Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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ATHLETIC BAG
FIELD
The disclosed embodiments are generally directed to athletic bags, and more
particularly
to bags that allow air to circulate into the bag.
BACKGROUND
Bags are used to store and transport athletic equipment. Known bags have
various
pockets to house different pieces of athletic equipment (e.g., a pocket for
shoes and a pocket for
clothes), and some bags have mesh outer walls to allow airflow into and out of
the bag. Such
1() bags, however, do not provide a satisfactory solution for circulating
air in the bag and/or in and
around the athletic equipment.
SUMMARY
According to one embodiment, an athletic bag includes a flow vent attached to
a first
wall of the bag and a hose coupled to the flow vent. The hose is arranged to
transfer air to at
least one of an interior of the bag, an exterior of a piece of athletic
equipment and an interior of
the piece of athletic equipment.
According to another embodiment, a method of directing air in and around a
piece of
athletic equipment is disclosed. The method includes placing a piece of
athletic equipment into
an interior of a bag and supplying air to at least one of into the bag, into
the piece of athletic
equipment or onto the piece of athletic equipment via a flow vent attached to
a first wall of the
bag. In some embodiments, the method includes placing a piece of athletic
equipment relative
to a hose connected to a flow vent and transferring air into and/or onto the
piece of athletic
equipment.
According to another embodiment, a flow vent for transferring air to at least
one of an
interior of the bag, an exterior of a piece of athletic equipment and an
interior of the piece of
athletic equipment is disclosed. The flow vent includes a conduit having first
and second ends,
the first end arranged to extend into an interior of a bag and first and
second flanges attached to
the second end of the conduit, the first and second flanges arranged to hold
the conduit relative
to a wall of the bag via a locking member.
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It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts
discussed
below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure
is not limited in
this respect.
The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present
teachings can
be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with
the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the
drawings, each
identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures
is represented by a
like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in
every drawing. In
the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a portion of an athletic bag with a flow vent
according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the flow vent and bag portion of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of an opened athletic bag sitting on a floor near a
forced air grate
according to one embodiment;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged rear view of a bottom of the athletic bag of FIG. 3,
adjacent the
forced air grate;
FIG. 5 is a view of an opened athletic bag according to another embodiment;
FIG. 6A is an view of a portion of an interior of an athletic bag according to
one
embodiment;
FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the athletic bag of FIG. 6A, with hoses
attached to flow
vents;
FIG. 6C is a perspective view of the athletic bag of FIG. 6B, with athletic
equipment
attached to the hoses on a first side of the bag;
FIG. 7 is a top view of an athletic bag having a manifold and attached hoses
according to
one embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a side view of an athletic bag having a manifold and attached hoses
according
to another embodiment
FIGS. 9A and 9B are front and side views of an athletic bag with an electric
air supply
device attached to one of the flow vents;
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FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a manifold and attached hoses according to
yet another
embodiment; and
FIGS. 11A-11E illustrate a method of installing a flow vent in a wall of an
athletic bag.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Athletic bags are used to store and transport athletic equipment to and from
an athletic
event (e.g., a game such as a hockey game). For purposes herein, athletic
equipment includes
any piece of equipment used to participate in (e.g., compete in) an athletic
event. For example,
the athletic equipment may include boots, shoes, sneakers, cleats, skates,
shin guards, elbow
pads, balls, hats and/or helmets, etc. Other equipment will be readily
understood by a person
having ordinary skill in the art. As is known, after an athletic event, the
athletic equipment may
be wet and/or dirty. Existing bags have pockets to separate the equipment,
such as a pocket for
baseball cleats and a pocket for clothing, and some bags have mesh outer walls
to permit airflow
into one or more pockets. Such bags, however, do not allow the equipment to
sufficiently air
out and/or dry and, as a result, the equipment may become malodorous. For
example, the
insides of the baseball cleat may remain damp and develop a pungent odor.
Typically, the
athlete must rush home to remove his athletic equipment from the bag for
airing out and/or
drying (e.g., to lay out the equipment on the floor of a laundry room). This
is inconvenient. It is
also time consuming, takes up a lot of space, and could lead to lost or
forgotten equipment, such
as if the athlete forgets to pack his cleats before his next game. It is also
impracticable for road
games, such as when the athlete is travelling and/or staying in a hotel, as
the athlete must either
leave his equipment in the bag in his car or must lay out his equipment all
over his hotel room.
Applicant has recognized that by providing a bag that has targeted airflow to
the interior
of the bag and/or to each of the individual pieces of athletic equipment
(e.g., into and/or onto the
athletic equipment), various advantages may be realized. As such, embodiments
disclosed
herein include a bag having one or more flow vents configured to allow airflow
into the bag. In
some embodiments, hoses may be attached to one or more of the flow vents to
transmit air
directly into or onto one or more pieces of athletic equipment. As will be
appreciated, air may
pass into the bag via the flow vent even if a hose is not first connected
thereto. In some
embodiment, athletic equipment may be placed relative to the hoses so that air
may be
transmitted directly into or onto the one or more pieces of equipment. For
purposes herein,
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being placed relative to the hoses may mean that the equipment is placed
directly onto the hose
or is placed near or adjacent to the hose.
In some embodiments, each flow vent is connected to a single hose. In other
embodiments, the flow vent is connected to one or more hoses, such as via a
manifold. In some
embodiments, a forced air supply from a grate may be used to provide air to
the bag. In another
embodiment, an air supply device may be connected to the one or more flow
vents to blow air
into the bag. In some embodiments, the air supply device is an electric dryer
that may provide
warm or hot air into the bag. In other embodiments, warm or hot air may be
supplied to the bag
via heat that is produced from the engine mount of a car (e.g., after the
engine has been turned
off). In other embodiments, a blower may be employed to blow room temperature
air into or
onto the equipment. In other embodiments, ambient air may be used to dry the
equipment. As
will be appreciated, in such embodiments, the flow vents may allow a
continuous flow of dry air
to circulate into or onto a piece of athletic equipment.
Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1, shows a side view of a portion of an
athletic bag 100
having a flow vent 102, with a piece of athletic equipment attached thereto.
In some
embodiments, the flow vent is attached (e.g., removably attached) to the bag,
although the flow
vent also may be formed integral with the bag. As is shown, the flow vent 102
includes a
conduit 104 that is attachable to a hose 106. The hose 106 transfers air (see
the arrow labeled A)
into the bag and, in some embodiments, into or onto the piece of athletic
equipment, such as a
shoe 108. As will be appreciated, although a hose is shown attached to the
vent in this view, the
piece of athletic equipment may be placed relative to the vent.
As shown in this view, in some embodiments, the hose 106 may be removably
attachable
to conduit 104. For example, the hose 106 may be snapped or threaded onto the
conduit. The
hose 106 also may be removably attached to the conduit 104 via another
suitable attachment
mechanism, such as via a clip or snap. The hose also may be permanently
attached to the
conduit, such as via, glue or screws, or may be integrally formed with the
conduit and to the
vent.
As will be appreciated, the hose 106 may be rigid or it may be flexible and
bend. In
some embodiments, the hose may be a telescoping pole. In other embodiments,
the hose may
exhibit an accordion-like behavior whereby the hose can be extended and
compressed. For
example, in one embodiment, the hose may compress to about 4 inches in length
and also be
extended to about 22 inches in length, although other suitable lengths may be
used. In such an
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embodiment, the hose may be extended to any portion of the interior of the
bag. As will be
appreciated, each hose attached to a conduit in need not have the same length
or be the same
type of hose. For example, a first hose may be a rigid hose that is about 4
inches in length,
while a second hose may be a flexible hose that may expand to about 22 inches
in length.
As will be further appreciated, the shape and size of at least a portion of
the conduit, such
as the distal end 119 of the conduit (see FIG. 2), correspond to a shape and
size of at least a
portion of the hose, such as the proximal end of the hose. For example, if a
proximal end of the
hose is cylindrical in shape, the conduit also may be cylindrical in shape
such that the proximal
end of the hose may be attached to the conduit. The conduit and hose also may
have other
suitable shapes in other embodiments.
In some embodiments, the flow vent 102 is attached to the wall of the bag,
such as via
one or more flanges and a locking member, such as a lock nut. For example, as
shown in FIG.
2, an exploded side view of the portion of the bag of FIG. 1, the flow vent
102 may be attached
to a wall 110 of the bag 100 via a first flange 112 (attached to the conduit
104), and a
combination washer and nut 114.In this example, a portion of the wall of the
bag is sandwiched
between the first and second flanges and held in place via the lock nut.
As shown in FIG.2, in this embodiment, a portion of the exterior surface of
the conduit
104 includes a threaded portion 116, adjacent the wall 110 of the bag 100. As
also shown in this
view, the threaded portion 116 is also located near the first flange 112. The
threaded portion
116 engages with the threaded portion 117 on an interior surface of the
washer/nut 114 to secure
the vent 102 to wall 110 of the bag. As will be appreciated, the washer/nut
114 is slipped onto
the distal end 119 of the conduit 104 (see the arrow labeled B) and rotated to
secure the vent 102
to the wall 110 of the bag. As shown in FIG. 1, a distal end 119 of the
conduit passes through
the washer/nut 114 and, once attached, a portion of the conduit 104 extends
therefrom toward
the interior of the bag. In some embodiments, the conduit 104 does not extend
beyond the
washer/nut 114, once the washer/nut 114 is attached to the conduit 104.
Although the vent is shown as being attached to the bag via flanges and a lock
nut, it will
be appreciated that the vent(s) may be attached in other suitable methods. For
example, the
vents may be formed integrally with the bag. They also may be threaded or
stapled onto the
bag. As will be appreciated, the vents may be permanently attached to the or
may be removably
attached to the bag.
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FIG. 3 shows an example of a bag 100 having two flow vents 102a, 102b located
in a
bottom wall 110c of the bag 100. As will be appreciated, the vents may be
located in any wall
of the bag. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the vents may be located in a
rear wall. Vents also
may be located on more than one wall (e.g., on both the bottom and rear walls
of the bag).
Turning back to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, when the bag 100 is placed on a
floor 118,
the bag may be positioned so that the vents 102a, 102b are adjacent to or on
top of a grate 120
that supplies forced air (see arrows labeled FA) into a room. FIG. 4 shows an
enlarged bottom
view of the bag of FIG. 3, with the air vents 102a, 102b positioned adjacent
to the grate 120. In
such an embodiment, the forced air may travel through the vents, into the bag
and, in some
embodiments, into or onto the athletic equipment.
FIG. 5 shows a bag 100 having six flow vents 102a-102f located in a rear wall
110a of
the bag 100. As will be appreciated, although the vents are all located in a
lower power of the
rear wall 110a of the bag 100, the vents maybe located in any suitable
location on the wall (e.g.,
on the top of the bag and/or on both the top and bottom of the bag). Also,
although the vents are
shown aligned in columns and rows in this figure, the vents may have any
suitable arrangement
for supplying air into the interior 124 of the bag 100. For example, the vents
may be positioned
in a circle in one embodiment. In another embodiment, the vents may be
positioned in one or
more corners of the rear wall of the bag.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6A, the bag 100 may have eight flow
vents
102a-102h, again located in the rear wall 110a of the bag 100. FIG. 6B
illustrates the bag of
FIG. 6A with four hoses 106a, 106c, 106e, 106g attached to the corresponding
flow vents 102a,
102c, 102e, 102g (e.g., via the conduits). As illustrated in this view, a hose
need not be
connected to each of the flow vents, although, in some embodiments, a hose may
be connected
to each vent. In this example, the hoses are rigid. In other examples, the
hoses may be flexible.
The hoses also may be extendable.
FIG. 6C shows the bag of FIG. 6B, with the hoses inserted into various pieces
of athletic
equipment (e.g., a hockey skate 108 and knee pad 122). As will be appreciated,
although the
athletic equipment is shown attached to vents on only a first side of the
interior of the bag (e.g.,
a left side of the bag), it should be appreciated that the athletic equipment
can be placed on any
of the hoses in the bag (e.g., on both the right and left sides of the bag).
In some embodiments,
the athletic equipment may be placed in the bag without first being inserted
onto one of the
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hoses. In such an embodiment, the hoses may be used to direct air into the bag
and, in some
embodiments around the equipment, but not directly into the athletic
equipment.
As shown and described with respect to FIGS. 1-6, in some embodiments, a
single hose
is connected to each vent (e.g., via the conduit). In such embodiments, each
vent provides a
supply of air to a single outlet, such as each hose, and into the interior of
the bag and/or into or
onto a piece of athletic equipment. In other embodiments, each vent may be
connected to two or
more hoses to provide a supply of air to multiple outlets (e.g., via multiple
hoses connected to
the vent). For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the vent may be connected to a
manifold that
transfers air from the vent to one or more hoses connected to the manifold
(e.g., into to the
interior of the bag and/or into or onto a piece of athletic equipment).
As shown in FIG. 7, a top view of the bag 100, in some embodiments, a manifold
126
may be connected to one or more vents 102a, 102b. In some embodiments, each
vent 102a,
102b acts as an inlet vent for supplying air (e.g., warm air) to the one or
more hoses 106a-c. In
other embodiments, one of the vents 102a, 102b may serve as an inlet vent
supplying air to the
one or more hoses 106a-c while the other vent 102b, 102a may serve as an
exhaust vent through
which air may exit the manifold. As shown in FIG. 7, in some embodiments,
three hoses 106a-
106c may be connected to the manifold for transferring air to the interior of
the bag and/or to
one or more pieces of athletic equipment (e.g., into or onto the athletic
equipment). As will be
appreciated, although three hoses are shown connected to the manifold, one or
more hoses may
be connected to the manifold in other embodiments.
Although the manifold and vents are shown laterally extending in the bag 100
of FIG. 7
(e.g., between a first vent 102a located on a left side 115a of the wall 110a
of the bag 100 and a
second vent 102b located on a right side 115b of the wall 110a), in other
embodiments, as shown
in FIG. 8, a side view of the bag 100, the manifold may extend longitudinally
along a wall of the
bag (e.g., the rear wall 110a of the bag). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a
first vent 102a may
be located at a top of the wall 121a and a second 102b vent may be located at
a bottom 121b of
the wall, with the manifold 126 extending therebetween. In some embodiments,
both vents
102a, 102b are inlet vents that supply air to the hoses 106a-106i, although
one of the vents also
may be an outlet or exhaust vent that allows air to circulate through the
manifold. In the view
shown in FIG. 8, the manifold is connected to nine hoses 106a-106i that
transmit air into the
interior of the bag or into and/or onto one or more pieces of athletic
equipment. As will be
appreciated, more or fewer hoses also may be attached to the manifold 126.
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As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the manifold 126 may extend into the interior 124
of the
bag, such as in the form of a rigid structure like a pipe. Such a pipe may be
made of any
suitable material, such as plastic (e.g., PVC) and or metal (e.g., aluminum).
The manifold also
may be positioned within one or more walls in the bag such that the manifold
is not visible to the
user. In such embodiments, as will be appreciated, the vents and/or hoses may
still extend into
the interior 124 of the bag 100. In other embodiments, the manifold may
include a flexible
bladder that may be positioned within the bag or within a wall of the bag
(e.g., sewn in between
an outer wall and an inner wall of the bag) for supplying air to the one or
more hoses.
FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an embodiment in which two vents 102a, 102b are
connected
to a manifold 126 at the top of the rear wall 110a of the bag 100. In this
embodiment, the
manifold 126 is connected to three hoses 106a, 106b, 106c that supply air to
the interior of the
bag. As also shown in this view, in some embodiments, an air supply device
128, such as an
electric air blower or dryer, may be attached to (e.g., snapped or threaded
into) one or more of
the vents 102a, 102b. For example, the air supply device may be snapped or
threaded into an
opening of the vent located on the outside of the bag 100. As will be
appreciated, the air
supplying device may be attached to the bag in other suitable manners. The air
supply device
also may be located inside the bag.
In some embodiments the air supply device 128 may be removably attached to the
bag,
while in other embodiments the air supply device may be permanently attached
to the bag. The
air supply device 128 may supply air to the interior of the bag and/or into or
onto the athletic
equipment. In some embodiments the air supply device 128 may supply warm or
hot air to the
interior of the bag (e.g., via the second vent 102b). For example, the bag may
include blower
positioned in the bag to force air through the vents and hoses.
In some embodiments, the electric air supply device 128 may be powered by
plugging
the air supply device into an electric wall outlet (e.g., via plug 130). The
air supply device 128
also may be powered by a battery. In such embodiments, the battery may be
rechargeable. In
some embodiments, the first vent 102a may be arranged to also transfer air
into the interior of
the bag, although the first vent also may be arranged to be an exhaust to
allow air to circulate
through the manifold. In some embodiments, the air supply device also may
include an exhaust.
FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a manifold 126 that may be attached to a bag
via first
and second vents 102a, 102b. As with other embodiments, the manifold 126 may
be attached to
a back wall, a bottom wall and/or another suitable wall of the bag. In some
embodiments, the
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manifold may be formed integral with the bag. For example, the manifold may be
formed
between an outer wall and inner wall of the bag. In such an example, the
manifold may be
permanently attached to the bag (not shown) via the first and second vents
102a, 102b. In other
embodiments, the manifold may be removably attached to the bag.
As shown in FIG. 10, in some embodiments, the manifold 126 may be formed
integral
with the flow vents 102a, 102b. In such an embodiment, a flange 112 may be
used to attach the
manifold 126 to the bag (not shown) via the flow vents 102a, 102b. As will be
appreciated, the
manifold and flow vents also may be separate pieces that are attached to one
another (e.g., via a
press fit, snap fit, threaded or other suitable engagement). In some
embodiments, the manifold
includes one or more manifold sections 126a, 126b that are attached to one
another. In such
embodiments, the manifold sections 126a, 126b may be attached to one another
via any suitable
method (e.g., via a press fit, snap fit, and/ or threaded engagement).
As also shown in FIG. 10, six hoses 106a-f may be attached to the manifold 126
for
transferring air (e.g., warm or hot air) into the bag and/or into or onto one
or more pieces of
athletic equipment. In such embodiments, the hoses 106a-f may be permanently
attached to the
manifold 126, although the hoses also may be removably attached thereto. As
will be
appreciated, more or fewer hoses may be attached to the manifold in other
embodiments. For
example, although the manifold 126 is shown as receiving six hoses in this
view, 1, 2, 4, 8, 10,
15 or more hoses may be attached thereto. As with other embodiments, the hoses
may be rigid
and/or flexible. One or more hoses also may be expandable in length. In some
embodiments, as
is shown in this view, each of the hoses may be the same size or type (e.g.,
flexible and about 10
inches in length), although all the hoses need not be the same size or type.
For example, one of
the hoses may instead be a short, rigid hose.
As with other embodiments, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, an air
supply
device such as an air supply device 128, may be attached to one of the vents
(e.g., vent 102b) to
supply air, such as hot or warm air, into the bag and/or into or onto one or
more pieces of
athletic equipment. As will be appreciated, the air may travel through the
manifold 126 and one
or more hoses 106a-f into the interior of the bag and/or into or onto the
athletic equipment.
Although only one air supply device is shown attached to the vents in these
views, it will be
appreciated that more than one air supply device may be attached to the bag in
other
embodiments.
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In some embodiments, one vent (e.g., 102b) may be arranged as a supply vent
while the
other vent (e.g., 102a) is arranged as an exhaust vent. In such embodiments,
the exhaust vent
may allow air to exit the manifold and create air circulation. In some
embodiments, the
manifold 126 may include a stopper 134, which may be inserted into the exhaust
vent (e.g., vent
102a) to stop air from flowing out of the manifold. In some embodiments, the
stopper may be
removably attached to the vent 102 (e.g., via a press fit, snap fit and/or
threaded engagement).
For example, the stopper may be attached to the vent while the air supply
device 128 is turned
on and supplying air to the bag, and thereafter removed. As will be
appreciated, in embodiments
in which both vents 102a, 102b are configured as supply vents, one or more
stoppers 134 may be
inserted into the vents to partially or fully stop air flow it the bag and/or
into or onto the piece of
athletic equipment.
According to another aspect a method of supplying air to an interior of a bag
and/or to a
piece of athletic equipment (e.g., onto or into the athletic equipment) is
disclosed. The method
includes placing at least one piece of athletic equipment into the bag. In
some embodiments, the
method includes placing the piece of athletic equipment relative to a hose in
the interior of the
bag. For purposes herein, being placed relative to the hose may mean that the
piece of athletic
equipment is placed directly on the hose (e.g., is slid onto the hose) such
that air may flow into
the piece of athletic equipment. The piece of athletic equipment also may be
placed near or
adjacent to the hose such that air may flow around and/or into the piece of
athletic equipment.
The method further includes closing the bag and supplying air into the
interior of the bag and/or
into or around a piece of athletic equipment. In some embodiments, supplying
air to the bag
may mean allowing ambient air to circulate into and out of the bag. In other
embodiments,
supplying air to the bag may mean that the bag is positioned such that one or
more air vents are
adjacent a grate that may supply warm air to the bag, Supplying air to the bag
also may mean
that an air supply device (e.g., an electric dryer) is connected to a vent to
supply warm or hot air
to the bag. As will be appreciated, other suitable methods may be employed to
supply air to the
bag.
According to another aspect, a method of installing a flow vent into a bag is
disclosed.
Such a method may include forming one or opening in a wall of a bag and
attaching the vent to
the bag, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11C. In some embodiments, as shown in
FIG. 11A, the
method includes forming one or more openings 132 in a first wall of the bag.
The openings may
be formed in a rear wall 110a of the bag, as is shown, or in another suitable
wall of the bag.
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Openings also may be formed on two or more walls of the bag (e.g., on the
bottom wall of the
bag and on the left side wall of the bag). As will be appreciated, the
openings may be formed
via a tap, although the openings may be formed via other suitable methods
(e.g., via a pair of
scissors).
Next, the vent is inserted into the opening so that at least a portion of the
conduit is
visible in the interior of the bag. As described a hose may be inserted into
the conduit for
directing air into the bag. As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the vent
(e.g., conduit)
may be inserted into the opening via the outside of the bag. In such an
embodiment, a
combination washer/nut 114 may be threaded onto an distal portion 119 of the
conduit such that
a portion of the wall of the bag is held between the combination washer/nut
114 and a flange
112 positioned on the outside of the bag 100. As will be appreciated, although
the flange 112 is
shown integrally formed with the conduit in this embodiment, the flange and
conduit may be a
separate piece in other embodiments.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11B and 11C, the conduit may be inserted
into
the opening via the inside of the bag until a proximal portion 135 of the
conduit is visible from
the exterior of the bag. In such embodiments, prior to inserting the conduit
into the opening, a
flange 134 (e.g., a first washer) may be placed on the conduit (e.g., via the
proximal portion),
such that the flange is positioned between an interior portion 136 of the
conduit and the interior
surface of the wall. As will be appreciated, although the flange 134 and
conduit 102 are shown
as separate pieces in this view, the flange also may be formed integrally with
the interior portion
of the conduit. FIG. 11C shows a proximal portion 135 of the conduit visible
through the
opening of the bag after the vent has been inserted through an opening in the
wall from the
interior of the bag. As shown in this view, at least a portion of the exterior
surface of the
proximal portion 135 of the conduit 104 may be threaded in some embodiments.
Next, as shown in FIG. 11D, a second flange 138 (e.g., a second washer) may be
placed
on the proximal portion 135 of the conduit 104 and positioned adjacent an
exterior surface of the
wall of the bag. Finally, as shown in FIG. 11E, a lock nut 140 may be threaded
onto the
proximal portion 135 of the conduit to secure the flow vent to the bag place.
In such
embodiments, the wall of the bag may be held in between the first and second
flanges. In some
embodiments, the second flange may be formed integrally with the lock nut, as
with other
embodiments.
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In the above embodiments, the first and second flanges may be attached to the
proximal
end of the conduit. For purposes herein, attachment to the proximal end may
mean attachment
at the proximal end of the conduit. Such attachment also may mean attachment
at a proximal
portion of the conduit. For purposes herein, attachment at the proximal
portion may include
attachment in the last 10% of a length of the conduit closest to the proximal
end. Attachment at
the proximal portion also may include attachment in the last 25% of the length
of the conduit
closest to the proximal end.
As will be appreciated, the flow vent may be attached to the bag via other
suitable
methods. For example, the flow vents may be formed integrally with the bag. In
another
example, the flange (whether integrally formed or separate from the vent) may
be sewn in
between an inner and outer layer of the wall of the bag). As will be further
appreciated, the
conduits, hoses flanges, and lock nuts may be made of any suitable. For
example, all of the
pieces may be made of a plastic material (e.g., PVC). In other embodiments,
the hoses and
conduits may be made of a plastic material while the flanges and lock nuts are
made of a
metallic material (e.g., aluminum).
As will be appreciated, the flow vent may be permanently attached to the bag
or may be
removably attachable. In some embodiments, the flow vent may be attached to
the bag via the
manufacturer of the bag (e.g., integrally formed with the bag). In other
embodiments, the flow
vents are included in a kit that may be used to transform an existing athletic
bag to the athletic
bag as shown an described, allowing direct air flow into the interior of the
bag and/or into the
pieces of athletic equipment. Such a kit also may include one or more hoses
for transferring air
into and/or onto a piece of athletic equipment, a manifold, and/or an air
supply device. Such a
kit also may include tools necessary for creating openings in one or more
walls of the bag, into
which the flow vents are inserted.
While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various
embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be
limited to such
embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass
various
alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those
of skill in the art.
Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example
only.
What is claimed is:
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