mats that close into bags. Drawstring mats are used for toys such as Lego(TM) enabling the toys to be used on the mat, and gathered up into the bag after use.

Drawstring closure mechanisms come in two main forms. A first, more common, type has a fabric web of the bag or mat folded over along the mouth of the bag and sewn to form a tube with at least one opening at one side for the drawstring to pass along and be pulled from.

A second, less common, type also exists where holes or cuts are formed in the fabric, and the drawstring is passed through them so as to weave alternately inboard and outboard of the bag. Many handicraft items use this approach since it involves less stitching. Very occasionally the holes are reinforced using metal eyelets arranged in the plane of the fabric -typically for fashion purposes (e.g. for handbags). One disadvantage of using metal eyelets is a greater tendency for the product to open accidentally by itself, which is probably why heavy-duty applications such as drawstring sacks for sports and other equipment tend to instead use the first type of drawstring closure described above.

To date, the drawstring is seen as an effective and convenient mechanism that is widely used. The design does not receive significant criticism and is generally accepted for what it is. The inventor however, has identified a problem with the drawstring closure which heretofore was not appreciated in the literature. The problem is that to close a drawstring mat or bag typically requires either two hands [one to pull the drawstring and one to hold the mat or bag] or requires considerable weight in the mat or bag to hold it down (e.g. drawstring sacks used to carry basketballs). This is a problem for some types of drawstring bags, and also for most drawstring mats.

In a DIY example, the user will often have their hands full when wanting to pick up and close the mat -for example a user might be holding a power screwdriver and some pieces of wood, and might need to move from location to location to attach stud wall electric boxes in each room of a new-build house, whilst using the mat to carry various lighter items such as screws, faceplates and wires. Each time he or she stands up they would need to use both hands to close the mat and collect up the smaller items, which is very inconvenient when also holding a power screwdriver and some wooden planks. Similar difficulties are common when tidying up hobbyrraft items or childrens toys.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient closure mechanism. According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a drawstring product, comprising: A web of flexible fabric arranged to close as a bag, defining a mouth thereof; and A drawstring slidingly connected to a plurality of discrete locations distributed about the mouth so as to close the mouth when the drawstring is pulled by a user; wherein: The connection of the drawstring to the mouth at each of the locations, is provided by a respective hoop, each of which is attached at it's respective location to a respective part of the web; and Each hoop is a rigid hoop; Characterised in that: Each hoop is arranged to extend away from from the surface of the web and inwardly with respect to the mouth, at least when a user pulls the drawstring so as to close the mouth, such as to guide the drawstring inboard of the mouth.

This avoids the hoops biassing so that the drawstring passes through them obliquely (in the manner that would happen if eyelets in the web are used) which would otherwise cause friction, and also avoids the drawstring directly pressing against the web which would otherwise cause friction (in the manner that would happen if the web is folded over to provide a tube for the drawstring to pass through, or if the drawstring is guided outboard of the mouth via holes or eyelets in the plane of the fabric/web).

Optionally each rigid hoop is arranged to pivot about its respective attachment to the web, so as to lie flat against the web when the mouth is open and the drawstring is slack, and so as to pivot at least a drawstring guide portion thereof, away from the web when the drawstring is pulled by a user. This has the advantage of ensuring the mat is comfortable for a user to rest on, e.g. when kneeling to undertake some DIY or for a child to play with toys on the mat, whilst still extending away from the web when needed. Generally, but not necessarily, all of the hoop, apart from a pivot part of the hoop, pivots away from the fabric. Optionally the whole hoop moves away from the fabric.

The term 'web covers net material, woven fabrics, as well as non-porous sheet material, and preferably the web is provided by a fabric sheet, optionally of a plastic material, for example, polyester fabric.

The term 'rigid hoop' means that when the drawstring is pulled by the user, the force from the drawstring on the hoop does not cause the hoop to distort or bend in such a way as to significantly bend or fold at the part of the hoop that is in contact with the drawstring to such an extend that would cause the bend in the hoop to pinch the drawstring and cause increased friction with the drawstring, as for example would be the case with a loop of flexible fabric. Thus more generally, each hoop is sufficiently rigid to avoid folding around the drawstring in use (i.e. when the user pulls the drawstring to close the bag).

The term 'each hoop is arranged to extend away from the surface of the web and inwardly with respect to the mouth' can be fulfilled if the hoop is shaped or disposed with respect to the web, such as to guide the drawstring without biassing the drawstring against the web when pulled by a user to close the bag (i.e. permanently disposed or shaped to arc out from the web). The term can alternatively (or additionally) be fulfilled if the hoop is adapted to move in translation and/or rotation with respect to the web in proximity to it (i.e. the location where it is attached directly or indirectly to the web). Either way, at least during the act of the user pulling on the drawstring in use, the hoop is arranged so as to guide the drawstring substantially away from the web, so as to substantially avoid biassing the drawstring against the web. The term 'substantially away' and 'substantially avoid' here are used since it is entirely acceptable that due to the folds of the web/fabric, the drawstring may come into contact with the web whilst the user pulls the drawstring (and indeed this would typically be the case to some extent due to the flexible nature of typical fabrics). The issue is not to avoid contact entirely, but rather to reduce friction associated with the drawstring's movement, as compared to an arrangement where the drawstring is weaved inside and outside of the web.

Note that a hoop arranged at, and outboard of, an edge of the web/fabric fulfils this criterion provided that the hoop is arranged such that the act of the user pulling the drawstring causes the fabric to fold over such that the hoop becomes arranged inboard of the mouth due to the pulling action of the drawstring. Indeed it would even be possible to arrange the hoops on what would otherwise be anticipated to be the outside surface around the mouth, provide that the hoops are shaped and sized, and the fabric is flexible enough, that the drawstring pulling on the fabric in use will cause the fabric to fold inwardly with respect to the mouth in use, such that as the the drawstring is pulled, the drawstring is drawn inboard of the mouth of the bag as it closes, so as to substantially avoid the drawstring being frictionally biased against the fabric during such action. Put another way, if the fabric is sufficiently flexible, and the hoops sufficiently rigid and sufficiently near the edge of the web/fabric, it may not matter which side of the web is in contact with the floor when the user pulls upwards on the drawstring, since such a design would cause the fabric to fold over in whichever direction it was pulled, so as to form a mouth, and the hoops would then guide the drawstring so as to be drawn inboard of the mouth and inboard of the web/fabric at the locations where the hoops connect to the web/fabric.

Also preferably, each hoop is sufficiently rigid to substantially avoid distorting (including both bending causing elongation, and also torsional resilient rotation of the drawstring contact area the hoop with respect to the rest) in use (i.e. when the drawstring is pulled by the user to close the bag) since if the hoop distorts this will tend to cause the drawstring to "skip" repeatedly whilst passing through the hoop, and this will increase the friction between the hoop and drawstring as energy from the motion of the drawstring will be used to repeatedly distort the hoop prior to it resiliently returning to its original shape.

Preferably each hoop is of unitary construction, such as an 0-ring, a D-ring, an oval, a square, or a figure of eight (one end being the hoop, the other being to fasten to the web), although is preferable to avoid the drawstring being retained in a corner of the hoop, especially one with with a narrow angle, such as would be typically be achieved with a isosceles triangular hoop, as this would cause increased friction. It is technically possible to achieve the desired effect (not clamping around the drawstring) using hoops that have one or more pivots -such as a carefully designed chain loop made of three chain links, or perhaps a circle with two diametrically opposed pivots, and such options are covered by the term rigid hoop, provided that these fulfil the requirement that when the drawstring is pulled they do not bend or pivot in such a way to clamp the drawstring at the point of contact between the hoop and the drawstring. However modifications involving pivots are likely to increase the cost of manufacture, and are unlikely to offer a large advantage.

As an alternative to pivoting away from the fabric, the hoop may move laterally (for example if held by elastic), or as a further alternative the hoop may permanently extend proud of the fabric (inboard with respect to the mouth at least when the cord is pulled on). This latter option is better suited to use in a bag rather than a mat since the hoop will thus not tend to lie flat and this might cause discomfort if accidentally knelt on.

Optionally the respective attachment of each rigid hoop to the web is provided by a strip of fabric arranged to permit the entirety of the hoop to pivot a predetermined distance away from the web. This has the advantage of guiding the drawstring further from the web which further reduces friction between the drawstring and the web.

Optionally each rigid hoop is a D-ring. Preferably the hoop is arranged to pivot about a single axis which is parallel to the axis of the mouth of the product, at least when the mouth is closed or closing. This avoid unnecessary degrees of freedom which could cause unnecessary friction with the drawstring. A D-ring can be connected using a strip of fabric sewn to the web, with the straight part of the D-ring passing between the strip and the web which facilitates low friction rotation in the desired manner. Preferably the D-rings are between 0.7cm and 4cm wide, preferably between lcm and 3cm, ideally 2cm. Preferably the strip of fabric is nylon webbing. Preferably the strip of fabric has a width at least substantially matching, and preferably substantially matching, the inner circumference of the D-ring.

Optionally each rigid hoop is of metal or plastic. The hoop may be of metal or plastic, and preferably is of a material having a low coefficient of friction. Metal typically has the lower coefficient of friction. Aside from typically being cheaper to form into a hoop such as a D-ring, plastics are lighter which facilitates use of a comparatively thick hoop.

Optionally each rigid hoop has a bar thickness of at least 1 mm preferably at least 3mm, optionally at least 5mm. A hoop of thicker material is advantageous both because it reduces friction with the drawstring, and also because it reduces the risk of the user hurting themselves when kneeling on such a product and finding that one of the hoops did not lie flat to the ground. Preferably the hoop has at least a rounded section for guiding the drawstring, with a hoop diameter (at least in that rounded section) of at least 5mm preferably at least 15mm, optionally at least 25mm.

Optionally the drawstring is a string, chord or rope joined at two ends thereof so as to form a loop, and wherein the cross-sectional shape and area of the drawstring along the join is substantially constant so as to enable the joint to pass through any of the hoops in the same manner as the rest of the drawstring. This provides the advantage that the drawstring can be usefully pulled from any side of the mouth.

Optionally the hoops are substantially evenly distributed about the mouth, and wherein adjacent hoops are separated by at most 1/10th of the path around the mouth, preferably at most 1/12th, preferably at most 1/14th, preferably at most 1/16th. The inventor has found that the spacing of the hoops has an important impact -a larger number of hoops is reduces the minimum weight of the bag and it's contents necessary to enable single-handed closing of the drawstring mechanism, and a larger number of hoops also reduces the tendency of the drawstring to dislodge any tall items placed on the base of the mat/bag and cause them to fall outside the mat or bag rather than being captured by it as it is closed. Whilst 6 evenly spaced hoops is preferable to say 4, the inventor has surprisingly found that significant improvements in performance are achieved beyond 8 or even 10 hoops, with typically 12-20 hoops, ideally 16, being found to be optimum for typical domestic applications.

Optionally the drawstring product is arranged to open in use to provide a utility mat, wherein the mouth is arranged to open to substantially define the periphery of the mat. Whilst drawstring utility mats are already known, the inventor has found that the rigid hoop-based approaches as set out above enable great improvements in convenience of single handed closing of such utility mats.

Preferably, the length of the drawstring is substantially equal to the circumference of the mouth when the mouth is fully open. This has the advantage of minimising any trip hazard associated with the mat, and enables the user to pull the bag up and closed from any side of the mat with equal convenience.

Optionally the mat is provided with at least one pad shaped and sized, or jointly shaped and sized so as to protect a users knees when kneeling thereon on the utility mat. Such a utility mat facilitates users doing DIY or other work which requires an assortment of tools to be carried around, used in various locations, and picked up in a bag almost instantly, whilst also providing a defined space for the user to kneel on, and not only protects the user's knees, but also automatically tends to dear the space to kneel on from tools before the user kneels down, since the tools will tend to settle away from the raised surface of the knee pad(s). Preferably the at least one pad is arranged off-centre with respect to a centre of the mat, oriented to facilitate a user kneeling thereon to face the centre of the mat, as this provides more optimal work surface area and tool storage in front of the user. Preferably the knee pad(s) is/ar of foam material. Preferably they have a thickness of from 0.3cm to 3cm, preferably from 0.6cm to 2cm, ideally 1.2cm, in the uncompressed state (when not being knelt on). The kneepad(s) preferably has/have a non-slip rubber outer surface, preferably provided by rubber coated fabric. Preferably the drawstring is a non-stretch cord. Non-stretch material provides for faster closing. The material is preferably nylon or polyester as this provides for durability and suitably low friction.

A detailed embodiment will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is an illustration of a known drawstring mat using rolled tube to guide the drawstring: Figure 2 is an illustration of a known drawstring bag using eyelets to guide the drawstring alternately inboard and outboard of the fabric; Figure 3 is an illustration of a user closing a known drawstring mat, showing the need to use two hands to hold the mat still; Figure 4 is a plan view of a drawstring mat according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a detailed view showing the provision of D-rings arranged to guide the drawstring inboard of the mouth as the user pulls the drawstring; Figure 6 is an illustration of a user closing a drawstring mat according to an embodiment of the invention, illustrating how the bag closes with only one handed operation despite minimal weight of contents on the mat, and illustrating how the sides of the mat raise up and close in so that relatively tall objects on the mat can be conveniently captured and held in the resulting bag, and also shows an illustration of a user kneeling on a drawstring mat according to an embodiment of the invention, showing how the placement of kneepads assists provision of a comfortable and convenient work area on the mat.

Preferred Embodiment Turning to figures 1, 2 and 3, three examples are shown of known prior art drawstring products. Figure 1 shows a conventional drawstring bag. The fabric 1 of the bag is folded over to form a tube 2, and a loop of cord 3 passes through the tube and is exposed at one side of the opening to enable the cord to pulled to close the bag. The cord has frictional contact with the tube so the bag stays closed once the user has closed it.

Figure 2 shows a drawstring handbag. The cord 3 passes through eyelets in the fabric 1 of the bag, so as to pass into and out of the bag. Metal eyelets 5 provide a primarily fashion based function, rather than being required for the functionality of the bag. The cord has less friction with the bag compared to the prior art bag of figure 1, so an extra frictional closure mechanism 4 is provided to ensure the cord is provided with sufficient friction, so that the bag stays closed once the user has closed it.

Figure 3 shows a drawstring mat loaded with toys, in the process of being closed. Since the drawstring 3 passes through the same type of rolled fabric tube 2 as shown in the prior art bag in figure 1, the user needs to hold the mat to the ground whilst pulling the drawstring 3, even though the mat is loaded with toys that weigh the mat down strongly.

Figure 4 shows a plan view illustration of a drawstring mat according to one embodiment of the present invention. The mat is provided with a circle of fabric 1 and a drawstring 3 connected to 16 equally spaced locations around the periphery of the circle of fabric 1. In figure 4 two knee-pads 6 are shown, arranged to facilitate a user to comfortable kneel on the mat, in such a way as to arrange the majority of the mat's area as a DIY or hobby work area arranged in front of the user when kneeling. The knee pads 6 are made of a foam polymeric material with a non-slip surface, and are attached permanently to the fabric in those predetermined locations.

Figure 5 shows a partial view of the drawstring mat shown in figure 5, with two close up illustrations, firstly of a fixture 7 arranged to connect the drawstring to the periphery of the mat, in the form of a rigid hoop 8, which in this embodiment is a plastic D-ring 8 held in place by a fabric strip 9 which is sewn onto the circle of fabric 1. Whilst the strip of fabric could extend continously around the periphery to hold each of the D-rings 8 in place, in this embodiment the strip is folded so as to provide a pivot both with respect to the D-ring 8 and also with respect to the fabric circle 1, which permits the D-ring to move away from the fabric when pulled on by the cord 3.

Also shown in figure 5 is a close up of a join in the cord 3 to form a loop. The cord 3 is of polyester braid, and at the join is provided with an overlap which is sewn through so as to provide a permanent joint. Additionally around the overlapped area of the cord, a sleeve is arranged, in this case of heat-shrink polymer, which not only serves to hold the two ends of the cord together but also serves to compress the cord and thus constrict the radius of the joined cord so as to be comparable to the thickness of the rest of the cord, and arranged to prevent significant discontinuities in thickness along the length of the join, thus permitting the join to pass through the D-rings with substantially equally low friction as the rest of the cord. Avoiding discontinuities in thickness at the join helps ensure that the cord can be pulled from any part of it, and have equal effect at closing the mat.

Figure 6 shows on the left an illustration of a drawstring mat according to an embodiment of the invention, being picked up and closed by a user with a single handed single motion (Arrow). The user grasps the cord by any of the sections of the cord between any two neighbouring D-rings, and pulls the cord firmly and quickly upwards (Arrow). Pulling on the cord pivots the fixtures 7, which in this case comprise D-rings 8, away from the fabric, and due to the sewn loop of fabric strip, this also moves the entirety of the D-ring away from the fabric. Furthermore the tension in the cord pivots the D-rings such that the cord tends to pass through them substantially straight through the aperture of the D-ring, rather than at an obligue angle. Finally, since the hoop is rigid it does not pinch closed around the cord when pulled on. These features combine synergistically to minimising the friction of the cord against both the fixture 7 and the fabric 1 of the mat.

The spacing of the fixtures -in this case 1/16th of the way around the periphery of the mat -provides for both reduced friction and also keeps the cord clear of any contents being held on the mat at the time of closing it, so that as the mat is closed it becomes a bag that collects and contains those contents instead of tending to spill the contents onto the floor as the mat is closed.

As a result of the fixtures being rigid hoops pivotting away inwardly of the fabric, the user is able to pick up both the mat and also collect up contents that were upon the mat, in a single motion using a single hand, whilst requiring the combined mass of the mat and its contents to he lower than is the case with the prior art mat, thus providing a more convenient mat Furthermore, with further benefits provided by larger numbers of fixtures, the use of D-rings that provide a defined pivot and a defined curvature, the use of a looped strip of fabric enabling the D-ring to move away from the circle of fabric, and the use of a joined loop of cord without significant width discontinuities, it is possible for the mat to he empty yet to be closed in a single handed, single motion, essentially instant way.

Whilst the features and advantages have been described with reference to a drawstring mat which closes to form a drawstring bag, these features and advantages are equally applicable to a drawstring bag, the main difference being that the fabric of the bag is arranged so that when fully open it is bag shaped rather than opening to the form of a mat.

Figure 6 also shows on the right a drawstring mat according to an embodiment is shown being used by a user. The user kneels on the mat and arranges their materials on the mat in front of them. Since the user's feet are arranged outside of the mat, as the user stands up, the user can grasp with one hand any part of the cord between any two fixtures, and lift the cord up into the air whilst standing up, and the mat will almost instantaneously transform into a bag, collecting within it the items that were arranged on the mat. As a result the user will be able to move from a working position to standing and walking to the next working location and have the work materials instantaneously and automatically gathered into the bag and brought along, simply by grabbing any part of the cord with one hand, and lifting it upwards before walking off This leaves the user free to hold a work tool such a power screwdriver with the other hand, and makes both working and tidying up more efficient Figure 6 also shows enlarged view (top right) of fixture 7, illustrating that it is made of a D-ring 8 attached to the web of fabric 1, such that it can pivot away from the fabric when the user pulls the drawstring, without substantially deforming, thus reducing friction between the drawstring and the web, and between the drawstring and the fixture, whilst allowing the hoop to lie flat when not pulled by the drawstring, so as to reduce discomfort if accidentally knelt on by the user.

More generally there is provided a drawstring product that closes as a bag, for example a drawstring mat. Rigid hoops are distributed around the mouth of the closure so as to guide the drawstring. Each hoop is arranged to extend away from from the surface of the web and inwardly with respect to the mouth, at least when a user pulls the drawstring so as to close the mouth, such as to guide the drawstring inboard of the mouth. This avoids the hoops being biassed rotationally with respect to the drawstring so that the drawstring passes through them obliquely and thus frictionally, and also avoids the drawstring directly pressing against the material of the bag. This one-handed and/or instantaneous closure of the bag/mat by a user pulling the drawstring, with less mass needing to be arranged in the bag to prevent it being lifted by the user pulling on the drawstring.

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A drawstring product comprising: A web of flexible fabric arranged to close as a bag, defining a mouth thereof; and A drawstring slidingly connected to a plurality of discrete locations distributed about the mouth so as to close the mouth when the drawstring is pulled by a user; wherein: The connection of the drawstring to the mouth at each of the locations, is provided by a respective hoop, each of which is attached at it's respective location to a respective part of the web; and Each hoop is a rigid hoop; Characterised in that: Each hoop is arranged to extend away from the surface of the web and inwardly with respect to the mouth, at least when a user pulls the drawstring so as to close the mouth, such as to guide the drawstring inboard of the mouth.
2. 2. Drawstring product of claim 1, wherein each rigid hoop is arranged to pivot about it's respective attachment to the web, so as to lie substantially flat against the web when the mouth is open and the drawstring is slack, and so as to pivot at least a drawstring guide portion thereof, away from the web when the drawstring is pulled by a user.
3. 3. Drawstring product of claim 2, wherein the respective attachment of each rigid hoop to the web is provided by a strip of fabric arranged to permit the entirety of the hoop to pivot a predetermined distance away from the web.
4. 4. Drawstring product of claim 2 or 3, wherein each rigid hoop is a D-ring.
5. 5. Drawstring product of any preceding claim wherein each rigid hoop is of metal or plastic.
6. 6. Drawstring product of any preceding claim wherein each rigid hoop has a bar thickness of at least 3mm.
7. 7. Drawstring product of any preceding claim wherein the drawstring is a string, chord or rope joined at two ends thereof so as to form a loop, and wherein the cross-sectional shape and area of the drawstring along the join is substantially constant so as to enable the joint to pass through any of the hoops in the same manner as the rest of the drawstring.
8. 8. Drawstring product of any preceding claim wherein the hoops are substantially evenly distributed about the mouth, and wherein adjacent hoops are separated by at most 1/10th of the path around the mouth.
9. 9. Drawstring product of any preceding claim, arranged to open in use to provide a utility mat, wherein the mouth is arranged to open to substantially define the periphery of the mat.
10. 10. Utility mat of claim 9, wherein the length of the drawstring is substantially equal to the circumference of the mouth when the mouth is fully open.
11. 11. Utility mat of claim 9 or 10, wherein the mat is provided with at least one pad shaped and sized, or jointly shaped and sized so as to protect a users knees when kneeling thereon on the utility mat.