Patent Application
20210120940
The presently disclosed technology relates generally to portable seating. More specifically, seating used in conjunction with a backpack.
Generally, when one is carrying a chair which is often used for various outdoor activities, they are also carrying other items. For example, someone taking a chair to a beach would generally be carrying beach towels, sun screen, a book, and other common beach items. Trying to carry a chair and these other items separately can be extremely burdensome. Accordingly, having a folding chair and backpack combination makes it much more convenient for the user to carry all their equipment.
In the outdoors, hikers or walkers regularly use hiking sticks or trekking poles as a hiking accessory to assist the hiker or walker with their rhythm and to provide stability on rough terrain. Trekking poles are often made in two or three sections and can be extended and retracted as necessary for use and collapsed for storage or transport. When fully retracted, it is possible to attach trekking poles to a backpack.
Most backpacks do not utilize a frame. These backpacks utilize little more than a container of pliant material to which shoulder straps are affixed. Daypacks, knapsacks, book bags, bike bags, and the like, are examples.
On the other hand, general purpose backpacks which are capable of use in carrying heavy, bulky loads typically have an internal or external frame shaped to permit distribution of the load. External frames usually comprise side bars interconnected at their upper and lower ends by cross-members to form a generally rectangular structure. The pack itself is made of pliant material and is suspended from the upper cross-member or the side bars or both cross-member and side bars. In contrast, internal frame packs typically utilize internal structures to provide rigidity to the pack.
What is needed is a seat that a person can use with a backpack to allow a person to easily sit or rest while wearing the backpack. What is further needed is a seat that a person can use with a backpack that allows a person to sit using support rods, such as trekking poles, in lieu of built in chair legs.
The purpose of the summary is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The summary is neither intended to define the inventive concept(s) of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the inventive concept(s) in any way.
What is disclosed is a backpack seat configured for allowing a user to sit in a chair like device while wearing the backpack. The backpack seat includes a tethering system configured for attaching to a backpack. The tethering system includes a plurality of straps that are preferably adjustable and configured to attach to a variety of backpacks. A seat is attached to the bottom of the tethering system. The seat is preferably constructed of a canvas material, a durable lightweight plastic material, a fabric material, or other material commonly used in the art. The backpack seat is preferably lightweight and configured to be easily stored in the backpack.
The tethering system preferably has a lower support panel configured for securing the tethering system to the lower portion or base section of the backpack. The lower support panel prevents the tethering system from sliding off the backpack from the upward force exerted on the tethering system. The lower support panel can be a single strap, a canvas panel, a plastic panel, a nylon strap, or any woven fabric or similar construction known in the art.
The seat preferably has hook and loop fasteners configured for attaching to the lower support panel of the tethering system or base section of the backpack so that the seat can be stored while the user is on the move. The hook and loop fasteners allow the seat to be stored by being attached to the base of the backpack and out of the way of the user.
At least one receiving cup is attached to the tethering system. In a preferred embodiment, a first receiving cup and a second receiving cup are attached to each side of the tethering system such that the receiving cups are positioned on opposing sides of the backpack. In further embodiments, the backpack seat includes more than two receiving cups.
The receiving cups are configured for receiving a first support rod and a second support rod. The support rods are preferably the user's trekking poles typically used by hikers or skip poles used by skiers. Alternatively any stick or rod can be utilized. The backpack seat is configured such that when the tethering system is attached to the backpack, a user can insert a first support rod and a second support rod, such as trekking poles or ski poles, into the receiving cups and sit in the seat attached to the tethering system. The backpack seat distributes the weight of the user and the backpack to the support rods.
In one embodiment, the tethering system is integrated into the backpack. In this embodiment, the receiving cups are attached on opposing sides of the backpack. The seat is attached near or at the base of the backpack.
Still other features and advantages of the claimed invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the description of the preferred embodiments is to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature.
While the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the inventive concept(s) to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept(s) as defined herein.
The components include, but are not limited to, a system of tethers configured for attaching any size of backpack, at least one receiving cup, and a seat strap. The receiving cups are configured for holding trekking poles and the receiving cups attach to the sides of the system of tethers to support the backpack and seat.
Lower tethers 18 are attached to the mid tethers 14 configured for securing the tethering system 12 to the base of the backpack and to prevent the backpack seat 10 from sliding up and off the backpack. In a preferred embodiment, the lower tethers 18 has a lower support panel 19 for securing the system of tethers to the base of the backpack. The lower support panel 19 preferably has at least four lower tethers 18 configured for securing the backpack seat 10 to the bottom of the backpack. The lower support panel 19 secures the tethering system 12 to a backpack by countering the upward force exerted on the tethering system 12 when the backpack seat 10 is in use. In alternate embodiments, the lower support panel can include a plurality of straps, a single strap, or any construction that can secure the tethering system to the base of the backpack.
In alternate embodiments, fewer tethers can be utilized. For instance, the lower tethers can be directly attached to the top tether. In further alternate embodiments, additional tethers can be utilized to further secure the backpack seat to a backpack.
A seat 24 is attached to the tethering system 12. The seat 24 is configured for seating a user while the user is wearing the backpack. In a preferred embodiment, the seat strap 24 has hook and loop fasteners (illustrated in
The system of tethers preferably includes multiple clips 30 configured for adjusting and attaching the backpack seat 10 to various sized backpacks.
As illustrated in
While certain exemplary embodiments are shown in the Figures and described in this disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of this disclosure. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/925,730, filed Oct. 24, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62925730 | Oct 2019 | US |
