Abstract:
A waterproof container including an outer shell having a lid and a bottom portion connected by a zipper, an inner liner secured to and positioned within the outer shell, and a gap defined between the outer shell and the inner liner. The bottom portion has a drainage hole defined therein that communicates the gap with the exterior of the container. Water that enters through the zipper falls through the gap and exits through the drainage hole.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to gear containers and, more particularly, to a waterproof gear container.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     People often engage in activities near or around water. For example, sunbathing, surfing, boating and fishing are all done near, in or on the water. Often while performing these activities persons try to prevent their personal belongings, such as watches, wallets, food, fishing tackle and the like from getting wet. Bags have been devised for keeping articles dry, however, most bags sold as “waterproof” in the outdoor gear market use waterproof zippers and have a heat-welded assembly between the zipper and outer shell of the bag. This prevents the water from seeping through the stitch holes, which typically happens if the zipper is sewed to the outer shell of the bag. However, waterproof zippers and heat-welding are expensive.  
         [0003]     Accordingly, a need exists for an inexpensive container that helps prevent personal items from getting wet while engaging in activities on or near the water.  
       SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0004]     In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container including an outer shell having a lid and a bottom portion connected by a zipper, an inner liner secured to and positioned within the outer shell, and a gap defined between the outer shell and the inner liner. The bottom portion has a drainage hole defined therein that communicates the gap with the exterior of the container. Water that enters through the zipper falls through the gap and exits through the drainage hole. In a preferred embodiment, the top edge of the inner liner is secured to the top edge of the bottom portion and the inner liner comprises a bottom and four upwardly extending sidewalls that extend outwardly at the top thereof.  
         [0005]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of storing live bait. The method includes the steps of providing a container having an outer shell that comprises a bottom portion and a lid and providing an air pump having a hose. The outer shell defines a main compartment therein and has an opening defined therein. The method also includes the steps of inserting an end of the hose through the opening in the outer shell, positioning the end of the hose in the main compartment, at least partially filling the main compartment with water, placing live bait in the water, and turning on the air pump, thereby pumping air into the water. In a preferred embodiment, the container includes an inner liner defining an inner compartment that is secured to and positioned within the outer shell. A gap is defined between the outer shell and the inner liner and the end of the hose is positioned within the inner compartment.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The invention may be more readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a waterproof gear container in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a front cross-sectional elevational view of the waterproof gear container of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front cross-sectional elevational view of another embodiment of a waterproof gear container;  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional elevational view of the waterproof gear container of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a read elevational view of the waterproof gear container of  FIG. 1  showing the air pump and hose. 
     
    
       [0012]     Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , a waterproof gear container (often referred to herein as a “container”)  10  for protecting personal items and the like in wet environments is shown. The container  10  generally includes an outer shell  12  and an inner liner  14  with a gap  16  defined therebetween.  
         [0014]     It will be appreciated that terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “below,” and “side” used herein are used merely for ease of description and refer to the orientation of the components as shown in the figures. It should be understood that any orientation of the various embodiments of the container  10  and the components thereof described herein is within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0015]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the outer shell  12  includes a lid  18  and a bottom portion  20  secured together by a zipper  22 . In a preferred embodiment, the zipper  22  is sewn or stitched on. As discussed above, this is cheaper than providing a waterproof zipper. However, in another embodiment, a waterproof zipper can be used. The zipper  22  preferably extends around at least three sides of the outer shell  12 , but not all the way around. This allows the container  10  to be opened by pivotably raising the lid  18 . In another embodiment, the zipper  22  can extend around the entire outer shell  12  and can be removable. The use of zippers is well known in the art.  
         [0016]     Outer shell  12  defines a main compartment  24  therein. Inner liner  14  is positioned within main compartment  24  and secured to outer shell  12  such that gap  16  is defined between an inner surface  12   a  of outer shell  12  and an outer surface  14   a  of inner liner  14 , as is best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0017]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the inner liner  14  is preferably formed as a container with an open top. The inner liner includes a bottom  14   c  and four upwardly extending sidewalls  14   d  that end at a top edge  14   b . To form the gap  16  between the inner liner  14  and outer shell  12 , in a preferred embodiment, the sidewalls  14   d  of the inner liner  14  include an upper portion  14   e  that extends outwardly. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the upper portion of the sidewalls  14   d  curve outwardly. In another embodiment the upper portion of the sidewalls can extend outwardly at an angle (either obtuse, right or acute). It will be understood that the outer shell  12  and inner layer  14  and the components thereof can be made of a rigid, soft or soft-sided material.  
         [0018]     The inner liner  14  is comprised of a waterproof material and can be comprised of a single piece of material or several pieces that are heat-welded at the corners. For example, the inner liner  14  can be made of a heavy tarpaulin material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or the like. Preferably, the inner liner  14  is sewn to the bottom portion  20  of the outer shell  12  at, near or along their top edges  14   b  and  20   b . However, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the inner liner  14  can also be sewn to the inner surface  12   a  of outer shell  12  along at least one and preferably a number of connection points. In this embodiment, these connection points are located just below the zipper  22 , and, the zipper  22  is sewn onto the outer shell  12  (and between the lid  18  and bottom portion  20 ) at a position below the top edge  14   b  of the inner liner. In another embodiment, the inner liner  14  can be secured to the outer shell  12  by glue, adhesive, heat sealing, screws, bolts, rivets or other known connection method.  
         [0019]     Outer shell  12  is preferably also comprised of a waterproof material, such as PVC. In a preferred embodiment, both the lid  18  and bottom portion  20  are soft-sided. The lid  18  is preferably heat welded at the corners to keep the lid  18  waterproof. In a preferred embodiment (as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 ), the bottom portion  20  includes a buoyant material  25 , such as Styrofoam or EPE soft foam, to allow the container  10  to float. For example, the buoyant material  25  can be located in gap  16  and between the outer shell  12  and inner liner  14 . However, this is not a limitation on the present invention. For example, buoyant material  25  could be placed in the lid  18  or in the sidewalls  14   d.    
         [0020]     When located in gap  16 , preferably, the cross-section of the buoyant material  25  is smaller than gap  16 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . This allows any water that enters gap  16  to get around the buoyant material  25  to exit through drainage hole  26 . In another embodiment, the buoyant material  25  can be located between the inner and outer surfaces of the bottom portion  20 .  
         [0021]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in a preferred embodiment, the bottom portion  20  includes a drainage hole  26  defined in the bottom thereof. Hole  26  can include a grommet  26   a  for lining the hole  26  and preventing water from getting in between the inner and outer surfaces of the bottom  20 . In another embodiment, the inner and outer layers of the bottom  20  can be heat welded or sealed together to form the drainage hole  26 .  
         [0022]     In use, with the zipper  22  unzipped, the lid  18  is opened and articles are placed in the inner compartment defined by the inner container  14 . The lid  18  is then closed, and the zipper  22  is zipped, thereby securing the lid  18  to the bottom portion  20 . In a situation where the container  10  encounters water, the water enters the container  10  through the stitch holes of zipper  22 . Due to gravity, the water falls through gap  16  (the water direction is shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  by the arrows) and then drains through the drainage hole  26 . With this configuration, when water enters through the zipper it cannot get into the inner compartment.  
         [0023]     In a preferred embodiment, the container  10  includes a strap  28  secured thereto. However, this is not a limitation on the present invention. The strap  28  is preferably sewn to the outside of the outer shell  12 , but can be secured by other methods, such as glue, adhesive, screws, bolts, rivets or other known connection methods. The container  10  can also include other components, such as side or top pockets  30 , non-skid, non-slip material on the bottom for extra grip on wet surfaces, handles and the like.  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container can be used as a live-well for bait, such as shrimp or minnows. In this embodiment, the container  10  is used in conjunction with an air pump  100  and hose  102 , and includes an opening  32  therein for inserting the hose  102 . The opening  32  is defined in the lid  18 . The opening can include a securing member  34  for holding the hose  102  in place when in use. For example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the securing member  34  can include two intersecting slits that accept and retain the hose  34 . Also, another securing member can be located within inner compartment  14   f  for retaining the hose  102  in place. For example, this securing member can include hook and loop material.  
         [0025]     In use, the end of the hose  102  is inserted through opening  32  and is pulled over the top edges  14   b  and  20   b  of the inner liner  14  and bottom portion  20  and is positioned inside the inner compartment  14   f  (which is also part of the main compartment) defined by the bottom  14   c  and sidewalls  14   d  of the inner liner  14 . Water and live bait can then be placed in the inner compartment  14   f . The air pump  100  pumps air through the hose  102  and into the water, thereby keeping the bait alive.  
         [0026]     In a preferred embodiment, the air pump  100  is stored a pocket  30  located on the back of the outer shell  12 . However, this is not a limitation on the present invention.  
         [0027]     In another embodiment, the container can include insulation therein (e.g., the inner liner is an insulated PVC material) and can be used as a cooler for drinks or food.  
         [0028]     Container  10  can have a round, oval, square, rectangular or other shaped cross-section when viewed from the top or the side.  
         [0029]     The embodiments described above are exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses of, and departures from, the above-described embodiments without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the present invention is to be defined solely by the scope of the following claims.