US3052895A - Beach bag - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 11, 1962 s. A. LO VICO BEACH BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 15, 1959 ur n INVENTOR: Salvatore A.L0Vico AGENT- S. A. LO VlCO Sept. 11, 1962 BEACH BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 15, 1959 INVENTOR: Salvalore A .LoVico A GE NT l l hrv United States Patent 3,052,295 BEACH BAG Salvatore A. Lo Vico, 194-21 111th Road, Queens, N.Y. Filed May 15, 1959, Ser. No. 813,457 1 Claim. (Cl. -644) My present invention relates to a folding bag for beach use of the type designed to transport therein the u ual water-absorbent apparel such as bathing suits, towels and robes.

It is known that utility bags for seaside use have been produced which commonly are adapted to be opened from a folded carrying position into a full-length extended position and thus to be lain upon prone by their users when sun-bathing or resting between water-plunge periods. Additionally, a variety of special pockets or compartments may be seen provided in the conventional bag for the purpose of storing the wet and sand-soiled articles of beach wear, these spaces being intended to effect an isolation of the so humidified portions of the bag from the exterior areas and other parts thereof which it is desired to keep dry and clean.

While many such beach bags are capable of obtaining a certain degree of wet/ dry separation, this is true only inconsistently and in a relative sense since the portions desired to be kept dry (eg. those used to store food) are not positively or easily separable, if at all, from the Wettable terry cloth or blanket upon which a person may lie and from other so-called wet-storage spaces, hence they are unavoidably exposed at least partially to the wetting eifect of, for axample, the water drippings from the body of an after-dip recliner or the seepage from adjacent pockets containing wet towels or the like. Another complaint heard against the conventional bag is that the storage of the used wetted beach wear in the variously located pockets tends to make the bag bulgy and cumbersome to handle and confers upon it a certain misshapen appearance giving too easy notice that its carrier is indeed returning from a day at the beach.

In avoiding the above difiiculties, it is one of the objects of my invention to provide -a compact folding bag for beach use adapted for the wet storage of a large sheet member such as a robe or a blanket, as well as other apparel, with simultaneous dry storage of other articles effectively separated from such apparel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structural combination allowing for quick and positive replaceable detachment of an element thereof, e.g. a sheet designed for use as a robe or recumbent support, from other elements of the combination.

Still another object is to provide a beach bag designed so that its overall dimensional shape and appearance will remain substantially unaffected by the moist or dry condition of one of its elements.

An important feature of my invention is the provision of a bag formed from four hingedly interconnected portions of sheet material, with the two outer portions adapted to be folded inside the inner portions and with closur means such as slide fasteners adapted to secure the two inner portions together along their edges, these two inner portions dei ming with their adjacent outer portions an elongated flattened compartment accommodating a removable lining preferably in the form of an absorbent sheet. A second compartment, efiectively isolated from the first one, is formed between the foldedover outer portions. According to a further feature, either or both outer portion may be provided with a pocket affording additional, completely closed storage space. Another feature resides in the formation of part of one outer portion as a cushion or head rest.

Other objects, advantages and features of my invention will become apparent from the following description given with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the detached lining of my improved bag in use by a recumbent person;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the foldable bag portions in their extended position, without the lining of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to that of FIG. 2 but illustrating the lining of FIG. 1 secured to and forming part of the folding-bag combination;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bag in its folded position but unlocked and partially open; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bag in its folded and locked position suitable for carrying.

The folding bag shown in the drawing comprises a lining 15 (FIG. 1) of absorbent fabric, such as terry cloth, and an envelope 10 (FIG. 2) of suitable Waterrepellent plastic or other flexible sheet material. The bag envelope 1% is made up of four distinct, substantially coextensive principal portions including an outer pair 11a, 11b and an inner pair 12a, 12b. The inner pair of principal portions 12a, 12b are linked together by a smaller intermediate portion 12, especially reinforced by a cardboard 12 so as to serve as the supporting bottom (FIG. 3) of the bag 10 in the latters folded position (FIG. 5 or 6). The end portion 11a, representing one extremity of the unfolded bag, encloses a head rest 11a formed, for example, by a foam-rubber cushion (see also FIG. 3) filling substantially the terminal half of portion 11a and separated by a sewn seam 11a from its other half. The opposite end portion 11b, at the other extremity of the spread-out envelope 10, is formed with an insulated pocket 11b closable by a slide fastener 11b" which is located on the reverse sid of envelope portion 11b so as to be readily accessible when the bag is closed, see FIG. 5.

In FIG. 4 I have shown the lining 15 removably mounted onto the internal surface area of envelope 10 by flexible lugs 13 spacedly disposed at peripheral locations on each side of the bags length (see also FIG. 2), these lugs each having a male snap fastener 13 mating with a female fastener 13" provided correspondingly along the longitudinal fold lines 15c, 15d of the lining. The cloth 15 is openable from the center fold line to a width approximately double that of portion 12a or 12b and projects lengthwise beyond portion 11b for the distance represented by a cloth extension 15'. Thus, in FIG. 1 a recumbent person may illustratively be seen utilizing to good effect the extra width and length dimensions for wrap-around and foot-overlapping comfort while resting.

As clearly seen in FIG. 3, the sheet forming the envelope 10 consists of two layers which are separated at two locations to accommodate the cushion 11a and the stiffener 12.

The laid-out lining 15 secured to the bag envelope 10 as shown in FIG. 4 becomes, in the folded position of the bag in FIG. 5, a storage compartment for wet apparel tucked under the folds 15a, 15b. With the apparel thus stowed and the bag folded to the stage of FIG. 5, laterally positioned slide fasteners 14a and 14b entrain their slides 14a, 14b, respectively, and with a downward fastening movement draw shut each side of the now erect bag (FIG. 6) which may then be carried by the twin handle 16. The portions 12a, 12b then define a central dry-storage compartment 17 effectively separated by the flaps 11a, 11b from a wet-storage compartment 18 which holds the lining 15 and the pieces of wet apparel (not shown) enveloped thereby.

It has been seen by the foregoing that I have provided a beach bag with a versatility and efficiency of employment hitherto unobtained in the art as far as I am aware.

Thus, the lining 15 may be readily separated from bag envelope 10 by a reversal of the mounting procedure described above and used as a robe, towel or reclining sheet, in this manner avoiding the possibility of wetting or sand-flecking such food items as may then conveniently be disposed on and around the bag area. Upon quiekly reattaehing' the cloth 15, its extensive length may advantageously be converted into a major compartment for storingwet beach apparel which, with only a casual flattening to avoid bulges, can be tucked under the cloth folds 15a and 15b which will absorb their moisture so as to prevent the wetting of any articles carried in central compartment 17 between portions 12a, 12b. This method of storing even a considerable quantity of wet articles without resorting to the use of pockets enables the compactness and neat appearance of the portable structure of FIG. 6 to be well preserved. Pocket 11b, it will be noted, can be used as a dry container for food and, if so desired, another such drycornpartment (not shown) can be easilyprovided on the halt which is separated by the seam 11a" from head-rest half 11a of bag portion lla. 'This and other modifications, as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art, are intended to be embraced Within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims I claim:

A bag comprising a continuous, elongated strip of sheet material adapted to be folded to form an envelope, and a lining detachably secured to said strip along the periphery thereof, said strip consisting of a plurality of longitudinally adjoining, hingedly interconnected portions including an inner pair and an outer pair of said portions,

each of said portions being foldable about an edge of an I adjacent one of said portions in a direction transverse to the major extension of said strip, said inner pair of portions being provided on opposite longitudinal edges With mating closure means for joining said inner pair of portions together along said edges with said outer pair of portions folded therebetween, said lining having a width exceeding the width of said strip and being foldable longitudinally to a width less than that of said strip whereby said lining may be removably contained within the space between said inner andsaid outer pairs of portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Images