Abstract:
A nestable hamper has a multi-segmented lid. The body of the hamper includes a wire frame with a fabric material stretched across the frame to form the bottom and side surfaces of the hamper. The hamper has a narrower base and a wider top, thereby allowing multiple instances of the hamper to be vertically stacked, with each hamper being nested within the similarly-constructed hamper immediately below. A flexible periphery of the lid permits the lid to be insertable through a top opening of the hamper that is smaller in dimension that that of the lid, enabling the lid to rest adjacent a back interior surface of the hamper, thereby permitting multiple instances of the hamper to be stacked and nested compactly.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/304,171, filed Mar. 5, 2016, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates, in general, to garment storage and, more particularly, to laundry hampers for storing and transporting garments prior to laundering them. 
         [0004]    2. General Background of the Invention 
         [0005]    Laundry and garment hampers have been in use for some time. It is often desirable for laundry hampers to include some form of cover, in order to conceal soiled garments contained therein as they await laundering, to largely contain any concomitant odors within the hamper&#39;s interior, and to retain the garments within the hamper during transport. A prior art laundry hamper with an attached cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D279,038 to Thompson, Jr. 
         [0006]    Laundry hampers can be relatively large in size and, like many articles that are displayed and sold in a retail setting, and that are transported in bulk prior to retail sale, there is sometimes a desire to store multiple instances of laundry hampers in a relatively compact space. U.S. Pat. No. 9,174,769 discloses a laundry hamper wherein multiple instances of the hamper may be nested together in a relatively compact space. 
         [0007]    Prior art laundry hampers with attached lids generally do not lend themselves to stacking and nesting multiple instances of the hampers compactly, as their associated lids are generally too large, or not properly configured, to be disposed within the interior of the hamper when not in use, and thus interfere with efficient nesting of the hampers. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a laundry hamper having a lid, yet is still capable of being stacked in a compact, nested fashion. 
         [0009]    This and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following specification, drawings and claims. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention comprises a nestable hamper having a multi-segmented, attached or integrally formed lid. The body of the hamper includes a wire frame with a fabric material stretched across the frame to form the various bottom and side surfaces of the hamper. The hamper has a narrower base and a wider top, thereby allowing multiple instances of the present invention to be vertically stacked, with each hamper being nested within the similarly-constructed hamper immediately below. It is the shape and construction of the present hamper&#39;s fabric lid that permits the hamper to be nestable, without having to remove the lid from the remainder of the structure. Thus, the lid may be integrally formed with, or permanently affixed to, the body of the hamper. 
         [0011]    The lid&#39;s construction includes two segments having relatively rigid inner stiffening material, such as paperboard, each covered with a fabric material. One segment forms an associated panel serving as a top covering for the hamper, when the lid is deployed in the closed position, and another segment serves as a front flap that, once so deployed, overlying a portion of the front outer surface of the hamper. These two panels are separated with a linear region of fabric being disposed between them, thus creating a hinged region corresponding with the front opening of the hamper, which allows the lid to bend and center itself over the front top opening of the hamper, thereby keeping the structure of the lid centered and in place when in the closed position. 
         [0012]    Notably, the size, shape and construction of the lid enable it to be repositioned inwardly and vertically downwards, through the top opening of the hamper and adjacent the inner back panel of the hamper&#39;s interior. This, in turn, allows the hamper&#39;s structure to be nested compactly with other instances of like construction during freight thereby reducing shipping costs as well as improving merchandising by allowing the structure to be nested and presented to consumers with the entire hamper (body and lid) in one piece. 
         [0013]    The design of the lid is such that the rigid stiffeners are narrower in dimension than the surrounding fabric of the overall lid itself, and the side and front perimeter region of the lid thus consists entirely fabric. In an embodiment of the invention, there is a 2 to 3 centimeter fabric lip forming the side and front periphery of the lid that allows for this flexibility, such that the lid can be positioned inwardly, down and through the top opening of the hamper and disposed against the inner rear surface of the hamper, without having to bend or deform the stiffener. While the hamper is tapered vertically, and while the side-to-side width and rear-to-front dimensions of the lid are somewhat larger in dimension that the corresponding dimensions of the top opening of the hamper, this flexible periphery of the lid enables the lid to be disposed inwardly, adjacent the inner back panel of the hamper, to enable multiple instances of the hamper to be stacked in a nested configuration. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is an elevated perspective view of a nestable hamper of the present invention, with the lid in a partially open position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is an elevated, perspective view of the nestable hamper of  FIG. 1 , with the front and side surfaces of the body being shown in phantom to better show the lid in an inwardly disposed position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an elevated, perspective view of the nestable hamper of  FIG. 1 , with the lid in a closed position; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is an elevated side view of four instances of the nestable hamper of  FIG. 1 , nested together and with each having its associated lid in an inwardly disposed position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is intended as an exemplification of the principles of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. 
         [0019]    An embodiment of the present nestable hamper  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-3  as comprising body  15  having support frame  20 , fabric covering  30 , and lid  40 . Support frame  20  comprises a framework consisting of a plurality of interconnected bars or rods  21 , over which fabric or textile material  30  is stretched, forming a plurality of planar panels, namely front panel  22 , rear panel  23 , left panel  24 , right panel  25 , and bottom panel  26 . These panels collectively form a container closed on five sides and having a top aperture or opening  27 . Handles  35  are attached to the exterior of left panel  24  and right panel  25 , facilitating the grasping and transport of nestable hamper  10  for individual transport. The width and depth of top opening  27  are both larger in dimension than the corresponding dimensions of bottom panel  26 . As a result, body  25  is progressively tapered from top to bottom in both width and depth, having the general shape of an inverted, truncated square pyramid, permitting multiple instances of body  15  to be stacked in a nested fashion. Moreover, front panel  22  of body  15  is shorter in height than rear panel  23 . Resultantly, top opening  27  of body  15  is canted, or angled forward, back to front. 
         [0020]    Lid  40  comprises three hinged segments, namely front flap segment  41 , top cover segment  42 , and rear attachment segment  43 . Each lid segment, and lid  40  overall, may be constructed, for example, of fabric or textile material  50 , such as by stitching together top and bottom layers of such material. Rear attachment segment  43  is coupled to the exterior surface of rear panel  23 , such as by stitching. Front flap segment  41  further comprises an internal front strengthening member  45 , which is generally trapezoidal in configuration. Top cover segment  42  further comprises an internal top strengthening member  46 , which is generally rectangular in configuration. A third strengthening member may optionally be disposed within rear attachment segment  43  of lid  40 . Each strengthening member is disposed within a top layer and a bottom layer of fabric material  50  of lid  40 , and may be constructed of paperboard, cardboard, plastic, or other relatively thin yet substantially rigid material. 
         [0021]    A front hinged region  51  of lid  40  is disposed between front flap segment  41  and top cover segment  42  of lid  40 . A rear hinged region  52  of lid  40  is disposed between top cover segment  42  and rear attachment segment  43  of lid  40 . Each hinged region may be constructed, for example, by one or more sets of stitching disposed transversely across the width of lid  40  and extending through the top and bottom layers of fabric material  50  of lid  40 . 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , top cover segment  42  of lid  40  is slightly larger, in both width and depth, than the corresponding dimensions of top opening  27  of body  15 . In a fully closed position of lid  40 , top cover segment  42  completely overlies and covers top opening  27 , with periphery  60  on the left and right sides of top cover segment  42  extending outwardly beyond the dimensions of left panel  24  and right panel  25  of body  15 . Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 3 , front flap segment  41  overlies and rests adjacent a corresponding upper region of front panel  22  of body  15  when lid  40  is in a fully closed position. Hook-and-loop or other suitable fasteners may optionally be employed to releasably couple front flap segment  41  to front panel  22  in order to further maintain lid  40  in its closed position. 
         [0023]    Both front stiffening member  45  and top stiffening member  46  are shorter in dimension, in both width and depth, than that of top opening  27  of body  15  of nestable hamper  10 . Moreover, front stiffening member  45  is shorter in dimension, in both width and depth, than that of front flap segment  41 . Likewise, top stiffening member  46  is shorter in dimension, in both width and depth, than that of top cover segment  42 . 
         [0024]    As a result, the fabric covering  50  of lid  40  includes pliable peripheral region  60  extending about the left, right, and front sides of lid  40 . Pliable peripheral region  60 , which preferably is 2 to 3 centimeters in depth, thus forms a flexible lip about three sides of lid  40 . Inasmuch as: (i) pliable peripheral region is foldable relative to the adjoining remainder of lid  40 ; (ii) the dimensions of front stiffening member  45  and top stiffening member  46  are less than those of the corresponding dimensions of top opening  27 ; and (iii) front flap segment  41  is hinged relative to top cover segment  42 ; front flap segment  41  and top cover segment  42  are capable of being positioned inwardly, through top opening  27 , such that these segments may be positioned vertically, resting adjacent the inner surface of rear panel  23  of body  15 , and with lid  50  being bent or folded proximate the outer edges of front flap segment  41  and top cover segment  42 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0025]    Resultantly, and as shown in  FIG. 4 , a plurality of nestable hampers  10 , each with its associated lid  40  disposed inwardly and resting adjacent an inner surface of a corresponding rear panel  23 , may be stacked vertically in nested fashion. This, in turn, permits a plurality of nestable hampers  10  to be stored in a relatively compact space, for storage, shipping, and display purposes. 
         [0026]    Although, in the illustrated embodiment, the hamper body is substantially rectangular in cross-section, other configurations are likewise contemplated by, and within the scope of, the invention. For example, the hamper body may alternatively be cylindrical, and either circular or oval in cross-section, with an associated lid that is either circular or oval in general shape. In such a configuration, the lid will continue to have a bendable or foldable peripheral region, disposed about an internal stiffener, that is larger in size than the top opening of the body. Moreover, in such a configuration, the lid, upon bending or folding of the peripheral region, will be capable of being disposed through the top opening of the body, to rest adjacent an inner surface of the body, thereby facilitating the nestable stacking of multiple instances of the hamper. 
         [0027]    Furthermore, it is not necessary to embodiments of the invention having a square, rectangular, or otherwise shaped cross-section that the rear of the hamper body proximate the opening be taller than the front of the hamper body. In other words, it is not necessary that the hamper&#39;s top opening be sloped in configuration. The sloping configuration merely permits gravity to facilitate the lid falling into place more easily when closing the hamper. 
         [0028]    Moreover, although, in the illustrated embodiment, the body of the hamper is constructed of fabric stretched over a wire frame, other manners of constructing the body are likewise contemplated. For example, the hamper&#39;s body may alternatively be constructed of a relatively rigid yet lightweight plastic material. 
         [0029]    Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of construction of the invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present disclosure is intended to exemplify and not limit the invention.