US2047914A - Brief case - Google Patents

Description

M. LIFTON July 14, 1936.

BRIEF CASE Filed June 1, 1935 INVENTOR. MUE/CEZ/Fm/v.

mg ATT EY.

Patented July 14, 1936 barren srA'iEs PATENT OFFIQE BRIEF CASE Application June 1, 1935, Serial No. 24,476

3 Claims.

The invention relates to collapsible hand-bags,

such as brief cases or portfolios, particularly those having several compartments with division partitions, and especially those in which the partitions are embraced at their margins by a gusseted flexible member closing in three sides of the brief case.

Such gusseted leather bellows brief-case structures, under the heavy loads of papers, books and miscellaneous contents with which they are habitually charged, tend to sag at the bottom, bulge at the sides and acquire a generally scuffed and unattractive appearance at the protruding portions, which limits their period of usefulness, even when they are far from being worn out by reason of the intrinsic excellence of their component materials and workmanship.

Reinforcements of the bellows folds have been known in the art, and for this purpose exterior strips of metal have been added, clipped over the marginal edges of the folds in the planes of the partitions; and other reinforcements in the form of wire frames sewed into the folds as separate units, the bellows structure being cut and therefore weakened to permit tape-covered frames of such wire to be inserted in a position where the tape, strip, or tab will embrace the margin of the partition as well as the wire reinforcement frame itself.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a metal reinforcement structure which is adapted to be applied readily to the margins of the brief-case partitions of known types, while the same are in course of fabrication, or after removal from existing brief cases for the purpose of such application, and which will be adapted, when so combined with the partitions, and then assembled with the circumjacent continuous bellows structure of approved type, to be enfolded I in the creases or marginal folds of the bellows, and there secured by conventional stitching, so that no: drastic reconstruction or change of essential components is required, either for embodiment of the improvements in new cases or for its use in the renovation and strengthening of old cases.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a reinforcement which is inexpensive to install, both by reason of the low cost of material and on account of the ease with which its installation may bevaccomplished by operatives having less than the averageskill to be expected of those versed in the art of fabricating brief cases.

Otherobjects and advantages will appear as (Cl. ISO-1.6)

the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 5

In describing the invention in detail and the particular physical embodiment selected to i1- lustrate the invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, and the several views thereof, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a leather brief case in the construction of which the presentinvention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 is a view of the same taken on a larger scale, in horizontal transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar section on the vertical plane indicated at 33, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical section, on a smaller scale, of the bag of Fig. 1, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, detail sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken at one end of the case as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a similar fragmentary detail view in vertical section on the line 1'l of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view in elevation of one of the partitions reinforced in accordance with the invention and shown separately.

In the .now preferred embodiment of the invention, selected for illustration, the part designated by the reference character B generally is a leather brief case, in the construction of which a strip H of leather forms the back panel [2 and the cover flap l3 of the case and the front panel I4 is formed by a separate strip of leather.

At the ends designated generally by the reference characters 17 and b and at the bottom b, there are gusseted components of more flexible leather, adapted to withstand wear, and their gusset arrangement being of the conventional bellows fold type in its general character.

The case illustrated is divided into three compartments by the two relatively stiff, but preferably flexible, partitions l and 2, and in Fig.

6 'is illustrated clearly the preferred structure which I have devised to impart novel structural strength to this portion of the bag structure.

Each of the partitions l and 2, and any other partition which may be desirably so formed, is provided around its margin, with a reinforcing panel l2 respectively, and at the corners, the,

U-shaped members are overlapped and suitably fastened together, as by rivets ID or other known or suitable means. These rivets are indicated in Fig. 7, which illustrates the appearance'of each of the partitions, as l or 2, complete with its metal U-shaped binding strip 3, and ready for assembly in a bellows fold as in Fig. 6. In Fig. 7 is shown in detail one of the corner joints between adjoining U-shaped strip members 3, and this figure illustrates a desirable provision for securing unusual resistance to deformation of the corners of the brief-case. For this purpose the ends I 5 of the binding. members 3 may be made somewhat'wider than their partitions intermediate these ends, and this will give a wider bearing betweenthe contiguous flat faces of the overlapping end l5 and'will also compensate for the'metal removed to receive the rivet l0.

From the foregoing disclosure it will vbe apparent that the novel reinforcement means provided by this invention is sturdy in structure and easy to install, as it can be applied to the partitions, as l or 2, (seeFig. 8) before the assembly thereof in the brief case structure. After such assembly thereof, as in Fig. 6, the U-shaped reinforcement strip is concealed from'view, and is protected from casual blows such as those encountered in use, which tend to mar the known outside reinforcement strips, and also tend to tear them off. The U-shaped reinforcement strip, by having itseolges clamped together by compression, after application in its position, is also characterized by its retention of the exact position in which it has been applied and does not creep-as do the wire reinforcing strips of prior art structures which have a tendency to movement along the side edges of the brief case,

eventually breaking through the leather at the corners. I

The known, outer reinforcements are therefore more subject to casual displacements and are less sightly than the concealed reinforcement of the present invention, the presence of which is entirely concealed by the surrounding folds of leather 5, so that the brief case presents a neat conventional appearance which persists throughout itsuseful life.

Itsusefulness, moreover, is of greatly prolonged duration, by reason of its strong, concealed reinforcement, and the bellows folds entirely lack the well-known tendency of such structure to bulge out, sag, and in general become scuffed and. unsightly. 7

The improved construction, moreover, is susceptible ,of embodiment in existing structures with no alterationsother than the restitching' into place of partition members which may be theoriginal members; the removal, reinforcement, andreplacementof these being well within the skill of harness-makers, leather-goods fabricators,'as well as of those versed in the making of brief-cases; It is quite possible therefore to rejuvenate brief cases, made'originally of high-- grade materials, but which have lost their distinction of appearance, and thus to prolong their useful life and restore their neatness.

While I have shown and described my invention with some degree of particularity, various.

changes and alterations can be made without departing from the idea of means which characterizes the genericv nature of the invention.

The disclosure herein is therefore to be regarded as illustrative and not as limitative, of the invention. 7

I claim:

1. A collapsible hand-bag, such as a brief case,

comprising afront panel, a rear panel, a single piece of flexible material so folded as to form continuously a gusseted bellows structure joining said panels and thus closing expansibly three sides of said bag; and at least one partition adapted to divide said bag, into a plurality of compartments in substantial parallelism with the general plane of said bellows structure; said partition being providedwith a marginal reinforcement strip of inherently rigid material U-shaped in cross section, overlapping the edges of said partition, saidpartition so reinforced constituting a unitaryarticle having its reinforced margin embraced by a fold of said bellows structure and secured therewithin by a line of stitching extending through the walls of the fold and through said 7 partition, closely adjacent to the open edge of the U-shaped member.

2. A collapsible hand-bag, such as a briefcase,

comprising a front panel, a rear panel, a gusseted bellows structure of flexible material joining said panels and thus closing expansibly three sides of said bag; and at least one'partition adapted to divide said bag into a plurality of compartments in substantial parallelism with the general plane of said bellows structure; said partition being provided with a marginal reinforcement strip of sheet metal, U-shapedin cross section, overlapping the edges of said partition, and fixed thereon, said partition so reinforced constituting a.

unitary article having its reinforced margin em.- braced by a fold of said bellows structure and secured therewithin by a line ofstitching ex tending through the walls of the fold and through said partition and forming a pocketin said fold in whichsaid reinforcement is confined by said line of stitching, but is not penetrated thereby.

3. A collapsible hand-bag, such as a brief case, comprising a front panel, a rear panel, a gusseted bellows structure of flexible material joining said panels and thus closing expansibly three sides of said bag; and at least one partition adapted to divide said bag into a plurality of compartmentsin substantial parallelism with the general plane of said bellows structure; said partitionbeing provided with a marginal U-shaped' bellows structure and secured therewithin by a. r

line of stitching extending through the walls of the fold and through said partition; said brief case being further characterized by havingsaid reinforcement strip ormed of metal components articulated by corner joints having enlarged areas at the joints and by having said bellows structure fabricated as a continuous, integral strip around three'sides of said brief case;

MAURICE LIFI'ON.

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