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

Abstract

A shipping package of bedding sets includes: a first textile soft goods product for retail sale, including a first vacuum-sealable bag with textile soft goods and first retail packaging in which the first vacuum-sealable bag is itself contained; and a second textile soft goods product for retail sale, including a second vacuum-sealable bag with textile soft goods and second retail packaging in which the second vacuum-sealable bag is itself contained. Each vacuum-sealable bag includes a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a bedding set for a particular size of bed.

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 shipping package of bedding sets, comprising:
 (a) a first textile soft goods product for retail sale comprising,
 (i) a first vacuum-sealable bag having a one-way valve assembly configured such that air, which is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from an interior space defined by the first vacuum-sealable bag, is kept from reentering the first vacuum-sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the first vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (ii) textile soft goods comprising a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a first bedding set for a first particular size of bed, the textile soft goods being maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a first pressure differential existing between a first pressure in the interior space of the first vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the first vacuum-sealable bag, the first vacuum-sealable bag defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the bedding components maintained in a compressed condition therein, and 
 (iii) first retail packaging in which the first vacuum-sealable bag containing the first bedding set is itself contained, the first retail packaging defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the first vacuum-sealable bag contained therein, the first retail packaging further including printed media that identifies the bedding set contained in the first vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set; 
   (b) a second textile soft goods product for retail sale comprising,
 (i) a second vacuum-sealable bag having a one-way valve assembly configured such that air, which is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from an interior space defined by the second vacuum-sealable bag, is kept from reentering the second vacuum-sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the second vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (ii) textile soft goods comprising a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a second bedding set for a second particular size of bed, the textile soft goods being maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a second pressure differential existing between a second pressure in the interior space of the second vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the second vacuum-sealable bag, the second vacuum-sealable bag defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the bedding components maintained in a compressed condition therein, and 
 (iii) second retail packaging in which the second vacuum-sealable bag containing the second bedding set is itself contained, the second retail packaging defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the second vacuum-sealable bag contained therein, the second retail packaging further including printed media that identifies the bedding set contained in the second vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set; 
   (c) a third textile soft goods product for retail sale comprising,
 (i) a third vacuum-sealable bag having a one-way valve assembly configured such that air, which is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from an interior space defined by the third vacuum-sealable bag, is kept from reentering the third vacuum-sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the third vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (ii) textile soft goods comprising a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a third bedding set for a third particular size of bed, the textile soft goods being maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a third pressure differential existing between a third pressure in the interior space of the third vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the third vacuum-sealable bag, the third vacuum-sealable bag defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the bedding components maintained in a compressed condition therein, and 
 (iii) third retail packaging in which the third vacuum-sealable bag containing the third bedding set is itself contained, the third retail packaging defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the third vacuum-sealable bag contained therein, the third retail packaging further including printed media that identifies the bedding set contained in the third vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set; and 
   (d) a fourth textile soft goods product for retail sale comprising,
 (i) a fourth vacuum-sealable bag having a one-way valve assembly configured such that air, which is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from an interior space defined by the fourth vacuum-sealable bag, is kept from reentering the fourth vacuum-sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the fourth vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (ii) textile soft goods comprising a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a fourth bedding set for a fourth particular size of bed, the textile soft, goods being maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a fourth pressure differential existing between a fourth pressure in the interior space of the fourth vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the fourth vacuum-sealable bag, the fourth vacuum-sealable bag defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the bedding components maintained in a compressed condition therein, and 
 (iii) fourth retail packaging in which the fourth vacuum-sealable bag containing the fourth bedding set is itself contained, the fourth retail packaging defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the fourth vacuum-sealable bag contained therein, the fourth retail packaging further including printed media that identifies the bedding contained in the fourth vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set; 
   (e) wherein the interior containment space of the retail packaging of each of the textile soft goods products for retail sale is substantially the same, but wherein the size of the bedding set of one of the textile soft goods products for retail sale differs from the size of the bedding set of another of the textile soft goods products for retail sale.   
     
     
         22 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the first particular size of bed is a size of a twin bed. 
     
     
         23 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the second particular size of bed is a size of a double. 
     
     
         24 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the third particular size of bed is a size of a queen bed. 
     
     
         25 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the fourth particular size of bed is a size of a king bed. 
     
     
         26 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the first pressure differential is less than the fourth pressure differential. 
     
     
         27 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the first retail packaging, the second retail packaging, the third retail packaging, and the fourth retail packaging each have the same volume and footprint. 
     
     
         28 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 27 , wherein the shipping package is a box, and wherein the first retail packaging, the second retail packaging, the third retail packaging, and the fourth retail packaging substantially consume collectively the entire interior containment space of the box. 
     
     
         29 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein each respective vacuum-sealable bag is configured to be opened and then reclosed such that the vacuum-sealable bag is reusable for vacuum-packing by a consumer after the bedding set has been removed therefrom. 
     
     
         30 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 29 , wherein the printed media of each of the first retail. packaging, the second retail packaging, the third retail packaging, and the fourth retail packaging further identifies the reusability of the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein 
     
     
         31 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the one-way valve assembly of each respective vacuum-sealable bag is located in a wall of the respective 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 by a consumer using a vacuum cleaner post retail purchase. 
     
     
         32 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein the one-way valve assembly of the vacuum-sealable 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. 
     
     
         33 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein each of the first retail packaging, the second retail packaging, the third retail packaging, and the fourth retail packaging comprises a case that is reusable by the consumer. 
     
     
         34 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 33 , wherein each respective case does not include an airtight seal closing off the interior containment space in which the respective vacuum-sealable bag is contained. 
     
     
         35 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 33 , wherein a hoop strength of each case is sufficient to maintain the textile soft goods of the respective vacuum-sealable bag contained therein in a compressed condition upon a loss of the respective pressure differential. 
     
     
         36 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 21 , wherein at least a portion of each respective vacuum-sealable bag is transparent such that one or more contents of the respective vacuum-sealable bag are viewable therethrough, and at least a portion of each respective retail packaging is transparent such that the contents of the respective vacuum-sealable bag contained therein are further viewable therethrough. 
     
     
         37 . A shipping package of bedding sets, comprising:
 (a) a plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale, each comprising,
 (i) a vacuum-sealable bag having a one-way valve assembly configured such that air, which is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from an interior space defined by the vacuum-sealable bag, is kept from reentering the vacuum-sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a reusable closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, 
 (ii) textile soft goods comprising a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a bedding set for a particular size of bed, the textile soft goods being maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a pressure differential existing between a pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-sealable bag, the vacuum-sealable bag defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely, consumed by the bedding components maintained in a compressed condition therein, and 
 (iii) retail packaging in which the vacuum-sealable bag containing the bedding set is itself contained, the retail packaging defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein, the retail packaging further including printed media that identifies the bedding set contained in the vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set; 
   (b) wherein each respective retail packaging of the plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale is substantially the same size and volume as each other respective retail packaging of the plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale, and wherein the shipping package comprises a box defining an interior containment space, the interior containment space being practically entirely consumed collectively by the retail packaging of each of the plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale, but wherein at least one of the bedding sets is for a particular size of bed that is different than that of at least one of the other bedding sets.   
     
     
         38 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 37 , wherein a hoop strength of each retail packaging is sufficient to maintain the textile soft goods of the respective vacuum-sealable bag contained therein in a compressed condition upon a loss of the pressure differential. 
     
     
         39 . A shipping package of bedding sets, comprising:
 (a) a plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale, each comprising,
 (i) a vacuum-sealable bag having a one-way valve assembly configured such that air, which is evacuated through the one-way valve assembly from an interior space defined by the vacuum-sealable bag, is kept from reentering the vacuum-sealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a reusable closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner, wherein the vacuum-sealable bag is configured to be opened and then reclosed such that the vacuum-sealable bag is reusable for vacuum-packing by a consumer after the bedding set has been removed therefrom, 
 (ii) textile soft goods comprising a plurality of individual bedding components constituting a bedding set for a particular size of bed, the textile soft goods being maintained in a compressed condition resulting from a pressure differential existing between a pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-sealable bag, the vacuum-sealable bag defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the bedding components maintained in. a compressed condition therein, and 
 (iii) retail packaging in which the vacuum-sealable bag containing the bedding set is itself contained, the retail packaging defining an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein, the retail packaging further including printed media that identifies the bedding set contained in the vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set and the reusability of the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein; 
   (b) wherein each respective retail packaging of the plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale is substantially the same size and volume as each other respective retail packaging of the plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale, and wherein the shipping package comprises a box defining an interior containment space, the interior containment space being practically entirely consumed collectively by the retail packaging of each of the plurality of textile soft goods products for retail sale, but wherein at least one of the bedding sets is for a particular size of bed that is different than that of at least one of the other bedding sets.   
     
     
         40 . The shipping package of bedding sets of  claim 39 , wherein a hoop strength of each retail packaging is sufficient to maintain the textile soft goods of the respective vacuum-sealable bag contained therein in a compressed condition upon a loss of vacuum.