GB2522033A - Carry bags - Google Patents

Abstract

A carry bag 11 has a clam-shell construction and comprises first and second shell parts 12, 13 hinged together so that they can be opened and closed. A closure arrangement such as complimentary zippers 17, 18 may be provided to secure the bag 11 closed. At least one of the compartments 12, 13 has a closure 15 to close it off from the other compartment. Closure 15 may take the form of a flexible flap hinged to one of the shell compartments 12, 13. One of the compartments 12, 13 may be insulated for carrying frozen food. Preferably, the bag may be sat, open, in a supermarket trolley while food is loaded into the compartments. A pocket (21, fig.1) may be provided on the inside of the bag to hold a bar code reader. The bag may be a backpack with shoulder straps (41, fig. 4). A load measuring arrangement (51, fig.4) may be provided on the straps 41 and may communicate with a smart phone application.

Description

Carry Bags This invention relates to carry bags, including shopping bags, backpacks, shoulder bags and sports bags.

At its simplest, a hag comprises a flexible container having an open top and handles, hut hags adapted to particular purposes have varying degrees of complexity, with mHltiple compartments and pockets in which items of different sizes and natures can be placed. A game angler's bag, for example, will have a capacious compartment for reels and sundry pockets for lures, lines and traces. A tennis or cricket player's bag will generally have essentially a single compartment for clothing and perhaps a racquet or bat.

Shoppillg bags generally have but a single compartment into which shopping is packed in more or less orderly fashion.

Bags can have a number of different carrying arrangements. Commonly, hand canyillg handles are provided for shopping bags, hack straps for backpacks and shoulder straps for shoulder bags. Some shopping bags are more rigid, of rectangular cross section and provided with a closure, wheels or castors and a push handle perhaps in addition to hand carrying handles, or perhaps adapted for a lightweight trolley.

in the design of bags, if conventioll is not slavishly followed, atteiltion is paid to canying capacity, the provision of pockets, and, of course, appearance. Comfort in use is provided by wide or rounded handles that do not bite into the hand, or broad hack or shoulder straps, but, beyond that, scant attention is paid to the effect of a loaded bag on the carrier's body.

The present invention provides a universal bag design that provides good load carrying capacity, for the separation of load items, and ease of loading and unloading.

The invention comprises a carry hag comprising a clam-shell construction having first and second shell parts hinged together so that they can be opened and closed together, with a closure arrangement to secure them closed, in which one at least of the compartments has a closure to close it off from the other.

The first and second parts may be equal in size or unequal, but not unequal to such an extent that the hag cannot he placed stahly on a flat surface with both parts on the surface so that both parts may be loaded without tipping the bag.

The bag may, when closed, be configured with a rectangular section with flat end faces.

If the parts are more or less equal in depth, they will, when hinged open, each he ahle to sit with their end faces flat on the surface. Even if they are not of equal depth, and provided they are not too different, they will be able to sit Oil the surface with one or both parts canted, hut open for ease of loading and stable while being loaded.

I

Where the two parts are unequal, it is preferred that at least the small part has a closure, so that its load does not tip into the larger part when the bag is closed.

The compartment closure may comprise a zipped hinged flap. The hinge between the first and second shell parts may comprise a flexible hinge and the parts may have complementary zipper arrangements.

At least one compartment may be insulated for carrying frozen food The end face of at least one of the shell parts may be rigid, as by comprising plywood, for example. This will help keep the hag in shape when laden.

The bag may have external pockets, one of which may be adapted to hold a mobile phone, and the bag may comprise a charging arrangement therefor. Another pocket may IS he designed fbr a self-checkout bar code reader -such pocket may he on the inside of the bag so that it may be presented with bar codes as the bar coded items are being loaded. The bag may be configured so as to sit, open, in a supermarket shopping trolley.

The bag may be configured as a hand carrying bag, with a handle or handles on at least one and face and/or on at least one other face. Or it may be configured as a backpack with hack straps, or a shoulder hag with one or more shoulder straps.

When configured as a backpack, the bag may comprise a lumbar cushion that may be

adj ustable.

The bag may comprise a load measuring arrangement, which may serve to warn when the bag is loaded beyond a safe level for carrying, or which may be used, for example, when loading a compartment with goods such as vegetables, to determine the amount loaded.

It may, however, also be used in connection with a mobile phone app to measure calories burned carrying the bag, as part of an exercise regime. The load measuring arrangement may comprise a load cell arrangement in one end face and/or in a back suap or shoulder strap, or a carrying handle.

The bag may comprise damping means in a carrying handle or strap, which can help to level out variations in pressure on the shoulders, say, when walking or, more particularly, jogging.

Embodiments of carry bags according to the invention will now he described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a first embodiment; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of Figure 1, open; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the embodiment of Figure I, splayed for loading and unloading; and Figure 4 is a side elevation of a second embodiment.

The drawings illustrate a carry hag ii comprising a clam-shell constrLlction having first and second shell parts 12, 13 hinged together so that they can be opened and closed together, with a closure arrangement 14 to secure them closed, in which one, 12, of the compartments has a closure I 5 (Figure 2) to close it off from the other.

The first and second parts 12, 13 are unequal in size, but not unequal to such an extent that the bag 11 cannot be placed stably on a flat surface with both pans 12, 13 on the surface so that both parts maybe loaded without tipping the hag -this is shown in Figure 3, where the parts 12, 13 are canted towards each other, but each can be loaded without tipping the bag 11 or either part of it.

IS The hag Ii is, when closed, configured with a rectangular section with flat end faces i ía, 1 lb. If the pans 12, 13 were more or less equal in depth, they will, when hinged open, each be able to sit with their end faces 11 a, 1 lb flat on the surface. However in both embodiments, the parts are not of equal depth, hut are not so different, they will cannot sit on the surface with one or both parts canted, but open for ease of loading and stable while being loaded, as shown in Figure 3.

It is the small part 12, in each embodiment, that has closure 15. It is expected that the smaller part 12 would, when both parts are loaded, be elevated over the larger part 13, and the closure 15 ensures that its contents do not tip into the larger part 13 when the bag Ii is closed.

The compartment closure 15 comprise a zipped hinged flap. The hinge is formed essentially by the closure IS itself being of flexible plastics material, hut it could instead be of rigid board, in which case a pinned hinge would be appropriate. The hinge 16 between the first and second shell parts comprises a flexible hinge, being simply fabric from which the bag 11 is made. Complementary zipper arrangements 17, 18 on the parts 12, 13 close the hagi i. Both compartments could, of course, have closures.

The compartment in part 12 is insulated for carrying frozen food, but both compartments could he insulated so that shopping trips in which differing ratios of frozen to non-frozen food can be accommodated.

The end face I Ia is rigid, as by comprising plywood, for example. This will help keep the bag in shape when laden.

The bag 11 has external pockets 19, one, 19a, of which is adapted to hold a mobile phone, and the hag may comprise a charging arrangement therefor. An internal pocket 2 I is designed for a self-checkout bar code reader -this pocket is on the inside of the bag 11 so that it may be presented with bar codes as the bar coded items are being loaded. The hag Ii maybe configured so as to sit, open, in a supermarket shopping trolley. In place of the self-checkout reader, a smartphone could he used with an app that read harcodes and accessed a store's database by a wi-fl connection to determine prices and perform all the other functions of the self-checkout reader. Such an app could also compare prices against prices in other stores and hold a shopping list.

The embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 is configured as a hand carrying bag, with handles 22 on at least one and face and/or on at least one other face. However, wheels 23 are also provided so it may he pulled when loaded, and an additional pop-up handle may also then he provided Studs 24 are provided on the end face 11 a to level the bag 11 when on its wheels 23. The wheels23 are desirably, as, indeed, illustrated, on the opposite side of the bag 11 than the hinge 16, so that the bag does not collapse when canted as shown in FigLire 3.

The second embodiment, illustrated in Figure 4, is configured as a backpack with back straps 41 The bag 11, may, however, also be configured as a shoulder bag, essentially as IS illustrated in Figure 4, hut with one or more shoulder straps instead of the hack straps 41.

While illustrated as if rigid, this embodiment could be of flexible construction, as are, indeed, many backpacks. So that the bag may be opened while still attached to a wearer's back, the hinge 16 is, as illustrated, on the opposite side of the bag II to the hack straps 41.

While illustrated as being of rectangular section, it could have any other shape, for example, semi-circular, and it may taper towards the top.

The back pack bag Ii of Figure 4 comprises a lumbar cushion 42 that is adjustable for height on straps.

The bag 11 comprises a load measuring arrangement 51, which may serve to warn when the hag is loaded beyond a safe level for carrying, or which may he used, for example, when loading a compartment with goods such as vegetables, to determine the amount loaded. It may, however, also be used in connection with a mobile phone app to measure calories burned carrying the bag, as part of an exercise regime. The load measuring arrangement SI comprises a load cell arrangement in the end face Ii a in the first embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, in a back strap 41 or shoulder strap, or a carrying handle 22.

The bag 11 illustrated in Figure 4 comprises damping means 52 in a carrying handle or strap, which can help to level out variations in pressure on the shoulders, say, when walking or, more particularly, jogging. The damping means may include a sprung magnet and coil arrangement generating electrical power when being carried or pulled, and this may be rectified and fed to a battery and used to power a mobile phone, load cells and other electrical paraphernalia carried in or by the bag 11. Another form of charging arrangement may comprises photovoltaic panels Ofl the exterior of the hag.