Patent Application
20190039817
The present specification relates generally to compartmented footwear bags and more specifically relates to a portable and compartmented footwear bag that stores and protects footwear of varying shapes and sizes.
Many people transport one or more pairs of shoes or other footwear without wearing the shoes or other footwear. This is particularly common when a user anticipates participating in a two or more unrelated events and activities without returning home or to another permanent footwear storage location. For example, a person who commutes to an office by public transportation may desire casual footwear for the commute and formal footwear for the office, as casual footwear may be more comfortable and may be more suitable for weather conditions while formal footwear may be more appropriate for the office environment.
Transporting shoes or other footwear often increases the risk of damage or soiling. For example, the two shoes of a pair of shoes may contact one another if transported in a conventional shoe bag. Many shoes also do not come with a carrying bag, which may result in a user transporting the shoes in a handbag or general-purpose bag. A pair of shoes transported in a handbag or other general-purpose bag may contact other objects in the handbag or other general-purpose bag. Even where a pair of shoes does come with a shoe bag, the shoe bag is often intended as a dust bag, meant to prevent dust from collecting on the shoes rather than meant to protect the shoes during storage or transportation or other events.
Existing protective shoe bags provide protection through rigid outer structures, compartments specific to particular shoe types, or single and separate compartments for each shoe that act as a separate entity in itself.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a compartmented footwear bag with a flexible inner divider that allows the interior compartments of the footwear bag to adapt their shape as needed to accommodate different shapes of footwear.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the present invention provides a compartmented footwear bag comprising: a front panel, a back panel, a top panel, a bottom panel and a flexible inner divider dividing the interior of the footwear bag into a first compartment and a second compartment; wherein the top panel defines a first closeable opening to the first compartment and the bottom panel defines a second closeable opening to the second compartment; wherein a first end of the flexible inner divider is secured to the back panel proximate to the top panel and a second end of the inner divider is secured to the front panel proximate to the bottom panel, creating a first closed inner edge proximate the top panel and a second closed inner edge proximate to the bottom panel, respectively.
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.
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, embodiments of the invention, and how they may be carried into effect, and in which:
Like reference numerals indicated like or corresponding elements in the drawings.
As depicted in
In some embodiments, footwear bag 100 comprises a front panel 15, a back panel 16, a top panel 7, a bottom panel 8, and a flexible inner divider 17 defining a first compartment 1 and a second compartment 2. The top panel 7 defines a first closeable opening and the bottom panel 8 defines a second closeable opening, which together allow a user to access first compartment 1 and second compartment 2, respectively, and secure a first shoe and a second shoe of a pair of shoes within the first compartment 1 and the second compartment 2, respectively. The top panel may be closed by a first closure means such as zipper 9 and the bottom panel may be closed by a second closure means such as zipper 10. Alternatively, instead of zippers 9 and 10, other closure means may be used, for example, buttons, snaps, magnetics, hook and loop fasteners, laces, drawstring or other suitable fasteners for opening and closing the compartments of the footwear bag.
In some embodiments, such as depicted in
In some embodiments, the first compartment 1 is accessible through the first closeable opening on top panel 7 and the second compartment 2 is accessible through the second closeable opening on bottom panel 8. The first compartment 1 is configured for receiving one shoe or other form of footwear and the second compartment 2 is configured for receiving one shoe or other form of footwear.
As shown in
The footwear bag 100 may be in the shape of a rectangle (including a square), or other suitable shape for a footwear bag, as desired. The first compartment 1 may be similarly configured to the second compartment 2, such as in size and shape. The first compartment 1 and the second compartment 2 may be of such a dimension to hold footwear of varying shapes and sizes such as formal shoes, boots, children's shoes and athletic shoes such as golf shoes, and even ice skates or inline skates if desired. Footwear bag 100 may be made at least in part from flexible material such as flannel, cotton, polyester, nylon or any other flexible material, which may permit the form and shape of the bag to adapt to the contents of the footwear bag in a similar manner to the first compartment 1 and the second compartment 2.
As shown in
Protective linings 13, 14 may be integrated into other components of footwear bag 100. For example, protective lining 13 may be a separate lining inside compartment 1 distinct from front panel 15, top panel 7, and flexible divider 17. Alternatively, protective lining 13 may be formed by front panel 15, top panel 7, and flexible divider 17, such as when front panel 15, top panel 7, and flexible divider 17 are formed of soft or durable materials.
According to an embodiment, the materials chosen for the footwear bag 100 may be waterproof and/or machine washable. The materials chosen may also depend on the intended use of footwear bag 100, for example more durable materials may be chosen when footwear bag 100 is intended for use with relatively heavy inline skates than when it is intended for use with relatively light sandals.
Footwear bag 100 may be manufactured in different colours and patterns. This may be both for aesthetic appeal and so that, in some embodiments, different exteriors may visually convey to the user what type of footwear is contained within the footwear bag.
In some embodiments, one or more of the front panel 15, back panel 16, top panel 7, and bottom panel 8 may be made of transparent or semitransparent material to allow the contents to be seen from the outside without opening the footwear bag 100. In some embodiments, one or more of front panel 15, back panel 16, top panel 7, and bottom panel 8 may be opaque but may include a transparent or semitransparent portion or window, such as footwear bag 100F of
In some embodiments, two or more of the front panel 15, back panel 16, top panel 7, and bottom panel 8 may include a hard protective material, such as one or more of plastic, rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane, or metal which serves to protect the contents of the footwear bag 100 if for example the bag was dropped to the ground or collided with another object. Thus, in some embodiments, footwear bag 100 may have a ridged or semi-ridged structure instead of a flexible structure, such as to protect shoes from deformation.
First and second items of a pair of footwear may be placed in first and second compartments 1 and 2, respectively, and may be arranged relative to one another in any convenient orientation. For example, as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, footwear bag 100 may comprise one or more straps or other handles, which may be selected out of various lengths. Straps may allow a user to carry footwear bag 100 more easily, such as allowing a user to carry footwear bag 100 as a purse, handbag, or knapsack. Straps may be configured to be worn in various ways, such as over a user's shoulder or shoulders, across a user's body, or over a user's wrist. For example, as depicted in
To allow storage of additional items, in some embodiments, footwear bag 100 may also comprise exterior pockets or pouches or compartments. For example, as shown by footwear bag 100E of
In some embodiments, footwear bag 100 may be configured to hold more than a single pair of footwear. For example, footwear bag 100 may be configured to hold two or more pairs of footwear; such as a pair of footwear in each of compartments 1 and 2, when a user desires to separate one pair of footwear from the other.
In some embodiments, footwear bag 100 may be used to carry items other than footwear. In some embodiments, the first compartment 1 and second compartment 2 of footwear bag 100 may be used to separate clean articles from unclean or dirty articles, thereby preventing the clean articles from being mixed in with the dirty articles and becoming soiled. For example, while travelling, clean clothes could be stored in one compartment and dirty clothes in the other. Furthermore, footwear bag 100 may be used to separate a pair of shoes which may carry dust or dirt from clean articles such as clean clothing or shoes.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certain adaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62540201 | Aug 2017 | US |
