GB2236471A

GB2236471A - "Carrying strap for shoulder bags, cameras, optical apparatus and the like"

Info

Publication number: GB2236471A
Application number: GB9021381A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rudolph Hanke
Original assignee: Hamaphot KG Hanke and Thomas
Current assignee: Hamaphot KG Hanke and Thomas
Priority date: 1989-10-03
Filing date: 1990-10-02
Publication date: 1991-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-02
Also published as: DE3933322A1; GB2236471B; DE3933322C2; FR2652489A1; FR2652489B3; GB9021381D0

Abstract

Carrying strap for shoulder bags, such as carrying cases for cameras, photographic accessories, video apparatus or the like, with a shoulder support 16 for resting on the top of a user's shoulder and fastening arrangements 18, 20 at both ends of a carrying strap for connecting the carrying strap to the shoulder bag, in which load deflecting means are provided for enabling a substantially vertical application of load to the top of the shoulder. The load deflecting means may comprise one or more of the following: (i) making the shoulder support itself thicker at its outer edge than at its inner edge; (ii) providing a pivotable connection 20 between the lower end of the strap 12 and the load 10; (iii) attaching the top end of the strap to the shoulder support by means of a trapezoidal loop 18 such that the pull on the shoulder support is vertically downwards. <IMAGE>

Description

PATENTS ACT 1977 P6677GB/ALM/mkf Description of Invention "Carrying strap

for shoulder bags, cameras, optical apparatus and the like" The invention relates to a carrying strap for shoulder bags such as carrying cases for cameras, photographic accessories, video apparatus or the like, cameras, optical apparatus and the like, with a shoulder support for resting on the top of a user's shoulder and fixing arrangements at both ends of the carrying strap for fixing the strap to the shoulder bag.

Carrying straps for bags in general, but in particular for camera cases, are mostly directly connected to the shoulder bag itself by means of variously shaped rings or eyes, which can have a round, triangular or Dshaped form. As the carrying strap must therefore essentially extend in a straight line to the shoulder support, carrying this kind of shoulder bag is mostly very uncomfortable, because the shoulder support, which is fixedly connected to the carrying strap cannot rest properly on the top of the user's shoulder. If the user of the shoulder bag is a sporting type, he will have shoulders with fairly straight top edges. In this case the carrying strap necessarily lies with the shoulder support aslant on the top edge of the shoulder, with only the edge of the support nearest the head engaging the shoulder. Upon movement of the arm there is necessarily a danger that the carrying strap will slip off the shoulder. If one has sloping shoulders, as is more commonly the case, this slipping off effect is increased. In any case it appears that in practice the shoulder bag cannot on anatomical grounds hang vertically down from the shoulders, but that the carrying strap must be inclined outwardly from the shoulder support so that the shoulder bag can be carried in the region of the user's hip.

The present invention aims to provide a carrying strap of this kind which avoids the above described disadvantages and enables the shoulder support to rest comfortably on the top of the shoulder.

Accordingly the invention provides a carrying strap for shoulder bags, such as carrying cases for cameras, photographic accessories, video apparatus or the like, cameras, optical apparatus and the like, with a shoulder support for resting on the top of a user's shoulder and fixing arrangements at both ends of the carrying strap for fixing the carrying strap to the shoulder bag, which carrying strap comprises load deflecting means for ensuring a substantially vertical application of the load to the top of the shoulder.

The load deflecting means may be formed at least partly by making an outer region of the shoulder support nearest the side edge of the shoulder thicker than an inner region of the shoulder support remote from the side edge of the shoulder.

As a further development of this form of the invention, the shoulder support may comprise an outer support nearest the side edge of the shoulder, the thickness of which is greater than that of an inner support remote from the side edge of the shoulder.

The outer support may extend over more than half of the width of the shoulder support.

It is envisaged that the outer support may extend over about two-thirds of the width of the shoulder support.

Preferably, the upper surface of the shoulder support spaced from the top of the shoulder and the inner surface of the shoulder support resting on the top of the shoulder enclose a shoulder support angle such that in use the top surface of the shoulder support extends substantially horizontal.

In a further form of the invention, the load deflecting means are formed at least partly by two deflection eyes connected to forward and rear portions of the carrying strap and having the form of a trapezium, the parallel sides of the trapezium extending substantially parallel to the length of the carrying strap and the angled sides of the trapezium enclosing a deflection eye angle such that in use the angled side of the deflection eye associated with the shoulder support extends substantially horizontal and the angled side associated with the respective portion of the carrying strap extends substantially perpendicular to the length of the respective carrying strap portion which is connected by a respective fixing arrangement to the shoulder bag which is laterally offset with respect to the shoulder support.

The deflection -eye may have the form of a trapezium with equal angled sides.

The load deflecting means may be formed at least partially by two links connected to the shoulder support by the front and rear portions of.the carrying strap.

According to a further embodiment the load deflecting means may be formed at least partially by attaching the carrying strap portions to the shoulder bag by means of bag fittings which in use permit pivoting of the shoulder bag about a pivot axis parallel to an imaginary connecting line between the ends of the carrying strap portions.

Each bag connector may comprises a pivot pin which is substantially horizontal in use and a pivot eye or the like pivotally associated with the pivot pin.

The invention resides in the surprising recognition that it is possible to avoid the disadvantages of the known carrying straps by applying the load from the shoulder bag'to the top of the user's shoulder not along a substantially linear or slightly curved load line but by so deflecting the load that the shoulder support is enabled to rest properly on the top of the shoulder of the user, the load acting substantially vertically at this point, whilst nearer the shoulder bag a deflection of the load is effected such that the shoulder bag can hang down offset to the side of the shoulder support on the hip of the user.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a carrying strap in accordance with the invention in a front perspective view in the position of use; Figure 2 shows the shoulder support of the carrying strap of Figure 1 transversely sectioned in a plane containing the top edge of the shoulder; Figure 3 shows a deflection eye of the carrying strap of Figure 1 in front view; and Figure 4 shows a bag fitting of the carrying strap of Figure 1 in front view.

As can be seen from Figure 1, a shoulder bag 10, for example a camera case, hangs on two carrying strap portions 12 the length of which can be adjusted by means of a length adjusting arrangement 14 to provide for comfortable carrying of the shoulder bag 10. The carrying strap has a shoulder support 16 resting on the top edge of the shoulder of the schematically indicated user. The top edge of the shoulder support 16 extends substantially horizontally in the position of use, as can be seen from Figure 1, and encloses with the lower surface of the shoulder support 16, by which the support rests on the top edge of the user's shoulder, a shoulder support angle'S The deflection eye 18 has the form of a substantially symmetrical trapezium, the parallel sides of which extend substantially parallel to the carrying strap portions 12, whereby the higher of the angled sides of the trapezium, which is attached to the shoulder support 16, lies sub. tantially horizontal in the illustrated position of use, while the lower of the angled sides attached to the carrying strap portion 12 is inclined and is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal line of the carrying strap portion 12, whereby the two angled sides of the trapezium of the deflection eye 18 enclose therebetween a deflection eye angle.,6. The carrying strap portions 12 are attached to the shoulder bag 10 by bag fittings 20 which enable a pivoting of the shoulder bag 10 through a bag fitting angle in relation to the longitudinal median plane of the two carrying strap portions 12.

As Figure 2 shows, the shoulder support 16 has an outer support 22 which is nearest the side edge of the shoulder in use and an inner support 24 nearest the user's head, the outer support 22 extending over about two-thirds of the total width of the shoulder support. Naturally, a different relationship between the relative widths of the outer support 22 and the inner support 24 could be selected, according to thickness, the arrangement however being such that the shoulder support angle '( of Figure 1 results.

Figure 3 shows the arrangement of the deflection eye 18 in greater detail, as has already been explained with reference to Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows one of the bag fittings 20, from which it can be seen that the pivotability proposed by the invention for the carrying strap portion 12 in relation to the shoulder bag is achieved by a pivot pin on the shoulder bag and a pivot eye on the carrying strap portion 12 which is pivotally coupled to the pivot peg. The pivot pin is received in the pivot eye and pulled downwardly, the preferably stud shaped plastics elements resiliently engaging and preventing an unintended escape of the. pivot pin whilst enabling detachment of the carrying strap portion 12 from the shoulder bag 10.

The bag fittings 20 permit the carrying strap 12 to extend from the shoulder bag 10 in any direction and provide the basis for a comfortable and secure carrying of the shoulder bag 10. The deflection eye 18 acts so that the shoulder support 16 of the carrying strap can be arranged on the top edge of the shoulder to extend vertically downwards, and the carrying strap portion 12 can extend from the deflection eye 18, via the asymmetrical ring formed thereby, to the shoulder bag.

With the load deflecting means of the invention, namely the asymmetric construction of the shoulder support 16, the asymmetrical deflection eye 18 and the pivotable bag fitting 20, which can be used individually, but are preferably used in combination, it is possible to carry the shoulder bag 10 very securely on the shoulder. The troublesome tendency to slip sideways from the shoulder, which previously had to be guarded against, is avoided and the load is better distributed.

It can also be envisaged in the invention, as already mentioned above, that a link corresponding essentially to the bag fitting 20 could be used instead of the deflection eye 18. Moreover, it is for example naturally possible to envisage either two deflection eyes 18 or two such links, but also, for example on the front side, to use a link corresponding to the bag fitting 20 and to arrange a deflection eye 18 at the rear side of the carrying strap. The carrying strap according to the invention is of course suitable not only for shoulder bags, but also for directly carrying cameras, optical equipment and the like.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Carrying strap for shoulder bags, such as carrying cases for cameras, photographic accessories, video apparatus or the like, cameras, optical apparatus and the like, with a shoulder support for resting on the top of a user's shoulder and fixing arrangements at both ends of the carrying strap for fixing the carrying strap to the shoulder bag, which carrying strap comprises load deflecting means for ensuring a substantially vertical application of the load to the top of the shoulder.

2. Carrying strap according to claim 1, in which the load deflecting means are formed at least partially by making an outer region of the shoulder support nearest the side edge of the shoulder thicker than an inner region of the shoulder support remote from the side edge of the shoulder.

3. Carrying strap according to claim 2, in which the shoulder support comprises an outer support nearest the side edge of the shoulder, the thickness of which is greater than that of an inner support remote from the side edge of the shoulder.

4. Carrying strap according to claim 2, in which the outer support extends over more than half of the width of the shoulder support.

5. Carrying strap according to claim 4, in whcih the outer support extends over about two-thirds of the width of the shoulder support.

6. Carrying strap according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the upper surface of the shoulder support spaced from the top of the shoulder and the inner surface of the shoulder support resting on the top of the shoulder enclose a shoulder support angle such that the top surface of the shoulder support extends substantially horizontally in use.

7. Carrying strap according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the load deflection means are formed at least partly by two deflection eyes connected to front and rear portions of the carrying strap and having the form of a trapezium, the parallel sides of the trapezium extending substantially parallel to the length of the carrying strap and the angled sides of the trapezium enclosing a deflection eye angle such that in use the angled side of the deflection eye associated with the shoulder support extends substantially horizontal and the angled side associated with the respective portion of the carrying strap extends substantially perpendicular to the length of the respective carrying strap portion which is connected by a respective fixing arrangement to the shoulder bag which is laterally offset with respect to the shoulder support.

8. Carrying strap according to claim 7 in which the deflection eye is in the form of a trapezium having equal angled sides.

9. Carrying strap according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the load deflection means is formed at least partly by two links connecting the shoulder support to the front and rear portions of the carrying strap.

10. Carrying strap according to one of the preceding claims, in which the load deflection means is formed at least partly by attaching the carrying strap portions to the shoulder bag by means of bag fittings which in use permit pivoting of the shoulder bag about a pivot axis parallel to an imaginary connecting line between the ends of the carrying strap portions.

11. Carrying strap according to claim 10, in which each bag fitting comprises a pivot pin which is substantially horizontal in use and a pivot eye or the like pivotally associated with the pivot pin.

12. Carrying strap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Published 1991 at Ile Patent Office. State House. 66171 High Hoiborn. London WC1 R 47P. Further copies may be obtained from Sales Branch. Unit 6. Nine Mile Point Cwrnfelinfach. Cross Keys. Newport NPI 7HZ. Pnnted by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray. Kent