Patent Application
20060060440
The present invention relates generally to garment bags, and more particularly to flexible or soft garment bags, typically without a perimeter zipper closure to connect various folded sections, which may include a suitable form of stiffened rear wall and/or frame. It particularly relates to an improved form of garment bag incorporating a frame extension forming a stabilizer which increases the footprint of the bag when the bag is folded and to provide a support base for the folded section of the bag.
Various forms of garment bags have been manufactured and used for years, and are very familiar to travelers. The typical bag can be hung or held vertically, and can be folded transversely between the ends of the bag either as a double fold or a tri-fold, and then carried by a handle like a suitcase. The inside of a bag of this type usually includes an upper hanger bracket onto which a coat hanger can be attached, and garment bags of this type are designed and configured to hold one or more suits, dresses or the like. Various internal and external pockets having suitable closures, such as zippers, are provided for holding accessory items such as underwear, socks, toiletries and the like. Some bags of this type include wheels and an extendable handle to allow the bag to be pulled or rolled much like a “roll-on” bag.
One of the problems with many foldable garment bags is that the outer folded section of the bag lacks stability, and in the case of many bags with wheels this outer section may drag on the ground or other surface, thereby impeding mobility with the bag and increasing wear on the bag at this section.
The present invention provides a solution to the stability problem of bags, particularly those without perimeter zipper, by incorporating an extension forming a stabilizer at the base of the folded bag which increases the footprint and provides a support base for the folded section or sections. Preferably, the stabilizer comprises an extension of a lower internal frame member of the bag to which the wheels usually are mounted although the stabilizer can be a separate piece.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved garment bag.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood through consideration of the following description and drawings.
c are diagrammatic illustrations of a conventional bi-fold or tri-fold garment bag of the prior art, and
c are similar diagrammatic illustrations but of the present bag including the stabilizer; and
Turning now to the drawings,
A tri-fold bag is illustrated, but the present concepts are equally applicable to other types of foldable garment bags such as bi-fold, and can be applied to bags with a perimeter zipper 70 as shown in
Importantly, the bag includes a stabilizer 18 as best seen in
In order to better understand the present inventive bag, reference is now made to
With this type of bag 22, an outer fold section 30 tends to hang down vertically such that the lower end 32 thereof may drag thereby impeding transport of the bag via the wheels as well as adding wear to the bag. The bags of this type lack stability of the outer section 30 because of the absence of a solid interconnected wheel base to stabilize the bag when standing alone as is required for usability.
Turning now to
Turning again to
Turning again to
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and described herein in detail. However, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular form or structure disclosed, but to the contrary the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
