CUSTOMIZABLE BAG WITH INTEGRATED STORAGE CAPABILITY

Abstract

A customizable bag for use in transporting articles of clothing is presented. In some embodiments, the bag may include a packing enclosure similar to that of a traditional duffel bag, in addition to a garment compartment area for transporting formalwear and the like that traditionally requires transportation in a full-length garment bag to avoid undesirable wrinkles, etc. The garment compartment area may be integrated into the body of the bag so as to provide the presently disclosed dual-purpose bag and allow for, among other things, efficient travel without additional baggage.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to garment transportation and more particularly to a combination garment bag designed to transport both formal garments in a substantially wrinkle-free manner and also transport other articles of clothing in a more traditional duffle bag system.

BACKGROUND

Transporting formal attire (e.g., business suits, dresses) is often very difficult. The interest in arriving at the destination with clean attire is further complicated by the desire to prevent wrinkles in the fabric during transportation. Some conventional garment bags are often large, bulky, and are needed in addition to an additional standard suitcase or duffel bag. Therefore, there is a need for a bag that simultaneously provides for the transport of clean, wrinkle-free clothes as found in a traditional garment bag, in the size, carrying capacity and convenience of a suitcase or duffel bag.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, a bag that may form a garment compartment area and a separate packing enclosure is provided. In some embodiments, the bag may include one or more of a body, a first side panel, a second side panel, a fastener, an interior lining, an exterior lining, as well as various pockets and straps. In some embodiments, the use of an interior and exterior lining may provide for the creation of a garment compartment area. The garment compartment area may allow for garments to be placed therein, without the need for folding, thereby providing for a substantially wrinkle-free packing configuration in a clean environment for transport.

In some embodiments, the body of the bag may house the garment compartment area and may be designed to transition from a first configuration in a substantially flat position to a second position configured substantially about a longitudinal axis, thereby forming a substantially cylindrical shape. With the addition of the first and second side panels, the bag may completely enclose a packing enclosure therein, thereby obviating the need for an additional duffel bag for additional clothing and personal items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the presently disclosed subject matter in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying Drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the presently disclosed bag in a “closed” configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a partially “open” position of the presently disclosed bag shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates another partially “open” position of the presently disclosed bag shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows another “open” position of the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-3, further illustrating the side panels according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-4, further illustrating an opening to access a garment compartment area, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-5, further illustrating an exemplary garment placed in the garment compartment area, according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 shows the presently disclosed bag of FIGS. 1-5 in the partially “open” configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, further illustrating exemplary clothing items in a packing enclosure of the bag, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presently disclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated Drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a bag 100 is shown according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, bag 100 may include a body 110, a first side panel 120 and a second side panel 130. Bag 100 may also include one or more exterior side panel pockets (e.g., exterior side panel pocket 121), one or more handles 140, a shoulder strap 150, and a fastener 160 that may be used to secure the body 110 to, at least, one or both of the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130.

In some embodiments, body 110 may be configured to include an interior lining 111 (shown in FIG. 2) and an exterior lining 112. In some embodiments, the body 110 may be made from a water-resistant material such as, by way of example and not limitation, nylon. Alternatively, the body 110 may be made from any other suitable material, including but not limited to, vinyl, vinyl-coated materials, laminated materials (e.g., laminated cotton), polyester, polyurethane laminate, leather, cloth, and/or oil cloth. In some embodiments, the body 110 may be formed as a singular article. Alternatively, in various other embodiments, the body 110 may be formed from a plurality of individual pieces that combine to form the body 110.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed bag 100 may be optionally converted from a first “closed” configuration as shown in FIG. 1 to a second “open” configuration as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to other partially “open” configurations as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 & 3. In some embodiments, the body 110 may be designed such that when the bag 100 is in the first “closed” position, it may fold substantially around a longitudinal axis 105 of the bag 100 such that first and second ends 113, 115 of the body 110 come together to create a substantially cylindrical shape. Note, however, that the shape of the body 110 need not necessarily be cylindrical, and may form any desired shape of enclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the body 110 may be formed such that it may create a substantially triangular shape. Alternatively, by way of example and not limitation, the body 110 may be configured to create a substantially square shape, substantially pentagonal shape, etc. The first side panel 120, the second side panel 130, and first and second ends 113, 115 of the body 110 may also be optionally coupled together by way of, for example, the fastener 160, thereby creating a packing enclosure 117 within the bag 100. The illustrated embodiment of the bag 100 in FIG. 1 portrays the bag 100 in the secured, or “closed,” position, thereby creating the packing enclosure 117 therein.

In some embodiments, the fastener 160 may be a single continuous zipper. Alternatively, the fastener 160 may be, by way of example and not limitation, any one or more of magnets, ties, buttons, snaps, Velcro, or any other appropriate fastening means. In a preferred embodiment, the fastener 160 may create a substantially waterproof or water-resistant seal.

The one or more exterior side panel pockets 121 may be included on the exterior of one or both of the first side panel 120 and/or the second side panel 130. In some embodiments, the exterior side panel pockets 121 may be unsecured. In various other embodiments, however, the exterior side pockets 121 may be secured or closed with an appropriate fastening mechanism, such as, for example, elastic, a zipper, one or more magnets, one or more buttons, one or more ties, and/or any other appropriate fastening mechanism.

The shoulder strap 150 may be optionally attached to body 110 to allow for easier transportation of the bag 100. In some embodiments, the shoulder strap 150 may be integral to the body 110. In some embodiments, the shoulder strap 150 may be removable (e.g., by way of one or more hooks, buckles, snaps, or the like), thereby increasing flexibility and customizability. In some embodiments, the shoulder strap 150 may be of a fixed length. In the illustrated embodiment, the shoulder strap 150 may be adjustable, thereby allowing for users of various dimensions to utilize the feature.

FIG. 2 illustrates the garment bag 100 of FIG. 1 in an exemplary partially “open” position, wherein the body 110 is not fully secured by the fastener 160 to the first side panel 120, the second side panel 130, and the first and second ends 113, 115. The exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2 further illustrates other features of bag 100, including one or more interior side panel pockets 131, one or more interior body pockets 162, and a garment compartment area access feature 161.

The interior side panel pockets 131 may be included on the interior of both the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130. In an alternative embodiment, the interior side panel pockets 131 may be included on only one side panel. In another embodiment, the interior side panel pockets 131 may be omitted entirely. In the illustrated embodiment, the interior side panel pockets 131 may be secured using elastic. In some embodiments, the interior side panel pockets may be closed with a zipper. Alternatively, the interior side panel pockets 131 may be closed with magnets. In yet another embodiment, the interior side panel pockets 131 may be closed with any other appropriate feature (e.g., one or more buttons, snaps, or the like).

In some embodiments, the interior body pockets 162 may be integral to the interior lining 111. In an alternative embodiment, the interior body pockets 162 may be attached to the interior lining as needed. In some embodiments, the interior body pockets 162 may be secured by a zipper mechanism. Alternatively, the interior body pockets 162 may be closed with magnets. In yet another embodiment, the interior body pockets 162 may be closed with any other appropriate feature (e.g., elastic, one or more buttons, snaps, or the like). In yet another embodiment, the interior pockets body 162 may be unsecured to provide for unrestricted access to the pocket space.

In some embodiments, the garment compartment area access feature 161 may provide access to the garment compartment area 190 (illustrated in FIG. 5). In some embodiments, the garment compartment area access feature 161 may include a securing mechanism to ensure that any items in the garment compartment area 190 remain clean and/or dry. In the illustrated embodiment, the garment compartment area access feature 161 may be a zipper mechanism. In alternative embodiments, the garment compartment area access feature 161 may include a magnetic closing feature. In yet another embodiment the garment compartment area access feature 161 may be secured with any other appropriate feature (e.g., elastic, one or more buttons, snaps, or the like).

FIG. 3 represents the bag 100 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, further illustrating the bag 100 in an alternative exemplary “open” position. As illustrated, the body 110 may be opened flat to facilitate, for example, the placement of garments into the garment compartment area 190 (illustrated in FIG. 5).

FIG. 4 represents the garment bag 100 of FIG. 3, further illustrating the garment bag 100 in yet another alternative exemplary “open” configuration wherein the fastener 160 is substantially unsecured. In some embodiments, one or both of the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130 are integral to the body 110. In alternative embodiments, one or both of the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130 are optionally removable. By way of example and not limitation, the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130 may be attached to the body 110 by way of a substantially permanent stitching, or one or more of a zipper, magnets, Velcro, buttons, etc. Allowing the first side panel 120 and the second side panel 130 to be removed may provide additional flexibility to the user, wherein the user may remove the first side panel 120 and second side panel 130 when the need for a more traditional garment bag may be required.

In some embodiments, the first side panel 120 may be made from a water-resistant material such as, by way of example and not limitation, nylon. Alternatively, the first side panel 120 may be made from any other suitable material, including but not limited to, vinyl, vinyl-coated materials, laminated materials (e.g., laminated cotton), polyester, polyurethane laminate, leather, cloth, and/or oil cloth.

In some embodiments, the second side panel 130 may be made from a water-resistant material such as, by way of example and not limitation, nylon. Alternatively, the second side panel 130 may be made from any other suitable material, including but not limited to, vinyl, vinyl-coated materials, laminated materials (e.g., laminated cotton), polyester, polyurethane laminate, leather, cloth, and/or oil cloth.

FIG. 5 represents the bag 100 of FIGS. 1-4, further illustrating a garment hanger receiver 170, a garment strap 180, and the garment storage compartment 190.

The garment hanger receiver 170 may provide an attachment point for, among other things, a garment hanger. In some embodiments, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be a hook. In another embodiment, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be a carabiner-type or similar clip mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment, the garment hanger receiver 170 may a loop of material substantially integrated with body 110. In some embodiments, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be made from a rigid material, such as a metal. This may provide the advantage of additional strength when supporting particularly heavy garments. In some embodiments, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be made from a less rigid material, such as a fabric. This may provide the advantage of flexibility, and reduced weight for the user. In the illustrated embodiment, the garment hanger receiver 170 may be integral to the body 110. However, in some embodiments the garment hanger receiver 170 may be removable for additional customizability, and for allowing the user to optionally interchange separate garment hanger receivers 170 as needed.

The garment strap 180 may, in some embodiments, extend the width of the body 110, and may provide for additional support and/or security of the garments within the garment storage compartment 190. The garment strap 180 may ensure that the garments within the garment storage compartment 190 do not undesirably move excessively during travel, or when the bag 100 is in the “closed” position depicted in, for example, FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be adjustable to provide for a more supportive fit to a variety of garments. In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be elastic, thereby stretching to fit the garments within the garment storage compartment 190. Due to the highly variant nature of garments, especially for example the differences between men's business suits and women's formalwear (e.g., dresses), the width and location of the garment strap 180 may impact the level of support provided to the garments. In some embodiments, the garment strap may be between 0.5″ and 12″ wide. Alternatively, the strap may be between 0.5″ and 8″ wide. Alternatively, the strap may be between 0.5′ and 5″ wide. Alternatively, the strap may be between 1″ and 3″ wide. Alternatively, the strap may be about 1″ wide. In some embodiments, the garment bag 100 may include more than one garment strap 180 at various locations on or within the body 110.

In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be integral to the body 110 and therefore incapable of being repositioned. In alternative embodiments, the garment strap may be repositioned in the body 110, thereby allowing for increased flexibility and ensuring proper support to a wider range of garments.

In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be made from cotton. In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be made from nylon. In some embodiments, the garment strap 180 may be made from any other appropriate material (e.g., polyester). In some embodiments, a purpose of the garment strap 180 may be to ensure that the garments within the garment storage compartment 190 remain in place. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by tightening the garment strap 180 until the garments are secure. In alternative embodiments, the garment strap 180 may include a strip of material to increase the friction between the garments and the garment strap 180, thereby further ensuring the garments remain in place. In some embodiments, the strip of material may be silicon. In alternative embodiments, the strip of material may be made from any other appropriate material such as, by way of example and not limitation, rubber.

In some embodiments, the garment compartment area 190 may be bounded by the interior lining 111 and the exterior lining 112 (illustrated in FIG. 1). In various embodiments, the garment compartment area 190 may contain and protect garments regardless of how the bag 100 is configured (e.g., in a first “closed” configuration, a second “open” configuration, or any combination therebetween).

FIG. 6 illustrates the bag 100, further illustrating exemplary garments positioned within the garment compartment area 190 and optionally secured to the garment hanger receiver 170 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates the bag 100 in an exemplary partially “closed” position (similar to, for example, the partially closed configuration depicted in FIG. 2). Further illustrated in FIG. 7 are exemplary garments positioned within the packing enclosure 117 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes a plurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary (e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.

Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, except where the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items.

For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions, proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, quantities, characteristics, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter.

Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or more numbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all such numbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers, e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within that range (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like) and any range within that range.

The above-mentioned exemplary embodiments are provided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects of the application, and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serve to limit the scope of the following claims. By way of example, the garment compartment area may be subdivided into various compartments to hold multiple articles. By its nature, this invention is highly adjustable, customizable and adaptable. The above-mentioned exemplary embodiments are just some of the many configurations that the mentioned components can take on. All modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A bag, comprising: a body, a first side panel, and a second side panel, wherein the body comprises an exterior lining and an interior lining forming a garment compartment area substantially therebetween;wherein, in a first configuration of the bag, the body can be laid substantially flat; andwherein, in a second configuration of the bag, the body can be positioned substantially about a longitudinal axis passing through the first and second side panels and secured at its opposite ends such that the body forms a substantially cylindrical shape having first and second side openings that can be operatively coupled to the respective first and second side panels, thereby forming a packing enclosure therein.

2. The bag of claim 1, wherein the interior lining comprises an opening for accessing the garment compartment area.

3. The bag of claim 2, wherein the opening extends substantially along a centerline of a length of the body substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the bag.

4. The bag of claim 2, wherein the opening comprises a fastener for securely closing the opening.

5. The bag of claim 4, wherein the fastener for securely closing the opening is a zipper mechanism.

6. The bag of claim 1, wherein the garment compartment area comprises a garment hanger receiver.

7. The bag of claim 1, wherein the garment compartment area comprises a strap extending along a width of the body.

8. The bag of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first and second side panels comprise one or more pockets.

9. The bag of claim 1 further comprising one or more handles for carrying the bag.

10. The bag of claim 1 further comprising a shoulder strap for carrying the bag.

11. The bag of claim 10, wherein the shoulder strap is adjustable in length.

12. The bag of claim 1, wherein the interior lining further comprises one or more pockets.

13. The bag of claim 12, wherein the one or more pockets of the interior lining may be operatively closed using a fastener.

14. The bag of claim 1, wherein the body can receive one or more garments in the garment compartment area when the bag is in the first configuration.

15. The bag of claim 1, wherein the bag can be placed in the second configuration with one or more garments positioned in the garment compartment area.

16. A bag, comprising: a first side panel, a second side panel, and a substantially rectangular body having a length and a width;wherein the body further comprises an exterior portion and an interior portion, and further wherein the interior portion is coupled to the exterior portion substantially along three sides of a perimeter of the body, and a flap extends from the perimeter along the fourth side of the body, thereby forming a substantially enclosed garment compartment area between the exterior and interior portions;wherein, in a first configuration of the bag, the body can be laid substantially flat on a surface for optionally receiving one or more garments in the garment compartment area; andwherein, in a second configuration of the bag, the body can be positioned substantially about a longitudinal axis passing through the first and second side panels and secured at its opposite ends such that the body forms a substantially cylindrical shape having first and second side openings that can be operatively coupled to the respective first and second side panels, thereby forming a packing enclosure therein.

17. The bag of claim 16, wherein the first and second side panels, in the first configuration of the bag, are attached along a portion of a perimeter of the side panels on opposite sides of the body and each adjacent to one end of the body.

18. The bag of claim 17, wherein in the second configuration of the bag, the first and second side panels operatively couple to respective sides of the body along the remainder of the perimeters of the side panels by way of one continuous zipper that also secures the opposite ends of the body to one another, thereby securely enclosing the packing enclosure.

19. The bag of claim 16, wherein the interior portion further comprises an opening extending along the length of the body.

20. The bag of claim 19, wherein the opening comprises a fastener for securely closing the opening, and further wherein the fastener is a zipper mechanism.