US2887196A

US2887196A - Travel bags

Info

Publication number: US2887196A
Application number: US709854A
Authority: US
Inventors: Davis Michael
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-01-20
Filing date: 1958-01-20
Publication date: 1959-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-19

Description

May 19, 1959 F'i'led Jan. 20, 1958 M. DAVIS TRAVEL BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR M/(HAEL DAV/.5

. ATTORNEY y 9, 1959 M. DAVIS 2,887,196 TRAVEL BAGS FiledJan. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR [filo-M21. DAV/J J MW ATTORNEY TRAVEL BAGS Michael Davis, Douglaston, N.Y. Application January 20, 1958, Serial No. 709,854

7 Claims. Cl. 190-43) This invention relates to travel bags and particularly to luggage arranged to contain garments in a naturally hanging position when it is suspended at one end by a hook in an automobile or clothes closet. When this type of luggage is to be carried manually, however, it may be folded into a compact U-shaped configurationand grasped by one or more handles provided for that purpose.

Previous travel bags of this type are generally made of flexible textile or plastic sheet materials which usually require some form of reinforcement both at their corners and intermediate their ends, various stiffening wire frames and metal slots having been improvised in order to maintain the substantially rectangular conformation of the bag.

These expedients have been considerably less than satisfactory, since they do not permit the bag to give adequate protection to the clothes when the bag is handled roughly in transportation either by automobile or by train. Also these reinforcing means have not been adequate to permit the bag, when folded into the carrying position, to stand firmly, since at best, their frames have been quite unstable and permitted the bag to lean unnaturally or fall sidewise to the floor, thus subjecting the garments within the undesired crushing and other disturbances.

In order to obviate the foregoing difficulties and in order to provide a foldable type luggage which is rugged and stable for travel purposes, I now provide a bag made of a pair of unitary shells of a suitable integrally molded stiffened material, said shells being hinged, to a unitary carrying cap of substantially the same material as said shells, said cap serving to enclose the one end of said shells, to form a protective carrying cover when the bag is in the folded position.

Still other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the specification.

The features of novelty which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth herein and will best be understood, both as to their fundamental principles and as to their particular embodiments, by reference to the specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the travel bag, shown in the suspended position;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the bag shown in thefolded carrying position; 1

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the bag shown in Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail end view of the central portion of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective interior view of the bag in accordance with the portionthereof shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of Figs. 5 and 7; and

Fig. 7 is a view taken on line 7--7 of Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the travel bag nited States Patent 2,887,196 C6 Patented May 19, 1959 of the present invention comprises a pair of shells, generally designated 21 and 22, respectively, both pivotally attached to a cap, generally designated 23. Cap 23 consists of a top wall 31, two end walls 32 and two side walls 33, said end walls and side walls forming a unitary rim. (Figs. 1, 2, 3.) Shell 21 is formed of a bottom wall 24, two end walls 25, and a side wall 26, while shell 22 is formed of a bottom wall 27, two end walls 28 and a side wall 29.

Shells

21 and 22 and cap 23 are made of sheets of fibrous materials that have been impregnated with thermosetting resins, and subsequently molded into the requisite shapes. The fibers consist of mixtures of short glass filaments, Caroa fiber, and other suitable additives that are well known in the art, to provide the characteristics desired. Various types of thermoplastics may also be incorporated in the sheet material, as for example, cellulose acetate, acetate butyrate, ethylcellulose, methyl methacrylate, rubber modified styrenes, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, rigid vinyl chloride acetates, and polystyrene. The molded shells and cap have self-sustaining strength characteristics so that they do not require any further reinforcing elements or struts to enable the bag to stand firmly in position, maintain its shape and abuses of travel.

Shells

21 and 22 are pivotally connected to cap 23 by being stitched or otherwise attached to the respective ends of a hinge strip 35 extending over the top of cap 23 and a short distance below the lower edges of side walls 33. In some embodiments strip 35 does not extend over the top of cap 23 in which case separate elongated hinge strips 35, are provided on each side of the bag for pivotally connecting shells 21and 22 to said cap. Strip 35 may be made of a suitable flexible fabric such as natural or artificial leather, rubberized cloth, canvas, plastics of the vinyl or polyethylene type, or the like.

Strip 35 is secured to walls 33 of cap 23 by a row 36 of stitching and is secured to

walls

26 and 29 of

shells

21 and 22 respectively by row 37 of stitching. Additionally, strip 35 may be bonded to the respective surfaces of the cap andshells by means of a suitable adhesive material. In order to provide a smoothly finished surface the upper areas of

walls

26 and 29 of

shells

21 and 22, respectively, may be indented as at 38 and 39 (Fig. 7) in order to accommodate the ends of strip 35, whilecap 23 may be similarly indented at 41 and 42 for the same purpose. a

In other embodiments of the present invention,

shells

21 and 22 may be pivotally connected to cap 23 by means of metal hinges of various types that are riveted or otherwise attached to these component parts. Such metal hinges would perform the same functions as strip 35 between the shells and the cap.

The upper edges of

walls

25, 26 and 28, 29 ofshells 21 and 22 respectively, are otfset inwardly as at 43, 44 (Fig. 1), and at 45, 46 (Fig. 4), said offset portions extending at least partially into the interior of cap 23 when the bag is folded, to form an overall smooth surface, for the bag, as illustrated in Figs. 2. and 3, and to enhance the protective function of said'cap as provided. by the integral band or rim formed by

cap walls

32 and 33.

Positioned between

shells

21 and 22 is a sheet 51, which serves as a lining underneath cap 23 when the bag is closed (Fig. 5). The gusset ends 52 and 53 of sheet 51 extend substantially perpendicularly from the main portain of'said sheet and are secured by rivets 54,orthe like, to offset

portions

43 and 44 on

shells

21 and 22, respectively. Also secured by said rivets to said offset portions are the perpendicularly extending parallel legs 55 and 56 of braces 57 and 58, respectively, the main portions of which extend across the interiors of the

offset portions

45 and 46 of

shells

21 and 22, respectively. One edge of sheet 51 extends between, and a short distance beyond, brace 57 and offset portion 45, while the other edge of said' sheet extends between, and a short distance beyond, brace 58 and offset portion 46. Said edges of said sheet 51 may be secured to the interiors of

shells

21 and 22, respectively, by means of a suitable adhesive or binding tape. Sheet 51 and its

gussets

52 and 53 are yieldably connected between

shells

21 and 22 so that the slack in the fabric may accommodate to the opening and closing of the bag.

Connected by suitable means such as stitching or the like to the inner edges of

shells

21 and 22 is a fabric inner wall 61 which forms an enclosure for the bag in its extended position, as shown in Fig. 1. The outer ends of

gussets

52 and 53 are stitched or otherwise connected to therespective adjacent edge portions of inner wall 61 (Figs. 1 and 5) to form the unitary enclosure for the travel bag. When

shells

21 and 22 are brought together as in Fig. 2,

gussets

52 and 53 withdraw by wrinkling and folding to a position underneath cap 23. Inner wall 61 has a separable panel 62 which forms a closure for the bag, said panel being opened and closed by means of slide fastener 63 movable along fastener track 64. Additionally, inner wall 61 may have an opening 65 which is closed by a slide fastener 66, said opening communicating with a pocket compartment, not shown, on the interior of the bag.

Bottom wall 27 of shell 22 may be provided with a hook member 68 for supporting the bag in its extended position from a hook, bar or the like, whereby the garments within the bag are suspended without wrinkling or folding. Suitable means, not shown, may be provided for pivoting hook 68 into a position adjacent bottom wall '27 when the bag is folded for carrying.

Cap 23 is provided with a handle 69 for carrying the bag when in the folded or double over position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When

shells

21 and 22 are brought adjacent each other, as shown in Fig. 2, they are secured together by means of snap locks 71 attached by rivets or the like to shell 22, the heads 72 of said locks engaging loops 73 of plate 74 attached to shell 21. Other types of locks or fastening means may be utilized to connect

shells

21 and 22 to each other.

In the specification, I have explained the principles of my invention, and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying those principles, so as to distinguish my invention from other inventions; and I have particularly pointed out and distinctlyclairned the part, mode or combination which I claim as my invention or discovery.

While I have shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that modifications and changes may be madewithout departing from the function and scope thereof, as will be clear to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A travel bag comprising acap member having a pair of spaced apart side walls and a pair of spaced apart end walls, first and second self-supporting molded shell members, each of said shell members comprising a bottom wall, an outer wall and two end walls, the outer wall of each of said shell members being pivotally connected to a corresponding side wall of said cap member, a fabric inner wall connected to the edges of said bottom and end walls of both of said shellmernbers to form an enclosure for said bag, means on said first shell member for. suspending said bag in an extended position, said cap member being supported by said first shell member, and

saidsecond shell member being supported by said cap member, said shell members :being adapted to be moved pivotally and secured to each other whereby the bag may be carried by means of said cap member.

2. A bag according to claim 1, and further comprising a pair of gussets connected between opposing edges of the end walls of said shell members, and connected to adjacent edge portions of said inner wall.

3. A travel bag according to claim 1 wherein the edge portions of the outer wall and of the two end walls of each of said shells are offset inwardly whereby said cap overlaps both of said shells when the latter are secured to each other in the folded carrying position.

4. A bag according to claim 1, and further comprising a fabric sheet connected between the respective opposing upper ends of the outer walls and end walls of said first and second shells, the portion of said sheet positioned between the opposing end walls of said shells acting as slack gussets between said shells, and an elongated metallic brace attached to the interior edge portions of the outer wall and of two end walls of each of said shells, said fabric gusset sheet being positioned between said braces'and-said upper portions of said outer walls and end walls.

5. A travel bag comprising an elongated cap member, a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls on said cap member, a pair of self-supporting molded shells, each of said shells being pivotallyconnected to opposite side walls of said cap member, said shells when secured to each other forming an enclosure with said cap member, all the edges of said shells adjacent the cap member extending at least partially into the interior of said cap membar when said shells are closed, the side walls and end walls of said cap member forming an integral protective band around the pivoting ends of said shells, and a handle on said cap member for transporting said bag.

6. A travel bag comprising an elongated cap member, a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls on said cap member, apair of self-supporting molded shells, each of said shells being pivotally connected to respective side walls of said cap member, said shells when secured to each other forming an enclosure with said cap member, all the edges of said shells adjacent the cap member being inwardly offset and extending at least partially into the interior of said cap member when said shells are closed 'whereby the walls of said cap member form a substantially overall smooth surface with the respective walls of said shells that are outside said cap member.

7. A travel bag comprising an elongated cap member, a pairofend walls and a pair of side walls on said cap member, said end walls and sidewalls forming a unitary rim, a pair of self-supporting molded shells, each of said shells being pivotally connected to opposite side walls of said cap member, said shells when secured to each other forming an enclosure with said cap member, all of the edge areas of both of said shells adjacent said cap member extending at least partially into the interior of said-cap member when said shells are closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,150,058 'ONeill Aug. 17, 1915 1,823,403 Krueger Sept. 15, 1931 2,341,104 Kleber Feb. 8, 1944 2,405,955 Hunt Aug. 20, 1946 2,675,457 Privett Apr. 13, 1954 2,702,105 Ritter Feb. 15, 1955 2,777,245 Aaronet al. Jan. 15, 1957 2,786,558 Benkoe Mar. 26, 1957