Patent Application
20210007468
The present invention relates generally to an equipment bag. More particularly, the present invention relates to an equipment bag for use in batted ball sports and securing baseball and/or softball bats therein.
Equipment bags are used by amateur and professional athletes to tote their equipment to and from workouts, practices, and games. For example, baseball players use equipment bags to carry a wide range of equipment including, but not limited to: baseball bats, gloves, batting gloves, batting helmets, pine tar, sunglasses, bat weights (or donuts), baseball cleats, and the like.
Carrying bats is especially challenging due to their elongated shape. As such, they do not completely fit in traditional backpacks. Some existing bags for carrying bats are elongated and not meant to be worn as backpacks. Other bags are designed as backpacks so as to be more ergonomic than the elongated “duffel”-style bags. Those bags often include a sleeve on a side portion of the bag (or sleeves on both sides of the bags) that is accommodated to receive and retain a bat's barrel therein.
However, those bats make the bag wider, and when only one bag is secured in a sleeve, the bag's weight is unevenly distributed. This can lead to back strain on the wearer. When the sleeve (or sleeves) is within the bag, it also reduces the overall storage volume of the bag. Moreover, when bats are stored on the side of a bag, the items inside the bag (e.g., helmets, gloves, balls) can create unusual and uncomfortable distributions within the back. This can make the bag especially uncomfortable to a wearer.
A solution is desired for storing bats that does not increase the width of a bag, is ergonomically efficient, and does not reduce the bag's storage volume. The solution should be comfortable for a wearer and pose a low injury risk.
The equipment bag hereof is formed as a backpack with bat sleeves associated therewith that aims to overcome the shortcomings of prior art. The inventive bag uses bat sleeves located at the rear of the bag (that abuts the wearer's back when worn) to provide a balanced, compact, and comfortable design. Because the sleeves in which the bats may be secured are located on the rear portion of the bag, they do not make the bag wider when bats are stored within the sleeves, thus creating less obstruction than bags with side-located bat sleeves. This configuration also makes for a more balanced feel since the bats are substantially located along the bag's centerline. A pad or liner may be installed between the bat sleeves and the wearer's back so that any bats secured within the sleeves do not dig into a wearer's back. For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description and accompanying drawings.
For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will also be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views,
Turning to
In a preferred embodiment, barrels (not illustrated) of the bats 40 are stored and secured within the backpack 1 near a lower portion 50 thereof. Meanwhile handle portions 55 of the bats 40 are preferably secured and stored at an upper portion 35 of the backpack 1. Because the barrels weigh more than the handle portions 55, the backpack 1 may have a lower and more balanced center of gravity, thus making the backpack 1 more comfortable to a wearer. Each sleeve member 5 of the backpack 1 is preferably provided as an elongated pocket that extends downwardly into an interior 60 (See
As shown in each of
Further, by being secured within the sleeve members 5 within the interior 60 of the backpack 1, the bats 40 are less likely to damage other contents within the rest of the backpack 1. Some objects stored therein, such as sunglasses or fielding gloves, may be susceptible to damage from the bats 40 were they to come into contact with the bats 40.
Each sleeve member 5 is preferably of a diameter that allows a bat to easily, yet snuggly, fit therein. That way, a user may easily stow a bat in the sleeve member 5 and remove a bat from the sleeve member 5 as needed. In the illustrated embodiment, the backpack 1 includes three sleeve members 5, but in alternative embodiments, more or fewer sleeve members like the sleeve members 5 may be provided. Such alternative embodiments may be provided, for example, depending on the age group the backpack 1 is intended for. In those embodiments, depending on the barrel size often used in the level and/or age of play, the diameters of the sleeve members 5 may also vary.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of the present invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives and advantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of the present embodiments are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that all disclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The various constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts, principles and scope of the present invention.
As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required.”
Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
