CARRYING ARTICLE WITH TWO SUPERIMPOSED POCKETS

Abstract

A carrying article including a structure designed to cover part of a user's body, the structure having a first pocket for carrying a first accessory, the first pocket comprising a yoke fixed to the periphery of a zone of the structure while having an opening (19) for access to the first pocket, the structure comprising a second pocket for carrying a second accessory, the second pocket comprising a sheath having an access opening, the sheath being associated with the structure by being disposed above the yoke, at least one edge of the sheath is dissociated from the structure between two ends of said edge, one of the ends being associated with the structure by means of an elastic link allowing the sheath to be moved away from the yoke.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to French Application No. FR-22 13018, filed on Dec. 8, 2022. The priority application, FR-22 13018, is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The invention concerns a carrying article comprising a structure designed to cover a part of a user's body.

BACKGROUND

It applies in particular to a carrying article whose structure forms a vest comprising a back and shoulder straps designed to cover respectively the back and each of the shoulders of a user, especially during the practice of an outdoor sporting activity such as running in an urban environment or in a natural environment (trail), hiking, or Nordic walking.

Such articles include carrying pockets to enable the user to carry accessories needed for practicing his activity, such as his phone, beverage dispensing containers such as a gourd, soft flask or water pouch, or nutrition products such as energy bars or gel or compote flasks.

In particular, articles are known whose covering structure has:

• • a first pouch for carrying a beverage dispensing container, said first pouch comprising a yoke attached to the periphery of a zone of said structure while presenting an access opening; and
  • a second pocket for carrying another accessory, in particular an electronic device such as a cell phone or smartphone.

To facilitate design and access to the second pocket, said second pocket comprises a sheath associated with the structure while being arranged above the yoke, so as to superimpose the two pockets on a specific zone of the carrying article.

However, the use of this solution for storing a bulky first accessory is not entirely satisfactory, in that it induces significant deformation of the yoke and therefore of the sheath that covers it, which, particularly during physical activity, complicates the handling of storing the second accessory in said sheath.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In particular, the geometry of a gourd or soft flask filled with beverage will curve the pockets, this curvature complicating the insertion into the sheath of a second accessory of substantially flat geometry such as a smartphone.

The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing a carrying article comprising two superimposed pockets, said article being designed to enable the user to easily store and extract an accessory from the outer pocket, particularly during the practice of his sporting activity, even when a bulky accessory is stored in the inner pocket.

To this end, the invention proposes a carrying article comprising a structure designed to cover a part of the body of a user, said structure presenting a first pocket for carrying a first accessory, said first pocket comprising a yoke fixed to the periphery of a zone of the structure while presenting an access opening to said first pocket, said structure comprising a second pocket for carrying a second accessory, said second pocket comprising a sheath having an access opening, said sheath being associated with the structure by being arranged above the yoke, at least one edge of the sheath being dissociated from the structure between two ends of said edge, one of said ends being associated with said structure by means of an elastic link allowing said sheath to be spaced apart from said yoke.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, made with reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1a shows, schematically, a carrying article according to one embodiment of the invention, in front view;

FIG. 1b shows, schematically, a carrying article according to one embodiment of the invention, side view;

FIG. 2a shows partially, from a front view, the pocket on the right shoulder strap of the carrying article shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b;

FIG. 2b shows partially, from a side view, the pocket on the right shoulder strap of the carrying article shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b;

FIG. 3a shows a first perspective view of the pocket shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b during a first stage of tightening of the cord around the free part of the accessory stored in the pocket;

FIG. 3b shows a second perspective view of the pocket shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b during a second stage of tightening of the cord around the free part of the accessory stored in the pocket;

FIG. 3c shows a third perspective view of the pocket shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b during a third stage of tightening the cord around the free part of the accessory stored in the pocket;

FIG. 4 shows a partial front view of the pockets on the left shoulder strap of the carrying article shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b;

FIG. 4a shows a first perspective view of the pockets shown in FIG. 4 with accessories stored in them;

FIG. 4b shows a second perspective view of the pockets shown in FIG. 4 with the accessories stored in them;

FIG. 5a shows the assembly of the pockets shown in FIG. 4, in a first perspective view; and

FIG. 5b shows the assembly of the pockets shown in FIG. 4, in a second perspective view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In relation to these figures, we describe below a carrying article which has a structure 1 designed to cover a part of the body of a user 2.

In the description, the terms positioning in space are taken to refer to the carrying article as shown in the figures, as well as to the position of the user 2 when wearing said article. In particular:

• • the terms “left” and “right” are taken to refer to the laterality of the user 2 wearing the article;
  • the terms “inner” and “outer” are taken with reference to a sagittal anatomical plane of the body of the user 2, and designate positions respectively close to and distant from this sagittal plane;
  • the terms “inside” and “outside” refer to the position of the carrying article in relation to the part of the body of the user 2 that it covers, and designate positions respectively close to and far from the said part of the body.

In the embodiments shown, the carrying article is a vest designed to be worn during an outdoor sporting activity, such as running in an urban environment or trail running in a natural environment, hiking or Nordic walking. Alternatively, the carrying article can take other forms, such as a belt designed to be worn around the waist of the user 2, for a use similar to that of the vest.

The structure 1 of the vest shown comprises a back 3 and shoulder straps 4a, 4b designed to cover the back and shoulders of the user 2 respectively. In particular, the vest comprises a lower sleeve 5 of a height adapted to surround the abdominal belt of the user 2, said sleeve laterally connecting the lower end of each shoulder strap 4a, 4b with the adjacent side of the back 3.

The vest comprises a front slit 6 that extends between respective inner lateral edges 7a of the shoulder straps 4a, 4b and of the lower sleeve 5, so as to enable the user 2 to put on the article by spreading said slit.

In FIGS. 1a and 1b, the vest presents three pairs of straps 8, each arranged respectively on an inner edge 7a of the sleeve 5 or of the adjacent shoulder strap 4a, 4b, and provided with complementary reversible fastening means 9 to hold the article in place on the torso of the user 2.

In particular, each edge 7a of the slit 6 comprises notches 10 evenly distributed over part of its height, each strap 8 comprising an anchoring means 11 formed on its end opposite to that carrying the means 9 for fastening to the other strap 8, said anchoring means being arranged to be reversibly and selectively fixed in one of said notches, to enable the user 2 to adjust the height of the straps 8 to his morphology.

Advantageously, the vest is made from a mesh-type textile material, to improve comfort for the user 2 during sporting activity, notably by allowing air to circulate and perspiration to evacuate.

The article includes carrying pockets 12, 13, 14, 15 to enable the user 2 to carry accessories 16 necessary for the practice of his sporting activity, such as, for example, his telephone, beverage dispensing containers such as a gourd, soft flask or water pouch, or nutritional products such as energy bars or flasks of gel or compote.

In FIGS. 1a and 1b, the article comprises two lower side pockets 12 each formed on a respective portion of the sleeve 5, to enable storage of accessories such as nutrition products, each lower pocket 12 comprising an access opening equipped with reversible closure means, for example in the form of hook-and-loop fastening bands, to prevent the accessories stored therein from falling out when the user 2 is moving about.

The article also comprises a rear pocket 13 formed on the back 3, and accessible via a lateral opening 17 to enable storage therein of a clothing accessory such as a rain jacket, the lateral position of said opening allowing access to said rear pocket when the article is worn by the user 2, notably when practicing a sporting activity. In particular, this opening 17 is equipped with an elastic band, in order to keep the accessory stowed away in the rear pocket 13, and thus avoid dropping and losing said accessory through said opening.

The back 3 of the vest can also be fitted with a back pocket designed for carrying a large beverage dispensing container, for example a water pouch fitted with a hose for dispensing said beverage provided with a teat at its free end, said back pocket and the vest being designed to allow the teat to be positioned close to the head of the user 2, for example on one of the shoulder straps 4a, 4b, so as to give said user easy access to said teat when he wishes to consume the drink contained in said water pouch, particularly during his sporting activity.

In particular, the structure 1 presents a carrying pocket 14 which comprises a yoke 18 fixed to the periphery of a zone of said structure, while presenting an opening 19 for access to said pocket.

In the embodiments shown, the zone equipped with the pocket 14 is formed on one of the shoulder straps 4a, 4b, in particular on the right shoulder strap 4a. Advantageously, each of the shoulder straps 4a, 4b comprises such a pocket 14, in order to provide the user 2 with more places to store his accessories 16, and in particular to adapt the storage of said accessories according to his laterality.

For each shoulder strap 4a, 4b, the zone equipped with the pocket 14 is designed to cover a lateral portion of the chest of the user 2, to allow said user easy access to the accessory 16 stored in said pocket.

Each shoulder strap 4a, 4b comprises, in addition to the inner lateral edge 7a, an outer lateral edge 7b which is spaced from said inner edge along a transverse dimension adapted to form a substantial contact surface between said shoulder strap and the shoulder of the user 2, and thus guarantee the comfort of said user when wearing the article.

In addition, each yoke 18 comprises two lateral edges 20a, 20b, each of which is associated with a respective lateral edge 7a, 7b of the corresponding shoulder strap 4a, 4b. In this way, each pocket 14 extends over the entire transverse dimension of the shoulder strap 4a, 4b, which allows providing pockets 14 that are suitable for carrying large accessories 16, in particular beverage dispensing containers 16, as shown in FIGS. 3a to 3c and 4a, 4b.

In particular, each yoke 18 has a transverse dimension which is greater than the total transverse dimension of the shoulder strap 4a, 4b, in order to give the pocket 14 a volume and thickness of dimension(s) suitable for accommodating accessories 16 as described above.

In the embodiments shown, each pocket 14 is formed between the yoke 18 and the zone 4a, 4b of the structure 1, i.e. on the outside face of a shoulder strap 4a, 4b, the yoke 18 having a dissociated edge 20c which forms the access opening 19 of said pocket. To this end, the yoke 18 is attached to the corresponding shoulder strap 4a, 4b by stitching around its periphery, and in particular has two lateral edges 20a, 20b and a bottom edge 20d, each of which being stitched to respectively a lateral edge 7a, 7b and the body of said shoulder strap.

The set also includes an accessory 16 designed to be stored in one of the pockets 14, with a free part 21 arranged in the access opening 19 of said pocket.

In the figures, the accessory is a container 16 for dispensing a beverage and has an upper neck 21 forming the free part. In particular, the container 16 is of the soft flask type, and comprises a flexible body, which notably makes it possible to reduce its bulk when it does not contain a beverage, as well as a neck 21 which is equipped with a teat that the user 2 can pinch between his lips to take a quantity of beverage contained in said container.

Advantageously, the access opening 19 of each pocket 14 extends into the upper part of said pocket, enabling the container 16 to be stored vertically in said pocket, with its dispensing neck 21 pointing upwards, and in particular towards the head of the user 2 wearing the article. In this way, the user 2 can easily access the container 16 when he wishes to consume the beverage it contains.

In particular, the dispensing neck 21 can be equipped with a straw-like tubular extension, whose length is sufficiently long to enable the user 2 to consume the beverage contained in the container 16 by sucking with his mouth directly on the upper end of said extension, without having to remove said container from the pocket 14.

The access opening 19 of each pocket 14 is equipped with a duct 22 in which an elastic cord 23 for retracting said opening is arranged, in particular on the free part 21 of an accessory 16 stored in said pocket.

In relation to the figures, each yoke 18 comprises a hem which is fixed by sewing at its dissociated edge 20c to form the duct 22, the elastic cord 23 having two ends associated by sewing respectively with a lateral edge 7a, 7b of the corresponding shoulder strap 4a, 4b.

The elastic cord 23 further comprises at least one strand 24 arranged outside the duct 22 to enable the opening 19 to be retracted by pulling on said strand in a tightening configuration.

For this purpose, the duct 22 comprises two holes 25 formed on an inside face of the yoke 18, through which a respective portion of the cord 23 passes. In particular, each hole 25 comprises a rigid eyelet, for example made of plastic and/or metal material, to facilitate sliding of the corresponding cord portion 23 into said hole.

As shown in the figures, each strand 24 has no device for maintaining its tension outside the corresponding duct 22 in the tightening configuration, said strand being arranged to be held in the tightening configuration by cooperation with the free part 21 of the accessory 16 stored in the pocket 14.

In particular, the length of the strand 24 allows it to be arranged by extension on the free part 21, the elastic return of the cord 23 on said free part ensuring both that the strand 24 is held in the tightening configuration and that the opening 19 is pressed against said free part.

Advantageously, the strand 24 forms a loop which is arranged to surround the free part 21 in the tightening configuration, which constitutes a simple and intuitive design, and enables the user 2 to quickly and reliably tighten the opening 19 of the pocket 14 around his accessory 16, particularly with just one hand while practicing his sporting activity.

Advantageously, the strand 24 is equipped with a gripping tab 26 to enable the user 2 to arrange the cord 23 in a tightening configuration by manually pulling on said tab, as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. Similarly, when wishing to extract the accessory 16 from the pocket 14, the user 2 can grasp the tab 26 to remove the loop 24 of the cord 23 from the free part 21 of said accessory.

In the figures, and in particular in relation to FIGS. 4, 4a, 4b, the left shoulder strap 4b of the vest comprises a first pocket 14 as described above for carrying a first accessory 16, in particular a beverage-dispensing container of the gourd or soft flask type, as well as a second pocket 15 for carrying a second accessory, in particular a flat, rigid accessory of the mobile terminal or smartphone type.

In variants not shown, the right shoulder strap 4a of the vest 1 can also include such a second pocket 15 superimposed on its pocket 14 for carrying a container 16.

The second pocket 15 comprises a sheath 27 which has an opening 28 for access to said second pocket, said sheath being associated with the structure 1 by being arranged above the yoke 18 of the first pocket 14.

In the embodiments shown, the access opening 28 of the second pocket 15 extends in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the access opening 19 of the first pocket 14, on which said second pocket is superimposed. In this way, the two openings 19, 28 are spatially dissociated, making it easier for the user 2 to differentiate them.

In particular, the access opening 28 of the second pocket 15 extends vertically along a lateral edge 29a of the sheath 27, while the access opening 19 of the first pocket 14 extends horizontally along the upper edge 20c of the yoke 18.

Advantageously, the access opening 28 of the second pocket 15 extends vertically along a lateral edge 29a of the sheath 27, which is adjacent to the inner lateral edge 7a of the shoulder strap 4b. In this way, the user 2 can easily access this opening 28 when wearing the article, so as to extract or store a second accessory in the second pocket 15, particularly during the practice of his sporting activity.

In the figures, the sheath 27 comprises an outside wall 30 in which the access opening 28 of the second pocket 15 is formed via a slot 31. The slot 31 has a longitudinal dimension that is large enough to enable the user 2 to store a second accessory of significant length and/or width, such as a telephone or smartphone, in the second pocket 15.

The slot 31 is equipped with reversible closure means, notably in the form of a watertight closure 32, which makes it possible to store a second sensitive accessory, notably an electronic accessory such as a telephone or smartphone, in the second pocket 15, while protecting it from moisture and the risk of it falling out of said second pocket through said slot.

At least one edge 29b of the sheath 27 is dissociated from the shoulder strap 4b between two ends 33a, 33b of said edge, one of said ends being associated with said shoulder strap by means of an elastic link 34 allowing said sheath to move away from said yoke 18.

Thus, when a first accessory 16 is stored in the first pocket 14, in particular a bulky accessory such as a flask filled with a beverage, the user 2 can move the second pocket 15 away from said first pocket by pulling the sheath 27 forward, thus maintaining the flatness of said second pocket, and facilitating the storage of a second accessory in said second pocket.

In the embodiments shown, the dissociated edge is a lateral edge 29b of the sheath 27, and the access opening 28 to the second pocket 15 is formed along the opposite lateral edge 29a of said sheath. Thus, in the figures, the dissociated edge is the outer lateral edge 29b of the sheath 27.

Referring to FIG. 4b, the sheath 27 comprises an inside wall 35 facing the yoke 18 of the first pocket 14, forming between them a space 36 for elastic clearance between said pockets, which opens out at the dissociated edge 29b.

The end 33a equipped with the elastic link 34 is adjacent to the upper opening 19 of the first pocket 14. In particular, the upper 29c and outer lateral 29b edges of the sheath 27 are both dissociated from the shoulder strap 4b, and the elastic link 34 is associated with the upper end 33a of said outer lateral edge, thus facilitating the separation of the sheath 27 from the first pocket 14.

In addition, the inner lateral edge 29a and the lower edge 29d of the sheath 27 are both sewn to the shoulder strap 4b, so that the other end 33b of the dissociated edge 29b is fixed to said shoulder strap. This arrangement makes it possible to form a pivot along the lower edge 29d of the sheath 27, around which said sheath can pivot when the user 2 elastically moves it away from the first pocket 14 to store a second accessory therein.

In particular, the lower edge 29d of the sheath 27 is sewn to the shoulder strap 4b by being offset in height below the lower edge 20d of the yoke 18, in order to limit interactions between the pockets 14, 15, and in particular between the accessories 16 stored in each of said pockets.

Claims

1. A carrying article comprising a structure designed to cover a part of the body of a user, said structure having a first pocket for carrying a first accessory, said first pocket comprising a yoke fixed to the periphery of a zone of the structure while having an opening for access to said first pocket, said structure comprising a second pocket for carrying a second accessory, said second pocket comprising a sheath having an access opening, said sheath being associated with the structure by being disposed above the yoke, said article being characterized in that at least one edge of the sheath is dissociated from the structure between two ends of said edge, one of said ends being associated with said structure by means of an elastic link allowing said sheath to be moved away from said yoke.

2. The carrying article according to claim 1, the other end of the edge being fixedly associated with the structure.

3. The carrying article according to claim 1, the first pocket being formed between the yoke and the zone of the structure, said yoke having a dissociated edge forming the access opening of said first pocket.

4. The carrying article according to claim 1, the access opening of the second pocket being formed along an edge of the sheath which is opposite to the dissociated edge.

5. The carrying article according to claim 1, the sheath comprising an inside wall arranged opposite the yoke, forming between them a space opening out through the dissociated edge.

6. The carrying article according to claim 1, the access opening of the second pocket extending in a direction which is perpendicular to the direction of the access opening of the first pocket.

7. The carrying article according to claim 1, the access opening of the first pocket extending in the upper part of said first pocket, the dissociated edge being a lateral edge of the sheath.

8. The carrying article according to claim 7, the end equipped with the elastic link being adjacent to the upper opening of the first pocket.

9. The carrying article according to claim 1, the access opening of the first pocket being equipped with a duct in which an elastic cord for retracting said opening is arranged.

10. The carrying article according to claim 9, the cord having two ends associated with the structure and at least one strand arranged outside the duct to enable the opening to be retracted by pulling on said strand in a tightening configuration.

11. The carrying article according to claim 10, the strand having no device for maintaining its tension outside the duct in the tightening configuration, said strand being arranged to be maintained in the tightening configuration by cooperation with the first accessory stored in the first pocket (14).

12. The carrying article according to claim 1, the structure forming a vest comprising a back and shoulder straps designed to cover the back and shoulders of the user respectively, the zone equipped with pockets (14, 15) being formed on one of the shoulder straps.