Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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15922 EP
Baclcpaclc
This invention relates to a backpack with crosswise
shoulder straps according to the preamble of claim 1.
Such a backpack is intended in particular for sports and
leisure activities involving more or less pronounced motions
of the arms obliquely to the direction of locomotion, in par-
ticular in the form of pendulum motion, for example in-line
skating or skiing.
Such a backpack is known (DE 296 15 828 U). It has an
obliquely extending main shoulder strap with a lengthwise
displaceable slide provided with two buckles to which the up-
per and lower portions of the other shoulder strap are alter-
natively fastenable.
The known backpack permits one- and double-sided wearing
without faulty posture. Along with maximum~freedom of move-
ment it achieves a uniform weight distribution without cramp-
ing of cervical spine and back muscles and with relief of the
spinal column.
However, the known backpack is not put on in the accus-
tomed fashion by extending the arms through the two shoulder
straps. One instead first draws the main shoulder strap over
vne's head and then fastens one or the other portion of the
other shoulder strap alternatively to the slide_ Use of the
known backpack therefore requires instruction by expert per-
sonnel.
The problem of the invention is to make it considerably
easier to put on a backpack according to the preamble of
claim 1 without curtailing its advantages.
This is obtained according to the invention with the
backpack characterized in claim 1. The subclaims render ad-
vantageous developments of the invention.
In an inventive backpack a snap buckle comprising a snap-
in part and a receiving part is provided in the chest area,
the upper portion of the first shoulder strap and the lower
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portion of the second shoulder strap being fastened to the
snap-in part of the snap buckle, and the upper portion of the
second shoulder strap and the lower portion of the first
shoulder strap to the receiving part.
When the snap buckle is open a strap consisting of upper
and lower strap portions connected by snap-in or receiving
part is thus formed on each side. To put on the backpack one
can therefore slip one arm through the strap on one side and
the other arm through the strap on the other side in accus-
tomed fashion when the buckle is open. Subsequently one need
only snap the buckle together. It is thus extremely easy to
put on the known backpack.
While the snap-in part is preferably frame-shaped, the
receiving part is preferably formed by a plate. Each part
preferably has two slot-shaped openings disposed at an angle,
the upper portion of the first shoulder strap and lower por-
tion of the second shoulder strap being guided through the
two slot-shaped openings in the snap-in part, and the upper
portion of the second shoulder strap and lower portion of the
first shoulder strap through the two slot-shaped openings in
the receiving part. The force is guided by the straps uni-
formly through the slot-shaped openings in the snap-in part
and receiving part into the two parts which form a massive
assembly when the snap-in part is inserted. Therefore, heavy
backpacks can also be formed according to the invention.
Since in the nested parts, i.e. the snap-in part and the
receiving part, the force extends crosswise in accordance
with the course of the straps, one can save material by pro-
viding recesses in the two parts in the areas outside the
crosswise course of the force. Thus, both the snap-in part
can have a recess between its two slot-shaped openings and
the receiving part between its two slot-shaped openings.
For fastening and for shortening or lengthening the four
strap portions, i.e. the upper and lower portions of the
first shoulder strap and the upper and lower portions of the
second shoulder strap, the slot-shaped openings preferably
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each have a center longitudinal bar which the particular
strap portion twines around. That is, the free ends of the
strap portions are inserted with their free end around the
longitudinal bar through the particular slot on the side fac-
ing the snap-in part or receiving part and then through the
slot in the reverse direction on the side facing away from
the receiving part or snap-in part. Each slot is thus formed
as a clasp for fastening and for changing the length of the
strap portion between buckle and backpack.
So that the free end of the particular strap portion is
additionally fixed after insertion through the slot, a loop
is preferably provided around the particular strap portion
between the snap-in or receiving part and the fastening of
the particular strap portion to the backpack. This loop ad-
vantageously consists of a rubber-elastic band.
In the following an embodiment of the inventive backpack
will be explained in more detail with reference to the draw-
ing, in which:
Fig. 1 shows the front view of a ba.ckpack.; and
Figs. 2 and 3 show plan views of the snap-in part and re-
ceiving part of the snap buckle, a strap portion being fas-
tened to the receiving part.
According to Fig. 1, backpack 1 has two shoulder straps 2
and 3 extending obliquely downward crosswise from one or the
other side of upper end area 4 of the backpack to lower end
area 5 of the backpack. Each shoulder strap 2, 3 consists of
upper portion 6, 7 and lower portion 8, 9.
In the chest area snap buckle 11 comprising snap-in part
12 and receiving part 13 is provided.
Upper portion 6 of first shoulder strap 2 and lower por-
tion 9 of second shoulder strap 3 are fastened to snap-in
part 12, and upper portion 7 of second shoulder strap 3 and
lower portion 8 of first shoulder strap 2 to receiving part
13_
Snap-in part 12 is formed by a frame with opening 12a on
one side of which guide tongue 14 with longitudinal ribs 14a,
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14b and outwardly loaded flexible tongues 15, 16 on each side
of the guide tongue axe integrally fastened (Fig. 2). For
fastening upper shoulder strap portion 6 and lower shoulder
strap portion 9 two slot-shaped openings 17, 18 disposed at
an angle are provided in snap-in part 12 through which strap
portions 6, 9 are guided, respectively.
Receiving part 13 is formed by a plate which is hollow
inside. Guide 21 (shown by dashed lines in Fig. 1) for guide
tongue I9 extends from insertion opening 19 into the cavity
in the plate of receiving part 13. longitudinal ribs 14a, 14b
are guided on guide 21_
On the two narrow side walls of the plate there are open-
ings 22, 23 through which the outer sides of flexible tongues
15, 16 pass outside when the insertion part is insert-ed. On
the side facing openings 22, 23 flexible tongues 15, 1~ are
provided with undercut snap-in surfaces 24, 25 which engage
over stops 26, 27 on receiving part 13 when the snap buckle
is closed. In the plate of receiving part 13 there are, simi-
larly as in snap-in part 12, two slot-shaped openings 30, 31 .
disposed at an angle (~B) through which upper portion 7 of
second shoulder strap 3 ad lower portion 8 of first shoulder
strap 2 are guided, respectively.
Snap-in part 12 has recess 32 between the two slot-shaped
' openings 17, 18 on the side facing away from guide tongue 14
and the two flexible tongues 15, 16. Similarly, the plate of
receiving part 13 is provided with recess 33 between the two
slot-shaped openings 30, 31 on the narrow side facing away
from insertion opening 19.
Recesses 32, 33 are of angular form, the sides of angle
a, i.e. the edges of recesses 32, 33, extending perpendicular
to adjacent longitudinal slot opening 17, l8 or 30, 31. Angle
a can be for example 90° to 220°. The two longitudinal slot
openings 17, 18 in the plate of snap-in part 12 and the two
longitudinal slot openings 30, 31 in the plate of receiving -
part 13 can enclose angle ~ of 90° to 120° for example.
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Slot-shaped openings 17, 18, 30, 31 each have longitudi-
nal bar 35 so that each slot-shaped opening 17, 18, 30, 31 is
divided into portion 30a facing particular part 12, 13 and
portion 30b facing away from the particular part, as illus-
trated in Figure 3 for opening 30 of receiving part 13. Slot-
shaped openings I7, 18, 30, 31 thus form a clasp for fasten-
ing particular strap portion 6 to ~9 and for adjusting its
length between buckle 11 and upper or lower end area 9, 5 of
the backpack.
For this purpose, particular portion 6 to 9 is inserted
with its free end through partial slot 30a, around bar 35 and
f then in the reverse direction through other partial slot 30b
so that strap portion 8 forms with zts free end 8a a Loop
around bar 35. In order to fix free end 8a, loop or ring 36
consisting of a rubber-elastic band is wound around strap
portion 8 for free end 8a to be stretched through (Figure 3).
The other strap portions 6, 7 and 9 are fastened in the same
way. This permits each strap portion 6 to 9 to be fixed to
particular part 12, 13 and at the same time individually
shortened or lengthened.
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