GB2046587A - Bag insert - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable insert for a bag comprises a panel 10 to which items are releasably fastened by holding means 11, 12 on the panel. By removing the insert from the bag, the items are displayed for instant use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to bags or the like This invention relates to bags, suitcases, satchels or other portable containers (hereinafter and in the claims referred to simply as bags) capable of accommodating inter alia frequently used items, accessories, devices or articles (hereinafter and in the claims referred to simply as articles) and is especially but not exclusively concerned with bags capable of accommodating inter alia the cosmetic and toilet articles used by women at frequent intervals.

It is recognized that a bag, especially a woman's bag, usually contains a wide variety of articles in a state of disorder in the bag. The inconvenience and difficulty of not being able to locate articles in the bag immediately is a major frustration for women.

Again, the danger of articles in the form of containers of make-up, perfume and other substances opening and spilling and thus ruining the bag is another serious problem. Even if the bags are in the normal way furnished with internal and external pockets, such pockets are insufficient to hold many objects in an orderly manner. The inside pockets are not easily accessible, while the outside pockets are for aesthetic reasons limited in form and dimensions.

The chief object of the invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages without adversely affecting the external appearance of the bag.

According to the present invention an article car rierfor use with a bag comprises a panel and holding means on the panel at a side thereof to support removably on the panel a plurality of articles, the carrier when loaded with the articles being insertible into the bag to effect orderly storage of the articles and being withdrawable from the bag to facilitate selective removal of articles from and their return to the holding means.

Further according to the present invention, a bag comprises a container portion, and a carrier portion removably housed in the container portion and including a panel and holding means on the panel at a side thereof to support a plurality of articles removably on the panel.

Preferably a detachable connection within the container portion secures the panel to a wall of the container portion.

Preferably also the detachable connection suspends the panel upright in the container portion clear of the floor of the container portion.

In one example of the practicability and functionality of the article carrier of the invention, the holding means are adapted and arranged to hold an entire set of articles for women's make-up, so that any desired single article of the set can be extremely quickly located and removed for use, and following use can be instantly returned to its correct position on the carrier.

When the carrier is extracted from the bag, the articles still remain in order and require the minimum amount of space. When the carrier is replaced in the bag, it may be quickly attached to a wall of the bag to hang from the wall, or alternatively may be inserted in a suitable compartment or pocket in the bag.

Preferably the holding means consists of pockets with inserted elastic bands and/or covered elastic bands to hold an assortment of boxes, bottles, tubes, pencils and various make-up, toilet articles and accessories in place on the panel face. If necessary, other systems of holding means can also be provided, depending on the particular articles to be inserted.

The panel of the carrier is preferably equipped with pockets at both faces or sides, and can thus hold a relatively large number of articles; again, a panel with pockets and elastic bands on one face only is also possible.

A single bag can normally hold one or two or even more carriers, as necessary.

The article carrier can have various versions and sizes designed to support a large number or wide assortment of articles as needed. In a bag, different article carriers can be interchangeable. Thus, one or other of the carriers can be used selectively depending on the set or type of articles one wishes to carry.

The possibility of instantly changing a set of articles and carrying away a desired set without creating the least disorder is an unexpected boon amounting to a revelation.

Different article carriers can also be quickly inserted in different bags, thus permitting a quick change of bags to provide different accessories or make-up at a moment's notice.

The panel of the article carrier is preferably equipped with stand means to enable the panel to be erected on a level surface. Alternatively or in addition the panel can be apertured to hang on a hook or the like formation.

These features ensure that the carrier is usable in the most convenient way in and out of the bag.

The panel may also be provided with suitable attachment devices so that it can be held in place in the bag or in its compartment, if one finds this necessary. The attachment devices can be any stable coupling devices which are easily detachable, such as snap fasteners, hooks, a closure with a lever or key, a magnetic clasp device, etc.

Among the various articles on the panel, a small mirror is attached by a flexible tongue to the top margin of the panel so as to be hingeable from one face of the panel to the other. The mirror can alternatively be completely withdrawable, and may be reflective on one or both sides.

The bag with the carrier can also have a complementary device such for example as one or more clasps/hooks to hold keys or a bunch of keys, so that one can immediately find the keys when needed.

The bag is of course, mainly designed to contain the article carrier(s) and possibly also eventually keys; consequently there is finally remaining space for other objects not on the carrier panel.

Embodiments of the invention, exemplifying and not limiting, are schematically shown in the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a bag equipped with one form of article carrier.

Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the bag vie wed from the front.

Figs. 3 and 4 are two front views of respectively the two opposite faces of the article carrier.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the bag con taining the article carrier.

Fig. 6 illustrates the article carrier in an erected position on a level surface.

Fig. 7 illustrates another form of article carrier in an erected position on a level surface.

As shown in Fig. 1, the bag is designed to hold an article carrier which is preferably of a regular shape due to its purely utilitarian purpose; however, as the bag conceals its contents, the bag can be of any form which enhances its aesthetic appearance. For example, the body of the bag, as in Fig. 1 is closed at the top with a zipper2 and is furnished with shoulder strap 3. The body 1 presents two front pockets 4 with zippers for personal or travel documents, cards, wallet, agenda and the like, a posterior pocket 5, and an internal pocket 6. The bag, at the same time, can be used as an ordinary bag.

In this case, on the inside of the posterior wall 7, the bag has an attachment means 8 to fix or hold a panel 10 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, which panel is provided with attachment means 9 for cooperation with the attachment means 8 to mount the panel detachably in the bag. The attachment means, though provided, are not indispensable, and can be provided on one side of the panel 10, or on both sides so that the panel can be loaded selectively on either side and inserted in the bag accordingly.

The panel 10 is provided with holding means on both sides thereof. As illustrated, one side of the panel (Fig. 3) has thereon (a) an elastic band or strip 11 of flexible material which forms tubes for the insertion of, for example, eye pencils, mascara brush, lipstick and brush, eyebrow pencils, etc. and (b) a band or strip of flexible material which has an elastic border and forms a series of pockets 12 to hold, for example, rouge, eye shadow, foundation, etc. Pockets and tubes can be in any suitable position on the panel. Note that this face of the panel 10 has thereon a mirror 14 secured to the panel by a flexible tongue 13 permitting the mirrorto be flipped over the top of the panel to the other face (Fig. 4). Thus, the mirror 14 can be used on both faces of the panel.

The mirror 14 can be reflective on both sides, for use in either position, or reflective on only one side, depending upon the desired use.

The other side of the panel has formed thereon pockets 15 also having elastic borders, the pockets being for a nail file, a comb and a small sewing kit.

On one face of the panel there are hingedly mounted legs or supports 16 so that the panel can be erected on a level surface P (Fig. 6), making it easy for make-up and access to accessories and articles on the other side of the panel. The mirror 14 (Fig. 6) is flipped over to the other side of the panel 10. The panel 10 can have a cut-out hole or a hook H for hanging purposes viewed under mirror 14 so that hanging on a wall or the like is possible when the panel cannot be erected on a level surface P. The hook can protrude through a window opening in the tongue 13 when the panel is suspended.

In the form shown in Fig. 7, the article carrier con sists of a sheet 17 composed of a flexible ridge portion 18 and two panel portions 1 7A and 1 7B which are hingeable apart from collapsed position to a splayed position as shown in which the sheet is erected on a level surface P. Pockets 19 are provided on the exterior face of the panel portion 17A. Also, pockets 20 may be provided on the exterior face of the panel portion 17B. Additional pockets (not shown) may be provided on either or both of the interior faces of the panel portions 17A and 17B.

The article carriers are of any suitable materials, e.g. plastics or the like materials.

In bag 1 (Fig. 1), the top of the anterior wall can have thereon fastening means (not shown) to hold the panel 10, and can have one or more spring clasps or hooks 18 to hold keys or a bunch of keys C, so as to avoid confusion and loss in the bag 1 and leave the floor space of the bag free even after the insertion of the panel 10.

It is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable to small bags, using a suitable carrier to support a small number of articles, and medium or large bags with the possibility of having carriers made to larger size for articles proportionately larger. The carrier can support toilet articles and even, for example, a mini-sewing kit, a repairing kit, etc. Even if the panel 10 is basically rectangular, a particularly rational form, it can be of any other shape or size depending on the advantageous form of the bag. The carrier may also be carried independently of the bag in a separate sack, pocket or slip, for practicability and protection. Again, the disposition of the holding means on the two faces of the panel can be widely varied, depending upon the nature of use and the nature of the articles to be carried. All of the above-mentioned means can of course be substituted with any other equivalent means.

Claims (16)

1. An article carrier for use with a bag, comprising a panel and holding means on the panel at a side thereof to support a plurality of articles, the carrier when loaded with the articles being insertible into the bag to effect orderly storage of the articles and being withdrawable from the bag to facilitate selective removal of articles from and their return to the holding means.

2. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the holding means are provided on the panel at both sides thereof.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding means on the panel include pockets andlor tubes which are resiliently expansible to grip articles inserted therein and thereby removably secure the articles to a face of the panel.

4. A carrier according to claim 4, wherein the pockets and/or tubes are formed by securing strips of flexible elastic material to the face of the panel.

5. A carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the panel has thereon attachment means co-operable with complementary attachment means in the bag to mount the panel detachably in the bag.

6. A carrier according to claim 5, wherein the two complementary attachment means are co-operable to suspend the panel detachably in an erect position in the bag.

7. A carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, including a mirror hingedly mounted on the panel at an edge thereof for flapping movement from side to side of the panel.

8. A carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, including a stand on the panel movable from a collapsed position adjacent to the panel to an extended position for holding the panel of the withdrawn carrier upright on a level surface.

9. A carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, including a sheet comprising a flexible ridge portion and a pair of opposed panel portions on the ridge portion and hingeable apart from a collapsed position to a splayed position in which the sheet is erected on a supporting surface.

10. A carrier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the panel has thereon means to enable suspension of the withdrawn carrier.

11. Article carriers for use with bags, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 or Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawing.

12. A bag comprising a container portion, and carrier portion removably housed in the container portion and including a panel and holding means on the panel at a side thereof to support a plurality of articles removably on the panel.

13. A bag according to claim 11, wherein a detachable connection within the container portion secures the panel to a wall of the container portion.

14. A bag according to claim 12, wherein the detachable connection suspends the panel upright in the container portion clear of the floor of the container portion.

15. A bag according to any one of claims 11 to 13, including an additional carrier portion whereof the holding means are different from the holding means of the first carrier portion and which is interchangeable with the first carrier portion.

16. A bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.