Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SPECIFICATION
BACKGROUNI~ OF_TI~E INVENTION
Field of the InvQntion
This invention relates to bags of the type used
to carry and store sporting equipment such as that
05 worn by players of ice hockey or American football;
and specifically to bags which organize the contents
in pouches and can be opened to permit the contents to
be dried without removing them from these pouches.
Background
Bags constructed from flexible materials (cloth
and plastic) are, of course, widely used to carry and
store articles. The flexible materials readily adapt
to the shape of bulky or odd-shaped articles and also
to the shape of the storage environment. Examples of
such storage bags are disclosed in U.S. Patent
3,029,852 to Taylor, April 17, 1962 and U.S. Patent
4,738,547 to Brown, April 19, 1988. As well, a
storage bag is cùrrently marketed in Canada in
association with the trade mark BESTQUIPT.
There are a number of shortcomings in these
bags. U.S. Patent 3,029,852 shows a "sportsman's" bag
which is made of a rectangular sheet of material. The
sides of the bag may be partly overlapped when the bag
is transported. Once the sides are overlapped, the
rectangular sheet may be folded upon itself to reduce
its size. The interior compartments of this
sportsman's bag do not facilitate the drying of stored
articles as they are of relatively heavy cloth. The
bag also does not allow access to any stored articles
unless the sheet and the panels are unfolded.
Furthermore, folding the bag for transportation
results in a bag with little storage space.
U.S. Patent 4,738,547 shows a "carrying" bag with
side panels that are folded over each other during
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transportation. Stays in the bag keep it rigid.
There is no access to the contents of the bag unless
the bag is hung vertically and the panel is unfolded.
This bag does not show the use of interior
05 compartments designed to help dry the contents of the
bag.
The BESTQUIPT bag is also a storage bag. This
bag may be fully opened to allow access to the
contents of the bag and may be closed during
transportation. There are pockets on the inside of
the bag. The bag has a handle on the outside of the
bag to carry the bag and has an eye for hanging the
bag. However, the BESTQUIPT bag must be open before
it can be hung. As well, the BESTQUIPT bag utilizes a
complex, five-part "H"-shaped zipper combination which
must be manipulated in order to completely expose the
interior of the main compartment of the bag. This
zipper configuration renders the opening of the
BESTQUIPT bag difficult and increases the risk of
damage to the bag due to zipper malfunctioning.
The shortcomings of these bags are of particular
importance when the articles to be stored and
transported are articles of sporting equipment of the
type worn by persons who play ice hockey or American
football. These persons may desire ready access to
the contents of the bag during transportation. A bag
that allows for loose or more loose packing tends to
facilitate the drying of the equipment during
transportation. As well, since articles of ice hockey
and American football equipment may be large and~or
odd-shaped, a bag with a large volume capacity for its
size is needed. Inner compartments, which facilitate
the circulation of air through the compartments would
permit equipment to dry. As sporting equipment of the
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type discussed may be relatively heavy--an adult may
wear in excess o 20 pounds of equipment--a bag which
may only be hung after opening is more difficult to
use than one which may be hung when the bag is in the
05 closed position, while the bag is relatively compact
and while the equipment is largely fixed in place.
The invention disclosed utilizes a single resealable
opening. In its preferred embodiment, the opening is
secured by a standard, heavy-duty zipper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVE~TION
In one aspect, the present invention comprises
one or more means, attached to the bag, for detachably
mounting the unopened bag on a vertically disposed
supporting member. The main body or enclosed volume
is constructed from flexible materials, such body
having a single resealable opening of configuration
such that when closed the two sections of the body are
joined in abutting positions, and when opened, the
interior of the bag may be exposed, thereby allowing
the opened bag to be adapted to assume a planar
profile. There are one or more compartments within
the bag which may become exposed when the bag is
opened, each compartment being suitable for
accommodating one or more stored articles in a fixed
arrangement, each compartment also being adapted to
facilitate the circulation of air through it. There
are one or more means, each attached to the bag for
detachably mounting the opened bag on a vertically
disposed supporting member. Means for carrying the
unopened bag are also attached to the bag.
Other objects, advantages and new features of the
invention will become apparent from the following
detailed description of the invention when considered
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings herein.
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sRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective rendering of an
embodiment of an unopened storage bag for
accommodating articles of ice hockey equipment, hung
05 vertically on a supporting hook.
Figure 2 is a perspective rendering of the bag of
figure 1 hung in the open position.
DETAILED DE:SCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings, in particular figure
1, an embodiment of a storage bag for accommodating
articles of ice hockey equipment, 1, is shown hung
vertically on a supporting hook 2 by exterior annular
member 3 which is attached to the bag. The bag is
shown in the closed position, with the two sections of
main body 4, joined in abutting positions due to the
closure of the single vertically disposed zippered
opening 5. Two flexible handles 6 and 7 are shown
attached to the bag for transporting the bag between
storage sites.
Figure 2 shows the bag of figure 1 hung
vertically in the open position with side panels 8 and
9 fully extended, thereby giving the bag a
substantially planar profile. Interior annular
members 10 and 11 attached to the bag are shown
connected to supporting hooks 12 and 13. The opened
bag exposes a plurality of interior compartments.
Interior compartments 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are
stitched on three sides to form pockets while interior
compartments 19 and 20 are shown having resealable
zippered openings. These zippered compartments are
particularly well suited for accommodating one hockey
skate each and holding them in a fixed position,
thereby preventing damage to the other stored
equipment. All interior compartments are shown
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constructed from loosely woven fibers or "mesh", which
facilitates the circulation of air in and around the
interior compartments.
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