Sports bag

Abstract

A sports bag includes a semi-flexible molded hollow body having a tubular wall and top and bottom open ends, a bottom cover attached to the bottom open end, and a receptacle detachably connected to the tubular wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a sports bag, more particularly to a sports bag that has a strong structure.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a currently available golf bag 1 includes a tubular body 10, and an accessory receiving unit 13. The tubular body 10 includes inner and outer sheet layers 11, 12 which are sewn together to form the tubular body 10. The accessory receiving unit 13 is sewn to the outer layer 12 of the tubular body 10. Most sports bags are made in such a way.

However, the following disadvantages occur during actual use:

1. Because the inner sheet layer 11 is made of a highly flexible material, such as a PP material, so as to facilitate connection with the outer sheet layer 12 by sewing, when an external force is applied to the golf bag 1, the outer sheet layer 12 tends to deform toward the inner sheet layer 11 so that damage to the golf clubs within the inner sheet layer 11 may occur.

2. Because the accessory receiving unit 13 is fixedly sewn to the outer sheet layer 12, the golf bag 1 is difficult to clean.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a sports bag that has a strong structure, that is easy to clean, that is lightweight, and that has a design which can be varied.

According to this invention, a sports bag comprises a semi-flexible molded hollow body having a tubular wall and top and bottom open ends, a bottom cover attached to the bottom open end, and a receptacle detachably connected to the tubular wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a currently available golf bag;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of a sports bag according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a sports bag according to the present invention is shown to comprise a semi-flexible molded hollow body 2, a retaining unit 3, a bottom cover 4, a receptacle 5, and a top cover 6.

The hollow body 2 may be formed into a variety of shapes as desired. When a tubular shape is desired, an extrusion method is applied. When a special shape is desired, a molding process may be used. After the desired hollow body 2 is formed, a plurality of elongated ribs may be provided on an outer periphery of the hollow body to strengthen the whole structure.

The hollow body 2 is made tubular by interconnecting two or more sheets together, each of which is formed by a molding process. The sheets cooperate to define a receiving chamber 20 shown in FIG. 2. Since different sports bags are used for different purposes, the arrangements required also vary. The arrangements, such as protrusions and elongated ribs, may be formed by a molding process and provided in predetermined positions, after which they are connected to the hollow body 2 to protect the latter from external impact.

Because the hollow body 2 of the sports bag has to be strong, the hollow body 2 is made of a material selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), and a carbon fiber composite material.

In this embodiment, the hollow body 2 is a golf bag, and may be formed either by an extrusion or molding process. The hollow body 2 has a tubular wall defining the receiving chamber 20, and bottom and top open ends, and includes a retaining unit 3 for interconnecting the hollow body 2 and the receptacle 5. The retaining unit 3 includes a plurality of retainers 31 fastened to top and bottom ends of the hollow body 2, and a plurality of hook portions 51 provided on the receptacle 5 to engage detachably and respectively the retainers 31 so that the receptacle 5 can be connected detachably to the hollow body 2. However, there are many different methods of connecting detachably the receptacle 5 to the hollow body 2. For example, a tightening string (not shown) may be pulled out horizontally and vertically from the receptacle 5, after which it may be hooked to the hollow body 2, or Velcro male and female fasteners (not shown) may be provided respectively on the receptacle 5 and the hollow body 2.

The bottom cover 4 includes a bottom plate 41, and a peripheral wall 42 extending upwardly from the bottom plate 41 into the receiving chamber 20. A plurality of fasteners 7 pass through the tubular wall of the hollow body 2, and engage the peripheral wall 42 of the bottom cover 4 so as to fix the bottom cover 4 to the bottom open end of the hollow body 4, thereby closing the same.

The top cover 6 is attached to the top open end of the hollow body 2, and is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart insertion holes 200 in spatial communication with the receiving chamber 20 to facilitate storage of the different golf clubs in the receiving chamber 20.

The tubular wall of the hollow body 2 may be provided with an insertion member 21, a socket member 22, a back strap 23, etc. The insertion member 21 includes a ring member that has a dual purpose. Namely, the ring member cooperates with the socket member 22 to hold an umbrella (not shown), and serves as a holder on which to hang a towel (not shown). The back strap 23 facilitates holding of the golf bag 1 by the user.

The hollow body 2 exemplified in this embodiment is that of a golf bag. However, since golf bags and other sports bags have in common a main body added with a receptacle of some sort, the aforementioned hollow body 2 of the present invention may be used as such a main body for both golf bags and other sports bags, and the receptacle 5 may be varied as needed prior to attachment to the hollow body 2.

The main difference between the golf bag of the present invention and other sports bags resides in the top cover 6 of the golf bag which is provided with a plurality of insertion holes 200 to accommodate insertion of different kinds of golf clubs thereinto. Other sports bags may not need such an arrangement, so that the top cover 6 may be replaced by a conventional openable cover (not shown), which may be made of fabric material or a hard plate.

The advantages of the sports bag of the present invention can be summarized as follows:

1. Since the hollow body 2 is a semi-flexible molded body, it has low flexibility and a strong structure, so that the rigidity of the hollow body 2 is enhanced, thereby effectively protecting the articles in the sports bag.

2. Since the hollow body 2 is directly formed and does not involve a sewing process, the weight of the hollow body 2 is substantially reduced.

3. Since the receptacle 5 is detachably connected to the hollow body 2, the receptacle 5 and the hollow body 2 can be cleaned separately.

4. Since the receptacle 5 is detachably connected to the hollow body 2, it can be replaced with a receptacle of a different design as desired to vary the outer appearance of the sports bag.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A sports bag comprising:

a semi-flexible molded hollow body having a tubular wall, and top and bottom open ends;

a bottom cover attached to said bottom open end; and

a receptacle detachably connected to said tubular wall.

2. The sports bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hollow body is made of a material selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and carbon fiber composites.

3. The sports bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sports bag is a golf bag, and further comprises a top cover attached to said top open end and provided with a plurality of spaced-apart insertion holes.

4. The sports bag as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a retaining unit to interconnect said hollow body and said receptacle, said retaining unit including a plurality of retainers, and a plurality of hook portions to engage detachably and respectively the retainers.