GB2399740A

GB2399740A - A backpack adapted to carry a skateboard.

Info

Publication number: GB2399740A
Application number: GB0306619A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Morgan David Nicholas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-22
Filing date: 2003-03-22
Publication date: 2004-09-29
Also published as: GB0306619D0

Abstract

A rucksack or backpack adapted to carry a skateboard or the like comprises a body portion 12 with at least one storage compartment therein and a guide for at least a single length 32,34 of resilient cord, the guide having spaces through which the resilient cord may be drawn so as to loop around, and engage with, the skateboard. The guide may be formed from a plurality of spaced fabric sleeves attached to the body portion and may be substantially u-shaped. Ribbed pads 56,58 may be attached to upper and lower ends of the body portion to engage with the surface of a skateboard being carried. The backpack is highly suited for carrying a skateboard as it leaves a user's hands free without the carrying means for the skateboard adding significantly to the backpack's weight or bulk.

Description

Title: Backpack The present invention relates to a backpack, and more

particularly to a backpack adapted to carry a skateboard.

It is already known to carry a skateboard by means of a backpack, otherwise known as a rucksack. A backpack is highly suitable for the purpose of carrying a skateboard, because the hands of the person wearing the backpack are free.

Typically, a backpack for a skateboard is also designed to carry a snowboard. Therefore, such a backpack has compromised design, and usually includes at least two fabric flaps, which wrap around the skateboard or snowboard and fasten together, for example, with hook and eye fastener.

In order to support a snowboard over a reasonable length, these flaps usually extend over a large portion of the front of the backpack, are ungainly and add to the weight of the backpack.

Furthermore, the flaps are tensioned by hand around the skateboard or snowboard, and consequently the board is not held with positive pressure against the backpack. When the user is 1 5 subsequently wearing the backpack, the board tends to slide relative to the backpack, between the flaps end the rear ofthe backpack, causedbymovementoftheuser, for example, by walking. This problem is exacerbated when carrying a skateboard, because snowboards are typically wider than skateboards, and the flaps are typically attached to the backpack with a large space therebetween in which a skateboard can move.

It is anobjectofthe invention to provide abackpack for carrying a skateboard, whichis adapted to more firmly attach a skateboard to the backpack than the known arrangement described.

According to the present invention there is provided a backpack for carrying a skateboard compnsng a body portion having at least one storage compartment therein, guide means attached to an outer surface of the body portion, at least one length of resilient cord running through the guide means, and spaces in the guide means through which the resilient cord can be drawn for engagement with the skateboard.

It is an advantage of the backpack that the resilient cord or cords pass around the axles of a skateboard, and the tension in the cord or cords holds the skateboard tightly in contact with the body portion of the backpack.

Preferably, the guide means is formed by a plurality of spaced fabric sleeves stitched to the body portion. The guide means preferably follows substantially a U-shape.

First and second pads maybe attached to upper and lower respective ends ofthe bodyportion.

l O The first and second pads have aribbed surface, whichin use, contacts the surfaceofaskateboard being carried.

It is a further advantage ofthe invention that the pads are positioned to engage grip-taping or a roughened surface ofthe skateboard, where a rider ofthe skateboard positions his feet when riding the skateboard. This assists in preventing movement ofthe skateboardrelative to the bodyportion when the resilient cord or cords engage the skateboard.

Preferably there are at least three resilient cords running through the guide means, a first resilient cord for engaging opposite ends of a first axle of a skateboard, and second and third resilient cords for engaging respective ends of a second axle of the skateboard.

It is a yet further advantage ofthe invention that the spaces in the guide means through which the resilient cord can be drawn for engagement with the skateboard are provided at spacings narrower than the typical spacing between the axles of a skateboard. Therefore, in use, the resilient cords tend to act to draw the axles ofthe skateboard towards one-another as well as towards the body portion. This assists in preventing axial movement ofthe skateboard relative to the backpack, in use.

The invention wild now be described byway of example onlywith reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig I shows a schematic front view of a backpack in accordance with the invention; Fig 2 shows a schematic side view of the backpack of Fig. 1; Fig 3 shows a schematic side view ofthe backpack shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with a skateboard attached thereto; Fig 4 shows a schematic front view of the skateboard and backpack shown in Fig. 3; Fig 5 shows guide means ofthe backpack shownin Figs. 1 to 4, with afirstresilientcord running through the guide means; and Fig 6 shows the guide means of Fig. 5 with second and third resilient cords running through the guide means.

Referring firstly to Figs 1 and 2, a backpack or rucksack for carrying a skateboard is indicated generally at 10. The backpack 10 is constructed from a hard wearing fabric and has a body portion 12 including a front wall 14, a rear wall 16, side walls 18, a lowerwall 20 and an upper l 5 wall 22. A storage compartment is formed in the body portion 12 of the backpack, between the walls, and a zip fastener 24 is provided for opening and closing the backpack in conventional manner.

A pair of straps 26, by which the backpack can be earned on a person's back, are attached at one end to a seam running between the rear edge ofthe upperwall 22 and the upper end ofthe rear wall 16. The other ends ofthe straps 26 are attached to seams running between the respective side walls 18 ofthe backpack end rear wall 16. Furthermore, ahandle28 is attached to the upper wall 22, by which the backpack can be carried by hand.

A guide means 30, shown also in Figs 5 and 6, is formed by a plurality of spaced fabric sleeves stitched to the front wall 14. The guide means is substantiallyU-shaped and guides first, second and third resilient cords 32,34,36, commonly known as shock cords. The ends of the cords 32,34,36 are firmly attached to the body portion 12 of the backpack by stitching 38.

As can be seen from Fig 5, the first resilient cord 32, indicated partly in dotted outline, runs through a central portion 40 ofthe guide means 30 up the left hand-side ofthe front wall 14, as viewed in the Figs, across a space 42 in the guide means, through an upper portion 44 ofthe guide means extending along the top ofthe front wall 14, across a further space 46, and through a central portion 48 of the guide means down the right hand-side of the backpack, as viewed in the Figs. Referring to Fig 6, the second resilient cord 34, shown partly in dotted outline, runs downwards through the central portion 40, across a space 50, and through three further spaced sleeve portions ofthe guide means 30'andterminates atthejunctionofthe sidewall 18, rearwall 16 and lower wall 20. Similarly, the third resilient cord 36, also shown partly in dotted outline, runs downwards through the central portion 48, across a space 52, and through three further spaced sleeve portions ofthegude means 30, and terminates atthejunctionoftheothersidewall 18, rearwall 16 and lower wal] 20.

It is considered important that the first resident cord 32 extends through substantially the whole length ofthe central portions 40,48 ofthe guide means 30, because the cord has to be stretched a significant distance away from the front wall 14 in the spaces 42,46, to loop around the axles of 2() a skateboard, indicated at 54 in Figs 3 and 4. Forthe same reason, the second andthirdresilient cords 34,36 extend through substantially the whole length of the respective central portions 40,48 ofthe guide means 30. If the resilient cords 32,34,36 are too short, theymayreach theirlimit of elasticity, and be unable to engage the axles of the skateboard 54.

As can be seen in Fig 1, first and second pads 56,58 are attached to upper and lower respective ends ofthe front wall 14Ofthebodyportion 12. Thepads 56,58 have aribbed surface, which in use, contacts the surface of the skateboard 54 being carried. The pads 56,58 are positioned to s engage grip-taping or a roughened surface of the skateboard, where a rider of the skateboard positions his feet when riding the skateboard. This assists in preventing movement of the skateboard 54 relative to the body portion 12 when the resilient cords 32,34,36 engage the skateboard.

Inuse,the backpack l 0 fulfils the function ofatypical medium sized backpack, but has the added capability of securely carrying a skateboard. In order to attach the skateboard 54 to the backpack l (), the skateboard isplaced against the pads 56,58 ofthe front wall 14 with its wheels facing away from the front wall. The first resilient cord 32 is pulled out from the spaces 42,46 in the guide means 30 and is stretched around a first axle 60 ofthe skateboard 54, best seen in Fig 4. Similarly, l () the second resilient cord 34 is pulled out from the space 50 in the guide means 30 and is stretched around one end of a second axle 62, and the third resilient cord 36 is pulled out from the space 52 in the guide means 30 and is stretched around the other end ofthe second axle 62. The order in which the cords 32,34,36 are attached to the axles 60,62 is unimportant.

Once attached, the tension in the cords 32,34,36 holds the skateboard 54 tightly in contact with the pads 56,58. The distance between the spaces 42,50 and 46,52, that is the length ofthe central portions 40,48, is such that when a typical skateboard is attached to the backpack 10, the first resilient cord 32 is stretched upwards as well as away from the front wall 14, and the second and third resilient cords 34,36 are stretched downwards as well as away from the front wall 14. This has the effect of helping to prevent vertical slidingmovement ofthe skateboard relative to the backpack.

It is envisaged that in a further embodiment ofthe invention, not shown, only one continuous length of resilient cord could be used, if looped back on itselfto provide the necessary stretch or extension of the cord required to hold the skateboard. i

Claims

1. A backpack for carrying a skateboard comprising a body portion having at least one storage compartment therein, guide means attached to an outer surface of the body portion, at least one length of resilient cord running through the guide means, and spaces in the guide means through which the resilient cord can be drawn for engagement with the skateboard.

2. A backpack as claimed in claim 1 m which the guide means is formed by a plurality of spaced fabric sleeves stitched to the body portion.

3. A backpack as claimed in claim I or claim 2 in which the guide means follows substantially a U-shape.

1 0

4. A backpack as claimed in any preceding claim in which first and second pads are attached to upper and lower respective ends of the body portion.

5. A backpack as claimed in claim 4 in which the first and second pads each have a ribbed surface, which in use, contacts the surface of a skateboard being carried.

6. A backpack as claimed in anyprecedingclaim in which there are at leastthreeresilient 1 5 cords rumling through the guide means, a first resilient cord for engaging opposite ends of a first axle of a skateboard, and second and third resilient cords for engaging respective ends of a second axle of the skateboard.