Patent Application
20130180636
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed toward flaps attached to a bag to reduce or eliminate rain or the like from passing through gaps in the bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bags held by wearers are often subjected to elements of a particular environment, such as rain, snow, and dirt. Oftentimes, such elements can enter a bag through holes or gaps that exist in the bag, thereby damaging or destroying things contained in the bag. Additionally, things contained in the bag itself, such as a wallet, keys, a phone, and the like, may fall out through such holes or gaps in the bag, which may result in loss or destruction of such contents. Furthermore, it is desirable for wearers of bags to be able to quickly open and close the bag with minimal steps and with one hand, for example.
The present disclosure is directed toward flaps attached to bags, purses, pouches, and other items (hereinafter a “bag”) to reduce or eliminate contents from passing through gaps in the bag. Generally, a bag may comprise a bag body that defines a bag cavity for holding contents therein. In some embodiments, the bag body may comprise a front panel, a rear panel, left and right side panels, a cover, and a mouth. A messenger bag is one example. The cover may be similar to a traditional flap-type cover of a messenger bag such that the cover substantially covers and extends across the mouth of the bag when the bag is in a closed position. While in the closed position, the bag may have at least one gap between the cover and the bag body through which water or items could pass between the bag cavity and the external environment, such as a pair of gaps on opposing ends of a messenger bag. At least one side flap is secured or removably attached to the bag and projects transversely from an edge of the cover such that the at least one side flap substantially covers or completely covers the at least one gap in the bag when the cover and the side flap are in respective closed positions. Thus, the at least one side flap may reduce or eliminate the passing of contents through the at least one gap in the bag.
In some embodiments, the at least one side flap includes a first attachment device and the bag body includes a second attachment device. When the cover of the bag is moved from the open position to the closed position, the first attachment device of the side flap may be automatically attached to the second attachment device of the bag. Conversely, the first attachment device of the side flap may be automatically detached from the second attachment device when the cover is moved from the closed position to the open position. Such functionality allows a wearer to gain access to the bag without being required to manually attach or detach the side flap from the bag during use because such operations are automatic by virtue of opening and closing the cover of the bag.
In some embodiments, the first attachment device and the second attachment device may each comprise at least one magnet and at least one magnetically attractive element. It will be appreciated that other attachment devices could be used to automatically attach and detach the at least one side flap from the bag when moving between the open and closed positions, such as a combination of snaps, buttons, hook and loop fasteners, magnets, and magnetically attractive elements.
In some embodiments, the side flap and the bag body may each be comprised of a pair of liners sewn to each other to contain the respective at least one magnet or other attachment device such that the attachment devices are hidden from view. The liners of the side flap may be comprised of waterproof material to eliminate or reduce the amount of moisture from entering the bag.
In one embodiment, a side flap 36 is coupled to the cover 26 on one end of the bag 10. The side flap 36 is sized to cover the gap 34 when in the closed position A to reduce or eliminate water or contents from passing through the gap 34 when the cover 26 is in the closed position A. Another side flap 37 (having similar features of side flap 36) may be secured to an opposing end of the bag 10 to cover a similar gap that may exist in the bag 10.
In some embodiments, a pair of attachment devices 38 are coupled to the side flap 36, which may be magnets or magnetically attractive elements positioned between fabric panels of the side flap 36, and which may be hidden from view. The pair of attachment devices 38 assists to achieve the automatic attachment and detachment functionality discussed above and further below.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The U.S. patent application referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the incorporated application to provide yet further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61586416 | Jan 2012 | US |
