AU2006207870A1 - A bag - Google Patents

Description

Australia Patents Act 1990 Regulation 3.2 Original Complete Specification Austalin GoernentStandard Patent CI IP Australia 3 ubject to the provisions of the Patents Act, information provided on this form may be made publicly available, including on the Internet.

i~nvention Title 00 0 rhe following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing known to me:

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IND ~c-o rcer- 4v &A tcA d P/00101 1 (05/05) Page 1 of 2 AN3 1 7 ABN 38 113 072 755 r> The claims defining the invention are as follows: Name of Applicant Signature Date *Note: If there is insufficient space above to type the statement of claim, do not use this sheet, but use separate sheets of paper beginning with the words "The claims defining the invention are as follows:" and ending with the date and name of applicant in block letters.

P/00/011 (05/05) Page 2 of 2 ABN 38 113 072 755

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 Applicant(s): Joanne Marie Kozary Invention Title: A BAG The invention is described in the following statement: 2 A BAG Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the field of bags, and has particular but by no means exclusive application to the field of bags that can be used as utility belts for nurses.

Background of the Invention A utility belt is a specialised type of bag that enables a person to readily carry a range of objects.

Existing utility belts have been designed for specific industries and are generally fitted around the waist of a person. Existing utility belts also have a means for containing an object to thereby enable the person to readily carry the object. An industry that has made significant use of utility belts is the building industry, in which builders use utility belts to carry tools such as a hammer, a tape measure and screwdrivers.

Unfortunately, because existing utility belts have been designed for specific industries they are generally not well suited to being used in industries other than those for which they were designed. For example, utility belts for the building industry are unsuitable for use by, for example, nursing staff in the medical industry. In this regard, building industry utility belts have been designed to hold relatively large and robust tools and as such are not capable of adequately holding the considerably smaller and more delicate implements used by nurses.

3 There are many industries for which no utility belt has been designed and which could benefit from a suitable utility belt. One such industry is the nursing industry.

Unfortunately existing utility belts are not well suited for use in those industries in which no utility belt has yet been designed.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a bag comprising: a receptacle; a part attached to a rear wall of the receptacle and which defines a passage arranged to retain a belt, the part being such that the belt can be moved along the passage; and an element attached to a front wall of the receptacle and which defines a first compartment arranged to hold an identification card, the element being such that when the identification card is located in the first compartment information on the identification card can be readily discerned by a person.

An advantage of the bag according to the present invention is that it is well suited for the nursing industry. The advantage stems from the fact th at the part defining the passage enables the receptacle (which holds implements used by a nurse) to be moved relative to the belt attached around the nurse'swaist. This is particularly important as it allows the receptacle to be readily moved into different positions on the nurse's body. For instance, the nurse may wish to move the receptacle from their stomach region around to their lower C back so the receptacle does not get in the way when, for example, the nurse moves a patient. Existing utility belts have a receptacle that is fixed in position so it can not 0 be readily moved into a different position on the nurse's body.

OO Preferably, the bag comprises at least one member Sdisposed in the receptacle and which defines a plurality IND of second compartments each of which is arranged to hold an object.

Having the plurality of second compartments enables various objects to be readily separated.

Preferably, the receptacle comprises sidewalls that are deformable such that a distance between the front wall and the rear wall can be adjusted.

Being able to adjust the distance between the front wall and the rear wall is particularly desirable as it allows the size (volume) of the receptacle to be set as required.

Preferably, the bag comprises a mechanism attached to the receptacle and which can be used to substantially restrict the distance from being increased.

The mechanism enables the receptable to be retained in the required size (volume).

Preferably, the mechanism comprises a Velcro hook strap attached to the front wall and a Velcro loop section attached to the rear wall.

SD- 5 Preferably, the element comprises a substantially clear panel arranged to cover the identification card when located in the first compartment.

O The clear panel provides a protective cover for the 00 identification card while allowing details on the card to -be readily discerned by the viewer.

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Preferably, the container comprises a flap that is attached to the rear wall and which is movable from a closed position, in which the flap obstructs an opening in the receptacle, to an open position, in which the opening is unobstructed by the flap.

Preferably, the flap comprises at least one pocket.

Preferably, the container comprises at least one first coupling attached to one of the sidewalls and at least one second coupling attached to an inner surface of the receptacle.

The first and second coupling can be used to retain, for example, a set of keys.

Preferably, the container comprises a retractable coupling device that is attached to the receptacle and which can be coupled to the identification card.

A Brief Description of the Drawings Notwithstanding any other embodiments that may fall within the scope of the present invention, an embodiment D 6 of the present invention will now be described, by way of a example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, C/ in which figures 1(a) to l(e) each contain a picture of a bag in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

00 An Embodiment of the Invention \O With reference to figure 1 a bag 100 (which could also be referred to as a utility belt) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a receptacle 102. The receptacle 102 comprises a front wall 104, a rear wall 106 (which can be seen in figure l(b)) and deformable sidewalls 108 and 110 (which can be respectively be seen in figures l(c) and The receptacle 102 is made from a relatively lightweight durable synthetic material and is designed to be carried by nursing staff and house various nursing implements such as, for example, a thermometer, bandaging and scissors. The deformable sidewalls 108 and 110 enable a distance between the front wall 104 and the rear wall 106 to be adjusted. Being able to adjust the distance is desirable because is allows the size (or volume) of the receptacle 102 to be altered. For example, the distance between the front wall 104 and the rear wall 106 can be set to a minimum when only a few implements are to be housed in the receptacle 102. Alternatively, the distance between the front wall 104 and the rear wall 106 can be set to a maximum when many implements are to be housed by the receptacle 102.

IND- 7 To make the receptacle 102 more usable for housing multiple implements, the bag 100 comprises at least one Smember 112, which can be seen in figure that is disposed in the receptacle 102. The member 112 effectively divides the inside of the receptacle 102 into multiple Scompartments 114 and 116, which can be used to house 00 implements. The member 112 is made from the same durable synthetic material as the walls 104 to 110 of the IND receptacle 102.

S Attached to the front wall 104 of the receptacle 102 is an element 118, which can be seen in figure that defines a compartment arranged to hold an identification card. The identification card is typically the identification card of the nurse using the bag 100. To enable persons to readily discern information contained on the identification card held by the compartment, the element 118 comprises a clear see through panel 120. The element 118 also comprises a frame 122 that is sewn to the panel 120 and the front wall 104 of the receptacle 102.

The frame 122 is made from the same material and the front wall 104 and effectively secures the panel to the front wall 104.

Attached to the rear wall 106 of the receptacle 102 is a part 124, which can be seen in figure that defines a passage for retaining a belt 126. The part 124, which is made from the same material as the rear wall 106 of the receptacle 102, is attached to the rear wall 106 by rivets 128 and 130 at one end 132 of the part 124 and stitching and the other end 134 of the part 124. By retaining the belt 126 the passage defined by the part 124 allows a nurse to carry the receptacle 102 by fitting the \D 8- IND belt 126 around their waist. Whilst not depicted in the figures, opposed surfaces of the part 124 and the rear wall 106 of the receptacle 102 have Velcro attached thereto so that the nurse can adjust the size of the passage to suit the width of the belt 126. It is noted that the passage defined by the part 124 is such that it 0 allows the receptacle 102 to be moved relative to the belt S126.

As can be seen in figure the bag 100 also C comprises a flap 136, which is made from the same material as the walls 104 to 110 of the receptacle 102. As shown in figure the flap 136 is sewn to a top section 138 of the rear wall 106 of the receptacle 102. The flap 136 is movable from a closed position, in which the flap 136 obstructs an opening 140 of the receptacle 102, to an open position, in which the opening 140 is unobstructed by the flap 136. The closed position is shown in figure l(c), while the open position is shown in figure In the flap 136 is in the open position the nurse is able to place or remove implements from the receptacle 102. While in the closed position the flap 136 prevents implements from being inserted or removed.

As can be seen in figure opposing surfaces of the flap 136 and the front wall 104 have attached cooperating pieces of Velcro 142 and 144. When the flap 136 is in the closed position the Velcro 142 and 144 securely holds the flap 136 in the closed position.

The bag 100 also comprises a coupling 146 in the form of a carabinor clip. The coupling 146 is attached to an inner surface of the receptacle 102 near the opening 140.

9 In addition to the coupling 146, the bag 100 comprises at least one additional coupling (that is not shown in the figures) that is attached to an outer surface of one of the sidewalls 108 and 110 near the opening 140. The additional coupling is in the form of a D-ring.

As indicated previously, the sidewalls 108 and 110 of the receptacle 102 are deformable so that the distance between the front wall 104 and the rear wall 106 can be varied. In this regard, the bag 100 comprises a mechanism (not shown in the figures) that allows a nurse to restrict the front wall 104 and the rear wall 106 from being moved apart. The mechanism comprises a Velcro strap secured to the front wall 104 and a cooperating piece of Velcro attached to the rear wall 106. By coupling the Velcro together the front wall 104 and the rear wall 106 can be prevented from being moved apart.

Another notable feature of the bag 100 is that it includes a retractable coupling device (which is not shown in the figures). The device is attached to the receptacle 102 and can be attached to the identification card. The retractable coupling device enables the identification card to be separated from the receptacle 102 whilst remaining attached thereto.

Claims (11)

1. A bag comprising: a receptacle; a part attached to a rear wall of the receptacle and which defines a passage arranged to retain a belt, the part being such that the belt can be moved along the 0O passage; and an element attached to a front wall of the receptacle and which defines a first compartment arranged to hold an identification card, the element being such that when the identification card is located in the first compartment information on the identification card can be readily discerned by a person.

2. The bag as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one member disposed in the receptacle and which defines a plurality of second compartments each of which is arranged to hold an object.

3. The bag as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the receptacle comprises sidewalls that are deformable such that a distance between the front wall and the rear wall can be adjusted.

4. The bag as claimed in claim 3, comprising a mechanism attached to the receptacle and which can be used to substantially restrict the distance from being increased.

The bag as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mechanism comprises a Velcro hook strap attached to the front wall and a Velcro loop section attached to the rear wall.

6. The bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the element comprises a substantially clear panel arranged to cover the identification card when located in the first compartment.

7. The bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a flap that is attached to the rear wall and which is movable from a closed position, in which the flap obstructs an opening in the receptacle, to an open position, in which the opening is unobstructed by the flap.

8. The bag as claimed in claim 7, wherein the flap comprises at least one pocket.

9. The bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one first coupling attached to one of the sidewalls and at least one second coupling attached to an inner surface of the receptacle.

The bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container comprises a retractable coupling device that is attached to the receptacle and which can be coupled to the identification card.

11. The bag as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures. Dated this 20th day of August 2006 C1 JOANN~E MARIE KOZARY 00