The present specification relates generally to shoulder bags and more specifically to a device and method for reducing the likelihood of a bag strap slipping off a user's shoulder.
Whether a purse, duffel, messenger or other bag, most individuals have a need for a shoulder bag to transport and carry with them various items. Shoulder bags may be used, for example, on a trip to the store, on the way to and from work, or on even longer journeys.
While generally useful for transporting and carrying goods, shoulder bags have a disadvantage inherent in their method of use and design. Shoulder bags, unlike backpacks, the straps of which are threaded onto both the arms of a user, are not especially secure while in use. Shoulder bags are prone to slipping off a user's shoulder as they go about their day. Walking, transitioning from standing to seated, climbing stairs and other everyday activities and movements can cause a strap of a shoulder bag to gradually edge closer to the end of a user's shoulder and, often, to slip off the user's shoulder altogether. In a worst-case scenario, this can result in the loss of the bag altogether. In other scenarios, it may result in lost bag contents, damage sustained by the bag or inflicted by it to neighbouring articles, and, most often, frustration on the part of the user who must repeatedly reposition the bag strap on their shoulder.
To reduce the likelihood of their shoulder bag strap slipping off their shoulder, a user may, if the strap is long enough, wear the bag “crossbody” style, wherein the bag and the strap are on opposite sides of the user's body. When a bag is worn this way, the user's neck acts as a stopper, preventing the strap from sliding and the bag from falling. Wearing a shoulder bag this way is, however, not only limited to bags with straps of a certain minimum length but may also crease the user's clothing which is compressed by the strap and impede access to pockets and fasteners on the same. Another low-tech solution employed by users of shoulder bags is to apply downward force on the bag by, for example, resting a hand on a top portion thereof. This, however, comes at the cost of the user having both hands free. Alternatively, solutions exist which involve the application of a silicone strip to the underside of a bag strap to increase the friction between the bag strap and the top worn by or the bare shoulder of the user. Many users of shoulder bags, however, are not inclined to apply adhesive products to their bags for fear of damaging them. Further, these adhesive solutions may not be exchangeable between bags and the grip provided by the silicone may be reduced over time due to wear. Finally, the adhesive strips are especially visible when a bag is not being worn.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art.
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a bag strap support device, comprising: a lower magnet; an upper magnet; and a stopper piece, extending from a top face of the upper magnet.
According to another embodiment, there is provided a method of reducing the likelihood of a bag's shoulder strap falling off a user's shoulder, comprising: placing a lower magnet on the user's shoulder under a clothing item worn by the user; placing an upper magnet with a stopper piece extending therefrom directly above the lower magnet such that the upper and lower magnets sandwich the clothing item; positioning the bag's shoulder strap on the user's shoulder between the user's neck and the stopper piece.
Other aspects and features according to the present application will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
The principles of the invention may better be understood with reference to the accompanying figures provided by way of illustration of an exemplary embodiment, or embodiments, incorporating principles and aspects of the present invention, and in which:
The description that follows, and the embodiments described therein, are provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of the principles of the present invention. These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the invention. In the description, like parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and, in some instances, proportions may have been exaggerated in order to more clearly depict certain features of the invention.
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Bag strap support device 100 may be constructed from materials which provide sufficient mechanical strength and durability to perform reliably over time and withstand impact. According to an embodiment, bag strap support device 100 may be constructed of aluminum, magnetic metals, stainless steel, silicone, thermoplastics, or a combination of suitable materials. Manufacturing costs, weight, lifespan and mechanical strength may be considerations informing the choice of materials, construction technique and design choices of bag strap support device 100.
According to an embodiment, there is provided a method of reducing the likelihood of a bag strap falling off a user's shoulder, comprising: placing a lower magnet on the user's shoulder under a clothing item worn by the user; placing an upper magnet with a stopper piece extending therefrom directly above the lower magnet such that the upper and lower magnets sandwich the clothing item; positioning the bag's shoulder strap on the user's shoulder between the user's neck and the stopper piece.
The lower and the upper magnet hold the stopper piece in position on the user's shoulder by affixing it to the user's clothing. The stopper piece reduces the likelihood of the shoulder strap falling off the user's shoulder by providing an obstacle in a path of the shoulder strap from its initial position to the end of the user's shoulder. In order to slip off the user's shoulder, the bag strap must pass to an opposite side of the stopper piece, proximate the end of the user's shoulder, or must cause the upper and lower magnets to disengage such that the stopper piece falls from the user's shoulder.
According to an embodiment, the method of reducing the likelihood of a bag strap falling off a user's shoulder further comprises the step of attaching the stopper piece to the upper magnet. According to a further embodiment, the step of attaching the stopper piece to the upper magnet comprises threading the stopper piece onto a screw extending from a top face of the upper magnet. Alternatively, the step of attaching the stopper piece to the upper magnet may comprise threading the upper magnet onto a screw extending from a bottom face of the stopper piece. In another embodiment, the step of attaching the stopper piece to the upper magnet comprises snapping a protruding edge on a bottom face of the stopper piece into a snap-in area on a top face of the upper magnet. The step of attaching the stopper piece to the upper magnet may alternatively comprise snapping a protruding edge on a top face of the upper magnet into a snap-in area on a bottom face of the stopper piece. According to an embodiment, the step of attaching the stopper piece to the upper magnet comprises nearing a magnet on a bottom face of the stopper piece to the upper magnet.
Various embodiments of the invention have been described in detail. Since changes in and or additions to the above-described best mode may be made without departing from the nature, spirit or scope of the invention, the invention is not to be limited to those details but only by the appended claims. Section headings herein are provided as organizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize the invention set out in the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63257200 | Oct 2021 | US |