Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C3/00—Flexible luggage; Handbags
  • A45C3/001—Flexible materials therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C3/00—Flexible luggage; Handbags
  • A45C3/001—Flexible materials therefor
  • A45C2003/002—Mesh materials
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C3/00—Flexible luggage; Handbags
  • A45C2003/007—Sport bags
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45F—TRAVELLING OR CAMP EQUIPMENT: SACKS OR PACKS CARRIED ON THE BODY
  • A45F3/00—Travelling or camp articles; Sacks or packs carried on the body
  • A45F3/12—Shoulder-pads
  • A45F2003/122—Back cushioning parts or details of backpacks, e.g. with ventilation
  • A45F2003/125—Back cushioning parts or details of backpacks, e.g. with ventilation with ventilation
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45F—TRAVELLING OR CAMP EQUIPMENT: SACKS OR PACKS CARRIED ON THE BODY
  • A45F3/00—Travelling or camp articles; Sacks or packs carried on the body
  • A45F3/02—Sacks or packs carried on the body by means of one strap passing over the shoulder
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45F—TRAVELLING OR CAMP EQUIPMENT: SACKS OR PACKS CARRIED ON THE BODY
  • A45F3/00—Travelling or camp articles; Sacks or packs carried on the body
  • A45F3/04—Sacks or packs carried on the body by means of two straps passing over the two shoulders

Definitions

• the present invention relates in general to sports bags. More particularly, to sturdy sports bags with good ventilation to provide good airflow inside the bags and thereby prevent odors from developing.
• Sports bags are very popular among athletes of different sports because they are highly functional for carrying items and can have an attractive appearance. Sports equipment and apparel often get soiled with sweat and other environmental elements such as dirt, depending on the particular sport. Soiled equipment may develop foul odors if kept enclosed inside a typical non- ventilated bag.
• mesh is often times delicate and prone to ripping.
• Examples of the present invention relate to well ventilated, yet sturdy and durable, sports bags for carrying sporting goods and methods for making such bags and different forms that such bags may take such as duffel bags, backpacks, travel bags and any other container type bag for carrying goods.
• the sports bag of the present invention may be made from a sheet-type material, which may be a woven material such as a fabric material, for example synthetic fabric materials such as polyester and/or natural materials such as cotton.
• the sheet- type material may comprise a leather material, a synthetic leather material, a sheet-material made by extrusion such as rubber, linoleum, plastic, or any other material that is bendable and is produced in sheets.
• the sports bag of the present invention comprises an interior, an exterior, a base section having a water repellent material, a middle portion comprising a rear wall, a front wall, and two side walls made of the same water repellent material as the base section, the middle portion further comprising a plurality of perforations extending through the entirety of at least a portion of the material of the middle portion that permit a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag while maintaining the structural integrity of the perforated material, a top section made of the same water repellent material as the base section further, a closable opening to allow access to the portable sports bag, and at least two carrying handles or straps extending above the top section.
• a water repellent material used in the construction of a bag in accordance with the present invention may, for example, comprise a textile treated with a durable water repellent (DWR) or other treatment.
• DWR durable water repellent
• the perforated water repellent coated material of the middle portion of sports bag of the present invention may be reinforced prior to forming perforations.
• the middle portion may be reinforced by screen printing the fabric with an elastomer material such as, but not limited to, silicon based elastomers.
• an elastomer material such as, but not limited to, silicon based elastomers.
• polyurethane elastomers such as TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) may be applied to the middle portion of the bag.
• TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
• the water repellent coated material of the base section may be reinforced in a similar fashion as the middle portion. Wear and tear of the base section may be inevitable due to the nature of how sports bags are used, i.e., usually thrown or placed on surfaces that have high friction, such as cement floors. Reinforcement of the base section may be useful in prolonging the life of the sports bag as well.
• the whole water repellent coated material used in the construction of the sports bag may be reinforced with an elastomer material such as polyurethanes, silicon based elastomers, styrenics, copolyesters, polyamides, polyolefin blends, polyolefin alloys, etc.
• elastomers may be applied using techniques such as screen printing, bonding the elastomer to the material using heat or ultrasonic energy, and/or any other method available in the art for applying these materials on sheet-type materials such as woven fabrics, leathers, synthetic leathers, etc.
• the material used for reinforcement and/or the method of applying the reinforcement material may vary for different materials used to form portions of sports bags in accordance with the present invention.
• the sports bag of the present invention may be made of a pliable sheet-type material comprising an interior and an exterior defined by a base section, a middle portion comprising a rear wall, a front wall, and two side walls made of a reinforced and perforated pliable sheet-type material, and a top section made of a perforated and pliable sheet-type material, wherein the perforations extend through the entirety of at least a portion of the pliable sheet- type material.
• the size, spacing, and arrangement of the perforations may be selected to maintain the structural integrity of the sheet-type material while permitting a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag.
• Screen printing may be used for the reinforcement of the sheet-type material used for the fabrication of the sports bags of the present invention.
• reinforcement of a bag in accordance with the present invention may also be done by other types of printing, such as ink jet printing, where the ink may comprise an elastomer material such as styrenics, copolyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyolefin blends and polyolefin alloys.
• the pliable sheet-type material may alternatively/additionally be reinforced by affixing two or more layers of the pliable sheet-type material together using any type of welding, adhesives, stitching, etc.
• the sports bag of the present invention may comprise different sheet-type materials for different parts of its body construction.
• a base section may be made of leather or a synthetic leather material
• a middle portion and a top section may be made of a polyester fabric material
• carrying straps may be made of a plastic, leather, or linoleum material.
• the middle portion and the top section may be made of a cotton fabric, or a stretchable fabric such as spandex, or both.
• the sports bag of the present invention may comprise a base section made from a reinforced or non-reinforced sheet-type material, a middle portion made from a reinforced or non-reinforced sheet-type material with perforations extending through the entirety of the middle portion, and top section made from the same or a different reinforced or non-reinforced sheet-type material as the middle portion, comprising a closable opening and at least two carrying handles extending above the top section.
• a sports bag in accordance with the present invention may further comprise a top section formed of a sheet-type material with perforations through the entirety of the top section as well, wherein the perforated sheet-type material may or may not be reinforced with an elastomer layer.
• a sports bag in accordance with the present invention may be constructed by stitching, welding, and/or adhering the different body parts together, or any combination of these or other approaches.
• heat welding, ultrasonic welding or any other welding mechanism available for the specific type of pliable sheet-type material may be employed.
• a sturdy and durable sports bag with the advantages of permitting two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag without the use of fragile materials such as mesh is provided.
• the two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag of the present invention is achieved by having a plurality of perforations through a portion of the body material of the sports bag itself. The perforations thereby provide good ventilation and/or may even provide added visual effects to the appearance of the sports bag without substantially decreasing the strength of the bag.
• FIG. 1 is a side and front view of a representative bag of the present invention showing the perforations for venting in the middle section of the bag;
• FIG. 2 is a side and front view of a representative bag of the present invention showing reinforcement of the perforated section of the bag;
• FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reinforced base section of the bag of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is a side and front view of a representative bag of the present invention showing the perforations for venting in the middle portion of the bag and the top section of the bag;
• FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the reinforced and perforated portion of the bag of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is a side and front view of a vented backpack in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 7 is a front view of a vented gym sack in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• the sports bag 100 may be made of a pliable sheet-type material. Any pliable sheet-type material may be used in accordance with the present invention.
• the pliable sheet- type material may optionally possess water resistant properties, either inherently or due to an appropriate treatment of the material.
• a water repellent coated pliable sheet-type material like a 600d polyester material may be used, wherein the water repellent may comprise silicon and/or acrylic water repellents usually referred to as DWR (Durable Water Repellent).
• the vented sports bag 100 in FIG. 1 comprises an interior and an exterior defined by a base section 160, a top section 140, and a middle portion 150.
• the middle portion 150 is composed of a front wall 152, two side walls 154, which may or may not comprise side pockets, and a rear wall (not shown).
• the middle portion 150 further comprises a plurality of perforations 110 extending through the entirety of at least segments 112, 108 and/or 106 of the sheet-type material of the middle portion 150, permitting a two- way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag 100, while still maintaining the structural integrity of the perforated sheet-type material.
• the top section 140 may further comprise a closeable opening 130 to allow access to the interior of the sports bag 100, two carrying handles 115 and 117, and a shoulder strap 104.
• each perforation in the plurality of perforations 110 is shown having a circular shape and arranged along the center, top part of the front wall 152 of the sports bag 100.
• perforations 110 may be of different sizes and may have different positions and/or configurations than shown in this example.
• the perforations in the plurality of perforations 110 may have different shapes and/or combination of shapes such as square, heart, star, triangular, chevron or any other shape one may conceive.
• One shape may be employed uniformly for the perforations as presented in sports bag 100 or different shapes of perforations may be employed simultaneously (not shown).
• the plurality of perforations 110 may be arranged in different patterns to provide varying ventilation and/or create different visual effects.
• the size, pattern, and spacing between each of the perforations 110 may be selected to achieve an optimal level of two-way airflow while still maintaining the structural integrity of the pliable sheet-type material used in the construction of the sports bag 100.
• the structural integrity of the sheet-type material may be greatly compromised.
• the size at which perforations 110 become too large may depend upon the proximity of each individual perforation to one another, the articles expected to be stored in the sports bag 100, the type of material used for walls 152 and 154, any reinforcement provided for walls 152, 154 etc.
• the perforations 110 are too small, the two-way airflow may be compromised.
• FIG. 2 Another example of the present invention may comprise a perforated front wall portion 214 and side wall portions 208 and/or 206, wherein the perforated area with a plurality of perforations 210 may further comprise a reinforcement layer for the perforated segment 214 by application with an elastomer material, such as a thin layer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) prior to perforation, as shown in FIG. 2.
• the sports bag 200 in FIG. 2 comprises an interior and an exterior defined by a base section 260 made of a pliable sheet- type material, a middle portion 250, and a top section 240.
• the middle portion 250 is composed of a rear wall (not shown), a front wall 252 and two side walls 254 that may be made of the same pliable sheet-type material as the base section 260.
• the bag may further comprise perforations 210 on side walls 254 at segments 208 and/or 206. Perforated segments 208 and/or 206 may or may not also comprise a reinforcement layer like perforated and reinforced segment 214.
• the middle portion 250 further comprises a pliable, reinforced and perforated sheet-type material having a plurality of perforations 210 extending through the entirety of at least a segment 214 of the pliable sheet-type material.
• the perforations 210 may permit a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag 200, while maintaining the structural integrity of the perforated and reinforced sheet-type material.
• the top section 240 may also be made of the same sheet-type material as the base section 260.
• the top section 240 further comprises a closable opening 230 to allow access to the interior of the portable sports bag 200.
• the sports bag 200 may also have at least two handles 215 and 217, and a shoulder strap 204, extending above the top section 240 of the sports bag 200 of the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a close up of a cross-sectional area of the segment 214 of the front wall portion 252 of the sports bag 200 where the plurality of perforations 210 are located.
• Sheet-type material 310 has adhered to it a reinforcing layer 320 with cut perforations 210.
• FIG. 4 is a representative view of a further example of the sports bag 400 of the present invention.
• the sports bag 400 of the present invention comprises an interior and an exterior defined by a base section 460 made of a pliable sheet-type material, a middle portion 450, and a top section 440.
• the middle portion 450 is composed of a rear wall (not shown), a front wall 452 and two side walls 454.
• the middle portion further comprises a pliable reinforced and perforated sheet-type material having a plurality of perforations 410 extending through the entirety of at least a segments 412, 408 and/or 406 of the pliable, reinforced and perforated sheet-type material.
• the perforations permit a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the sports bag 400 while maintaining the structural integrity of the perforated and reinforced sheet-type material.
• the top section 440 may also be made of a perforated and pliable sheet-type material with a second plurality of perforations 470.
• the second plurality of perforations 470 may extend through the entirety of at least a segment 471 of the pliable sheet-type material.
• the sports bag 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 may have a closable opening 430 to allow access to the interior of the portable sports bag 400.
• the sports bag 400 may also comprise two carrying handles 415 and 417, and a shoulder strap 404 extending above the top section 440 of the sports bag 400 of the present invention.
• the sports bag of FIG. 4 may comprise a base section 460, made of a reinforced and pliable sheet-type material. Reinforcement of the base may be done by application of an elastomer material such as a thin layer of TPU as previously discussed for the reinforced and perforated sheet-type material, as shown in FIG. 5.
• FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional area taken from the base section 460 of the sports bag 400 presented in FIG. 4.
• the pliable sheet-type material 510 may be strengthened by the reinforcing layer 520.
• This reinforced sheet-type material in the present example may be used for the base section, but this reinforced fabric material may also be used for the entirety of the body of the sports bag 400 of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is an example of a different type of bag, a back-pack 600, where venting perforations may be used to create a two-way airflow between the interior and the exterior of the back-pack 600.
• the back-pack 600 shown in FIG. 6 comprises a base section 610, a middle portion 620, and a top section 630 with a closable opening or openings 650.
• the back-pack 600 may further comprise a plurality of perforations 645 extending through the entirety of at least a segment 640 of the front wall 670, of the middle portion 620 as shown in this figure, or the back of the middle portion 620 (not shown), or the sides 680 of the middle portion 620.
• the back-pack 600 may comprise one or two carrying straps 660.
• the areas of high stress such as the base and the perforated segments, may be reinforced, as presented earlier.
• FIG. 7 is an additional example of a different bag in accordance with the present invention.
• the bag in FIG. 7 is a gym sack 700 comprising a front wall 710 and a back wall (not shown). Additionally, the gym sack 700 may comprise a base section 730, which may or may not be reinforced, and carrying straps 720, that also serve to close the gym sack 700 opening for access to the main compartment. Optionally, the gym sack 700 may also comprise a zippered pocket 750 for additional storage.
• the gym sack 700 in accordance with the present invention may be provided with a plurality of perforations 745 extending through the entirety of at least a segment 740 of the front wall 710 (as shown).
• the plurality of perforations 745 may also be provided through the entirety of at least a segment of the back wall (not shown), or both the front wall 710 and back wall. As in the previous examples, the perforated segment 740 and the base section 730, may further comprise reinforcement.
• the gym sack 700 may be formed of a base section730, a front wall 710, and a back wall, joined together by seams at the two opposing sides of the walls and around the perimeter of the base section 730.
• the gym sack 700 may be formed from a tubular piece of pliable sheet-type material with only a seam around the perimeter of the base section 730 to join the base section and the bottom edge of the tubular piece of sheet-type material (no side seams at the walls).

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=49670345

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (16)

Citations (12)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 2012
  • 2012-06-01 US US13/486,361 patent/US20130322786A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2013
  • 2013-05-31 WO PCT/US2013/043672 patent/WO2013181573A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2013-05-31 EP EP13797858.1A patent/EP2854591A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-05-31 CN CN201380027686.7A patent/CN104334047B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2013-05-31 JP JP2015515252A patent/JP6148334B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (12)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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