US1980714A

US1980714A - Traveling bag

Info

Publication number: US1980714A
Application number: US323977A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jessica M Brady
Original assignee: BRADKA HOLDING CORP
Current assignee: BRADKA HOLDING Corp
Priority date: 1928-12-05
Filing date: 1928-12-05
Publication date: 1934-11-13
Anticipated expiration: 1951-11-13

Description

NOV.4 13, 1934. M. BRADY TRAVELING BAG Original Filed Dec. 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 rlllll INVENTOR JessLcJ-n'zd] ATTORNEYS SBY J. M. BRADY TRAVELING BAG Nov. 13, 1934.

Original Filed Dec. 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HTH INENTOR Jesszca, MER? ATTORNEYS ffl Patented Nov. 13, 1934 PATENT OFFICE TRAVELING BAG Jessica M. Brady, Yorktown,

poration of New York N. Y., assignor to Bradka. Holding Corporation, Rye, N. Y., a cor- Application December 5,

1928, Serial No. 323,977

Renewed April 12, 1934 8 Claims.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved traveling bag or case particularly adapted for carrying numerous pairs' of shoes and capable of ready adjustment for carrying other articles also.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the closed bag;

Fig. 2 a front view of the bag fully opened;

Fig. 3 a vertical section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 a section on a larger scale taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the bag adjusted to carry other articles than shoes;

Fig. 6 a plan view of one of the inner bag sections removed;

Fig. 7 a vertical section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 a detail section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 9 a detail section taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8 upon a larger scale than the latter;

Fig. l0 a detail section taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 5; l

Fig. 11 a fragmentary top view of the bag showing the locking means in releasedposition; and

Fig. 12 a detail fragmentary side view of the bag equipped with supporting means to enable it to stand upright when opened.

The bag is box-like in form and comprises two upright, rigid sections or halves 1 and 2 which, for identification, may be called front and rear sections respectively. Each section comprises a stiff, rectangular or square leaf or back 3 and a strong rigid frame extending :forwardly from the leaf and forming top and

bottom walls

4 and 5 respectively and side Walls 6. The said leaf and walls of each section may be made of wood, fiber or other suitable material and preferably have a covering 7 of leather or other suitable material. Hinges 8 connect together the free edges of the bottom walls 5 and adapt the sections to fold together with the edges of the top, bottom and side walls abutting. Preferably the walls of both sections are of the same depth so that the capacities of the two sections are equal. A sealing flange 9 is provided upon the rear section 2 to overlap the abutting top and side Walls of the closed bag. Mounted upon the top wall of the bag section 2 is a handle 10 of usual form for carrying the bag.

Extending along the abutting edges of the top and side walls of the bag Sections 1 and 2 are external margin strips 11 preferably secured to the covering 7. 'Ihese strips are freely fiexible and each has a free longitudinal edge to which is secured a row of small, spaced fastening elements 12. The free edges o f the strips upon the -two bag sections are opposed when the bag is closed and the fastening elements 12 extending along said opposed edges are disposed in staggered relation and are adapted to be interlocked. They extend continuously from a point near the center of the top of the bag, outwardly along the top edge of each section, around the upper corners of the section, down the sides thereof and inwardly around the lower corners. The corners of the sections are rounded and when the bag is fully opened the lower corners form Vs at Opposite sides of the bag, into which the fastening elements extend.

The fastening elements are brought into interlocking engagement by means of two tapered hollow slides 13. The fastening means represented by the elements 12 and the slides 13 is an article of commerce and forms no part of my invention except in its application. Each slide is provided with a pulling tab 14 hinged to it and when the .80 bag is to be opened the slides are pulled in opposite directions across the top of the bag, down the sides and inwardly toward each other at the bottom. This fully releases the abutting edges of the bag sections so that the bag may be opened. In their fully retracted positions the slides 13 rest in the Vs at opposite sides of the bag. This disposes them in line with the hinge axis so that they offer no resistance to the relative swinging of the bag sections but permit the sections to unfold into the same plane without straining or pulling off the fastening elements l2. When the bag is closed it is sealed by drawing the slides upwardly and inwardly along the fastening elements until they are disposed in opposed relation at the top of the bag. The tabs 14 of the slides are formed to effect a locking engagement with a lock l5 mounted centrally upon the top wall of one of the bag sections and thereby hold the slides against outward unlocking movement.

The interior of the rear bag section 2 is provided with a rigid, permanent partition 16. This partition is vertically disposed, extends from the upper wall 4 to the lower wall 5 and its depth is equal to the depth of the section. Preferably it 105 is spaced from one of the side Walls 6 a distance equal to substantially one third the width of the section, to define a narrow vertically elongated space. Within this space is a partition 17 which i s hinged to the rear wall 3 of the section midway 110 the height of the space, as at 18, and is adapted to swing to a horizontal position and divide the space into two equal compartments. Each of these compartments is of a size and shape to convenently receive a pair of shoes. The forward edge of the partition comes substantially flush with the forward edges of the side walls 6 and of the partition 16 and has a soft flexible curtain 19 attached to it. The curtain is of sufficient length to extend slightly more than half the height of the compartment above the partition and is adapted to form a front wall for partly closing the compartment. At its free edge the curtain is folded upon itself and stitched to produce a tubular form through which a flat, elastic band 20 is trained. The upper edge of the curtain is formed with extended ends or tabs 21 which are provided with snap fastening elements 22. These elements are adapted to engage with companion elements 23 mounted upon the inner side of the side wall 6 and upon the partition 16.

Elements

22 and 23 are preferably of the usual ball and socket type and the tabs 21 are turned rearwardly to effect an engagement of the elements.

When its upper end is fastened, the curtain 19 forms a front wall for the upper compartment and also serves to hold the hinged partition 17 suspended in a horizontal position. The width of the curtain is greater than the width of the compartment and when the curtain is fastened its upper edge is gathered along the elastic band 20. The latter will be under a slight tension between the fastening elements so that it will normally remain taut but will yield and permit the curtain to be expanded for the insertion and removal of the shoes.

The lower compartment is partly closed by a curtain 24 which extends upwardly from the lower forward edge of the compartment. This curtain is of substantially/the same design and proportions as the curtain 19. Preferably, however, it is permanently fastened in place along its side edges. Its lower edge is free and is provided with an elastic band 20' similar to band 20, which normally keeps the edge taut but permits it to yield.

When it is desired to pack longer articles than shoes in the bag the snap fastening elements of the upper curtain 19 are released and the curtain and hinged portion 17 are collapsed inwardly against the rear wall 3 of the bag section, as shown in Fig. 7. This places the upper and lower compartment spaces in communication and forms a single compartment of liberal length to receive riding boots or other comparatively long articles. When riding boots are packed in the compartment their toes may project out from under the elastic lower edge of the curtain and into the other section of the bag for clearance.

The larger space within the bag section 2, to the right of the permanent partition 16 accommodates a removable inner section or tray 25. The latter is substantially rectangular and snugly nts in said space. It is formed with a back 26, side, top and bottom walls 27, a vertical partition 28 `and a horizontal partition 29, all preferably rigid.

The outer corners of the tray and the adjacent inner corners of the bag section are made round, as at R and R' respectively, and the tray is adapted to iit snugly in its space.

Partitions

28 and 29 divide the tray into four equal compartments similar to the first described compartments and each adapted to receive a pair of shoes. Each compartment of the tray is also partly closed by a curtain 30 similar to the curtain 19 extending upwardly from the lower forward edge of the compartment and preferably secured in place permanently at three edges. l

The inner section or tray 25 is removably held in place by releasable fastening means of any suitable form. In the present instance there are two catches 31 mounted within opposite sides of the tray. Each catch comprises a leaf spring carrying a lug which is adapted to snap into a keeper recess formed in the opposed side wall 6 or in the partition 16. To release the catch, the free end of the spring is lifted to retract the lug from its keeper recess.

When the inner section 25 is removed from the outer bag section 2 a rod 32 may be mounted in the upper end of the vacated space, for hanging dresses or the like. hinge member 33 pivotally connected to one end thereof and formed with a square button head 34 and a reduced neck 35. Mountings are provided for the rod atopposite sides of the space in the bag sections. One of these mountings is carried by the side wall 6 and includes a at keeper plate 36 which is formed with a straight slot 37 having a flared entrance opening through its forward edge. The plate 6 is countersunk and flush with the inner surface of the wall 6 and is secured by screws 38 or other suitable fastening means. Inwardly of the plate the wall 6 is formed with a channel 39 registering with the slot 37 and wider than the latter. The slot and the channel both open'forwardly through the outer edge of the wall 6. Together the slot and channel are adapted to receive the head 34 and neck 35 of the rod-supporting member 33, the slot slidably receiving the neck and the channel slidably receiving the head and holding it from turning. Mounted upon the plate 36 at the inner face thereof is a spring 40 formed with a hump over which the head 34 is adapted to snap. The spring yieldably holds the rod support in its proper position, and the rod is supported to swing horizontally into and out of the bag section 3. l The partition 16 is formed with a slot 41 opening forwardly through its forward edge and providing clearance for the free end of the rod 32. Within the slot 41 is mounted a leaf spring 42 formed with a hump over which the rod is adapted to snap. The spring forms a yieldable catch to hold the rod in its innermost position with its end supported in the slot.

The front bag section l is constructed similarly to the section 2 just described. It is provided with a rigid partition 16, a collapsible partition 17"L and attached curtain 19, and a curtain 24B. All of these parts are similar to the corresponding

parts

16, 17, 19 and 24 respectively of the section 2 except that when the bag section 1 is folded upwardly to its closed position the curtains will extend downwardly from the upper ends of their respective compartments and will overlap the

curtains

19 and 24 of the section 2. The curtains of each section will then fully close the compartments of the other section due to the staggered arrangement of the curtainsv upon the opposed sections.

Within the larger space of the bag section 1 an inner section or tray 25 is removably fitted. This tray is similar to the tray 25, being divided into shoe-compartments adapted to register with those of the tray 25 and being held in place in the same way by catches 31a. The curtains 30 of the compartments of tray 25a however extend downwardly from the upper ends of the compartments when the section 1 is closed against the Rod 32 has a supporting section 2. The

curtains

30 and 30 thus occupy staggered positions in the closed bag and overlap at their free edges so that the curtains of each section fully close the compartments of the other section in the same way as previously described in connection with

curtains

19 and 19 and

curtains

24 and 24.

Upon the back wall 3 of the bag section 1 are means for supporting and holding hats or other articles when the tray 25 is removed. These means in the present instance are in the form of bands or tapes attached to wall 3. At 43 are shown several spaced elastic bands disposed horizontally and secured at both ends to normally lie flat against the wall. These elastic bands form loops which are adapted to be expanded to receive small hats of the type which can be folded or flattened withcut injury to them. Above the bands 43 is a pair of tapes 44 each secured at only one end and adapted to be tied about a hat which cannot be compressed without damaging it. These hat-retaining means lie flat and cornpact against the wall 3 when the tray or inner section 25 is in place and are fully concealed thereby.

Owing to the staggered arrangement of the curtains, previously described, all the compartments of both bag sections will open upwardly and forwardly when the front section 1 is unfolded to a position below the section 2 and in the same plane therewith, as shown in Fig. 3. The contents of all the compartments are then exposed and readily accessible but are held from falling out. Upon the upper wall 4 of the rear section 2 a loop 45 is hingedly mounted at a point midway between the ends Yof the section and adjacent the rear edge of the top wall. The loop is adapted to be engaged with a hook H, or the like, for suspending the opened or unfolded bag as shown in Fig. 3.

The hinges 8 and the form of the bag adapt the sections 1 and 2 to unfold into the same plane, with the lower walls 5 of the two sections closely adjacent to each other and parallel. To hold the sections in this relationship the said lower walls are provided with two pairs of companion, snap fastening elements 46 preferably of the ball and socket type, one section carrying the balls and the other the sockets. These elements are spaced back as far as possible from the hinges to give them a good leverage or hold. Bosses 47 are also provided upon the lower ends 5 of the two sections and serve as feet for supporting the bag upright when it is closed. The feet are higher than the fastening elements 46 and protect the latter by holding them out of contact with the ground and shielding them from the weight of the bag and its contents.

In Fig. 12 is shown an additional feature which may be included in the bag structure. Here the top wall 4 of the front bag section 1 is provided with four bosses 48. When the front section 1 is swung down below the section 2 the said wall 4 and the bosses 48 are at the bottom and the bosses serve as feet for supporting the unfolded bag in an upright position when it is not convenient to suspend it by the loop 45. This feature cooperates well with the snap fasteners 46 which make a stiff unit of the unfolded bag and hold the upper section 2 firmly upright upon the lower section 1. The bosses 48 are preferably made of rubber and are higher than the lock l5 so that the unfolded bag may be set upon a chair, table, polished floor or other support without scratching it.

The various partitions in the opposed bag sections preferably register and abut when the sections are closed together and thereby give the bag transverse strength and rigidity and prevent crushing of its contents.

The curtains forming the front walls of the various compartments are preferably made of a soft but sturdy cloth or fabric such as corduroy and the compartments are fully lined as at 49, preferably With the same material. Therefore when the bag is closed the shoes in each compartment will be entirely surrounded and enclosed by the soft linings 49 and the curtains and will be fully protected.

The bag described is designed throughout to make it a tho'roughly satisfactory carrier and storage case for ladies fine shoes and other articles. Shoes are kept separated in pairs, protected from crushing by the rigidity of the case and protected from scratching or bruising by the soft linings and curtains. When it is required to pack longer articles than shoes, either or both of the hinged

partitions

19 and 19 may be readily collapsed to produce one or two elongated compartments. Tray 25 is easily removable to provide room for the packing of dresses or the like. The removal of the tray renders the mountings for the hanger pole 32 accessible and said mountings are designed to enable the pole to be easily snapped into place and as easily removed without manipulation of fastening means. The tray 25 of the section l is also easily removable to render the hat-retaining means accessible and provide space for the hats or other articles. The hatholding bands normally lie fiat against the rear wall so that the packing of articles other than hats in this space will not be obstructed. When the bag is opened and suspended the shoes, hats, dresses or other contents are readily accessible and exposed for identification but are held from falling out. The

trays

25 and 25, when in place, are held by their fastening means from falling out when the sections of the opened bag are canted or inverted. The rounded, fitting corners R and R' of the trays and the bag sections ensure proper placing of the trays to bring the compartment curtains into the relation described. If the trays are not disposed right side up they cannot be inserted.

'I'he entire interior of the bag is capable of easy adjustment or conversion to varying degrees for carrying articles of different character, shapes and sizes. This convertibility is had without complicating the structure of the bag.

While I have shown and described a very satisfactory form of my invention I do not wish to be limited strictly to this disclosure but reserve the right to make such changes as will lie within the scope of the claims. For example, the form, number and arrangement of the compartments may be varied and the design of the various fastening means may be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A traveling bag of box-like form comprising a. pair of front and rear rigid sections hinged together along their lower edges; vertical and horizontal partitions dividing the interior of one ci said sections and defining a pair of shoe-receiving compartments disposed one above the other and separated by a horizontal partition; l.

hinge means connecting said horizontal partition to the section and adapting it to fold to an inoperative position within the section to place the two compartments in communication and thereby form a larger compartment; a front wall il for the upper compartment connected to the horizontal partition and adapted to shift with it to inoperative position and uncover the upper com# partment space; and releasable means to hold said partition and front wall in operative position.

2. A traveling bag of box-like form comprising a pair of front and rear rigid sections hinged together along their lower edges; vertical and horizontal partitions dividing the interior of one of said sections and defining a pair of shoe-receiving compartments disposed one above the other and separated by a horizontal partition; hinge means connecting said horizontal partition to the section and adapting it to fold to an inoperative position within the section to place the two compartments in communication and thereby form a larger compartment; a front wall for the upper compartment connected to the horizontal partition and adapted to shift with it to inoperative position, and uncover the upper compartment space; and releasable, snap fastening means carried by said front wall and the bag section to hold said partition and front wall in operative position.

3. A traveling bag for carrying shoes comprising a pair of rigid front and rear outer sections of substantially the same dimensions hinged together at their lower edges and adapted to unfold into substantially the same plane; a vertical partition in each of said outer sections separating said sections into two divisions, one of said divisions being broader than the other, said partitions aligning and registering when the bag sections are closed; a hinged horizontal partition dividing each of the smaller divisions into two compartments, the said hinged partitions aligning and registering with each other when the bag sections are closed and each of said hinged partitions being adapted to fold to thereby form a larger compartment; a front, wall connected to each of said hinged partitions and movable with said hinged partition out of operative position; front and rear inner sections removably mounted in the larger divisions of the front and rear outer sections;partitions dividing the interior of each inner removable section into compartments, the partitions of one inner removable section aligning with the partitions of the other inner removable section when the bag is closed; retaining means in each inner removable section so disposed and of such height that the retaining means each closes the lower front portions of the compartments of the inner section by which it is carried when the bag sections are open and upright, and so that the retaining means in the rear inner section extends upwardly from the bottoms of the compartments thereof and the retaining means in the front inner section extends downwardly from the tops of the compartments thereof when the bag is closed with the two retaining means overlapping.

4. A traveling bag including a rigid, box-like section open at its front face; vertical and horizontal partitions dividing the interior of said section and defining a pair of vertically elongated compartments located one above the other and separated by a horizontal partition; a front retaining wall attached to said section, located at the open face thereof and formed and disposed to close the lower portion of the lower compartment of said pair and leave the upper portion open; hinge means connecting the inner end of said horizontal partition to the bag section and adapting the partition to fold to an inoperative position at the back of said lower compartment and place the two compartments in communication to form a longer compartment; a front retaining wall hinged to the forward free edge of said horizontal partition to close the lower portion of the upper compartment of the pair and leave the upper portion open; and releasable fastening means to secure the upper portion of said hinged wall, at the opposite sides thereof, to the bag section and thereby support both the wall and the horizontal partition in operative position, said hinged wall being adapted to swing with said partition into the back of the lower `compartment space when said fasteningmeans are released.

5. A traveling case for carrying shoes, comprising a pair of rigid front and rear outer sections of substantially the same dimensions hinged together at their lower edges and adapted to unfold into substantially the same plane; front and rear inner sections removably mounted in said outer sections; partitions dividing the interior of said inner removable sections into compartments; retaining means carried by each inner section so disposed and of such height that the retaining means each closes the lower front portions of the compartments of the inner section by which it is carried when the case sections are open and upright, and so that the retaining means of the rear inner section extend upward from the bottoms of the compartments thereof and the retaining means of the front inner section extend downward from the tops of the compartments thereof when the case is closed; and means to positively prevent improper insertion of the removable sections and ensure their insertion with the retaining means in the relation defined.

6. A traveling case for carrying shoes, comprising a pair of rigid front and rear outer sections of substantially the same dimensions hinged together at their lower edges and adapted to unfold into substantially the same plane; front and rear inner sections removably mounted in said outer sections; partitions dividing the interior of said inner removable sections into compartments; retaining means carried by each inner section so disposed and of such height that the retaining means each closes the lower front portions of the compartments of the inner section by which it is carried when the case sections are open and upright, and so that the retaining means of the rear inner section extend upward from the bottoms of the compartments thereof and the retaining means of the front inner section extend downward from the tops of the compartments thereof when the case is closed; means to.posi tively prevent improper insertion of the removable sections and ensure their insertion with the retaining means in the relation defined; and releasable locking means to hold the removable sections in the outer sections.

7. A traveling case comprising a rigid, box-like section defining a storage space; a horizontal partition dividing said space into a pair of superposed forwardly opening compartments; hinge means connecting said partition to the case section adapting it to fold to an inoperative position within the section to place the two compartments in communication and form a larger compartment; a front wall for the upper compartment connected to the horizontal partition and adapted to shift with it to inoperative position and uncover the upper compartment space; and releasable means to hold said partition and front wall in operative position.

8. A traveling case comprising a rigid, box-like and uncover the upper compartment space: releasable means to hold said partition and front wall in operative position; and a exible and elastic front wall for the lower compartment secured at its side edges and unsecured at its lower edge to permit contents of the compartment exceeding the fore and aft depth thereof to protrude outward beneath said lower edge.

JESSICA M. BRADY.