U.S. patent application number 11/781329 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-31 for backpack with adaptive fit waist belt.
This patent application is currently assigned to LOWE ALPINE HOLDINGS LTD. Invention is credited to Thomas James Eveleigh, Martyn HURN.
Application Number | 20080023514 11/781329 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37698862 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080023514 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HURN; Martyn ; et
al. |
January 31, 2008 |
BACKPACK WITH ADAPTIVE FIT WAIST BELT
Abstract
A backpack with a bag pack and a waist belt, which can adjust
its position according to the wearer particular body shape, is
described. Said waist belt comprises two side hip portions (11, 17)
joined to the bag pack, and a strap connection (18) interconnecting
said two side hip portions (11, 17); each hip portion further
comprises a webbing (20) being fastened to the related side hip
portion (11, 17), a first buckle (14), through which said webbing
(20) is connected to said bag pack, and a second buckle (16),
through which said webbing (10) is connected to said stripe
connection (18).
Inventors: |
HURN; Martyn; (Kendal,
GB) ; Eveleigh; Thomas James; (Kendal, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KATTEN MUCHIN ROSENMAN LLP
575 MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10022-2585
US
|
Assignee: |
LOWE ALPINE HOLDINGS LTD
Anne Street LA9 6AA
Kendal
GB
|
Family ID: |
37698862 |
Appl. No.: |
11/781329 |
Filed: |
July 23, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/660 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 3/047 20130101;
A45F 3/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/660 |
International
Class: |
A45F 3/00 20060101
A45F003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 28, 2006 |
EP |
06118088.1 |
Claims
1. Backpack comprising: a pack body (30); a waist belt (10) with
two side hip portions (11, 17), each one joined to the pack body
(30) at one end (15, 29), and a strap connection (18)
interconnecting said two side hip portions (11, 17), in order to
encompass the user's torso, characterized by further comprising,
for each said hip portion (11, 17): a webbing (20) being fastened
to the related side hip portion (11, 17) on at least one point (25,
27), forming a closed loop; a first buckle (14), through which said
webbing (20) is connected to said pack body (30); a second buckle
(16), through which said webbing (10) is connected to said stripe
connection (18).
2. Backpack according to claim 1, characterized in that said
webbing (20) is fastened to the related side hip portion (11, 17)
on a first fastening point (25) and a second fastening point (27),
said webbing (20) having a length greater than the direct distance
between said fastening points (25, 27).
3. Backpack according to claim 1, characterized in that said hip
portion (11, 17) comprises a sleeve (28) which the webbing (20)
passes through.
4. Backpack according to claim 1, characterized in that said first
buckle (14) is connected to said pack body (30) through a ribbon
(32).
5. Backpack according to claim 1, characterized in that said
webbing (20) is divided into three parts by said first buckle (14)
and said second buckle (16); the first part (24) being comprised
between said first fastening point (25) and said second buckle
(16), the second part (22) being comprised between said first
buckle (14) and said second buckle (16), the third part (26) being
comprised between said first buckle (14) and said second fastening
point (27).
6. Backpack according to claim 1, characterized in that said side
hip portion (11, 17) comprises an opening (13).
7. Waist belt comprising: two side hip portions (11, 17), each one
adapted to be joined to the pack body (30) of a backpack at one end
(15, 29) thereof; a strap connection (18) interconnecting said two
side hip portions (11, 17), in order to encompass the user's torso;
characterized by further comprising, for each said hip portion (11,
17): a webbing (20) being fastened to the related side hip portion
(11, 17) on at least one point (25, 27), and forming a closed loop;
a first buckle (14), for the connection of said webbing (20) to
said pack body (30); a second buckle (16), for the connection of
said webbing (20) to said strap connection (18).
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a backpack with a waist
belt, which can adjust its position according to the wearer
particular body shape.
[0002] Backpacks usually comprise a pack body and a pair of
shoulder straps. In order to make the transport more comfortable
and secure, some types of backpacks, such as trampers backpacks or
haversack, can also include a waist belt, which makes the pack body
stable and closer to the wearer back and let part of the pack body
weight to be applied not only on user shoulder but on the user
waist and hips as well.
[0003] At present backpacks generally comprise means that let the
backpack to be adjustable to the wearers different sizes. Thus,
while the pack body remains with fixed dimension, the shoulder
straps and the waist belt can vary their length and position.
[0004] In this way, by operating just on some buckles and straps,
the same backpacks can fit users with different body
characteristics such as shoulder width, chest and shoulder size,
waist size, torso height and waist shape.
[0005] Among the several adjustable backpacks features--length and
angular setting of shoulder straps, length of waist belt, distance
between hip belt and the top junction of shoulder straps with pack
body--one of the most important is the angular position of the hip
belt.
[0006] A conventional waist belt has a strip shape in order to
better adhere to the user waist profile. In fact for a comfortable
backpack carrying, waist belt has to be tight around the torso just
below the waistline and it has to adjust its lateral inclination
according to the user hip shape and specifically to the waist
inclination below the waistline.
[0007] Thus, the carrying may be comfortable, if the weight force
is applied not only to the shoulder or to a small hipbone area, but
if it is also uniformly applied along the entire waistline.
[0008] In order to achieve this aim, some types of waist belts are
known which can vary not only their distance from the top junction
of shoulder straps with pack body, but also their angular position
therewith.
[0009] For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,139 discloses a waist belt
that can change its angular position; in particular this type of
belt includes two lateral hip parts; each part presents two
horizontal spaced straps, one of which can vary its length by
setting the buckle which said strap passes through. In this way the
two straps can have different lengths, which causes the lateral hip
part to vary its angular position.
[0010] Thus, when the user wears the backpack and he needs to
adjust the waist belt, he has to set the buckle and the related
strap in such a way that each hip part moves angularly to fit the
waist shape.
[0011] These adjusting operations can be repeated till the waist
belt is in a comfort position. It is evident that this setting
procedure can be difficult and time consuming, since the adjusting
means are also in positions difficult to access, whereby users
often do not set the waist belt angularly and consequently the
weight of the backpack is applied only on small areas of the
hipbone, leading an uncomfortable use of the backpack itself.
[0012] Therefore the main object of the invention is to provide a
backpack with a waist belt, which can fit every kind of user waist
shape by simply binding the belt around the torso, without
complicated adjusting setting elements.
[0013] This and further objects are reached by a backpack
comprising a pack body, and a waist belt with two side hip
portions, each one joined to the pack body at one end, and a strap
connection interconnecting said two side hip portions, in order to
encompass the user's torso, characterized by further comprising,
for each said hip portion: a webbing being fastened to the related
side hip portion on at least one point, forming a closed loop; a
first buckle, through which said webbing is connected to said pack
body; a second buckle, through which said webbing is connected to
said stripe connection.
[0014] This will emerge clearly from the following description of
non-limiting example of an embodiment illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view of a side hip portion of the waist
belt, according to the present invention, in a first of the many
angular positions;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the side hip portion
of FIG. 1 perpendicular to the webbing passing through the side hip
portion;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of the side hip portion in a second
angular position;
[0018] FIGS. 4 and 5 are two frontal views of the waist belt in the
angular position of FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively;
[0019] FIGS. 6 and 7 are the frontal views of two users with
different waist shape wearing the waist belt of the preceding
figures;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the side hip portion
according to a second embodiment of the waist belt;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a side view of a side hip portion of the waist
belt according to a third embodiment of the waist belt.
[0022] With reference to the above-mentioned figures, a waist belt
10 comprises: [0023] a right and a left side hip portion 11, 17 of
a cushioning material, joined at 15, 29 to a pack body 30, which is
shown only partially in FIGS. 4 and 5 [0024] a strap connection
generally designated by the reference numeral 18, consisting of two
webs 19, 21 joined by a male-female fastener 31 at their free ends
and secured to the hip portions 11, 17 through respective buckles
16, 23; [0025] two webbings 20, each one sewn to the related hip
portions 11, 17 and passing through a first buckle 14 which is
designated as uniloop in the following description, and a second
buckles 16.
[0026] Since the waist belt 10 is of a symmetrical construction,
only the right side portion thereof will be now described with
particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0027] The hip portion 11 has essentially a triangular shape, a
cathetus of which is substantially parallel to the backpack maximum
extension direction, namely close to vertical.
[0028] The joint between the hip portion 11 and the pack body 30 is
restricted to a small connecting portion 15 of said triangular
shape, specifically at the bottom end of said cathetus, in such a
way that the entire side hip portion 11 can rotate around said
connecting portion 15.
[0029] The webbing 20 is sewn through its ends on the related hip
portion 11 at points 25, 27, so that the webbing 20 and the part of
the hip portion comprised between said points 25, 27, form a closed
loop. In particular, said fastening points 25, 27 are positioned
near the other two vertexes of the hip portion 11.
[0030] Moreover the length of said webbing 20 is greater than the
direct distance (D) between the fastening points 25, 27 where the
webbing ends are sewn on, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 2;
in fact the webbing 20 is retained on the side hip portion 11 by
the uniloop 14 and the buckle 16 which the webbing 20 slidably
passes through. In this way the webbing 20 can be ideally divided
into three parts: the first one 24 goes from one fastening point 25
to the buckle 16 and has a length L1, the second part 22 from said
uniloop 14 and said buckle 16 and has a length L3, and the third
part 26 from the uniloop 14 and the opposite sewing point 27 and
has a length L2. Thus the total length of the webbing (L1+L2+L3) is
greater than the direct distance (D) between the fastening points
25, 27.
[0031] A ribbon 32, which is the connection of said webbing 20 with
the pack body 30, passes through the uniloop 14. Alternatively said
uniloop 14 can be directly connected to the pack body 30.
[0032] The buckle 16 is passed through by one of the two webs 19,
21 which are part of the strap connection 18. In this way each side
hip portion 11, 17 is connected by said webbing 20 to the pack body
30 and to the strap connection 18, in such a way that the waist
belt 10 encompass the user's torso.
[0033] According to a feature of the invention a sleeve 28 in which
the webbing 20--specifically the webbing central part 22--passes
through, is attached to the upper portion of the hip portion
11.
[0034] The webbing 20 is slidably movable through said uniloop 14
and said buckle 16 in such a manner that the lengths (L1 and L3) of
its first and third part 24, 26 can be varied. As a consequence, by
passing through the sleeve 28, the webbing 20 moves the side hip
portions 11, 17 angularly around the connecting portion 15, which
is the connecting point of the side hip portion 11 to the pack body
30.
[0035] Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the side hip portion 11 can
be set in different angular positions, varying the ideal angle
having, as a vertex, the connecting portion 15 of the side hip
portion 11 with the pack body 30.
[0036] Such an angle is comprised between the base cathetus of the
ideal triangle which the side hip portion can be assimilated to,
and the ideal horizontal line coming from said connecting portion
15.
[0037] According to FIGS. 4 to 7, when the user wears the backpack,
after closing the male-female fastener 31 and tightening the two
webs 19, 21, the above-defined angle changes; in fact by tightening
the two webs 19, 21, the waist belt 10 decreases its length and the
hip portion 11 moves according to the direction F--the length L2 of
the first webbing part 24 increases, while the length L1 of the
third webbing part 26 decreases. Thanks to this movement both the
hip portions 11, 17 position themselves in a higher position,
generating an angle A', as shown in FIG. 1.
[0038] Advantageously this in turn increases the lateral slope B'
of the hip belt--the slope of the ideal line tangent to the lateral
profile of the waist belt--and this change let the hip belt to
accommodate an accentuated hip profiles, as shown in FIGS. 4,
6.
[0039] Vice versa, if the two webs 19, 21 are extended, the waist
belt 10 increases its length and the webbing 10 moves with respect
to the hip portion 11--the length L2 of the first webbing part 24
decreases, while the length L1 of the third webbing part 26
increases.
[0040] Thanks to this webbing movement the hip portions 11, 17
position themselves in a lower position and generate an angle of
lower width A'', as shown in FIG. 3.
[0041] As a result the lateral slope of the hip belt
decreases--angle B''--so as to fit a less notable hip profile, as
illustrated in FIGS. 5, 7.
[0042] As a second preferred embodiment the webbing 20 can be a
band joined to the related hip portion on a single point 12, in
such a way that it forms a one-body closed loop, as illustrated in
FIG. 8, where the same parts of the first embodiment show the same
reference numbers.
[0043] According to an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 9, each
side hip portion 11 is provided with an opening 13 at the level of
the user's hip bone, so as to improve the wearability of the back
pack.
[0044] It is understood that, within the scope of protection of the
appended claims, it shall be possible to develop the invention in
forms and variants different from those above described.
* * * * *