BACKPACK
A backpack includes: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body and having an adjustable length; and a retention mechanism attached to the body and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position the retention mechanism being disposed to define a compartment to hold an object and to inhibit first motion of the object toward a bottom of the backpack, to inhibit second motion of the object toward a right side of the backpack, to inhibit third motion of the object toward a left side of the backpack, and to inhibit fourth motion of the object away from the rear panel over a length of the retention mechanism, in the second position the retention mechanism providing an opening to the compartment, the opening extending a majority of the length of the retention mechanism.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/045,230, filed Jun. 29, 2020, entitled “BACKPACK,” assigned to the assignee hereof, and the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDBackpacks are often used by persons engaging in activities such as hiking, biking, walking, camping, moving between classes, etc. Different configurations of backpacks are available for different activities, such as hiking or biking versus attending classes. Backpacks may be used to store various objects depending upon the use or activity of a user of the backpack. For example, for hiking or biking, backpacks are available for storing a hydration bladder that may hold water and may have a tube connected on one end to a reservoir of the bladder. A user can create suction on a mouthpiece disposed at an opposite end of the tube to draw water (or other liquid) from the reservoir through a valve of the mouthpiece. Thus, volume of contents of the backpack may change over time.
SUMMARYAn example backpack includes: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body and having an adjustable length; and a retention mechanism attached to the body and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position the retention mechanism being disposed to define a compartment to hold an object and to inhibit first motion of the object toward a bottom of the backpack, to inhibit second motion of the object toward a right side of the backpack, to inhibit third motion of the object toward a left side of the backpack, and to inhibit fourth motion of the object away from the rear panel over a length of the retention mechanism, in the second position the retention mechanism providing an opening to the compartment, the opening extending a majority of the length of the retention mechanism.
Implementations of such a backpack may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the retention mechanism comprises at least one flap pivotally connected to a base portion of the retention mechanism or to the rear panel. In another example implementation, the opening extends over 80% of the length of the retention mechanism. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism is movable to a plurality of first positions to define a plurality of compartments of different volumes. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism includes an adjustable stabilizer to bias the retention mechanism against the object at each of the plurality of first positions. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism includes a sheet of an elastic fabric. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism includes a retention strap and a securing device configured to slidably receive, and selectively secure, the retention strap with a selected length of the retention strap between the securing device and a securing point laterally-disposed from the securing device relative to the body. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism is sized to receive and retain a liquid-holding bladder containing at least 1 liter of water. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism is configured to be at least partially see through to permit viewing of the object while the object is retained by the retention mechanism.
Another example backpack includes: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body, proximate to a top of the body, and having an adjustable length; and a bladder retention mechanism attached to the body and including: a retaining member disposed, shaped, and attached to the body to provide a chamber to receive at least a lower portion of a liquid-containing bladder; and an adjustable stabilizer disposed and configured to bias the liquid-containing bladder toward the rear panel with the liquid-containing bladder received by the retaining member; wherein the bladder retention mechanism is configured to provide the chamber with different volumes to bias the liquid-containing bladder toward the rear panel with the bladder occupying different volumes.
Implementations of such a backpack may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the adjustable stabilizer includes at least one adjustable-length band. In another example implementation, the at least one adjustable-length band is attached to the body closer to the top of the body than a top of the retaining member. In another example implementation, the retaining member has a length and is configured to overlap the body along the length of the retaining member, and wherein the at least one adjustable-length band is attached to the body to overlap the retaining member transverse to a length of the body. In another example implementation, the at least one adjustable-length band includes a plurality of adjustable-length straps.
Another example backpack includes: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body, the shoulder strap being adjustable to bias the front panel against a back of a user; a first side bladder flap including a first connector, the first side bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a first length that is displaced from a vertical centerline of the rear panel, the first side bladder flap being movable between a first closed position extending toward the vertical centerline of the rear panel and a first open position extending away from the vertical centerline of the rear panel; a second side bladder flap including a second connector, the second side bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a second length that is displaced from the vertical centerline of the rear panel on an opposite side of the vertical centerline of the rear panel from the first length, the second side bladder flap being movable between a second closed position extending toward the vertical centerline of the rear panel and a second open position extending away from the vertical centerline of the rear panel; and a bottom bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a third length, the bottom bladder flap being movable between a third closed position extending toward a top of the body from the third length and a third open position extending away from the top of the body from the third length; where the bottom bladder flap includes a third connector and a fourth connector configured and disposed to releasably connect to the first connector and the second connector, respectively, with the first side bladder flap disposed in the first closed position, the second side bladder flap disposed in the second closed position, and the bottom bladder flap disposed in the third closed position.
Implementations of such a backpack may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the first connector and the third connector include a first hook-and-loop fastener and the second connector and the fourth connector comprise a second hook-and-loop fastener. In another example implementation, the backpack includes a handle attached to the bottom bladder flap at an opposite end of the bottom bladder flap from the third length. In another example implementation, the bottom bladder flap provides a see-through section.
Techniques are discussed herein for retaining a hydration bladder by a backpack. A retention mechanism may be provided that may provide an adjustable stabilizer for retaining one or more objects such as a hydration bladder. The retention mechanism may retain and stabilize the object(s) and help stabilize the object(s), including for different sizes of objects. For example, a retention mechanism of a backpack has three flaps for retaining a bladder. Two side flaps are attached near left and right sides of a rear panel of the backpack and a bottom flap is attached to the rear panel across a portion of a width of the rear panel below the side flaps. The side flaps may be pivoted toward each other to overlie the rear panel. The bottom flap may be pivoted to overlie the rear panel with the bottom flap overlapping a respective portion of each of the side flaps. The side flaps and the bottom flap include connectors for releasably attaching the side flaps to the bottom flap. For example, each of the side flaps may include a strip of a hook-and-loop fastener portion and the bottom flap may include one or more strips of a mating hook-and-loop fastener portion to form hook-and-loop fasteners with the hook-and-loop fastener portions of the side flaps. These are examples, and other example configurations may be used, many (though not all) of which are discussed below. For example, one or more of the side flaps and/or the bottom flap may include multiple regions of hook-and-loop fastener material. Still other example are possible and within the scope of the disclosure and claims.
Items and/or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. Access to a hydration bladder and/or other object(s) retained by a backpack may be improved. Different sizes of objects such as hydration bladders may be accommodated by a backpack. A bladder may continue to be snugly retained by a backpack as the bladder is drained. Movement of a bladder relative to a backpack as the bladder is drained may be reduced compared to prior backpacks. Determining status of an object held by a backpack may be facilitated, e.g., determining a liquid level of a bladder may be easier than with previous bladder-holding backpacks. Other capabilities may be provided and not every implementation according to the disclosure must provide any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed.
Referring to
The shoulder straps 20, 21 are configured to adjustably mount the backpack 10 on the user. The shoulder straps 20, 21 comprise upper sections 22, 23 connected (e.g., sewn) to an upper portion 24 of the body 12 and lower sections 26, 27 connected (e.g. sewn) to a lower portion 25 of the body 12. The upper sections 22, 23 of the shoulder straps 20, 21 may include mesh and/or padding and have widths (e.g., a width 29, shown in
The pouches 14, 16 provide compartments for storing items and the pouch 14 may be used to retain items between the pouch 14 and the body 12. The pouch 14 includes connectors 51, 52, 53 attached to an outer surface 54 of the pouch 14. Retaining straps 55, 56, 57 are connected to the body and are slidably received by connectors 61, 62, 63 that are sized and shaped to mate with the connectors 51-53, to be releasably received by the connectors 51-53. Thus, the connectors 61-63 may be detached from the connectors 51-53, the pouch 14 pivoted away from the body 12 about a hinge 15 (e.g., see
Referring also to
The bladder retention mechanism 110 is configured (sized, shaped, and disposed) to adapt to and retain different sizes of hydration bladders, at different levels of fullness, e.g., against the body 12 and/or to inhibit movement of the bladder 150 relative to the backpack 10, and/or to inhibit separation of the bladder 150 from the backpack 10 (e.g., to inhibit the bladder 150 from falling downward and/or sideways away from the backpack 10. For example, the bladder retention mechanism may be sized and shaped to receive and retain the bladder 150, with the bladder 150 potentially being of various sizes (e.g., configured to contain up to 2 liters of water or more). The bladder 150 may change size during use, e.g., as liquid is drawn from a reservoir of the bladder 150. The bladder retention mechanism 110 may inhibit lateral motion of the bladder 150 in lateral directions 151, 152 (
As shown in
The bottom flap 140 includes a handle 144 attached to a top end of the bottom flap 140. The handle 144 can be pulled to separate the connectors 124, 134 of the side flaps 120, 130 from the connectors 141, 142 of the bottom flap 140. Pulling the handle 144 may simultaneously separate the connector 141 from the connector 124 and the connector 142 from the connector 134. In this example, the handle 144 is a woven nylon strap, but other forms of handles, e.g., hard plastic (e.g., Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)), may be used.
The side flaps 120, 130 and the bottom flap 140 may be made of flexible materials to adapt to different sizes of bladders to help retain the bladder 150. For example, the flaps 120, 130, 140 may be made of nylon sheets with flexible strips of hook-and-loop fasteners for the connectors 124, 134, 141, 142. Alternatively, one or more of the flaps 120, 130, 140 may comprise an expandable material such as woven elastic fiber such as Spandex (also known as Lycra® or elastane).
The backpack 10, and/or other configurations of backpacks, may include numerous other features. For example, referring in particular to
Numerous alternative configurations of adjustable retention mechanisms may be used as part of a backpack, e.g., in conjunction with a body of a backpack. Such alternative configurations may be used with backpacks of different configurations, e.g., the backpack 10 with the pouch 14 and the pouch 16, or other configurations of backpacks (whether discussed herein or not). One or more of these alternative adjustable retention mechanisms may provide adjustable-size pockets for receiving and stabilizing one or more objects, in particular a hydration bladder. One or more of these mechanisms can provide easy access to a compartment provided by the retention mechanism to facilitate insertion of an object into the compartment and/or removal of an object from the compartment. For example, a retention mechanism with fewer than three flaps may be used that connect to each other and/or to the rear panel (e.g., to one or more mating connectors on the rear panel). Still further examples of retention mechanisms may be used, some of which are discussed below.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Numerous other configurations of retention mechanisms and backpacks may be used. For example, retention mechanisms (e.g., as discussed above as well as other retention mechanisms) may provide visibility of one or more items being retained, with the retention mechanism being at least partially see-through. For example, referring to
Other Considerations
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Also, as used herein, “or” as used in a list of items (possibly prefaced by “at least one of” or prefaced by “one or more of”) indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C,” or a list of “one or more of A, B, or C” or a list of “A or B or C” means A, or B, or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (B and C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or combinations with more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).
The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in a similar manner.
“About” and/or “approximately” and/or “substantially” as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a temporal duration, an attribute (such as a frequency or size), or the like, encompasses (in addition to any variation specified) variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, or other implementations described herein.
Specific details are given in the description to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details. This description provides example configurations only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of the configurations provides a description for implementing described techniques. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements.
Having described several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention. Accordingly, the above description does not bound the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A backpack comprising:
- a body including a front panel and a rear panel;
- a shoulder strap attached to the body and having an adjustable length; and
- a retention mechanism attached to the body and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position the retention mechanism being disposed to define a compartment to hold an object and to inhibit first motion of the object toward a bottom of the backpack, to inhibit second motion of the object toward a right side of the backpack, to inhibit third motion of the object toward a left side of the backpack, and to inhibit fourth motion of the object away from the rear panel over a length of the retention mechanism, in the second position the retention mechanism providing an opening to the compartment, the opening extending a majority of the length of the retention mechanism.
2. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism comprises at least one flap pivotally connected to a base portion of the retention mechanism or to the rear panel.
3. The backpack of claim 2, wherein the opening extends over 80% of the length of the retention mechanism.
4. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism is movable to a plurality of first positions to define a plurality of compartments of different volumes.
5. The backpack of claim 4, wherein the retention mechanism comprises an adjustable stabilizer to bias the retention mechanism against the object at each of the plurality of first positions.
6. The backpack of claim 5, wherein the retention mechanism comprises a sheet of an elastic fabric.
7. The backpack of claim 5, wherein the retention mechanism comprises a retention strap and a securing device configured to slidably receive, and selectively secure, the retention strap with a selected length of the retention strap between the securing device and a securing point laterally-disposed from the securing device relative to the body.
8. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism is sized to receive and retain a liquid-holding bladder containing at least 1 liter of water.
9. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism is configured to be at least partially see through to permit viewing of the object while the object is retained by the retention mechanism.
10. A backpack comprising:
- a body including a front panel and a rear panel;
- a shoulder strap attached to the body, proximate to a top of the body, and having an adjustable length; and
- a bladder retention mechanism attached to the body and comprising: a retaining member disposed, shaped, and attached to the body to provide a chamber to receive at least a lower portion of a liquid-containing bladder; and an adjustable stabilizer disposed and configured to bias the liquid-containing bladder toward the rear panel with the liquid-containing bladder received by the retaining member;
- wherein the bladder retention mechanism is configured to provide the chamber with different volumes to bias the liquid-containing bladder toward the rear panel with the bladder occupying different volumes.
11. The backpack of claim 10, wherein the adjustable stabilizer comprises at least one adjustable-length band.
12. The backpack of claim 11, wherein the at least one adjustable-length band is attached to the body closer to the top of the body than a top of the retaining member.
13. The backpack of claim 11, wherein the retaining member has a length and is configured to overlap the body along the length of the retaining member, and wherein the at least one adjustable-length band is attached to the body to overlap the retaining member transverse to a length of the body.
14. The backpack of claim 11, wherein the at least one adjustable-length band comprises a plurality of adjustable-length straps.
15. A backpack comprising:
- a body including a front panel and a rear panel;
- a shoulder strap attached to the body, the shoulder strap being adjustable to bias the front panel against a back of a user;
- a first side bladder flap including a first connector, the first side bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a first length that is displaced from a vertical centerline of the rear panel, the first side bladder flap being movable between a first closed position extending toward the vertical centerline of the rear panel and a first open position extending away from the vertical centerline of the rear panel;
- a second side bladder flap including a second connector, the second side bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a second length that is displaced from the vertical centerline of the rear panel on an opposite side of the vertical centerline of the rear panel from the first length, the second side bladder flap being movable between a second closed position extending toward the vertical centerline of the rear panel and a second open position extending away from the vertical centerline of the rear panel; and
- a bottom bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a third length, the bottom bladder flap being movable between a third closed position extending toward a top of the body from the third length and a third open position extending away from the top of the body from the third length;
- wherein the bottom bladder flap includes a third connector and a fourth connector configured and disposed to releasably connect to the first connector and the second connector, respectively, with the first side bladder flap disposed in the first closed position, the second side bladder flap disposed in the second closed position, and the bottom bladder flap disposed in the third closed position.
16. The backpack of claim 15, wherein the first connector and the third connector comprise a first hook-and-loop fastener and the second connector and the fourth connector comprise a second hook-and-loop fastener.
17. The backpack of claim 15, further comprising a handle attached to the bottom bladder flap at an opposite end of the bottom bladder flap from the third length.
18. The backpack of claim 15, wherein the bottom bladder flap provides a see-through section.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 17, 2021
Publication Date: Dec 30, 2021
Inventors: David ABRAMOWITZ (Westwood, MA), Fernando ROBERT (San Francisco, CA)
Application Number: 17/350,411