U.S. patent application number 10/871096 was filed with the patent office on 2005-05-12 for personal apparatus for balanced support of side loads in either standing or sitting position.
Invention is credited to von Foerster, Marilyn Miller.
Application Number | 20050098599 10/871096 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34556448 |
Filed Date | 2005-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050098599 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
von Foerster, Marilyn
Miller |
May 12, 2005 |
Personal apparatus for balanced support of side loads in either
standing or sitting position
Abstract
An apparatus which supports a pair of side loads in balanced and
fully hand-accessible positions, while a person who is carrying the
apparatus is walking in a substantially erect position, and also
while the person is in a sitting position.
Inventors: |
von Foerster, Marilyn Miller;
(Neskowin, OR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GENE W. ARANT
P.O. BOX 269
LINCOLN CITY
OR
97367-0269
US
|
Family ID: |
34556448 |
Appl. No.: |
10/871096 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60518460 |
Nov 10, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
224/637 ;
224/638; 224/645 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 2003/146 20130101;
A45F 3/042 20130101; A45F 3/005 20130101; A45F 2003/045 20130101;
A45F 3/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/637 ;
224/638; 224/645 |
International
Class: |
A45F 003/02; A45F
003/04; A45F 003/08; A45F 003/10; A45C 013/30 |
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A garment-like apparatus for a person to carry books or personal
accessories while either walking or sitting, in order to maintain
relatively correct posture and minimize back injury, comprising:
(a) a web structure to extend across the person's back; (b) a pair
of shoulder straps, each having a rearward end portion secured to
the web structure, and a front end portion adapted to face
forwardly; (c) a pair of side bags adapted to be positioned at the
respective sides of the person, each side bag having a rearward end
secured to the web structure and a forward end secured to the
forwardly facing front end portion of the corresponding shoulder
strap, so that the weight of the contents of the side bags will be
transmitted to the person's shoulders through both the forward end
portions of the shoulder straps and the web structure to allow the
person to remain erect while supporting that weight; (d) the
securements of the side bags to the respective shoulder straps
being vertically adjustable to accommodate to the person's height
for convenient hand access to the side bags; (e) an upper front
strap extending horizontally and attached to the upper portions of
respective ones of the forwardly facing shoulder straps for
securing the upper ends of the shoulder straps a desired distance
apart; (f) a horizontally extending lower front strap attached to
the respective side bags for securing the side bags a desired
horizontal distance apart, the lower front strap being attached to
the front ends of the respective side bags at about their vertical
centers; and (g) the securement of the front strap to the shoulder
straps being selectively releasable so that the person, when in a
sitting position, may release it so as to open the upper part of
the garment while yet keeping the lower strap secured and the side
bags in convenient hand-accessible locations.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims priority of my U.S. provisional
application No. 60/518,460 filed on Nov. 10, 2003, and entitled
POSTURE BAG.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to shoulder-supported
apparatus for carrying books or other personal items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is a well-known problem at the present time that school
and college students are often obliged to carry heavy loads of
books that are injurious to their health. These loads often cause
back problems. Futhermore, besides the short term and long term
health problems, the students must endure a lot of discomfort and
inconvenience. Even when loads are balanced by distributing the
weight between two shoulders, there is still a great deal of
inconvenience associated with transporting a back pack or the like,
putting it on, taking it off, and storing it when not in use.
[0004] It is usually necessary for the student to remove the back
pack upon arriving at a destination, and either put it on the floor
or hang it up somewhere. And when that is done the contents of the
back pack are not then conveniently accessible.
PRIOR ART
[0005] One example of prior art is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,884,328
issued in 1932. A pair of shoulder straps were utilized to support
a corresponding pair of side bags.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to the present invention I provide an apparatus
which supports a pair of side loads in balanced and fully
accessible positions, while the person carrying the apparatus is
walking in a substantially erect position, and also while the
person is in a sitting position.
[0007] My garment-like apparatus has a pair of shoulder straps
supporting corresponding side bags from both their front and
rearward ends, an upper front strap that normally holds the
shoulder straps in spaced relation but may be released when the
person sits down and the shoulder straps are taken off, and a lower
front strap that may be kept fastened when the person sits down so
as to preserve the accessibility of the contents of the side
bags.
DRAWING SUMMARY
[0008] FIG. 1 is an artistic side view of a person walkling in an
erect position while carrying my novel apparatus;
[0009] FIG. 2 shows the person in a sitting position with the side
bags still hand-accessible;
[0010] FIG. 3 shows the hand-accessible position of the side bags
after the shoulder straps are removed from the shoulders; and
[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the presently preferred form
of the apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(FIGS. 1-4)
[0012] FIGS. 1 through 3 show use of the apparatus by a person 10
having shoulders 12, arms 14, and hands 16. FIG. 4 shows the
preferred form of my novel apparatus A including some details not
shown in the other figures.
[0013] The garment-like apparatus A is symmetrical on both the left
and right sides. It includes an X-shaped web structure 20 adapted
to fit on the person's back; shoulder straps 30; side bags 40; a
horizontal upper strap 50; and a horizontal lower strap 60.
[0014] X-shaped web structure 20 has diverging upper legs 22 and
diverging lower legs 24. The upper legs 22 are attached to rearward
ends 32 of respective shoulder straps 30, while lower legs 24 of
the web 20 are secured to the rearward ends 42 of respective side
bags 40. The precise shape or configuration of web structure 20 is
not critical to the successful operation and use of the present
invention, as various other configurations could be used.
[0015] The pair of shoulder straps 30 are adapted to fit over and
be supported from the person's shoulders 12. Each of the shoulder
straps 30 has a rearward end portion 32 secured to an upper leg or
corner 22 of the web structure 20, and a front end portion 34 that
is adapted to face forwardly from the person's shoulders 12. An
upper part of the front end portion 34 of each should strap 30 is
designated as 36 while its lower end is designated 38.
[0016] Each side bag 40 has a rearward end 42 attached to a lower
corner or end 24 of web structure 20, and a forward end 44 that is
secured to and supported by the forward portion 34 of the
associated shoulder strap 30.
[0017] The upper front strap 50 has ends 52 attached to upper parts
36 of the front end portions 34 of corresponding shoulder straps
30. Strap 50 is made with two longitudinally extending parts which
are normally secured together in lengthwise relation by a
quick-release type of snap fastener 54. Fastener 54 preferably has
the capability to adjust the length of upper strap 50 and hence the
horizontal distance between the upper parts 36 of the shoulder
straps 30.
[0018] Lower front strap 60 has ends 62 that are attached to
respective side bags 40 to support them at a desired horizontal
distance apart. At it approximate longitudinal center the front
strap 60 has an easily releasable snap fastener 64 that allows the
strap to be opened when the apparatus A is to be removed from the
person's body. Fastener 64 preferably also has the capability to
adjust the effective length of lower strap 50 so as to adjust the
horizontal distance between the side bags 40.
[0019] At its lower extremity 38 the forwardly facing portion 34 of
each shoulder strap 30 is secured by means of an adjustable
fastener 46 to the forward end 44 of a corresponding side bag 40.
Fasteners 46 may be adjusted to adjust the effective length of the
shoulder straps and hence the vertical positions of side bags 40
relative to the associated shoulder straps 30, so as to accommodate
to the person's height and preserve convenient hand access to the
side bags 40.
[0020] In operation, the apparatus of my invention allows the
person to carry books or personal accessories while either walking
or sitting in relatively correct posture and minimizing possible
back injury. FIG. 1 shows the walking position. FIG. 2 shows a
sitting position. FIG. 3 shows the person in a sitting position
after the upper snap fastener 54 has been released so that the
upper part of the garment-like apparatus can be opened. Dotted
lines in FIG. 3 indicate the positions of the shoulder straps
before fastener 54 is released. After the shoulder straps are
released, each one can fall or be lowered to a position outside of
and below the associated side bag 40, so that the user of the
apparatus retains full hand access to the contents of the side
bags.
[0021] When the user assumes a sitting position as shown in FIG. 3
it is not necessary to remove the apparatus and either put it on
the floor or hang it up. The person can conveniently retain the
apparatus in an operative position with side bags 40 fully
accessible. When the person needs to get up and walk, it takes very
little time to put the shoulder straps back in place and fasten the
fastener 54.
[0022] Additional details shown only or more clearly in FIG. 4 are
as follows. The side bags 40 are preferably provided with zipper
fastenings 48 on their top sides. In addition, the adjustable
fasteners 46 that attach the lower ends 38 of the shoulder straps
30 to the front ends 44 of the side bags are preferably secured to
the side bags at about the middle of their vertical height. This
facilitates maintaining the desired position and aspect of the side
bags when the user of the apparatus is in a sitting position.
Vertical slides 70 are preferably provided on the forwardly facing
front end portions of the shoulder straps 30, so that the vertical
location of the upper strap 50 may be adjusted to suit the
convenience of the wearer.
[0023] The presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been
disclosed in detail in order to comply with requirements of the
patent laws. While many mofifications and variations will be
apparent to persons skilled in the art, the scope of the protection
presently sought for the invention is to be judged only in
accordance with the appended claim.
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