Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Field of the Invention The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to wearable storage devices, and more specifically are related to wearable storage devices that are convertible and/or reconfigurable (“inter-convertible”) from a first configuration to a second configuration, wherein either the first configuration, the second figuration, or both configurations are wearable.
At times, while travelling or engaging in outdoor activities, to carry supplies or necessary items in some sort of bag, pack, or similar wearable storage device in order to keep one's hands free. Depending upon the situation, it become necessary or desirable to reconfigure the bag or pack to a different size, to allow for more flexibility or efficiency of use. For example, the volume of supplies contained within the bag, pack or similar device may increase or decrease depending upon the situation, such as while shopping (leading to a need for an increase in size) or as the supplies or items contained within the wearable storage device (leading to a need for a decrease in size). Under these circumstances, it would be beneficial to be able to quickly adjust the size and volume of the bag, pack or other wearable device being used in order to provide a more useful configuration and size, adjusting for the amount of volume needed. It may also be desirable to reconfigure the storage device from a wearable item to a pack or bag suitable for ready attachment to a vehicle, such as a bicycle or the like.
Many convertible bags are available which are directed to attempting to solve the problems set forth above. Some bags use a system of straps or buckles which are used to vary the volume of the bag. Other bags have compartments or pockets for holding larger compartments or pockets which fold out of the smaller compartments. However, in such bags, when the larger pocket is to be folded back into the smaller pocket, the larger pocket must be folded precisely as it was originally packaged or the larger pocket will not fit properly into the smaller pocket, thus increasing the bulk of the bag and is decreasing the volume of the smaller pocket. Other multi-use bags heretofore in use include detachable bags and removable panels used to expand or contract the useful volume of the bag. Such an arrangement, as suggested in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,756,394, and 4,515,300, can be bulky and cumbersome to assemble as both disclose larger pockets which are folded into smaller pockets. U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,824 describes a fanny pack which is expandable by unfolding larger pockets, but the pack remains a fanny pack, and the extra pockets obtained by unfolding the pack can be awkward to carry as the pocket hangs from the fanny pack, thus possibly hindering the activity of the wearer of the fanny pack.
The known patent literature in this area is further exemplified by a number of patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,274 which describes a convertible handbag/backpack; U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,102 which describes a sports bag having adjustable straps for carrying the bag in three different positions; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,951, which describes a backpack in which the interior surface thereof and the exterior surface thereof are interchangeable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,317 discloses a travelling bag which is convertible between a backpack, a shoulder bag and an over the head bag, but the methods of carrying out such a conversion are not easy.
Other approaches are directed to wearable devices, such as backpacks, that are reversible, allowing the wearer to selectively determine if the front or rear surface of the backpack or similar wearable device is exposed outwardly when the device is worn by the user. However, these reversible products fail to address the issue at hand in that they are not able to be reconfigured to other wearable products, particularly products with altered interior volume.
All of these approaches involve the user to manipulate, reconfigure, and re-attach at least one strap or similar feature of the device, and often involve multiple, sometimes time-consuming steps in order to use. However, none of the aforementioned devices or approaches disclose or describe a wearable storage is device, such as a backpack, hip bag, or similar, which includes means for enabling the wearer to readily interconvert the storage device from one configuration to another, different configuration, making the wearable device convertibly capable of being reconfigured into on or more carrying modes, through a simple interconversion.
The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to improved apparatus, systems and methods for readily reconfiguring a wearable storage device from a first configuration to a second configuration, wherein the second configuration may be wearable by a person, or in the alternative attachable to another object, such as to a vehicle having a handlebar, and wherein the two configurations are easily and quickly interconvertible. In accordance with alternative aspects of the present disclosure, the wearable storage device may be configured from a first, wearable configuration to a second configuration wherein the second configuration is a nonwearable item, such as a collapsible travel accessory or item of luggage, or an organizational system or storage container. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, in accordance with the drawings.
The objects described above and other advantages and features of the invention are incorporated in systems and articles that provide for reconfigurable, wearable articles that interconvert quickly and easily from a first configuration to a second configuration, at least one of which configurations is wearable by a user.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, A wearable storage device for containing articles and capable of being worn by a user is described, the storage device comprising a front panel, a spatially opposite rear panel attached to the front panel along two longitudinal edges to form two opposite longitudinal sides, a bottom panel, and a top panel, all of which comprise interior and exterior surfaces and which together define an interior compartment accessible through at least a portion of the top is panel; at least one pocket located on an exterior wall of the front or rear panel; and an opening located on the top panel comprising a closure means; wherein the interior is configured to receive articles therein; and wherein the storage device includes a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration the size of the storage device is larger than the size of the storage device in the second configuration.
In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, a backpack is described, the backpack comprising a body comprising a front panel, a spatially opposite rear panel, a first side region, a second side region, a bottom panel, and a top panel, all of which comprise interior and exterior surfaces and which together define an open, partition-free interior compartment accessible through at least a portion of the top panel; and at least one pocket located on an exterior wall of the front panel or the rear panel; wherein the backpack includes a first wearable configuration and a second wearable configuration, wherein in the first configuration the size of the storage device is larger than the size of the storage device in the second configuration, and wherein the backpack is reversibly convertible from the first wearable configuration to the second wearable configuration through an inversion through the at least one pocket on an exterior wall of the storage device.
The following figures form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these figures in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.
While the inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, only a few specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The figures and detailed descriptions of these specific embodiments are not intended to limit the breadth or scope of the inventive concepts or the appended claims in any manner. Rather, the figures and detailed written descriptions are provided to illustrate the inventive concepts to a person of ordinary skill in the art and to enable such person to make and use the inventive concepts.
The following definitions are provided in order to aid those skilled in the art in understanding the detailed description of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terms used in connection with the present invention shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.
Further in this connection, certain features of the invention which are, for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any sub-combination.
The articles “a” and “an” may be employed in connection with various elements and components of compositions, processes or structures described herein. This is merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the compositions, processes or structures. Such a description includes “one or at least one” of the elements or components. Moreover, as used herein, the singular articles also include a description of a plurality of elements or components, unless it is apparent from a specific context that the plural is excluded.
The term “about” means that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics 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. In general, an amount, size, formulation, parameter or other quantity or characteristic is “about” or “approximate” whether or not expressly stated to be such. The term “about” also encompasses amounts that differ due to different equilibrium conditions for a composition resulting from a particular initial mixture. Whether or not modified by the term “about”, the claims include equivalents to the quantities. The term “about” may mean within 10% of the reported numerical value, preferably within 5% of the reported numerical value.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
In addition, the ranges set forth herein include their endpoints unless expressly stated otherwise. Further, when an amount, dimension, or other value or parameter is given as a range, one or more preferred ranges or a list of upper preferable values and lower preferable values, this is to be understood as specifically disclosing all ranges formed from any pair of any upper range limit or preferred value and any lower range limit or preferred value, regardless of whether such pairs are separately disclosed. The scope of the invention is not limited to the specific values recited when defining a range.
The term “proximal” as used herein is a broad term, and is to be given its ordinary and customary meaning to a person of ordinary skill in the art (and it is not to be limited to a special or customized meaning), and refers without limitation to near to a point of reference such as an origin or a point of attachment. For example, in some embodiments of a wearable storage device system that includes an opening, the closure assembly for the opening is located more proximal to the top face or surface of the storage assembly than to the bottom face or surface.
The term “distal” as used herein is a broad term, and is to be given its ordinary and customary meaning to a person of ordinary skill in the art (and it is not to be limited to a special or customized meaning), and refers without limitation to spaced relatively far from a point of reference, such as an origin or a point of attachment. For example, in some embodiments of a wearable storage device system that includes an opening, the closure assembly for the opening is located more distal to the bottom face or surface of the storage assembly than to the top face or surface,
The term “substantially” as used herein is a broad term, and is to be given its ordinary and customary meaning to a person of ordinary skill in the art (and it is not to be limited to a special or customized meaning), and refers without limitation to a sufficient amount that provides a desired function.
The term “wearable”, as used herein, means any wearable device capable of is being removably positioned on a user, including a human being (“person”) or a domesticated animal (including but not limited to dogs and horses), such that an item that is worn by a user is supported by the user, and is optionally capable of moving about with the user, as an area of the user on which the item being worn moves about.
The Figures described above and the written description of specific structures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope of what Applicant has invented or the scope of the appended claims. Rather, the Figures and written description are provided to teach any person skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for which patent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions are described or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons of skill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actual commercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventions will require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the developer's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Such implementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are not limited to, compliance with system-related, business-related, government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specific implementation, location and from time to time. While a developer's efforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, such efforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skill in this art having benefit of this disclosure. It must be understood that the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Lastly, the use of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, “a,” is not intended as limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relational terms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are used in the written description for clarity in specific reference to the Figures and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims.
Applicant has created storage devices, wearable by users, such as a human or is a domestic animal (such as a dog or a horse), that are easily and readily transformable, or configurable, from a first storage device into a second storage device, via a simple interconversion, wherein either the first storage device, the second storage device, or both are wearable. As will be described in more detail herein, the storage devices may be wearable by a user, or in the alternative attachable to a vehicle, wherein in at least one configuration the storage device is a storage device wearable by a user (a “wearable storage device), which may be a waist bag (alternatively referred to herein as a “hip pack” or “waist pack”), a shoulder bag, a backpack, a chest pack, or any other storage device, assembly or accessory related to travelling.
Referring now to the figures,
In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the peripheral wall(s) of the pack 10 can include a top wall portion 8, opposite bottom wall 20, opposite and spaced apart front and back wall portions 11 and 12, and spaced apart opposite end wall is portions 14 and 16 disposed between the top wall portion 18 and the bottom wall portion 20, attachment means 121 for connecting a distally spaced strap end of strap 22 to each of end wall portions 14, 16. Waist pack 10 may further include a security means, such as zipper slide assembly 30, located proximal to the interface of front wall 11 and the top wall/top face 18, for preventing unauthorized access to the interior portion of the pack 10.
The convertible waist pack 10 as illustrated most clearly in
As further shown in
While not specifically shown in the figures, it is envisioned that at least a portion of the outwardly facing front wall portion 11 of the pack 10 (
The backpack 100 includes a front panel 102 and an opposite, rear panel 104 which are attached to each other along their edges by opposite and spaced apart side panels 106, 108, bottom panel 112 and top panel 110 to define an interior section 130. Front panel 102 includes zippered openings 116 into a separate, front pocket 114, and top panel 110 includes an opening 150 which allow access into the interior portion of backpack 100. Separate front pocket 114 is attached to front panel 102 and includes zippered opening 116 which opens to allow access into front pocket 114. As shown in
As shown in
In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the backpack 100 that is convertible from a waist or hip pack 10 via a simple interconversion, or that is convertible from backpack 100 to a hip pack 10 via a similar interconversion (which will be detailed in more depth herein) may not have separate and distinct side panels. Rather, the backpack 100 may comprise generally parallel front and rear panels 102 and 104, each having upper and lower edges, and a bottom panel 112, and a means for joining, wherein the joined edges of the panels forms the side portions of the apparatus.
Turning now to
In some instances, for example in the situation where the storage device is a large backpack, rather than transforming via an interconversion to a smaller storage device such as a waist pack 10, it can be transformed to a larger storage device such as a duffle bag 300, as illustrated generally in
In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, it is envisioned that the storage device is a duffle bag, such as duffle bag 300, in the first configuration, and in the second configuration is a storage bag capable of being removably attached to the handlebars of a two- or three-wheeled vehicle through at least one non-elastic attachment means capable of engaging and disengaging from the handlebars. In accordance with this aspect, but without intending to be limited, the two- or three-wheeled vehicle is selected from the group consisting of bicycles, tricycles, scooters, and motorcycles. The attachment means can include, but is not limited to, silent or non-silent hook-and-loop straps, cables, straps, connectors having male components and associated female components, and other similar attachment means capable of securing the storage device to the handle-bar portion of a vehicle.
The storage devices of the present disclosure can be fabricated of any appropriate material, including but not limited to canvas, polymeric materials such as nylon or resilient plastic, fabric material, webbing material, leather, and synthetic materials.
Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of the inventions described above can be devised without departing from the spirit of Applicant's invention. For example, storage devices not specifically described herein, either wearable or non-wearable, can be devised and created using the teachings of the present disclosure. In example, the storage device could be a diaper bag, a tote bag, a handbag, or a similar carrying article. Further, the various methods and embodiments of the configurable storage devices can be included in combination with each other to produce variations of the disclosed methods and embodiments. Additionally, discussion of singular elements can include plural elements and vice-versa.
The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwise specifically limited. The various steps described herein can be combined with other steps, interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split into multiple steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally and can be embodied as separate components or can be combined into components having multiple functions.
The inventions have been described in the context of preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has been described. Obvious modifications and alterations to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. The disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by the Applicants, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, Applicants intend to fully protect all such modifications and improvements that come within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/236,993, filed Aug. 25, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63236993 | Aug 2021 | US |