Patent Application
20210401142
The present invention generally relates to a field of luggage, personal and overnight bags, backpacks, and particularly, relates to a convertible utility bag having extendable trays that allow for the easy and secure carrying of various consumables, components, devices and equipment together. Accordingly, the present specification makes specific reference to the bag structure described herein and it's to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally amenable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
Various types of luggage and bags such as travel duffels, rucksacks, trekking backpacks, suitcases, trolley bags, luggage, overnight bags, etc. are known in the art. Generally, most luggage or bags are structured as a cuboid body with a single open space within for storing various items such as clothes or other personal items. Some bags may also include pockets or receptacles for securing small items like bottles, chargers, notepads, writing utensils, personal items, etc. Travelers often use backpacks, bags, and luggage bags to carry a variety of items, and as technology has advanced, travelers and commuters have started to carry laptops, tablets, phones and other portable electronic devices for work, personal use, or both. However, space is limited in any bag, and especially in backpacks where laptops are being stored. Further, due to the limited number of partitions or sleeves and limited space within a bag, travelers may be unable to keep all required items in a single bag and are faced with having to stack the items together which could lead to damage of the items. Therefore, travelers/users may have to carry multiple bags, which makes for a difficult and uncomfortable traveling experience. Also, the limited space in existing bags does not provide any protection for delicate and breakable items such as electronic devices, and also may cause the wrinkling of clothes or spillage of liquids kept in the single limited space of the bag.
Some individuals also frequently store tools and other equipment in a single space or sleeve of a bag, which makes it difficult for the individual to search for the required tool or equipment. Further, keeping all the tools and equipment together in a single space may lead to collision of items within the single space, and breakage of the items. Some items such as electronic devices may have glass screens that can be cracked or scratched with rough handling of the bag at the site where such devices are placed. Also, many traditional bags have compartments, especially a sleeve compartment for a laptop. However, such compartments are often unsecured, which can damage the devices placed in the compartments. Further, when items such as oil or other liquids are kept in a bag, these items may leak and can easily spread to other items in the bag making them dirty, sticky, and even unusable. Furthermore, traditional bags which have several compartments are typically bigger in size, which can create discomfort to an individual who regularly travels for work.
In addition, various traditional bags are known in the art which have multiple sleeves or partitions for keeping different types of devices and other required things stored appropriately. However, the existing bag designs often have fixed-size sleeves and partitions, so that the bags can be mass produced and therefore, fail to provide reconfigurable and detachable partitions as desired to fulfil the needs of different users for storing any variety of items. Further, standard existing luggage requires a user to place the luggage bag on the floor or other surface to access the contents of the bag, firstly from an upper surface and then from a lower portion of the bag, which can be inconvenient for the user in the case wherein the user needs an item which is in the lower part of the bag space. Therefore, there is a need for a unique bag interior bag design that supports a variety of delicate and breakable items as well as provides convenience to users while taking the items out from the bag. Accordingly, a utility bag design that easily enables storage of items therein via replaceable and reconfigurable trays is also desired.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for a bag with a unique interior design that facilitates and supports the transport of delicate and breakable items as well as provides a convenience when removing items from the bag. There is also a long felt need in the art for a unique bag that has a plurality of extendable and retractable trays, each having one or more compartments to keep a variety of items separately and safely stored. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a bag which can be carried for professional as well as personal use and can accommodate different kinds of items separately.
The present invention in the preferred exemplary embodiment, includes a convertible utility bag that has a plurality of extendable trays. The bag has a base with a plurality of sidewalls extending generally upwardly therefrom, thereby defining an interior volume for each of the trays. The bag further includes a hinged lid that is configured to be removably secured to the base via a fastener such as, but not limited to, a zip fastener. In one embodiment, a plurality of trays make up the interior volume of the bag, and the trays are hingedly adjustable, thereby allowing a user to extend/retract the trays as desired. The trays are also composed of several adjustable compartments to accommodate items of varying sizes and shapes. In addition, the bag has a front compartment disposed on an exterior surface of the lid, and the front compartment is configured to receive at least one item therein. A plurality of pockets is disposed on an interior surface as well as an outer surface of the hinged lid, and each pocket may receive a suitable item(s) therein. In one embodiment, a handle is disposed on a longitudinal end of the base, such that a user may grasp the bag via the handle. One or more shoulder straps is further disposed on an end of the base opposite from the lid end, such that a user may utilize the backpack or bag via the shoulder straps or straps. The device is ultimately configured to enable a user to safely and easily store and carry a plurality of items therein, while maintaining comfort and convenience for the user.
In this manner, the improved convertible utility bag with extendable trays of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, thereby providing an easy solution to store a variety of items separately and safely in a single bag during travel. As such, a primary feature of the device allows users to extend or retract the trays as desired when accessing items or compartments for the bags. Finally, the convertible utility bag of the present invention is capable of expanding the storage space for keeping a plurality of items therein, such that safety and convenience is provided thereto.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a convertible utility bag having a plurality of extendable trays. The bag includes a base with a plurality of sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom, thereby defining an interior volume. In addition, the bag has a hinged lid that is configured to removably secure to the base via a fastener, such as, but not limited to, a zip fastener. Other fasteners may include hooks and loops, clasps, snaps, magnets or combinations thereof. The convertible utility bag with extendable trays of the present invention not only provides safety for breakable and delicate items, but is also able to be used to store items neatly and in an organized way, thereby preventing the items such as clothes from being wrinkled or otherwise cluttered.
Additionally, the convertible utility bag of the present invention includes a plurality of trays attached and contained within the interior volume of the bag to carry a variety of items separately. The trays are hingedly adjustable such that a user may extend or retract the trays as desired. The bag is also comprised of a front compartment disposed on an exterior surface of the lid, and the front compartment is configured to receive one or more items therein. A plurality of pockets is disposed on an interior surface of the hinged lid, and each pocket may receive a suitable item or items therein. In one embodiment, a handle is disposed on a longitudinal end of the base, such that a user may grasp the bag via the handle. One or more shoulder straps is disposed on an end of the base opposite from the lid end, such that a user may utilize the backpack or bag via the shoulder straps or straps. The utility bag with extendable trays is configured to enable a user to safely and easily store a plurality of items therein, such that comfort and convenience is provided for the user.
One exemplary embodiment of the presently described invention, a utility bag, is described and includes an outer layer of material constructed from a durable material. The outer layer is formable into a bag and the bag is divisible into multiple sections and the multiple sections including at least first, second and third sections, with each of the sections having a different area or volume. One of the first, second or third sections has a base area and first and second extendible trays. The base has two transversely extending side walls and two longitudinally extending side walls, and each of the first and second extendible trays have a plurality of sections divisible by removable dividers and each of the plurality of sections have different sized compartments and each of the first and second extendible trays are sized and configured so as to fit within the base area.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the presently described invention, an adaptable utility bag, is described and includes a bag that has first, second and third sections, with each of the sections sized and configured to hold different items. The bag has a size ranging from 15 to 25 inches long, 10 to 14 inches wide and 6 to 9 inches in height, and has a weight range from 680 g/24 oz to 1600 g/56 oz. The third section has a base area for holding a plurality of items and first and second extendible trays. The first and second extendible trays move from a first closed position to a second raised position via a plurality of hinges when the base area is exposed. Each of the base area and first and second extendible trays have sidewalls and first and second transversely extending sidewalls and first and second longitudinally extending sidewalls, with each of the transversely extending sidewalls having a length that is less than a length of each of the longitudinally extending sidewalls. Each of the first and second extendible trays have an area defined by the sidewalls and the area of the first and second extensible trays is less than the area of the base area. Each of the areas of the first and second extensible trays is further divided into compartments by a plurality of dividers and each of the plurality of dividers is placed in slots in the sidewalls and dividers to create compartments of different sizes.
In a still further exemplary embodiment of the presently described invention, a method of using an adaptable utility bag, is presented and includes the steps of initially providing an adaptable utility bag that has first, second and third sections, with each of the sections sized and configured to hold different items and the bag having a size ranging from 15 to 25 inches long, 10 to 14 inches wide and 6 to 9 inches in height, and has a weight range from 680 g/24 oz to 1600 g/56 oz. The third section has a base area for holding a plurality of items and first and second extensible trays, and each of the first and second extensible trays having a plurality of compartment formed by a plurality of dividers. Next, at least one of the first and second extensible trays is extended from a first closed position to a second raised position via a plurality of hinges when the base area is exposed. The dividers are positioned to create different compartment sizes to accommodate different sized items and the items are inserted into each of the compartment. The at least one of the first and second extensible trays is moved from the second raised portion to the first closed position such that each of the first and second extensible trays are within are area of the base. The adaptable utility bag is closed for carrying.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They do not intend as an exhaustive description of the invention nor do they limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, existing luggage and other bags are well known in the art for keeping required items secured while traveling for leisure or going out for work. Such bags typically have limited space and few partitions/compartments to keep required items, which often clutter the bag and can further damage any delicate items contained within the bag. Further, existing bags typically do not have adjustable partitions to fulfil the differing needs of every user in regards to the type of differing items being stored. Accordingly, and as also noted supra, there is a long felt need in the art for a utility bag or luggage having a unique design, spacious inner-structure, extendable and reconfigurable tray structures, multiple partitions or compartments, and an easy access design. The convertible utility bag with extendable trays of the present invention satisfies all of the above referenced needs and more.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The device 100 includes a hinged lid 104 which is connected to the base 101 of the bag 100 via a fastener such as, but not limited to, a plastic lock strap 105. Other fasteners may of course be used such as snaps, pins, clasps, magnets, hook and loop fasteners, combinations thereof and the like. The plastic lock strap 105 enables the hinged lid 104 to be opened to an extended position which does not fall down completely on the other side of the base 101. The plastic lock strap 105 thereby creates an angle, around 45 degrees between the hinged lid 104 and the base 101 such that a user can easily access the equipment and items stored in the interior volume 103 of the bag 100. The lock strap 105 allows the hinged lid 104 to be moved upward and outward away from the base 101 of the bag. The first layer compartment may further comprise one or more fasteners.
In the embodiment of the present invention 100 depicted in
A first extendable tray 109 and a second extendable tray 110 are initially disposed in the interior volume 103 of the bag 100, and upon actuation, the trays 109, 110 are hingedly adjustable upwardly and outwardly, such that a user may extend or retract the trays 109/110 as desired. The first tray 109 and the second tray 110 both include a plurality of adjustable dividers 1091/1101. The adjustable dividers 1091/1101 can be used to configure an interior space of the trays 109 and 110, as per the requirements of the user and in respect to the specific items a user wishes to store and accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes of items. The dividers have a height at least equal to the height of the sidewalls of the trays 109 and 110. In an another embodiment, the height of the dividers may be less than the sidewalls of the trays. Additionally, the adjustable dividers 1091/1101 are removable and aid in expanding different partitions or compartments of the trays 109 and 110 as may be required to store larger items.
The dividers 1091/1101 as shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the device 100, the extendable trays 109/110 may also be lined with EVA-foam padded material (or any other material of the like) designed to help protect tools and equipment from any impacts that may occur during transport. Nonetheless, it is also contemplated that ABS plastic partitions (or other suitable plastic) with slots therein may be used to configure and lock each partition. In addition, anti-static liners or bags may be included to prevent electrostatic discharge thereby ruining the electronic items, or shielding films to prevent damaging radiation or radio frequency waves from interfering with the electronic devices. The compartments may also have a slightly tacky or adhesive material 1098 to prevent the items from sliding during transport and to hold the items in position. In addition, a magnet 1099, claps, or the like can be used to retain certain items in their respective compartments. The inner partitions such as 1101 and 1091 may also be padded with foam, adding an extra layer of security. In addition, the trays 109/110 may have a plurality removable and adjustable partitions which enable a user to organize tools and equipment in various ways by rearranging the partitions to suit the user's needs. The partitions fit within slots 1093 in the walls and may appear at regular intervals or predetermined spaced intervals to allow a user to determine the type, size and number of boxes or compartments that a user wishes to retain for his or her backpack.
In a preferred embodiment of the device 100, a pair of pivotally adjustable trays 109 and 110 are disposed in the interior volume of the bag 100, with each of the trays 109 and 110 further including a first bracket 1092 and a second bracket 1102 disposed on an opposing end thereof; a pair of adjacent hinges 112 are disposed on the bracket 1092 and 1102 in such that a user may selectively extend each tray 109 and/or 110 via the hinges 112 such that each tray 109 and/or 110 is usable in a level position. When in an extended position, the hinges may include a locking feature (not shown) so that the trays remain in a stable and secure position. The user 130 may also selectively retract each tray 109 and/or 110 such that the trays 109 and/or 110 can be folded and secured solely within the respective interior volume 103 area of the device 100. A hook and loop fastener 113 is disposed on an exterior end of each bracket 1092 and 1102, and the hook and loop fastener 113 removably secures the trays 109 and/or 110 to the interior end of the sidewalls 102, such that the user may selectively store and remove the trays 109 and/or 110 from the interior volume as desired. Similarly,
Additional features can also be added to the convertible utility bag 100 of the present invention in differing embodiments to satisfy a variety of users 130. For example, the structural components inherent in the design of the utility bag 100 with extendable trays 110 permits the addition of side handles (not shown). A decorative strip (not shown) may also comprise the device 100 and be added to enhance the aesthetic look of the device 100. An identification tag receptacle (not shown) may also comprise the device 100 and be positioned along the decorative strip or elsewhere on the utility bag 100 which may be comprised of a paper sheet, plastic sheet or display having information about the owner of the bag 100. Similarly, the convertible utility bag 100 with extendable trays 110 may also include feet or stands (both not shown) attached to the exterior of the bottom side 101 for added stability when the bag 100 is stood in an upright position on the ground.
The convertible utility bag 100 with extendable trays 109 and 110 of the present invention can be used by working professionals, for personal use, grooming and beauty professionals and for other similar applications without limitation. The device 100 is designed to store and protect various tools and equipment when traveling. The utility bag 100 of the present invention is also comprised of extendable trays 109/110 to organize various items 120 such as grooming tools, electronic accessories, shaving kits, equipment, stationary items, travel kits, etc. of the like and without limitation.
In the most preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that the utility bag 100 with extendable trays 109 and 110 of the present invention, is manufactured from waterproof fabric and materials such as but not limited to 1680D ballistic nylon waterproof exterior and 420D nylon waterproof interior lining. In other embodiments of the device 100, the integrated utility bag 100 may include a plastic hard exterior cover. The device 100 of the present invention may also be constructed in various sizes and colors to accommodate all user needs and preferences as well as different sized users. Similarly, the device 100 may be comprised of embodiments of various dimensions such as but not limited to: 15 to 25 inches long, 10 to 14 inches wide and 6 to 9 inches in height. More specifically, the preferred embodiment of the size is contemplated to be 20 inches long, 12 inches wide and 7.5 inches in height. Additionally, the weight of the bag 100 may range from 680 g/24 oz to 1600 g/56 oz.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “bag”, “utility bag”, “convertible bag”, “convertible utility bag”, “integrated bag”, “backpack” and “luggage bag” are interchangeable and refer to the bag 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the convertible utility bag 100 of the present invention and its various structural components can be any suitable size, shape, and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the shape and size of the convertible utility bag 100 and its various components, as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other shapes and sizes of the convertible utility bag 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. The convertible utility bag 100 and its components may be any shape or size that ensures security, convenience and optimal space utilization during use and/or that suits the need and/or preference of users.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
