Backpack

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to backpacks and in particular to backpacks for carrying personal transportation devices such as a skateboards, roller blades, shoes or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Skateboards and roller blades, for example, have become very popular around the world. Generally, a skateboard or roller blade user travels along a given path until prevented from doing so, at which time they pick the skateboard up or remove their roller blades and carry them by hand or place then loosely in a bag. For many people, the awkwardness of carrying a skateboard or roller blades causes discomfort due to the inconvenience of having one or both hands occupied, restricting movement and possibly knocking the skateboard/roller blades or the user and damaging one or more skateboard/roller blade components.

A number of proposals to carry a skateboard, for example, have been devised. Once such example is a carry bag which retains the skateboard completely therein. A further example includes two fabric flaps attached to the sides of a standard backpack. The deck of the skateboard is placed between the flaps which overlap and secure the skateboard through use of Velcro connections. In the case of roller blades, they are usually loosely placed in a standard backpack.

The prior art proposals have several disadvantages, including: being too flexible, due to the packs being manufactured entirely out of fabric; bulkiness; insufficient amounts of tension in the flaps to fasten the skateboard (as the skateboard is fastened only between two unrigid components); movement of the skateboard between the flaps and the bag causing wear; the unsecured roller blades hitting each other whilst free to move in a backpack and an undesirable amount of time needed to load and unload skateboards and roller blades.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is firstly disclosed herein a backpack for carrying a personal transportation device having forward and rear portions, said backpack including:

a harness arrangement for securing to the back of a user;

a body portion securable to said harness and having first and second ends; and

first and second securing means at each said end respectively and extending outwardly therefrom to releasably engage each respective portion of said device.

Preferably, said device, when engaged, is retained substantially parallel to and adjacent said body portion.

Preferably, one of said first and second securing means includes a pair of hooks.

Preferably, one of said first and second securing means, in use, is resiliently biasable into engagement with one of said portions.

Preferably, said resiliently biased securing means includes a spring loaded hinged arm to effect said biasing.

Preferably, said arm includes a pair of hooks.

Preferably, one of said first and second securing means is a support plate.

Preferably, one of said first and second securing means is an adjustable support bar.

Preferably, one of said first and second securing means includes a strap assembly to further retain said device to said body portion.

Preferably, said body portion is contoured to the shape of said back of said user.

Preferably, said body portion is rigid.

Preferably, said body portion is manufactured of a hard plastics material.

Preferably, said device is a skateboard, pair of roller blades or pair of shoes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

FIGS. 1

a

,

1

b

and

1

c

are front, side and plan views of a backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIG. 2

is a perspective view of another backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIG. 3

is a perspective view of another backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIG. 4

is a perspective view of another backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIG. 5

is a parts exploded view of the spring loaded securing means of

FIG. 4

;

FIG. 6

is a partial perspective view of another backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIGS. 7

a

,

7

b

and

7

c

are partial perspective views of alternate securing means;

FIGS. 8

a

,

8

b

and

8

c

are perspective, front and side views of another backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIGS. 9

a

,

9

b

and

9

c

show the loading/unloading sequence of a skateboard from the backpack of

FIG. 8

;

FIG. 10

shows a perspective view of another backpack for transporting a skateboard;

FIG. 11

shows the backpack of

FIG. 10

having a compartment with lid, unlocked and opened;

FIG. 12

shows a harness arrangement which the rigid body of a backpack could be attached;

FIG. 13

shows a perspective view of an alternate body portion of a backpack;

FIGS. 14

a

,

14

b

and

14

c

show perspective, front and side views of a backpack for transporting roller blades/shoes;

FIGS. 15

a

,

15

b

and

15

c

show the loading/unloading sequence of a roller blade from the backpack of

FIG. 14

a;

FIGS. 16

a

,

16

a

and

16

c

show the loading/unloading sequence of a shoe from the backpack of

FIG. 14

a

; and

FIG. 17

is a parts exploded of a tensioning device for roller blades/shoes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted a backpack

1

for carrying a transportation device, such as a skateboard

2

having a deck supporting forward and rear trucks or a pair of roller blades or shoes having forward and rear portions

3

,

4

. The backpack

1

includes a harness

5

for securing to the back of a user. The harness

5

can be of any typical backpack harness arrangement. However, an example is shown at

FIG. 12. A

body portion

10

is securable to the harness

5

and has first and second ends

12

,

14

. First and second securing means

15

are located respectively at each of the first and second ends

12

,

14

of the body portion

10

and extend outwardly therefrom to releasably engage a respective truck of a skateboard

2

or the forward and rear ends of roller blades or shoes

3

,

4

such that the skateboard/roller blades/shoes when engaged are retained substantially parallel to and adjacent the body portion

10

. With regard to a skateboard

2

as each securing means

15

extends outwardly away from each other the skateboard

2

attached therebetween is placed in tension.

The backpack

1

of the invention provides for several different arrangements of securing means

15

. For example, in

FIGS. 1

a

to

4

one of the first and second securing means

15

includes a pair of hooks

25

. Alternatively, and as shown in

FIGS. 4

,

5

,

6

and

8

a

to

8

c

one of the first and second securing means

15

is in the form of one or more adjustable spring loaded hinged arms

30

which in use are resiliently biasable into engagement with one of the trucks to retain the skateboard adjacent the body portion

10

. The arm

30

can also include as shown in

FIGS. 4

,

5

and

6

a further pair of hooks

25

. With particular reference to

FIG. 6

, the arm

30

is collapsible to prevent injury or breakage.

In further arrangements, one of the first and second securing means

15

as shown in

FIGS. 1

a

,

1

b

,

1

c

and

2

is a support plate

35

and in

FIGS. 3 and 8

a

to

8

c

,

10

,

11

and

14

a

to

14

c

is an adjustable support bar or plate

40

. These types of securing means can also include a strap assembly

45

as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 10

to further retain the skateboard or any other item to the body portion

10

. Any typical strap assembly could be utilised. As seen in

FIG. 10

, the strap

45

may be held to the body portion

10

by rings

21

or cut outs

22

as in

FIG. 3

, for example.

Specifically,

FIGS. 8

a

to

8

c

shows a perspective view of a backpack for carrying a skateboard

2

having a bottom securing plate

40

adjustable by fasteners

41

and spring loaded securing hooks

15

that rest biasly, opened or closed. A storage compartment

17

is centrally located and has a lockable lid

18

and is hinged to the body portion

10

(it may be locked or hinged in various positions). Cut outs

19

allow the skateboard wheels to rest more easily, helping eliminate bulkiness.

The securing means

15

can also be rigidly fixed away from the body portion

10

or may be folded back into the body portion

10

to prevent injury or breakage as shown in

FIGS. 7

a

-

7

c

. Various other securing means could be used.

As shown in

FIGS. 14

a

to

17

these and alternate arrangements can be utilised for carrying roller blades as shown. Specifically,

FIG. 14

a

shows a perspective view of a backpack for carrying roller blades/shoes and having an alternate bottom securing plate

40

adjustable by fasteners

41

and spring loaded securing devices

15

that create a downward force. Further, cut outs

19

allow the roller blade wheels to rest more easily and help eliminate bulkiness.

As shown in

FIGS. 3

,

4

and

13

the body portion

10

is contoured to the shape of the back of a user and is substantially stiff and/or rigid and is preferably manufactured of a hard plastics material. However, any shape and/or material could be used. In this embodiment, a hollow

50

is provided which can accommodate a bag structure (not shown) for carrying articles. In

FIG. 11

, a fixed compartment

17

having a lockable lid

18

is shown. Additional storage could be added through use of zippers, Velcro, studs or other means.

In use, the backpack

1

of a preferred embodiment provides a personal transportation carrying device having a rigid back plate with two hooks at the top suspending a skateboard, for example, by its trucks for fastening of the skateboard to the pack in a variety of adjustable ways. By having the skateboard tensioned to the body portion and spaced at a distance from the back of a user makes it unobtrusive to a user's body. Similar arrangements for roller blades and shoes are also disclosed.

In the arrangement shown in

FIGS. 4

,

5

,

6

tension is obtained by the spring loaded arm creating a downward force on the bottom rear trucks adding to the already downward force created by the weight of the skateboard hanging from the hooks. In

FIGS. 8

a

to

8

c

tension is obtained by the spring loaded arms

15

but there is no downward force, the board pivots on its bottom rear trucks at the hooks formed in plate

40

towards the top hooks locking the trucks to the body portion

10

. In the arrangement of

FIGS. 4

to

6

, the spring loading there is no manual adjusting as the spring takes up the slack automatically. In

FIGS. 8

a

to

8

c

, manual adjustment can be made by loosening fasteners

41

and adjusting to suit a particular board length.

The loading/unloading sequences are shown in

FIGS. 9

a

to

9

c

;

15

a

to

15

c

and

16

a

to

16

c

.

FIGS. 9

a

to

9

c

show the loading of a skateboard, as it pivots from its bottom trucks on the support plate

40

, towards the spring loaded hooks

15

. It moves over the first arm striking the second, locking the board

2

in place. To remove the board

2

you simply pull the top of the board away from the body portion

10

.

FIGS. 15

a

to

15

c

similarly show the loading of a roller blade as the top arm is sprung back the blade is placed between the spring loaded arm and the fixed bottom plate, being compressed between the two there is efficient amounts of tension. To remove the blade you simply lift it up and pull it out.

FIGS. 16

a

to

16

c

similarly shows the loading of a shoe, which is placed at the top hook lifted upwards and placed on the bottom securing plate compressed therebetween. Unloading of the shoe can be completed by lifting upwards and pulling outwards.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims

1. A backpack for carrying a personal transportation device having forward and rear portions, said backpack including:a harness arrangement for securing to the back of a user; a body portion securable to said harness and having first and second ends; first and second securing means at each end respectively and extending outwardly therefrom to releasably engage each respective portion of said device; and wherein one of said fist and second securing means, in use, is resiliently biasable into engagement with one of said portions, said resiliently biassed securing means including a spring loaded hinged arm to effect said biasing.
2. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said device, when engaged, is retained substantially parallel to and adjacent said body portion.
3. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said one of said first and second securing means includes a pair of hooks.
4. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said arm includes a pair of hooks.
5. The backpack of claim 1, wherein one of said first and second securing means is a support plate.
6. The backpack of claim 1, wherein one of said first and second securing means is an adjustable support bar.
7. The backpack of claim 1, wherein one of said first and second securing means includes a strap assembly to further retain said device to said body portion.
8. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said body portion is contoured to the shape of said back of said user.
9. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said body portion is rigid.
10. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said body portion is manufactured of a hard plastics material.
11. The backpack of claim 1, wherein said device is a skateboard, pair of roller blades or pair of shoes.

Priority Claims (2)

Number	Date	Country	Kind
PR8269	Oct 2001	AU
PS1004	Mar 2002	AU

US Referenced Citations (20)

Number	Name	Date	Kind
2224568	Altorfer	Dec 1940	A
2353809	Carson	Jul 1944	A
3504405	Elliott-Smith	Apr 1970	A
4269337	Sobotka	May 1981	A
4308982	Hall	Jan 1982	A
4326746	Grihalva	Apr 1982	A
4733897	Schuetzeberg	Mar 1988	A
4790460	Harper, Jr.	Dec 1988	A
4982883	Ullal et al.	Jan 1991	A
5016794	Beagle, Jr.	May 1991	A
5269580	Hsiao	Dec 1993	A
5492254	Challoner et al.	Feb 1996	A
D375837	Frank	Nov 1996	S
5803332	Thompson	Sep 1998	A
5826771	Peng	Oct 1998	A
5881708	Kliot	Mar 1999	A
6234530	Carter	May 2001	B1
6390347	Phillips	May 2002	B1
6502732	Bonds	Jan 2003	B1
6536639	Frank	Mar 2003	B1

Foreign Referenced Citations (5)

Number	Date	Country
3130001	May 2001	AU
3323763	Jan 1985	DE
29712418	Sep 1997	DE
0612489	Aug 1994	EP
WO9007960	Jul 1990	WO

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Examiners

Agents

CPC

US Classifications

Field of Search

US

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (2)

US Referenced Citations (20)

Foreign Referenced Citations (5)