The present application generally relates to carry packs, and more particularly, to a load carrying pack system.
Existing carryings systems, which may be backpacks, hydration packs, slings, hip packs or the like, have either a maximum cargo capacity or come with no pockets at all, such as hydration packs. Accordingly, a person may have to buy different sized bags for different situations. For example, the military personnel have 24 hour bags, 48 hour bags, and 72 hours bags, which as the names of these bags suggest, are used based on the duration of use of the bags. One bag may be too large or too small for various situations where weight and maneuverability are important. For example, weight and maneuverability are important in hiking and mountaineering. Therefore, one bag may be too large or too small for various situations, thereby requiring the purchase and use of multiple packs, which can become expensive.
According to one aspect, a load carrying system includes a first pack having at least one strap with a first section and a second section configured to be detachably connectable to form a loop for carrying the first pack. The load carrying system further includes a second pack having at least a first slot and a second slot extending through the second pack. The first pack and the second pack define a first load carrying configuration when the first pack and the second pack are usable separately and independent of each other to carry a corresponding load. The first pack and the second pack also define a second load carrying configuration when the first pack and the second pack are used together. In the second load carrying configuration, the first section of the at least one strap extends from inside the second pack through the first slot to outside the second pack and the second section of the at least one strap extends from inside the second pack through the second slot to outside the second pack. The first section of the at least one strap and the second section of the at least one strap are connected to form a loop for carrying the first pack and the second pack in the second load carrying configuration.
According to another aspect, a load carrying system includes a first pack having a first strap with a first section and a second section being detachably connectable to form a loop, and a second strap having a first section and a second section being detachably connectable to form a loop. The load carrying system further includes a second pack having a back panel and a first pair of slots and a second pair of slots extending through the back panel. The first pack and the second pack define a first load carrying configuration when the first pack and the second pack are usable separately and independent of each other to carry a corresponding load. The first pack and the second pack also define a second load carrying configuration when the first pack and the second pack are used together. In the second load carrying configuration, the first pack is located at least partly inside the second pack, each of the first and second sections of the first strap extends from inside the second pack through one of the slots of the first pair of slots to outside the second pack, and each of the first and second sections of the second strap extends from inside the second pack through one of the slots of the second pair of slots to outside the second pack. Also in the second load carrying configuration, the first section of the first strap and the second section of the first strap are connected to form a first loop for carrying the first pack and the second pack in the second load carrying configuration, and the first section of the second strap and the second section of the second strap are connected to form a second loop for carrying the first pack and the second pack in the second load carrying configuration.
According to another aspect, the first slot and the second slot may be located on a back panel of the second pack.
According to another aspect, the second pack may include a reinforcing structure at or proximate to each of the first slot and the second slot and configured to support each slot in the second load carrying configuration.
According to another aspect, the second pack may include a support sleeve at or proximate to each of the first slot and the second slot. Each of the first section and the second section of the at least one strap extends though the corresponding support sleeve in the second load carrying configuration.
According to another aspect, the second pack may include support straps at or proximate to each of the first slot and the second slot. Each of the first section and the second section of the at least one strap is attached to the corresponding support strap in the second load carrying configuration.
According to another aspect, the second pack includes a back panel having a first section and a second section. The second section is partly removable from the first section. The first slot and the second slot are in the second section.
According to another aspect, the second pack includes a back panel having a support structure configured to at least partly support a load carried in the second pack.
According to another aspect, the second pack includes a back panel having a support structure having at least one of vertically oriented or horizontally oriented support beams.
According to another aspect, a method of providing a load carrying system for a first pack and a second pack is disclosed. The first pack includes at least one strap with a first section and a second section configured to be detachably connectable to form a loop for carrying the first pack, and the second pack includes at least a first slot and a second slot extending through the second pack. The first pack and the second pack define a first load carrying configuration when the first pack and the second pack are usable separately and independent of each other to carry a corresponding load, and the first pack and the second pack define a second load carrying configuration when the first pack and the second pack are used together. The method includes inserting the first section of the strap from inside the second pack through the first slot to outside the second pack, inserting the second section of the strap from inside the second pack through the second slot to outside the second pack, and connecting the first section of the strap and the second section of the strap to form a loop for carrying the first pack and the second pack in the second load carrying configuration.
According to another aspect, the method of providing a load carrying system further includes inserting the first section of the strap through a first support sleeve located at or proximate to the first slot, and inserting the second section of the strap through a second support sleeve located at or proximate to the second slot.
According to another aspect, the method of providing a load carrying system further includes connecting the first section of the strap to a first support strap located at or proximate to the first slot, and connecting the second section of the strap to a second support strap located at or proximate to the second slot.
According to another aspect, inserting the first section of the strap from inside the second pack through the first slot to outside the second pack and inserting the second section of the strap from inside the second pack through the second slot to outside the second pack includes partly removing a second section of a back panel of the second pack from a first section of the back panel of the second pack. The first slot and the second slot are in the second section of the back panel. The method further includes inserting the first section of the strap through the first slot to outside the second pack and inserting the second section of the strap through the second slot to outside the second pack, and connecting the second section of the back panel to the first section of the back panel.
According to another aspect, the method of providing a load carrying system further includes inserting a first section of a second strap from inside the second pack through a third slot to outside the second pack, inserting a second section of the second strap from inside the second pack through a fourth slot to outside the second pack, and connecting the first section of the second strap and the second section of the second strap to form a loop for carrying the first pack and the second pack in the second load carrying configuration.
Referring to
The first pack 102 may also include a handle 111, by which a person can lift, move and/or carry the pack 102. Each strap 108 and 110 includes an upper strap section 108a and 110a and a lower strap section 108b and 110b, respectively. The upper strap section 108a is connected or attached at one end to the upper right portion of the body 106. At the opposite and, the upper strap section 108a includes a first mating part 112a of a fastener 112. The lower strap section 108b is connected or attached at one end to the lower right portion of the body 106. At the opposite end, the lower strap section 108b includes a second mating part 112b of the fastener 112. The strap 108 forms a loop with the body 106 when the first mating part 112a and the second mating part 112b are mated or connected.
The upper strap section 110a is connected or attached at one end to the upper left portion of the body 106. At the opposite end, the upper strap section 110a includes a first mating part 114a of a fastener 114. The lower strap section 110b is connected or attached at one end to the lower left portion of the body 106. At the opposite end, the lower strap section 110b includes a second mating part 114b of the fastener 114. The strap 110 forms a loop with the body 106 when the first mating part 114a and the second mating part 114b are mated or connected.
Each of the fasteners 112 and 114 can be any type of fastener that is used to connect to flexible parts. For example, the fasteners 112 and 114 may be clip-type fasteners that are commonly used in backpacks to connect two straps. In such fasteners, the first mating fasteners 112a and 114a may be formed by a female plastic part configured to receive the second mating fasteners 112b and 114b, respectively, which may be correspondingly sized male plastic parts. The second mating fasteners 112b and 114b may include flexible tabs (not shown) that compress when the second mating fasteners 112b and 114b are inserted into the first mating fasteners 112a and 114a. The first mating fasteners 112a and 114a can include slots (not shown) that receive the tabs, such that the tabs snap into the slots to lock the second mating fasteners 112b and 114b into the first mating fasteners 112a and 114 a, respectively. The above-described fastener is only an exemplary fastener that can be used for the fasteners 112 one 114 and in no way limits the type of fastener that can be used for the fasteners 112 and 114. Any fastener that can connect and secure the two sections 108a and 108b or the two sections 110a and 110b can be used in the first pack 102. For example, the fasteners 112 and 114 may be belt-type fasteners. The noted belt-type fastener typically includes a buckle with a pin for engaging spaced apart holes in a strap. In yet another example, the fasteners 112 and 114 may be frictional belt-type fasteners. The noted belt-type fastener typically includes a buckle with one or more ribbed or roughened surfaces that frictionally engage a strap to securely maintain the strap in the buckle.
Referring to
The back panel 122 includes two slots 130 on the right side (i.e., corresponding to the right side of the person using the pack) and two slots 132 on the left side (i.e., corresponding to the left side of the person using the pack). The back panel 122, can be made of ballistic nylon, nylon mesh, cotton, linen, rip-stop polyester, neoprene, or any type of fabric that may be suitable for use in a particular pack depending on the purpose of thatpack. The material of each panel (e.g. back, front, side, top, bottom, flaps) may be different. The one or more materials for each panel may be chosen so as to be suitable for each panel depending on the purpose and/or the operating location or environment of a pack. For example, the top of the pack may need to be smooth. Accordingly, a rip-stop polyester may be best suited while the bottom may best be served with a ballistic nylon coated with rubber.
The term slot as used herein does not limit the shape, size and/or configuration of the openings which define the slots. The openings defining the slots may be in any configuration. The two slots 130 include an upper right slot 130a and a lower right slot 130b. The two slots 132 include an upper left slot 132a and a lower left slot 132b. The slots 130a, 130b, 132a, and 132b extend through the back panel 122 so as to provide openings from the interior of the body 120 to the outside of the body 120. The slots 130a, 130b, 132a, and 132b are configured to accommodate insertion of the straps 108 and 110 of the first pack 102 as described in detail below. The slots can also be made large enough to accommodate hip belts that are typically provided on hiking or mountain packs. Certain hiking or mountain packs include a rigid internal frame or a rigid external frame. For hiking or mountain packs with hard external frames, additional slots may be provided to accommodate portions of the hard external frames.
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A person using the load carrying system 200 can use the first pack 202 alone to carry gear when the first pack 202 provides sufficient load carrying volume. If more load carrying volume is needed, the person can use the second pack 204, which may be stowed in any manner. For example, the second pack 204 can be rolled up and securely held on the first pack 202 with straps (not shown) similar to the method described and shown in
Referring to
When the second pack 204 is lightly loaded, a person carrying the pack 204 may wish to reduce the size of the second pack 204 in order to reduce interference of the second pack 204 with the person's body or with objects by which the person may encounter. To reduce the size of the second pack 204, the pack 204 may include two straps 252a and 252b on the bottom of the pack 204 outside the lower compartment 240 or on the lower portion of the back panel 222. As shown in
Referring to
Each strap 308 and 310 includes an upper strap section 308a and 310a and a lower strap section 308b and 310b, respectively. The upper strap section 308a is connected or attached at one end to the upper right portion of the body 306. At the opposite and, the upper strap section 308a includes a first mating part 312a of a fastener 312. The lower strap section 308b is connected or attached at one end to the lower right portion of the body 306. At the opposite end, the lower strap section 308b includes a second mating part 312b of the fastener 312. The strap 308 forms a loop with the body 306 when the first mating part 312a and the second mating part 312b are mated or connected.
The upper strap section 310a is connected or attached at one end to the upper left portion of the body 306. At the opposite end, the upper strap section 310a includes a first mating part 314a of a fastener 314. The lower strap section 310b is connected or attached at one end to the lower left portion of the body 306. At the opposite end, the lower strap section 310b includes a second mating part 314b of the fastener 314. The strap 310 forms a loop with the body 306 when the first mating part 314a and the second mating part 314b are mated or connected. The fasteners 312 and 314 may be similar to the fasteners 112 and 114 of the load carrying system 100.
The second pack 304 includes a body 320 defining one or more storage compartments. A first section 321 of the body 320 includes a back panel 322, a front panel 324. Access to the interior of the first section 321 body 320 can be provided by an opening in the front panel 324, or at least partial removal of the front panel 324 from the body 320. The front panel 324 includes a zipper 328 for providing access to the interior of the body 320. The zipper 128 may be located anywhere on the body 320 to allow access to the interior of the body 320. The second pack 304 includes an outer panel 325, which defines a second section 323 of the body 320 with the back panel 322. The second section 323 of the body 320 may be used for storage of different items.
The outer panel 325 is used to assemble the first pack 302 and the second pack 304 to form the load carrying system 300 as described below. The outer panel 325 is attached to the back panel 322 or to the first section 321 at one edge so as to function as a removable flap as shown in
The outer panel 325 includes two slots 330 on the right side (i.e., corresponding to the right side of the person using the pack) and two slots 332 on the left side (i.e., corresponding to the left side of the person using the pack). The two slots 330 include an upper right slot 330a and a lower right slot 330b. The two slots 332 include an upper left slot 332a and a lower left slot 332b. The slots 330a, 330b, 332a, and 332b extend through the outer panel 325 so as to provide openings from one side of the outer panel 325 to the other side of the outer panel 325. The slots 330a, 330b, 332a, and 332b are configured to accommodate insertion of the straps 308 and 310 of the first pack 302 as described in detail below.
A person provided with the load carrying system 300 can use the first pack 302 to carry objects inside the body 306. Alternatively, the first pack 302 can be a hydration pack 302. A person can support the first pack 302 on his back by using the straps 308 and 310. The pack 304 is an optional feature of the load carrying system 300 that may be used when needed. Accordingly, as will be described in detail below, the pack 304 may be stowed when not in use. When the person wishes to use the second pack 304, he or she can assemble the pack 302 with the pack 304 to form the load carrying system 300 as described below.
To assemble the first pack 302 with the second pack 304, the fasteners 329a and 329b of the outer panel 325 are unfastened to partly detach the outer panel 325 from the first section 321, except for the upper edge of the outer panel 325. Referring to
The second pack 404 includes a body 420 defining one or more storage compartments. The body 420 includes a back panel 422 and a front panel 424. Access to the interior of the body 420 can be provided by an opening in the front panel 424, or at least partial removal of the front panel 424 from the body 420. For example, the front panel 424 may be partially removed from the body 420 with a zipper 428. The zipper 428 may be located anywhere on the body 420 to allow access to the interior of the body 420. The zipper 428 may be located on three sides of the front panel 424, thereby allowing access to the entire interior of the body 420.
The back panel 422 includes an upper slot 430a and a lower slot 430b. The slots 430a and 430b extend through the back panel 422 so as to provide openings from the interior of the body 420 to the outside of the back panel 422. The slots 430a and 430b are configured to accommodate insertion of the strap 408 of the first pack 402 as described in detail below.
A person provided with the load carrying system 400 can use the first pack 402 to carry objects inside the body 406. The second pack 404 is an optional feature of the load carrying system 400 that may be used when needed. Accordingly, the second pack 404 may be stowed when not in use. When the person wishes to use the second pack 404, he or she can assemble the pack 402 with the pack 404 to form the load carrying system 400. To do so, the front panel 424 of the second pack 404 is opened with the zipper 428 to provide full access to the interior of the second pack 404. To assemble first pack 402 with the second pack 404, the fastener 412 is unfastened to separate the strap 408 into strap sections 408a and 408b. Subsequently, the strap sections 408a and 408b are inserted and passed through the slots 430a and 430b, respectively, from the inside of the body 420 of the second pack 404. The straps are fully pulled through their corresponding slots until the first pack 402 is completely inside the second pack 404 and abuts the inner side of the back panel 422 of the second pack 404. Accordingly, the first pack 402 should preferably be smaller or at most be nearly the same size as the interior dimensions of the back panel 422 so that the first pack 402 can fit inside the second pack 404 as described above. To complete the assembly process, the first mating part 412a is connected or mated to the second mating part 412b to secure the fastener 412. Thus, the strap 408 completes a loop with the back panel 422 of the second pack 404. The person can then carry both packs 402 and 404 with the shoulder strap 408, while utilizing the load carrying capabilities of both packs 402 and 404.
The second pack 504 includes a body 520 defining one or more storage compartments. The body 520 includes a back panel 522 and a front panel 524. Access to the interior of the body 520 can be provided by an opening in the front panel 524, or at least partial removal of the front panel 524 from the body 520. For example, the front panel 524 may be partially removed from the body 520 with a zipper 528. The zipper 528 may be located anywhere on the body 520 to allow access to the interior of the body 520. The zipper 528 may be located on three sides of the front panel 524, thereby allowing access to the entire interior of the body 520.
The back panel 522 includes a first slot 530a and a second slot 530b. The slots 530a and 530b extend through the back panel 522 so as to provide openings from the interior of the body 520 to the outside of the back panel 522. The slots 530a and 530b are configured to accommodate insertion of the strap 508 of the first pack 502 as described in detail below.
A person provided with the load carrying system 500 can use the first pack 502 to carry objects inside the body 506. The second pack 504 is an optional feature of the load carrying system 500 that may be used when needed. Accordingly, the second pack 504 may be stowed when not in use. When the person wishes to use the second pack 504, he or she can assemble the pack 502 with the pack 504 to form the load carrying system 500. To do so, the front panel 524 of the second pack 504 is opened with the zipper 528 to provide full access to the interior of the second pack 504. To assemble first pack 502 with the second pack 504, the fastener 512 is unfastened to separate the strap 508 into strap sections 508a and 508b. Subsequently, the strap sections 508a and 508b are inserted and passed through the slots 530a and 530b, respectively, from inside of the body 520 of the second pack 504. The straps are fully pulled through their corresponding slots until the first pack 502 is completely inside the second pack 504 and abuts the inner side of the back panel 522 of the second pack 504. Accordingly, the first pack 502 should preferably be smaller or at most be nearly the same size as the interior dimensions of the back panel 522 so that the first pack 502 can fit inside the second pack 504 as described above. To complete the assembly process, the first mating part 512a is connected or mated to the second mating part 512b to secure the fastener 512. Thus, the strap 508 completes a loop with the back panel 522 of the second pack 504. The person can then carry both packs 502 and 504 on his or her waist with the waist strap 508, while utilizing the load carrying capabilities of both packs 502 and 504.
In the above embodiments, each strap of the first pack passes through a corresponding slot in the second pack. Accordingly, substantially the entire weight of the second pack may be transferred to the straps at the second slots or the areas around the second slots. Therefore, the slots experience forces that may cause tears, rips, breakage or other damage to the back panel of the second pack.
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Although not shown, other reinforcing devices or methods may be used. Each of the slots may have reinforcement stitching or extra fabric or other rigid or flexible reinforcing materials at and/or around the slot. Each slot may include a plastic or a metal grommet for reinforcement. Furthermore, the back panel of each pack may include extra fabric or rigid and/or flexible support by which the slots are reinforced.
The first and/or second packs according to the disclosure can be made out of any materials suited for the packs' intended application, such as education, sports, mountaineering, military, etc. For example, military versions of the packs may be made out of mil-spec ballistic nylon. Civilian packs may require weather proofing materials or netting for use with water sports. The first and/or second packs may include material to provide different levels of rigidity depending on the intended application to increase comfort, distribute weight, and/or to provide protection for the user from items stored inside the packs or external objects. The preferred rigidity of the first pack and/or the second pack may be achieved by using semi-rigid materials such as neoprene or foam, to more rigid materials such as plastics, composites, and/or even metals. The type and/or the amount of materials chosen for providing the preferred rigidity may depend upon the intended application of the packs, size of the packs, and/or the weight intended to be carried by the packs. For example a light pack may not require any rigid material, but a large pack for use in mountaineering or extended hikes may require a greater level of rigidity. The placement of the rigid materials depends on the function of the first pack and/or the second pack. The shape of the rigid material may be determined so as to provide an optimum collapsed configuration for the packs and/or an optimum comfort for the user.
Although a particular order of actions is described above for the load carrying system, these actions may be performed in other temporal sequences. For example, two or more actions described above may be performed sequentially, concurrently, or simultaneously. Alternatively, two or more actions may be performed in reversed order. Further, one or more actions described above may not be performed at all. The apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited in this regard.
While the invention has been described in connection with various aspects, it will be understood that the invention is capable of further modifications. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptation of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention, and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known and customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains.