Patent Abstract:
An article having a primary use associated with an open position thereof, and a secondary use associated with a closed position thereof. The primary use is that of a piece of clothing, and the secondary use is that of a storage container. The article comprises a pouch portion ( 12 ) having an opening ( 20 ), the pouch constituting, in the open position of the article, a functional portion of said piece of clothing, and, in a the closed position of the article, a storage pocket.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a case and particularly to a case provided for holding a toiletry kit. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is common, especially on commercial airline flights, to provide complimentary toiletry or amenity kits (at times referred to as ‘convenience kit’) for use by travelers. Such kits may be used also by campers, hikers, etc. 
     These kits typically include small, single-use items which may be useful during travel, such as socks, hand cream, tooth brush and tooth paste, ear-plugs, etc. In general, each kit is contained within a small pouch or sack. 
     It is known that the lavatories of an aircraft do not retain their cleanliness throughout the duration of a flight, in particular long flights, and thus entering a lavatory barefooted or wearing socks may be an unpleasant experience. Thus, wearing shoes or slippers is desired. 
     By necessity, these kits, especially on airlines, are small, and thus the number and nature of the items which may be included therein is limited. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article having a primary use associated with an open position thereof, and a secondary use associated with a closed position thereof, the primary use being that of a piece of clothing, the secondary use being that of a storage container, the article comprising a pouch having a closable opening, the pouch constituting, in the open position of the article, a functional portion of the piece of clothing, and, in a the closed position of the article, a storage pocket. 
     The piece of clothing may be a slipper, wherein the pouch functions, in the open position of the article, as a vamp thereof. 
     The pouch may comprise at least one back wall extending beyond the opening, the back wall constituting, in the open position of the article, a sole of the slipper, and, in a the closed position of the article, a closing flap of the storage container. 
     The article, in its closed position, is configured to receive at least another same article. Said same article is typically stored within the article also at its closed position. For example, the article may be made of flexible material such as fabric. 
     The article may comprise a securing arrangement. A first part of the securing arrangement is located on the back wall at an end which is farthest from the pouch, and a second part of the securing arrangement is located on the pouch. The first and second parts of the securing arrangement cooperate together for retaining the article in its closed position. The securing arrangement may be one of a hook and pile arrangement, such as sold under the name Velcro®, snaps, buttons and buttonholes, and hooks and eyelets. 
     A lower surface of the back wall, which constitutes the sole of the slipper when the article is in the open position, may comprise treads, or the sole portion may be made of, or coated with a liquid permeable material. 
     The article may comprise toiletry items stored within the pouch. The toiletry items may comprise at least one of a pair of socks, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a collapsible toothbrush, a face-wipe, a shaving kit, mouthwash, hand cream, a facemask, a comb, earplugs, etc. 
     When the toiletry items includes a pair of socks, the article and the socks may comprise cooperating parts of a fastening arrangements correspondingly located such that when a user is wearing the socks and the article as a slipper, the cooperating parts of the fastening arrangements are aligned. The first part of the securing arrangement may constitute one of the parts of the fastening arrangement of the article. The fastening arrangement may be one of a hook and pile arrangement, such as sold under the name Velcro®, snaps, buttons and buttonholes, and hooks and eyelets. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit comprising an article as described above, and at least one toiletry item stored within the pouch. The kit may comprise two of the articles, for example, a first of the articles stored, in its closed position, within a second of the articles, for example, in its pouch. The at least one toiletry item may be stored within the pouch of the first of the articles. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, an embodiment will now be described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an article according to the present invention in an open position; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the article illustrated in  FIG. 1A  in a closed position; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a pair of socks according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a kit according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of the kit illustrated in  FIG. 3A , taken along line III-III; 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the article according to another embodiment, comprising an attachment arrangement; 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of the article illustrated in  FIG. 4A , with another of the articles partially received within the attachment arrangement; and 
         FIG. 4C  is a perspective view of the articles illustrated in  FIG. 4B , both in their respective closed position, and fully attached via the attachment arrangement. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an article, generally indicated at  10 , which is readily transformable between an open position, as illustrated in  FIG. 1A , and a closed position, as illustrated in  FIG. 1B . 
     The article comprises a pouch portion  12  having an opening designated at  20 . The pouch  12  is formed by a top wall  14 , a back wall  16 , and a side wall  18  therebetween. The opening  20  is defined by edges of the top and side walls  14  and  18 , respectively. 
     The pouch  12  is sized and shaped for receiving various toiletry/convenience articles such as a pair of socks, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a collapsible toothbrush, a face-wipe, a shaving kit, mouthwash, hand cream, a facemask, a comb, earplugs, etc. (not illustrated in the  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). 
     In the open position as illustrated in  FIG. 1A , the article  10  functions as a slipper, once the convenience articles have been removed from the pouch portion  12 . Thus, the pouch  12  constitutes the vamp thereof, and the back wall  16  constitutes the sole thereof. In the closed position ( FIG. 1B ) the article  10  functions as a storage pouch/container for holding the toiletry items, wherein the back wall  16  constitutes a cover thereof. 
     The top and side walls  14  and  18  are made of fabric which is flexible yet has sufficient stiffness to maintain the pouch  12  such that the opening  20  remains open when no external force acts thereupon. In addition, an interior liner may be provided. The liner is preferably of a material which offers comfort to a user when the article  10  is being worn as a slipper. 
     The back wall  16  may comprise an interior shell (not seen), which gives the article its shape in its open and closed positions, and is flexible enough to be easily bent between the two positions. The shell may be made of, e.g., a polyethylene or viscoelastic sheet, or a stiff woven material. The liner is covered with a fabric which is similar or aesthetically complementary to that used to make the top and side walls  14  and  18 . Treads  22  (seen in  FIG. 1B ), for example made from a viscoelastic material, may be provided on the underside of the back wall  18  in order to provide traction to a user when used as a slipper. Alternatively, the bottom face of the back wall  16  may be made of or coated with a liquid impermeable material, or the shell (not seen) may be made of such a material. 
     According to another embodiment, the article  10  is made of an inexpensive material, such that the article is disposable, such as SMS, or a staple non-woven made with cellulose. The article  10  may then be provided for a single use. 
     On the upper side of the back wall  16 , on the end farthest from the pouch  12 , is a first part  24   a  of a securing arrangement (seen in  FIG. 1A ). A second part  24   b  of the securing arrangement is located on top wall  14  of the pouch  12 , on the outer side thereof. Thus, the article  10  can be retained in its closed position. The securing arrangement may be a hook and pile arrangement, such as that sold under the name Velcro®, snaps, buttons and buttonholes, or hooks and eyelets. 
     According to another embodiment, at least one of the articles  10  may be provided with an attachment arrangement adapted to attach two articles to each other. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 4A , a strap  32  may be provided on the underside of the back wall  18 . The strap  32  is loose enough to receive therein the back wall  18  of a second one of the articles  10 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4B . As illustrated in  FIG. 4C , the second of the articles is pulled such that it may be closed around the strap  32 , thus attaching the two articles  10 . Thus, twice the storage capacity may be realized. 
     According to modifications of this embodiment, the attachment arrangement may be, e.g., a hook and pile arrangement (such as Velcro™), snaps, buttons and buttonholes, hooks and eyelets, etc. When appropriate, each of the articles  10  may comprise corresponding portions of the attachment arrangement. 
     The article may be provided with toiletry items within the pouch, such as a pair of socks, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a collapsible toothbrush, a face-wipe, a shaving kit, mouthwash, hand cream, a facemask, a comb, and/or earplugs. 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , in the event that socks  25  are provided, the heel portion thereof may be provided with a first part  26  of a fastening arrangement, a second part of the fastening arrangement may be located on the article  10 , such that when a user is wearing the socks and the two of the articles as slippers, on each foot, the two parts of the fastening arrangements are aligned, so that the articles are retained on the feet of the user. The first part  26  of the fastening arrangement may be located and designed so as to cooperate with the first part  24   a  of the securing arrangement, which would constitute the second part of the fastening arrangement vis-à-vis the socks  25 . Alternatively, a distinct second part of the fastening arrangement may be located on the article  10 . Furthermore, the location of the parts of the fastening arrangement may be located elsewhere of the sock  25  and the article  26 , respectively. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the article  10  as described above may be provided as part of a kit, generally indicated at  30 , which comprises two of such articles in the closed position. The pouch  12  of a first of the articles  10   a  comprises toiletry items, indicated at  28 , such as described above. The first of the articles  10   a , in its closed position, is then placed inside the pouch  12  of the second of the articles  10   b , which is closed. Accordingly, the side wall  18  of at least the second of the articles  10   b  should be sizes so that the pouch  12  thereof can accommodate the first of the articles  10   a  in the closed position, with the toiletry items contained therein. A toiletry kit may thus be provided, wherein the storage container for the toiletry items, comprising the first and second of the articles  10   a ,  10   b , may be opened to form a pair of slippers. 
     Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention mutatis mutandis.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0