Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
DRYING BAG FOR SPORTS EQUIPMENT AND THE L1KE
The present invention relates to sports equipment bags and more
particularly to a novel method to expand the use of sports bag from
transport/proteGtion utiity only to also drying and optional scenting utility.
Sports equipment, and notably hockey and football equipment, is
often comprised of many items for the individual user. Together these many
items make for a bulky and unwieldy combination of items to move from place to
place. Thus, this sports equipment is usually transported in a bag.
Sports equipment has a near legendary reputation for becoming
wet from sweat, and for becoming foul-smelling as well. The foul smelling
sports
equipment, and the space necessary to dry it, is currentiy an ongoing source
of
conflict in many living situations. Players are often forced to dry their
sports
equipment in risky, unsuitable, or destructive environments, such as back
yards,
garages, balconies, where they may be subject to theft or cold or damp
weather.
Also, since many games are played in close proximity to each other
from a time perspecotive, a player often does not have enough time to dry the
equipment before the next use. This makes for a clammy and unpleasant
feeling; putting on wet equipment.
In current practice, the problems of wetness and foul smell are
addressed in the following ways.
For wetness, the sports equipment is removed from the sports bag,
and spread out to dry on racks, on the ground, or in the sun, and then, when
the
equipment is dry, the equipment is placed back into the sports bag. This
requires
diligence and lengthy periods of time.
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
2
For foul odor, it is common practice to place aroma packs, air
fresheners and the like into the sports equipment bag. However, if the sports
equipment is not removed from the bag to dry, the air fresheners effect is
greatiy
minimized.
Hanging drying andlor antf-wrinkiing bags for clothes are shown in
US Patents 5555648 (Griffin) issued Sep 17, 96; 5730006 (Conley) issued Mar
24, 98; 4572364 (Jordan) issued Feb 25, 86 and 3739492 (Brooks) issued June
19, 73 but none of these is suitable for sporting equipment including pads and
the like which are awkward and bulky and many of these include heat and/or
steam which are unsuitabie for the sports equipment.
There remains then, an opportunity to Improve the situation. The
present Invention allows for such improvement.
SUMMMY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is concemed with a method and apparatus to
allow wet and foui smelling sports equipment to remain in the sports bag and
yet,
while still remaining in tfie sports bag, the equipment will become dry and
fairer
smelling.
Acoor+ding to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an apparatus for drying spordng equipment comprising:
a bag formed of a flexible fabric material having a bag bottom,
fabric bag side weils standing upwardly from the bag bottom, a closable filler
opening through which the equipment is inserted into the bag and handles on
the
bag side wails for carrying the bag;
an air flow opening deflned in a bag side wall separate from the
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
3
flller opening;
a peripherai mounting member having a peripheral clamping collar
clamped onto the bag side wall so as to peripherally surround the opening;
and a fan having a fan rotor driven by a fan motor mounted In a fan
housing;
the fan housing being separate from the mounting member;
the fan housing having an outer peripherai mounting coupling
surrounding the fan housing and surrounding the fan rotor therein;
the outer peripheral mounting coupling of the fan housing being
arranged to engage with a cooperating mounting coupling on the peripherai
mounting member so as to readily releasable lock the fan housing in place in
the
mounting member so as to locate the fan rotor at the opening to blow air
through
the opening into the bag;
the fan housing inciuding a front perForated screen in front of the
fan rotor;
and the peripherai mounting member including a perforated screen
at the opening and bridging across the opening.
Preferably the mounting member has a first damping element on
an inner surface of said bag wall and a second clamping element on the outer
surface of said bag wall for clamping said bag wall therebetween.
Preferably the perforated screen of the mounting member has a
concave outside face and the perorated screen of the fan housing has a convex
face fitting against the perforated screen of the moundng member.
Preferably a second peripherai mounting member identicai to said
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
4
peripheral mounting member is arranged in a wall of the bag opposite to said
peripheral mounting member.
Preferably there is provided an air freshener housfng located on the
fan housing.
Preferabiy the air freshener housing Is located on an outside faoe of
the fan housing.
Preferably the air freshener housing can be opened and closed to
allow entry Into the bag of a variable amount of an air freshener material
evaporafed from the air freshener housing.
According to a seoond aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an apparatus for mounting at an air flow opening defined in a bag
side
wall comprising;
a peripheral mounfing member having a peripheral clamping collar
arranged to be damped onto the bag side wall so as to peripherally surround
the
opening;
and a fan having a fan rotor driven by a fan motor mounted in a fan
housing;
the fan housing being separate from the mounting member;
the fan housing having an outer peripheral mounting coupling
surrounding the fan housing and surrounding the fan rotor therein;
the outer peripheral mounfing coupling of the fan housing being
arranged to engage with a cooperatinQ mounting coupling on the peripherai
mounfing member so as to readily releasable lock the fan housing in place in
the
mounting member so as to locate the fan rotor at the opening to blow air
through
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
the opening into the bag;
the fan housing inciuding a front perforated screen in front of the
fan rotor;
and the peripheral mounting member inoluding a perforated screen
at the opening and bridging across the opening.
The invention as defined above may have one or more of the
foliowing advantages.
Since the equipment remains in the sports bag, extra space is not
needed to dry the equipment This also results In less conflict for those
individuals who share the space in which the sports equipment would be dried
by
traditional methods.
Since the equipment remains in th$ sports bag, extra effort of
spreading or hanging the equipment is not needed to dry the equipment
Since the present invendon allows for easy drying and scenting of
sports equipment, the overall pleasure in participating in the sport for which
the
equipment is designed, is increased.
Since the equipment remains In the bag, and since it is scented
during the proposed drying process, iittie to no foul smell Is present outside
the
bag, quite unlike traditional drying methods.
Since the equipment can be easily dried quickly on a regular basis,
the growth of bacteria on the sports equipment is greatly minimized
In preferred embodiments, the blower fan would have an on-off
switch and a timer, In preferred embodiments, the fan does not have a heating
function, as heat drying may degrade sports equipment, especially parts made
of
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
6
leather. However a low heating acfion which does not excessively heat the
equipment may also be possible.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical cross-secUonai view through a sporting
equipment beg according to the present invenpon.
Figure 2 1s a vertical cross-sectlonal view through the fan and
mounfing ring of figure 1 on an enlarged scale.
Figure 3 is a front eievafional view of the mounting ring of figure 1.
Figure 4 is a rear eievational view of the mounting ring of flgure 1.
Figure 5 is a front etevational view of the fan housing of figun:1.
Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of the fan housing of figure 1.
Figure 7 is a cross-secdonal view on an enlarged scale of the scent
dispensing riousing of the fan housing of figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A sports equipment bag is shown in figure 1 as indicated at 10 for
receiving sports equipment schematlcally indicated at 11 within the bag for
transportation and storage. The bag indudes a bottom wali 12 which has a
stiffener plate 13 so the bottom can rest upon the floor or other support
surface
with the sports equipment resting on the bottom in loose or random arrangement
within the beg. The bag indudes side walls 14 and a top 15. At the top 15 is
provided one or more handles 16 by which the bag can be carried. Adjacent or
at the top 15 Is provided an opening 17 with a closure member in the farm of a
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
7
zipper by which the opening can be opened for inserdon and removal of the
spordng equipment and the closure member reclosed to enclose the sporting
equipment.
While the bag is shown generally rectangular, in most cases the
bag is reiativeiy eiongate so as to define two of the side walls 14 as end
waiis 18
and 19 with the handle 16 having ends at or adjacent the end walls 18 and 18
so
that the bag is carried longitudinally.
The sporting equipment generally may include bulky items such as
helmets, skates, pads, boots and gloves all of which are reiativeiy bulky and
thick
so that they cannot be readily washed and/or tumble dried.
In the end wai} 18 Is provided an opening 20 which is cut Into the
fabric of the end wall so as to form a circular opening in which the fabric is
removed. At the end wall 19 is provided a similar circular opening 21 cut in
the
fabric forming the end wap 19.
Each of the openings 20 and 21 Is filled by a rigid piastics mounting
member 22 which is clamped to the edge of the fabric surrounding the opening
20, 21 and spans the opening so as to provide a ciosure member for the
opening.
The mounting members 22 are identical in the arrangement as
shown so that each is manufactured from the same parts and each can operate
interchangeably with the other. This arrangement is preferred to minimize the
number of parts manufactured but it wiii be appreciated that only one of the
mounting members cooperates, at one time, with a fan 23 which is attached to
the selected mounting member so as to support the fan at the end of the bag.
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
8
The mounting member comprises an outside ring 24 and an inside
ring 25 so that the outside ring is mounted on the outside surface of the bag
wall
and the inside ring is mounted on the inside surface of the bag well. The
inside
and outside rings provide matching abutting clamping elements 26 and 27 which
are annular In shape and which grasp the edge portion of the fabric at the
opening. The clamping eiements include rings projecting outwardly from the
face
of the clamping element which cooperate with recesses in the other of the
clamping elements so that the fabric Is clamped between the rings and recesses
to be held in place around the full periphery of the opening.
The outside ring 24 has a circular opening 27 which is open and
allows access to the interior of the inside ring 25 through the opening 27.
The
inside ring 25 includes a screen 28 spanning the opening with a screen having
a
plurality of slot shaped openings 29 which extend generally radially from a
central
ciosed area 30 to an outer edge 31 adjecent to but spaced inwardly from the
inner edge of the outside ring 27. The slot sh$ped openings 29 allow the
penetration of air irom the exterior through the opening 27 into the interior
of the
beg or vice versa. The screen 28 is curved so as to define aoonvex surface
facing inwardly into the bag and a concave surface facing outwardly of the
bag.
The two porfions of the mounting ring are clamped together by screws 32A.
The outside ring 24 as shown in figure 3 inciudes a multi-lobed (in
the example three lobes) bayonet receptacle 32 for receiving the male lobes 33
on the peripheral edge of the fan housing 23 as shown in figure 5. Thus the
fan
housing can be mounted on either on of the mounting rings 22 and is attached
simply by aligning the male lobes 33 with the female receptacles 32 and by
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
9
rotating the housing so that the male lobes move behind shoulders 34 of the
ring
24 to lock the lobes 33 in place on the ring 24.
The fan 23 includes a housing 35 formed by a front piece 36 and a
rear piece 37 which are clamped together by screw fasteners 38.
The front portion 36 forms a domed convex shape Ncing forwardiy
of the front portion 36 so that it can closely foiiow the curvature of the
concave
surface of the mounting ring. Behind the domed front face of the fan housing
is
provided a fan rotor 40 mounted on a central shaft 41 of a motor 42. The fan
rotor extends across the housing inside the front f8ce so as to drive air
through
the housing outwardly through the front face to pass through the openings 29
of
the mount;ng ring. The front face of the fan housing therefore has slot shaped
openings 44 shaped to match and align with the openings 29 in the mounting
ring.
The motor 42 is mounted within a motor mount 45 carried within the
interior of the housing 35. The motor is arranged along a centrai axis of the
fan
housing behind the rotor 40 and in front of a central closed area of the rear
por6on 37 of the fan housing. The rear portion is also domed and inciudes a
series of radially extending slots 47 extending outwardly from the centrai
area to
an outer periphery of the rear porfion 37.
A timer T and an on/off switch S are shown schematicaiiy in flgure
and are located in the central dosed area of the rear portion 37 for manual
operation.
Centrally of the closed central area of the rear portion 37 is
provided an air freshener or scent dispensing housing 50 which contains a
block
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
of scenting materiai 51 which releases scenting gases. The scenting material
Is
contained within a slidable member 52 which can be manually pulled outwardly
from the centrai area by a manually graspabie handle 53 to open the sceniing
housing or the housing can be ckned by pushing the handle 53 inwardly so that
a cover 54 moves over the scenting block 51 to cover the scenting block. The
cover 54 includes sides 55 with slots 56 in the side so that air flow into the
fan
housing is drawn from the area over the sCenting block thus tending to pull
gases
discharged from the scenting block into the fan housing for discharge into the
bag. The amount of scenting material can thus be controlled by pulling or
pushing on the handle 53 so as to open and close the slots 56 from a fully
dosed
position in which the cover 64 covers the scenting block to a fully open
position in
which the siots are pulled to their maximum open width allowing the maximum
air
freshener material to escape.
While the above describes a particular method of dispensing scent,
it is proposed that various methods of providing a controlled scent release
function is possible without materiaiiy departing from the intent of the
present
Invention.
In operation, the user of the sporting equipment when retuming
from a sporting event simply leaves the equipment requiring drying within the
bag
resting in a loose or disordered coiiection within the bag sitting on the
bottom of
the bag. The fan housing is then taken from a storage location and inserted
onto
a seleCted one of the mounting rings.
If the user desires it, the scent caVdy is checked and/or loaded with
a sosnt block, and the soent controller is set to the desired level.
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
11
The fan is then actuated by the on/off switch and/or the timer so
that air is pushed through the fan housing and through the screen section of
the
mounting ring into the interior of the bag. That air thus tends to inflate the
bag
with air beyond the air necessary for the inflaflon escaping through the other
mounting ring to maintain the bag pressurized and air flow through the
maberiais
within the bag.
When the required drying flme has elapsed, the fan housing can be
removed from the bag and the bag used to carry the equipment to the new
iocation for the next sportng event. The same fan housing can of course be
used on other simiiar bags by other persons at the same iocation. The fan and
the fan housing is driven by mains eiectricity from a supply cable (NOT
SHOWN).
The mounting ring at one end Is shown arranged so that the fan
housing can be mounted by the end of the bag. However one of the rings may
be mounted in the reverse direction with the domed screen facing outwardly so
as to ma)amize the area available within the bag. This iimits the mounting of
the
fan housing to the other concave end.
The mounting rings and the fan housing can be readily attached to
a conventional sporflng equipment bag so there is no need for purchase of a
special bag for use with the present invention. The conventionai bag can
therefore be modified simply by cutting the necessary openings at each end and
by attaching the mounting rings. In practice, therefore, the mounting rings
and
the fan can be sold separately as items to be used as required. Thus a user
could purchase addition$i mounting rings for additional bags which would then
be
used with a single fan housing which would be moved from bag to bag as
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
12
required. A family having multipie bags could therefore use a single fan
housing
and would purchase only the single fan housing to cooperate with muiflpie
mounting rings.
In an aitemative arrangement (not shown) the inlet opening can be
formad of fabric In a specialiy designed bag where the opening preferably has
a
closure around the opening which allows R to be clamped around the lip or
concave outer surface of the fan. Thus it may indude an elastically pulled lip
sticking out from the outer edge of a fabric mesh cover to engage over the
fan, or
may inciude a draw string in a sleeve at the edge of the lip. Thus the fan is
held
in piace firmly at the end of the bag and the bag can expand under air
pressure
to allow drying throughout lhe equipment.
The equipment is transported in the same bag simply by
disconnecting the fan and picking up the bag by the handles. There is no need
to remove or handle the equipment before or after drying. Surprisingly, the
bag
which is substantiaiiy closed apart from the inlet and a similarly sized
outlet,
causes pressure and air flow witlhin the bag to cause the drying air to
permeate
throughout the equipment, even into skate boots.
A par6cuiariy Important discovery has been made in the
development of the present invenfion. It was expected that the present
invention
would not work very well because sports equipment Is often densely packed
within a sports bag. The question was how well trould room-temperature fon:ed
air dry very wet sports equipment which was tighUy packed? Also, how could
fresh air be introduced into cavities such as the inside of hockey skates and
the
iike?
CA 02412700 2005-12-07
13
As experiments showed, it appears that the pressure created by the
fan,(the bag puffs up quite noticeably) allows air to be "forced' throughout
the
whole Interior of the bag, and throughout all of the equipment, almost
regardless
of how t~ghtiy padced they were.
It is preferred not to use a heater in the fan because, in practice, in
addifion to the added cost to manufacture the blower fan, the life span of
some
sports equipment decreases when dried with heat and drying occurs quite
rapidly
without heated air.
It must be noted that many placement options for the openings on
the bag, the size of the fan, and the placement of the air freshener and Its
pocket, the shape and position of the fan/fan housing, ihe type of fan blade
and
motor, the shape, size, and placement of the eonnecting apparatus can be made
without materialiy departing from the Intent of the present invention. For
example,
the connecting apparatus could be friction fit like a vacuum cleaner hose,
siide fit,
snap on, etc.
