Patent Application
20050000993
The present invention relates to a backpack adapter.
Backpacks are well known in the art and generally comprise a frame upon which fixed straps are placed so that a user can carry the backpack on his or her shoulders. Some backpacks are further provided with a waist strap to solidify the backpack on the person's back. However, one of the problems with these backpacks is that the straps are not longitudinally adjustable. Another problem is that such backpacks are generally not very versatile, since they can only be used in the configuration in which they were designed.
Several examples of backpack frames or adapters exist in prior art including those for use by fire fighters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,601 discloses a backpack adapter for carrying fire hoses and associated equipment, such as an air tank. The backpack adapter described therein has a vertical spine and a horizontal cross arm at each end of the spine, spring clips attached to the spine for releasable attachment to an air cylinder and belt fasteners to hold the fire hose unto the backpack, a seat for engaging the bottom of the air cylinder and a handle for manually lifting the backpack.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,851 discloses a backpack harness assembly where a bottle or a cylinder of gas is to be carried on the back of a user such as a fire fighter. This backpack assembly has a carrier for the cylinder or other load which is hinged in the region of the user's shoulder blades to a back plate. The back plate extends down the back of the user and is hinged at the lumbar region to the frame of a pelvic girdle. According to the specification, such a backpack assembly allows a considerable degree of freedom of movement to the user.
Other types of backpack frames or adapters of more general use include U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,243 which describes a backpack frame which provides both comfort and security to any user because it is presumably immediately adjustable and convertible to custom fit the figures and individual body structure of the user as well as the specific requirements of the material to be carried.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,808 discloses a backpack assembly adapted to carry a power chain saw. This backpack assembly presents a shelf life configuration which houses the saw.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,118 describes a back supporter load-carrying mechanism. Such mechanism includes a pivotally bonded support element to allow for an even distribution of cargo weight to the lower back of the user, thus eliminating stress to the neck and upper back areas of the user.
However, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to disclose a backpack adapter which is versatile in terms of the different configurations in which it can be used and adjusted as will be subsequently described and claimed in the present invention.
It is an object of the invention to provide a backpack adapter which results in an assembly which is more fully adjustable and more versatile with respect to different user requirements. In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved with a backpack adapter comprising a generally L-shaped frame having a user side and a load side. The user side is provided with at least two coupling means for coupling a shoulder strap means thereon, the coupling means being spaced apart from each other.
The L-shaped frame comprises a top L portion and a bottom L portion and the shoulder strap means is placed on either coupling means in order to either have the bottom L portion closer to the ground than the top L portion or reversibly have the top L portion positioned closer to the ground than the bottom L portion. The backpack adapter can therefore be used in at least two significantly different configurations: one by which the bottom L portion is used to carry a load on an upper side of said bottom L portion, and the other by which the bottom L portion is used more as a rack from which objects to be carried are hung.
The present invention and its advantages will be more easily understood after reading the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, made with reference to the following drawings in which:
In a preferred embodiment of the invention and referring to
The load side (16) is preferably L-shaped, but can be even more preferably J-shaped, in that the bottom L portion (32) has a slight flange (34) extending at an angle therefrom.
On the user side (14), there is provided at least two and preferably four coupling means for receiving a shoulder strap means (66) thereon, and preferably a waist strap means (42), also. Both strap means (66 and 42) as shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shoulder strap means (66) comprises a shoulder strap assembly (40) only, as shown in
It will thus be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the shoulder strap means (66) can be placed on the coupling means (20, 22) located towards one end of the backpack adapter (10) so that in use, the backpack adapter (10) looks like a J when seen sideways or alternatively, can look like a truncated T if the shoulder strap assembly (40) is fastened to the coupling means (24, 26) closer to the other end.
Furthermore, although four coupling means (20, 22, 24, 26) are shown, more coupling means could be provided on the user side (14) of the backpack adapter (10) in order to more easily adjust lengthwise both the shoulder strap assembly (40) and waist strap assembly (42).
In
As shown in
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom L portion can move with respect to the top L portion. This can be accomplished through a hinged interface between the two portions, among other things. Consequently, the bottom L portion could have different or alternate configurations such as a compact or collapsed configuration for stowage and a deployed configuration for use. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom L portion could be completely removed from the top L portion.
It will, of course, be appreciated that a variety of different loads can be carried and that the backpack adapter can be adapted to persons of various heights comfortably and securely.
Although the present invention has been explained hereinabove by way of a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be pointed out that any modifications to this preferred embodiment within the scope of the appended claims is not deemed to alter or change the nature and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,426,927 | Apr 2003 | CA | national |
