Bag carrying harness

Abstract

The bag carrying harness is a carrying device that includes an elongated neck strap having first and second ends and at least two hooks, the hooks being attached to the neck strap above the first and second ends, respectively, in a lateral chest region of the elongated neck strap. Two shoulder loops are provided. One shoulder loop is attached to a side of the neck strap that includes the first end. The other shoulder loop is attached to an opposing side of the neck strap that includes the second end. A laterally extending torso strap is attached to each of the first and second ends of the elongated neck strap so that a user can cinch a portion of the device proximate the ends of the elongated neck strap about an upper body portion of the user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/877,139, filed Dec. 27, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to carrying harnesses, and more particularly to a bag carrying harness for holding and carrying a variety of bags, such as shopping bags, grocery bags, and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

Paper bags commonly used in food shops, grocery stores, department stores, various retail stores, and the like have generally been replaced by plastic bags having opposing openings, which form handgrip portions or handles. However, while almost universally used, such plastic bags tend to have substantially smaller capacity than the paper variety, and any significant purchase usually results in multiple bags being packed.

Additionally, when heavy items, such as cans or bottles, are packed, the handles gather and stretch to form relatively thin bands, which apply substantial forces concentrated along narrow areas or regions of the hand, which can be painful when the bags are carried for any period of time or over a distance.

Shoulder straps have been used to carry numerous items, such as cameras, pocketbooks, luggage and the like. Additionally, shoulder straps have been designed to carry disposable plastic bags of the type used by grocers, retailers, and the like. Yet the problem remains that using the shoulder as a support point for the purpose of carrying bags loaded with goods that may cause the bags to be heavy produces an unbalanced strain on the shoulder carrying the shoulder strap/bag assembly.

Even if a shoulder strap is used for each shoulder, that requires a load of a minimum of four bags, two for each shoulder strap. Moreover, in such a system, even if all bags weighed the same, there would be unwanted strain on the shoulders relative to the remaining parts of a user's upper body, thus creating, e.g., additional neck strain.

Thus, a bag carrying harness solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The bag carrying harness is a carrying device that includes an elongated neck strap having first and second ends and at least two hooks, the hooks being attached to the neck strap above the first and second ends, respectively, in a lateral chest region of the elongated neck strap. Two shoulder loops are provided. One shoulder loop is attached to a side of the neck strap that includes the first end. The other shoulder loop is attached to an opposing side of the neck strap that includes the second end. A laterally extending torso strap is attached to each of the first and second ends of the elongated neck strap so that a user can cinch a portion of the device proximate the ends of the elongated neck strap about an upper body portion of the user.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental perspective view of a bag carrying harness according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the bag carrying harness according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the bag carrying harness according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the present invention is a bag carrying harness 100 that includes a neck strap 102 having two ends 202a and 202b and two hook assemblies 120. Preferably the hook assemblies 120 are attached above the ends 202a and 202b in a lateral chest region of the elongated neck strap 102. The neck strap 102 is preferably made of high grade nylon webbing, but may be made of any durable and flexible material, such as leather, cloth, plastic, vinyl, synthetic leather, and the like. The neck strap 102 can also be made from a combination of the aforementioned materials. Two shoulder loops 105 are provided. One shoulder loop 105 is attached to a side of the neck strap 102 that includes the first end 202a. The other shoulder loop 105 is attached to an opposing side of the neck strap 102 that includes the second end 202b.

The neck strap 102 is preferably adjustable so that a user can adjust the height of hook assemblies 120 relative to the user's body in order to achieve a comfortable fit when carrying bags B. As shown in FIG. 2, the length of neck strap 102 can be adjusted by means of slidable adjustment cam 119, which is included to adjust the length of the neck strap 102. Attached to each end of the adjustable neck strap 102 is a laterally extending torso strap 117 that can be used for cinching a portion of the device 100 proximate the ends 202a and 202b of the elongated neck strap 102 about an upper body portion of the user U. As most clearly shown in FIG. 2, material in lateral strap 117 can be taken up (for cinching purposes) by means of adjustment buckle 115.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hook assembly 120 comprises B-D ring 124a that is pivotally attached to a loop of hook attachment webbing 122. The loop in attachment webbing 122 is retained by stitching 126. An open hook 124b is pivotally attached to the arcuate end of the B-D attachment ring 124a. Alternatively, instead of open hook 124b, a snap hook could be used. While the B-D attachment ring 124a is preferable to keep fabric loop of the attachment webbing from rubbing against the hook 124b, alternatively, a plain D ring could be used. The hook attachment webbing 122 is secured to the neck strap 102 by stitching 128.

The neck strap 102 may also include a neck pad 101, which serves to cushion the neck strap 102 against the user U so that the neck strap 102 does not cause the user U neck chafing or other discomfort while the bag carrying harness 100 is being worn. The neck pad 101 prevents the main adjustable strap from excessively “digging in” to the user's neck area and prevents the neck strap 102 from slipping or rotating while secured to the user U. As shown in FIG. 3, a rear view of the device 100 reveals that the neck pad 101 may be comprised of a sleeve 300 through which the neck strap 102 may slidably extend.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is shown that ends of shoulder loops 105 are stitched at attachment points 310 near neck strap ends and at attachment points 305 underneath and proximate to hook assemblies 120. Each shoulder loop 105 has a corresponding slidable adjustment cam 106 which can be used to adjust a circumference of the shoulder loop 105. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3, attachment points 305 are configured so that the shoulder loops 105 extend away from elongated neck strap 102 at an angle.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-2 of the drawings, the bag carrying harness 100 is shown about the neck of user U. The bag carrying harness 100 is secured behind the user's neck, and grocery bags B are attached to the hooks 124b via handles on the bags. When the harness 100 is properly cinched up around the users torso using lateral strap 117 and cinch buckle 115, the bags are retained along the side of the user's body so that the bags do not become a distraction during bag transportation using the device 100. Advantageously, load-bearing stress points are evenly distributed laterally across the user's shoulder and neck area by neck strap 102 and shoulder loops 105.

For example, while reference has been made to plastic grocery bags, any bag with a handle is capable of being secured via the hooks 124b.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A bag carrying harness, comprising:

an elongated neck strap having first and second ends;

at least two hooks attached to the neck strap above the first and second ends, respectively, in a lateral chest region of the elongated neck strap;

two shoulder loops, one of the loops being attached to a side of the neck strap including the first end, the other shoulder loop being attached to an opposing side of the neck strap including the second end; and

a laterally extending torso strap attached to each of the first and second ends of the elongated neck strap for cinching a portion of the device proximate the ends of the elongated neck strap about an upper body portion of auser.

2. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, wherein the neck strap is made of high-grade nylon webbing.

3. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, further comprising a slidable adjustment cam disposed on the neck strap for adjusting the length of the neck strap.

4. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustment buckle disposed on the torso strap for adjusting an effective length of the torso strap.

5. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, wherein each of the hooks comprises a B-D ring, the neck strap having a loop of hook attachment webbing, the B-D ring being pivotally attached to the loop of hook attachment webbing on the neck strap.

6. The bag carrying harness according to claim 5, wherein the loop in the attachment webbing is retained by stitching.

7. The bag carrying harness according to claim 5, wherein each of the hooks is an open hook pivotally attached to an arcuate end of a respective one of the B-D attachment rings.

8. The bag carrying harness according to claim 5, wherein each of the hooks is a snap hook.

9. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, wherein each of the hooks comprises a plain D ring.

10. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, further comprising a neck pad disposed on the neck strap, the neck pad cushioning the neck strap against a user so that the neck strap does not cause the user neck chafing and other discomfort while using the bag carrying harness.

11. The bag carrying harness according to claim 10, wherein the neck pad comprises a sleeve through which the neck strap is slidably extendable.

12. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, wherein each of the shoulder loops has a corresponding slidable adjustment cam for adjusting a circumference of the shoulder loop.

13. The bag carrying harness according to claim 1, further comprising stitched shoulder loops at attachment points near neck strap ends and at attachment points underneath and proximate to hook assemblies.

14. The bag carrying harness according to claim 13, wherein the attachment points are configured so that the shoulder loops extend away from the elongated neck strap at an angle.