Environmentally friendly textile soft goods retail packaging incorporating vacuum-sealable bags reusable by consumers

Abstract

Packaging a consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale includes: providing a vacuum-sealable bag; sealing one or more textile soft goods within the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag for retail sale to a consumer; and locating the vacuum-sealable bag within retail packaging for retail sale to a consumer.

1 . A consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale, comprising:
 (a) a vacuum-resealable bag having,
 (i) air impermeable walls defining an interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag, 
 (ii) a one-way valve assembly configured to permit air to be evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag but to preclude air from entering the interior space of the vacuum sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and 
 (iii) a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the vacuum-resealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (iv) wherein the vacuum-resealable bag is configured to maintain a vacuum condition within the interior space when the closure mechanism seals the mouth of the vacuum-resealable bag and air is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from the interior space defined by the vacuum-resealable bag, and 
 (v) wherein the vacuum-resealable bag is configured to be opened and then reclosed such that the vacuum-resealable bag is reusable by a consumer for vacuum-packing after the one or more textile soft goods have been removed from the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag; and 
   (b) one or more textile soft goods located within the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag.   
     
     
         2 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more textile soft goods located within the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag are maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a pressure differential existing between a pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         3 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 2 , further comprising retail packaging comprising a case in which the vacuum-resealable bag containing the textile soft goods is contained, wherein a hoop strength of the case is sufficient to maintain the textile soft goods in a compressed condition within the vacuum-resealable bag upon equalization of the pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         4 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve assembly is located in a wall of the vacuum-resealable bag and is configured to receive a nozzle of a vacuum cleaner hose, whereby the air within the interior space may be evacuated using a vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         5 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve assembly of the vacuum-resealable bag is configured to expel air from the interior space thereof upon rolling up of the vacuum-resealable bag by a consumer for creating a pressure differential between a pressure in the interior space of the bag and a pressure exterior to the bag. 
     
     
         6 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , wherein the textile soft goods comprise a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a bedding set. 
     
     
         7 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , wherein none of the textile soft goods are individually packaged. 
     
     
         8 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , further comprising printed media identifying the one or more textile soft goods contained in the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag, the printed media being physically associated with the vacuum-resealable bag for viewing by a consumer at retail sale. 
     
     
         9 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 8 , wherein the printed media further identifies the reusability of the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         10 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 8 , wherein the printed media comprises an adhesive label that is attached to the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         11 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 10 , wherein retail packaging of the textile soft goods product for retail sale comprises the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         12 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the vacuum-resealable bag is transparent such that one or more contents of the vacuum-resealable bag are viewable there through. 
     
     
         13 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , further comprising retail packaging defining an interior space in which the vacuum-resealable bag containing the textile soft goods is contained. 
     
     
         14 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 1 , further comprising retail packaging comprising a case in which the vacuum-resealable bag containing the textile soft goods is contained, the case configured to be opened and then reclosed such that the case is reusable by a consumer after the vacuum-resealable bag containing the bedding set has been removed therefrom by the consumer. 
     
     
         15 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the vacuum-resealable bag is transparent such that one or more contents of the vacuum-resealable bag are viewable there through, and at least a portion of the case is transparent such that one or more contents of the vacuum-resealable bag are further viewable there through, the vacuum-resealable bag being arranged within the case such that the one or more contents of the vacuum-resealable bag are viewable through both the case and the vacuum-resealable bag by a prospective customer at retail sale. 
     
     
         16 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 14 , further comprising printed media identifying the one or more textile soft goods contained in the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag, the printed media being physically associated with the vacuum-resealable bag for viewing by a consumer at retail sale, wherein the printed media comprises an adhesive label that is attached to the case containing the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         17 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 14 , further comprising printed media identifying the one or more textile soft goods contained in the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag, the printed media being physically associated with the vacuum-resealable bag for viewing by a consumer at retail sale, wherein the case comprises a pocket, the pocket including a transparent panel through which contents of the pocket are viewable from an exterior of the case, and wherein the printed media comprises a rigid planar member comprising a card insert that is retained within the pocket of the case. 
     
     
         18 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 17 , wherein the pocket includes opposing front and rear transparent panels whereby contents of the pocket are viewable through both the front and rear transparent panels. 
     
     
         19 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 14 , wherein the case defines an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the vacuum-resealable bag contained therein. 
     
     
         20 . The consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 19 , wherein the case comprises opposed transparent panels, and wherein corners of the transparent panels include non-transparent components that cover the corners of the vacuum-resealable bag and that reinforce the case and contribute to the hoop strength of the case. 
     
     
         21 . A method of packaging a consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale, comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a vacuum-sealable bag having,
 (i) air impermeable walls defining an interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag, 
 (ii) a one-way valve assembly configured to permit air to be evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag but to preclude air from entering the interior space of the vacuum sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and 
 (iii) a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (iv) wherein the vacuum-sealable bag is configured to maintain a vacuum condition within the interior space when the closure mechanism seals the mouth of the vacuum-sealable bag and air is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from the interior space defined by the vacuum-sealable bag; 
   (b) sealing one or more textile soft goods within the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag for retail sale to a consumer; and   (c) locating the vacuum-sealable bag within retail packaging for retail sale to a consumer.   
     
     
         22 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , wherein said sealing of said step (b) comprises vacuum-sealing. 
     
     
         23 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , further comprising maintaining the one or more textile soft goods in a compressed condition within the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag by creating a pressure differential between a pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         24 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , further comprising physically associating with the retail packaging, for viewing by a consumer at retail sale, printed media that identifies the one or more textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-sealable bag, wherein the printed media comprises an adhesive label that is applied to the retail packaging. 
     
     
         25 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , wherein none of the textile soft goods within the vacuum-sealable bag are individually packaged. 
     
     
         26 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , wherein the textile soft goods comprise a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a bedding set. 
     
     
         27 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , wherein the one-way valve assembly is located in a wall of the vacuum-sealable bag and is configured to receive a nozzle of a vacuum cleaner hose, whereby the air within the interior space may be evacuated using a vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         28 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , wherein the one-way valve assembly of the vacuum-sealable bag is configured to expel air from the interior space thereof upon. rolling up of the vacuum-sealable bag by a consumer for creating a pressure differential between a pressure in the interior space of the bag and a pressure exterior to the bag. 
     
     
         29 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , further comprising shipping the textile soft goods product to a wholesaler, distributor, retailer, or consumer. 
     
     
         30 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , wherein the retail packaging comprises a case. 
     
     
         31 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 30 , further comprising physically associating with the case, for viewing by a consumer at retail sale, printed media that identifies the one or more textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         32 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 30 , wherein the case defines an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein. 
     
     
         33 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 30 , wherein a hoop strength of the case is sufficient to maintain the one or more textile soft goods in the compressed condition within the vacuum-sealable bag upon equalization of the pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the bag. 
     
     
         34 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 30 , wherein at least a portion of the vacuum-sealable bag is transparent such that one or more contents of the vacuum-sealable bag are viewable therethrough, and at least a portion of the case is transparent such that one or more contents of the vacuum-sealable bag are further viewable therethrough, and further comprising arranging the one or more textile soft goods within the vacuum-sealable bag and arranging the vacuum-sealable bag within the case such that one or more textile soft goods are viewable by a consumer at retail sale. 
     
     
         35 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 34 , further comprising physically associating with the case, for viewing by a consumer at retail sale, printed media that identifies the one or more textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-sealable bag, the printed media comprising an adhesive label that is applied to the vacuum-sealable bag and that is viewable through the case by a consumer at retail sale. 
     
     
         36 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , further comprising the steps of locating the vacuum-sealable bag having the one or more textile soft goods therein within a case having a pocket, the pocket including a transparent panel; and locating a card insert within the pocket such that the card insert is viewable through the transparent panel from an exterior of the case, the card insert comprising the printed media identifying the one or more textile soft goods therein to a consumer at retail sale. 
     
     
         37 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 36 , wherein the case comprises a lid, the lid including the pocket within which the card insert is retained, and the pocket including transparent front and rear panels, whereby ores: side of the card insert is not viewable from an exterior of the case when the lid is closed, but is viewable when the lid is open. 
     
     
         38 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of compressing the one or more textile soft goods prior to said step (b) of sealing the one or more textile soft goods within the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag for retail sale to a consumer. 
     
     
         39 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 38 , further comprising the step of maintaining the one or more textile soft goods in a compressed condition within the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag by creating a pressure differential between a pressure within the vacuum-sealable bag and an exterior of the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         40 . The method of packaging the consumer textile soft goods product for retail sale of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of folding and arranging the one or more textile soft goods within an interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag prior to said step (b) of sealing the one or more textile soft goods within the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag for retail sale to a consumer.