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

Abstract

Packaging textile soft goods for retail sale includes, for each product: receiving, from a first party by a second party, textile soft goods for a product to be sold at retail sale; compressing, by the second party, textile soft goods arranged together within an interior space of a vacuum-sealable bag, and maintaining the textile soft goods in a compressed condition within the vacuum-sealable bag by maintaining a pressure differential between a pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-sealable bag; locating, by the second party, the vacuum-sealable bag, itself having the textile soft goods contained therein, within retail packaging that identifies the textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-sealable bag; and shipping, by the second party, to a third party retailer, the vacuum-packed textile soft goods contained in the retail packaging for sale as a consumer product in the retail packaging.

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 textile soft goods for retail sale, comprising the steps of, for each product:
 (a) receiving, from a first party by a second party, textile soft goods for a product to be sold at retail sale;   (b) compressing, by the second party, textile soft goods arranged together within an interior space of a vacuum-sealable bag, and maintaining the textile soft goods in a compressed condition within the vacuum-sealable bag by maintaining a pressure differential between a pressure in the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag and a pressure exterior to the vacuum-sealable bag, wherein the vacuum-sealable bag includes,
 (i) a one-way valve assembly in a bag wall thereof for evacuating air through the one-way valve assembly from the interior space defined by the vacuum-sealable bag such that the evacuated air is kept from reentering the vacuum-sealable, bag through the one-way valve assembly, and 
 (ii) a closure mechanism configured to seal a mouth of the vacuum-sealable bag in an airtight manner; 
   (c) locating, by the second party, the vacuum-sealable bag, itself having the textile soft goods contained therein, within retail packaging that identifies the textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-sealable bag; and   shipping, by the second party, to a third party retailer, the vacuum-packed textile soft goods contained in the retail packaging for sale as a consumer product in the retail packaging.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein a volume of space consumed collectively by the textile soft goods of each product is reduced by at least about 75% as a result of said compressing. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising shipping the consumer products to a plurality of different retailers. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the vacuum-sealable bag is configured to be opened and then reclosed such that the vacuum-sealable bag is reusable by the consumer post purchase for vacuum-packing after the vacuum-sealable bag has been removed from the retail packaging and the textile soft goods have been removed from the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the retail packaging further identifies the reusability of the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the retail packaging defines an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the retail packaging comprises a case. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the case includes a reusable closure mechanism whereby the case is reusable by a consumer post retail purchase. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the case defines an interior containment space that is practically entirely consumed by the vacuum-sealable bag contained therein. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the case does not include an airtight seal closing off the interior containment space in which the vacuum-sealable bag is contained. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein a hoop strength of the case is sufficient to maintain the 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. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the case comprises opposed transparent panels including corners, and wherein the corners of the transparent panels include non-transparent components that cover the corners of the vacuum-sealable bag and that reinforce the case and contribute to the hoop strength of the case. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein at least a portion of the vacuum-sealable bag is transparent such that the contents of the vacuum-sealable bag are viewable therethrough, and at least a portion of the case is transparent such that the contents of the vacuum-sealable bag are further viewable therethrough. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising the step of configuring the vacuum-sealable bag, configuring the textile soft goods within the vacuum-sealable bag, and configuring the case all such that at least a portion of one of the textile soft goods contained within the vacuum-sealable bag is viewable from an exterior of the case through both a transparent portion of the case and a transparent portion of the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein both the vacuum-sealable bag and the case include corners, and wherein the corners of the vacuum-sealable bag are not viewable through the case. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the retail packaging includes a pocket having a transparent panel, and further comprising 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 printed media identifying the textile soft goods contained in the vacuum-sealable bag as being a bedding set. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the pocket includes opposing front and rear transparent panels through which the card insert is viewable. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the retail packaging comprises a case having a lid, the lid including the pocket within which the card insert is retained, whereby a rear 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. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the textile soft goods are in a compressed condition prior to insertion thereof within the interior space of the vacuum-sealable bag. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the textile soft goods are compressed after sealing the textile soft goods within the vacuum-sealable bag.