Reconfigurable Bags and Insert Kits
An insert kit for use with an equipment bag to divide the bag into compartments and protect the bag's contents is provided. Boundary inserts can be placed around the interior perimeter of the bag and divider inserts can be placed horizontally, vertically or can flex into desired angular or arced configurations. Faces of inserts are covered with a loop material. One or more edge portions of the inserts have a hook material that is complimentary with the loop material so that the inserts can adhere to one another in a variety of positions. A backpack for carrying equipment that can be worn during and facilitate use of the equipment is also included.
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This application claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/717,867, filed Oct. 24, 2012, having the title, Reconfigurable Bag.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFragile objects such as camera equipment are often carried in bags that are preferably suitable to contain the equipment during transport and use. Rigid bags such as those with hard shells can be desirable for transporting equipment, but are often designed for specific gear and can be heavy to carry. Softer bags may be able to hold objects of different shapes, sizes and numbers, but may not protect delicate items to the extent desired.
Therefore, there is a need for a bag that protects equipment, is not shaped for specific gear and is more flexible than currently available bags.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the invention include an insert kit for use with an equipment bag to divide the bag into compartments and protect the bag's contents. The invention further comprises a bag with the inserts and a backpack for carrying equipment.
Inserts include boundary inserts to be placed around the interior perimeter of the hag and divider inserts that can be placed horizontally, vertically or can flex into desired angular or arced configurations. Boundary or divider inserts may include one or more pockets.
Faces of inserts are covered with a loop material. One or more edge portions of the inserts may have a hook material that is complimentary with the loop material so that the inserts can adhere to one another, or if the bag is lined with as loop material to the lining of the bag.
A backpack for carrying equipment that can be worn during and Facilitate use of the equipment is also disclosed. Although referred to herein as a “backpack” the bag can be worn in front or back of the user. When worn in front, easy access to the contents is provided by having a top portion that is hinged to the bottom portion so that when opened, all or substantially all of a horizontal cross-section of the bag is open. Both the top portion and the bottom portion can be configured to contain equipment and inserts.
Illustrative embodiments of the invention are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings.
Various embodiments of the invention are described, each having a different combination of elements. The invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and may include different combinations of the elements disclosed or omission of some elements and/or the equivalents of such structures.
A set of divider inserts 10, 11, 12 can be included to configure or reconfigure, protect and organize contents of the bag. The inserts are particularly suitable for delicate equipment since they separate objects from one another and can provide padding between them. The inserts can be disposed upright, such as shown in
Pocket inserts may include a single pocket that is either closeable or not or may include a plurality of pockets, such as to hold writing implements for example.
In lieu of or in addition to boundary inserts, the walls of the bag may be covered substantially or entirely with loop material to allow various inserts to be attached as will be described further below.
Each insert 23, 24, 25, 26 includes hook material disposed on opposing edge portions of the insert. For example, divider insert 23 includes edge portions 27, 28 shown covered in a material such as a hook material that can adhere to the loop material of other divider inserts or boundary inserts. The hook material on the edge portions can extend substantially the entire length of the edge portion, or less than the entire length. Illustrative expanses of hook material on an edge portion are about 50% to about 100%, about 60% to about 80% and about 65% to about 75%. A single edge portion or two or three edge portions may also be the number covered with hook material, however, generally two will be sufficient for many purposes. Other edges or portions of edges not having hook material may include far example, a webbing or binding material. Such material may also be disposed under hook material. The loop material though may extend to the edge.
Divider insert 24, for example, may benefit from having additional hook material on edge portion 29 so that it may adhere to a boundary insert or bag wall to help maintain the vertical position. Similarly, divider insert 25 may also benefit from hook material being disposed on edge portion 30. Providing hook material on all edges can make a divider more versatile. But exposed hook material can sometimes adversely interact with contents of the bag as it tends to grip a variety of types of surfaces.
Top inside surface 31 shown in
The inserts are sized to be insertable and releasably affixable to the bag walls, boundary inserts or to other inserts in a plurality of positions by connection of the hook and loop materials. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, one or more inserts are sized to span a width or length dimension of the shell as measured from a wall face to an opposing wall face so the edge portions adhere to each of the opposing walls.
Backpack 40 can be designed with face 44 being separable at least in part from top portion 42 for access to contents of top portion 42. Alternatively, or in addition, face 45 can open for access to the content. Access to top portion 42 contents can also be provided via openings on other faces. Various mechanisms, such as zippers or buckles, can be used to secure top portion 42 to bottom portion 43 or to close any of the openings incorporated into the backpack.
Backpack 40 has a harness 45 to support the backpack on the wearer. Harness 45 has a front panel 46 extending from a rear portion of container portion 41. A shoulder strap 47 extends from front panel 46 and is positioned to extend over a wearer's right shoulder. A second strap 48 extends from front panel 46 and is positioned to extend over a wearer's left shoulder. A waistband 49 extends from a bottom area of container portion 41 and is configured to extend around a wearer, generally between the waist and hips. Front panel 46 can be of various configurations provided it adequately supports the load in the container portion.
The backpack can include or be used with inserts such as those described herein.
depicts a schematic cross section of an insert 60 according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. A hook-compatible material 61 is shown on each face of insert 60. Adjacent and interior to layers 61 are layers of foam 62 such as a urethane, for example. A foam core 63, such an expanded polyolefin foam like Volara® or other comparable material, is provided which interfaces with loam layers 62.
The invention includes an insert kit containing a plurality of divider inserts, such as those described above, to be used in a bag such as one designed to carry camera equipment. The kit may be used in a bag having a loop material interior to which the inserts can adhere. Or, boundary inserts as described above can be included in the kit. Kits can be designed to be compatible in size and shape with specific bags. Kits also can be universally sized to be useful in a variety of bag sizes. Flexible inserts, in particular, lend themselves to this use. A single kit containing both rigid, and flexible inserts, for example, can often be used in bags of various sizes. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, a kit comprises or consists of four boundary inserts sized to substantially cover front, back and opposing end walls of a bag and a plurality of additional inserts that may include some or all of the following: divider inserts, either flexible or rigid and either padded or not and pocket inserts either closeable or not. The inserts can be insertable and releasably affixable to the bag or other inserts in a plurality of positions by connection of the hook and loop materials.
While the invention has been described by illustrative embodiments, additional advantages and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to specific configurations shown and described herein. Modifications, for example, to the placement and type of attachment mechanisms may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the specific illustrative embodiments, but be interpreted within the full spirit and scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A bag comprising:
- a shell forming a container;
- the shell having walls, a floor and a top;
- the walls having an inner surface:
- the inner surface of at least two opposing walls comprising a material having loops to which a material having hooks can adhere;
- a plurality of inserts;
- each of the plurality of inserts having a face;
- at least a substantial portion of each face having a loop material;
- each insert having opposing edge portions;
- the edge portions having a hook material capable of adhering to the insert face loop material; and
- the inserts sized to be insertable in and affixable to the shell walls or to other inserts in a plurality of positions by connection of the hook and loop materials.
2. The bag of claim 1 wherein the bag has four walls forming a substantially rectangular shape and each wall has a loop material extending over a substantial portion of its face.
3. The bag of claim 1 wherein only the edge portions of the plurality of inserts has a hook material.
4. The bag of claim 1 further comprising at least one flexible insert capable of bending into a plurality of positions including opposing ends bending in opposite directions with regard to the longitudinal center line of the flexible insert.
5. The bag of claim 1 wherein one or more inserts are sized to span a width or length dimension of the shell as measured from a wall face to an opposing wall face so the edge portions adhere to each of the opposing walls.
6. The bag of claim 1 wherein one or more inserts include a pocket.
7. An insert kit comprising:
- one or more boundary inserts sized to substantially cover front, back and opposing end walls of the bag;
- a plurality of additional inserts;
- each boundary insert and each additional insert having a face;
- the faces substantially covered with a loop material;
- each additional insert having opposing edge portions;
- the edge portions having a hook material capable of adhering to the insert face loop material; and
- the additional inserts sized to be insertable in as bag and affixable to other inserts in as plurality of positions by connection of the hook and loop materials.
8. The kit of claim 7 wherein each additional insert has a second face substantially covered in a loop material.
9. The kit of claim 7 having inserts with faces having coverage by loop material of at least 75%.
10. The kit of claim 7 having inserts with faces having coverage by loop material of at least 95%.
11. The kit of claim 7 wherein the hook material on the edge portions extends substantially the entire length of a straight portion of the edge portion.
12. The kit of claim 7 further comprising at least one flexible insert capable of bending into a plurality of positions including opposing ends bending in opposite directions with regard to the longitudinal center line of the flexible insert.
13. A bag comprising an insert kit of claim 7.
14. A backpack comprising:
- a container portion having a top container portion horizontally interfaced with a bottom container portion wherein the top container portion is hinged to the bottom portion on one side so when rotated apart from the bottom container portion the bottom container portion has a full opening;
- a harness comprising:
- a front panel portion extending from a back portion of the backpack;
- a first strap extending from the front panel positioned to extend over a wearer's right shoulder;
- a second strap extending from the front panel portion positioned to extend over a wearer's left shoulder;
- a waistband extending from a bottom portion of the bag configured to extend around a wearer.
15. The backpack of claim 14 wherein the top when opened remains substantially horizontally disposed enabling it to serve as a platform for supporting objects.
16. The backpack of claim 14 further comprising:
- a plurality of inserts;
- each of the plurality of inserts having a face;
- at least a substantial portion of each face having a loop material;
- each insert having opposing edge portions;
- the edge portions having a hook material capable of adhering to the insert face loop material; and
- the inserts sized to be insertable in the container and affixable to other inserts in a plurality of positions by connection of the hook and loop materials.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 24, 2013
Publication Date: May 15, 2014
Applicant: THE TIFFEN COMPANY, LLC (Hauppauge, NY)
Inventor: Patty Nast Canton (Kansas City, MO)
Application Number: 14/061,802
International Classification: A45C 13/02 (20060101); A45F 3/04 (20060101);