US20190374012A1

US20190374012A1 - Backpack

Info

Publication number: US20190374012A1
Application number: US16/004,054
Authority: US
Inventors: Teng-Yao Chang
Original assignee: Teng-Yao Chang
Current assignee: Chang Teng Yao
Priority date: 2018-06-08
Filing date: 2018-06-08
Publication date: 2019-12-12

Abstract

A backpack including a bag, at least one strap and an air pump is disclosed. The at least one strap is connected to the bag for a user to carry the bag and the air pump is disposed on the bag at either one of a position between a user's back and the bag and a position on the strap which faces the user's shoulder. The air pump is elastic and deformable and includes a first lateral part and a second lateral part opposite to the first lateral part. An air chamber is formed between the first lateral part and the second lateral part, and the first lateral part is formed with a plurality of air holes communicating with the air chamber and the outside. The pump further includes a plurality of elastic parts located in the air chamber to connect the first lateral part and the second lateral part.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present invention is generally related to a backpack, and more particularly to a backpack having an air pump formed on a strap thereof.

Description of Related Art

A backpack is a tool adapted for carrying objects and is widely accepted by the public due to its flexibility and convenience. While people carrying the backpack, the weight of the articles in the backpack can be evenly distributed to the user's shoulder through the straps so as to reduce the user's burden. No matter go to work, to school, or to do an outdoor activity such as mountain climbing or rock climbing, the backpack has become the best choice for most of the people.
However, the backpack still has some drawbacks. Due to the weight of the backpack, a user usually would feel stuffy and uncomfortable at his back when the user carries a backpack for a long period of time because of a long-time carrying of the backpack on his back and shoulder, which often forms an unventilated space therebetween. In addition, the moisture generated by sweating is easily accumulated on the user's back and shoulder and may even cause adverse reactions to the user's skin, such as rashes.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, some manufacturers provide a plurality of rib-like protrusions on the rear side of the backpack to be in contact with the user's back in order to volatilize the sweat on the user's back from the space between the protrusions. However, the effectiveness of such a design is not impressive since the heat dissipation effect is limited by the natural flow of air.
Moreover, even though the weight of the backpack could be distributed to the user's body through the straps, the backpack still applies a pressure to the shoulder and the back of the user intermittently and repeatedly with the action of the user's limb when the user moves, which may lead to a pain in the user's shoulder and back over a long period of time.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a backpack with an air pump which can provide airflow to the user's back to eliminate sweating and provide a buffer region between the user's shoulder and the strap so as to remove the sweat and eliminate the stuffy feeling efficiently.
The present invention provides a backpack including a body and an air pump, wherein the body is adapted to store objects and includes a bag and at least one strap; the at least one strap has two ends connected to the bag for a user' shoulder to carry the bag; the air pump is disposed on the body at either one of a position between a back of a user and the bag and a position on the at least one strap which faces the user's shoulder when the user uses the backpack; the air pump is elastic and deformable and includes a first lateral part and a second lateral part which are opposite to each other, and the second lateral part is located at either one of a position between the bag and the first lateral part and a position between the first lateral part and the at least one strap; an air chamber is formed between the first lateral part and the second lateral part, and the first lateral part is formed with a plurality of air holes communicating with the air chamber and the outside; the air pump further includes a plurality of elastic parts which are located in the air chamber and connects the first lateral part and the second lateral part.
The advantage of the present invention is that the body of the air pump is elastic and hollow, and has a plurality of air holes, whereby the airflow would be squeezed out from the air pump and flow to the user's back to take away the sweat when the user uses the backpack and the air pump is pressed by the user's back/shoulder and the bag. Whereby, the user's back and shoulder could be kept with good ventilation without feeling stuffy even if the user walks and carries the backpack for a long time. In addition, the weight of the backpack could be buffered with the air pump and would not apply on the user's shoulder directly through the straps, whereby the pressure on the user's shoulder could be relieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a backpack according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the backpack having an air pump disposed on a shoulder portion thereof according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the air pump of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the air pump as viewed along line 2A-2A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3B is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow after the air pump of the first embodiment is being pressed;

FIG. 3C is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow when the air pump of the first embodiment is restored to an initial state;

FIG. 4 is a partial top view of an air pump of a second embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the air pump as viewed along line 3A-3A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow after the air pump of the second embodiment is being pressed;

FIG. 4C is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow when the air pump of the second embodiment is restored to an initial state;

FIG. 5 is a partial top view of an air pump of a third embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the air pump as viewed along line 4A-4A of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5B is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow after the air pump of the third embodiment is being pressed;

FIG. 5C is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow when the air pump of the third embodiment is restored to an initial state;

FIG. 6 is a partial top view of an air pump of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the air pump as viewed along line 5A-5A of FIG. 6;

FIG. 6B is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow after the air pump of the fourth embodiment is being pressed; and

FIG. 6C is a schematic view showing a direction of the generated airflow when the air pump of the fourth embodiment is restored to an initial state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following illustrative embodiments and drawings are provided to illustrate the disclosure of the present invention, these and other advantages and effects can be clearly understood by persons skilled in the art after reading the disclosure of this specification. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a backpack 100 of a first embodiment according to the present invention includes a body and an air pump 10, wherein the body includes a bag 1 and at least one strap 2; the bag 1 is adapted to store objects and the air pump 10 is detachably attached to the backpack 100, and is preferably attached to a position corresponding to a user's shoulder and back. In the current embodiment, the backpack 100 includes two straps 2. Two ends of each of the straps 2 are respectively connected to two opposite ends on a rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and are adapted for the user to carry the bag 1 with his shoulders, wherein the rear side 1 a faces the user's back when the user carries the bag 1. In another embodiment, the backpack 100 could be a crossbody backpack or a shoulder bag which includes a single strap.
The bag 1 and the strap 2 both include at least one breathable bag 1 b for placing the air pump 10 such that the air pumps 10 could be respectively disposed on the rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and on one side of the strap 2 corresponding to the user's shoulder in a detachable manner so that the air pumps 10 are located between the user's back and the bag 1 and between the strap 2 and the user's shoulder when the user carries the backpack 100. In the current embodiment, the bag 1 includes three breathable bags 1 b for placing three air pumps 10 and each strap 2 includes one breathable bag 2 a for placing one air pump 10, however, this is not a limitation of the present invention. The bag 1 could include only one breathable bag 1 b, or more than three breathable bags 1 b, and the two straps 2 could include more breathable bags 1 b for placing more air pumps 10. In addition, shapes of each of the air pumps 10 and each of the air breathable bags 1 b, 2 a could be adjusted depending on the user's requirements.
The breathable bag 1 b on the bag 1 includes a zipper, a clip-chain or an elastic strip (not shown) etc. on a rim of its opening so as to close its opening. The breathable bag 2 a on the strap 2 includes an elastic strip (not shown) on a rim of its opening to limit a size of the opening and prevent the air pump 10 from falling out, however, this is not a limitation of the present invention. In other applications, the opening of the breathable bag 2 a could be sealed with other structures such as a zipper or a clip-chain.
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 3A, the air pump 10 is made of a plastic material which could be pressed to deform, such as a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), silica gel, rubber, etc., however, this is not a limitation of the present invention. The air pump 10 is adapted to form a buffer region and a ventilation zone between the shoulder of the user and the strap 2, and between the user's back and the rear side 1 a of the bag 1. In the embodiment, the air pump 10 is substantially flat in shape (as shown in FIG. 2), however, this is not a limitation of the present invention.
In the current embodiment, the air pump 10 includes a first part 12 and a second part 14. Wherein, the first part 12 has a first lateral part 12 a and the second part 14 has a second lateral part 14 a; the first part 12 and the second part 14 respectively include a plurality of elastic units 12 b, 14 b, each of which has a short columnar shape; each elastic unit 12 b of the first part 12 is corresponding to one elastic unit 14 b of the second part 14, and both of the two are disposed on the same axial line. When the first part 12 and the second part 14 are aligned and joined to each other, the elastic units 12 b, 14 b on the same axial line would be joined to each other to form elastic members 16 such that an air chamber S1 is formed between the first part 12 and the second part 14. That is, the elastic members 16 are located in the air chamber S1 and two ends of each elastic member 16 are respectively connected to the first lateral part 12 a and the second lateral part 14 a. It is worth mentioning that the two ends of each elastic member 16 have a diameter D larger than a diameter d of a central portion thereof. With such a design, a deformation degree and a restoring speed of the elastic member 16 could be increased. In addition, the elastic units 12 b, 14 b could be formed with a solid structure or a hollow structure; in the current embodiment, a solid structure is utilized.
Furthermore, the first lateral part 12 a has a plurality of air holes 18 communicating with the air chamber S1 and the outside of the air pump 10. When the first lateral part 12 a and the second lateral part 14 a are pressed by an external force to be close to each other, the air in the air chamber S1 would flow to the outside of the air pump 10 through the plurality of air holes 18. On the other hand, when the external force is removed, the first lateral part 12 a and second lateral part 14 a would be restored to their initial positions, and the air would flow into the air pump 10 through the plurality of air holes 18. Moreover, the air holes 18 are disposed at positions deviated from where the elastic member 16 is located.
The air pump 10 on the bag 1 has its second lateral part 14 a being located between the rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and the first lateral part 12 a, while the air pump 10 on the strap 2 is inserted into the breathable bag 2 in a manner that the first lateral part 12 a faces the shoulder of the user, and the second lateral part 14 a is disposed between the first lateral part 12 a and the strap 2 such that the air flow from the air holes 18 of the first lateral part 12 a could take away the user's sweat. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, when the backpack 100 is not carried by the user, the air pump 10 is in an undeformed state without being pressed and a distance between the first lateral part 12 a and the second lateral part 14 a is denoted as a first width W1. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 16 is also not compressed and deformed during this time.
Also referring to FIG. 3B, when the backpack 100 is carried by the user, the air pump 10 would be pressed and deformed by the backpack 100 since the air pumps 10 are respectively located between the rear side of the bag 1 and the user's back and between the strap 2 and the user's shoulder, and the weight of the backpack 100, which stores the articles, applies on the user's shoulder through the strap 2, whereby the air chamber S1 of the air pump 10 becomes smaller and the air would be squeezed out from the air chamber S1 through the air holes 18, wherein the distance between the first lateral part 12 a and the second lateral part 14 a is denoted as a second width W2 during this time; the second width W2 is smaller than the first width W1. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3C, which illustrates a state that the bag 1 is not in close contact with the user's back and the strap 2 is not in close contact with the shoulder of the user when the backpack 100 is carried by the user while the user is walking, wherein the user's pace would change during his walking, which causes the undulation of the bag 1. At this moment, the elastic member 16 is not compressed and restored to its initial state, whereby the air chamber S1 of the air pump 10 would quickly return to its original volume and the air would be drawn into the air chamber S1 through the air holes 18.
According to the first embodiment, a buffer region is respectively formed between the user's back and the rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and between the user's shoulder and the strap 2 to reduce the pressure applied to the user's back and shoulder. By pressing the air pumps 10 with the user's back or shoulder, a volume of the air chamber S1 would be reduced, and air in the air chamber S1 would flow out from the air chamber S1 through the air holes 18 and blow to the user's back so as to remove sweat from the user's back, whereby the user's back could be kept with good ventilation and the user will not feel hot because of carrying the backpack 100. In other embodiments, the first part and the second part of the air pump could be formed without the elastic member or could include elastic units which do not respectively have the short columnar shapes, respectively.
In order to prevent the air holes 18 being blocked by the user's back which affects the air-venting result of the air pump, an air pump 20 of a second embodiment according to the present invention is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 4A, the air pump 20 also includes a first part 22 and a second part 24, wherein the first part 22 has a first lateral part 22 a and the second part 24 has a second lateral part 24 a. The air pump 20 of the current embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the air pump 20 includes a plurality of recesses 25 at a position which is adjacent to the user's body (e.g. the first lateral part 22 a) and is opposite to the second lateral part 24 a. Each of the recesses 25 includes one air hole 26, however, this is not a limitation of the present invention. In other embodiments, it is not necessary to make all of the recesses to be formed with air holes. That is, some of the recesses could include air holes, and the others of the recesses could not include air holes.
Referring to FIG. 4B, when the user' back is close to the rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and the first lateral part 22 a is pressed by the user, the air pump 20 would be pressed and deformed by the backpack 100 since the air pump 20 is located between the strap 2 and the user's shoulder, and the weight of the backpack 100 applies on the user's shoulder through the strap 2, whereby the air chamber S2 of the air pump 20 becomes smaller and the air would be squeezed out from the air chamber S2 through the air holes 26. In addition, when the air holes 26 are located within the recesses 25, the air holes 26 would not be blocked by the user's shoulder due to the air pump 20 is in close contact with a contact portion of the user, i.e., the contact portion is referred to the user' back when the pump 20 is located on the rear side 1 a of the bag 1, and on the other hand, the contact portion is referred to the user's shoulder when the air pump 20 is located on the strap 2, which may result in a poor ventilation effect, whereby to ensure that the performance of air intake/exhaust of the air holes 26. Referring to FIG. 4C, which illustrates a state that the strap 2 is not in close contact with the contact portion of the user when the user's pace changes during his walking, which causes the undulation of the backpack. At this moment, the elastic member 28 is not compressed and restored to its initial state, whereby the air chamber S2 of the air pump 20 would quickly return to its original volume such that the air would be drawn into the air chamber S1 through the air holes 18. In other embodiments, even the air pump which does not include the elastic member also could restore to its initial state.
An air pump 30 of a third embodiment according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 5A, wherein the air pump 30 is formed by joining a first part 32 and a second part 34; the first part 32 is formed with a first lateral part 32 a, and the second part 34 is formed with a second lateral part 34 a. The air pump 30 of the current embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the air pump 30 includes a plurality of grooves 35 on a position close to the user's body (e.g. the first lateral part 32 a), and each groove 35 is adapted for communicating two recesses 36.
As illustrated in FIG. 5B, when the user's back is close to the rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and the first lateral part 32 a is pressed by the user, the air pump 30 would be pressed and deformed by the backpack 100 since the weight of the backpack 100 applies on the user's shoulder through the strap 2, whereby the air chamber S3 between the first lateral part 32 a and the second lateral part 34 a becomes smaller and the air would be squeezed out from the air chamber S3 through the air holes 39. Moreover, the air from the air chamber 35 would be distributed between each of the recesses 36 which are communicated with the grooves 35, thereby removing the sweat and eliminating the stuffy feeling efficiently. In the current embodiment, the grooves 35 are recessed into a surface of the air pump 30 toward the air chamber S3 with a depth D1, which is smaller than a depth D2 of each of the recesses 36, whereby the air pump 30 would not have a decreased number of the air chambers S3 due to forming the recessed grooves 35, which may cause the air pump 30 could not achieve an acceptable ventilation performance. Also referring to FIG. 5C, which illustrates a state that the strap 2 is not in close contact with the shoulder of the user when the user's pace changes during his walking, which causes the undulation of the backpack. At this moment, the elastic member 38 is not compressed and restored to its initial state, whereby the air chamber S3 of the air pump 30 would quickly return to its original volume so as to make the air flow through the grooves 35 and the recesses 36 to the air holes 39 and then be drawn into the air chamber S3 through the air holes 39. In other embodiments, even the air pump which does not include the elastic member also could restore to its initial state.
An air pump 40 of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 6A, wherein the air pump 40 is formed by joining a first part 42 and a second part 44; the first part 42 is formed with a first lateral part 42 a, and the second part 44 is formed with a second lateral part 44 a. In addition to the recesses, the air pump 40 of the current embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the air pump 40 includes a plurality of protrusions 46 on the first lateral part 42 a and are opposite to the second lateral part 44 a, wherein each of the protrusions 46 is disposed on the same axial line with a corresponding one of the elastic members 48 and is connected to the corresponding elastic member 48. Meanwhile, the air holes 49 are disposed between every two adjacent protrusions 46, and the protrusions 46 enable the air to flow through the areas which are not formed with the protrusions 46. The protrusions 46 also could be adapted to massage the shoulder of the user. In addition, the air holes 49 are not formed on the protrusions 46. However, in other embodiments, it is not necessary to make the protrusions and the elastic members to be disposed on the same axial lines. Furthermore, the air pump could be formed without the elastic members.
As shown in FIG. 6B, when the user's back is close to the rear side 1 a of the bag 1 and the first lateral part 32 a is pressed by the user, the air pump 40 and the elastic members 48 which have elasticity would be pressed and deformed by the backpack 100 since the weight of the backpack 100 applies on the user's shoulder through the strap 2, whereby the air chamber S4 between the first lateral part 42 a and the second lateral part 44 a becomes smaller and the air would be squeezed out from the air chamber S4 through the air holes 49 on the first lateral part 42 a. At this moment, the air not only flows into the air holes 49 but also is distributed to the areas which are not formed with the protrusions 46. Also referring to FIG. 6C, which illustrates a state that the air pump 40 is not in close contact with the contact portion of the user when the user's pace changes during his walking, which causes the undulation of the backpack. At this moment, the elastic member 48 is not compressed and restored to its initial state, whereby the air chamber S4 of the air pump 40 would quickly return to its original volume so as to draw the air flow into the air chamber S4 through the air holes 49. In other embodiments, even the air pump which does not include the elastic member also could restore to its initial state.
The first part and the second part of the above embodiments are respectively formed by injection molding, however, this is not a limitation of the present invention. In other embodiments, the air pump also could be integrally formed as a monolithic unit, such as being formed by 3D printing.
The combination method for the air pump and the bag or the strap is not limited to utilizing the breathable bag as described above. In order to facilitate the user to adjust a position of the air pump, in another embodiment, a hook side of a Velcro strap is disposed on either one of the rear side of the bag and the air pump, and a loop side of the Velcro strap is disposed on the other such that the hook side and the loop side could attach to each other to make the air pump be detachably disposed on the bag.
According to the present invention, the air pump is elastic and hollow and has a plurality of air holes. By placing the air pump between the backpack and the user, the airflow would be squeezed out from the body and flow to the back of the user to take sweat away from the user when the contact portion between the user and the air pump moves relative to the bag, and the user's back and shoulder could be kept with good ventilation without feeling stuffy even if the user walks and carries the backpack for a long time.
It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A backpack, comprising:

a body including a bag and at least one strap, wherein the bad is adapted to store objects; the at least one strap has two ends connected to the bag for a user's shoulder to carry the bag; and

an air pump disposed on the body, wherein the air pump is located on at least one of a position between a back of a user and the bag and another position on the at least one strap which faces the user's shoulder when the user uses the backpack; the air pump is elastic and deformable and includes a first lateral part and a second lateral part which are opposite to each other, and the second lateral part is located on at least one of a position between the bag and the first lateral part and another position between the first lateral part and the at least one strap; an air chamber is formed between the first lateral part and the second lateral part, and the first lateral part is formed with a plurality of air holes communicating with the air chamber and the outside; the air pump further includes a plurality of elastic parts which are located in the air chamber and connect the first lateral part and the second lateral part.

2. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the first lateral part includes a plurality of recesses which are opposite to the second lateral part, and each of at least part of the recesses has one of the air holes.

3. The backpack of claim 2, wherein the first lateral part further includes a plurality of grooves for communicating at least two adjacent ones of the recesses.

4. The backpack of claim 3, wherein a depth of each of the recesses is greater than a depth of each of the grooves.

5. The backpack of claim 1, wherein two ends of each of the elastic parts for connecting to the first lateral part and the second lateral part have diameters larger than a diameter of a central portion of each of the elastic parts.

6. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the first lateral part has a plurality of protrusions opposite to the second lateral part; the air holes are disposed between two adjacent ones of the protrusions; each of the protrusions is located on an extended axial line of a corresponding one of the elastic parts.

7. The backpack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump includes a first part and a second part; the first part has the first lateral part, and the second part has the second lateral part; the first part and the second part respectively have a plurality of elastic units which match with each other; corresponding ones of the elastic units abut against each other to form a corresponding one of the elastic parts after the first part and second part are aligned and joined to each other.

8. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the body includes a breathable bag, and the air pump is disposed in the breathable bag.

9. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the air pump is detachably disposed on the backpack.

10. The backpack of claim 9, wherein a hook side of a Velcro strap is disposed on either one of the body and the air pump, and a loop side of the Velcro strap is disposed on the other; the hook side and the loop side attach to each other.