Abstract:
Bags, containers, apparatus, systems and methods of storing produce, such as fruits and/or vegetables in sealable plastic bags that are each placed into zippered fabric bags having compartments to preserve the fruit and vegetable contents and delay spoilage of the stored fruits and vegetables.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/885,695 filed Oct. 2, 2013, which is incorporated by reference in its&#39; entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to preserving fruits and vegetables, and in particular to bags, containers, apparatus, systems and methods of storing fruits and vegetables in plastic bags that are placed into fabric bags having compartments to preserve the contents and delay spoilage. 
     BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART 
     Consumers often need to eat fruits and vegetables soon after being purchased or they run the risk of fruits and vegetables becoming spoiled and rotten within a short time span. In view of the short shelf life, fruits and vegetable are often thrown away after a day or a few days from the date they are purchased. 
     It is also common for consumers to leave fruits such as bananas and mangoes, out in a bowl, but they often become spoiled fairly quickly just sitting in an environment under room temperatures. 
     Cooling the fruits and vegetables in a common refrigerator is popular for storing fruits and vegetables and can delay the spoilage, but only for a short additional time. 
     As such, consumers often have to throw out fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and the like, when they start to turn bad, such as turn black. 
     Over the years storage containers, such as plastic box containers have been used. However, such containers are bulky and generally take up more space than what is needed. Additionally, such bulky containers, such as Tupperware containers can be expensive and be further undesirable. 
     Other containers, such as zip lock bags are also popular, but they also do little to delay the spoilage of the fruits and vegetables. 
     Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide bags, containers, apparatus, systems and methods of storing fruits in plastic bags that are placed into fabric bags having compartments to preserve the contents and delay spoilage. 
     A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide bags, containers, apparatus, systems and methods of storing vegetables in plastic bags that are placed into fabric bags having compartments to preserve the contents and delay spoilage. 
     A third objective of the present invention is to provide bags, containers, apparatus, systems and methods of storing both fruits and vegetables in plastic bags that are placed into fabric bags having compartments to preserve the contents and delay spoilage. 
     A bag arrangement for preserving and delaying spoilage of fruits and vegetables, comprising a plastic sealable bag adapted for storing produce selected from at least one fruit or at least one vegetable therein, and a closeable fabric bag for receiving the plastic bag with the produce, wherein produce is preserved and spoilage is delayed. The plastic bag can include a plastic zipper fastener. The fabric bag can include a zipper fastener. 
     The produce can include bananas, mangos, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the like, and any combination thereof of different vegetables and different fruits. 
     A plural compartment bag system for preserving and delaying spoilage of fruits and vegetables, can include a closeable fabric bag having closed sides and closed bottom and open top which is closeable by fasteners, and at least two compartments inside the fabric bag, and at least two plastic resealable sealable bag adapted for storing produce selected from at least one fruit or at least one vegetable therein, each of the plastic bags being inserted in each of the compartments of the fabric bag, wherein the produce is preserved and spoilage is delayed. 
     The at least two compartments can include three resealable fabric compartments, and the at least two resealable plastic bags includes three resalable plastic bags. The fasteners on the fabric bag can include a zipper. 
     A method of preserving and delaying spoilage of produce, can include the steps of providing a fabric bag having closed sides, and a closed bottom and an upper opening for being closed and opened, providing a resealable plastic bag having closed sides, closed bottom and open top that is resealable and reusable, inserting at least one piece of produce in the open top of the plastic bag, closing the open top to reseal the plastic bag with the produce, inserting the resealed plastic bag with the produce in the upper opening of the fabric bag, closing the upper opening of the fabric bag; and preserving the produce inside the plastic bag and delaying spoilage of the produce for at least several days. 
     The method can further include the step of providing a zipper to close the upper opening of the fabric bag. 
     The method can further include the step of resealing the open top of the plastic bag with male and female fasteners. 
     The method can further include the steps of providing plural recloseable compartments inside of the fabric bag, providing plural resealable plastic bags, inserting at least one piece of produce in each of the plural plastic bags, resealing each of the plastic bags that each have at least one piece of produce; inserting each of the plastic bags with the at least one piece of produce in each of the compartments of the fabric bags, closing each of the compartments of the fabric bag that each hold a plastic bag with the at least one piece of produce, and preserving each of the pieces of the produce being stored in each of the resealed plastic bags that are each stored in each of the closed compartments inside of the fabric bag. 
     The method can further include the step of providing plural recloseable compartments includes the step of providing three recloseable compartments, and the step of providing the plural resealable plastic bags includes the step of providing three plural resealable plastic bags. 
     Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of produce preserver bag showing a bag open with a sealable plastic bag and a piece of produce ready to be put into the preserver. 
         FIG. 2  shows the preserver bag of  FIG. 1  with the produce in the resealable bag. 
         FIG. 3  shows the produce preserver bag of the preceding figures containing a piece of produce sealed into the resealable bag and then zipped into the preserver. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment produce preserver bag having three discrete compartments, along with three pieces of produce sealed into three resealable bags positioned to be inserted into the three discrete compartments of the preserver bag. 
         FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of the preserver bag of  FIG. 4  showing the internal compartments without resealable bags inserted. 
         FIG. 5B  is another cross-sectional view of the preserver bag of  FIG. 4  showing the internal compartments with the resealable bags inserted into the compartments. 
         FIG. 6  is a view of the alternate embodiment of  FIGS. 4-5B , showing the method and sequence of assembly. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 
     In the Summary above and in the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally. 
     In this section, some embodiments of the invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     A list of components will now be described.
       10  Single compartment produce preserver bag.     11  Bag front panel.     12  Bag rear panel.     20 / 20 A/ 20 B/ 20 C resealable plastic bag with resealable top.     30 / 30 A/ 30 B/ 30 C Produce such as vegetables and/or fruit.     40  Zipper closure on main preserver bag.     41  Zipper closures on internal compartments.     50  Triple compartment produce preserver bag. In addition to the large central compartment, a smaller discrete zippered compartment is sewn into the inside of the front and the back walls of the larger bag.     60  Front internal zippered compartment of the triple compartment produce bag.     61  Front internal compartment panel. The side and bottom edges of this panel are stitched to the bag front panel to form a pocket. A zipper is stitched to the top of the panel and to the bag front panel to form a closure.     70  Main central pocket of the triple compartment produce bag.     80  Rear internal zippered compartment of the triple compartment produce bag.     81  Rear internal compartment panel. This panel is attached to the bag rear panel in the same way as the front internal compartment panel.     90  Front to back panel stitching.     100  Front compartment panel to front panel stitching.     110  Rear compartment panel to rear panel stitching.     120  Main compartment zipper stitching.     130  Internal compartment zipper stitching.
 
Single Compartment Produce and Fruit Preserver Bag
   

       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of produce preserver bag  10  showing the bag  10  open with an open resealable plastic bag  20  and a piece of produce such as vegetables and/or fruit  30 , such as but not limited to a tomato, and the like, ready to be put into the preserver. 
       FIG. 2  shows the preserver bag of  FIG. 1  with the produce  30  in the resealable bag  20 .  FIG. 3  shows the produce preserver bag  10  of the preceding figures containing a piece of produce  30  sealed into the resealable plastic bag  20  and then zipped into the preserver bag  10 . 
     The resealable preserver bag  10  can be formed from fabric, and the like, having a bag front panel  11 , sealed on the sides and bottom (by being sewn, and the like) to a rear panel  12 . A zipper type fastener  40  can open and close the top opening to the preserver bag  10 . 
     The resealable plastic bag  20  can be a plastic type sandwich bag, and the like, with a resealable fastener top with interlocking male and female locking fasteners such as the channel and track fasteners, manufactured by S. C. Johnson &amp; Son, Inc. of Racine, Wis., under the brand name ZIPLOC®. 
     Plural Compartment Preserver Bag for Produce and Fruit 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an another produce preserver bag  50  having three discrete compartments, along with three pieces of produce  30 A,  30 B,  30 C sealed into three resealable bags  20 A,  20 B,  20 C positioned to be inserted into the three discrete compartments  60 ,  70 ,  80  of the preserver bag  50 . 
       FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of the preserver bag  50  of  FIG. 4  along arrow  5 X showing the internal compartments  60 ,  70 ,  80  without resealable bags  30 A,  30 B,  30 C inserted inside of the compartments  60 ,  70 ,  80 . 
       FIG. 5B  is another cross-sectional view of the preserver bag  50  of  FIG. 4  showing the internal compartments  60 ,  70 ,  80  with the resealable bags  30 A,  30 B,  30 C inserted into the compartments  60 ,  70 ,  80 . 
       FIG. 6  is a view of the embodiment of  FIGS. 4-5B , showing the method and sequence of assembly of the preserver bag  50 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , the preserver bag  50  can be formed from a fabric material, and have outer front panel  11  and rear panel  12  forming a main central pocket  70  by front to back panel bottom and side edges being sewn (stitched) with one another. The side and bottom edges of a front internal compartment panel  61  can be sewn (stitched)  100  to the bag front panel  11  to form a front internal zippered compartment  60 . A zipper  40  can be stitched to the top of the panel  61  and the front panel  11  to form a main pocket  60 . A main pocket  70  can be formed between front internal pocket panel  61  and rear internal pocket panel  81 . A rear internal zippered compartment  80  can be formed between the rear internal compartment panel  81  having bottom and side edges sewn (stitched)  110  similar to the front internal compartment. Additional sewn lines (stitching) can be shown by main compartment zipper stitching (sewn lines)  120  and internal compartment zipper stitching (sewn lines). 
     Each of the plastic bags  20 A,  20 B and  20 C can include different produce in each of the plastic bags  20 A,  20 B and  20 C. 
     The novel bag  11  can be formed from cloth material having a closed bottom, closed sides that can be formed from folding a cloth material and sewing the sides together. The open top can be closed by a zipper. 
     A plastic bag  20  can have a sealable top, such as those found in Ziploc bags, and the like. 
     The inventor has done experiments with vegetables, such as but not limited to tomatoes and cucumbers, and with fruits, such as but not limited to bananas and mangos. 
     Through testing, bananas stored and sealed in the plastic bag  20  and then stored and closed off in the fabric bag  11  can last up to approximately 14 days without showing any spoilage. Mangoes have been shown to be able to last up to a couple of weeks before showing any spoilage. 
     The novel bag is a non-toxic, bio degradable, eco-friendly cover for fruits and vegetables. The consumer can place their produce in the plastic bag which is sealed, and then into the fabric bag which is zippered shut. Unlike common containers that are boxy and bulky, the novel bag provides more refrigerator space by covering only the size of the produce. 
     Specific sizes and dimensions of the novel bag can be made for watermelons, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, cantaloupe, and the like. 
     In addition, the novel bag can be utilized to store virtually any other product. 
     The novel bag with stored inside plastic bag storing the produce can be stored in either the refrigerator or pantry until ready to be consumed. 
     Although the embodiments shown include a fabric bag with one resealable plastic bag, and a fabric bag with three compartments, the invention can be used with fabric bag having two compartments or more than three compartments and a like number of plastic bags for holding the produce piece of pieces inside. 
     While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.