Abstract:
A decorative gift wrap for wrapping a package comprising an elongated enclosure formed of a length of stretchable elastic fabric with a selectively closeable fastener on a selectively closed open end of the enclosure. The elastic fabric allows a package to be inserted within the enclosure and for the elastic fabric to selectively conform to at least portions of the external surface of the package.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 60/708,654, entitled “Decorative Gift Wrap,” filed on Aug. 16, 2005, which is incorporated in its entirety in this document by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to packaging materials and specifically to a decorative gift wrap that utilizes an elongated enclosure of elastic fabric with a selective closable fastener at one open end of the enclosure to allow the elastic fabric to be stretched to conform at least partially to the exterior surface of a package inserted therein.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Decorative package materials are well known in the art and include various types of paper having decorative designs thereon that can be folded about a package to enclose it. Generally ribbons are added to the package to complete the decorations.  
         [0004]     Such decorative paper and ribbons are not only expensive but, also, in order to provide an attractive package, individuals who are skilled in the art of wrapping the packages must be utilized to provide a package that is neatly wrapped with ribbons attached thereto to form the final product. The time required, even by those skilled individuals, is expensive and, of course, time consuming.  
         [0005]     An attractive decorative wrapping material is needed that can be thus secured to the package in a simple and economical manner without requiring skill or an undue length of time.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing attractive gift wrap packaging formed of elastic fabric in a number of packaging variations to be used as gift wrapping. The elastic fabric used in the gift wrap of the present invention may be formed of spandex, spandex with nylon or cotton blend, stretchy tricot, nylon, and the like. The elastic fabric may be patterned as desired. Because of the stretchable nature of the elastic fabric, it can be stretched to allow a package to be inserted through the open end and into an enclosed length thereof. The open end of the enclosure is closed with a selectively closable fastener to provide an attractive package. Examples of selectively closable fasteners include, but are not limited to, ribbon, decorative cord, a mating hook-and-loop combination, decorative buttons with associated fasteners such as snaps or flexible loops that can wrap around the buttons, and the like.  
         [0007]     The elastic fabric used as packaging material is formfitting about the package and can be formed in various lengths and widths to accommodate the length and width of a particular package. In one embodiment, the shape of the enclosure aids in producing an enclosure that is shaped for better retention and confirmation to the corners of a typical box package.  
         [0008]     It is an object of the invention to provide to gift wrap material that is formed of stretchable elastic fabric.  
         [0009]     It is another object to the invention to provide a decorative gift wrap using stretchable elastic fabric in the form of an elongated enclosure that has a selectively closable fastener on the open end thereof to selectively open and close the open end of the enclosure.  
         [0010]     It is another object of the invention to provide a decorative gift wrap which is sized and shaped for better retention and confirmation to the external surface of a box package.  
         [0011]     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described above which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. These and other features of the preferred embodiments of the invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended figures wherein:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a decorative gift wrap of the present invention illustrating an enclosure formed of stretchable elastic fabric with a bottom end fixedly closed and the opposed open end adjustably closed.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is an elevational view of the bottom member forming the bottom end of the enclosure of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is an elevational view of an exemplified side wall member of the enclosure.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4A  is a top elevational view of an exemplified top member forming the open end of the enclosure and showing one embodiment of a selectively closable fastener.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4B  is a side elevational view of the exemplified top member of  FIG. 4A  connected to the side member.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exemplified top member forming the open end of the enclosure and showing an alternative embodiment of a selectively closable fastener.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the decorative gift wrap of  FIG. 1  disposed in confirmation about a package to illustrate the decorative package formed thereby.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the gift wrap of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     The present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus the embodiments of this invention described and illustrated herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. They are chosen to describe or to best explain the principles of the invention and its application and practical use to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, “a,” “an,” and “the” can mean one or more, depending upon the context in which it is used. The preferred embodiment is now described with reference to the figures, in which like numbers indicate like parts throughout the figures.  
         [0022]     Referring to the figures, the present invention is directed to an improved decorative gift wrap  10  that may be reused repeatedly. The gift wrap  10  is constructed to conform to at least a portion of the external surface of a package inserted therein. In one embodiment, the gift wrap comprises an enclosure  12  formed from a side wall member  20 , a bottom, closed, end  30  and an opposed open end  40 . The side wall member  20  can be formed of a generally rectangular piece of material that is sewn along its respective longitudinally extending lateral edges to form a tubular structure  22  having a top edge  24  and an opposed bottom edge  26 . One would appreciate that the side wall member  20  can be integrally formed into the desired tubular structure  22 . Further, one would appreciate that the dimensions of the formed tubular structure  22  can be varied to fit boxes or packages of varying sizes.  
         [0023]     The bottom end  30  is formed from a bottom member  32  that is sized and shaped to aid in the formed enclosure&#39;s improved ability to conform to corners of a package. The bottom member  32  has a circumferential edge  34  that forms four corners  36 . In one aspect, the circumferential edge of the bottom member extends inwardly toward the center of the bottom member between adjacent corners. In another aspect, the circumferential edge of the bottom member has a curved, inwardly extending, shape between adjacent corners.  
         [0024]     In one aspect, the bottom end  30  of the enclosure is formed by gathering circumferential edge portions  37  of a bottom portion  39  together and connecting those gather portions together conventionally, such as, for example, by sewing the edges portions together. In this aspect, the material can be gathered to a point that substantially opposes the open end of the enclosure.  
         [0025]     The open end  40  is formed from a top member  42  that defines a selectively closable opening  41 . In one aspect, the top member  42  is also sized and shaped to aid in the formed enclosure&#39;s ability to conform to corners of the package. In one embodiment, the top member  42  has a circumferential edge  44  that forms four corners  46 . In one aspect, the circumferential edge of the top member extends inwardly toward the center of the top member between adjacent corners. In another aspect, the circumferential edge of the top member has a curved, inwardly extending, shape between adjacent corners.  
         [0026]     The bottom edge  26  of the formed tubular structure  22  is connected to the circumferential edge  34  of the bottom member and the top edge  24  of the formed tubular structure is connected to the circumferential edge  44  of the top member. The formed enclosure  12  defines an interior volume  14 .  
         [0027]     In use, a package is inserted into the interior volume  14  of the formed enclosure and the bottom corners of the package are oriented toward the corners  36  of the bottom member. The open end  40  of the enclosure  12  is drawn closed and secured in the closed position. When the enclosure  12  is in the closed position, the gift wrap  10  is drawn tightly about at least a portion of the exterior surface of the enclosed package.  
         [0028]     The gift wrap  10  is made from an elastic fabric, preferably spandex, sold under the trade name Lycra®, so that the gift wrap is retained tautly about the exterior surface of the package. Other exemplified elastic fabrics include, but are not limited to, spandex with nylon or cotton blend, stretchy tricot, nylon, and the like. The fabric is also preferably water resistant either naturally or by treatment with chemical coatings, as is well know in the art. The fabric may be patterned, printed, and/or embossed as desired.  
         [0029]     In one aspect, the gift enclosure  12  is prepared using overlock stitching. Such overlock stitching is a wrapping stitch that protects the edges of the material from unraveling and also adds strength without being bulky. Overlock stitching flexes with the elastic fabric and therefore is useful with materials that stretch. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that if the tread used to stitch the seams is elastic, the fabric may be stretched while sewing the seams to that the seams stretch with the fabric.  
         [0030]     The effect of the overlock stitching on the seams joining the respective top and bottom members  32 ,  42  to the side wall member  20  allows the gift wrap to cling snugly to the package without interfering with the gift wrap being applied to the package and allows for the gift wrap to be conformingly applied to a smaller or larger as desired. Thus, the gift wrap has a somewhat “one size fits all” characteristic. Since the midpoint between adjacent corners  36 ,  46  of the top member  42  and the bottom member  32  is curved inwardly toward the center of the respective top and bottom member, the formed seams about the midpoint must be stretched to insert the side edges of the package and the resilience of the elastic fabric orients the corners  36 ,  46  of the respective top and bottom members about corners of the package. Thus, the gift wrap is properly oriented and resiliently secured to the exterior surface of the package. One will appreciate that the circumferential shape of the bottom and top members acts to minimize or eliminate unsightly sagging about the corners of the enclosed package.  
         [0031]     The opening  41  defined in the open end  40  of the enclosure is closed with a selectively closable fastener  60  to provide an attractive package. Examples of selectively closable fasteners  60  include ribbon, decorative cord, a mating hook-and-loop combination, decorative buttons with associated fasteners such as snaps or flexible loops that can wrap around the buttons, Velcro connectors, and the like.  
         [0032]     In one example, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a ribbon, cord, or the like, is operatively connected to a portion of the open end surrounding at least a portion of the opening  41 . The cord is drawn tightly to snug the elastic fabric about the end of the package. The cord can then be tied conventionally to releasably close the opening. The cord could be secured to form a decorative bow.  
         [0033]     In an alternative embodiment, a tab is mounted to a portion of the open end proximate the opening  41 . The tab has a Velcro member attached thereto and a portion of the open end has a complementary piece of Velcro attached thereto. So, in use, the tab is placed in overlying registration with the piece of Velcro so that the opening can be selectively closed.  
         [0034]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.