1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to handbags and methods for making handbags. More specifically, the present invention, in a preferred embodiment, is useful as a handbag having and method for making separable inner and outer compartments to provide improved utility.
2. Background of the Invention
It is typical for a person to own several different handbags for a wide variety of functions and occasions. In addition to different functional aspects of varying handbags, there are also a variety of color schemes and designs needed to fashionably go with a particular outfit or occasion.
Different occasions or different attire may call for a particular kind or appearance of handbag. However, moving the contents of one handbag into a different handbag can be problematic. Changing handbags to suit every situation is troublesome, yet no single handbag can suffice for a wide variety of occasions.
Accordingly, there remains a need to improve the way inner and outer compartments connect and detach and further improvement in manufacturing can fill another need. In light of the situation herein, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Handbag System and Method that is more useful and beneficial than prior solutions. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a handbag system and method of manufacture that improves utility and manufacturing; to make the inner and outer handbag construction attractive and appealing to the user as it can be with intimate apparel; to design and make the exterior and interior construction for easier maintenance, washing and storage; and to provide an improved cost effective approach in manufacturing handbags.
The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above mentioned deficiencies associated with the prior art.
More particularly, the present invention may be characterized in a first aspect as a versatile handbag comprising an inner compartment, the inner compartment including: a core material made from polyurethane foam or other plastic foam materials; an elongated rectangular magnet embedded within the core material having a longitudinal axis substantially about a rim of the inner compartment; and a spandex or other similar material covering the core material (on the outside and/or the inside), wherein a shape of the inner compartment is seamless.
The handbag of the present invention may be additionally characterized as comprising an outer compartment, the outer compartment including: a cover (including but not limited to cloth, leather, plastic and synthetic fiber) material formed substantially to cover the inner lining, the cover forming a seam on lateral sides; and an elongated bendable rectangular metal material having a longitudinal axis substantially about a rim of the outer compartment. The invention may further include a grommet adjacent to the elongated metal material and substantially aligned to the longitudinal axis of the metal material, wherein the metal material is configured to be juxtaposed to the rectangular magnet.
In a second aspect, the present invention may be characterized as a method of making a handbag inner compartment comprising: creating a mold in a shape of a pouch, the pouch including a proximal opening, a distal edge, and first and second lateral sides, the proximal opening further including a rim around a circumference thereof; filling the mold with polyurethane or similar material; filling the mold with spandex or similar cover material; and aligning a ferromagnetic material along the rim thereby creating a handbag inner compartment with a seamless appearance.
These, as well as other advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description and drawings. It is understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims (e.g., different sizes and shapes), without departing from the spirit of the invention.
While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expressly understood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35 USC 112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way by the construction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to be accorded the full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition provided by the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in the case where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are to be accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112.
The above-description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of example embodiments of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and the contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The invention can be better visualized by turning now to the following drawings wherein like elements are expressed using like-referenced characters.
The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:
Initially referring to
As also shown, an area underneath rim 114 is defined by longitudinal axis 113 about the upper rim 114 area. First and second elongated magnet materials 111 and 112 (e.g., including without limitation, magnets, ferromagnetic materials, and metallic materials with magnetic or magnet attracting properties) are configured about the rim 114 as shown. The magnets 111, 112 are further shown as dashed lines because they are preferably physically embedded within the material comprising the core material 420 of inner compartment 110 as additionally described herein. Also as shown, elongated magnet 112 is formed symmetrical about axis 113 that extends along side 119 of the inner compartment 110. Further the elongated magnet 112 substantially occupies the length of the rim 114 on side 119. Magnet 111 is located similarly along rim 114 of side 118. In a specific preferred embodiment, the upper rim 114 area may be additionally characterized as extending downward approximate one inch from the rim 114; and therefore longitudinal axis 113 would be approximately one-half inch from the rim 114.
Magnets 111 and 112 can take various forms, including generally flat, elongated strips as shown in
Continuing with regard to
As indicated parenthetically above, magnets 111, 112, 121 and 122 are comprised of magnets and/or metallic materials with magnetic or magnet attracting properties. As such, they magnetically attract to each other. Accordingly, magnets 111, 112, 121 and 122 may all comprise magnets and attract to each other. And, magnets attract to metal, so magnets 111, 112, 121 or 122 may comprise metal so long as the metal is magnetic, magnetically attractive or otherwise has magnet attracting properties. Accordingly, for example, magnets 111 and 112 may comprise magnets and attract to magnets 121 and 122 comprising metal strips. Alternatively, magnets 121 and 122 may comprise magnets and attract to magnets 111 and 112 comprising metal strips. Again alternatively, magnets 111 and 122 may comprise magnets and attract to magnets 121 and 112 comprising metal strips.
Additionally, while optional, as shown in
In an additional alternative embodiment, the magnets 111, 112, 121 and 122 may alternatively be placed in places other than the upper rim areas 114 and 124, such as along the bottom edges 115 and 136 or middle area of the sides 118, 119, 131 and 132. The magnets 111, 112, 121 and 122 in the inner and outer compartments 110 and 120 are aligned in these alternative embodiments in similar fashion as to the preferred embodiments. The difference is that the inner compartment 110 is secured to the outer compartment 120 at the bottom 115 and 136 or middle area of the sides 118, 119, 131 and 132 instead of at the rims 114 and 124.
The inner compartment 110 and outer compartment 120 of the present invention can be made by various methods. These may include conventional sewing methods, whereby each material component of the compartment is sewn together, at least in part. Preferably however, heat pressing, heat molding, stitchless bonding, welding or other molding techniques are used to provide a seamless appearance at the junctions of the first and second lateral sides 118, 119 (e.g., along the distal bottom edge 115 and ends 116) of the inner compartment 110. The outer compartment 120 may be similarly molded at the junctions of lateral sides 131 and 132 at distal edge 136 and ends 126. Any suitable molding technique may be used, e.g., again, at least heat pressing, heat press molding, stitchless bonding, welding or other molding techniques. Molding techniques include simple molding, such applying moldable synthetic materials around sewn materials to cover the seams. Molding techniques include advanced molding, such as using preformed molds as described below.
Accordingly, the inner compartment 110 is preferably made, at least in part, by molding the core and skin materials 420 and 410 with magnetic materials 111, 112 inserted during the molding process. The outer compartment 120 can be made by the same processes, utilizing corresponding core and skin materials 440 and 430. However, the outer compartment 120 is preferably made by sewing methods. The seam of the outer compartment 120 is sometimes a desirable design feature. Further, the skin core material 420 provides design surface for the outside of the outer compartment. More desirable design patterns are available in cloth, plastic and leather materials for handbags. Accordingly, sewing is often used in assembling the sides and core and skin materials 440 and 430 of the outer compartment 120.
However, in further description of molding techniques, with the advent of moldable synthetic materials such as foam and synthetic fabric materials, handbag forms (similar to bra cup forms) are moldable into a single panel of material or assembly of panels of materials to define a three dimensional handbag form.
In one embodiment, this is accomplished by providing a laminated structure of a first panel of a flexible foam material (core material 420) and a second panel material (skin material 410). When molded, the first and second panels are substantially coextensive to each other and define a handbag perimeter shape, including lateral sides 118 and 119 with preferably seamless bottom edge 115 and ends 116 using inner compartment 110 for example. The first panel of flexible foam material (core material 420) may be of constant or varying thickness. Variance in thickness provides a zone of greater thickness at a region or regions away from the perimeter as compared to regions of lesser thickness more proximate to the perimeter. Similarly, many different shapes may be used. Further, changes can be made to shapes during the molding process.
As such, panels are assembled, laminated and molded together in a molding device. The magnetic materials (111, 112 for the inner compartment 110, and 121, 121 for the outer compartment 120, are used interchangeably herein) are also inserted between multiple panels or in openings of the core material 420 to embed the magnet 111, 112 in the core 420 upon molding. For example, the molding device consists of two mold portions each having formed therein a profile or contour of a kind to introduce into the panel assemblies the three dimensional pouch shape of the handbag 100. The upper mold portion for example includes a convex impression and the lower portion includes a concave relief of a substantially complimentary shape to form the pouch shape, including the seamless appearance of the bottom 115 and ends 116 of sides 118 and 119 and the inner shape of inner pocket 134 as shown in
The assemblies of panels of core and skin material (e.g., again, 420 and 410 for the inner compartment 110 and 440 and 430 for the outer compartment 120, used interchangeably herein) are positioned intermediate of the mold portions in a manner so that they overlay each other in an appropriate condition (preferably coextensively) whereupon the two mold portions are then brought together. The magnet materials 111, 112 are placed within the panels of core material 420. The two mold portions are preferably heated. Additional adhesive may be placed intermediate of the assemblies so that both pressure adhesive and heat will ensure that a good laminated bond can be established between the two subassemblies. Upon the formation of the pouch form into the panel assemblies, the intersections of the panels can further be molded so as to embed the magnets 111, 112 in the core material 420 and to exclude visible seams For example, combinations of heat and pressure can meld the materials of the assemblies together. Also, variation or addition of particular heat or compression can further meld materials together in certain selected areas, such as intersections of panels. Again using inner compartment 110 as an example, this results in the seamless appearance of the bottom 115 and ends 116 of sides 118 and 119 and the inner shape of inner pocket 134 as shown in
In a similar aspect, 3 layers of material are placed in a mold to make an inner or outer compartment 110 or 120. Using inner compartment 110 by example, the layers comprise a layer of fabric (exterior wall, skin material 410), then foam (core material 420) and then fabric (interior wall, skin material 410). The mold is sized for example at 8.5 width×11 length in inches. The mold is not flat. It is concaved to ultimately form a pouch shape. The 3 layers are placed in the mold in the fabric, foam, fabric sequence described above. Once the molding of the layers is complete, the molded layers are folded in half lengthwise whereby one end is folded to meet the other end. The sides 118, 119 are molded (i.e., including welded) together at ends 116, and the handbag 100 is formed in the shape of a pouch. In this case, the handbag 100 is approximately 8.5 width×5.5 length in inches.
In another aspect, the method of making a handbag inner compartment may also comprise creating a mold in a shape of a handbag 100 (e.g., a pouch shape) and filling the mold first with core material 420, aligning the magnets 111, 112, compressing the core material around the magnets, filling the mold with skin material 410 and molding the materials together. By molding the intersections of the core materials and skin materials, the handbag inner compartment can be devoid of visible seams on its exterior surface. E.g., see
In another aspect, the invention may be characterized as a method of making a handbag 100 comprising: creating a mold for an inner compartment 110 in a pouch shape of a handbag 100, the handbag 100 including a proximal opening 117, a distal edge 115, and first and second lateral sides 118 and 119, the proximal opening 117 further including a rim 114 around a circumference thereof; filling the mold with polyurethane or similar plastic foam material as the core material 420; filling the mold with synthetic fiber material as the skin material 410; and aligning a ferromagnetic material 111, 112 about the rim 114 and embedded within the core material 420, thereby creating a handbag inner compartment 110 with a seamless appearance.
In another aspect, the method is additionally characterized by sewing an outer compartment 120 configured to cover the inner compartment 110; and sewing metal material 121, 122 about a rim 124 of the outer compartment 120, the metal material 121, 122 configured to be juxtaposed with respect the ferromagnetic material 111, 112 and configured to be attracted to the ferromagnetic material.
Further, the method of making a handbag 100 can be characterized as comprising: stamping a grommet arrangement 129 into the rim 124 of the outer compartment 120; and looping a shoulder strap 128 through the grommet 129. This method further comprises choosing a distinctive design for the skin material 430 of the outer compartment 120. This method is further characterized wherein the aligning ferromagnetic material 111, 112, 121, 122 about and within the core materials 420 and 440 of the rims 114 and 125 comprises providing an elongated rectangular magnet.
While the Handbag System and Method as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages herein before stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as described in the appended claims.
Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
The present application claims the benefit and priority of and incorporates by this reference U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/446,462 filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 24, 2011.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61446462 | Feb 2011 | US |