CARRIER BAG WITH MULTI-FUNCTION REMOVABLE PANEL
A hand and/or shoulder carrier bag having a removable panel. The removable panel may be releasably and selectively coupled to the bag using various mechanisms, such as hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, magnets, clasps, clamps, hooks, buckles, snaps, and buttons. The removable panel has a display side that acts as the front face of the bag when coupled to the bag. The removable panel has a hidden side that, when coupled to the bag, forms a depth-wise flexible blister pocket into which temporary storage items may be placed. The removeable panel may include an access slit through which the blister pocket is accessed. The peripheral edges of the removeable panel include piping that generally aligns with the outer edges of the bag and obscures the fact that the removable panel is not a monolithic part of the bag.
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Ser. No. 17/225,751 filed on Apr. 8, 2021, which is Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Ser. No. 16/732,490 filed on Jan. 2, 2020; and also which claims priority to U.S. 29/813,830 filed on Nov. 1, 2021; U.S. 29/815,932 filed on Nov. 17, 2021; U.S. 29/817,082 filed on Nov. 29, 2021; U.S. 29/818,503 filed on Dec. 9, 2021; and U.S. 29/825,624 filed on Feb. 3, 2022, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference and relied upon.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention. The invention relates generally to a bag, such as a backpack, and more particularly to a carrier bag having a having a removable panel.
Description of Related Art. People enjoy accessorizing and stylizing their clothes, shoes, hats, and any other personal belongings/accessories to their individual preferences. Some people may want their clothes, shoes, hats, etc. to match their bags/packs on any given day and for any occasion. For example, an individual wearing brown shoes with a brown belt on Monday may also want their bag to have a brown face to match the rest of their outfit. The same individual may want to wear red shoes with a red belt on Tuesday, while having a bag that also matches this outfit, without needing to buy a different bag.
Others may want to display their favorite sports teams, businesses, universities, etc. on the face of their bags without needing to purchase a separate bag for each team, university, etc. The attachment of pins, patches, buttons, stickers, and the like to bags often results in a low-cost, unprofessional, and unsophisticated look. In addition, these objects typically do not evenly cover the face of a bag and may be unintentionally or accidently removed. Many bags, though, have appearances that cannot be easily changed or varied.
As a result, there is a need for a bag with a front/face panel that may be readily stylized and replaced to meet an individual's personal preferences while maintaining the bag's overall utility
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure describes, among other things, a hand and/or shoulder carried bag having a removable panel. The removable panel may be releasably connected to the bag using various mechanisms.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a combination bag and removeable panel is provided. The bag has at least one inner compartment enclosed on six sides by opposing top and bottom portions and opposing front and back sides and opposing left and right sides. The bag has a height defined by the distance between the top and bottom portions. The bag has a width defined by the distance between the left and right sides. The bag has a depth defined by the distance between the front and back sides. At least one of the top portion and the front and back and left and right sides has a fissure through which the inner compartment is accessed. The fissure is selectively closeable. The removable panel is selectively engageable with, and entirely disengageable from, the bag. The removeable panel has a hidden side directly facing the front side of the bag. The removeable panel has a display side opposite the hidden side and facing outwardly away from the bag. The removeable panel has opposing top and bottom edges and opposing side edges. The removeable panel has a width between the opposing side edges generally equal to the width of the back side of the bag. The removeable panel has a height between the top and bottom edges. Fastening elements selectively interconnect at least three of the top edge and bottom edge and opposing side edges of the removeable panel to the bag. A blister pocket formed between the flexible hidden side of the removable panel and the front side of the bag. The blister pocket being bounded on at least three sides by the fastening elements and flexible in the depth direction between the hidden side of the removeable panel and the front side of the bag.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a combination bag and removeable panel is provided. The bag has at least one inner compartment enclosed on six sides by opposing top and bottom portions and opposing front and back sides and opposing left and right sides. The bag has a height defined by the distance between the top and bottom portions. The bag has a width defined by the distance between the left and right sides. The bag has a depth defined by the distance between the front and back sides. At least one of the top portion and the front and back and left and right sides has a fissure through which the inner compartment is accessed. The fissure is selectively closeable. The removable panel is selectively engageable with, and entirely disengageable from, the bag. The removeable panel has a hidden side directly facing the front side of the bag. The removeable panel has a display side opposite the hidden side and facing outwardly away from the bag. The removeable panel has opposing top and bottom edges and opposing side edges. The removeable panel has a width between the opposing side edges generally equal to the width of the back side of the bag. The removeable panel has a height between the top and bottom edges. Fastening elements selectively interconnect at least three of the top edge and bottom edge and opposing side edges of the removeable panel to the bag. The bottom edge of the removeable panel is aligned with the bottom portion of the bag. The removeable panel completely covers the front side of the bag without covering any portion of the bottom, back, left or right sides of the bag. And wherein the removeable panel includes a piping element that extends continuously along the top and bottom and side edges thereof.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a combination bag and removeable panel is provided. The bag has at least one inner compartment enclosed on six sides by opposing top and bottom portions and opposing front and back sides and opposing left and right sides. The bag has a height defined by the distance between the top and bottom portions. The bag has a width defined by the distance between the left and right sides. The bag has a depth defined by the distance between the front and back sides. At least one of the top portion and the front and back and left and right sides has a fissure through which the inner compartment is accessed. The fissure is selectively closeable. The removable panel is selectively engageable with, and entirely disengageable from, the bag. The removeable panel has a hidden side directly facing the front side of the bag. The removeable panel has a display side opposite the hidden side and facing outwardly away from the bag. The removeable panel has opposing top and bottom edges and opposing side edges. The removeable panel has a width between the opposing side edges generally equal to the width of the back side of the bag. The removeable panel has a height between the top and bottom edges. Fastening elements selectively interconnect at least three of the top edge and bottom edge and opposing side edges of the removeable panel to the bag. A blister pocket formed between the hidden side of the removable panel and the front side of the bag. The blister pocket is bounded on at least three sides by the fastening elements, and is flexible in the depth direction between the hidden side of the removeable panel and the front side of the bag. The bottom edge of the removeable panel are aligned with the bottom portion of the bag. The removeable panel completely covers the front side of the bag without covering any portion of the bottom, back, left or right sides of the bag. The removeable panel includes a piping element that extends continuously along the top and bottom and side edges thereof.
The combination bag and removeable panel may be readily stylized and replaced to meet the user's personal preferences while maintaining the bag's overall utility. Moreover, the removeable panel creates new and useful features, and can be formed in a way that hides its presence so as to give the appearance of a bag without a removeable panel.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following detailed description and appended drawings, wherein:
It is to be understood that the disclosure may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed and defined herein. Hence, specific dimensions, directions or other physical characteristics relating to the various embodiments disclosed are not to be considered as limiting, unless expressly stated otherwise.
The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language herein, for example, “such as” or “including,” is intended merely to better illustrate the present teachings and do not pose a limitation on the present disclosure unless claimed. No language in the present disclosure should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the present disclosure.
In general, this disclosure describes a hand and/or shoulder carried bag that has a removable panel. Even though a backpack is illustrated in many of the figures of the present disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other types of bags, such as duffle bags, pouches, sports bags, messenger bags, camera bags, cosmetic bags, travel bags, computer cases, wheeled bags, or any other type of bag, may also be used with the present disclosure. The removable panel may be the front/face portion of the bag, which may be readily removed from and attached to the bag.
The bag 10 may be made from any suitable fabric or material, including, but not limited to cloth, leather, nylon, metal, mesh, fur, vinyl, silk, cotton, polyester, etc. Similarly, the removable panel 12 may be made from the same types of materials as the bag 10.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As best seen in
As best seen in
For example, the display side 40 of the removable panel 12 may include a design, such as a logo, a pattern, or artwork. The design may be used to promote a sports team, business, university, etc. The display side 40 may be coupled to a variety of different bags. For example, the display side 40, as depicted in
In the embodiment seen in
When the removeable panel 12 is fitted to the bag 10, its hidden side 38 is positioned in direct facing opposition to the front side 14 of the bag 10. However, it will be appreciated that between the vertically oriented hook-and-loop strips 44, 56A and above the bottom horizontal hook-and-loop strips 50, 56B there is not adhesion between the hidden 38 and front 14 sides, thus forming a natural blister pocket. That is to say, the whenever the removeable panel 12 is fitted to the bag 10, a blister pocket naturally forms between the hidden side 38 of the panel 12 and the front side 14 of the bag 10, and in the spans between the vertically oriented hook-and-loop strips 44, 56A and above the bottom horizontal hook-and-loop strips 50, 56B. Preferably, at least one of the hidden side 38 of the panel 12 and the front side 14 of the bag 10 is, or both are, fabricated from a flexible material, such as canvas or woven nylon cloth, so that the blister pocket itself is expandable to some degree in the depth direction. A user can take advantage of this flexible blister pocket by moving objects through the gap between the vertically oriented hook-and-loop strips 44, 56A adjacent the top or uppermost portion of the removeable panel 12. The depth-wise expandable nature of the blister pocket facilitates acceptance of small objects therein of various sizes and thicknesses albeit on the thinner side. In this manner, a substantial portion of the vertical length of the front side 14 of the bag 10 can be utilized as an easily accessed informal storage compartment for documents and smaller objects, particularly those requiring a lesser degree of security.
The removeable panel 12 is shown in
To further enhance the accessibility of the blister pocket, the removeable panel 12 may be fitted with an access slit 400. The access slit 400 establishes a pass-through zone in which a user's hand may transit the removeable panel for the purpose of moving objects into and out of the blister pocket space. The access slit 400 can be oriented in any desired manner according to the designers choice, but in the example of
Optionally, the access slit 400 can be made selectively sealable such as by use of a zipper as illustrated in
In an embodiment, the removable panel 12 covers the entire front side 14 and the entire top portion 22 of the bag 10 by attaching to the respective hook-and-loop strips 44, 50 thereon. As a result, a portion of the removable panel 12 overlays the second zipper 32. In another embodiment, the removable panel 12 only covers a portion of the front side 14 of the bag 10 and does not overlay the second zipper 32. The removable panel 12 may be readily decoupled from the front side 14 of the bag 10 by releasing each of the locking clips 34 from the buckles 42 and/or by pulling the removable panel 12 off the hook-and-loop strips 44, 50.
The peripheral edges of the removeable panel 12 may include piping 410. The piping 410 preferably runs continuous around the exterior edges of the removeable panel 12, forming the appearance of trim or embellishment similar to piping elements commonly found on upholstery and decorative pillows. In the present case, however, the piping 410 serves an important functional purpose. One of the objectives of this invention is to create an easily customizable bag 10 (or other type of bag) that masquerades as a non-customizable bag. That is to say, the bag 10 is able to fool casual observers into assuming that the removeable panel 12 is in fact an integral part of the bag 10. As stated previously, the removable panel 12 has a size and shape that closely matches the size and shape of the front side 14 of the bag 10. The piping 410 thus aligns with the outer edges of the backpack. The heavy/bold aesthetic created by the piping 410 easily tricks the observer into presuming the piping 410 is part of the bag 10 per se. Consequently, the casual observer is purposely misled, albeit harmlessly, into not appreciating that a removeable panel 12 overlies the bag 10 as can be appreciated by the view of
The removable panel 12 may be selectively coupled to the front side 14 of the bag 10 through a variety of means, including, but not limited to one or more fasteners, magnets, clasps, clamps, hooks, buckles, snaps, zippers, buttons, hook-and-loop, or the like.
The first set of zipper teeth 160 may be arranged in a “U-shaped” configuration having a first segment 165, a second segment 170, and a third segment 175. The first segment 165 is parallel to and has substantially the same length as the second segment 170. Each of the segments 165, 170 extend vertically through the exterior surface of the front side 114. The third segment 175 is interposed between the first and second segments 165, 170 and extend substantially horizontally across a lower portion 180 of the front side 114. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the first set of zipper teeth 160 may have a variety of shapes and configurations.
As seen in
A zipper slider 197 is coupled to the second set of zipper teeth 195. The zipper slider 197 is coupled to the first set of zipper teeth 160 upon attachment of the first set of zipper teeth 160 to the second set of zipper teeth 195.
In the embodiment shown in
The front side 114 includes one or more locking clips 134 extending outward therefrom. Even though there are four locking clips 134 in the embodiment shown in
The removable panel 112 may be selectively coupled to the bag 100 by aligning and coupling the first set of zipper teeth 160 with the second set of zipper teeth 195 and/or connecting the first magnet 185 with the second magnet 198 through the fabric and/or engaging the locking clips 134 with the buckles 142. When the first set of zipper teeth 160 are coupled with the second set of zipper teeth 195, the zipper slider 197 may be used to zip the removable panel 112 to and unzip the removable panel 112 from the bag 100. The attraction between the first magnet 185 and the second magnet 198 allows the upper portion 192 of the hidden side 138 of the removable panel 112 to mate with the top portion 122 of the bag 100.
As described above in connection with the embodiment of
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The front side 214 also includes one or more locking clips 234 extending outward therefrom. Even though there are four locking clips 234 in the embodiment shown in
The removable panel 212 may be selectively coupled to the rest of the backpack 200 by aligning and attracting each of the first magnets 285 with each of the second magnets 298 and/or engaging the locking clips 234 with the buckles 242.
As described above in connection with the embodiment of
As best seen in
In an alternative embodiment, the removable panel 312 may be coupled to the left side 318. In another alternative embodiment, a first removable panel may be coupled to the right side 320 and a second removable panel may be coupled to the left side 318 on the backpack 300. In yet another alternative embodiment, a first removable panel may be coupled to the right side 320 or the left side 318 and a second removable panel may be coupled to the front side 314, wherein the front side 314 may also include one or more strips of hook-and-loop (i.e. hook-and-loop fastener).
The removable panel 312 may be readily interchangeable with a variety of different bags depending on the user's preferences. In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As best seen in
As best seen in
As best seen in
In an alternative embodiment, the removable panel 312 may include one or more buckles extending radially outward from the perimeter of the removable panel 312. The buckles may be configured to engage with locking clips on the backpack 300. The buckles and the locking clips may be fabricated from any type of material and may have any shape or configuration so long as the locking clips may mate with the buckles.
As best seen in
The removable panel 312 may be selectively coupled to the left side 318 and/or the right side 320 of the backpack 300 through a variety of means, including, but not limited to one or more fasteners, magnets, clasps, clamps, hooks, buckles, snaps, zippers, buttons, hook-and-loop (i.e. hook-and-loop fastener), or the like.
As described above in connection with the embodiment of
Turning now to
The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A combination bag and removeable panel, said combination comprising:
- a bag having at least one inner compartment enclosed on six sides by opposing top and bottom portions and opposing front and back sides and opposing left and right sides, said bag having a height defined by the distance between said top and bottom portions, said bag having a width defined by the distance between said left and right sides, said bag having a depth defined by the distance between said front and back sides, at least one of said top portion and said front and back and left and right sides having a fissure through which said inner compartment is accessed, said fissure being selectively closeable,
- a removable panel selectively engageable with and entirely disengageable from said bag, said removeable panel having a hidden side directly facing said front side of said bag, said removeable panel having a display side opposite said hidden side and facing outwardly away from said bag, said removeable panel having opposing top and bottom edges and opposing side edges, said removeable panel having a width between said opposing side edges generally equal to said width of said back side of said bag, said removeable panel having a height between said top and bottom edges,
- fastening elements selective interconnecting at least three of said top edge and bottom edge and opposing side edges of said removeable panel to said bag,
- wherein a blister pocket is formed between said hidden side of said removable panel and said front side of said bag, said blister pocket being bounded on at least three sides by said fastening elements and flexible in the depth direction between said hidden side of said removeable panel and said front side of said bag.
2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said bottom edge of said removeable panel is aligned with said bottom portion of said bag and said removeable panel completely covers said front side of said bag without covering any portion of said bottom, back, left or right sides of said bag.
3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said height of said removeable panel is greater than said vertical height of said front side of said bag forming an extension flap at least partially overlaying said top portion of said bag.
4. The combination of claim 1, wherein said bag includes a shoulder strap.
5. The combination of claim 1, wherein said removeable panel includes an access slit.
6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said access slit is selectively closeable by a resealable fastening element.
7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said resealable fastening element comprises a zipper.
8. The combination of claim 1, wherein said removeable panel includes a piping element extending continuously along said top and bottom and side edges thereof.
9. A combination bag and removeable panel, said combination comprising:
- a bag having at least one inner compartment enclosed on six sides by opposing top and bottom portions and opposing front and back sides and opposing left and right sides, said bag having a height defined by the distance between said top and bottom portions, said bag having a width defined by the distance between said left and right sides, said bag having a depth defined by the distance between said front and back sides, at least one of said top portion and said front and back and left and right sides having a fissure through which said inner compartment is accessed, said fissure being selectively closeable,
- a removable panel selectively engageable with and entirely disengageable from said bag, said removeable panel having a hidden side directly facing said front side of said bag, said removeable panel having a display side opposite said hidden side and facing outwardly away from said bag, said removeable panel having opposing top and bottom edges and opposing side edges, said removeable panel having a width between said opposing side edges generally equal to said width of said back side of said bag, said removeable panel having a height between said top and bottom edges,
- fastening elements selective interconnecting at least three of said top edge and bottom edge and opposing side edges of said removeable panel to said bag,
- said bottom edge of said removeable panel aligned with said bottom portion of said bag, said removeable panel completely covering said front side of said bag without covering any portion of said bottom, back, left or right sides of said bag, and
- wherein said removeable panel includes a piping element extending continuously along said top and bottom and side edges thereof.
10. The combination of claim 9, wherein said height of said removeable panel is greater than said vertical height of said front side of said bag forming an extension flap at least partially overlaying said top portion of said bag.
11. The combination of claim 9, wherein said bag includes a shoulder strap.
12. The combination of claim 9, wherein a blister pocket is formed between said hidden side of said removable panel and said front side of said bag, said blister pocket being bounded on at least three sides by said fastening elements and flexible in the depth direction between said hidden side of said removeable panel and said front side of said bag.
13. The combination of claim 9, wherein said removeable panel includes an access slit.
14. The combination of claim 13, wherein said access slit is selectively closeable by a resealable fastening element.
15. The combination of claim 14, wherein said resealable fastening element comprises a zipper.
16. A combination bag and removeable panel, said combination comprising:
- a bag having at least one inner compartment enclosed on six sides by opposing top and bottom portions and opposing front and back sides and opposing left and right sides, said bag having a height defined by the distance between said top and bottom portions, said bag having a width defined by the distance between said left and right sides, said bag having a depth defined by the distance between said front and back sides, at least one of said top portion and said front and back and left and right sides having a fissure through which said inner compartment is accessed, said fissure being selectively closeable,
- a removable panel selectively engageable with and entirely disengageable from said bag, said removeable panel having a hidden side directly facing said front side of said bag, said removeable panel having a display side opposite said hidden side and facing outwardly away from said bag, said removeable panel having opposing top and bottom edges and opposing side edges, said removeable panel having a width between said opposing side edges generally equal to said width of said back side of said bag, said removeable panel having a height between said top and bottom edges,
- fastening elements selective interconnecting at least three of said top edge and bottom edge and opposing side edges of said removeable panel to said bag, a blister pocket formed between said hidden side of said removable panel and said front side of said bag, said blister pocket being bounded on at least three sides by said fastening elements and flexible in the depth direction between said hidden side of said removeable panel and said front side of said bag,
- said bottom edge of said removeable panel aligned with said bottom portion of said bag, said removeable panel completely covering said front side of said bag without covering any portion of said bottom, back, left or right sides of said bag, and
- wherein said removeable panel includes a piping element extending continuously along said top and bottom and side edges thereof.
17. The combination of claim 16, wherein said height of said removeable panel is greater than said vertical height of said front side of said bag forming an extension flap at least partially overlaying said top portion of said bag.
18. The combination of claim 16, wherein said removeable panel includes an access slit.
19. The combination of claim 18, wherein said access slit is selectively closeable by a resealable fastening element.
20. The combination of claim 19, wherein said resealable fastening element comprises a zipper.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 3, 2023
Publication Date: Oct 26, 2023
Inventor: Alis Jusic (Carson, CA)
Application Number: 18/346,395