Patent Application
20130322786
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates in general to sports bags. More particularly, to sturdy sports bags with good ventilation to provide good airflow inside the bags and thereby prevent odors from developing.
Sports bags are very popular among athletes of different sports because they are highly functional for carrying items and can have an attractive appearance. Sports equipment and apparel often get soiled with sweat and other environmental elements such as dirt, depending on the particular sport. Soiled equipment may develop foul odors if kept enclosed inside a typical non-ventilated bag. Several attempts have been made in the art to make sports bags with good ventilation by strategically placing mesh sections in different places to create a visually appealing bag with the added advantage of airflow through the inner compartment of the bags. Unfortunately, mesh is often times delicate and prone to ripping.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts 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 claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Examples of the present invention relate to well ventilated, yet sturdy and durable, sports bags for carrying sporting goods and methods for making such bags and different forms that such bags may take such as duffel bags, backpacks, travel bags and any other container type bag for carrying goods.
The sports bag of the present invention may be made from a sheet-type material, which may be a woven material such as a fabric material, for example synthetic fabric materials such as polyester and/or natural materials such as cotton. Further, the sheet-type material may comprise a leather material, a synthetic leather material, a sheet-material made by extrusion such as rubber, linoleum, plastic, or any other material that is bendable and is produced in sheets.
In one example, the sports bag of the present invention comprises an interior, an exterior, a base section having a water repellent material, a middle portion comprising a rear wall, a front wall, and two side walls made of the same water repellent material as the base section, the middle portion further comprising a plurality of perforations extending through the entirety of at least a portion of the material of the middle portion that permit a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag while maintaining the structural integrity of the perforated material, a top section made of the same water repellent material as the base section further, a closable opening to allow access to the portable sports bag, and at least two carrying handles or straps extending above the top section. A water repellent material used in the construction of a bag in accordance with the present invention may, for example, comprise a textile treated with a durable water repellent (DWR) or other treatment.
In another example of the present invention, the perforated water repellent coated material of the middle portion of sports bag of the present invention may be reinforced prior to forming perforations. For example, the middle portion may be reinforced by screen printing the fabric with an elastomer material such as, but not limited to, silicon based elastomers. Alternatively and/or additionally, polyurethane elastomers such as TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) may be applied to the middle portion of the bag. The process of reinforcement adds strength and durability.
In an additional example of the sports bag of the present invention, the water repellent coated material of the base section may be reinforced in a similar fashion as the middle portion. Wear and tear of the base section may be inevitable due to the nature of how sports bags are used, i.e., usually thrown or placed on surfaces that have high friction, such as cement floors. Reinforcement of the base section may be useful in prolonging the life of the sports bag as well.
Yet in another example of the sports bag of the present invention, the whole water repellent coated material used in the construction of the sports bag may be reinforced with an elastomer material such as polyurethanes, silicon based elastomers, styrenics, copolyesters, polyamides, polyolefin blends, polyolefin alloys, etc. These elastomers may be applied using techniques such as screen printing, bonding the elastomer to the material using heat or ultrasonic energy, and/or any other method available in the art for applying these materials on sheet-type materials such as woven fabrics, leathers, synthetic leathers, etc. The material used for reinforcement and/or the method of applying the reinforcement material may vary for different materials used to form portions of sports bags in accordance with the present invention.
In a further example, the sports bag of the present invention may be made of a pliable sheet-type material comprising an interior and an exterior defined by a base section, a middle portion comprising a rear wall, a front wall, and two side walls made of a reinforced and perforated pliable sheet-type material, and a top section made of a perforated and pliable sheet-type material, wherein the perforations extend through the entirety of at least a portion of the pliable sheet-type material. The size, spacing, and arrangement of the perforations may be selected to maintain the structural integrity of the sheet-type material while permitting a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag.
Screen printing may be used for the reinforcement of the sheet-type material used for the fabrication of the sports bags of the present invention. However, reinforcement of a bag in accordance with the present invention may also be done by other types of printing, such as ink jet printing, where the ink may comprise an elastomer material such as styrenics, copolyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyolefin blends and polyolefin alloys. The pliable sheet-type material may alternatively/additionally be reinforced by affixing two or more layers of the pliable sheet-type material together using any type of welding, adhesives, stitching, etc.
In another example, the sports bag of the present invention may comprise different sheet-type materials for different parts of its body construction. For example, a base section may be made of leather or a synthetic leather material, a middle portion and a top section may be made of a polyester fabric material, and carrying straps may be made of a plastic, leather, or linoleum material. In other examples, the middle portion and the top section may be made of a cotton fabric, or a stretchable fabric such as spandex, or both.
Yet in a further example, the sports bag of the present invention may comprise a base section made from a reinforced or non-reinforced sheet-type material, a middle portion made from a reinforced or non-reinforced sheet-type material with perforations extending through the entirety of the middle portion, and top section made from the same or a different reinforced or non-reinforced sheet-type material as the middle portion, comprising a closable opening and at least two carrying handles extending above the top section.
Further, a sports bag in accordance with the present invention may further comprise a top section formed of a sheet-type material with perforations through the entirety of the top section as well, wherein the perforated sheet-type material may or may not be reinforced with an elastomer layer.
A sports bag in accordance with the present invention may be constructed by stitching, welding, and/or adhering the different body parts together, or any combination of these or other approaches. Depending on the pliable sheet-type material(s) selected for use in a bag, heat welding, ultrasonic welding or any other welding mechanism available for the specific type of pliable sheet-type material may be employed.
In accordance with the present invention, a sturdy and durable sports bag with the advantages of permitting two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag without the use of fragile materials such as mesh is provided. The two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag of the present invention is achieved by having a plurality of perforations through a portion of the body material of the sports bag itself. The perforations thereby provide good ventilation and/or may even provide added visual effects to the appearance of the sports bag without substantially decreasing the strength of the bag.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
Conventional vented sports bags use mesh type materials to create the vents in the respective bags. Unfortunately, these mesh type materials are weak and tend to fail shortly after the bags are in use, which shortens the life span of the bags. The present invention provides vented and durable sports bags.
In reference to the figures, in
In the sports bag 100 of
In a different example, the perforations in the plurality of perforations 110 may have different shapes and/or combination of shapes such as square, heart, star, triangular, chevron or any other shape one may conceive. One shape may be employed uniformly for the perforations as presented in sports bag 100 or different shapes of perforations may be employed simultaneously (not shown). Also, the plurality of perforations 110 may be arranged in different patterns to provide varying ventilation and/or create different visual effects.
Further, the size, pattern, and spacing between each of the perforations 110 may be selected to achieve an optimal level of two-way airflow while still maintaining the structural integrity of the pliable sheet-type material used in the construction of the sports bag 100. For example, if the perforations 110 are too big relative to the wall 152 or walls 154, the structural integrity of the sheet-type material may be greatly compromised. The size at which perforations 110 become too large may depend upon the proximity of each individual perforation to one another, the articles expected to be stored in the sports bag 100, the type of material used for walls 152 and 154, any reinforcement provided for walls 152, 154 etc. On the other hand, if the perforations 110 are too small, the two-way airflow may be compromised. How much airflow is desired, and hence how small perforations may be, may depend upon the intended use and/or contents of the bag. If the perforations 110 are too close to each other, the fabric or sheet-type material may fail. If the perforation 110 are too far apart, there may not be enough perforations 110 to create an optimal level of ventilation.
Another example of the present invention may comprise a perforated front wall portion 214 and side wall portions 208 and/or 206, wherein the perforated area with a plurality of perforations 210 may further comprise a reinforcement layer for the perforated segment 214 by application with an elastomer material, such as a thin layer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) prior to perforation, as shown in
In another example, the sports bag of
Further, the gym sack 700 may be formed of a base section 730, a front wall 710, and a back wall, joined together by seams at the two opposing sides of the walls and around the perimeter of the base section 730. Or alternatively, the gym sack 700 may be formed from a tubular piece of pliable sheet-type material with only a seam around the perimeter of the base section 730 to join the base section and the bottom edge of the tubular piece of sheet-type material (no side seams at the walls).
The present invention has been described in relation to particular examples, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative uses may be made of the present invention without departing from its scope.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub combination are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
