Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10~3~139
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates gener~lly to a compacter ~or
maintaining a bulky compressible item in a tightly rolled
condition to make the item more easily transportable. The
compacter is particularly useful by campers and backpackers to
tightly roll items of bedding, such as sleeping bags, mattresses,
foam rubber pads, blankets and the like.
A wide variety of strap-type devices exist in the prior
art for clamping or holding a wide variety of different
articles. For example, s~rap-type devices have been used to
hold different types of articles on a supporting platform (see
U. S. Patent Nos. 2,852,827 and 2,896,296); to apply a com-
pressi~e force to opposed platens of a hand press (see U. S.
Patent No. 2,448,288) and to anchor large articles, such as
. mobile homes, planes or boats (see U. S. Patent Nos. 3,673,6~2
and 3, 881,694). Although all of these devices include a
mechanism for tightening a strap, or band, to either clamp or ~ .
hold one or more articles, none of these mechanisms are parti-
cularly well suited for use in low cost, light weight, easy to
operate units of the type that a camper might use to tightly roll
up a sleeping bag or similar item, to make it more easily
transportable.
U. S. Patent No. 1,987,318, issued to Backenecker,
while directed to art that is completely nonanalogous to the
instant invention, does disclose a device employing an apron
that is connected at one of;its ends to a rotatable rod that
is turned by a lever to foreshorten the apron and thereby
tighten it a~ut a ham roll. This device is used to shape
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1 th^ ham, and can ac-tually be left on the ham while it is being
cooked or cured. When the apron is tightened to the desired
degree a rachet wheel and pawl arrangement is provided to pre-
vent it from unwrapping. While the device disclosed by Backenecker
may be suited for its int~nded function, it is bulkier and more
complex than is desirable for use in rolling up camping items
to make them more easily transportable.
SU~IARY OF THE INVENTION
The compacter of this invention is a low cost, light
weight, easy to operate device that is employed to maintain a
bulky compressible item in a tightly rolled condition to make
the item more easily transportable. The device is advantageously
employed by backpackers to tightl~ roll up sleeping bags and
similar items to make them easier to carry.
The compacter includes a flexible and highly durable strap
that is placed around the item to be compacted with the end
margins of the strap adjacent to each other. The strap is
rolled up from these end margins on an elongate, rod-like sec-
tion of a rigid winder. The winder further includes a lever section
extending transversely of the rod-like section to provide a
mechanical advantage for rotating the rod-like section, and
thereby tighten the strap about the material to be compacted.
A latching system is connected to the lever to prevent it from
rotating to unwind the strap. Most preferably, the compacter in-
cludes a guard positioned between the rod-like section of the
winder and the item to be wrapped to prevent the item from
winding up on the rod-like winder section. It is preferred that
the latching system include a flexible strand bridging the lateral
dimension of the strap and being joined at its opposed ends to the
3 guard and lever, respectively.
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1 It is an object of this invention to provide a unique,
simple and reliable compacter for maintaining a bulky compressible
item in a tightly rolled condition to make the item more easily
transportable.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
compacter employing a flexible and durable strap in conjunction
with a simple actuating mechanism to tighten the strap about
the item to be compacted.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
compacter in which a mechanical advantage is employed to tighten it
about an item to be compacted.
It is a furt~er object of this invention to provide a
compacter including a strap that is rolled up to tighten it
around an item to be compacted.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
compacter having a strap that is rolled up aroundan item to be
compacted, and in which the item is prevented from being
directed into the rolled section of the strap.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
compacter including a simple and reliable latching system for
maintaining a flexible a durable strap in a tightly rolled
condition around an item to be compacted.
Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention
will be had by referring to the following description and claims
of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters
refer to similar parts through the several views, and in which:
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~8Z~39
1 BRIEF DESCRIPTIO~ OF THE DRAWINGS
Yig. 1 is partly exploded, perspective view of the
compacter of this invention with parts broken away to
show details of interior construction;
Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the compacter
shown in Fig. 1, but with the par-ts assembled;
J
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the compacter of
Fig. 1, but showing it tightly wrapped about an item
to be transported, and with its latching system connected
to prevent unwrapping; and
Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the compacter
shown in Fig. 3.
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10~3Z139
1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI~ENTS OF T~IE INVENTION
Although specific terms are used in the following descrip-
tion for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer
only to the particular structure of the invention selected for
illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or
limit the scope of the invention.
This invention relates to a compacter 10 for maintaining
a bulky, compressible item in a tightly rolled condition to
make the item more easily transportable. Although the compacter
can be used to roll up many different items, it is primarily
intended for use in wrapping up camping items, such as sleeping
bags, to make them less bulky, and therefore easier to store
or carry. For purposes of illustration, this invention will
be described in connection with the compacting, or rolling up of
a sleeping bag, designated by the numeral 12 in the drawings.
Referring to Fig. 1, the compacter 10 of this invention
includes a strap 14 made of a flexible and highly durable
material. For example,the strap can be made of nylon or canvas,
and preferably is treated to be water repellant so that the
sleeping bag 12 will be maintained in a relatively dry condition
in the event it is being carried in the rain. The strap 14
includes opposed, laterally extending end margins 16 and 18 that
are overlapped with each other, and the overlapped regions are
connected together by spaced apart, laterally extending seams
to form a laterally extending loop 20.
Referring specifically to Fig. 1, the compacter 10
includes a rigid winder 22, including an elongate, rod-like
section 2~ extending completely through the loop 20 t and
a transversely offset lever section 26 to provide a mechanical
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1 advantage to rotate the rod-like section 24. Preferably, the
winder 22 is made from aluminum, or other material that will
not rust or otherwise corrode when exposed to adverse weather
conditions.
The rod-like section 24 includes a plurality of spaced-
apart openings 28 extending through it, and stitching, schematically
indicated at 30, is passed through these openings and portions of
the strap 14 that form the loop 20 to provide a mechanical connection
between the strap and the winder 22. As a result of this connection,
the rotation of the winder 22 in a clockwise direction, as indicated
by arrow 31 in Fig. 2, will cause the strap 14 to roll up from
its end margins 16 and 18 onto the rod-like section 24 to tightly
compact the sleeping bag 12, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The winder
22 is rotated through the lever section 26 to establish a mechanical
advantage for r~tating the rod-like section 24. This permits an
extremely tight compaction of the 'sleeping bag 12 to make it
easy to store or carry.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the compacter 10 includes
a winder guard 32 that is positioned inside the closed area
33 of strap 14, between the rod-like section 24 of the winder 22,
and the sleeping bag 12. This guard 32 prevents the sleeping bag
12 from winding up onto the rod-like section 24 of the winder.
Referring to Fig. 1, the winder guard 32 includes a
laterally extending central base section 34, and laterally
extending flanges 36 and 38 extending upwardly and diverging out-
wardly from said base section. As can be seen best in Figs. 2-4,
the base section 34 of the winder guard underlies the rod-like
section 24 of the winder, and the laterally extending flanges 36 and 38
,
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1 cooperate with the base 34 to isolate the rod-like section of
the winder from the sleeping bag.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, rotatable support ~or the
winder 22 is provided by laterally spaced apart, bearing surfaces
40 and 42. The bearing surfaces 40 and 42 may be U-sh~ped ~s
illustrated or may be circular openings through which the rod-
like section 24 can insert for rotation therewithin~ These suF-
faces are provided in end flanges 44 and 46, respectiyely~ pro-
jecting upwardly from the central base section 34 of the winder
guard 32. In order to prevent the winder 22 from shifting axially
out of the bearing surfaces 40 ~nd 42, a nut 48 is threaded onto
the end of the rod-like section 24 opposite the level section 26
to bear against the outer surface of the end flange 46 (Fig. llr
Optionally, the winder 22 can terminate in ~ plain ena and a push
nut would be employed to maintain the parts together~
Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, a latchin~ syste~ 50 is
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provided to prevent the winder 22 from rotatin~ in a counter-
clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, to unwind the strap 14.
In other words, the latching system 50 maintains the compacte~
in its compacting condition. This system includes a flexible
strand 52, such as string, rope, cable and similar materials, and
hooks 54 and 56 connected to opposed ends of the strana. The
strand 52 extends laterally across the strap 14, and the hooks
54 and 56 are engaged, respectively, within opening 58 pxovided
through the lever section 26 of the winder 22~ and ~n opening
60 provide in the uptuxned end flange 46 of the winder guard 32.
It should be apparent that the connection of the strand 52 to the
lever section 26 of the winder, as illustrated, will pxevent
counterclockwise rotation of the winder tha~ would unroll the
strap 14. When it is desired to use the sleeping ba~ 12, the
latching system 50 can be disenga~ed easily to permit the strap
14 to be unwound. Also, it is an extremely simple operation to
win~ up and latch the compacter 10 when it is desired to store
or transport the sleeping bag.
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10~ 139
1 ~lthough the invention has been described with a cer~ain
degree of particularity, it is understood that the present
disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous
changes in the details of construction and the co~bination and
arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from
the scope of the invention.
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