The present disclosure is directed to a reinforcing member, and more particularly, to a reinforcing member for use with a bag.
Bags, totes, duffels and other storage devices (collectively termed “bags” herein) are often used to carry and store a variety of tools, articles and other loose items. Such bags are often made of various panels joined together along their outer edges, such as by stitching. However, bags formed with conventional stitching can be prone to tearing or other failure.
The present disclosure relates to a bag including panels joined together along a seam, wherein the reinforcing member covers at least part of the seam. More particularly, in one embodiment the invention is a bag including a first panel having an outer edge and a second panel having an outer edge. The second panel is coupled to the first panel by a first coupling mechanism that is spaced away from the outer edges. The bag further includes a reinforcing member extending along and at least partially covering at least one of the outer edge of the first panel, the outer edge of the second panel, or the first coupling mechanism. The reinforcing member is coupled to at least one of the first panel, the second panel or the first coupling mechanism by a second coupling mechanism.
As shown in
The seam 24 can further include a reinforcing member 36 which is generally “U” shaped in end view, having a base 38 and a pair of legs 40 oriented perpendicular to the base 38. The reinforcing member 36 is wrapped around the outer edges 28, 32 of the first 26 and second 30 panels, receiving the first 26 and second 30 panels between the legs 40. The legs 40 can be generally parallel and their distal tips can be aligned such that the “U” shape is generally symmetrical. In one embodiment the first 26 and second panels 30 are the only panels positioned within the reinforcing member 36, and the bag 10/seam 24 lacks or excludes any other panels positioned within the reinforcing member 36. In addition, the reinforcing member 36/legs 40 can be single ply, e.g. the reinforcing member 36 may lack any folds or other plies or portions folded over or under itself, and, the seam 24 may have no more than four plies across its thickness (e.g. the two legs 40, first panel 26 and the second panel 30).
In one embodiment the first 26 and second 30 panels extend away from the seam 24 in a generally flat and planar manner. More particularly, in one case the first 26 and second 30 panels are generally flat and planar, in a direction perpendicular to the outer edges 28, 32 and at locations extending away from but immediately adjacent to the seam 24/reinforcing member 36 (e.g. at location E), for a distance of at least about 1 inch, or a distance of at least about 5 inches, or a distance at least equal to the width of the reinforcing member 36 (in a direction perpendicular to the outer edges 28, 32).
The reinforcing member 36 can be attached to the first panel 26 and/or second panel 30 and/or the first coupling mechanism 34 by a second coupling mechanism 42, which takes the form of a sewn stitching line in the illustrated embodiment, but can also take the form of the other coupling mechanisms that are described above in the context of the first coupling mechanism 34. In the illustrated embodiment where the second coupling mechanism 42 takes the form of stitching, the stitching can extend entirely through both legs 40 of the reinforcing member 36, and entirely through the first 26 and second 30 panels. The second coupling mechanism 42 can be oriented generally parallel to the outer edges 28, 32 and/or the first coupling mechanism 34.
The reinforcing member 36 can thus extend along and at least partially cover at least one of the outer edge 28 of the first panel 26, the outer edge 32 of the second panel 30 or the first coupling mechanism 34. The second coupling mechanism 42 can be spaced farther away from the outer edges 28, 32 than the first coupling mechanism 34 is spaced away from the outer edges 28, 32 along direction D.
In addition, the first 34 and/or second coupling mechanism 42 can be entirely spaced away from the outer edges 28, 32 and/or the other coupling mechanism 34, 42 and can, for example, lack or exclude any loop, overhand or spiral stitching or any coupling mechanism that is at least partially positioned outside the outer edges 28, 32. Positioning the first 34 and/or second 42 coupling mechanisms such that they are entirely spaced away from the outer edges 28, 32 can provide certain advantages. In particular, if the first coupling mechanism 34 were to extend over the outer edge 28 and/or outer edge 32, that portion of the first coupling mechanism 34 could be prone to abrasion or tearing due to greater forces applied to the edges 28, 32 during use of the bag 10. In contrast, by spacing the first 34 and/or second 42 coupling mechanisms from the edges 28, 32, such abrasion and tearing forces can be reduced.
In addition, the use of the second coupling mechanism 42, separate and apart from the first coupling mechanism 34, to secure the reinforcing member 36 provides additional protection to the first coupling mechanism 34, since the first coupling mechanism 34 is positioned under, and protected by, the reinforcing member 36. Moreover, the use of a separate coupling mechanism 42 for the reinforcing member 36 ensures that if the second coupling mechanism 42 were to fail, the first 26 and second 30 panels would nevertheless remain coupled together by the first coupling mechanism 34 and the seam 24 would retain its structural integrity.
Although not shown, the first coupling mechanism 34 can also be coupled to the first coupling mechanism 42 if desired. In the case where both the first coupling mechanism 34 and second coupling mechanism 42 are, for example, stitching, it is possible for the first coupling mechanism 34 to be coupled to the second coupling mechanism 42 when the first coupling mechanism 34 is aligned with or positioned sufficiently close to the second coupling mechanism 42. In addition, when the first coupling mechanism 34 is for example an adhesive, the adhesive can be positioned below the second coupling mechanism 42 such that when the second coupling mechanism 42 is the form of stitching it can extend through and thereby be coupled to the adhesive.
The reinforcing member 36 can be made of any of a wide variety of materials, such as a non-woven material including but not limited to thermoplastic rubber or comparable material, polyvinyl chloride, plastics, polymers or composite materials. The reinforcing member 36 thus can be made of a relatively rugged material which resists abrasion and tearing, and thereby provides protection to the outer edges 28, 32 and the first coupling mechanism 34.
The reinforcing member 36 can have a textured pattern on its outer surface to reduce glare and improve friction such that the bag 10 can be retained in place and resist sliding when placed on slick or angled surfaces. In the illustrated embodiment, the textured pattern takes the form of a series of embossed or debossed quadrilaterals, such as diamonds, arranged in an array, although the textured pattern can take any of a wide variety of other shapes and configurations.
In one case the reinforcing member 36 can be positioned on an outside surface of the bag 10, e.g. positioned outside an inner cavity 12 of the bag 10. As shown in
The present invention has been described herein with regard to certain embodiments. However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/714,453, filed on Aug. 3, 2018 and entitled REINFORCING EDGE MEMBER FOR A BAG SEAM, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200037722 A1 | Feb 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62714453 | Aug 2018 | US |