The present disclosure relates generally to non-rigid and portable tote bags or packs useful for carrying or transporting various items by hand-carrying or placing the tote over the shoulder via tote straps or handles.
A tote or carry bag can be a means for an individual to carry or transport various items to include large or bulky objects. Tote bags may in certain instances be easier to carry than luggage and can be made of sturdy cloth, leather, heavy canvas, plastics, etc. A tote bag may have an unsecured opening and can include large parallel shoulder straps attached to the sides of the bag.
This Summary provides an introduction to some general concepts relating to this invention in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the invention.
In one aspect, an example tote bag may provide an individual with an easily portable bag that can be extremely durable, water resistant, anti-microbial, and easily cleaned by flushing with water from a hose or other means. Other aspects of the disclosure herein may relate to tote bags and methods of making tote bags having one or more of (1) an outer shell defining a sidewall, (2) an inner bottom liner, (3) a storage compartment formed by the outer shell and the inner bottom liner, (4) an opening configured to allow access to the storage compartment, and (4) a semi-rigid base configured to keep the tote bag upright with or without contents in the storage compartment.
The foregoing Summary, as well as the following Detailed Description, will be better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements in all of the various views in which that reference number appears.
In the following description of the various examples and components of this disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example structures and environments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other structures and environments may be utilized and that structural and functional modifications may be made from the specifically described structures and methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Also, while the terms “front,” “frontside,” “back,” “backside,” “top,” “base,” “bottom,” “side,” “opposite,” “forward,” and “rearward” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures and/or the orientations in typical use. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three dimensional or spatial orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of the claims.
The tote bag can be configured to include an opening to be closed with a zipper or a waterproof zipper. In such a configuration, the tote bag is substantially water resistant and can keep desired contents dry for an extended period of time during wet conditions. It is also contemplated that the opening can include various sealing devices in addition to a waterproof zipper, for example, Velcro, buttons, snaps, buckles, zippers, excess material that is folded multiple times to form a seal such as a roll-down seal, seals, metal or plastic clamps and combinations thereof could be used to seal the opening. In one example, the tote bag can also be designed to maintain water inside the storage compartment 504, and the tote bag can be configured to be water “resistant” from the outside in. In other words, the tote bag can be formed “water tight” inside the outer shell 216 and bottom inner liner 219, and configured to transport water or other liquid. In another example, the tote bag storage compartment is configured to include drain holes, wherein the drain holes penetrate the outer shell, and wherein the drain holes allow fluid to drain out of the storage compartment. Such a configuration allows a user to easily wash or rinse out the tote bag storage compartment with a hose, power washer, or other cleaning device, and the water is allowed to drain out of the tote bag.
In one particular example, a portion of the base can be formed by injection molding. Additionally, in one example, the foam base 223, which can be formed from EVA foam, can be secured to the bottom of inner bottom liner 219 by lamination or by polymer welding (e.g. RF welding), stitching, or adhesives. The base outer shell 226 can be secured to the compression molded EVA 225 by polymer welding (e.g. RF welding), stitching, or adhesives. Similarly, the compression molded EVA 225 can be secured to the foam base 223 by polymer welding (e.g. RF welding), stitching, or adhesives.
In one example, as shown in
Various materials may be used to construct the components of the disclosed tote bag. In one particular embodiment, as shown in
In one example, as shown in
In another example, the shoulder strap 218, hand strap 210, and MOLLE loops 224 can be constructed of nylon webbing. Other materials may include polypropylene, neoprene, polyester, Dyneema, Kevlar, cotton fabric, leather, plastics, rubber, or rope. The shoulder strap 218 and hand strap 210 can be attached to the outer shell 216 by stitching, adhesive, or polymer welding. Further, as shown in
In one example, as shown in
In another example, as shown in
In yet another example, as shown in
Additionally, as depicted in
In yet other examples, as shown in
As shown in
In another example, the tote bag can include two straps or carry handles 210 that are connected to the frontside of outer shell 216 of the tote bag and the backside of outer shell 216 of the tote bag. In one particular example, shoulder straps 218 can include additional padding to facilitate carrying tote bag over the shoulder. The hand straps or handles 210 provide the user with another option for grasping and carrying the tote bag in such a manner that the shoulder straps 218 will not extend below the bottom of a horizontal plane of the base 215 of the tote bag (e.g. the bottom of the bag).
Hand straps 210 may also incorporate rings, carabineers, or other attachment devices. The devices can be secured to the hand straps or carry handles 210 and by stitching, adhesive, or polymer welding and can be used to help secure or tie down the tote bag to another structure such as a vehicle, vessel, camping equipment, and the like or various objects such as keys, water bottle bottles, additional straps, bottle openers, tools, other personal items, and the like. The hand straps may also be attached to each other by incorporating various sealing or connecting devices, for example, hook and loop, buttons, snaps, buckles, or zippers, seals, metal or plastic clamps, and combinations thereof.
Additionally, as shown in
In one example, the hand straps 210 and shoulder straps 218 and MOLLE loops 224 can be constructed of nylon webbing. Other materials may include polypropylene, neoprene, polyester, Dyneema, Kevlar, cotton fabric, leather, plastics, rubber, or rope. The hand straps 210 and shoulder straps 218 can be attached to the outer shell 216 or the reinforcement patches 220 by stitching, adhesive, or polymer welding. The MOLLE loops 224 can be configured to receive many types of items or a corresponding group of hooks, which can be placed onto the surface anywhere on various items, such as fishing lures, keys, bottle openers, card holders, tools, other personal items, and the like. In still another example, the outer shell 216 includes a patch or logo 232 that can include a logo, company name, personalization, or other customization. The patch or logo 232 can be washable and UV resistant to prevent discoloration.
In a particular example, the polymer welding technique includes both external and internal methods. External or thermal methods can include hot gas welding, hot wedge welding, hot plate welding, infrared welding and laser welding. Internal methods may include mechanical and electromagnetic welds. Mechanical methods may include spine welding, stir welding, vibration welding, and ultrasonic welding. Electromagnetic methods may include resistance, implant, electrofusion welding, induction welding, dielectric welding, RF (Radio Frequency) welding, and microwave welding. The welding can be conducted in a flat or horizontal plane to maximize the effectiveness of the polymer welding to the construction materials. As a result, a rugged watertight seam can be created that prevents water or fluids from escaping from or into the storage compartment 504.
In one particular example, the outer shell 216 and bottom inner liner 219 can be constructed from double laminated TPU nylon fabric. Nylon fabric can be used as a base material for the bottom inner liner 219 and the outer shell 216 and can be coated with a TPU laminate on each side of the fabric. The TPU nylon fabric used in one particular example is 0.1 to 1.0 millimeters thick, is waterproof, and has an antimicrobial additive that meets all Food and Drug Administration requirements. However, it is contemplated that the fabrics used to construct the tote bag incorporate antimicrobial materials to create a mildew-free environment that is food contact surface safe. In one specific example, the nylon can be 840d nylon with TPU. Alternative materials used to manufacture the inner bottom liner 219 and outer shell 216 include PVC, TPU coated nylon, coated fabrics, and other weldable and waterproof fabrics. See Table 1.
The foam base 223 can be manufactured from an NBR/PVC blend or any other suitable blend. In addition, the tote bag may also include the compression molded EVA 225 with a TPU coated nylon laminate 226 layer. The compression molded EVA 225 may be substituted with foam, plastic, metal or other material. In one example, the base 215 is at least 6 mm thick. Additionally, as shown in
In another example, a method of forming a tote bag may include forming a tote bag by forming an outer shell, placing a bottom inner liner into the outer shell, and securing the bottom inner liner to the outer shell thereby forming a storage compartment. The method can also include forming a semi-rigid base that is constructed from a compression molded EVA, a PE foam base, and a base outer shell constructed of a TPU coated nylon laminate that covers the semi-rigid base. The method can also include securing the base outer shell to the outer shell and binding several straps to the outer shell.
The method can also include a binding material that is nylon and the binding material is stitched to an outer shell/reinforcing patch and the patch is then welded to the outer shell. The method can also include forming an inner bottom liner that is welded to the outer shell, and the outer shell and the base outer shell are welded to a bottom tape fabric.
The method can also include forming the insulating layer at least partly of a first rectangle and a second rectangle and forming the first rectangle of a larger area than the second rectangle. The method can also include securing the bottom inner liner to the lower outer shell by a weld. The method can also include forming a first pocket, that includes a zipper, that is welded to the outer shell inside the storage compartment and forming a second pocket that is welded to the outer shell inside the storage compartment opposite the first pocket.
An example method may include forming an outer shell with a single vertical seam. Another example method includes attaching or securing straps to multiple reinforcing patches that are then welded to the outer shell. The method can also include attaching multiple MOLLE loops to the straps. The method can also include forming straps by binding three nylon strap components together and then binding the straps to the plurality of patches welded to the outer shell. The method can also include forming portions of the semi-rigid base by injection molding.
The present invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying drawings with reference to a variety of examples. The purpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide examples of the various features and concepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the examples described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/224,881, filed Apr. 7, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/093,173, filed Nov. 9, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/903,867, filed Feb. 23, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,827,808 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/463,308, filed Feb. 24, 2017.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220071360 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62463308 | Feb 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17224881 | Apr 2021 | US |
Child | 17526896 | US | |
Parent | 17093173 | Nov 2020 | US |
Child | 17224881 | US | |
Parent | 15903867 | Feb 2018 | US |
Child | 17093173 | US |