Patent Application
20120248161
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoulder straps for bags such as laptop bags which enable such bags to be carried over the shoulder, and more particularly to pads for use with such straps to make their use more comfortable to the user.
2. The Prior Art
Shoulder straps are very commonly provided on bags such as sports bags, hand bags, laptop bags and the like so as to enable the bag to be carried by the user on their shoulder, thereby freeing their hands. Often, such bags can be heavy, and a simply shoulder strap can cut into the wearer's shoulder, causing discomfort. Also, the material of the typical strap does not grip very well to typical textile material of a top or coat of the user on which the strap engages. This can lead to the strap continually slipping off the shoulder, which causes annoyance to the user.
In order to overcome these problems, it is known to provide a pad on the shoulder strap which engages between the strap and the shoulder of the wearer. The pad has a larger surface area than the strap so as to spread the load over a larger area on the shoulder of the wearer and is also padded with foam or the like. Both of these elements are aimed at increasing comfort to the wearer. The surface of the pad which, in use, is directed towards the users shoulder is also commonly coated. with a material and/or finished in a manner which increases grip so as try to prevent the problem of the strap slipping off the shoulder of the wearer.
Whilst these provisions are an improvement over the use of a simple strap, in practice the problems still exist, and there is, therefore, a need for an improved shoulder pad which overcomes these and other problems known with existing shoulder carry straps,
According to the present invention there is provided a webbed shoulder pad for use with a shoulder carrying strap, the pad having a lower engagement surface which, in use, engages against the shoulder, of a user, an upper surface which, in use, faces away from the shoulder of the user, opposing ends which, in use, attach to a shoulder strap, a plurality of tendon bands having opposing ends, and at least two nodes, each tendon band extending between a pair of nodes, each tendon band being spaced apart and disconnected from other said tendon bands between said nodes at least at the lower surface of the pad., whereby said tendon bands form a web arrangement which extends between the opposing ends of said pad.
A shoulder pad in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the webbed configuration has a larger number of edges to the pad as compared with prior art designs. As a result, the lateral grip of the pad is improved which gives improved resistance to slipping down. Furthermore, the distribution of the edges across the pad means that the pad is better able to grip in the natural creases and contours of a wears body and clothing, further improving the resistance to slipping down the shoulder. The webbed design also means that the pad better moulds to fit the contours of the wearer's shoulder meaning that the whole surface of the pad will fully engage against the wearer's shoulder. This increases comfort as compared with the prior art, even for designs where the actual surface area of the lower surface if less than that of a conventional solid design, and also further improves grip, The openings also act as vents which help to circulate air creating less sweat.
The pad of the invention may be permanently fastened to a shoulder strap but is preferably removably attached thereto so as to enable retro fitting to existing straps. To that end, fastening means may be provided on each end for releasably attaching the pad to a strap. Such fastening means may enable attachment between ends of a strap but preferably enable the pad to be secured to a middle section of an unbroken strap. For example, loops may be provided on each end of the pad through which a strap is fed, the loops being configured such that the strap extends cross the upper side of the pad which, in use. will face away from the wearer's shoulder.
Preferably, the pad includes padding material such as foam or the like to further improve comfort to the wearer. The engagement surface which, in use, faces the wearer's shoulder may also be coated with a gripping material and/or be finished in a manner to improve grip, for example by roughening or the like as is known in the art.
In one embodiment, the pad includes just two nodes one at each end of the pad, each tendon band extending the full length of pad and connecting to each tendon. Preferably, however, the pad includes a plurality of nodes distributed between the ends, at least sonic of said tendon bands extending only partially the length of the pad. In this case, the ends of the pad still form starting/ending nodes for the web configuration of the bands.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, at least two bands, located on opposing sides of the band, extend the full length of the pad between the opposed. ends.
In some embodiments the tendon bands may be of uniform width and/or shape, but with width of the bands may differ between different bands within the web and may also vary along the length of the band itself, either in a regularly or irregular pattern.
The spaces between the tendon bands may be through openings so that each band is disconnected from the other tendon bands across its entire thickness. However, in an alternative embodiment, the tendon bands may be joined together across the upper surface of the pad and disconnected from each other, between the nodes, at the engagement surface and for a thickness extending therefrom towards the upper surface. In this case, the separation between the bands is formed by recesses in the lower surface rather than by through openings.
In an alternative aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shoulder pad for use with a shoulder carrying strap, the pad having a lower engagement surface which, in use, engages against the shoulder of a user, an upper surface which, in use, faces away from the shoulder of the user, opposing ends which, in use, attach to a shoulder strap, an a plurality of recesses formed in the engagement surface so as to form a plurality of edges on the engagement surface, which edges, in use, engage with the shoulder of a wearer to prevent the pad from sliding down the shoulder.
In this alternative aspect of the invention, recesses are formed in the lower surface, the edges of which recesses act in the same way as the sides of the tendon bands of the first aspect of the invention to increase the edge engagement of the pad with the shoulder and hence help prevent the pad slipping off the shoulder.
In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described some embodiments thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
a is a plan view of a webbed shoulder pad according to a first embodiment of the invention;
b is a side view of the pad of
b is a plan view of a webbed shoulder pad according to a third embodiment of the invention;
c is a plan view of a webbed shoulder pad according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and
Referring first to
A number of bands 4 extend between the ends 2, 3 so as to form the body of the pad 1. A plurality of nodes 5 are formed by junctions between bands 4, each band 4 extending between a pair of nodes 5. The bands accordingly form a web configuration which defines a number of through openings 6 in the pad formed by the spaces between neighbouring bands. In this way, the pad provides a large edge engagement length with which it engages with the contours of a wearers shoulder.
Each band 4 is preferably formed at least partial of a padded material as to improve comfort, The shoulder engagement surface may also be finished in a manner designed to further increase grip, such as by roughening or the like. Suitable materials and surface finishes are well known to the skilled person in the art and will not be described any further.
a to 3d show alternative embodiments of the invention which are functionally the same but which achieve different visual effects which improve the aesthetic attraction whilst maintaining the functional advantages of the invention. From this, it will be clear that in addition to offering functional advantages, the pads of the invention offer significant scope for aesthetic variation to the design, enabling the pad to be developed as a fashion accessory.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0920128.6 | Nov 2009 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2010/051833 | 11/2/2010 | WO | 00 | 5/14/2012 |
