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

Abstract

An environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers includes: (a) purchasing textile soft goods products, each including textile soft goods vacuum-packaged within a reusable vacuum-resealable bag; (b) removing the textile soft goods from the vacuum-resealable bags for use; and (c) reusing, by the consumers, the vacuum-resealable bags by vacuum-packing items therein.

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 . An environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers, comprising:
 (a) purchasing textile soft goods products, each including textile soft goods vacuum-packaged within a reusable vacuum-resealable bag;   (b) removing the textile soft goods from the vacuum-resealable bags for use; and   (c) reusing, by the consumers, the vacuum-resealable bags by vacuum-packing items therein.   
     
     
         22 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-resealable bags constitute bedding sets. 
     
     
         23 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the vacuum-resealable bag of each textile soft goods product comprises 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-resealable bag, is kept from reentering the vacuum-resealable bag through the one-way valve assembly, and a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the vacuum-resealable bag in an airtight manner. 
     
     
         24 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 23 , wherein the one-way valve assembly of each textile soft goods product is located in a wall of the respective 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 by a consumer using a vacuum cleaner post retail purchase. 
     
     
         25 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 23 , wherein the one-way valve assembly of each textile soft goods product is configured to expel air from the interior space of the vacuum-resealable bag 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 post retail purchase. 
     
     
         26 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein each vacuum-resealable bag is prepackaged within an interior space of retail packaging at the point-of-purchase. 
     
     
         27 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the retail packaging includes printed media identifying the textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         28 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 27 , and the vacuum-resealable bag practically entirely consuming the interior space of the retail packaging. 
     
     
         29 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the retail packaging of each product is configured to be opened and then reclosed such that the retail packaging is reusable by a consumer post retail purchase. 
     
     
         30 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 29 , wherein the retail packaging comprise a case. 
     
     
         31 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the retail packaging comprises an outer bag. 
     
     
         32 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 26 , wherein the textile soft goods of each product are maintained in a compressed condition within the vacuum-resealable bag by a pressure differential that exists between a pressure within the interior containment space of the vacuum-resealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         33 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 32 , wherein the retail packaging of each textile soft goods product does not include an airtight seal closing off the interior containment space in which the respective vacuum-resealable bag is contained. 
     
     
         34 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 32 , wherein a hoop strength of the retail packaging of each textile soft goods product is sufficient to maintain the textile soft goods contained in the respective vacuum-resealable bag in a compressed condition upon a loss of the respective pressure differential. 
     
     
         35 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the textile soft goods of each product are maintained in a compressed condition within the vacuum-resealable bag by a pressure differential that exists between a pressure within the interior containment space of the vacuum-resealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-resealable bag. 
     
     
         36 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 35 , wherein each of the products has the same volume and footprint. 
     
     
         37 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 35 , wherein each of the products is identical in size. 
     
     
         38 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 35 , wherein the respective pressure differentials of at least some of the products are different. 
     
     
         39 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein each textile soft goods product includes printed media physically associated therewith that identities the reusability of the vacuum-resealable bag of the product. 
     
     
         40 . The environmentally friendly system in which product packaging is reused post purchase by consumers in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein none of the textile soft goods of each of the products are individually packaged.