Compartmentalized band

Abstract

First and second materials of stretchable length overlie one another in forming individual compartments to receive a plurality of implements of use when secured at distinct points along their respective widths to provide a compartmentalized band when worn about one's wrist, ankle, arm or leg.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS NONE

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

NOT APPLICABLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the storage of various implements of use and accessories so as to make them readily available when needed, in general, and to a compartmentalized band of stretchable length to encircle the wrist, ankle, arm or leg of a wearer for easy access, in particular.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,221, 4,797,040, 5,810,525 and 5,842,584 generally describe tool holding devices affixed with a portable power drill in which individual implements of use can be stored on the drill until needed for a particular job. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,221, this type of tool caddy is adhesively attached; in U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,040, a hook-and-loop adhesive is employed; in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,525 several elastic sleeves are employed whose tension holds various drill bits and related tools in place; while, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,584, combinations of hook-and-loop adhesives are employed together with elastic materials in securing the articles to be held. U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,584 goes further in suggesting that a variety of elongated items may similarly be stored through the use of this specially designed belt—as to a hospital cart or tool box for the storing of thermometers, depressors, needles and syringes on the one hand, or drill bits and screwdrivers, on the other hand. Of utmost concern in these patents is the need to store all these items “securely”.

Whereas these described arrangements may work perfectly well, they all are intended to not only store their intended items “securely” but, also, to the electric drill, the saw, the hospital cart, etc. with which the user is then working. Obviously, for the securement to be “fast”, the belt or strap employed (or sleeve, for that matter) must be precisely matched to the apparatus to which it is to be secured elsewise it might come loose and fall off.

Many situations arise, however, where such a “tight” securement is not needed, nor any securement about some other work piece or fixture. Automotive mechanics working with a vehicle, for example, oftentimes require first one, then another, tool when servicing it; dentists need drill bits of different sizes and types, as well as other dental instruments when working on a patient; chefs mix in salt, pepper, spices and other condiments in preparing their specialties; electricians hanging chandeliers need wire strippers, screwdrivers, diagonal cutters, etc. in completing an installation; jewelers and watch repairers require first one tool, then another, when performing their various tasks—and all could benefit from having a compartmentalized belt or strap available without its being stored securely about an electric drill, a saw, a hospital cart, or some similar such device. Clearly, for an electrician moving about on a ladder, for a dentist moving around a patient, and for a chef over a pot or plate, having something secured to some other structure nearby is of little consequence. For a surgeon to have to turn to a belt or strap secured about a rail of an operating table to retrieve (and then replace) an instrument each time a different cut or sewing step is needed illustrates the limitation of the type of caddy arrangements typifying this prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As will become clear from the following description, however, rather than employing a belt or strap secured to such apparatus, the present invention recognizes that in many instances a “hard-and-fast” securement is not needed, but one which allows a user to easily move about while still continuing to provide easy access to one of several implements of use needed in the performance of his/her duties.

Thus, according to the invention, this could be had through forming an encircling band of a first material stretchable along its length to fit the wrist, ankle, arm or leg of a wearer so as to be readily accessible during time of need. Being of a predetermined width, a second material of stretchable fabric is then added, to overlie at least a portion of the length of the first material, and of a width equal to or less than that of the predetermined width of the first material. Means (as by a sewing action), can then secure the second material to the first at a plurality of distinct points of interest along the respective lengths of the materials, with the securement extending generally along the widths of the materials to divide the band so formed into individual compartments with stretchable overlays for receiving the various implements of use. As will be seen, in such a configuration, those implements then overlie the first material, and beneath the second material, to be held in place by the stretchable actions of the two.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first stretchable material is selected of a length to encircle a wearer's wrist, and of substantially a 3 inch width. The second material in such embodiment may be of a substantially {fraction (3/4)} inch width, with the sewing securement being such as to form individual compartments of substantially {fraction (1/2)} inch width about the length of the band. While it is not necessary that the first and second stretchable materials be of the same length, in this preferred embodiment, the two lengths are selected equal so that the second material substantially overlies the entire length of the first material. Separate compartments of {fraction (1/2)} inch width can then be provided to individually receive the electrician's tools, the dentist's instruments, vials of the chef's condiments, the pencils of different hardness characteristics employed by draftsmen, the surgeon's needles, syringes and knives—as well as the drill bits utilized in the afore-cited patents—for example. When fabricating the two stretchable materials of the present invention of elastic composition, a comfortable wearing can result just by sliding the compartmentalized band along the wrist area to an appropriate fit, rather than to secure it “fast” in place as with the cited patents above. Obviously, where the band might be employed by a law enforcement officer in holstering a gun about the ankle or in keeping some other implement of use there, the length of the resulting band and the width of its compartments would each be sized accordingly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compartmentalized band embodying the teachings of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof, a bottom view being a mirror image.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, the compartmentalized band 10 includes a first material 12 stretchable along its length in forming an encircling band of predetermined width W₁—such as 3 inches. A second material 14, also of stretchable length, overlies at least a portion of the length of the first material 12, and is of width W₂ equal to or less than that of the material 12—for example {fraction (3/4)} inches. Means 16 (in a manner of preferred sewing) secures the second material 14 to the first material 12 at a plurality of distinct points 18 along the respective lengths of the two materials 12, 14—and, as shown, extends generally along the widths of the two materials, thereby dividing the band 10 into individual compartments 20 of stretchable overlay. Compartments of some {fraction (1/2)} inch width W₃, for example, have been found to work perfectly well in receiving such items as drill bits, dental instruments, pencils, screwdrivers, and a myriad of other implements of use which overlie the material 12 and beneath the material 14.

Although shown as being of a length to overlie the entire length of the first material 12, the second material 14 may equally be selected of a length less than that of the material 12 if it were desired to reduce the number of possible compartments—just as the carrying arrangements of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,221 and 4,797,040 did not completely encircle the electric drill with which such tool caddies were employed. While such dimensions typify an encirclement of the band 10 about the wrist of a wearer, it will be apparent that different dimensions could be employed in forming a band of the type described to encircle an ankle, an arm or a leg of a wearer depending upon the ultimate use that the compartmentalized band is to be put to. Utilizing stretchable materials as elastic fabrics for the materials 12 and 14 in this respect have proven quite adequate in encircling the wearer's wrist in a comfortable manner, while providing sufficient holding power in place, without any needed “fast securement” thereto.

Whereas there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For example, while several different modes of use have been set out for several different types of occupations, it will be noted that other methods of use for, or by, other occupations could follow equally as well in holding instruments and tools-of-the-trade comfortably about the person of a wearer in immediate access, without having to tightly secure them in place about some other fixture, device or housing in conjunctions with which they might be used, or which is otherwise available. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A compartmentalized band, comprising:

a first material stretchable along its length in forming an encircling band of predetermined width;

a second material of stretchable length overlying at least a portion of the length of said band, and of a width equal to or less than said predetermined width;

and means securing said second material to said first material at a plurality of distinct points along the respective lengths thereof;

with said means extending generally along the widths of said first and second materials, thereby dividing said band into individual compartments with stretchable overlays.

2. The compartmentalized band of claim 1 wherein said first material is stretchable along its length in forming a band encircling one of the wrist, ankle, arm and leg of a wearer thereof.

3. The compartmentalized band of claim 2 wherein said first material is stretchable in forming a wrist encircling band of substantially 3 inch width.

4. The compartmentalized band of claim 3 wherein said second material is stretchable in forming individual overlays of substantially {fraction (3/4)} inch width.

5. The compartmentalized band of claim 4 wherein said means secures said first and second materials in individual compartments of substantially {fraction (1/2)} inch width.

6. The compartmentalized band of claim 5 wherein said means secures said first and second materials at said distinct points by a sewing action.

7. The compartmentalized band of claim 2 wherein said means secures said first and second materials at said distinct points by a sewing action.

8. The compartmentalized band of claim 1, also including a plurality of implements of use individually within said compartments overlying said first material and beneath said second material.

9. The compartmentalized band of claim 1 wherein said second material is of a length to overlie the entire length of said first material.

10. The compartmentalized band of claim 5 wherein said second material is of a length to overlie the entire length of said first material.

11. The compartmentalized band of claim 10, also including a plurality of implements of use individually within said compartments overlying said first material and beneath said second material.

12. The compartmentalized band of claim 11 wherein each of said first and second materials are of elastic composition.