U.S. patent application number 09/776027 was filed with the patent office on 2001-08-23 for rigid lightweight carrying case.
Invention is credited to Flynn, Timothy R..
Application Number | 20010015332 09/776027 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25106255 |
Filed Date | 2001-08-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010015332 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Flynn, Timothy R. |
August 23, 2001 |
Rigid lightweight carrying case
Abstract
A rigid lightweight carrying case includes first and second
frame members hingedly attached to one another, each comprising a
band of rigid material substantially defining the outline of the
carrying case and at least partially circumscribing the object to
be carried in the case, a layer of rigid foam material affixed
within each frame member and located towards the exterior of the
case for providing structural rigidity to the case, a layer of soft
foam material affixed within each frame member adjacent the rigid
foam material and located towards the interior of the case, the
soft foam being contoured to accommodate and provide support for an
object to be carried in the case, an inner fabric layer of plush
material on the interior of the case covering substantially the
soft foam material, an outer fabric layer affixed to the exterior
of the case covering substantially the rigid frame members and the
rigid foam material, and means for carrying the case attached
thereto, thus providing a carrying case that is both strong and
durable, yet lightweight.
Inventors: |
Flynn, Timothy R.; (Elkhorn,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROWN PINNISI & MICHAELS
400 M & T BANK BUILDING
118 NORTH TIOGA ST
ITHACA
NY
14850
|
Family ID: |
25106255 |
Appl. No.: |
09/776027 |
Filed: |
February 2, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/523 ;
206/314 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 81/113 20130101;
A45C 5/02 20130101; G10G 7/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/523 ;
206/314 |
International
Class: |
B65D 081/02; A45C
011/00; B65D 085/30; B65D 085/32 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A rigid lightweight carrying case, comprising: a) first and
second frame members hingedly attached to one another, each
comprising a band of rigid material substantially defining an
outline of said carrying case and at least partially circumscribing
an object to be carried in said case; b) a layer of rigid foam
material affixed within each frame member and located towards an
exterior of said case for providing structural rigidity to said
case; c) a layer of soft foam material affixed within each frame
member adjacent said rigid foam material and located towards an
interior of said case, said soft foam being contoured to
accommodate and provide support for an object to be carried in said
case; d) an inner fabric layer of plush material on an interior of
said case covering substantially said soft foam material; e) an
outer fabric layer affixed to an exterior of said case covering
substantially said rigid frame members and said rigid foam
material; and f) means for carrying said case attached thereto.
2. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising an additional
layer of foam material located between said outer fabric layer and
said layer of rigid foam material.
3. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said rigid frame comprises
a material selected from the group consisting of wood, metal,
fiberglass, plastic and any other suitable rigid material.
4. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said inner fabric layer of
plush material is molded to said soft foam layer.
5. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said inner fabric layer of
plush material is laminated to a waterproof barrier, such that said
soft layer of foam material, when in a liquid state, does not
penetrate said inner fabric layer of plush material.
6. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said outer fabric layer
comprises a durable fabric.
7. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising an extruded
plastic binding, to which said outer fabric layer is attached.
8. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising closing means
selected from the group consisting of hinges, hasps, drawbolts,
latches and locks.
9. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein said case does not include
a zipper as a closing means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates generally to carrying cases, and in
particular, to a lightweight rigid carrying case that includes a
molded foam construction.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Musical instrument carrying cases of the prior art are
typically of two main types. They are either made of wood, metal,
plastic or other similarly rigid materials, or alternatively
consist of soft-side bag-style cases, typically referred to as a
"gig bag." For example, hard-shell rigid carrying cases are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,693; U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,754; U.S.
Pat. No. 3,901,384; U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,075; U.S. Pat. No.
5,713,465; U.S. Pat. No. 5,816395; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,804.
[0005] While prior art musical instrument carrying cases that are
formed from rigid materials tend to be very strong and durable,
providing excellent protection of the musical instrument, such
cases also tend to be rather heavy and cumbersome. On the other
hand, the soft-side bag-style cases, or "gig bags" tend to be more
lightweight, yet they typically provide significantly less
protection of the musical instrument contained therein, compared to
rigid cases. Thus, there exists a need for a musical instrument
carrying case that combines the desirable features of both hard and
soft carrying cases of the prior art, thereby providing a carrying
case that is both strong and durable, yet relatively
lightweight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Briefly stated, a rigid lightweight carrying case includes
first and second frame members hingedly attached to one another,
each comprising a band of rigid material substantially defining the
outline of the carrying case and at least partially circumscribing
the object to be carried in the case, a layer of rigid foam
material affixed within each frame member and located towards the
exterior of the case for providing structural rigidity to the case,
a layer of soft foam material affixed within each frame member
adjacent the rigid foam material and located towards the interior
of the case, the soft foam being contoured to accommodate and
provide support for an object to be carried in the case, an inner
fabric layer of plush material on the interior of the case covering
substantially the soft foam material, an outer fabric layer affixed
to the exterior of the case covering substantially the rigid frame
members and the rigid foam material, and means for carrying the
case attached thereto, thus providing a carrying case that is both
strong and durable, yet lightweight.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section view of a carrying case,
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section view of a carrying case,
according to an alternate embodiment of the invention having
additional features.
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a view of several examples of closing means for
a carrying case, according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The carrying case of the present invention is suitable for
carrying virtually any item, including but not limited to musical
instruments, electronic equipment, laptops and other computers,
video and still photography cameras and equipment, etc. The
carrying case of the invention is constructed primarily from foam
materials of various densities, rather than being made of wood,
metal, plastic, fiberglass or other similar rigid materials, as is
typically found of hard-shell carrying cases. The case of the
present invention thus provides the strength and rigidity of a
typical hard-shell case, thereby providing ample protection for the
object to be carried, on both the inside and outside of the case,
while also being relatively lightweight in comparison to prior art
hard-shell cases. Thus, the invention combines the most desirable
features of the hard-shell and soft-side carrying cases of the
prior art.
[0011] The invention employs a rigid material, such as, for
example, wood, metal, plastic, fiberglass or any other similar
rigid material, suitable to provide a frame for the carrying case,
thereby giving shape and adequate structural strength and rigidity
to the case. The frame defines the general outline of the plan view
of the carrying case, and at least partially circumscribes the
object to be carried therein, as shown in the drawing. The frame
members do not have any lids on them. Indeed, the carrying case of
the present invention does not have a typical lid, as in the prior
art, rather, the lid is integral with the case itself, in that
there is a separate frame for the bottom half and the top half of
the case. Attached to one opening of each frame member is a piece
of material, attached by any variety of methods, such as, for
example, staples, glue, sewing, rivets, or any other suitable
means. Thus, the portion of the invention that would serve as a lid
is preferably not made from a rigid material, but rather is made
from a fabric or other flexible, lightweight durable material, such
as, for example, Cordura.TM.. By eliminating the lids of typical
hard-shell cases, significant weight reduction is realized, yet the
protection of a hard-shell case remains.
[0012] In typical soft-side cases, zippers are normally used as a
closing means, which can easily break, thereby rendering the
rendering the case essentially useless. In the present invention,
instead of using zippers, hardware items, such as hinges, hasps,
drawbolts, latches, locks, handles, etc., are preferably used and
permanently attached to the frame of the case using standard
fastening means, which are well known in the art. The bottom and
top frame members are preferably joined using hinges and hasps,
drawbolts or latches, and/or locks, with which one skilled in the
art of hard-shell carrying cases is quite familiar.
[0013] One or more inserts comprising molded foam or a similar
lightweight material are fitted snugly within the inside of the
frame members to hold the object to be carried, and further to
provide additional structural support to the frame. The insert,
which protects the object to be carried, also fills out the
flexible lid of the case, again providing additional structural
support for the carrying case of the present invention. The insert
is contoured to match the shape of the instrument and the frame
member, and also provides support at the open end of the frame, to
which the fabric is attached.
[0014] Referring now to FIG. 1, a cross-section of a lightweight
rigid molded foam carrying case of the invention is shown. The
exterior of the lightweight molded foam carrying case of the
present invention is constructed from a combination of a frame
member 1 and a rigid foam material 4 to provide shape and
structure, while the interior is constructed from a soft foam
material 3 contoured to the shape of the object to be carried, to
support the object. The inner soft foam layer is soft enough to
also allow instruments of slightly different sizes to fit and be
protected. The case has a wooden frame 1 and an outer fabric layer
(not shown) on the exterior of the case. The wooden frame 1
provides additional structural rigidity, while the outer fabric
layer (not shown) is a highly durable material, such as, for
example Cordura.TM., thereby providing long wear and resistance to
abrasion.
[0015] The invention is constructed primarily from multiple layers
of foam materials of different densities, such that the outer layer
is a rigid layer of foam material 4 which is relatively more dense,
thus resembling the outer shell of prior art hard-shell cases,
while the inner layer is a soft layer of foam material 3, which is
relatively less dense, thus providing a soft cushion upon which to
nest and support the object to be carried. Covering the inner layer
of soft foam 3 is an inner fabric layer of plush material 2, such
as, for example, velveteen, to prevent scratching or otherwise
marking of the object to be carried. The inner fabric layer of
plush material 2 optionally is laminated to a waterproof barrier
material (not shown), such as, for example, plastic film, such that
the soft layer of foam 3, when in a liquid state, as in during
construction thereof, does not penetrate the inner fabric layer of
plush material 2. The case also includes traditional style hinge,
latch and optional locking hardware (not shown), which are
typically constructed of metal, and a carrying handle, constructed
from any suitable material.
[0016] Referring now to FIG. 2, optionally, the case may include an
additional layer of foam material 15, such as, for example, an
additional layer of polyurethane foam between the outer fabric
layer and the surface of the rigid foam layer 4, such that this
additional foam layer 15 provides another layer of protection and
fills out any voids or spaces that may form between the outer
fabric layer (not shown) and the surface of the rigid layer of foam
4. FIG. 3 shows a view of several examples of closing means for the
carrying case.
[0017] Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of
the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the
application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to
details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the
scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features
regarded as essential to the invention.
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