Laundry net

Abstract

To provide a laundry net capable of being more inexpensively manufactured than before while ensuring usability equivalent to or higher than the conventional one, and reducing risk of trouble on a slider.SOLUTION: An opening 2e for putting laundry in or out is provided and a slide fastener 3 is fitted thereto at an upper side 2a of a bag body 2 of a laundry net 10. An expansion part 8 capable of being stored inside the bag body 2 is configured so as to be capable of being put in or pulled out of the bag body 2 through the opening 2e. Right and left sides 8c, 8d of the expansion part 8 are closed, and a base side 8a and a free side 8b facing each other are opened. An opening edge of the base side 8a is sewn along an inner edge of the opening 2e of the bag body 2. The free side 8b is stored in the opened state so as to fit along an inner surface of the bag body 2. Consequently, use mode can be selected from two modes of "expansion part stored state" in which the expansion part 8 is stored in the bag body 2 and "expansion part expanded state" in which the slide fastener 3 is opened and the expansion part 8 is pulled out upward the bag body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The invention disclosed in this application relates to a laundry net used when washing clothes, etc., and more specifically to a laundry net whose bag size (volume) for storing clothes, etc. can be changed depending on the situation of use. [Background technology]

[0002] Medical, nursing care, and care facilities use laundry services that regularly collect and wash the clothes used by hospitalized patients and residents. To prevent the clothes left by hospitalized patients and residents from getting lost or mixed up with other people's clothes during the laundry process, these facilities typically collect the clothes in laundry nets labeled with the user's name to identify them. By adopting a system in which the laundry is washed, dried, and returned in the laundry net, the labor required for sorting laundry is eliminated. This system eliminates the need for users to worry about their clothes getting mixed up with or lost with other people's.

[0003] In workplaces where such laundry nets are used, it is easy for them to be overstuffed with clothes, etc. Overstuffing the laundry net is undesirable because it reduces the efficiency of the washing, rinsing, and drying processes and reduces the quality of the finished product. Therefore, expandable laundry nets have been developed that reduce their volume when collecting soiled clothes, etc., to prevent overstuffing, and expand their volume when washing, improving washing efficiency.

[0004] The present applicant also proposed and put into practical use in Patent Document 1 a laundry net in which an expansion section is stored inside one side of a substantially rectangular bag body and the expansion section can be pulled out as needed. An overview of this laundry net is shown in Figures 4 to 8.

[0005] The laundry net 1 disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an opening 2e for putting laundry in and taking it out at an upper edge 2a of a bag body 2 that has an appearance of a vertically long rectangle when viewed from the front, and an inner bag-like expandable part 20 that changes the size (volume) of the laundry net 1 is provided at a side edge 2b on one side (the right side in the figure) of the bag body 2. By storing this expandable part 20 inside the bag body 2 or pulling it out, the size of the laundry net 1 can be easily changed.

[0006] Slide fasteners 3 are attached to the top edge 2a and side edge 2b of the bag body 2. The slide fastener 3 in the illustrated form is a single fastener that is integrally continuous with an opening fastener 3a attached along the top edge 2a of the bag body 2 to open and close the opening 2e, and an expansion fastener 3b attached along the side edge 2b of the bag body 2 to move the expansion section 20 in and out of the bag body 2. In order to enable the opening and closing of the opening 2e in the top edge 2a and the insertion and removal of the expansion section 20 in the side edge 2b to be performed separately, the slide fastener 3 is a so-called reverse-opening double fastener that can be opened and closed from either end. A reverse-opening double fastener is a fastener in which two sliders 4 (4A, 4B) are attached to a pair of fastener halves with the ends that close the fastener facing each other.When the two sliders 4 (4A, 4B) are moved away from each other and to both ends, the slide fastener 3 is fully closed.

[0007] Movement restriction means 23 are provided near the corners of the bag body 2 where the slide fastener 3 bends, to prevent the slider 4A for opening and closing the top edge 2a and the slider 4B for opening and closing the side edge 2b from moving to the adjacent other edges. The movement restriction means 23 in the illustrated form is formed by sewing a short strip of synthetic fiber or the like across the slide fastener on both the front and back sides.

[0008] As shown in Figure 5, expansion section 20, which is inserted and removed from side edge section 2b, is a flat bag with a vertically elongated rectangular shape in front view and a smaller volume than bag body 2, with top edge section 20a, outer edge section 20b, and bottom edge section 20c each closed like a bag. Base edge section 20d opposite outer edge section 20b opens so that the front and back can be separated, and is sewn to the inside of a pair of fastener halves that make up expansion fastener 3b. When expansion fastener 3b is opened and expansion section 20 is pulled outward while turning it inside out, the interior of expansion section 20 communicates with the interior of bag body 2, allowing laundry stored in laundry net 1 to move freely between bag body 2 and expansion section 20.

[0009] Furthermore, in this laundry net 1, a binding means 6 is attached to the left side edge 2c in the figure, where the expansion section 20 is not provided, for binding and tying the vicinity of the opening 2e. As shown in Figures 6 to 8, this binding means 6 comprises a band 61 of a length that can be wrapped around the vicinity of the top edge 2a, where the opening fastener 3a is attached, while bundling the vicinity in the opening width direction. The base end of the band 61 may be sewn directly to the bag body 2, but in the illustrated embodiment, it is detachably attached to the bag body 2 via a band attachment piece 62. The tip of the band 61 is wrapped around the bundled bag bodies 2 and overlaps and fastens at the middle portion of the band 61 itself. A snap button 7 with a lock is used as the overlapping and fastening means. The snap button 7 incorporates a locking mechanism using a leaf spring or the like in either the female member 7A or the male member 7B, and is configured so that when the leaf spring or the like is deformed by, for example, pressing in the center of the button, the leaf spring or the like engages with the mating member, preventing the female member 7A and the male member 7B from easily coming apart.

[0010] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, a cover piece 64 that covers the back surface of the female member 7A is formed by extending the tip of the band 61 and folding it outward. The operation to unlock the snap button 7 is performed from above the cover piece 64. By using such binding means 6 to bind the vicinity of the opening 2e of the bag body 2, it is possible to prevent the clothes and other items stored in the bag body 2 from flying out into the washing tub even if the slider 4 is broken by strong agitation force during washing, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-077626 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The conventional laundry net 1 has been well-received in actual use for its ease of use, but because the slide fasteners 3 are attached along two sides of the bag body 2, the overall length of the fasteners increases, resulting in higher parts and sewing costs. In addition, a double fastener with two sliders (4A, 4B) is used to separately open and close the opening 2e at the top edge 2a and extend and retract the expansion section 20 at the side edge 2b. The number of sliders also increases costs compared to laundry nets with simple single fasteners. Many businesses that purchase and use this type of laundry net in large quantities have very strict requirements regarding the procurement price of the product, so improvements are needed to make it possible to offer it at even the lowest possible price.

[0013] Furthermore, because this type of laundry net is thrown into a large washing machine all at once during washing and is vigorously agitated by strong rotational force, problems are likely to occur, such as the slide fasteners getting caught in the mesh of other laundry nets and damaging them, or the impact on the slide fastener or lint getting tangled in the slide fastener making it difficult to open and close, or the sliders and pull tabs (knobs) used to open and close the slide fastener. Therefore, a slide fastener with a large overall length or a large number of sliders increases the risk of such problems occurring.

[0014] The invention disclosed in this application has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and provides an improved laundry net that is at least as easy to use as the conventional laundry nets, yet can be manufactured more cheaply than conventional nets, and that reduces the risk of problems such as slider failure and net breakage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the laundry net of the invention disclosed in this application is a laundry net which has an opening at the top edge of a bag body made of a net material for putting laundry in and taking it out, said opening being fitted with a slide fastener for opening and closing, and an extension part formed of the same or similar net material as said bag body and of a size that can be stored inside said bag body, which is configured to be inserted into and removed from said bag body through said opening, and said extension part is configured by closing both left and right side parts of the overlapping net material, and by vertically opposing base parts and self-supporting parts. Each of the free side portions is formed so that it opens to a size approximately the same as the opening of the bag body, and the opening edge of the base side portion is sewn to the bag body along the inner edge of the opening, while the opening edge of the free side portion is stored so that it remains open and follows the inner surface of the bag body, and it is characterized as being able to select between two usage modes: an ``expansion portion stored state'' in which the expansion portion is stored inside the bag body and the slide fastener is opened and opened, and an ``expansion portion expanded state'' in which the slide fastener is opened, the expansion portion is turned inside out, and pulled out above the bag body.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that a edging member is sewn to the opening edge of the free side portion of the extension portion over the entire periphery, making the opening edge thicker than the mesh material.

[0017] Furthermore, the expansion section is provided with a binding means for binding and tying the vicinity of the opening edge of the free edge section when the expansion section is in the expanded state, and the binding means comprises a band of a length capable of bundling and wrapping the vicinity of the opening edge, the base end of the band being sewn to a position on the side edge of the expansion section that is on the outside when the expansion section is in the expanded state, or being detachably connected to a band attachment piece sewn to the side edge, the tip of the band being configured to overlap and fasten near the base end of the band, and a locking snap button consisting of a pair of female and male members being attached to the overlapping and fastening point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The laundry net configured as described above is configured so that laundry can be put in and taken out and the expansion part can be put in and taken out using a slide fastener that is the length of one side of the bag body, so it can be manufactured inexpensively by reducing the parts cost and sewing cost of the slide fastener.

[0019] In addition, the extension part is stored inside the bag with the opening edge of the free side left open, so the user's dirty laundry can be collected in that state, and if necessary during washing, the slide fastener on the opening can be opened to pull out just the extension part to the outside of the bag while the laundry is still inside. This way, the laundry worker does not have to directly touch the dirty laundry with their hands.

[0020] Furthermore, this laundry net can be made even easier to use by using binding means for binding the vicinity of the opening edge of the free side portion when the expansion section is in the expanded state. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of a laundry net according to one embodiment of the invention disclosed herein with its expansion section stored. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the laundry net in an expanded state. [Figure 3]3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the vicinity of the opening edge of the free side of the expansion section is constrained, following the expanded state of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the laundry net disclosed in Patent Document 1 with its expansion section stored. [Figure 5] 5 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the laundry net of FIG. 4 in a state where the expansion section is deployed. FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the binding means of the laundry net of FIG. 4 is used. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial front view showing the binding means shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how the restraining means shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] An embodiment of the invention disclosed in the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, components that are substantially the same as those of the laundry net 1 described in Patent Document 1 and shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Although the laundry net according to the present invention is not used in a fixed position, for the sake of convenience, the side with an opening for putting laundry in and taking it out will be defined as the "top (upper part / upper side)" and the back side of the bag body opposite the opening as the "bottom (lower part / lower side)," thereby specifying the relative positions of the various parts and the direction of operation.

[0023] 1 to 3 show one embodiment of the invention disclosed in the present application. This laundry net 10 has an opening 2e for putting laundry in and taking it out at the upper edge 2a of a bag body 2 that is made of a net material and has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the front. A slide fastener 3 for opening and closing is attached to the opening 2e. This slide fastener 3 is a typical single fastener in which a pair of fastener halves 31, 31 are opened and closed by a single slider 4. Note that while the bag body 2 in the illustrated embodiment has a generally square shape when viewed from the front, the aspect ratio may be arbitrary, and any of the sides may be curved. Furthermore, while the bag body 2 in the illustrated embodiment is a flat bag without a gusset or bottom, the bag body 2 may have a gusset or bottom.

[0024] The netting material that makes up the bag body 2 is made of a strong, synthetic knitted fabric that is highly resistant to water and chemicals, such as polyester or polyamide fibers. In the illustrated embodiment, a Russell knitted fabric with hexagonal mesh is used. Hexagonal mesh is suitable for laundry nets because it disperses the force applied to the connecting parts of the knitting yarn, making it less likely to tear, and also because it prevents loose lint from clothes during washing from getting tangled in the corners of the mesh.

[0025] A display section 22 for writing the user's name and other information is provided on one side of the bag body 2. The display section 22 is formed using a thin fabric, a flexible sheet material made of synthetic resin, or the like, and is sewn to the bag body 2 so that it will not come off when washed.

[0026] This laundry net 10 is provided with an expansion part 8 that is made of the same or similar mesh material as the bag body 2 and is large enough to fit inside the bag body 2. Note that the above-mentioned "similar" means that the mesh size, shape, fiber thickness, color, etc. may be slightly different within the scope that does not impair suitability as a laundry net 10. The expansion part 8 is designed to be inserted into and removed from the bag body 2 through an opening 2e formed in the upper edge 2a of the bag body 2.

[0027] The extension portion 8 is formed so that both left and right side portions 8c, 8d of the overlapping mesh material are closed, and the opposing upper base side portion 8a and lower free side portion 8b are open to approximately the same dimensions as the opening 2e of the bag body 2. In other words, the extension portion 8 has a tubular shape that can be inserted in the vertical direction. Note that the form in which the side portions 8c, 8d are "closed" includes both a form in which one piece of mesh material is folded back, and a form in which two pieces of mesh material are sewn together.

[0028] The opening edge of base side portion 8a is sewn continuously all around the inner edge of opening 2e to bag body 2 so as not to interfere with the opening and closing operation of slide fastener 3. In detail, the peripheral edge of opening 2e of bag body 2 and the opening edge of base side portion 8a of expansion portion 8 are overlapped and sewn to the base fabric portion of fastener half body 31.

[0029] On the other hand, no slide fastener or other closing means is provided on the free side 8b of the expansion section 8. A hem member 8e such as bias tape is sewn around the entire periphery of the opening edge of the free side 8b, which makes the opening edge thicker and stiffer than the net material.

[0030] 1, the free edge 8b is stored along the inner surface of the bag body 2 with the free edge 8b remaining open downward. This state is called the "expansion section stored state." In this expansion section stored state, the slide fastener 3 is opened and closed with laundry (not shown) inserted through the opening 2e stored inside the bag body 2 and the expansion section 8. If the amount of laundry is small, the slide fastener 3 can be closed in this state and the laundry can be washed.

[0031] When excess laundry is stuffed into bag 2 and the volume of bag 2 needs to be expanded, slide fastener 3 at opening 2e is opened, and expansion section 8 is turned inside out and pulled out above bag 2, as shown in Figure 2. This state is called the "expansion section expanded state." Because free edge 8b of expansion section 8 remains open, even if there is laundry inside bag 2, the worker can remove it above opening 2e by simply pulling out expansion section 8 from between the periphery of the laundry and bag 2 without directly touching the laundry.

[0032] However, if left as is, the free edge 8b of the expansion section 8 pulled out above the opening 2e will remain open. To close the opening, a binding means 6 (Figs. 6 to 8) similar to that described in Patent Document 1 is used. This binding means 6 includes a band 61 long enough to wrap around the free edge 8b of the expansion section 8 while bundling the area near the free edge 8b in the width direction of the opening. The base end of the band 61 is sewn to one side edge 8c of the expansion section 8, an appropriate distance (several centimeters) away from the free edge 8b, so that it faces outward when the expansion section is deployed. Alternatively, the base end of the band 61 is detachably connected to a band attachment piece 62 sewn to the side edge 8c. The tip of the band 61 is fastened near the base end of the band 61 via a locking snap button 7 consisting of a pair of female and male members 7A and 7B. Figure 3 shows the state in which the area near the free edge 8b of the expansion section 8 is bound and tied using this binding means 6.

[0033] The strips 61 constituting the binding means 6 may not be connected to the laundry net 10 but may be prepared as a completely separate piece. Even in this case, the free edge 8b of the expansion section 8 can be tightly closed by bundling the area near the free edge 8b of the expansion section 8 and wrapping and fastening a strip 61 of an appropriate length around the bundling. Even if the strips 61 are not connected to the expansion section 8, the thickness and stiffness can be increased by sewing a hem member 8e to the opening edge of the free edge 8b of the expansion section 8, thereby preventing the strips 61 wrapped around the bundled portion of the net material from slipping past the free edge 8b and falling out.

[0034] The laundry net 10 configured in this manner is configured so that laundry can be put in and taken out and the expansion part 8 can be put in and taken out using the slide fastener 3, which is the length of one side of the bag body 2, so the material cost and sewing cost of the slide fastener 3 can be reduced and the net can be manufactured inexpensively.

[0035] The user can easily select between two modes of use depending on the amount of laundry. "Use" here means that the laundry can be used in a laundry collection cycle, collecting, washing, and returning laundry such as clothes. By adopting this configuration, the user can ensure ease of use equivalent to or superior to that of the laundry net 1 disclosed in Patent Document 1, while reducing manufacturing costs and the risk of problems such as slider failure and net breakage.

[0036] As explained above, the laundry net 10 according to the invention disclosed in the present application is constructed using components that are substantially identical to those of the laundry net 1 disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, by changing the combination of the components, significant differences were observed in the manner of use, particularly in the storage and deployment of the expansion section 8. The major factor that led to this idea was the superior functionality and usefulness of the fastening means 6, which fastens the band 61 with a locking snap button 7. By providing the laundry net 1 described in Patent Document 1, which employs this fastening means 6, in actual use and carefully examining the feedback from the use, the idea of ​​changing the combination of the components was obtained, thereby achieving reductions in manufacturing costs without sacrificing usability. In this respect, the invention disclosed in the present application is by no means a minor design change that a person skilled in the art could easily have conceived based on the invention described in Patent Document 1. Rather, it is endowed with originality that could only have been conceived by the applicant, who is thoroughly familiar with the function and effect of the fastening means.

[0037] The technical scope of the invention disclosed in this application should not be construed as being limited by the exemplified embodiments, but should be construed conceptually based on the claims. The names of elements used in the claims and specification are for convenience in making the invention easier to understand specifically, and the names do not unnecessarily limit the concepts or properties of the elements. When implementing the invention disclosed in this application, the detailed shape, dimensions, structure, material, quantity, combination with other elements, relative positional relationship, etc. of elements not specifically specified in the claims may be appropriately modified within the scope that obtains effects substantially equivalent to or greater than those of the exemplified embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Laundry net 2 bags 2a Upper edge 2b Right side 2c Left side 2d bottom part 2e opening 3 Slide fastener 4 Slider 6. Restraints 61 Belt 62 Belt attachment piece 7 Snap button with lock 7A Female member 7B Male member 8 Extension 8a Base 8b Free edge 8c Side part 8d side part 8e Edging member

Claims

1. An opening for putting laundry in and taking laundry out is provided at the upper edge of the bag body made of a mesh material, and a slide fastener for opening and closing is attached to the opening, A laundry net is configured such that an expansion part, which is formed using the same or similar net material as the bag body and has a size that can be stored inside the bag body, can be put in and out of the bag body through the opening, The expansion section is formed such that the left and right side edges of the overlapping mesh material are closed, and the base edge and free edge portions facing each other in the vertical direction are opened to a size approximately the same as the opening of the bag body, The opening edge of the base portion is sewn to the bag body along the inner edge of the opening, The opening edge of the free side portion is stored along the inner surface of the bag body while remaining open, Two usage modes can be selected: an "expansion section stored state" in which the expansion section is stored inside the bag and the slide fastener is opened and closed, and an "expansion section deployed state" in which the slide fastener is opened, the expansion section is turned inside out, and pulled out above the bag. A laundry net characterized by:

2. The laundry net according to claim 1, A hem member is sewn to the opening edge of the free side of the expansion section, which increases the thickness of the opening edge over the entire periphery compared to the mesh material. A laundry net characterized by:

3. The laundry net according to claim 1 or 2, The extension portion is provided with a binding means for binding and binding a portion of the free side portion in the vicinity of the opening edge when the extension portion is in the expanded state, the binding means comprises a band having a length capable of bundling the adjacent portions and winding them around the bundling portions; a base end of the band is sewn to a side edge of the expansion section at a position that is on the outside when the expansion section is in an expanded state, or is detachably connected to a band attachment piece sewn to the side edge; The distal end of the band is configured to overlap and fasten near the proximal end of the band, A locking snap button consisting of a pair of female and male members is attached to the overlapping fastening point. A laundry net characterized by:

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