Accessory pocket

Abstract
A belt-attached accessory pocket for containing articles, such as a personal communication device, has a rectangular portion and is made from flexible fabric. It has front and rear surfaces, an open upper edge, and sealed lower, leading and trailing edges. A reinforcing panel of durable material, such as leather, encloses the leading edge and adjacent portions of the front and rear surfaces and resists damage due to abrasion. The panel preferably has a holster shape. The upper edge of the panel is substantially coextensive with the upper edge of the accessory pocket and includes a flap that releasably closes the open upper edge. The pocket may further include a separate, inner cell phone pocket affixed to the fabric. The pocket may also include a pair of leather thongs to be tied around the leg of the wearer.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




An accessory pocket for attachment to the belt of a wearer.




2. Prior Art




Accessory bags such as “fanny packs” and cell phone holders are well represented in the art. In the case of c-phone holders, it is customary to clip the holder to the belt of the wearer. While c-phone holders are useful for carrying a cell phone, they are generally useful for carrying anything else. Fanny packs, which are provided with a dedicated belt, are adapted to carry a variety of articles and, therefore, have flexible utility. Belt bags, which are similar to fanny packs, lack a dedicated belt and are adapted to be attached to a wearer's belt. Belt bags offer more flexible utility than a c-phone holder and are generally more stylish and less obtrusive than a fanny pack. Nevertheless, due to their relatively small size, they provide the user less flexibility and versatility than a fanny pack.




Similarly, holsters for pistols are a familiar accessory that has been worn by law enforcement personnel and the military for many years. Such holsters are belt mountable and are made from a variety of materials, particularly leather. The compartment within a holster is generally pistol-shaped and dimensioned to snugly contain a pistol. They lack the flexibility for carrying articles other than a pistol and pistol-related articles such as bullets. Nevertheless, the general appearance of such holsters has a stylish appeal to a portion of the population. It would be desirable to provide an accessory pocket that presents an image similar to a holster and the flexibility of a fanny pack, and has a versatile compartment for storing and carrying accessories such as a cell phone and/or cosmetic items.




SUMMARY




It is an object of the invention to provide a durable accessory pocket having a pocket portion made from a flexible fabric, the pocket portion having a front surface and a rear surface connected to each other at a sealed leading edge, a sealed trailing edge and a sealed bottom edge to form a compartment between the front and read surfaces; and a reinforcing panel affixed to the front and rear surfaces of the pocket portion and disposed to overlie and protect the sealed leading edge of the pocket portion against abrasion.




It is a further object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket meeting the above objective wherein the reinforcing panel is leather and wherein the reinforcing panel comprises a holster-shaped front portion overlying a portion of the front surface of the pocket portion adjacent the sealed leading edge thereof.




It is still a further object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket meeting the above objectives wherein the reinforcing panel comprises a holster-shaped front portion overlying a portion of the front surface of the pocket portion adjacent the sealed leading edge thereof and a rear portion overlying and affixed to the rear surface of the pocket portion, the rear portion of the reinforcing panel having a flap extending upwardly from said open upper edge of the pocket portion, the flap being operable for releasably closing the open upper edge of the pocket portion.




It is another object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket meeting the above objectives and wherein the reinforcing panel comprises means for attaching the accessory poclet to a person's belt and a pair of thongs extending downwardly from the lower sealed edge of the accessory pocket, the thongs being dimensioned to be tied around a wearers leg when the accessory pocket is attached to the belt of the person.




It is still another object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket meeting the above objectives wherein the trailing edge of the pocket portion is gusseted.




It is another object of the invention to provide an accessory pocket meeting any of the above objectives and wherein the compartment comprising the pocket portion is partitioned to include a cell phone holder.




The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. However the invention itself, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of an accessory pocket in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a top plan view of a sheet of fabric cut to be formed into the pocket portion of the accessory pocket.





FIG. 3

is a somewhat front and top perspective view of a sheet of flexible fabric, cut in accordance with

FIG. 2

, sewn to form the pocket portion of the accessory pocket.





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of a sheet of leather cut to form the reinforcing panel of the accessory pocket.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS





FIG. 1

is a front view of an accessory pocket, indicated at numeral


10


, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The accessory pocket


10


has a pocket portion


11


and a reinforcing panel


12


. The pocket portion


10


is comprised of a flexible sheet of a durable fabric such as canvas or denim, formed into a pocket. The pocket portion


11


has a front surface


13


and a rear surface


14


(not visible in FIG.


1


). The pocket portion has a sealed leading edge


15


, a sealed trailing edge


16


, a sealed bottom edge


17


and an open upper edge


18


. The space between the front surface


13


and the rear surface


14


defines a compartment.




The reinforcing panel


12


, which is made from a sheet of material such as leather that is more resistant to abrasion than the fabric, wraps around the leading edge


15


of the pocket portion


11


and is affixed to the front surface


13


and rear surface


14


of the pocket portion, such as, for example, by sewing. The portion of the reinforcing panel


12


affixed to the rear surface


14


of the pocket portion


11


has a flap


19


projecting upwardly from the open upper edge


18


of the pocket portion. The flap


19


includes fastening means


20




a


adapted to matingly and releasably engage fastening means


20




b


affixed to the front surface of the reinforcing panel


12


. The flap


19


provides a closure for the open upper edge


18


of the pocket portion


11


.




Turning now to

FIG. 2

, a sheet of fabric


22


, cut to be formed into the pocket portion of the accessory pocket, is shown in top plan view. With reference to the discussion of the formation of the pocket portion that follows, the term “forwardly” means toward the viewer, while “rearwardly” means away from the viewer. The flat sheet


22


has three fold lines


23


,


24


and


25


. To form the pocket portion


11


, right edge


22




a


is folded rearwardly along fold line


25


to form a crease and then the crease thus formed along fold line


25


is folded forwardly along fold line


24


to superimpose fold line


25


upon guide line


26


. The left edge


22




b


of the sheet


22


is then folded forwardly along fold line


23


and brought into juxtaposition with right edge


22




a


and affixed thereto. The bottom edge


27


is then sealed by sewing


30


(

FIG. 3

) or by an adhesive. The pocket portion is shown in perspective view in FIG.


3


. Fold lines


24


and


25


comprising the gusseted trailing edge


16


of the pocket portion


11


are preferably prestiched, as shown at stitches


30


and


32


, to enable the gusseted trailing edge


16


to spontaneously conform into an accordion fold.





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of a sheet of leather


40


cut to form the reinforcing panel


12


comprising the accessory pocket


10


. The sheet of leather


40


has a right curvilinear edge


40




a,


a left edge


40




b,


and two fold lines


41


and


42


. A pair of slots


43


and


44


in the sheet


40


provide means for attaching the accessory pocket


10


to the belt of a wearer. A pair of holes


45


and


46


provide means for fastening a thong


21


to the reinforcing panel. A portion of the top surface of the sheet exclusive of the flap


19


is coated with an adhesive. The pocket portion


11


(dotted line in

FIG. 4

) is placed on the sheet


40


such that the leading edge


15


of the pocket portion is in juxtaposition with fold line


41


and the upper open edge


18


of the pocket portion is in alignment with fold line


42


. To form the reinforcing panel


12


on the pocket portion, the right curvilinear edge


40




a


is folded forwardly along fold line


41


and brought into juxtaposition with left edge


40




b,


the edges


40




a


and


40




b


being separated by the pocket portion, a portion of which is sandwiched between the folded leather sheet


40


comprising the reinforcing panel


12


. Flap fastening means such as a snap or hook and loop fasteners


20




a


and


20




b


are attached to the reinforcing panel as indicated. The flap


19


is folded forwardly along fold line


42


to provide releasable open upper edge closure means.




It may be desirable to provide the compartment


31


(

FIG. 3

) in the pocket portion


11


with one or more dedicated compartments for storage of particular article(s) such as a cell phone. Such a dedicated compartment can be attached to the sheet of fabric


22


(

FIG. 2

) prior to forming the pocket portion


11


. The fabric


22


may be of a color and texture that matches the fabric of the wearers pants. In such an instance, the accessory pocket


10


has the appearance of a leather holster. Such an appearance has an appeal for some people, conjuring up romantic images such as Indiana Jones or law enforcement officers of the old west. The thong


21


may be tied around the leg to indicate, for example, that the wearer is committed to a personal relationship, or untied to indicate, for example, that the wearer does not presently enjoy a committed relationship.




While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.



Claims
  • 1. An accessory pocket having a pocket portion consisting of a flexible fabric, the pocket portion having a front surface and a rear surface connected to each other at a sealed leading edge, a sealed, gusseted trailing edge and a sealed bottom edge to form a compartment between said front and rear surfaces; and a reinforcing panel affixed to said front and rear surfaces of said pocket portion, said reinforcing panel being disposed to overlie said sealed leading edge of said pocket portion and operable for protecting said sealed leading edge against abrasion and wherein said reinforcing panel is leather and comprises a holster-shaped front portion overlying a portion of said front surface of said pocket portion adjacent said sealed leading thereof, and a rear portion overlying and affixed to said rear surface of said pocket portion, said rear portion of said reinforcing panel having a flap extending upwardly from said open upper edge upper edge of said pocket portion, said flap being operable for releasably closing said open upper edge of said pocket portion.
  • 2. The accessory pocket of claim 1 wherein said reinforcing panel comprises means for attaching said accessory pocket to a person's belt, and a pair of thongs extending downwardly from said lower sealed edge of said accessory pocket, said thongs being dimensioned to be tied around the person's leg when said accessory pocket is attached to the belt of the person.
  • 3. The accessory pocket of claim 1 wherein said compartment comprising said pocket portion is partitioned to include a cell phone holder therewithin.
US Referenced Citations (17)
Number Name Date Kind
2342324 Allen Feb 1944 A
D187533 Castaneda Mar 1960 S
D206983 Knight Feb 1967 S
3482758 Pierre et al. Dec 1969 A
D237078 Taylor Oct 1975 S
4101060 Bianchi et al. Jul 1978 A
4223709 Myklebust Sep 1980 A
4303185 Shoemaker Dec 1981 A
D270929 Shasteen et al. Oct 1983 S
4485947 Cook Dec 1984 A
4750656 Bianchi et al. Jun 1988 A
4781475 LaFleur Nov 1988 A
4903859 Derby et al. Feb 1990 A
5150825 Nichols Sep 1992 A
5328268 Lafleur Jul 1994 A
5409153 Ristich Apr 1995 A
5503477 Schlough Apr 1996 A