Cover for Protecting Articles

The present invention relates to the protection of articles by a cover.

A cover for protecting articles conventionally comprises a flexible enclosure receiving an article to be protected. The article can be inserted into the flexible enclosure to be protected from moisture, dust, dirt, crumpling and/or possible impacts.

For example, covers have been proposed, the enclosure of which is formed of a plastic material, in particular polyethylene or nylon. Such type of covers provides effective protection of the article against moisture. However, such covers tend to be harmful to the environment and are difficult to recycle.

There are also covers, the enclosure of which is made of an organic material, e.g. cotton. However, such covers are not waterproof and do not adequately protect the article.

Moreover, covers have been proposed, the flexible enclosure of which comprises two walls. Air is injected between the two walls to form a pressurized pocket of air around the object inserted into the enclosure. Such covers provide good protection of the article against impacts. However, the presence of two walls, as well as the need to inject air between the walls, contribute to complicating the construction and the use of the cover.

The present invention improves the situation.

According to a first aspect, a cover is proposed for at least one article comprising:

Such cover is impermeable to liquids and gases, which provides good protection of the article against moisture and dirt. The sealing of the cover also makes it possible to surround the article with a pocket of air, which ensures good protection against possible impacts. The pocket of air can be easily made, the pocket of air being introduced into the flexible enclosure when the cover is closed. The sealing of the cover ensures that the amount of trapped air remains substantially constant when the closure is in the closed position, until the closure is opened again.

A cover is also proposed for at least one article comprising:

Such a cover is ecological and durable, the flexible enclosure being made from recycled, recyclable materials. As mentioned hereinabove, such a cover is also impermeable to liquids and gases, which ensures good protection of the article against moisture and dirt. The sealing of the cover also makes it possible to surround the article with an pocket of air, which ensures good protection against possible impacts. The pocket of air can be easily made, the pocket of air being inherently introduced into the flexible enclosure when the cover is closed. The sealing of the cover ensures that the amount of trapped air remains substantially constant when the closure is in the closed position, until the closure is opened again.

The features set out in the following paragraphs may optionally be implemented independently of each other or in combination with each other.

The fibers are suitable for heat-bonding, preferably the fibers are polyester fibers. Heat-bonding can thereby be used to make the cover, avoiding the use of seams, which could be detrimental to the sealing thereof. Furthermore, heat-bonding serves to make the heat-bonded parts non-deformable, to give a regular and clean appearance to the cover and to ensure the resistance and flexibility thereof over time.

The flexible enclosure includes a front wall and a back wall, the internal space extending between the front wall and the back wall, the front and back walls being bonded by continuous heat-bonding along a periphery of the front and back walls. The manufacture of the cover is facilitated. In the present case, the two walls can be provided by weaving the fibers. The peripheries of the walls can then be heat-bonded together to close the enclosure. The continuity of the heat-bonding ensures that no space between the two walls allows the air trapped in the cover to escape when the cover is closed.

The closure is a sealed zipper extending from an upper end of the flexible enclosure to a lower end of the flexible enclosure, with zipper tapes fastened to the flexible enclosure by continuous heat-bonding along the tapes.

The zipper makes it easy to insert the article into the cover without compromising the sealing of the flexible enclosure. The zipper extending along the flexible enclosure makes it easy to insert the article, such as a garment, without bending or crumpling same. The continuity of heat-bonding ensures that no space between the zipper tapes and the flexible enclosure allows the air trapped in the cover to escape when the cover is closed.

The zipper extends substantially in the center of the front wall of the flexible enclosure. Such a closure makes it possible, when the closure is moved from the open position to the closed position, to easily move the front wall away from the back wall; and hence to allow a greater amount of air to become trapped than if the zipper were to extend on one side of the front wall. The user can thereby modulate the amount of air trapped inside the flexible enclosure, and hence the protection provided against impacts, by moving the front wall, to a variable extent, away from the back wall when the closure is moved from the open position to the closed position;

The flexible enclosure has a rectangular shape having a width and a length greater than the width, and the zipper extends along the length of the flexible enclosure substantially in the center of the flexible enclosure. Such positioning leads to a longer closure than if the closure were extended widthwise, and hence allows a larger amount of air to become trapped.

The cover may include a fold line extending along a transverse axis of the cover, the fold line allowing the cover to be folded by rotation about the transverse axis. The cover can take a folded position wherein one portion of the cover is folded over another. In the folded position, the cover is compact, making it easy to transport and/or store the cover. The cover may also comprise a means for fixing in the folded position.

The cover may comprise a first handle and a second handle, the first and second handles being symmetrical with respect to the transverse axis, each handle being fastened to an outer surface of the flexible enclosure by heat-bonding. In the folded position, the first handle is superimposed on the second handle. The handles make it easy to carry the cover, the user can simply grab the handles by hand or on the shoulder. The fastening of the handles by heat-sealing also makes it possible not to compromise the sealing of the flexible enclosure.

The cover may comprise at least one support provided on an inner surface of the flexible enclosure, the support being fastened to the flexible enclosure by heat-bonding. The support can be used to hold the article in place in the cover without compromising the sealing of the flexible enclosure. For example, the support may be a tongue, for receiving a clothes hanger, or a pocket, for containing a small object.

The cover may be a garment bag. The cover is particularly suitable for clothing protection. The pocket of air helps protect the garment against impacts and creasing. The sealing of the cover contributes to the protection of the garment against moisture and dirt.

According to a second aspect, a method is proposed for manufacturing a cover for at least one article comprising:

It is further proposed a method for manufacturing a cover for protecting at least one article comprising:

The features set out in the following paragraphs may optionally be implemented independently of each other or in combination with each other.

Forming the flexible enclosure may include providing a front wall and a back wall, the internal space extending between the front wall and the back wall and joining the front and back walls by continuous heat-bonding along a periphery of the front and back walls.

The closure may be a zipper, and fastening the closure includes heat-bonding two slides of the zipper to the flexible enclosure by continuously heat-bonding the slides to the flexible enclosure.

The method may further include heat-bonding at least one handle to an outer surface of the flexible enclosure and/or a support to an inner surface of the flexible enclosure.

According to a third aspect, there is proposed a method for protecting at least one article, more particularly against impacts, comprising:

The features set out in the following paragraphs may optionally be implemented independently of each other or in combination with each other.

Inserting at least one article into the flexible enclosure includes the step of moving the closure to the open position thereof or to an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position thereof.

Inserting at least one article into the flexible enclosure may also comprise the step of fastening the at least one article to the support.

Inserting at least one article into the flexible enclosure may comprise inserting at least one garment and at least one clothes hanger supporting the at least one garment into the flexible enclosure, and then fastening the at least one clothes hanger to the support. According to this embodiment, the method provides the protection of the at least one garment against impact and creasing.

Moving the closure to the closed position thereof comprises the step of moving the front wall away from the back wall of the flexible enclosure to trap a quantity of air in the internal space of the flexible enclosure so as to form a protective pocket of air around the article. The user may choose to separate, to a variable extent, the front wall from the back wall in order to modulate the quantity of air trapped in the internal space of the flexible enclosure.

According to one embodiment, the method for protecting at least one article consists of the following steps:

Thereby, the method according to the third aspect of the invention does not comprise any step of injecting air or gas into the flexible enclosure.

schematically illustrates a cover. The coveris intended to protect at least one article. Herein, the article to be protected is a garment, e.g. a shirt, trousers, a dress, a skirt, a jacket, a coat, a waistcoat. However, the article to be protected could be any other article, such as shoes, a bottle, a blackboard, a perfume, a toilet bag, a bag, a watch, a pair of glasses or an electronic device such as a phone, a laptop or a camera.

As illustrated, the coveressentially comprises a flexible enclosureand a closure. The flexible enclosureis intended to contain the article in the cover. The closureis suitable for closing or, on the contrary, opening the coverfor the insertion and the removal of the article into/from the cover.

The flexible enclosureis impermeable to liquids and gases. The flexible enclosure is formed from fibers. The fibers used to form the flexible enclosureare chosen for the impervious properties thereof. Thereby, the article contained in the covercan be protected against moisture and the ingress of liquids that may damage and/or dirty the article.

According to one embodiment, the flexible enclosureis formed from recycled and recyclable fibers. The fibers may e.g. be formed by transforming waste into granules, then heating and extruding the granules to obtain yarn. Thereafter, the weaving of the yarn serves to form the flexible enclosure. The manufacture of thecover can be part of a circular economy logic.

Furthermore, the flexible enclosurehas no openings nor holes, with the exception of the closurewhich will be described in greater detail thereafter. Thereby, air can be trapped in an internal spaceof the flexible enclosurewhen the closureof the coveris closed. Trapping means meant that air cannot escape from the internal spaceof the flexible enclosurewhen the closureis closed. From the moment when the coveris closed, the air is permanently contained in the internal spaceof the flexible enclosure. Only the subsequent opening of the covercan release the air. The trapped air forms a protective pocket around the article. The covercan protect the article from impacts. In the particular case of textile articles, the covercan also provide satisfactory protection against creasing.

The flexible enclosureis also made of a material suitable for heat-bonding. Heat-bonding refers to the method of assembly under the action of heat. A heat-bond adhesiveis applied between two surfaces to be assembled, the heat-bond adhesive reacting to heat to bond the two surfaces together. The fibers forming the flexible enclosureare chosen for the properties thereof to be heat-bonded, more particularly not to burn nor melt when heat is applied. The heat-bond adhesivemay be a cloth, either woven or nonwoven, or a liquid that becomes adhesive when heat is applied. The use of heat-bonding makes it possible to provide a coverwith no stitches that could impair the sealing of the cover. The covercan thereby be perfectly sealed. A liquid cannot enter the coverand the air enclosed in the internal spaceof the flexible enclosurecannot escape. Heat-bonding further contributes to making the heat-bonded parts non-deformable, to give a regular and clean appearance to the coverand to ensure the resistance and flexibility thereof over time.

In one embodiment, the flexible enclosureis formed from polyester fibers.

In a particular example, the flexible enclosureis formed from recycled polyester fibers. The flexible enclosurecan also be formed from organic, plant or algae fibers. The coveris thereby ecological and durable while having properties of lightness and flexibility.

The flexible enclosuremay e.g. have a substantially rectangular shape. The flexible enclosuremay e.g. have a length b of 90 cm and a width a of 60 cm (see). A thickness of the flexible enclosurecould be about 6 cm. Such dimensions are suitable for a coverfor the protection of a garment. However, the flexible enclosurecould also have any other dimensions depending on the article to be protected. The flexible enclosurecould also have a shape other than rectangular, e.g. square, circular or oval.

Herein, the flexible enclosurecomprises a front walland a back wall. The walls,are substantially plane surfaces. In practice, the walls,are pieces of fabric, preferentially woven from recycled and recyclable fibers. The walls,may e.g. be formed from fibers of the same material, or from fibers of different materials. The walls,may have a color or a texture distinct from each other. The back wallmay also have a thickness greater than the front wall. The back wallmay be rigid, in order to support the article. The front wallmay be flexible, allowing the article to be inserted. There is thereby flexibility in the production of the flexible enclosure. The back wallmay also include a reinforcement in order to stiffen the back wall. The reinforcement is heat-bonded to the inner surface of the back wall, i.e. to the inside of the flexible enclosure. This reinforcement stiffens the back wallwithout, however, preventing the folding of the coveras explained hereinbelow.

The front and back walls,are joined together by heat-bonding. The walls,can be heat-bonded continuously (i.e. without interruption) over the entire peripheryof the walls,. As can be seen in, the heat-bond adhesiveextends continuously between the front and back walls,, at the peripheryof the walls,. As illustrated in, there is a space between the peripherywhere the walls,are heat-bonded and the edgeof the walls,. The internal spaceof the flexible enclosureextends between the front and back walls,. The joint between the front and back walls,is sealed, without spaces into which a liquid could enter or from which air trapped in the internal spaceof the covercould escape.

Furthermore, the flexible enclosuremay define a fold line(which is not particularly visible on the cover). Herein, the fold lineextends along a transverse axis X of the flexible enclosure(see). The fold lineextends substantially at the center of the flexible enclosure, along the direction of the width a of the flexible enclosure. Henceforth, the lower end of the flexible enclosurecan be folded over the upper end of the flexible enclosure. The covercan take a folded position wherein the coveris folded in half about the transverse axis X (see). The length b of the coveris thereby divided into two (and the thickness thereof is doubled). The transport of the coveris thereby facilitated.

Herein, the coveris folded around the fold lineso that the front wallof the flexible enclosureis oriented toward the inside of the coverand the back wallof the flexible enclosurefaces the outside of the cover. Thereby, the closureof the cover, provided herein on the front wall, can be hidden when the coveris in the folded position. In the folded position, the outside of the covercan be a smooth surface, improving the aesthetics thereof. Furthermore, the back wallof the covermay have a thickness greater than the front wallto provide good protection of the article in the folded position, while providing a compact cover.

The closurecan move between an open position and a closed position. In the open position (), the article can be introduced into the internal spaceof the flexible enclosure. In the closed position (), the article is contained in a sealed manner in the internal spaceof the flexible enclosure.

The closureis a sealed closure. When the closureis moved from the open position to the closed position, air is de facto enclosed in the internal spaceof the flexible enclosure. The air cannot escape from the internal spaceof the flexible enclosureas long as the closureis in the closed position. The air forms the protective pocket of air around the article.