Patent Publication Number: US-2015083290-A1

Title: Tarp

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a tarp. Specifically, the present invention relates to a tarp having a cord that extends around the periphery of the tarp. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tarp having a channel along the edges of the tarp that has an aperture at each channel end. A fused cord runs along the entire periphery of the tarp. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many different tarps are used in the construction and recycling industry. Tarps are also widely used in home repair, camping, and many other uses. However, tarps are often difficult to secure and, when they are used as receptacles, for example, for leaves or dirt, they are difficult to close. There is therefore a great need in the art for a versatile tarp that meets such challenges. 
     Accordingly, there is now provided with this invention an improved tarp effectively overcoming the aforementioned difficulties and longstanding problems inherent in tarp design. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, a polygonal tarp is disclosed that has edges and corners. The tarp has a channel extending along each edge, and each channel has an aperture at each end thereof. A grommet is attached to each aperture and a cord extends through each channel and is threaded through each grommet. 
     According to another aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, a polygonal tarp is disclosed that has edges and corners. Each edge is folded back on itself forming a channel within the folded edge and each channel has an aperture at each end thereof. Each aperture has a grommet attached thereto, and a continuous cord extends through each channel and each grommet. 
     According to yet another aspect of certain embodiments of the invention, a polygonal tarp is disclosed that has a body, edges, and corners. Each corner is folded upon and attached to the body, and each edge is folded upon and attached to both the body and two folded corners forming a channel within the folded edge. Each channel has an aperture at each end thereof, each aperture has a grommet attached thereto, and a fused cord runs along the entire periphery of the tarp. 
     The foregoing Summary of the Invention is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure contained herein nor limit the scope of the appended claims. To the contrary, as will be appreciated by those persons skilled in the art, variations of the foregoing described embodiments may be implemented without departing from the claimed invention. 
     The method and apparatus of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed discussion of specific embodiments and the attached figures which illustrate and exemplify such embodiments. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the invention may be understood with reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention taken together in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of an unfolded tarp. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of a tarp of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed view of a corner of the tarp of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     Description of the Preferred Embodiment 
     The following preferred embodiment as exemplified by the drawings is illustrative of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention as encompassed by the claims of this application. 
     The tarp  1 , is illustrated generally in  FIGS. 1-3 . The tarp has a body  2 , and edges  4  around its entire periphery. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the tarp may be of any material that is suitable for its intended use. For example, it may be of canvas, plastic, or a biodegradable material. Although the embodiment shown is a rectangle, the tarp of the present invention may be of any polygonal shape. As in all polygons, each pair of adjacent edges has a corner therebetween. In the embodiment of the tarp shown in the Figures, the body  2  of the tarp has four edges and four corners. 
       FIG. 2  shows a top view of one embodiment of the tarp of the present invention. As shown therein, each corner  4  is folded on itself and upon the body  2  of the tarp. Each corner is attached to the body. Such attachment may be by a wide variety of methods, for example, by welding, gluing, stapling, stitching, and any other method as is well known to those skilled in the art. 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 2 , each edge  4  is folded on itself and upon the body  2  of the tarp. Each edge is attached to the body. Such attachment may be by a wide variety of methods, for example, by welding, gluing, stapling, stitching, and any other method as is well known to those skilled in the art. Each edge may also be attached to the two folded corners which lie at both ends of each edge. In one embodiment of the invention, the corners are folded before the edges are folded and then the edges are folded upon the corners. The folding of the edges forms a channel  6  which extends substantially along the length of the folded edge. 
     Each channel  6  has an aperture  8  at each of its ends. As more particularly shown in  FIG. 3 , each aperture  8  has a grommet  10  attached thereto. The grommets  10  protect the apertures from excessive wear. A cord  12  runs along the entire periphery of the tarp, in each channel and threaded through each grommet so that a loop  14  is formed at each corner of the tarp. The cord may be of any suitable material, for example, hemp, polyester, polypropylene, or others, as is well known to those skilled in the art. It has been found that polyester is softer on the hands and easier to cinch. The ends of the cord are preferably joined so that the cord is continuous and does not retract into the channels. The joining of the cord ends may be by tieing, fusing, welding, splicing, or any other method as is well known to those skilled in the art. The grommets also allow smoother flow of the cord therethrough. 
     As shown in the detailed view of a corner of the tarp of  FIG. 3 , the folded edges and corners of the tarp may be joined to the body of the tarp by stitching  16 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , such stitching may be continuous. One embodiment of continuous stitching shown in  FIG. 3  may follow a path  18  along an edge, thereby joining the folded edge to the tarp body and continue so that it stitches the folded edge onto the folded corner, then double back  20  onto the folded edge and then continue across the folded corner  22 . Such a path may continue along the entire periphery of the tarp. 
     Having a tarp with a cord running in a channel along its periphery and having loops  14  at each of its corners, allows multiple innovative uses, for example, one can use the tarp as a protective covering and then use the loops to secure the tarp. Alternatively, one can invert the tarp and use it as a bag-type receptacle with the loops pulled to tighten the formed bag. 
     Although the particular embodiments shown and described above will prove to be useful in many applications in the construction and the receptacle arts to which the present invention pertains, further modifications of the present invention will occur to persons skilled in the art. All such modifications are deemed to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.