Abstract:
A safety container, which includes a body, provided with a plurality of flaps and two or more handles, and a cushion removably fitted in the body, whereby an object is first placed in the cushion and the flaps are then wrapped on the object to keep the object in place thereby securing the object in the body.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention is related to the structure of a container, and in particular to one for carrying round, cylindrical, or odd shaped objects such as propane tanks securely.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Due to the busy work schedule, the modern man places special importance on convenience and comfort in everyday home living. During picnic outings, the transportation of cooking essentials such as propane tanks, pots, and pans has regularly caused problems. The main reason is that these objects are either too heavy or too bulky to transport. The round or cylindrical shapes of the objects make it difficult to remain stationary in a vehicle during transportation, thus creating problems while traveling. In particular, when used for picnics, or when refilling, the size, weight, and non-angular shape of these objects, while placed in vehicles, often cause them to roll around and crash, creating unsafe incidents and damage to the transport vehicle. As a result, these objects are usually placed in extra-large bag-like containers, tightly packed, in an attempt to preserve and transport. However, it is not possible to properly pin-down the objects during the actual transport. They inevitably roll in the trunk, the seat of a vehicle, or the bed in the back of a pickup truck, which is the dilemma, encountered by most people.  
         [0005]     Also, because of difficulty in securing objects of round, cylindrical and irregular shapes, such as vases, can-shaped objects, and especially easily breakables made of glass such as porcelain, etc.; professional packers are usually required for safe transport. However, it is not possible for unprofessional people to perform a packaging service of professional standard. This not only requires specialized skills, but often very large space.  
         [0006]     In the case of self-transported small- and medium-sized objects, how can one satisfactorily manage the packaging and how can one safely place the simple-packed objects inside a vehicle.  
         [0007]     Based on the special need for efficient packaging of valuable, heavy objects during transportation, the development of an assisting tool capable of safely packing the objects and ensuring they remain stationery in a vehicle during transportation, should be aggressively looked into by industry.  
         [0008]     Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a safety container for carrying a propane tank or the like which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     This invention is related to a safety container for carrying round, cylindrical, or odd shaped objects such as propane tanks.  
         [0010]     It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a safe, convenient and clean way to transport a propane tank via vehicles such as trucks, sport utility vehicles or cars to and from refill locations.  
         [0011]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a safety container, which can restrict and stabilize an object during transportation.  
         [0012]     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a safety container, which can prevent an object from rolling over.  
         [0013]     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a safety container, which can prevent an object from tipping.  
         [0014]     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a safety container, which can prevent the surface of an object from coming into contact with either the person or the interior of the transport vehicle.  
         [0015]     The foregoing objects and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.  
         [0016]     Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a safety container according to the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a propane tank, which is kept within the safety container according to the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a propane tank, which is completely wrapped inside the safety container according to the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a safety container in the shape of a dog bone according to the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  illustrates the collapsed condition of the safety container according to the present invention; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a safety container according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]     For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. Specific language will be used to describe the same. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.  
         [0025]     With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3  and  4  thereof, the safety container according to the present invention comprises a rectangular body  10  which is made of soft material such as cloth. The body  10  can be circular in shape, or shaped as required. The body  10  is formed with an opening  11  through which an inflatable cushion  12  can be inserted into the body  10 . The inflatable cushion  12  may be filled with fluid as required. The opening  11  is provided with enclosure means such as male and female fasteners, zippers, or the like so that the opening  11  can be closed to prevent the cushion  12  from getting out of the body  10 . Two long sides of the body  10  are each provided with an inverted U-shaped handle  13  for holding the safety container. On the upper edge of the two long sides of the body,  10  is fixedly or removably connected with a flap  14  for keeping an article in place. Two short sides of the body  10  are each provided with a fastening strip  15  for engaging with a removable flap  14  for further keeping the article in place. The cushion  12  has a nozzle  16 , which extends out of an opening of the body  10  for filling air or fluid therein. The cushion  12  has a cavity at the central portion surrounded by raised edges so that an article can be firmly kept in the cavity.  
         [0026]     The present invention utilizes the inflatable cushion  12  to keep an article to be resiliently mounted within the body  10  and flaps  14  to secure the article in place thereby safely keeping the article in the body  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 2, 3  and  4 , when a propane tank  20  is placed in the cushion  12 , the propane tank  20  will automatically slip into the cavity at the central portion of the cushion  12  due to the gravity. Then, the upper portion of the propane tank  20  is wrapped with the flaps  14  thereby firmly keeping the propane tank  20  in the cushion  12  and therefore enabling the propane tank  20  to be carried safely.  
         [0027]     Since the cushion  12  is filled with air or fluid, the air or fluid may be released from the nozzle  16  of the cushion  12  when the safety container is not in use. Hence, the safety container can be folded as shown in  FIG. 6  thus making it easy to stow or transport. Furthermore, the cushion  12  can be used as a pillow in camping. Moreover, the expansion degree of the cushion  12  can be adjusted by controlling the air or fluid in the cushion  12  so as to adapt to different kinds of articles.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the cushion  12  has a dog bone profile which is sized to partially wrap the side of the propane tank. The ends of the bone profile grip the tank side when the propane tank in placed on the cushion and the weight of the tank forces the center of the dog bone down until it makes contact with the supporting surface.  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a safety container according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, all flaps  14  are detachably engaged with the body  10 .  
         [0030]     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.  
         [0031]     While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.