Abstract:
A bag drying and storage device includes a base member and a plurality of arched upward protrusions secured thereto. A bag or similar item is placed on a pair of the protrusions and the arched shape allows air to circulate within each bag and decrease a drying time. Additionally, the protrusions can be independently rotated to adjust to the size of the bag secured thereon.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to drying devices, and more particularly to a device capable of accommodating and drying resalable plastic food storage bags and like articles. 
         [0002]    The “Green Movement” of today has called for ideas that not only improve our day-to-day lives but also enhance the lives of generations to follow by sustainably managing the resources presently available. The introduction of the plastic food storage bag has greatly contributed to the overall convenience of storing food items by providing a way to store and transport items utilizing a disposable container, however, it has also played a major role in the dissolution of our environment. By providing an inexpensive plastic product that can be produced and thrown away by the thousands, plastic storage bags have become a major source of waste promulgating land fills across the globe. For this reason, there has been a growing movement to recycle these bags and, in turn, a need for a device that encourages and assists in the re-use of food storage bags via a practical and environmentally conscious design. 
         [0003]    There have been previous devices directed towards the storage and drying of plastic bags that generally include multiple straight upward protrusions for holding a bag in a vertical manner. However these designs have an inherent disadvantage of allowing the bags to remain substantially closed when installed on the device and the sides of the bags remain in contact with each other when wet, thus preventing adequate airflow and greatly increasing the time necessary to dry the inside of each bag. Moreover, these are often manufactured from environmentally non-friendly materials which make them unattractive to their intended market audience. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a bag drying device that is ecologically friendly, is simple to use, is inexpensive to manufacture, and that overcomes the deficiencies described above. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an object of the invention to provide a bag drying device for quickly storing and drying plastic bags in an environmentally friendly manner. 
         [0006]    It is another object of the invention to provide a bag drying device that can be adjusted to fit a particular length and width of a plastic bag. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, there is provided a bag drying device having a generally planar base member and a plurality of upward protrusions secured thereto. Each of the protrusions can preferably include a curved shape for ensuring a bag remains open and increasing the airflow to the inside of the bag. 
         [0008]    This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the bag drying device that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is top view of the bag drying device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the bag drying device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the bag drying device in operation, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the bag drying device in operation, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention. 
         [0016]    For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0017]      FIGS. 1-3  illustrate one embodiment of a bag drying and storage device  10  that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, the device  10  can include a base member  11 , having two anterior support rods  12 , and two posterior support rods  13  positioned thereon. 
         [0018]    The base member  11  can act to position each of the support rods  12  and  13  in a vertical orientation to facilitate drying of plastic bags and like items. In one embodiment the base member  11  can include a generally rectangular platform having a planar top surface  11   a , a planar bottom surface  11   b  and a plurality of opposing side surfaces  11   c . In one preferred embodiment, the base member can be constructed from recycled material such as wood or pulp having excellent durability, environmental attributes and the ability to absorb water droplets emanating from the plastic bags when the device is in use. Of course, other materials such as non-recycled wood, composite materials and the like are also contemplated. 
         [0019]    Both the anterior support rods  12  and the posterior support rods  13  can act to position bags of varying sizes on the device  10  for storage and/or drying. To this end, in one embodiment, the posterior support rods  13  can be taller than the anterior support rods  12  in order to allow the device to accommodate bags of varying lengths  14   a.  As shown, each of the support rods  12  and  13  can include an elongated vertical shaft having a generally arched shape radiating outward in a horizontal manner from the base member  11 . Moreover, it is preferred that each of the support rods  12  and  13  be constructed from recycled material such as wood or pulp having excellent durability, environmental attributes and the ability to absorb water droplets emanating from the plastic bags when the device is in use. Of course, other materials such as non-recycled wood, composite materials and the like are also contemplated. 
         [0020]    In one preferred embodiment, each of the support rods  12  and  13  can be secured to the base member  11  via conventional hardware  20  such as screws, dowels or other known devices capable of allowing each support rod to individually pivot (see arrow r) in a horizontal manner, while remaining secured to the base member  11 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the hardware  20 , according to one embodiment can be secured through the bottom end of the base member  11   b  until making contact with the bottom of each support rod. As will be described below, by allowing each support rod to pivot in place, thereby increasing distance d 1  and d 2 , in order to allow the device  10  to securely position bags of varying widths  14   b.    
         [0021]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate one embodiment of the bag drying device  10  in operation. As shown, a plastic food storage bag  14  can be placed over each of the anterior  12  and posterior support rods  13 , respectively. To this end, each bag  14  can be opened, inverted, and placed over the corresponding support rods  12  or  13  such that the pair of support rods  12  or  13  are located inside the bag  14  itself. Additionally, once positioned inside the bag, each support rod  12  or  13  (depending on whether the bag is on the anterior support rods or the posterior support rods, respectively) can be rotated (see arrow r) until reaching the maximum width of the corresponding bag  14   b.    
         [0022]    Moreover, and as best illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the arched shape of the support rods  12  and  13  act to ensure that each bag  14  remains in a fully open position when secured to device  10 . To this end, the bag sides are prevented from making contact with each other thus increasing airflow to the bag and decreasing the time necessary for each bag to dry. 
         [0023]    Although described above as utilizing rotating support arms  12  and  13  other embodiments are also contemplated. For example, each of the support rods  12  and  13  can be affixed to the base member  11  in a non-rotatable manner (via glue for example) and at any number of angles in order to reduce construction costs while providing an effective bag drying device as described above. 
         [0024]    As described herein, one or more elements of the bag drying device  10  can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue and compression fittings, among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individual elements such as the base member  11 , the anterior rods  12 , and/or the posterior rods  13 , for example, may be formed together as one continuous element, either through manufacturing processes, such as casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material (such as wood, for example) milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof. 
         [0025]    As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
         [0026]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
         [0027]    The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.