Abstract:
The disclosure relates to an asset protection bag for large items, such as, but not limited to, automobiles and boats, and also for small items, such as, but not limited to, firearms and documents. The asset protection bag includes a first half and a second half which can be laid out flat. A first zipper profile of a water-resistant zipper is formed around the periphery of the first half and a second zipper profile of the water-resistant zipper is formed around the periphery of the second half. The first half is folded over the second half, with the asset therebetween, and the zipper profiles are interlocked. Vacuum ports are provided to allow for the evacuation of air trapped therewithin.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/138,163 filed Dec. 17, 2008, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    The present disclosure pertains to a bag or container used to store an asset in a water-resistant configuration. The asset may include an automobile or similarly sized article, but may also include smaller items such as firearms or documents. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0003]    In the prior art, it is known to use water-resistant bags, packages or containers for protection of smaller items, such as hand-held items, mementos, archival items, documents or firearms. However, further improvements are sought with respect to such bags, packages or containers. Moreover, such prior art bags, packages or containers have been found to be deficient with respect to larger items, such as automobiles or boats in that the water-resistant configuration has been difficult to maintain. Additionally, internally trapped air has made the prior art bags, packages or containers unwieldy. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0004]    It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a water-resistant bag, package or container which can be used for larger items, such as, but not limited to, automobiles or boats, as well as smaller items, such as, but not limited to, firearms and documents, wherein the water-resistant configuration can be maintained, and wherein internally trapped air can be minimized. 
         [0005]    This and other objects are obtained by providing a package formed from a sheet of polymeric material, such as, but not limited to, polyethylene, which can lie flat, but which includes a water-resistant zipper around the periphery thereof to form an enclosure around an object. Additionally, the walls of the package include a vacuum port for removing excess air after an item has been encased within the package. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of the unzipped configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view, partially in cross section, of a typical zipper used with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a diagram of an automobile contained within an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a diagram of a firearm enclosed within a further embodiment of the present invention, further including a parked slider configuration. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a wall for an embodiment of the present invention, showing that the inner layer may include anti-microbial or volatile corrosion inhibitors. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of a folded configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a typical valve used for an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a typical valve used for an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a typical slider which is used for an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a bottom perspective view of a typical slider which is used for an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, one sees that  FIG. 1  is a plan view of a typical embodiment of the asset protection bag  10 , shown in the unzipped, planar and spread-out configuration. The illustrated asset protection bag  10  includes wall  11  which is sized for enclosing a compact-sized automobile or similarly sized boat, but those skilled in the art, after review of this disclosure, will realize that other sizes may be implemented for other applications. In its larger embodiments, the asset protection bag  10  may also be referred to as a vehicular protection bag. However, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the asset protection bag  10  may be sized for smaller items such as, but not limited to, a firearm  200  or documents (not shown). The wall  11  of illustrated asset protection bag  10  has an overall size of twenty-four feet by twenty-four feet, with a first half  12  sized at twelve feet by twenty-four feet, comprising relatively longer sides  14 ,  18  and relatively shorter sides  16 ,  20  substantially forming a rectangle, adjacent to second half  22  sized at twelve feet by twenty-four feet, comprising relatively longer sides  24 ,  28  and relatively shorter sides  26 ,  30  substantially forming a rectangle. 
         [0018]    Relatively longer side  14  of first half  12  joins relatively longer side  24  of second half  22  along seam, seal or other joinder  50 . In use, asset protection bag  10  is typically folded along or proximate to seam, seal or other joinder  50 , so that first half  12  of wall is positioned over the top of the asset being protected, such as, but not limited to, an automobile, while second half  22  of wall is positioned under the asset being protected thereby bringing together first zipper profile  32  along sides  16 ,  18 ,  20  with second zipper profile  34  along sides  26 ,  28 ,  30 . As first half  12  is intended to be over the asset being protected, first half  12  typically comprises polyethylene film, with a typical thickness of 8 mils. Similarly, as second half  22  is intended to be under the asset being protected, and therefore being subject to the weight of the asset, the second half  22  typically comprises scrim reinforced polyethylene. However, those skilled in the art will see a range of equivalent materials. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 5 , wall  11  may include multiple layers, such as inner layer  13  and outer layer  15 . Antimicrobial agents may be blended with the film of the inner layer  13 . Likewise, volatile corrosion inhibitors may be blended with the film of the inner layer  13 . The antimicrobial agents and/or the volatile corrosion inhibitors may be added as master batches during extrusion of the layers  13 ,  15 . 
         [0019]    Sides  16 ,  18 ,  20  forming the periphery of first half  12  include first zipper profile  32  and sides  26 ,  28 ,  30  forming the periphery of second half  22  include second zipper profile  34 . First and second zipper profiles  32 ,  34  form a water-resistant zipper  36 , typically chosen from zippers represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,131 entitled “Fluid-Tight Fastener” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,408 entitled “Omni-Directional Fastener” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,845 entitled “Slider for Heavy Duty Flexible Fastener Tracks” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,541 entitled “Profiled Plastics Bag Closure Strip and Adhesive Bonding Method” to Tilman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,813 entitled “Bag and Reclosable Separable Fastener Assembly, etc.” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,259 entitled “Twist Resistant Reclosable Extruded Plastic Fastener” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,383 entitled “Fusible Rib Bonding of Fasteners to Substrate” to Bentsen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,880 entitled “Method of Making Extruded Zipper Strips and Bags Containing the Same” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,240 entitled “Extruded Zipper Strips for Bags” to Ausnit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,585 entitled “Easy Open Bag Structure” to Boeckmann; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,369 entitled “Moisture-Resistant Fastener”. A typical or composite zipper  36  with first and second profiles  32 ,  34  is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Additionally,  FIG. 2  illustrates first profile  32  including first and second teeth  38 ,  40  and second profile  34  likewise including first and second teeth  42 ,  44 , wherein first and second teeth  38 ,  40  interlock with first and second teeth  42 ,  44 . 
         [0020]    First tooth  38  of first profile  32  is illustrated as including a color strip  46 , such as red, which is visible to the user when the first and second profiles  32 ,  34  are not interlocked, but hidden from the user when first and second profiles  32 ,  34  are completely interlocked. This serves as an aid to the user by indicating which sections of zipper  36  are not completely interlocked. 
         [0021]    As further shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , zipper  36  may include a slider  37  to assist in operating the zipper  36 .  FIG. 4  further illustrates the slider  37  being placed in pocket  39 , a cut-out portion of the wall  11 , to further increase the water-resistance of asset protection bag  10 . A slider  37  for a typical application is disclosed by commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0313863 entitled “Slider for Water-Resistant Zippers” to Swain et al. (which is hereby incorporated by reference) and is further illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The first sidewall  80  of slider  37  is generally planar while the second sidewall  82  is generally curved so that the first and second sidewalls  80 ,  82  are relatively closer together at the closing end  84  and further apart at the opening end  86 . A triangular island  88  and separating plow  90  are formed at the opening end  86  to separate the first and second profiles  32 ,  34  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0022]      FIGS. 1 and 3  illustrate first half  12  including two vacuum ports  60 , while  FIGS. 4 and 6  illustrates first half  12  including a single vacuum port  60 . Vacuum port  60  is illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . A typical vacuum port  60  is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0257688 entitled “One-Way Valve with Flapper for Vacuum Bag” to Calvo et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference. Vacuum port  60  typically includes valve base  62  which is affixed to first half  12  and encircles an opening  70  formed in the material of first half  12 . Living hinge  64  attaches flapper  66  and valve cap  68  to valve base  62 . Valve cap  66  can snap engage valve base  62  thereby urging flapper  66  into an essentially airtight configuration over or within opening  70 . Valve cap  68  can likewise be detached therefrom to allow flapper  66  to be lifted in response to an external suction device (not shown) thereby allowing for the evacuation of air trapped within asset protection device  10  after zipper  36  has been closed. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , asset protection bag  10  includes D-ring connector  72  extending from joinder  50  and D-ring connector  74  extending from side  28  of second half  22  (or from side  18  of first half  12 ). D-ring connectors  72 ,  74  allow the user to secure the assert protection bag  10  in place, particularly when it does not include the weight of an asset, such as, but not limited to, an automobile  100  (see  FIG. 3 ), being protected inside thereof. 
         [0024]    To use asset protection bag  10 , the user typically first unzips the zipper  36  so that the first and second halves  12 ,  22  lie side by side, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The asset protection bag  10  may be secured in place by D-ring connectors  72 ,  74 . In the case of a smaller item, such as is shown in  FIG. 4 , the user simply places the item to be protected onto second half  22  and fold first half  12  thereover. In the case of a large item, such as an automobile or boat, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the user drives or otherwise places the asset to be protected, such as, but not limited to, an automobile, over the second half  22  and folds first half  12  thereover, so that first and second zipper profiles  32 ,  34  meet. The user then interlocks first and second zipper profiles  32 ,  34  together. The user may then attach an external vacuum device (not shown) to one of vacuum ports  60 ,  62  and evacuate the air enclosed within asset protection bag  10 . 
         [0025]    Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.