Method and Device to Reduce and Eliminate Wrinkles in Clothing in a Suitcase, and to Change in Suitcase Structure

Abstract

The invention is a device and method to allow a user to minimize wrinkles in the transportation of garments. In a main embodiment, the invention consists of folding folds with a hanging means with two holding bars (or “arms”), one over the connecting area between the top fold and middle fold, and one over the connecting area between the middle fold and the bottom fold, with a top and bottom edge where clothes are attached to said device through the use of flexible clips with a tension means. Alternative embodiments, and suitcase structure change, are described to decrease wrinkling, and increase available volume within suitcases. The device is designed to be folded and contained with a standard suitcase, or is built in as part of a suitcase.

1 . A device for containing a plurality of clothes in a reduced wrinkle condition comprising: 
 a). a top fold attached to a bottom fold so that said top fold and said bottom fold can fold in on each other where said cloths are attached to the fold with an attachment means where said attachment means applies tension to said clothes; or b), a top fold attached to a middle fold attached to a bottom fold so that said top fold and said bottom fold can fold over a middle fold where said cloths are attached to the fold with an attachment means where said attachment means applies tension to said clothes; or c), there can be 4 (or other number of) folds, with a larger first fold, a smaller second fold, a third fold of approximate same size as first fold, and a fourth fold of approximate same size as second fold, so that when the bottom edge of fold  4  is brought back to touch top of fold  1 , it forms and rectangle or parallelogram. The folds could be rigid, semi-rigid, or semi-soft but keeping their form (e.g. for example, made from processes such as ABS molding or Polypro, or connected by zipper, but not limited to those methods). In one embodiment, folds  1  and  4  can be attached, and an equivalent folds  2  and  3  can be attached. The top of the a hanger can be attached to the top of fold  1 , bottom of fold  4 , or stick out of enclosure at an opening in the edge of connection of folds  1  and folds  4 , or attach to other aspects of the device. A user could lay the clothes from the right lower corner on the hanger attached at the edge of folds  1  and  4 , or from a hanger that goes through an opening in the edge of 1 and 4, and have the clothes wrap back when the clothes reaches the lower end of fold  1 , to the upper end of fold one, and if the clothes are long enough to wrap back above that last layer toward what will be the upper left corner. Then the half of rectangle/parallelogram of connected folds “ 2  and  3 ” can be placed over the clothes to form the rectangle/parallelogram, then slide a bar through area of clothing where the clothing moves from going down the first fold up to back up above fold one, slide the second bar through where the clothes then loops back down fold one but above the other levels of clothing. Then two elastic straps  50  can be attached to the 2 ends of bar  1 , and two elastic straps can be attached to the 2 ends of bar  2  to hold them, with 1 strap connected to folds  1 / 4 , and the other strap connected to folds  2 / 3 , so as to firmly bring the 2 halves of the rectangle/parallelogram together. Also, the lower end of the clothing can be attached to the edge between folds  2  and  3  by elastic straps. The rectangle/parallelogram might be more of an upright rectangle if there was a lot of clothes in between, but more of a flatter parallelogram if there were few clothing in between. Elastic straps can be placed from edges of the device to attach to the end of the clothes to apply traction.    
   
   
       2 . A device according to  claim 1  further comprising having said top fold having a top edge and said bottom fold having a bottom edge.  
   
   
       3 . A device according to  claim 1  further comprising having a hanging means attached to said top fold.  
   
   
       4 . A device according to  claim 1  further comprising having a plurality of bars attached to said folds.  
   
   
       5 . A device according to  claim 4  further comprising having said bars fitting tightly to said folds.  
   
   
       6 . A device according to  claim 4  where said bars are covered in a covering material.  
   
   
       7 . A device according to  claim 6  where said material can be made of various types of clothe or plastic or other materials.  
   
   
       8 . A device according to  claim 4  where said cloths are placed between said bars and said folds.  
   
   
       9 . A device according to  claim 1  where said tension means are elastic bars or other elastic straps, or other clothe or materials.  
   
   
       10 . A device according to  claim 1  where said tension means are clasps.  
   
   
       11 . A device according to  claim 1  where said tension means are clasps that are attached to elastic bands or bars.  
   
   
       12 . A device according to  claim 1  where said tension means are elastic bands with clasps on one end and hooks on the other end.  
   
   
       13 . A device according to  claim 1  where said tension means consists of a plurality of clasps and elastic bands that attach to the edges and to said bars.  
   
   
       14 . A device according to  claim 1  where clips, snaps or other methods of attachment are used in place of clasps, and other tension producing elements are used in place of elastic bands.  
   
   
       15 . A device according to  claim 1  where said top fold has shoulder pad contours.  
   
   
       16 . A device according to  claim 1  where said hanging means can be rotated to fit flat against said top fold.  
   
   
       17 . A device according to  claim 16  further comprising a flap attached to said top fold covering the hanging means.  
   
   
       18 . A device according to  claim 1  which folds to fit into a suitcase.  
   
   
       19 . A device for containing a plurality of clothes in a reduced wrinkle condition comprising: 
 a plurality of folds attached to each other linearly with said folds folding in on each other where said cloths are attached to said folds with an attachment means where said attachment means applies tension to said clothes and having a plurality of bars attached to said folds.    
   
   
       20 . A device according to  claim 19  which folds to fit into a suitcase.  
   
   
       21 . A device according to  claim 19  where said tension means consists of a plurality of clasps and elastic bans that attach to the edges and to said bars.  
   
   
       22 . A device according to  claim 1  where said connects to a piece of luggage through an attachment means.  
   
   
       23 . A device according to  claim 1  where said attachment means is a hook and latch method.  
   
   
       24 . A device according to  claim 1  wherein there are pouches attached to hold items.  
   
   
       25 . A device according to  claim 1  wherein said folds are detachable and re-attachable to each other through an attaching means.  
   
   
       26 . A device for containing a plurality of clothes in a reduced wrinkle condition, or increase interior volume by eliminating space taken up by tubes within the body of suitcase, or reduce breakage of flat or other objects within the body of the suitcase comprising: 
 a suitcase with an extending handle attached to a plurality of bars where said bars slide out of tubes at a set of corners, or within the interior of the set of corners of said suitcase.    
   
   
       27 . A device according to  claim 1  wherein there is employed spring action and/or air (or other means) expandable and/or retractable shoulder pads. One embodiment can work by when a user puts a sport coat over the hanger, then presses a button on or near the hanger, and the padding gently expands by an expanding means such as air, or by the padding having padded plastic or metal inside that gently springs open.  
   
   
       28 . A device according to  claim 1  wherein the entire folding device is closable, where air can be pumped in to provide a more wrinkle free environment, or where a spring action device could be used to maintain a firm shape of the device so that clothing within is less wrinkled  
   
   
       29 . A device according to  claim 1 , which could provide another means of protection against wrinkles, in which there could be 2 sheets of folds  1 ,  2  and  3  (or other number of folds), on either side of a main sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3  (or other number of folds) over which the clothing has been hung over the hanger and where the clothes thus goes on both sides of the main sheet of folds. If there are 2 sheets of folds  1 ,  2  and  3 , or 3 sheets, then the 2 nd  or, 2nd and 3rd sheets, might also clip/attach to the hanger from the first sheet in some manner, that allows separation for the clothing in between, but attaches the 2 nd , or 2 nd  and 3rd sheets at the top (i.e., only the first sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3  might have a hanger at it's top; or alternatively, the other sheet(s) could have its(their) own hanger(s)). The other sheet(s) of folds could also be attached at the bottom and/or the sides. 
 (In further description of the 2 layer of folds design, there is a sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3 . Connecting on the right or left edge by clothe, padded edge, or adjustable connecting edge, is another equivalent sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3 . The clothes are laid over the first sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3  as in figure one. The clothes may have tension applied as with the elastic straps. Then the other sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3  is brought over the clothing over the first sheet of folds  1 ,  2  and  3 . The clothes are in between the 2 sheets of folds. Finally, the unconnected edge could be tied together, zipped closed, or otherwise connected, to form a closed clothing container that can be put in the suitcase, or is part of the suitcase. In addition, the elastic straps could alternatively come from the edges of the second sheet of folds. As different embodiments, the sides between the 2 sheets of folds could be padded edges, or could be fixed or adjustable sides so that the clothes have some space to rest between the 2 sheets of folds. The three levels of folds of the 2 sheets of folds can be attached. That is the edge of the 2 sheets' 1,1 folds can be attached to the 2 sheets' 2,2 folds, and 2,2, to 3,3, or 1,1 to 3,3.).    
   
   
       30 . A device according to  claim 1 , whereby the folding device could be placed free-floating within a suitcase. Alternatively, it could be attached to an edge or inner (or outer) side of the suitcase.  
   
   
       31 . A device according to  claim 1 , whereby the connecting areas between folds may be made of various materials, and also which may have methods for separation and attachment of the folds, such as through use of Velcro or zippers or snaps or clasps or ties, but not be limited to those methods.  
   
   
       32 . A device according to  claim 1 , whereby some clothes may hang down, or be attached, in front of, or over, the folds, but other clothing may be connected or otherwise attached to the folds in different orientations, such as, but not limited to, wrapping around one or more folds.  
   
   
       33 . A device according to  claim 26 , whereby the folding wrinkle reduction device can be placed at the “bottom” of the interior of the suitcase (i.e near the back wall of the suitcase). This could be within the main interior body of the suitcase, or in a separate compartment at the “back” or “bottom” of the suitcase interior with it's own zipper around the suitcase for that compartment.  
   
   
       34 . A device according to  claim 31 , whereby a clothes hanger could attach to an inside bottom border of the suitcase, or be “free-floating”, with clothes on the hanger running along the inside of the back wall of suitcase and then folding back over top padded edge of a first fold of 2 fold device and running in opposite direction over that first fold, and then under a bar at the connecting area between the first and second fold, and running back under the second fold in the opposite direction. (That is, the back of the suitcase could serve as the first fold of a “3 fold device”, with the 2 fold device serving as the “second and third folds”).  
   
   
       35 . A device according to  claim 1 , whereby an additional embodiment would have the hanger from the sheet of folds attach to a connecting bar built within an enclosing garment bag, or otherwise connect to the top inside of the garment bag, such as with clasps, snaps, straps, ties, or other methods, thus having the clothes hang within the garment bag.  
   
   
       36 . A device according to  claim 29 , whereby whether the 2 nd , or 2 nd  and 3rd, sheet(s) attach to the hanger of the 1 st  sheet, or have their own hanger(s), where an additional embodiment would have the hanger(s) attach to 1). a connecting apparatus attached to edge or side of suitcase; or 2). a connecting bar built within an enclosing garment bag, or otherwise connect to the top inside of the garment bag, such as with clasps, snaps, straps, ties, or other methods, thus having the clothes hang within the garment bag.