Described herein is a back pack for use in securing and carrying elongated devices and in particular, sports equipment such as skis, snow boards, surfboards and other similarly shaped devices.
BACKGROUND
Sports equipment users often must carry a specific piece of equipment for an intended activity along with numerous other items such as special clothing, safety gear, etc as well as personal items and other equipment for use at the site of the activity. Further, it is often necessary that these items be carried a considerable distance over difficult terrain not readily accessible by a motor vehicle. For example, skiers or snow boarders often must carry extra clothing for cold weather or outfits to change into after skiing. Besides carrying one or more surf boards, surfers typically carry a wet suit as well as other paraphernalia for use on the beach before and after a surfing session. Because skis and surfboards may be cumbersome to carry along with all the other desired equipment there is a need for a convenient carrying apparatus that will allow the skis, snowboards, surfboards or other similar shaped equipment to be readily carried by a single individual along with all of the other desired items. Described herein is a backpack which addresses all of these needs.
SUMMARY
Described herein is a carrier configured for strapping to an individual's back specifically designed for carrying elongated articles such as surfboards, snow boards, skis, etc. In a preferred embodiment the carrier is a back pack with shoulder, chest and waist straps for securing the back pack to an individual Included therein are non-slip straps which are attached to a structural frame located within the carrier for securing the elongated item to the carrier and structure on or in the lower rear portion of the carrier to properly elevate and angle the elongated item so it does interfere with the individual walking or climbing while carrying the elongated item, such as by contacting the rear of the individual's legs or the back portion of the individual's head. The non-slip straps pass through the wall of the back pack and slots through the frame or retainers attached to the frame so as to prevent vertical movement of the straps while at the same time maintaining the elongated item in its preferred vertical carrying orientation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a back pack incorporating features of the invention carried on the back of an individual with a surf board mounted to that back pack.
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the back pack shown in FIG. 1 prior to placement on an individual.
FIG. 3 is a second view of the back pack of FIG. 2 with a portion thereof shown in its rolled and unrolled orientations.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the back pack shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a second view of the back pack as shown in FIG. 4 shown partially opened to display inner structures.
FIG. 6 shows a frame structure and straps which are part of the support structure for the back pack of FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the back pack of FIG. 2 showing an unzipped and expanded rear portion and the elongated item.
FIG. 8 is an expanded perspective side view of the back pack as shown in FIGS. 1-7, described herein and incorporating features of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a first view of and inflatable cushion for positioning within the back pack for positioning the elongated item.
FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of the inflatable cushion shown in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an elongated sport item carrier 100, also referred to herein as a back pack or merely as a carrier, incorporating features of the invention secured to the back of a person and configured for mounting the elongated sporting device 101 in a vertical orientation for portaging. The carrier 100 solves the problems associated with carrying elongated items such as sports equipment and, in a preferred embodiment, water sport boards as well as other elongated items over long distances and rugged terrain. The carrier is also well suited for carrying other items such as, but not limited to, skis, ski poles, snow boards, rifles, archery equipment, elongated hard sided cases of for the elongated items as well as other personal items. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that utility is not limited to sports equipment and is particularly useful for carrying a wide variety of elongated articles with a width as wide as the shoulder width of an individual wearing the carrier 100.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a typical example item being carried with the pack 100. As shown the elongated item is a sporting item 101 of an elongated shape mounted to the carrier. The thickness and width can vary. In this instance the sporting item 101 is a surf board. Because the length of the item 101 being carried can vary, its position on the carrier 100 determines its positioning in regards to the head and legs, that positioning selected to assure comfortable and proper mounting so the elongated item 101 does not contact the head or legs while the individual is walking and the item is being transported. Besides positioning the lower end of the elongated item 101 above the ground and away from the legs, the degree of angle at which it is mounted can also be adjusted by addition of an angle support and/or the inclusion of personal items (i.e., clothing, wetsuits, or towels) inserted into a pocket 115 in the bottom portion of the carrier 100, as best shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10 the pocket 115 can include or be adapted to receive an inflatable structure, described below, for positioning the elongated item 101.
The carrier 100 includes a compartment 300 for storage and portability of personal items. FIG. 3 shows the compartment 300 in both its open (unrolled) configuration and a closed (rolled) configuration 201, shown as dotted lines in FIG. 3. Nylon pull tabs 302 attached to the front and rear portions of the compartment 300 are provided for ease of opening the storage compartment 300. Velcro® closures 304 attached to the upper edges of the front and rear portions of the compartment 300 insure extra security in the closure of the bag. Snap buttons 305 keep the closed bag in a streamlined position (as shown by the dotted lines on FIG. 3).
A rubberized carrying handle 200 is attached to the compartment 300 (best shown in the folded configuration in FIG. 3), Preferably, the carrier 100 has a rubberized backing 202 for durability and to provide an additional gripping surface to aid in holding the elongated item 101. A pair of upper and lower straps 204, 206, preferably about 2″ wide and coated with a non-skid material, are stitched onto a rubberized backing 202 for added holding and to prevent slippage of the elongated item 101. Upper and lower non-skid coated adjustable mounting straps 118, 122, preferably 2″ wide, are used to secure the elongated item 101 to the carrier 100. The straps 118, 122 are threaded through spring loaded cam-buckles 116, 120. The upper and lower spring-loaded cam-buckles 116, 120, which are readily adjustable, are provided for so that when the mounting straps are wrapped around and/or over the elongated object 101, the elongated item 101 is securely retained on the carrier 100 between the upper and lower non-skid coated adjustable mounting straps 118, 122 and the non-skid upper and lower straps 204, 206. Rectangular neoprene backing 117, 121 (preferably ¼″ thick) is applied to the rear surface of the upper and lower spring-loaded cam-buckles 116, 120 to protect the surface of the elongated sport items 101 from being scratched by the rear surface of the buckles. Upper and lower non-skid coated strap keepers 213, 214 are provided to restrain excess strap material and streamline the assembly.
As best shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 100 has a pair of padded shoulder straps 102A, 102B for securing the elongated sport item 101 over the an individual's shoulders and against the back of a wearer in a vertical orientation. The shoulder straps 102A, 102B extend down to double adjust side quick release buckles 106A, 106B, for ease of adjustment, securing fit, mounting and removal from the wearer's body. They quickly attach to and release from the left and right sides of the padded cummerbund 107A, 107B. The left and right side double adjust side release buckles 106A, 106B (preferably 1″ wide) are threaded with nylon webbing 112A, 112B as well as Velcro pull strap adjustment keepers (213, 214) for lengthening or shortening excess shoulder straps once secured. The exterior of the shoulder straps 102A, 102B have nylon webbing utility loops 105 stitched in for accommodating the attachment of carabineers or clips for easy attachment of additional utility items. A set of double adjust side release sternum strap buckles 104A, 104B is incorporated to pull the shoulder straps inward towards each other over the wearers chest for a more secured fit and comfort while wearing the carrier 100. One of the sternum strap buckles 104A is a male double adjust side quick release sternum buckle which works in combination with the other sternum strap buckles 104B which is a mating female double adjust side quick release sternum buckle. A Velcro® pull strap adjustment keeper 103 is added to the right side for securing the excess length of the sternum strap.
Two halves of a padded cummerbund 107A, 107B in combination with proper placement of the shoulder straps 102A, 102B increase the comfort and stability of the pack when properly secured. Attached to the cummerbund, on the right side towards the rear portion of the cummerbund 107B, is a mesh drink bottle holder 208 located for easy access to and insertion of a beverage container (not shown). On the forward portion of both the left and right cummerbund portions 107A, 107B are zippered utility pockets 108A, 108B stitched in for secure holding of personal items such as keys, surfboard wax and the like. Stitched on top of the zippered utility pockets 108A, 108B are expandable Velcro utility pocket 110A, 110B which are also designed to hold any personal items for easy and quick access. The left forward portion of the cummerbund 107A has a male double adjust side release cummerbund buckle 210 (1.5″) which works in combination with a mating female double adjust side release cummerbund buckle 211 to attach and secure the left and right sides 107A, 107B of the cummerbund together. The left male and right female buckles 210, 211 are attached by nylon webbing (1.5″) with Velcro® pull strap adjustment for securing the length of the cummerbund pull straps 209, 212.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the interior portion 400 of the carrier 100, which rests against the wearers back, is constructed of padded material with extra padding located in the lower portion for increased lumbar support. The padding is covered with a breathable mesh cover for increased comfort and allows for airing out and drying of a foam padding core.
FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the internal construction of the carrier 100. A zippered opening 404 allows easy access to the support frame 402 and support frame pass throughs 403A, 403B (openings in the frame 402 for receiving the upper and lower mounting straps 118, 122). The support frame 402 can comprise, but is not limited, to aluminum and/or carbon fiber composite materials to provide the structural component of the elongated sport item carrier 100. To secure the support frame 402 to the interior of the carrier 100 a pair of upper loops or tabs 500A, 500B and a pair of lower loops or tabs 502A, 502B, are mounted respectively to upper and lower internal portions of the carrier. In FIG. 5, they are shown attached to the front internal surface. They can, alternatively, be attached to the rear internal surface. These loops or tabs are configured to go around respective portions of the frame 402 to hold it in position in the carrier 100. Preferably, the loops or tabs include Velcro® fasteners for securing the frame 402. The upper and lower adjustable mounting straps 118, 122 are feed through a first set of bag body slots 405A, 405B, through the respective upper or lower support frame pass throughs 403A, 403B and then through a second set of bag body slots 405A and 405B to the exterior of the carrier 100. This arrangement maintains support of the elongated item and distributes the weight of the elongated sport item throughout the bag. It also prevents the adjustable mounting straps 118, 122 from moving vertically once the elongated item 101 is secured by the adjustable mounting straps 118, 122 and, as a result maintains stability of the secured elongated item 101 during portage. This arrangement also allows the adjustable mounting straps 118, 122 to be readily changed should they become damaged in use. The lower portion of the support frame 402 is designed to mold to the wearers natural lumbar contours of the lower back giving secure fit and extra added support while being worn for extended periods of time.
While the upper or lower support frame pass throughs 403A, 403B are a preferred arrangements, other structures may be used such as retainers attached to the exterior of the frame for receiving the straps 118, 122. Alternatively the mounting straps 118, 122 can be riveted or otherwise secured directly to the frame. As a further alternative, each strap may be provided as separate left and right straps secured to the frame.
FIG. 7 also shows a baffled relief zippered pocket 115 for accommodating items in the carrier 100 and for placement of an angled support or other items to change the degree of canter of the mounted item 101. The pocket 115 is also designed with a breathable mesh material to allow wet items to drain, breath and dry more rapidly. As shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7, an inflatable cushion 900 can be placed in the pocket 115 and retained in position by Velcro® fasteners 904A, 904B which adhere to mating Velcro® fasteners on the interior wall of the pocket. Secured to the wall of the inflatable cushion 900 is a filling tube 902, which includes a valve or other closure (not shown) to maintain the cushion in an inflated state. As shown in FIG. 7, the filling tube 902 can extend through the wall of the pocket 115 so that the cushion can be inflated once the carrier 100 is placed on to the individual. In a preferred mode the elongated item 101 is mounted to the carrier 100 either before or after the carrier is secured on the individual's back and then, using the filling tube 902, the cushion is inflated, thus expanding the pocket 115 and, in turn changing the angle of the elongated item 101 in relationship to the individuals back, thus moving the lower end of the elongated item 101 away from contact with the rear of the users legs.
The combination of the various straps, buckles and adjustment mechanisms as described above, along with the inflatable cushion, in combination with the frame and the preferred manner of mounting the frame in and to the carrier results in a comfortable and stable structure for carrying elongated items. The various pockets, enclosures, attachments and accessories also described add convenience in its use. As a result the arrangements of components set forth herein, when taken in combination, provide a synergistic relationship and thus a unique product which is more than merely an assembly of disparate pieces which individually may have been shown in back packs or carriers in the past.
Patent Application
20130175310
