GB2470397A

GB2470397A - A footwear carrier with a larger collapsible bag contained therein

Info

Publication number: GB2470397A
Application number: GB0908792A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Janan Leosawathiphong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-05-21
Filing date: 2009-05-21
Publication date: 2010-11-24
Also published as: GB0908792D0

Abstract

A footwear carrier (1, fig.1) having a main compartment (2, fig.1) openable by a zip fastener 20. The carrier is sized and shaped to surround a pair of collapsible and/or portable shoes (3, fig.1) therein. A secondary compartment 4 is accessible by a slit opening 40 and containing a collapsed bag 5. The collapsed bag 5 is removable from the secondary compartment 4 and is expandable to have a larger capacity than the plain compartment 2 so that it can accommodate a standard pair of shoes. The carrier 1 may also include a hook connector 61 for attaching the carrier 1 to a handbag or to the collapsed or expanded bag (5, fig.3).

Description

FOOTWEAR CARRIER

This invention relates generally to a carrier for footwear and to footwear for use therewith.

More specifically, although not exclusively, this invention relates to a combination of a carrier and associated footwear which is designed to be portable in a convenient manner.

It is known that some types of footwear, particularly dress footwear, can become uncomfortable or even painful when worn for extended periods of time. It is also known, for example from GB2443937, to provide portable footwear for the wearer to carry for use io when the dress footwear has become uncomfortable or painful. Whilst the portable footwear is easily carried in, for example, a women's handbag, the dress footwear is not.

For this reason GB2443937 proposes a foldable bag with a main compartment for carrying the wearer's relatively large dress footwear and a small pocket stitched to the outer face of the bag for carrying the portable footwear.

Folding and unfolding of the bag disclosed in this document can be difficult, particularly when the wearer is tired after a long evening. This arrangement also requires the material making up the main compartment to be relatively thick in order to avoid damage of the stitching of the small pocket through continued use of the carrier.

In addition, conventional carriers for use when attending social events, such as purses, clutch bags and the like are generally small in size and incapable of containing dress footwear.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved and/or more convenient and/or more cost effective carrier for footwear. It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an alternative carrier which at least mitigates the issues associated with prior art carriers.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides a footwear carrier comprising a main compartment sized and shaped to surround, e.g. closely surround, one or more articles of footwear therein and a secondary compartment containing a collapsed bag, wherein the collapsed bag is removable from the secondary compartment and is expandable, in use, to have a larger capacity than the main compartment.

Thus, the main compartment defines a carrier of reduced dimensions to closely surround portable footwear, while the bag defines a larger carrier for receiving the wearer's larger dress footwear. This arrangement provides a simple solution to the aforementioned issues. If required, the bag may also be used independently of the carrier, for example to carry other items while the portable footwear is still contained within the main compartment of the carrier.

The carrier may further comprise an attachment means, e.g. for attaching, in use, the carrier to a handbag or to the collapsed or expanded bag. For example, the attachment means may comprise a connector, e.g. in the form of a hook or latch, which may be configured to connect or hook onto the rim of the expanded bag or of a handbag.

Advantageously, the attachment means may be configured to be attach or connect to the collapsed bag, e.g. when it is located within the secondary compartment.

The carrier may further comprise a primary opening to the main compartment and may include closure means for closing, e.g. releasably closing, the primary opening. For example, the primary opening may be defined at least in part by opposed edges which may include the closure means. The closure means may comprise a fastener, for example a cord button, snap or zip fastener.

In some embodiments, the carrier comprises two parts connected together by a hinge portion, wherein each part may comprise a respective one of the opposed edges.

The carrier may further comprise a secondary opening to the secondary compartment and may include secondary closure means for closing, e.g. releasably closing, the secondary opening. For example, the secondary opening may be defined at least in part by opposed edges which edges may include the closure means. The closure means may comprise a fastener, for example a cord, button, snap or zip fastener.

In some embodiments, the one of the connected parts of the carrier comprises the secondary compartment. For example, the secondary opening may be on an outer or inner surface one of the connected parts and/or may comprise a slit.

The bag may be securedly connected to the carrier, for example permanently connected which may be by means of a cord, string or chain connected or stitched to the carrier, e.g. to the interior of the secondary compartment, to prevent loss.

The bag may comprise a bag opening and may include bag closure means for closing, e.g. releasably closing, the bag opening. For example, the bag opening may be defined at least in part by opposed edges which edges may include the closure means. The closure means may comprise a fastener, for example a cord, button, snap or zip fastener.

Where a cord fastener is used, the bag may include a stitched passage, e.g. through which the cord extends.

Additionally or alternatively, the bag may include one or more handles, e.g. carry handles.

For example, each of the opposed edges may include a respective handle, e.g. configured to cooperate to substantially close the bag when carried by the handles.

The carrier and/or bag may comprise a natural or synthetic fabric, cloth or leather.

A second aspect of the invention provides a carrier according to the first aspect of the invention in combination with a deformable article of footwear configured to be received within the main compartment in a deformed condition.

A third aspect of the invention provides a method of changing footwear comprising removing portable footwear from the main compartment of the carrier according to the first aspect of the invention and/or removing the collapsed bag from the second compartment of the carrier and/or expanding the collapsed bag and/or placing a further article of footwear into the bag and/or placing portable footwear into the main compartment of the carrier and/or removing a further article of footwear from the bag and/or collapsing the bag and/or placing the collapsed bag into the second compartment of the carrier.

The method may further comprise any one of releasing any of the aforementioned closure means, opening and/or closing any of the aforementioned openings, folding or unfolding the portable footwear and/or any other step that would be apparent to the skilled person in light of the invention disclosed herein.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front of a footwear carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the back of the footwear carrier of Figure 1 with the attachment means extending into the secondary compartment and connected to the collapsed bag; Figure 3 is a front view of the bag of the carrier of Figures 1 and 2 shown in a substantially expanded condition with the carrier attached to the rim thereof; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an article of portable footwear shown in a condition of use; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the article of Figure 4 shown in a folded condition.

Figures 1 and 2 show a footwear carrier 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The carrier 1 in this embodiment is made of leather and includes a main compartment 2 sized and shaped to closely surround a pair of portable shoes 3 therein, a secondary compartment 4 which contains a removable bag 5 and an attachment means 6 for attaching the carrier 1 to a handbag (not shown) or to the removable bag 5.

The carrier I includes two opposed parts 20, 21, each of which defines half of the generally rectangular or cuboid shape of the main compartment 2. The two parts 20, 21 are connected together by a hinge portion 22 along one of their opposed longitudinal edges and are releasably connected together by a zip fastener 23 along the remaining three opposed edges.

One part 21 of the carrier 1 incorporates the secondary compartment 4 and includes a slit opening 40 on its outer surface. The slit opening 40 provides access to the secondary compartment 4 and, accordingly, to the removable bag 5 contained therein.

The attachment means 6 includes a chain 60 connected at of its ends to one of the parts 20, 21 of the carrier 1 and at the other end to a spring loaded hook fastener 61. The hook fastener 61 is intended to connect or hook onto the rim of the removable bag 5 when it is in a collapsed condition (see Figure 2) or in an expanded condition (see Figure 3) or to the rim of a handbag (not shown) for ease of transportation. Additionally or alternatively, the hook fastener 61 may be hooked to, e.g., the pocket of a wearer's trousers (not shown) for ease of transportation when the removable bag 5 is located in the secondary compartment 4.

The removable bag 5 is made of a strong synthetic woven fabric so that it is relatively light yet durable. The bag 5 is located in the secondary compartment 4 in a collapsed condition and is removable therefrom by reaching in through the slit 40 using two fingers (not shown), a finger and a thumb (not shown) or using the attachment means 6 if it is connected to it as shown in Figure 2.

The bag 5 is then expandable to have a larger capacity than the main compartment 2, as shown more clearly in Figure 3, and to define a larger carrier for receiving a user's larger dress footwear (not shown). If required, the bag 5 may also be used independently of the carrier 1, for example to carry other items (not shown) while the portable shoes 3 are still contained within the main compartment 2 of the carrier 1.

The bag 5 includes a closure means in the form of a button fastener 50 for closing the opening 51 at the top of the bag 5. The button fastener 51 is sewn on one side just below the rim 52 of the opening 51 of the bag 5 and is received, in use, within a slit (not shown) on the other side of the bag 5. The bag 5 also includes a pair of loop carry handles 53 extending from the rim 52 of the bag 5.

Figures 4 and 5 show more clearly one of the pair of portable shoes 3 for use with the carrier 1. The sole 30 of the shoe 3 in this embodiment includes two relatively rigid portions 31, 32 formed of a hard rubber material in this embodiment, which rigid portions 31, 32 are interconnected by a flexible portion 33. The upper portion 34 of the shoe is made of flexible fabric and includes an elasticated rim 35 surrounding the opening 36 through which the wearer places their foot (not shown).

In use, each shoe 3 is folded on itself such that the rigid portions 31, 32 are on top of one another as shown in Figure 5. The shoes 3 are then stacked and placed into the main compartment 2 and the main compartment 2 is closed using the zip fastener 23.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that several variations to the aforementioned embodiment are envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the shape of the main compartment 2, e.g. the two opposed parts 20, 21 of the carrier 1, may be varied such as to more closely match the shape of the portable footwear. The zip fastener 23 may be replaced with one or more cord, button or snap fasteners. Alternatively, the two parts 20, 21 may be connected together along two or more of their opposed edges and the closure means 23 may be omitted altogether.

Moreover, the slit opening 40 may advantageously be located on an internal surface of the carrier. The opening 40 may include a closure means, for example a cord, button or zip fastener, and/or may be replaced with a different type or shape of opening. The bag 5 may be securedly connected to the carrier 1, for example by means of a cord or string connected or stitched to any part of the carrier 1, e.g. to the interior of the secondary compartment 4, to prevent loss.

The button fastener 50 may be omitted or replaced with any suitable closure means, for example a snap, cord or zip fastener. For example, the cord fastener could includes a passage stitched into the material of the bag 5 through which a cord extends. In order to close the bag 5, the user would simply pull the cord relative to the bag 5. The cord may also function as a carry handle when the bag 5 is closed. Additionally or alternatively, the handles 53 of the bag 5 may be omitted or replaced with any suitable handle feature.

The carrier 1 and/or bag 5 may be made of any suitable material and/or may comprise any one of a natural or synthetic fabric, cloth, textile or leather. The portable footwear need not comprise an elasticated rim and/or may comprise any form of portable, e.g. deformable, foldable or rollable footwear.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any number of combinations of the aforementioned features and/or those shown in the appended drawings provide clear advantages over the prior art and are therefore within the scope of the invention described herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A footwear carrier comprising a main compartment sized and shaped to surround one or more articles of footwear therein and a secondary compartment containing a collapsed bag, wherein the collapsed bag is removable from the secondary compartment and is expandable, in use, to have a larger capacity than the main compartment.
2. Carrier according to claim 1 further comprising an attachment means for attaching, in use, the carrier to a handbag or to the collapsed or expanded bag.
3. Carrier according to claim 2, wherein the attachment means is configured to attach or connect to the collapsed bag when it is located within the secondary compartment.
4. Carrier according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the attachment means comprises a hook connector for connecting to the rim of the expanded bag or of a handbag.
5. Carrier according to any preceding claim further comprising an opening to the secondary compartment on an external face of the carrier.
6. Carrier according to claim 5, wherein the opening comprises a slit opening.
7. Carrier according to any preceding claim further comprising two opposed parts connected together by a hinge portion, wherein the two parts together define the main compartment.
8. Carrier according to claim 7, wherein opposed edges of the parts define a primary opening to the main compartment.
9. Carrier according to claim 8 further comprising closure means for closing the primary opening.
10. Carrier according to claim 9, wherein the closure means comprises a zip fastener.
11. Carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the bag comprises a bag closure means for closing, in use, an opening of the bag.
12. Carrier according to claim 11, wherein the bag closure means comprises a button or snap fastener.
13. Carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the bag comprises one or more handles.
14. Carrier according to claim 13, wherein opposed edges of the bag may include a respective handle configured to cooperate to substantially close the bag when carried by the handles.
15. Carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the bag is securedly connected to the carrier.
16. Carrier according to any preceding claim in combination with a deformable article of is footwear configured to be received within the main compartment in a deformed condition.
17. A method of changing footwear comprising removing portable footwear from the main compartment of the carrier of any one of claims 1 to 15, removing the collapsed bag from the second compartment of the carrier, expanding the collapsed bag and placing a further article of footwear into the bag.
18. A method of changing footwear comprising placing portable footwear into the main compartment of the carrier of any one of claims 1 to 15, removing a further article of footwear from the bag, collapsing the bag and placing the collapsed bag into the second compartment of the carrier.