Utilitarian object collapsible on itself
The utilitarian object has a first part of a flexible material and a second part, adjoining the first, notably having at least one utilitarian accessory. The first part is an envelopment zone delimited by a casing in which is disposed a tie and capable of sliding on the tie between: a) a position of use in which the envelopment zone is appreciably flat, and b) a storage position in which the casing is gathered and the envelopment zone forms an envelope in which the second part is collapsed. The object is maintained in the storage position by locking the casing at the tie. It can be a backpack, the utilitarian accessory being at least one shoulder strap assembly and possibly a belt assembly. It can be a shopping bag, the second part having, as utilitarian accessories, two carrying handles.
This application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 0510949 filed 26 Oct. 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention concerns a utilitarian object or article, which, when not in use, can be stored without occupying much space, without external means of storage, by simply collapsing in on itself.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the field of clothing, we have for a long time been familiar with what are known as K-WAY® articles, which are noted for their ability to be folded inside a pocket equipped, on the one hand, with a two-way zipper and, on the other hand, with two pieces of elastic strap terminated by anchoring means. In the position of use, the two elastic sections are found inside the pocket, which is indistinguishable from a conventional pocket. In the storage position, the pocket is turned inside out and the entire article is folded so it can be introduced within said reversed pocket; the pocket is closed by sliding the zipper slider and the user can easily carry the article, stored in said reversed pocket, by attaching it around his or her waist by means of the elastic strap sections and anchoring means.
Articles of this type have had and continue to have considerable success. However, to implement this technical concept, it is necessary that the article be equipped with a pocket whose interior volume is sufficient to accommodate the article folded in on itself, generally by compacting it so its volume is as small as possible. Additionally, carrying the article in its stored position around the waist is not always convenient. Moreover, closing the pocket with a zipper can present drawbacks, primarily when the article is insufficiently compacted during storage inside the pocket and the article gets caught in the zipper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe object of the present invention is a utilitarian object that is capable of being collapsed on itself when stored, in a configuration that occupies little space, while overcoming the above drawbacks and while not being limited to the field of clothing alone.
The invention in question is a utilitarian object that has a first part of flexible material and a second part, adjoining the first, notably having at least one utilitarian accessory. Characteristically, the first part is an envelopment zone delimited by a casing, in which casing is arranged a tie, said casing being able to slide on the tie between:
a) a first position, corresponding to the object's uncollapsed position of use, in which the envelopment zone is appreciably flat and
b) a second position, corresponding to the compressed storage position of the object, in which the casing is gathered and the envelopment zone forms an envelope in which the second part is folded in its compacted state. Moreover, the object is maintained in its compressed position by locking the casing at the tie.
In the field of clothing manufacture, a casing is generally said to be a hem in which a cord passes for tightening or loosening. In the present text, this term is used to refer to any means capable of fulfilling the function of tightening and loosening in cooperation with a tie or cord.
Thus, unlike the article known by the K-WAY® name, the object is not stored in a pocket designed for that purpose, but simply in a particular region of its own structure, a region that is of a flexible material and delimited by a casing. It is this particular region that, after folding and compacting the remainder of the object and concomitant tightening of the casing, serves as a storage pouch. Cooperation of the tie and the casing serves, first, to form the storage pocket and, finally, to close it. Closure can occur either simply by knotting, wherein the user realizes a knot that locks the casing in its gathered storage position, or by using a means for locking the tie against said casing in the gathered position.
According to a variant embodiment, the casing is a sheath added to the object, on the exterior or possibly the interior, presenting at least one opening for the passage of the tie.
The configuration of the envelopment zone must naturally be a function of the structure and configuration of the second part of the object and, particularly, of the utilitarian accessory(ies) that exist(s) in this second part. However, in general, the configuration of the envelopment zone is circular.
Said envelopment zone can present a different appearance than that of the second part, notably being covered with a retroreflective coating. Thus, the envelopment zone has a complementary function of safety identification whenever the object, notably a backpack or vestment, is worn by the user, walking along a road, at nightfall. It should be noted that the envelopment zone is not subject to the operation of collapsing on itself, through compacting, so that it presents less risk of wear from use, which is why it is advantageous that the retroreflective coating be applied to this envelopment zone and not to the second part of the object.
The envelopment zone can be formed from a different material than that from which the second part of the object is formed, in particular, from a material of greater mechanical resistance, for example, resistance to wear.
The present object is most especially applicable to backpacks, the utilitarian accessory being in this case at least one shoulder strap assembly and possibly a belt assembly. In the case of a backpack, the second part, with the exception of the shoulder strap assembly and possibly the belt assembly, is preferably of a flexible and light material, easily collapsible on itself, which can, notably, be the same material as that forming the envelopment zone.
Of course, it is understood that the backpack in question cannot be a traditional rigid-frame backpack, but preferably a small-size bag, notably, for a child, which can, for example, be easily stored in a schoolbag or even a handbag. For example, the shoulder strap assembly and possibly the belt assembly consists exclusively of straps and length-adjustment buckles.
In the case of a backpack, the envelopment zone is preferably centrally disposed on the front surface of the backpack, that is, the surface that is visible when the backpack is on the user's back.
Preferably, in the case of a backpack having a capacity of about 15 liters, the envelopment zone has a surface of about 350 cm2.
Also, in the case of a backpack, the flexible and light material of the first and second parts preferably has a basis weight comprised between 50 and 250 g/cm2.
Aside from the backpack, the present invention is applicable to all types of utilitarian objects, for example, for luggage or for clothing, in particular for rainwear, windbreakers, or poncho-type garments.
In particular, out of respect for the environment, efforts are being made to limit the consumption of non-biodegradable plastic bags. Customers are advised to return to an older practice, namely that they go shopping in stores with their own reusable bag. It is in this context that the present invention can very usefully be applied to an easily portable bag occupying little space, which the customer unfolds in its position of use when he or she is at the store checkout counter. The second part has, as utilitarian accessories, two carrying handles.
In this case, the envelopment zone preferably constitutes, in whole or in part, the bottom of the bag and is formed of a different material from the second part of the bag, an exception possibly being made for the carrying handles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSA better understanding of the present invention will be obtained by reading the following description of several examples of embodiments of utilitarian objects, including a backpack, a shopping bag, and a poncho-type garment, illustrated by the attached drawing, in which:
In the present text, the term utilitarian object refers to an object that can be of some utility at a given moment and that a person wishes to carry with them in a minimum of space.
The examples given below are for illustrative purposes and not limiting in nature.
According to the concept of the invention, the utilitarian object consists of two adjoining parts. The first part, called the envelopment zone, is of a flexible material and is delimited by a casing, in which a tie is arranged. The casing is intended to slide over the tie between a first position, corresponding to the unfolded use portion of the object, in which the envelopment zone is appreciably flat, and a second position, corresponding to the compressed storage position of the object, in which the casing is gathered and the envelopment zone forms an envelope in which the second part, in its compacted state, is folded. Maintaining the object in its compressed storage position is obtained by locking the casing at the tie.
In the case of backpack 1 of
As is typical, backpack 1 consists of pack 5 itself and, in the example shown, shoulder strap assembly 6, which consists uniquely of two straps 7, whose extremities are attached by stitching, on each side of pack 5 itself, at the top and at the bottom of said pack. Straps 7 can be equipped with length adjustment buckles 8.
Pack 4 itself is opened by means of zipper 9 arranged transversely on the top part of pack 5.
In
Casing 3 is formed by sheath 10, which is added exteriorly to front surface 4 and within which is housed tie 11. Sheath 10 presents two adjacent open extremities 10a, 10b, for passage of tie 11. In the example shown in
FIGS. 3 to 5 schematically represent the stages in the transition of backpack 1 from the unfolded position of use shown in
The user grasps tie 11, which extends beyond the two open extremities 10a, 10b of casing 10, and exerts tension on it, bringing about the gradual tightening of casing 10, in the direction of arrows F in
In the example shown in
Activating the casing can also be realized by a single extremity of the tie and not by pulling on the two free extremities of the tie as described above. This can be obtained by attaching one of the extremities of the tie to the other extremity of the casing, adjacent to the free extremity of the tie exiting the casing, notably the sheath. In this case, naturally, the transition from the unfolded use position to the compressed storage position requires a manual action of displacing the casing along the tie to obtain the desired gathering.
The open extremity(ies) of the sheath can be consolidated with eyelets.
The sheath is a form of continuous casing. The casing may have other embodiments, notably discontinuous, for example, consisting of loops added to the exterior or interior along the edge of the envelopment zone or, for example, consisting of a succession of clearance holes, preferably reinforced with eyelets, formed along the edge of the envelopment zone, the tie passing through said holes successively from one surface of the material to the other.
In the case of shopping bag 20, illustrated in
Preferably, the material used for envelopment zone 21 differs from that of lateral walls 24, notably having a greater basis weight and/or being more mechanically resistant.
In the example shown in
Naturally, the embodiment of bag 20 that has just been described is not exclusive, the envelopment zone also being realizable on one of lateral walls 24 and not on the bottom of the bag.
In
Claims
1. A utilitarian object comprising a first part of a flexible material and a second part, adjoining the first, notably having at least one utilitarian accessory, wherein the first part is an envelopment zone delimited by a casing in which casing is disposed a tie, said casing being capable of sliding on the tie between:
- a) a first position, corresponding to the unfolded position of use of the object, in which the envelopment zone is appreciably flat, and
- b) a second position, corresponding to the compressed storage position of the object, in which the casing is gathered and the envelopment zone forms an envelope in which the second part is collapsed in a compact state
- and wherein the object is maintained in the compressed storage position by locking the casing at the tie.
2. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, said object having a means for locking the tie against said casing in its gathered position.
3. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the casing is a sheath added to the object, on the exterior or possibly on the interior, having at least one opening for passage of the tie.
4. The utilitarian object according to claim 3, wherein the sheath presents two open adjacent extremities, possibly reinforced with eyelets, for the passage of the two free extremities of the tie.
5. The utilitarian object according to claim 3, wherein the sheath presents an open extremity, possibly reinforced with an eyelet, for the passage of a free extremity of the tie, the other extremity of the tie being attached to the other extremity of the casing adjacent to the free extremity of the tie exiting the casing.
6. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a discontinuous shape, for example, consisting of loops or clearance holes arranged along the edge of the envelopment zone.
7. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the configuration of the envelopment zone is circular.
8. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the envelopment zone presents an appearance different than that of the second part, notably being covered with a retro-reflective coating.
9. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the envelopment zone is formed of a different material than that of which the second part is formed.
10. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, having the shape of a backpack, the envelopment zone being disposed on the pack itself and the utilitarian accessory being at least one shoulder strap assembly and possibly a belt assembly.
11. The utilitarian object according to claim 10, wherein the shoulder strap assembly and possibly the belt assembly consist exclusively of straps and length-adjustment buckles.
12. The utilitarian object according to claim 10, wherein the envelopment zone is disposed centrally on the front surface of the pack.
13. The utilitarian object according to claim 10, wherein the pack itself holds about 15 liters and the envelopment zone has a surface of about 350 cm2.
14. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the object has the shape of a shopping bag, the second part having, as utilitarian accessories, two carrying handles.
15. The utilitarian object according to claim 14, wherein the envelopment zone constitutes, in whole or in part, the bottom of the bag and is possibly formed of a different material than that of the second part of the bag, an exception possibly being made for the carrying handles.
16. The utilitarian object according to claim 1, wherein the object has the shape of a garment, notably a poncho type, the second part having as utilitarian accessory a hole for passage of the head and a hood.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 26, 2006
Publication Date: May 17, 2007
Inventor: Hugues Berger (Cheilly les Maranges)
Application Number: 11/586,630
International Classification: B65D 30/00 (20060101); B65D 33/28 (20060101);