Patent Publication Number: US-2021171238-A1

Title: Collapsible Receptacle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present patent application claims the benefits of priority of commonly assigned Canadian Patent Application No. 3,064,582 entitled “COLLAPSIBLE RECEPTACLE” and filed at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 11, 2019 and of commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/944,405 entitled “COLLAPSIBLE RECEPTACLE” and filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 6, 2019, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to the field of receptacles set up as a protective barrier. More specifically, the present invention relates to a collapsible receptacle comprising a flexible material which can be filled to create a barrier. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Protective barriers have been used by humans since the dawn of time and in all types of situations. From the great Troy walls made of stone and clay to the Cheval de frise used in medieval times to stop cavalry, human inventivity has kept coming up with new ways of protecting what we hold dear. While the technological breakthroughs have been significant with big and long-term applications such as dams, there is still a need for a fast, cheap and efficient protection system against all types of odds such as: floods, avalanches, bullets and much more. Often, those systems need to be installed in logistically lacking areas and, as such, need to be easily transportable at a cheap cost. 
     Currently, most protective barriers used in situations such as floods or military makeshift protection are bags, most often made of burlap or polypropylene, filled with sand or dirt at a convenient location before being transported one by one to the necessary position. The major drawback of this method is that, while it can be cheap in terms of materials used, it requires a lot of manpower for a physically draining task which is prone to cause injuries. More so, filling, transporting and placing bags of this sort can take a lot of time, especially if there isn&#39;t a lot of manpower available. 
     Additionally, protective installation of this sort are hard to set up since the bags have an irregular shape which changes due to the displacement of the material inside. Thus, there is a need for a system that is stable both before and after being filled with materials. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a protection system that is easy to transport, both to a hard to reach area and by the people setting it up. It would also be desirable that this system be easy to set up once at a desirable position and fill. It would also be desirable to provide a system that can be modified by enlarging or reducing its number of individual protective components in a way convenient to an everyday citizen. Ideally, few manpower would be necessary to set up such a protective system. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention consists of a receptacle that is made of flexible and mechanically resistant fabric material, which may stand on its own even when empty and a method of use thereof. 
     One aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, two coupling surfaces opposite and parallel to each other&#39;s. Perpendicular to those are two surfaces easily made to be collapsed, hereinafter called the collapsible surfaces. The receptacle also comprises a bottom surface, but possess nothing covering its top portion. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, three stiffening members, also referred to as stiffening elements or stiffeners, installed on one coupling surface of a receptacle. In another embodiment, stiffening members are installed on both coupling surfaces of a receptacle. The stiffening members are installed on the exterior side of the coupling surfaces. That way, even when the bags are filled, the stiffening members may still be accessible as they are not covered with filling material. This would allow the stiffening members to be less subjected to humidity to prevent rotting and would also allow for visual inspection, if required. The stiffening members may have different dimensions based on the receptacle&#39;s form, but they are to be generally made of wood, composite materials, recycled or non-recycled plastics or any other commonly found construction materials. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, the ability to fill the bag with any suitable materials. Materials generally used to fill a receptacle of the sort are sand, dirt, rocks, snow, etc. Means of filling such receptacles are generally with heavy machinery, such as excavators, but due to the receptacles height, they may also be filled by people with everyday tools such as hand shovels. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one preferred embodiment thereof, stiffener-receiving loops, hereinafter referred to as loops, stitched on the exterior side of the coupling surfaces. In another embodiment, stiffener patches, hereinafter referred to as patches, are stitched on the exterior side of at least one of the coupling surfaces. Depending on the stiffening members being installed on one or both coupling surfaces of a receptacle, stiffener loops and patches may likewise be disposed on one or both coupling surfaces. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, a point of contact between horizontal and vertical stiffeners of the same coupling surface and of the same receptacle. In another embodiment, stiffeners of the same coupling surface and of the same receptacle are not in contact with each other&#39;s. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, collapsible surfaces of square or rectangular dimensions. In one embodiment, its collapsible surface&#39;s length is equal to its height. In other embodiments, the collapsible surfaces length is shorter or longer than its height. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, a fabric material resistant to decay as one of the preferred use of this invention is to stop, and thus be exposed to, liquids and humidity. Another embodiment of the invention provides a water resistant fabric material on one up to all the receptacle surfaces, preferably prioritizing the surfaces most exposed to liquids. Any fabric material chosen for the receptacle is to be flexible. Stiffener loops and patches may be made of the same fabric material used for the receptacle surfaces. Flexible loops and patches would allow the use of a bigger range of stiffeners thickness. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, a method of assembling at least two or more receptacles together with a coupling element, also referred to as a fastener which may comprise screws, bolts with corresponding nuts, clamps, nails, etc. Two receptacles are joined together by joining a coupling surface of each receptacle. In one embodiment of the invention, the joining is made by way of screwing the two coupling surfaces together. The bolt assembly is made of a nut, two washers and a bolt. Washers may be found on the insides of the receptacles, same as the nut. In another embodiment of the invention, the joining is made with the use of commonly called wood screws, without nuts and washers. In another embodiment of the invention, the joining is made with nails. In another embodiment of the invention, the joining is made with staples. The screws, nails and/or staples go through the stiffeners that stand in-between the two coupling surfaces in order provide added stability to the receptacle assembly. In another embodiment of the invention, the joining is made by way of gluing both coupling surfaces together. If this embodiment is chosen, it is preferred to use stiffeners on both coupling surfaces as gluing two stiff parts together provide more surface of adherence than gluing a stiff part to a fabric material. In another embodiment of the invention, the coupling element joining two coupling surfaces comprises a combination of one or more embodiments presented above. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, a method of collapsing one or more assembled receptacles by pressing opposite coupling surfaces towards each other&#39;s in order to compress the collapsible surfaces. Such a receptacle or assembly of receptacles may be much easier to transport once collapsed due to the significantly reduced volume. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, receptacles that may be stacked on top of each other&#39;s if the bottom receptacle is filled up to the upper margin or the receptacle&#39;s height. 
     One other aspect of the invention provides, in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof, handles to move the receptacles. The handles are placed at an ergonomic height so a worker may carry or simply nudge a receptacle in a direction if necessary. 
     The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front-right isometric view illustrating various elements related to an assembly of receptacles that can be part of embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view illustrating individual and adjacent receptacles in a favorable position to being coupled into an assembly in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view illustrating adjacent and interconnected receptacles coupled into an assembly in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of the assembly of  FIG. 3  in a compressed configuration hereof in accordance with at least one embodiment thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevation view illustrating various elements related to patches and stiffening members&#39; configuration on a coupling surface that may be part of embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevation view illustrating various elements related to loops that may be part of embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevation view illustrating various elements related to loops and stiffening members&#39; configuration that may be part of embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is illustrating various elements related to a first and second receptacles joining technique that may be part of embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is illustrating various elements related to a third receptacles joining technique that may be part of embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A plurality of receptacles  10  are illustrated in a receptacle assembly  42  in  FIG. 1 . The receptacle assembly  42 , hereinafter referred to as assembly  42 , comprises at least two receptacles  10  joined at their respective coupling surface  18 . On each receptacle, there are five surfaces. The bottom surface  22  serves as the base of the receptacle. The two collapsible surfaces  14  are generally parallel to each other&#39;s when the receptacle is expanded. The two coupling surfaces  18 , also generally parallel to each other&#39;s, are generally perpendicular to the collapsible surfaces  14  when the receptacle is expanded. On each collapsible surface  14 , there are two optional handles  38  which may be used by a person to manually transport or displace a receptacle  10  or an assembly  42 . Each receptacle  10  has stiffening elements  24  installed on the exterior of a coupling surface  18 . There are two vertical stiffening members  26  and one horizontal stiffening member  28  per group of stiffening elements  24 . Those stiffening elements  24  provide a couple advantages, the most obvious ones being extended receptacles  10  stability when standing up and improved coupling strength when joining two receptacles  10 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates multiple individual receptacles  10  in a standing position adjacent to one another prior to be secured together in the assembly  42 . In this embodiment, there are stiffening elements  24  on one coupling surface  18  of each receptacle  10  in an embodiment thereof, but there may also be stiffening elements  24  on both coupling surfaces  18  if desirable in an embodiment thereof. 
       FIG. 3  is illustrating the individual receptacles  10  of  FIG. 2  except that the receptacles  10  are now joined at their coupling surfaces  18  to create an assembly  42  thereof. 
     Due to the flexible material  12  comprising the receptacles&#39;  10  surfaces, individually or assembled, receptacles  10  may be compressed in order to obtain a more compact format  44  as can be seen on  FIG. 4 . This result is obtained by pressing opposite coupling surfaces  18  towards each other&#39;s until the coupling surfaces  18  aren&#39;t moving anymore. Compressed receptacles  10  may thus have a significantly reduced volume. Therefore, storing and transporting them may be easier. More so, receptacles  10  may be preassembled at a convenient time and location before being transported to the desired location. Set-up time might be saved in doing so. In order to expand the compressed receptacles  10 , it is simply needed to pull apart coupling surfaces  18  until the collapsible surfaces  14  are fully stretched. 
     As stated above, three stiffening elements  24  are installed on the exterior side of a coupling surface  18  in the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 5 . The three stiffening elements  24  are respectively organized by two vertical stiffening members  26  and one horizontal stiffening member  28 . As mentioned above, stiffening elements  24  are desirable for a multitude of reasons and, of the bunch, three are being described here within. First, they may provide extended receptacles  10  the ability to stand up on their own even when not filled. Second, they may allow for stronger and more durable receptacles&#39;  10  couplings compared to fabric to fabric. And third, they may offer additional stability to an assembly  42  against external forces. Instead of using one complex shaped stiffening element to support a coupling side  18 , three stiffening elements  24  per coupling side  18  are preferably used as it may be simpler to find straight planks of this sort and each may be assembled and/or disassembled individually if deemed necessary. The stiffening members  24  are generally made of readily available construction materials such as plywood planks of various dimensions. That said, they may also be made of any material with a structural integrity strong enough to fulfil the stiffeners  24  role and that is available to the task like wood, composite materials, recycled or non-recycled plastics or others. 
     There are a plurality of methods which may be used to install a stiffening member  24  to a receptacle  10 . Out of this plurality, here are two that may be favored. The first one, as seen on  FIG. 5 , is by using patches  30  stitched to the exterior side of a coupling surface  18 . Both vertical stiffening members&#39;  26  patches  30  are installed on the side margins of a coupling surface  18  while the horizontal stiffening member&#39;s  28  patch  30  is installed on the upper margin of the aforementioned coupling surface  18 . Generally, both vertical and horizontal patches  30  have a height of about 10 cm (4″) to 15 cm (6″). Even so, their height and length depends on the stiffeners  24  configuration described herein below and are typically slightly above stiffening elements  24  dimensions as to sufficiently cover them while still allowing different stiffening elements  24  dimensions. An opening, present at one or both patches  30  extremities, is used to insert or remove stiffening elements  24 . More so, an opening may be stitched closed as to secure a stiffening element  24  inside its patch  30 . 
     Another stiffeners  24  installation method that may be used and that is seen on  FIG. 6  is by way of loops  34 . Indeed, similar to patches  30 , loops  34  are stitched on the exterior side of a coupling surface  18 . Although their height generally depends on the used stiffeners  24  dimensions, they are of about 10 cm (4″) to 15 cm (6″) with a length of about a couple centimeters. Due to their physical characteristics, loops  34  might be preferred to patches  30  for multiple reasons. One of the advantages of this method is that it may require less fabric material than patches  30  for a given receptacle  10 . Another advantage of this method is that it may allow visibility over parts of the stiffeners  24 . Hence, the state of stiffeners  24 , whether there is decay, material break or a misassembly, may be assessed even when receptacles  10  are assembled and/or fully filled. This method may also increase ventilation over the stiffening elements  24  which might reduce materials damage over time. 
     As mentioned above, there are other possible configurations of stiffening members  24 . The first configuration, seen on  FIG. 5 , revolves around having the vertical stiffening members  26  go up to the upper margins of the coupling surface  18  and having the horizontal stiffening member  28  also on the upper coupling surface&#39;s  18  margin while being in-between the vertical stiffening members  26  with no contact. An advantage of this configuration is that the length range of stiffening members  24  may be quite large since they are not initially in contact with each other&#39;s, and thus, no extremely specific measure is deemed necessary. Another advantage of this configurations is that it may allow slight movements of the stiffening members  24 , and therefore the receptacle  10  itself, before having their movement blocked once entering into contact with each other&#39;s. For this configuration, stiffening members&#39;  24  dimensions may vary slightly, but general measures are as follow: about 15 cm by 86 cm (6″×34″) for the vertical stiffening members  26  and about 15 cm by 56 cm (6″×22″) for the horizontal stiffening member  28 . The most commonly found thickness for planks of this type is around 5 cm (2″), but may vary depending on what&#39;s available. 
     Another configuration, seen on  FIG. 7 , revolves around having the horizontal stiffening member  28  covering the whole length, from one receptacle&#39;s collapsible surface  14  to the other, of the coupling surface&#39;s  18  upper margin. This stiffening member  24  is supported by two vertical stiffening members  26  that are installed on the outer side margins of their respective side of the coupling surface  18 . The advantage of this configuration is that it may provide increased stability to a standing receptacle  10  as the stiffening members  24  are in a stable position the moment they are installed. For this configuration, it is preferred that vertical stiffening members  26  be of somewhat similar height while their width and thickness may slightly vary. On the other hand, the horizontal stiffening member  28  may have a bigger range of varying height, width and thickness as long as it may enter its loops  34  or patches  30 . General measures are as follow: about 15 cm by 69 cm (6″×27″) for the vertical stiffening members  26  and about 15 cm by 81 cm (6″×32″) for the horizontal stiffening member  28 . Thickness characteristics are similar to the other configuration abovementioned. 
     Joining two coupling surfaces  18  together may be achieved with a plurality of techniques, to which different types of fasteners may be used for each. Following are three techniques that may achieve this result. The first technique is the use of bolt assemblies  46 , which generally comprises two washers, a nut and a bolt. As seen on  FIG. 8 , ten points are drilled at approximate locations on the stiffening members  24 ; for example, in the middle of the width and at about 5 cm, 13 cm, 46 cm and 84 cm (2″, 5″, 18″ and 33″) starting from the bottom along the length of the vertical stiffening members  26  and at about 20 cm (8″) and 41 cm (16″) along the length of the horizontal stiffening member  28 . Bolts are thus inserted into those holes and the assembly  46  is made with the help of washers on both interior sides of the coupling surfaces and a nut to tighten it. The second technique is the use of a wood screw that is screwed at similar locations to the first technique. This technique is preferred if there are stiffening members  24  installed on both coupling surfaces  18  of a joining zone. Indeed, if there is no stiffening member  24  attached to a coupling surface  18 , the screws passing through the fabric are required to support external forces applied to the receptacle  10  which could easily tear the fabric, especially if no washer is used. Finally, the third technique seen on  FIG. 9  is the use of glue  50 , typically a strong and water-resistant one. The glue  50  is applied on a length-wise line of both vertical  26  and horizontal  28  stiffening members if loops  34  are used. If patches  30  are used, then the glue  50  may be similarly applied, but on the exterior surface of the patches  30 . While the use of any technique is left to the discretion of the user, the second technique is generally favored as it allows for a durable contact between two receptacles  10  while still being quick to execute. 
     The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.