US20100003887A1

US20100003887A1 - Bath time toy bag

Info

Publication number: US20100003887A1
Application number: US12/217,606
Authority: US
Inventors: Michele Greene
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-07
Filing date: 2008-07-07
Publication date: 2010-01-07

Abstract

Bath time toy bag with a rectangular shape having mesh front panel and a mesh back panel, the panels sewn together at their edges so that the left and right side of the bag are permanently attached and the upper and lower edges of the bag are attached by one or more zipper assemblies. The zipper assemblies enable a user to insert play toys through the upper zipper assembly and to remove the play toys through the lower zipper assembly.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OF DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of toy holding enclosures and more specifically to a bath time toy bag organizer.
It is a common occurrence that parents or care givers allow young children to play with water friendly toys in the bath tub during bath time. To help keep these toys readily available and yet stored in an organized way, a number of manufacturers have developed and are selling mesh bags that hold the toys. The bags generally have a means to hang from the bathroom wall adjacent to the tub, usually by means of suction cups.
However, there is a deficiency in the prior technology in that younger children may have difficulty in removing the toys from the top opening of the mesh bag and thereby become frustrated with the inability to have easy access to the toys stored in the bag.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the invention is to provide a mesh bag for storing bath toys that allows a child or adult to insert the toys from the top of the bag and to release the toys from the bottom of the bag via zipper enclosures.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a mesh bag for storing bath toys that is constructed of mold and mildew resistant materials.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a mesh bag for storing bath toys that can be held firmly in place on a side wall or walls of a bath tub, but is easily removed for cleaning and travel.
Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a bath time toy bag comprising: a rectangular bag having mesh front panel and a mesh back panel, said panels sewn together at their edges so that the left and right side of said bag are permanently attached and the upper and lower edges of the bag are attached in a removable manner by at least one upper zipper assembly and at least one lower zipper assembly thereby enabling a user to insert play toys through said upper zipper assembly and to remove said play toys through said bottom zipper assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side section view of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a front view of the toy bag of the present invention 100 and in FIG. 2 we see a side section view of the invention as defined by section line 6. In the preferred embodiment the rectangular shaped bag is formed by a first pair of front and back mesh panels 40, 40A and a second pair of front and back mesh panels 42, 42A. The texture of the mesh shown in FIG. 1 is only partially shown for clarity sake. In reality, the mesh entirely covers the front and back panels of the bag 100. The mesh panels are sewn together at their left and right edges by binding tape 22 and binding tape 10 respectively. Top zipper 28 and zipper pull 20 allow a person to insert toys 38 into the bag 100. Bottom zipper 14 and zipper pull 18 allows a young child or a parent or care giver to easily remove toys 38 from the bottom of the bag, also allowing the toys 38 to fall into the bath tub located below the bag. It should be noted that the bag 100 can be made from a single pair of mesh panels with zipper assemblies on the top and bottom edges of the bag, but my experiments with efficient manufacturing techniques have led me to the present preferred embodiment which will be explained in more detail below.
A right loop 32 and a left loop 30 of material is sewn to the uppermost right and left corners of the bag 100 so that the bag may be hung by suction cups 2, 4 each having J type hooks 34, 36 attached. The suction cups can be easily attached to any smooth finish wall 50 such as ceramic tile, plastic or fiberglass. With regard to walls that have a textured surface, a peel and stick adhesive disk can be fastened to the inner surface of each suction cup and the opposite side of the adhesive disk can be adhered to the wall. The bag 100 of the present invention is intended to be hung on a wall just above a bath tub, but also can be hung in a fashion that spans a corner by placing one suction cup on one wall and the other suction cup on an adjacent wall that is ninety degrees from the first wall. All the materials of the bag 100 of the present invention are made of mold and mildew resistant materials. The mesh panels are made of mold resistant polyester. The zippers and zipper pulls are constructed of plastic and the binding tape and loops are made of mold resistant polyester. The bag 100 can be easily removed for cleaning or storage by unhooking the loops 30, 32 from the J hooks 34, 36. The polyester mesh panels have a large weave so that a child's finger can not be irrevocably entwined in the mesh. The holes are approximately half an inch wide so that children can easily remove their fingers if they put them into the mesh openings. This also allows for quick drainage of water so that there is less opportunity for mold and mildew to grow.
Now further describing the construction of the preferred embodiment, mesh panels 40, 40A are held together at their upper most points by folding over and into a lower middle binding tape 26 that also holds the lower portion of the top zipper 28. Mesh panels 40, 40A are held together at their lower most points by folding over and into lower binding tape 16 which also holds the upper half of zipper 14. The lowest portion of the bag 100 is finished off by binding tape 12 which also holds the lower half of zipper 14. Mesh panels 42, 42A are held at their lowest edge by folding over and into upper middle binding tape 24. Mesh panels 42, 42A are held at their highest edge by uppermost binding tape 8.
This type of construction allows the mesh to be held securely in place without any unfinished edges showing. It also allows the bag to open neatly at the top for easy insertion of toys. Alternate embodiments to the above description include using more than one top zipper or more than one bottom zipper by breaking up the bag's top and bottom openings into separate zippered sections.
The entire assembly of the present invention 100 is easy to manufacture and can be folded into a compact size for easy shipping and storage. By allowing a small child to have easy access to toys via the bottom zipper of the present invention 100, the child will be less frustrated and will develop skills in zipper use and independence in his or her toy choosing ability.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bath time toy bag comprising:

a rectangular bag having mesh front panel and a mesh back panel; said panels sewn together at their edges so that the left and right side of said bag are permanently attached and the upper and lower edges of the bag are attached by at least one upper zipper assembly and at least one lower zipper assembly, enabling a user to insert play toys through said upper zipper assembly and to remove said play toys through said lower zipper assembly;

said bag removably hung on a bathroom wall by standard means.

2. Bath time toy bag as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a front and back pair of first polyester mesh panels;

a front and back pair of second polyester mesh panels;

one or more upper plastic zippers and zipper pulls;

a lower plastic zipper and zipper pull;

a left binding tape;

a right binding tape;

a lower binding tape pair;

an upper binding tape;

a middle binding tape pair;

a right hanging loop;

a left hanging loop;

a right suction cup and cup hook;

a left suction cup and cup hook;

said first polyester pair of mesh panels sewn together at their edges by said left binding tape and by said right binding tape and by the lower portion of said middle binding tape pair and by the upper portion of said lowest binding tape pair;

said second polyester pair of mesh panels sewn together at their edges by said left binding tape and by said right binding tape and by the upper portion of said middle binding tape and by the lower portion of said upper binding tape;

said right hanging loop sewn to the corner formed by said right binding tape and said upper binding tape;

said left hanging loop sewn to the corner formed by said left binding tape and said upper binding tape and

said right and left suction cups and cup hooks able to attach to a standard bathroom wall enabling said hooks to retain said loops causing said mesh bag to be remoavbly held to said wall.

3. Bath time toy bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein all components of said bag are constructed of mold and mildew resistant materials.

4. Bath time toy bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weave of said polyester mesh material is sized large enough that children's fingers can not become irrevocably entwined in said mesh.