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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
CARRYING BLANKET
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2006/056641
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The object of the invention is a tarpaulin equipped at least on one side with a quantity of handles (2a), preferably a net of handles (2) covering the whole surface, fastened to it and onto each other at the net's crossings (3).

Inventors:
SERLACHIUS JARL FREDRIK (FI)
Application Number:
PCT/FI2005/000497
Publication Date:
June 01, 2006
Filing Date:
November 23, 2005
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
SERLACHIUS JARL FREDRIK (FI)
International Classes:
B65D81/00; B65D81/02; B65G7/12; B65G
Foreign References:
JP2002173172A2002-06-18
JPH06156542A1994-06-03
US4620396A1986-11-04
DE20108215U12001-12-20
DE202004013027U12004-10-14
US20050039261A12005-02-24
Other References:
See also references of EP 1828017A4
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS
1. A carrying blanket (1) CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the blanket (1) is equipped with a net (2) and rows of handles (2a).
2. A carrying blanket in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the handles (2a) consist of a solid net of handles (2) formed of straps, ropes, cloth, or similar means of fastening crossing each other and fastened onto each other at the crossings (3).
3. A carrying blanket (1) in accordance with claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT, when fastened onto the blanket (1) or onto the strap (5), the handles form separate loops (7) or meshes.
4. A carrying blanket in accordance with claims 1 3 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the handles (2a), spaced at palmwidth intervals, cover the entire blanket (1).
5. A carrying blanket in accordance with claims 1 3 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the handles (2a) cover only the edge area of the blanket (1) for about 35 50 cm toward its center.
6. A carrying blanket in accordance with claims 1 5 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the net of handles (2) is fastened only onto the outer edge of the blanket (1) at the strap crossings (3).
7. A carrying blanket in accordance with claims 1 5 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the net of handles (2) is fastened onto the blanket (1) with press studs (4), Velcro, or some other quick fastening system.
Description:
CARRYING BLANKET

The invention comprises a carrying blanket and a strap.

When moving from place to place, man carries goods important to him. Man had done this since the time immemorial and probably always will do so. Naturally, throughout the ages, man has tried to invent devices to help him move goods. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest achievements in these developments is the wheel, which revolutionized the means to move heavy loads. For moving lighter loads, already at the very beginning of history, the primitive forms of rucksack and stretcher were invented which still today very much resemble their prehistoric models. But, we can say man had to wait until the era of industrialization before a revolutionary change took place. Technology was employed to help man. Along with industrialization came machinery, which enabled man to move objects impossible to move just with physical force. The wheels started to turn, generating machine power to lift, to pull, to push, and, upon the emergence of vehicles, to rapidly transport masses which earlier took years and plenty of labor force to move.

But, strangely, the moving of lighter loads is still mainly done with a rucksack. And, in the course of years, man has hardly been pampered with any means to make lifting or carrying easier for him. Almost everything man is capable of carrying applying physical force is still carried by hand. In this respect, we are no different from our forefathers. Granted, vehicles take the goods to be moved to their destination, but, from there on, there are no better means to move the goods than the hands, even though, in many situations, the hands would need help. However, there is a practical reason for not really inventing devices to make carrying easier. As the moving of goods often takes place in very confined and difficult conditions, we don't easily employ any devices to help us in it. Literally, those would not fit into the picture. In old houses, where the elevator is too small for most big pieces of furniture, the

person doing the moving has to operate in tight places in narrow staircases leading upstairs. Years ago, a great device was invented to help operate in these conditions. A dolly with the wheels set on top of each other is easy to move up the stairs. A dolly with a set of wheels forming triangles is even easier to operate in the staircase.

A dolly is of great help when moving boxes which are full, but, a dolly is no big help when moving and lifting large pieces of furniture. Quite primitive, but in no way inferior, methods are of help here: regular carrying straps placed under the object to be carried and onto the shoulder of the person doing the carrying. Straps, for example, are excellent for moving a piano. But the fact is that there is a dire shortage of devices for making lifting and carrying easier. An ordinary blanket, which is an excellent means of moving and protecting goods, is a very old and simple device, which, with the developments in new materials, was developed into a waterproof tarpaulin.

There are light-weight blankets as well as separate nets made of various ropes, but it is not easy to get a good hold on, e.g., tarpaulins and blankets, especially when spread wide open and full of goods to be moved away. For instance, if a rope or detached straps are used to tie a tarpaulin for covering and moving a load, it is rather tedious to get the rope to stay tightly fastened on the smooth cover of the tarpaulin. The rope does not stay in place; instead, when pulled, it may slip sideways, causing the entire load to collapse. Hence, this is the result of not having any support points for tightening the straps or ropes. When a load tied inside a blanket is moved by lifting, there is no actual fastening point for, e.g., a lifting hook and, consequently, the load has to be lifted using the rope which holds the load tied together and in one piece. When lifting the load, this imposes certain demands for tying the load in order not to get too loose a fit between the tightening rope and the load. Naturally, as a result, the load may collapse. In case a load packed or wrapped inside a blanket has to be lifted by hand, irrespective of the lightness of the load, it is very difficult to get a good hold on the blanket for moving it by hand. This requires the preparation of some kind of a bundle tied with a rope for getting a hold on the ropes, which ropes

often nastily sink into the palms of the hands. This happens as there are no proper handles on the blanket.

A load can also be moved using only straps, but straps are slippery and, hence, difficult to get a hold on. Consequently, the straps are pulled over the shoulders, and this makes it possible to carry, with a straight back, also rather heavy objects, such as washing machines or pianos. But as is not possible to get a good hold on the straps in any other way than using a shoulder for support, it would be very beneficial, if the person using the straps could change his/her carrying grip into a regular hold on a handle when needed.

In the moving industry, manhandling heavy objects and loads is a routine operating procedure. They have to deal with a range of shapes of objects, which are difficult to handle, too. It is either the shape or the weight of the object, which makes the carrying of the object difficult. A washing machine is a good example of this. It is easy to get a good hold on the bottom of a washing machine when it is in an upright position. But, for instance, when carrying a washing machine, which is in an inclined position, up the stairs in a narrow hallway, the person in the front carrying the washing machine has a hard time trying to maintain his or her grip on it. The smooth surfaces of the load do not support a steady grip, hence, carrying becomes truly difficult. Another example is a couch: a round object, which is not very heavy, but difficult to handle because of its soft shapes. It is possible to maintain the grip on the couch, if one does not have to turn it up in the air to enable passage through narrow places. Upon trying to change the grip at such a time, the couch becomes very difficult to carry. Traditional moving business offers numerous examples of objects that are difficult to handle.

One example on the more industrialized side of the moving business is the transport of goods from the manufacturer through a department store's intermediate storage to the end user, i.e., to the consumer. Protected against dirt and dents or damage caused by some other force, the goods arrive at the intermediate storage facility. These

packaged goods are even more difficult to handle. In order to make sure that the goods arrive undamaged, the covers protecting the goods are not removed until they arrive at the client's premises.

The purpose of the invention presented here is to offer a solution for the said problems in moving goods. This is attained with the carrying blanket according to the invention characterized in that the carrying blanket is equipped with a net and rows of handles.

The preferred material for the invention is a thin cloth or tarpaulin, preferably of water-proof quality. The blanket preferably also endures pulling and is durable but, nevertheless, thin and easy to handle. The handles fastened onto the blanket can consist of a grid formed of straps or cloth, e.g., sewn or otherwise fastened onto the blanket at the strap crossings, hereby leaving the other parts of the straps detached to form handles into four directions. The grid may form a pattern of squares, but this is not necessary. The most important feature is that it creates four-directional handles between the strap crossings. For manufacturing technology, it is best to fasten the straps, with their length equal to the measurements of the blanket, both vertically and horizontally, at a certain distance from each other to cover the entire blanket. The grid formed this way consists of a pattern of squares, but as already stated above, the straps may also cross each other diagonally, forming a diamond-shaped grid. As the length of the straps is equal to the entire length of the blanket, the straps make the blanket extremely durable. And as this so-called net of handles forms a densely integrated entity, it also sustains very heavy loads. But, if the handles are made of separate pieces of straps or cloth, the durability of the blanket equals to the durability of the straps fastened onto the blanket. Separate handles impose greater demands on the actual blanket material than does a solid net of handles. However, handles fastened onto the straps or cloth do not have a problem with durability as they are fastened onto the already strong straps.

The carrying blanket's net of handles does not always have to cover the entire blanket. This depends on the purpose for which the blanket is used. If it is used just for carrying, it can be full of handles, but if the blanket has to be dragged along the ground, for instance when moving tree leaves, it is good, if the blanket surface facing the ground is smooth.

If delicate pieces of furniture have to be covered with a blanket, for the sake of keeping the furniture clean, such a carrying blanket concept preferably includes a so- called protective cap. The protective cap is similar to the one used by scrub nurses in the operating room: a protective cover equipped with a elastic band for easy placement over the furniture. But as it is used for furniture, it is of a somewhat different size and of a more durable material. Its main mission is to protect against dirt and soiling. To start with, the protective cap is pulled, e.g., over an unprotected couch, thereby eliminating the requirement for the carrying blanket to be fully clean. Also this way, the carrying blanket does not have to be fully closed on top of the load. There are two possibilities to tighten the carrying blanket: either with straps pre-fastened onto the carrying blanket or with removable straps or elastic bands with hooks at their ends. If the hooks are placed on the net of handles, the hooks can be fastened onto any other net. And, the straps on the hooks are either equipped with Velcro or they have plastic fastening mechanisms, for instance, similar to those used in life belts. With either system, the fastening of the carrying blanket around the load is effortless.

For cleanliness and economic practicality, the net of handles can be detachable, fastened either with press studs or Velcro. This way, as the net is more durable, if the blanket is torn, there is no need to replace the entire net. When fastened onto the blanket, the net of handles does not have to be fastened at each strap crossing; it may suffice to only fasten it onto the outer edge of the blanket.

The carrying blanket would also be of economic importance to industry as its use would save time. During transport from the manufacturer's plant into the

intermediate storage facility, from the very beginning, the goods could be, so to say, draped inside the carrying blanket. First of all, this would save time in handling the goods, as both carrying and handling would be easier, and the uncovering of the goods from the blanket at the end destination would be considerably faster than uncovering the goods from the manufacturer's various creations. The carrying blanket would be recyclable, i.e., after the use, it would be returned to the plant to be used again. The whole carrying blanket concept would have long-term impacts on the entire economy. Savings would be incurred based on the handling of the disposal of waste material, which disposal takes up a lot of expensive time from a company's core business. All in all, this carrying blanket concept would not only render considerable physical relief to the moving business in general; economically, it would also be an extremely profitable business operation.

This carrying blanket concept may be applied to all circumstances where cloth is in any way used as a means of transporting goods. Namely, the existence of several handles does not make carrying more cumbersome. The more handles there are, the more reliably one can find a handle where it is needed.

As already stated above, the material used for the blanket and for the net of handles may range from less durable, at the same time less expensive, to a more durable and more expensive option. In a case where the object to be moved is light but hard to handle, requiring a carrying blanket, it does not make sense to manufacture an expensive blanket for this purpose but rather to tailor the least expensive blanket fit for the purpose. A mattress is an example of a relatively light-weight article difficult to carry. A mattress is pre-packed in a thin plastic foil at the plant. It is easy to fasten a net of handles onto this plastic foil material made of the same plastic, but with the thickness to carry the weight of the mattress. If plastic film is representative of the most inexpensive end of materials to be used for the net of handles, slings or straps are representative of the most durable materials for it.

The space between the individual handles may also vary from the width of a palm of the hand even up to half a meter. Of course, palm-width spaces allow more possibilities to find a place for the carrying hand in different situations. However, some situations do not require unlimited possibilities to get a hold on the blanket with the hand, e.g., carrying leaves with an open tarpaulin blanket where the most important aspect is to get a good hold on the outer edge of the tarpaulin. But, for instance, moving a couch which is hard to handle requires a dense net of handles because, when moving the couch, during the carrying, the couch has to be turned into various positions and directions always according to the surroundings. For example, the moving of a safe requires a net of handles which has to be both strong and dense. The object is so heavy that it is good to get hold on the blanket at any place and at any time, as several hands are required to carry it, not allowing too much time to find the handles in places needed in various situations. The strongest application of this carrying blanket would be a carrying blanket equipped with a net of handles on both sides of the carrying blanket. Also this application could have a quick fastening system as an option. The detached blanket would be pressed in between the nets of handles fastened onto one another with press studs or Velcro.

Below, the invention is explained, with references to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a carrying blanket equipped with a solid net of handles.

Figure 2 illustrates a carrying blanket with handles covering its edge area.

Figure 3 illustrates how a couch covered with a protective cap is packed inside the carrying blanket.

Figure 4 illustrates the moving of a couch with the carrying blanket.

Figure 1 shows the carrying blanket (1) with the solid net of handles (2) made of straps. The net of handles (2) can be fastened onto carrying blanket (1) at the strap crossings (3), or quickly fastened onto the carrying blanket (1) using, e.g., press studs (4). One handle (2a) in the net of handles (2) is seen between two fastening points (3) of the net of handles (2) in the carrying blanket (1).

Figure 2 shows a carrying blanket (1) with the net of handles (2) placed only in the edge area (2b) of the carrying blanket (1).

Figure 3 shows a couch (8) placed on the carrying blanket (1) for carrying. For cleanliness, a protective cap (6) has been placed over the couch. The longitudinal sides of the carrying blanket (1) have already been tightened around the couch (8) with straps (5) and the net of handles (2) is conveniently in place along the arms of the couch.

Figure 4 shows the couch in a package consisting of a protective cap (6), a carrying blanket (1), and a net of handles (2) fastened around the couch with straps (5). Separate handle loops (7) are seen on the straps, which handle loops can also be placed onto the blanket (1) instead of being placed onto the net of handles (2).

The clarification, with the related drawings, is solely intended for illustrating the concept according to the invention. The details of the carrying blanket according to the invention may vary within the framework of the claims.