Patent Publication Number: US-6991373-B2

Title: Emesis waste disposal system

Description:
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60/377,632 filed May 3, 2002. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The invention relates to portable waste disposal systems; more particularly, it relates to a portable emesis waste disposal system. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   There is a need for a portable container or system to hold large amounts of vomit and/or other bodily waste from those who get sick in public places. Such a waste bag system would also carry wipes and related clean up supplies and/or personal items in accessory zippered pockets in the pack or kit, and have the appearance of a wallet or small handbag so as not to draw added attention to the carrier of the bag. 
   Currently, paper bags with a plastic coating are used (typical air sickness bag). This is not enough for some; not enough in size for some users and no storage compartment to carry clean up items and/or personal items. Also, the appearance of this type of bag suggests that someone is, or expects soon to become, sick. It is distressing to use when sick, and distressing to other people to have to watch, or even contemplate. 
   Recycled plastic bags and food containers are used by some, but the contents are visible with plastic bags and some food containers and most bags are not leak proof. They do not offer storage to carry clean up supplies, and these containers also draw attention to the user. 
   All of these needs are particularly heightened for women in various stages of pregnancy, and who are experiencing frequent, sometimes unpredictable, nausea. 
   DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
   The disclosed waste bag system addresses the need for a portable container to hold large amounts of vomit and/or other bodily waste from those who get sick in public places. The waste bag system also holds wipes and related clean up supplies and/or personal items in accessory zippered pockets in the pack or kit, and has the appearance of a wallet or small handbag so as not to draw added attention to the carrier of the bag. 
   The user of this bag can get sick in public behind the bag&#39;s flap for some measure of privacy, and reach to the back pocket for items they packed for cleaning up the face. The back pocket can hold personal items making a wallet unnecessary for some users, and it can hold a package of tissue and a few extra items for clean up. The waste in the plastic leak proof opaque liner may then be conveniently, discretely and sanitarily disposed of. The plastic liner is detached from the bag by removing (unbending) the tin ties (flat plastic strips reinforced with malleable wire, one along each top side of the disposable liner bag) at the top of the plastic liner from the corners of the bag. The plastic liner top can then be rolled down and secured closed with the tin ties (the tin ties are strong enough that the user can grip the top of a plastic liner full of liquid while holding on to the tin ties and they will support the carrying of the plastic liner). The full plastic liner can then be disposed of immediately or carried in the bag with the flap snapped down to dispose of when convenient. When the full plastic liner is out of the bag, a new liner stored at the bottom of the bag can be attached to the bag and then the whole thing folded compact again until the bag is once more needed. 
   To these ends, an emesis waste disposal system with both an outer bag and an inner bag is disclosed. The outer bag/inner bag combination is preferably foldable and each bag made from some flexible material. The outer-inner bag combination is optionally releasably closable into a traveling package smaller in profile than either of the open bags. Advantageously, a releasable closure half set on an inside of the flap of the outer bag and a mating releasable closure half set on the lower outside of the back of the outer bag form two half sets engageable to releasably close the system, after folding, into the travel package shape. 
   The inner bag which is intended to be disposable is also flexible and foldable, but is disposed inside the outer bag in such a way that both bags are extended and open when the outer bag is open and extended. In preferred embodiments, the inner bag is releasably attached within an inside of the outer bag, and disposed in a ready, open position within the outer bag. By ready and open, is meant that when the outer bag opening is exposed after unfolding the bag, and the lip of the outer bag is pulled open, the opening of the inner bag is also open and ready to receive waste. It will be appreciated that it is neither necessary nor particularly desirable to remove the inner bag from the outer bag before depositing, or in order to deposit, waste into the inner bag. 
   Advantageously, the inner bag is somewhat larger in volume than the outer bag, and is somewhat longer from top to bottom, and an edge of the inner bag is folded out over the lip of the outer bag, so that waste is not easily admitted into the outer bag, that is, into the space between the inner and outer bags. Optionally, the releasable attachment of the inner bag to the inside of the outer bag is effected with a removable fastener such as one or more novelty disclosed tin ties, or such as conventional hook and loop pile sets, snap sets, or the like conventional removable fastener, now known or later developed, substitutions for which will readily occur to those skilled in the art. 
   In a preferred embodiment of the disclosed emesis waste disposal system, the removable fastener is a tin tie, a name used in the art in general to describe flat plastic strips reinforced with malleable wire. One tin tie is disposed along each top side of the disposable inner bag (or liner bag). A free or protruding end of the tin tie (the part not attached to the inner bag) is preferably threaded from inside the outer bag through an aperture in the outer bag below the lip of the outer bag, and then folded up and over a fold of the inner bag that is folded over the outer bag lip. In preferred embodiments, the removable fastener is integral to an outside of the inner bag, which typically means that the fastener is either attached to the upper sides of the inner bag, or actually manufactured as part of the inner bag. Advantageously, the removable fastener is also used to seal the inner bag after the inner bag is filled with waste. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the double bag waste system. 
       FIG. 2  is a detail schematic perspective of the releasable fastener attachment of inner bag to outer bag for the double bag waste system. 
       FIG. 3  is a photograph of the back side of the unfolded waste bag system. 
       FIG. 4  is a photograph of the front side of the folded waste bag system. 
       FIG. 5  is a photograph of the front of the unfolded waste bag system showing inner bag open and ready and attached with tin ties. 
       FIG. 6  is a photograph of the unfolded and open outer bag with inner bag removed. 
       FIG. 7  is a detail schematic of the tin tie attachment to the inner bag. 
       FIGS. 8   a – 8   c  is a detail schematic of the inner bag folded and locked closed with tin ties. 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic of an alternate hook and loop pile fastener. 
       FIG. 10  is a schematic of an alternate snap set fastener. 
   

   BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
   The disclosed waste system is made with marine grade snaps which secure the flap of the outer bag closed so the weight of the full plastic liner bag will not cause the bag to open. The back zippered pocket uses reliable YKK zippers. The zipper secures even the smallest items to carry around. The outer bag also functions as a handbag, without the disposable plastic liners, when the original need for it no longer exists. The system is compact, folding to wallet size, when not in use. The bag can store additional plastic liner bags at the bottom of the inside of the outer bag for continued/next usage. 
   Preferred plastic liners are leak proof (advantageously, those bags specially designed to transport exotic fish are preferred and readily available at appropriate supply outlets) and they are also opaque so fluid and waste stays in the bag and the contents are not visible to the user or others. 
   The outer bag is preferably made of a durable vinyl cloth with a heavy banner vinyl lining, so the bag can get wet and/or cleaned often and keys won&#39;t poke through. 
   Turning now to the drawings, preferred embodiments will be described by reference to the numerals of the drawing figures wherein like numbers indicate like parts. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the double bag waste system  10 .  FIG. 2  is a detail schematic perspective of the releasable fastener  24  attachment of inner bag  20  to outer bag  30  for the double bag waste system  10  using a preferred tin tie releasable fastener  24  that is integral to inner bag  20  in a preferred embodiment. See also  FIG. 5 , showing inner bag  20  open and ready and attached to outer bag  30  with tin ties  24 .  FIG. 7  is a detail schematic of the tin tie attachment to inner bag  20  showing tin tie  24  attached to inner bag  20  via electronic weld along tin tie bag attachment zone  24   b , leaving two free tin tie ends  24   a  for engagement with outer bag  30  via apertures  32  just below outer bag lip  34  ( FIG. 2 ). Preferred tin ties  24  are located about 1″ to 1½″ below the top of bag  20  on both front and back sides of the opening of bag  20 , such that preferred tin tie bag attachment zone  24   b  for each tie or strip is about ¾″ shorter than the bag&#39;s width on each side, and so that about 1″ to 1¼″ of each tin tie on each end is free to bend, and is not welded, or otherwise attached, to bag  20 . 
   In  FIG. 2 , tin tie end  24  ( 24   a  in  FIG. 7 ) is threaded from the inside of outer bag  30  outwardly through aperture  32  just below outer bag lip  34 . The top of inner bag  20  is then preferably folded down over lip  34  (to position shown in  FIG. 1  as top fold  22 ) and captured in the grasp of folded tin tie  24  as it is folded upward and inward into the top of inner bag  20  (in the direction shown by arrow  35 ). This releasable engagement is followed for each of four preferred tin ties per inner bag. Release of inner bag  20  from engagement with outer bag  30  is effected by unbending ties  24  and then reverse threading them back through apertures  32 . 
   Returning to  FIG. 1 , flap  12  effects “full” closure of outer bag  30 , preferably only when inner bag  20  is full and sealed and disposed for transport and disposal down inside bag  30 , by folding flap  12  down over bag  30  opening so that flap snaps  7  engage front snaps  5 . When the bag system is not full, but empty, it is foldable into a much smaller shape (see  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) with the aid of horizontal fold zone  14  and vertical fold zone  13 , in nature and effect much like the folds of a paper grocery bag. 
     FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  6  are photographs of the back side ( FIG. 3 ) of the unfolded waste bag system, with back snaps  6  and flap snaps  7 , the engagement of which in conjunction with the foldability of waste bag system  10 , results in the view shown as the front side of the folded waste bag system ( FIG. 4 ) (as the bottom of bag  30  is folded upwardly onto the front of bag  30 , covering front snaps  5 , but presenting back snaps  6  for engagement with flap snaps  5 ), and the unfolded and open outer bag with inner bag removed ( FIG. 6 ). 
     FIG. 8  is a detail schematic of inner bag  20  folded ( 20   a ) and locked closed ( 20   b ) with tin ties  24 . In  FIG. 8   a , inner bag  20  is open and tin ties  24  are extended and released from their engagement with outer bag  30  (not shown—see  FIG. 2  for engagement). In  FIG. 8   b , a first fold  20   a  is made to fold the portion of bag  20  that lies above the tin ties downwardly onto the body of bag  20 . In  FIG. 8   c , a second fold  20   b  (and optional plurality of folds) is further made, and tin ties  24  are bent into locking engagement with fold  20   b  to seal bag  20  and prevent any fluid leakage during storage and eventual disposal. 
     FIG. 9  is a schematic of an alternate hook and loop pile fastener  25 , and  FIG. 10  is a schematic of an alternate snap set fastener  27 . Either or both, or combinations of the two, or combinations of the two with tin ties, or material substitutions for conventional snaps  27  and/or conventional hook and loop pile  25  that will occur to those skilled in the art, maybe used to effect the releasable attachment of inner bag  20  to outer bag  30 . 
   In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, since the means and construction shown comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims, appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.