CA2362616A1

CA2362616A1 - Sports accessory equipment bag

Info

Publication number: CA2362616A1
Application number: CA 2362616
Authority: CA
Inventors: T.R. Pierce
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-11-02
Filing date: 2001-11-02
Publication date: 2003-05-02

Abstract

A sports equiptment bag used for the airing, storage and transport of smaller sports accessories.
Having an adjustable opening, an adjustable strap and a releaseable fastening clip attached at the top panel opening to create a storage pouch that may be attached by releaseable clip to the pocket rings that come standard on most sport-specific outerwear. This allows for hands-free storage, transport, and coordination of a variety of smaller items while on break from or finished the designated sporting activity. Additionally, the releaseable clip may be attached onto the bag strap to create a handle for carrying or hanging of said bag. The bag is of a rectangular shape, constructed of lightweight, breathable material that allows for airing of the items placed in it and also ease of bag storage and transport on the person when not in use.

Description

Sports Accessories Storage Bag DESCRIPTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates to the storage and transport of smaller sporting accessories and clothing.
Background of the Invention It is the nature of most sporting activities that, to play them comfortably and safely, accessory equiptment and clothing is required. It follows that, to minimize the frustration of coordinating these smaller sporting accessories when not in use, some form of storage is necessary. To that end, many forms of bag-style storage are well-known and widely used. Typical bags of this type are described, for example, in the following patents;
In patent #2110661, the creators have provided for an inner liner of a mesh material that may be removed, creating a lightweight and breathable storage bag option. However, the liner includes 'a plurality of side panels and a bottom panel' as well as a fastener which does not facilitate easy personal storage of the bag when not in use.
Another sports equiptment storage bag is disclosed in patent #2231470 and allows for airing and storage of smaller sports accessories. It does not allow for hands-free transport of accessories or easy personal storage and transport of the bag itself when not in use.
Though such bags have achieved popularity and broad usage, there is an ongoing need for improvement.
Summary of the Invention This invention relates to a bag for airing, storing and carrying smaller sports equiptment and clothing that can be fastened by a releaseable clip to the loops that come standard on many sports outerwear (eg. mountainbike jackets, ski suits), allowing hands-free storage,transport and coordination of the many smaller items associated with a particular sport. An additional feature of the invention is that when the releaseable clip is attached onto the top closure drawstrings, it creates a handle that can hang in any variety of places (eg. door knob, wrist, chair back, coat hook) while on break from, or finished, the designated sporting activity. The bag is lightweight and malleable enough to store conveniently on the person or in a small space when not in use. It is to be appreciated that wherever the phrase 'smaller sports equiptment and clothing' is used, it is understood that this covers sports equiptment and/ or clothing and can also cover miscellaneous toiletries such as lip balm, deodorant, etc.

In the drawings, which form part of this specification, Fig. l is a front view diagram of the bag according to one embodiment of the invention, showing the bag as empty and in a flat layout;
Fig.2 is a front view diagram of the filled bag, portrayed as unattached and not including all possible contents for the sake of visual simplicity;
Fig.3 is a front view diagram of the filled bag attached to a sample represention of sports outerwear as mentioned in one embodiment of the invention;
Fig.4 is a front view diagram of the filled bag which represents the ability of the releaseable clip to attach itself to the drawstrings and the resulting 'handle' for carrying or hanging of the bag As portrayed in Fig.2, Fig,3 and Fig.4; the representation of the lip balm, snow mittens and goggles, is to the scale of a men's extra large size for both pieces of the sports equiptment.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment With reference to the preferred embodiment of the bag detailed in Figure 1, bag 2 comprises two pieces 4 and 5, to create a generally rectangular panel, having a top edge 6, a bottom edge 8, and side edges 10 and 12 respectively. Panel 4 and 5 of bag 2 is made from a flexible, lightweight fabric such as nylon or sport mesh.
The top edge 6 is comprised of the front panel 4 and back panel 5 separately to create an opening.
At the top of panel 4 and 5 is a folded edge with a small opening 16 that allow for insertion of a drawstrings 18. The drawstrings 18 exit the small opening 16 in the folded aspect 14, leaving the two drawstrings 18 visible and extending a distance from the bag.
The clip 20(a and b) is attached to the drawstrings 18 and serves 3 functions;
the lower toggle portion 20(a) attaches to the drawstrings 18 to secure them from pulling back through the opening 16, while also allowing for adjustment of the length of the useable portion of drawstrings 18 and therefore the size of the top panel 6 opening (see Fig.2), as well as the eventual distance the bag will hang from the releaseable clip 20(b) when it is attached to the user (see Fig.3).
The upper clip portion 20(b) is of a mitten-clip style that allows the user to attach it a variety of locations such as mitten loops on sports outerwear (Fig.3), any opening large enough to accomodate the clip ( eg.larger zipper holes) and also onto the drawstrings 18 (see figure 4), which creates a loop that can be customized to hang in a variety of locations (eg.chairbacks, coatracks, small hooks).

Fig.2 is a representation of said bag containing example equiptment and showing the overall flexibility of the material used in said bag construction as well as illustrating how the mesh material can allow airflow to the contents stored in the bag.
Ezample of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention In its prefered embodiment, this sports equiptment storage bag will provide the option of hands-free storage and transport of smaller sports accessories such as clothing, smaller gear, safety related acoutrements and personal sports-related toiletries while facilitating the airing out of said items based on the lightweight breathability of the hag construction.
For illustration, a skier or snowboarder, upon entering the heated lodge for a break, is faced with the storage on their person of numerous smaller, cold weather accessories necessary to perform the sport. Gloves, scarves, face protection, goggles, touques are some examples of these smaller sports accessories for which space must be found in pockets and sleeves or else in the hands of the skier/snowboarder.
With this bag, the skier/snowboarder would have a lightweight, easily stored equiptment bag that they would remove and fill with their various acoutrements and then either clip on a part of their jacket or pants or else clip onto the drawstring portion at the top panel opening to create a handle for carrying or hanging of the said bag.

Claims

1. A bag for carrying and airing smaller sports accessory equiptment and clothing that provides for the hands-free storage and transport of said accessories in a manner that facilitates storage of the bag on the person of the user when not in use. The bag comprising;

a generally rectangular panel with separate front and back pieces, having an open top edge, a top panel fold, a closed bottom edge and closed respective side edges.
A first surface comprising the interior surface of the bag, and a second surface comprising the exterior surface of the bag;

a drawstring inserted at top panel fold opening to control the top opening, an adjustable fastener associated with the top panel drawstrings, a releasable clip associated with the adjustable fastener on the top panel drawstrings.

2. The bag combination defined in Claim 1 wherin the bag construction is of a lightweight mesh material to allow for airflow to said accessories.

3. The bag combination as defined in Claim 2 wherein the top panel drawstring is extended beyond the top panel to allow individual adjustment of the top panel opening.

4. The bag combination as defined in Claim 3 wherein the top panel drawstrings are of an elasticized cording to allow for comfortable expansion of the top panel opening when placing and retrieving items therein.

5. The bag combination as defined in Claim 2 wherein the adjustable fastener attached to the drawstrings is of a squeezable toggle-style to simplify adjustment of the top panel opening.

6. The bag combination as defined in Claim 5 wherein the squeezable toggle-syle fastener is of a tension spring design to provide for secure positioning on the drawstrings.

7. The bag combination as defined in Claim 2 wherein the releasable clip associated with the adjustable fastener is of a size that allows for its attachment to the metal or plastic glove loops that come standard on better quality outerwear.

8. The bag combination as defined in Claim 7 wherein the releaseable clip associated with the adjustable fastener attached to the drawstrings is of a style that will allow the releaseable clip to be attached onto and released from the drawstrings itself, thereby creating an adjustable handle for carrying or hanging of the said bag.