GB2350053A

GB2350053A - Bag or rucksack with lighting for visibilty and aesthetics

Info

Publication number: GB2350053A
Application number: GB0011819A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ivan Besozzi
Original assignee: PELLETTERIA BESOZZI SNC DI B
Current assignee: PELLETTERIA BESOZZI SNC DI B
Priority date: 1999-05-17
Filing date: 2000-05-16
Publication date: 2000-11-22
Also published as: ITMI990321U1; GB0011819D0; GB2350053A8; ITMI990321V0; IT246735Y1; JP2000325132A

Abstract

A bag, rucksack or similar item 1 is made of leather and has at least one illuminable element 2 which has a power supply means 4 accommodated in the item 1. The element(s) may comprise an electroluminescent fibre 2, which may be accommodated in a sheath 7. The sheath may be flexible or rigid and the sheathed fibre may constitute one or two strap(s) for carrying the item 1 as a bag or rucksack. The sheathed fibre may constitute a border trimming for the item 1 and the trimming may be in an ornamental pattern. The power supply means 4 may be associated with switching means provided with a first position and a second position for powering for continuous or intermittent lighting of the fibre 2. The sheathed fibre may have an additional covering (8) e.g. of leather, with a plurality of openings (9) to allow the passage of light from the sheathed fibre.

Description

2350053 HIGH-VISIBILITY LEATHER ITEM, SUCH AS A BAG, RUCKSACK OR THE LIKE

The present invention relates to a high-visibility leather item, such as bags, rucksacks or the like, particularly easily visible in dark conditions.

It is known that leather products, such as bags, rucksacks or the like, are carried on the shoulders by the user, generally a woman, and are used to carry personal items.

Often, for example in dark conditions, motor vehicles traveling in a given direction can hardly see pedestrians when crossing roads and this can entail serious danger.

Furthermore, this drawback also occurs for example in the case of motorcyclists or cyclists, which are always scarcely visible in traffic, especially at night.

In the case of motorcyclists or cyclists there are items of clothing provided with reflecting portions which, when lit by the headlights of motor vehicles, allow to detect the presence of a motorcycle or bicycle and therefore to alert the driver of a motor vehicle.

However, such items of clothing are aesthetically unattractive and therefore scarcely popular.

It would be desirable to provide a leather item, such as a ba,g, rucksack or the like, which is easily visible even in dark conditions and therefore allows to identify the presence of a person even in conditions in which said presence would normally be difficult to detect., which has an aesthetically pleasant appearance which can be also be used in places such as discotheques and thanks to its attractive aesthetic appearance and of the associated functional particularity, and 2 which is simple and cheap to manufacture using easily available materials.

Accordingly, there is provided a leather item, such as a bag, rucksack or the like, comprising at least one illuminable element which can be associated with said leather item and is supplied by power supply means which are accommodated in said leather item.

Further characteristics and advantaLyes of the invention will become apparent from the description of the leather item according, to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of a leather item, particularly a bag, according to the 1:1 Z- present invention; and 1 Figure 2 is a view of a bag having a different shape according to the I present invention.

With reference to the above Figures, the leather item, exemplified here by a bag of the rucksack type in Figure 1 and by a conventional handbag in Figure 2 and generally designated by the reference numeral 1, is formed by C -- 1 a bacr, rucksack or the like which has at least one portion which is adapted to illuminate and be accordingly visible in dark conditions.

In particular, Figure 1 illustrates a rucksack whose shoulder straps for wearing the rucksack on one's shoulders are formed by electroluminescent fibers 2 which are supplied by power supply means which are placed in a pocket 3) provided on the bottom of the rucksack and said power supply means are driven by switching means and are wholly designated by the reference numeral 4. The switching means allow to light up the electroluminescent fibers 2 that constitute the straps for carrying the rucksack.

The switching means 4 can allow to supply the electroluminescent fibers t 3 2 continuously or alternatively so as to obtain a sort of flashing.

The electroluminescent fibers 2 are furthermore accommodated in a containment sheath 7 which can be soft or flexible; as an alternative, it is possible to provide an additional external covering, for example made of leather 8, which can be provided with a plurality of openings 9 to allow the escape of the liCrht emitted by the electroluminescent fibers when they are supplied by means of the power supply means and the switching means 4.

Preferably, the electroluminescent fibers 2 can also be arranged as a decoration at portions of the bag, as shown in Figure 2, in which the fibers are arranged around a portion formed on the lateral surface of the bag so as to form an ornamental pattern and also increase the visibility of the leather item.

It is therefore evident that the electroluminescent fibers allow to make the leather item visible even in dark conditions in addition to alvinc, it a particular and certainly pleasant aesthetic appearance.

The lighting of the electroluminescent fibers therefore allows the user to carry a leather item which allows to easily identify the user, whether moving in traffic or in a particular location, such as for example a discotheque or the like.

Conveniently, the el ectrol umin e scent fibers 2, for example in the case shown in Figure 1, are arranged so as to run along the internal lining of the rucksack, so as to protrude only at the normal fastening points of the shoulder straps of the rucksack.

In this manner, the aesthetic appearance of the leather item is protected, since the electroluminescent fibers are not visible except at the carrying straps, thus keeping the aest hetics of the leather item substantially unchanged.

The expression "leather item" is intended to designate any item adapted for containing and carrying personal items either made of leather or of any other material.

4 In practice it has been observed that the leather item according to the invention fally achieves the intended aim, since it allows to easily identify, thanks to the presence of electroluminescent fibers, the person who carries it, thus acting both as a device for identifying the presence of the person and tD C:1 as an ornamental object which completes the clothing of said person.

In practice, the materials used, so Iona as they are compatible with specific use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according, to the requirements and the state of the art.

Claims

1. A leather item, such as a bag, rucksack or the like, comprising at least one illuminable element which is associated with said leather item and is supplied by power supply means accommodated in said leather item.

2. The leather item according to claim 1, wherein said at least one C illuminable element comprises at least one electrolumine scent fiber.

3. The leather item according., to claim 2, wherein said at least one electroluminescent fiber is sheathed in a sheath.

4. The leather item according to claim 3, wherein said sheath is flexible.

5. The leather item according to claim 3, wherein said sheath is rigaid.

6. The leather item according, to claim 2, wherein said at least one electroluminescent fiber accommodated within said sheath constitutes a strap for carrying said leather item.

7. The leather item accordinc, to claim 2, wherein said at least one C, el e ctrolumin e scent fiber sheathed in said sheath constitutes a border trimming, element of said leather item.

8. The leather item according to claim 2, wherein said at least one electroluminescent fiber is supplied by power supply means which are associated with switching means which are provided with a first position and with a second position for powering-on for continuous or intermittent C lighting of said el ectrolumin e scent fiber.

ZD

9. The leather item according to claim 3, wherein said at least one electroluminescent fiber sheathed in said sheath is covered by an additional covering element provided with a plurality of openings to allow the passage C I C r of the light from said electroluminescent fiber.

10. The leather item according to claim 1, comprising two Z electroluminescent fibers which are sheathed in respective sheaths and are adapted to constitute two carrying straps for carrying said leather item like a rucksack.

6

11. A leather item, such as a bag, rucksack or the like, substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.