EP1991082A1 - A soft, foldable bag or case - Google Patents

Abstract

A soft bag or case (10) of the type made from a thin, flexible material and comprising a solid three- dimensional structure, and at least one handle (14), wherein there are means (19, 20) for opening said structure along a number of edges and/or parts and/or sides so as to allow said structure to assume an essentially flat shape that can be easily refolded and/or rolled up and/or dismantled. The soft bag or case is so easily dismantled and then refolded it affords maximum capacity with minimum bulk.

Description

A SOFT, POLDABLE BAG OR CASE

The present invention refers to a soft, foldable bag or case that can be rolled up.

In particular, the present invention refers to a soft bag or case, the distinctiveness of which is that of being able to be opened and refolded so as to minimise the space required for storage after use, despite having a structure typical of semi-rigid bags or cases . It is well known that the most often-heard drawbacks associated with rigid or semi-rigid luggage is that of the considerable space they occupy, even when not in use, and thus empty. For this reason, in many cases, where available space is limited, particularly in the case of pleasure boats, rigid or semi-rigid luggage is replaced with knapsacks made from cloth or other materials which can be easily refolded after use, so as to minimise the space occupied by the empty luggage. One problem associated with knapsacks of this type is that their shape depends on the shape and order of the objects inserted inside, and that since they have no predefined shape, it is difficult to fill them while optimally using the available space inside. Consequently, while on the one hand this type of soft case occupies minimal space, once stowed after use, on the other hand it does not allow optimal exploitation of the volume it occupies when filled.

The scope of the present invention is that of creating a soft bag or case, the distinctiveness of which is that of minimising the space required for it after use, and the interior space if which is defined so as to allow efficient filling.

Another scope of the present invention is that of providing a soft bag or case optionally fitted with a range of containers, separate from the soft bag or case, the shape and size of which allow their insertion inside the soft bag or case, at the same time guaranteeing maximum exploitation of the available space . Another scope of the present invention is that of creating a particularly simple and functional soft bag or case.

The above scopes according to the present invention are achieved by creating a soft bag or case as described in claim 1.

Further characteristics of the soft bag or case of the present invention are discussed in the ancillary claims.

The characteristics and advantages of a soft bag or case according to the present invention will be much clearer from the following description, by way of non- limiting example, referring to the enclosed schematic diagrams, wherein: figure 1 shows a perspective view of a bag according to the present invention, in the closed in- use conformation, figure 2 shows a side perspective view of the bag of figure 1, in the in-use conformation with the top section open, figure 3 shows a plan view of the components of the bag of figure 1, arranged on the same plane after the bag has been dismantled, figure 4 shows a perspective view of the components of the bag of figure 1, arranged on the same plane, and on which are arranged a plurality of containers, and figure 5 shows a perspective view of a set of containers supplied with the bag of figure 1.

First of all, with reference to figure 1, this shows a bag according to the present invention, indicated overall by the reference number 10. The bag 10 is shown in its completely closed in-use conformation. In particular, the bag 10, in the example, has an essentially parallelepiped shape, constituted by a main body 18, on which are defined base sections 11 and wider side sections 12, and two flank sections 13. In the example, the base sections 11 are elongated rectangular in shape, the two side sections 12 are wider, and the two flank sections 13 are less wide. The bag 10 has two handles 14 and a shoulder strap 15. The handles 14 are sewn onto the wider side sections 12, but can alternatively be sewn onto the upper base section 11 of the bag 10. On the other hand, the shoulder strap 15 is shown attached at only one end to one of the flank sections 13 of the bag 10, but it is understood that, in order to make use of the shoulder strap 15, both ends will be reversibly attached or fixed to the bag 10 and preferably to the flank sections 13 of the bag 10. In particular, in the embodiment shown, the attachment between the shoulder strap 15 and the bag 10 is removable and is obtained by means of hooks 16 placed at opposite ends of the shoulder strap 15, which engage with rings 17 sewn onto the flank sections 13 of the bag 10.

Considering the mostly informal use of the bag 10, all the component parts are generally made from fabric, preferably water-repellent fabric, particularly suited to use of the bag in the nautical sector. Alternatively, all or some of the parts of the bag 10 may also be made from leather or other similar superior material, on the sole condition that it is flexible. Indeed, the major purpose of the soft bag or case 10 according to the present invention is that of being able to be stowed in a very restricted space after use. One of the conditions necessary for achieving said scope is that the material constituting the soft bag or case 10 be sufficiently flexible, as to be able to be refolded and/or rolled-up. Another essential condition is that the structure of the bag 10 be disraantleable, so as to be able to be reduced from a three-dimensional object, to an essentially two-dimensional object (optionally made up of several separate pieces), i.e. with one of its dimensions significantly smaller with respect to the other two.

Figures 2, 3 and 4, show how the bag 10, previously shown in its in-use conformation, can be transformed so as to assume an essentially flat conformation. In particular, in the embodiment shown with reference to the figures, the bag 10 is constituted by three separable pieces, namely a main body 18, constituted by the base sections 11 and the wider side sections 12, and two side sections 13, the latter being reversibly attached to the main body 18 by means of speed zippers 19, the zipper teeth strips 19' and 19" of which are sewn to the main body 18 and to the corresponding flank section 13 respectively. The upper closure of the bag 10 is achieved by joining the flaps of the main body 18 by means of a speed zip 20, the zipper teeth strips 20' and 20" of which are located on the two flaps of the main body 18 respectively. Alternatively, when no particular hold characteristics are required, the speed zips 19, 20 may be replaced by other joining systems, such as for example buttons. In any case, the speed zips 19, 20 also confer a certain degree of rigidity to the structure .

With reference to figure 2, the bag 10 is firstly opened above by means of the opening the zip 20. At this point, by completely opening the zip 19 which joins the flank sections 13 to the main body 18, it is possible to also separate these pieces.

Figure 3 shows the main body 18 and the flank sections 13 completely detached from one another. In order to confer the flank sections 13 with a certain degree of strength, allowing the bag 10 to keep its shape, even when empty, it is possible to envisage said flank sections 13 being higher than the bag 10, with their upper part 21 being folded inwards when the bag 10 is assembled, in order to constitute a double wall at the flank sections 13.

In any case, once the bag 10 has been completely opened and dismantled to give three essentially flat pieces, it is easy to refold or roll up the bag itself so as to occupy considerably less space. Finally, figure 4 and figure 5 show a set 22 of containers specifically designed to be inserted inside the soft bag or case according to the present invention. The set 22 is comprised of a plurality of various shaped containers, suitable for holding several types of objects. The shapes and sizes of the containers comprising the set have been devised in order to allow, by means of the arrangement of the same according to a defined and ordered layout, the complete filling of the space defined inside the bag 10. In particular, figure 4 shows how, for optimal filling of the bag 10, it is convenient to arrange the set 22 of containers on the main body 18 of the bag 10, prior to closing the bag 10 by means of joining the main body 18 to the flank sections 13. On the other hand, figure 5 shows how the ordered arrangement of the various containers comprising the set 22 allow the achievement of various levels 22', 22", 22"', each of which is completely occupied by different containers and has a perimeter corresponding to the inner perimeter of the bag 10, without the presence of any unused space between one container and the adjacent containers on the same level.

The soft bag or case according to the present invention may be supplied with a set of containers, but can also be used for inserting loose objects, just like any bag.

The bag 10 can likewise be made as a single piece, where the flank sections 13 are joined to the main body 18 removably over two sides, and definitively (for example by sewing) on one side alone, for example the side contiguous to the lower base of the bag 10. This way, the bag 10 can in any case be opened to constitute an essentially two dimensional product, suitable for being folded and/or rolled up.

Thus, according to the invention, a soft bag or case is provided that is easily dismantled, and hence folded, while maintaining maximum capacity with minimum bulk. The soft bag or case thus conceived can undergo numerous modifications and variants, all falling under the invention; furthermore, all details can be substituted with technically equivalent components. In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, can be of any kind, according to the technical requirements .

Claims

1. A soft bag or case (10) of the type made from a thin, flexible material and comprising a solid three- dimensional structure, and at least one handle (14) , characterised in comprising means (19, 20) for opening said structure along a number of edges and/or parts and/or sides so as to allow said structure to assume an essentially flat shape that can be easily refolded and/or rolled up and/or dismantled.

2. The soft bag or case (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said means (19, 20) for opening up said structure allow the separation of at least two flank sections (13) from the main body (18) of said soft bag or case (10) .

3. The soft bag or case (10) according to claims 1 or

2, characterised in that said means (19, 20) for opening up said structure are speed zips (19, 20) .

4. The soft bag or case (10) according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in having a parallelepiped shape with elongated rectangular-shaped base sections (11) , two wider side sections (12) and two thinner flank sections (13) .

5. The soft bag or case (10) according to claim 4, characterised in that said means (19, 20) for opening up said structure comprise means (19) for opening up said structure at said flank sections (13) and means (20) for opening up said structure at one part of the upper base (11) .

6. The soft bag or case (10) according to claim 1, characterised in further comprising a shoulder strap (15) .

7. The soft bag or case (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one section and/or flank section is made from a double layer of material.

8. The soft bag or case (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said thin, flexible material is selected from cloths and skins .

9. The soft bag or case (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said thin, flexible material is an impermeable material .