Shoe bag
A shoe bag is provided having a divider and a top drawstring. The divider may further have a concealed pocket, into which may be placed a fragrance or deodorizing insert to mask the odor of shoe wear, and may have a hook for hanging the bag.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/456,510 filed Nov. 9, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/463,728 filed Feb. 22, 2011.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shoe bags, and in particular relates to shoe bags having a divider.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many different types of bags that are designed for holding shoes and other footwear. These include one-compartment shoe bags (for example, U.S. Pat. No. D 453,994 S of Meissner), bags with drawstrings (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,818,030 of Arnold with a divider between two shoe-holding portions; D 322,888 of Crawford et al. with two top-connected pouches, D 386,900 of Gummere et al. with two top-connected pouches, bags with zippers and/or strap carriers (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. D 395,752 of Foster, D 504,230 S of Thomas, D 578,763 S of Walker having two compartments connected by a strap, 1,997,637 of Gebelein, 5,474,163 of West et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0000796 of Kameoka with a boxlike cavity for each shoe), panels with multiple pockets for shoes (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,016 B1 of Carson), shoe holders with separate compartments for each shoe of a pair of shoes where the compartments have a wider end for a shoe heel (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,497,325 of Scherba, 2,276,765 of De Gree, D 259,677 of Rosenow, D 547,063 S of Soetardjo et al., D 634,931 S of Terrell), and a contoured case for footwear (U.S. Pat. No. D 444,944 S of Smith et al.). Other patents are for simple pouches (for example, U.S. Pat. No. D 584,054 S) that may be used for shoes. There are also patented fasteners for shoe bags (U.S. Pat. No. 1,897,306 of Flint).
Most of the prior shoe bags and holders are basic utilitarian holders of one shape or another, being a simple as a one-compartment bag to more complex shoe bags with two compartments, or a single divided compartment. Some of them are more bulky than is necessary to simply hold a pair of shoes. Very few prior shoe bags are formed to be stylish or designer bags. It is also unknown to provide a fragrance or deodorizing insert in shoe bags. The design also enables the capabilities for reversible usage and toting of various items.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a shoe bag that is both useful and stylish. In addition it is an object of the invention to provide a shoe bag that contains, or can be made to contain, a fragrance or deodorizing insert in a concealed compartment designed for this specific benefit.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a bag having a concealed compartment for a fragrance/deodorizer insert to mask odor of shoe wear.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a reversible bag.
It is a further object of the invention herein to provide a bag with a hook for hanging the bag.
It is a further object of the invention herein to provide a bag that may be used for toting of various items jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, lingerie, and the like.
Other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention herein is a shoe bag with a divider so that a pair of shoes can be separated and protected in one tote along with a top drawstring and concealed compartment for specific use of insertion of fragrance/deodorizer to mask the odor of shoe wear. A hook may be attached to the top of the bag so that it may be hung.
Other objects and features of the inventions will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.
The present invention comprises a bag, preferably used for shoes; however, the bag of the invention may be used for toting of various items jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, lingerie, and the like. The bag of the invention, when used as a shoe bag in the preferred embodiment, most preferably has a concealed compartment for a fragrance/deodorizer insert to mask odor of shoe wear. The bag of the invention is also reversible.
Most preferably the shoe bag of the invention is made of three separate pieces of fabric: an outside cover fabric, an inside lining fabric and a divider fabric, sewn together as described herein.
Referring now to the figures, the shoe bag of the invention is made as follows. Two pieces of fabric 10 and 16 are cut to rectangles of the same size (
Fabric piece 10 becomes the shoe bag cover and fabric piece 16 becomes the shoe bag lining when the shoe bag 8 is assembled as discussed below. A third slightly smaller rectangular fabric piece 22 (
In the construction of the shoe bag of the invention, the short sides 14, 20 of the fabric pieces 10, 16, respectively, become the “top” of the assembled shoe bag 8.
In the preferred embodiment of the shoe bag of the invention, fabric piece 10 that forms the outer cover of the shoe bag is preferably any possible designer or other attractive fabric as known in the art. Preferably fabric piece 10 is a fabric such as satins, silks, brocades, leathers, cottons. Preferably fabric piece 16 that forms the shoe bag lining is black satin fabric and fabric piece 22 that forms the divider is cardinal red satin fabric. Smooth fabrics such as satin are preferred for the liner and divider, because the satin easily allows addition of shoes to the bag or removal for polishing, while protecting the shoes from scuffs and rubbing together, and is less likely to snag on the shoes or shoe decorations than cotton or rougher fabrics. While the named fabrics are preferred so that an elegant, luxurious designer shoe bag is formed by the method of the invention, other fabric colors and materials may be used as desired by the manufacture and/or a purchaser.
A piece of satin rat tail 28 cut to a 24-inch length is used for the shoe bag drawstring (
Before beginning sewing the fabric pieces 10, 16, 22 together, the long sides 12, 18, 24 and the short sides 14, 20, 26 of each fabric piece are serged as known in the art, shown by serge stitches 30 on each piece in
Fabric piece 10 (cover) is folded in half crosswise, bringing short sides 14 together and forming a fold edge 32 as indicated in
The next step is to sew the divider seams. As shown in
Preferably, a bottom cross-seam 38 is stitched one inch from the short sides 26 of fabric piece 22 (divider) and a second cross-seam 40 is stitched four inches from the short sides 26 as shown in
To attach fabric piece 22 (divider) to fabric piece 16 (lining), stitched fabric piece 22 (stitched as above) is placed on fabric piece 16 with folded edge 35 one inch below one of the short sides 20 of fabric piece 16 as shown in
On folded fabric piece 10 that is right side outside (
Bag 56 formed by sewn fabric piece 10 is turned so that the right side of the fabric is inside (
A hook 70 may be optionally attached to bag 8. A hook with a base 72 is used. Where a hook 70 (
The fabric piece 16 (lining) is pulled out through the 3″ label tag opening 48 so that both fabric pieces 10, 16 are inside out and still joined together at their short sides 14, 20 (
A 1-inch top seam 62 joining fabric piece 16 (lining) and fabric piece 20 (cover) is sewn around the top of shoe bag 8 leaving a gap 64 for insertion of the rat tail drawstring 28, as is known in the art, in the space between the top of the bag and top seam 62. The drawstring 28 is threaded around the top of shoe bag 8 so that the drawstring is around the entire top of the shoe bag 8 with both ends of drawstring 28 protruding from gap 64. An acrylic bead or other object 68 as desired as known in the art for assisting in pulling the drawstring to tie its ends together is attached to each end of drawstring 28. Alternatively, the ends of the drawstring may be knotted as known in the art. The ends of the drawstring 28 are dipped in hot glue, or are otherwise treated as known in the art, to prevent unraveling of the drawstring 28.
Preferably, an insert 66, impregnated or otherwise treated with a fragrance or deodorizing substance as known in the art, is inserted in concealed pocket 42 at some point during the construction of shoe bag 8. Because concealed pocket 42 is open, the particular insert 66 may be varied or inserted at any time, as desired, by the manufacturer and/or purchaser of shoe bag 8. The insert can be replaced at any time or as often as the purchaser chooses. The fragrance/deodorizer pads are preferably manufactured and sold separately.
The invention herein therefore includes shoe bag 8 as well as the above-described method of manufacture of shoe bag 8 or methods equivalent thereto for forming a lined shoe bag with a central divider, preferably having a concealed pocket for insertion of a fragrance/deodorizer insert. The invention further includes any shoe bag comprising an outer cover, at least one shoe compartment, and a concealed pocket inside the shoe bag, most preferably also including a fragrance/deodorizing insert placed in the concealed pocket.
While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that numerous variations, modifications, and embodiments are possible, and accordingly, all such variations, modifications, and embodiments are to be regarded as being within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A shoe bag, comprising:
- a) a fabric cover;
- b) a fabric lining inside the fabric cover;
- c) a central fabric divider bisecting the shoe bag and having a concealed pocket; and
- d) a drawstring to close and open the shoe bag.
2. The shoe bag of claim 1, further comprising a fragrance/deodorizing insert placed in the concealed pocket.
3. The shoe bag of claim 1, wherein the fabric lining and the fabric divider are made of satin.
4. The shoe bag of claim 1, wherein the fabric cover is made of a designer fabric.
5. The shoe bag of claim 1, further comprising a hook attached to the top of the shoe bag.
6. A method of making a shoe bag, comprising;
- a) cutting rectangles of fabric pieces for a fabric cover, a fabric lining, and a fabric divider, each fabric piece having two shorter sides and two longer sides;
- b) cutting a piece of drawstring material;
- c) folding each fabric piece crosswise by bring the short sides of the fabric piece together;
- d) stitching the long sides of the divider fabric piece together, and forming a pocket with an opening along one long side of the divider fabric piece;
- e) attaching the stitched divider fabric piece to the folded lining fabric piece by stitching the stitched divider fabric piece within the folded lining fabric piece to form a liner/divider bag with an opening in the stitching;
- f) turning the lining/divider bag inside out;
- g) forming a cover bag by stitching along the long sides of the folded cover fabric piece, leaving a gap for insertion of the drawstring material;
- h) sewing the turned lining/divider bag inside the cover bag;
- i) pulling the lining fabric piece through the opening in the stitching; and
- j) stitching around the top of the shoe bag and threading the drawstring between the lining fabric piece and the cover fabric piece, and between the stitching around the top of the bag and the top of the bag.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising placing a fragrance/deodorizing insert in the pocket.
8. The method of claim 6, further comprising serging the long sides of each fabric piece before stitching the fabric piece sides together.
9. The method of claim 6, further comprising hemming the pocket opening on the divider fabric piece.
10. The method of claim 6, further comprising attaching a tag label to the opening in the lining/divider bag.
11. The method of claim 6, further comprising attaching an acrylic bead to each end of the drawstring.
12. The method of claim 6, further comprising attaching a hook to top of the bag.
13. A bag comprising an outer cover, at least one compartment, and a concealed pocket inside the bag.
14. The bag of claim 13, further comprising a fragrance/deodorizing insert placed in the concealed pocket.
15. The bag of claim 13, further comprising a hook attached to the top of the bag.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 8, 2011
Publication Date: May 24, 2012
Inventor: Kathryn V. Dias (Westworth Village, TX)
Application Number: 13/373,199
International Classification: B65D 30/22 (20060101); D05B 1/00 (20060101); B65D 33/14 (20060101);