U.S. patent application number 12/878581 was filed with the patent office on 2011-09-15 for carry bag for personal items such as keys or valuables.
Invention is credited to Amanda BEATTIE, Joanne BUCHANAN.
Application Number | 20110220696 12/878581 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43768835 |
Filed Date | 2011-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110220696 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BUCHANAN; Joanne ; et
al. |
September 15, 2011 |
CARRY BAG FOR PERSONAL ITEMS SUCH AS KEYS OR VALUABLES
Abstract
The present invention relates to a carry bag for carrying
personal items and a method of manufacturing a carry bag for
carrying personal items. The carry bag comprising an inner pouch
within which one or more personal items can be received, the inner
pouch being made of a water impervious material such that in use
the inner pouch resists water entry and thereby protects the
personal items within the inner pouch from water. An outer pouch
within which the inner pouch is completely received, the outer
pouch having an opening through which the inner pouch is passed and
a flap extending across the opening to completely conceal the inner
pouch; and a strap on the outer pouch for strapping the outer pouch
to the body of a user.
Inventors: |
BUCHANAN; Joanne; (Burleigh
Waters, AU) ; BEATTIE; Amanda; (Nerang, AU) |
Family ID: |
43768835 |
Appl. No.: |
12/878581 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/191 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 5/00 20130101; A45F
2005/008 20130101; A45C 11/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/191 |
International
Class: |
A45F 5/00 20060101
A45F005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 10, 2009 |
AU |
2009904347 |
Claims
1. A carry bag for carrying personal items, the carry bag
comprising: an inner pouch within which one or more personal items
can be received, the inner pouch being made of a water impervious
material such that in use the inner pouch resists water entry and
thereby protects the personal items within the pouch from water; an
outer pouch within which the inner pouch is completely received,
the outer pouch having an opening through which the inner pouch is
passed and a flap extending across the opening to completely
conceal the inner pouch; and a strap on the outer pouch for
strapping the outer pouch to the body of a user.
2. The carry bag according to claim 1, wherein the inner pouch
comprises two walls of flexible sheet material, the two walls are
substantially rectangular in shape and the inner pouch in turn has
a substantially rectangular shape having two sides and two
ends.
3. The carry bag according to claim 2, wherein the inner pouch
defines an opening through which personal items may be inserted
into the inner pouch and be withdrawn from the inner pouch, the
opening is defined in an end thereof and may be formed by free ends
of walls of flexible material, wherein the two walls of flexible
material are not attached to each other along this end thereby
forming the opening.
4. The carry bag according to claim 3, wherein the two walls of
sheet material are sealed to each other to form said inner pouch,
the inner pouch comprising a personal item receiving section remote
from the opening that is side by side with a fold over section that
is adjacent the pouch opening.
5. The carry bag according to claim 4, wherein the walls of the
inner pouch are made of a material that tends to stick together
releasably when the two walls are brought into contact thereby
helping to resist water entry into the inner pouch.
6. The carry bag according to claim 5, wherein the folded inner
pouch may be sized to be received within the outer pouch in such a
manner that it can lie flat within the outer pouch.
7. The carry bag according to claim 1, wherein the outer pouch is
manually interchanged between an open position in which the inner
pouch can be inserted into or withdrawn from the outer pouch, and a
closed condition in which the inner pouch is securely received
within the outer pouch.
8. The carry bag according to claim 7, wherein the outer pouch is
made of a resilient material that can be manually stretched.
9. The carry bag according to claim 8, wherein the outer pouch
comprises two major surfaces formed from two walls of flexible
sheet material that are fastened to each other along at least part
of their periphery.
10. The carry bag according to claim 9, wherein the outer pouch
includes a flap extending from one wall across the opening, and
then extending over part of the other wall whereby to physically
cover the opening of the outer pouch and close it off, the flap
having two opposed side edges extending to a terminal or free edge
spaced away from the opening of the outer pouch, and the terminal
edge extends parallel to the ends of the pouch.
11. The carry bag according to claim 10, wherein the terminal edge
of the flap is positioned a distance of 2-10 cm away from the open
ends of the walls of the outer pouch.
12. The carry bag according to clam 11, wherein the two opposed
side edges of the flap are held against the adjacent major surface
of the flap along their length.
13. The carry bag according to claim 12, wherein the flap is made
of resilient material and the resilient nature of the flap enables
the flap to be manually pulled away from the adjacent wall of the
outer pouch to provide access to the opening and to permit the
inner pouch to be inserted thereinto and be withdrawn
therefrom.
14. The carry bag according to claim 1, wherein the strap includes
an elongate strap member having two longitudinal side edges, two
opposed ends and a releasable attachment for releasably attaching
the ends of the strap to each other.
15. The carry bag according to claim 14, wherein the strap member
and outer pouch are made of an elastomeric material and is fastened
to a limb of a user.
16. The carry bag according to claim 15, wherein the releasable
fastener includes two complementary fastener components on the
strap member spaced apart from each other, wherein the fastener is
a hook and loop fastener with a hook component on the strap member
spaced away from a loop component on the strap member.
17. The carry bag according to claim 16, wherein the strap includes
an eye for the strap member, through which an end and associated
end region of the strap member can be passed, the end and
associated end region of the strap member can be passed through the
eye and then be turned back over the strap member and the hook and
loop components can then be fastened to each other.
18. The carry bag according to claim 17, wherein the ends of the
outer pouch extend parallel to the longitudinal side edges of the
strap member and correspondingly the sides of the outer pouch
extend transversely to the longitudinal side edges of the strap
member.
19. The carry bag according to claim 18, wherein the strap member
is integrally formed with the outer pouch of elastomeric material
such that the strap member forms one of the walls of the outer
pouch.
20. A carry bag for carrying personal items, including: a pouch
within which one or more items can be received that is made of a
resilient material that can be manually stretched, the pouch
defining an opening through which the items can be passed and
including a flap extending across the opening.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a carry bag for personal items
such as keys and valuables.
[0002] This invention relates particularly but not exclusively to a
carry bag for personal items such as keys and valuables that can be
worn on the body of a user. The carry bag will be particularly
useful for beachgoers who can use the carry bag to store their keys
and valuables while they are engaging in beach activities such as
surfing, swimming, wind surfing and the like. For example the user
could be a bather and the carry bag containing personal items could
be worn on the bather's body while they are bathing. It will also
be particularly useful for runners, cyclists, canoeists, and
kayakers.
[0003] It will therefore be convenient to hereinafter describe this
invention with reference to this example application. However it is
to be clearly understood that the invention is capable of broader
application. For example the invention could also be used to store
personal items such as keys and valuables on the body of a user who
was conducting other activities. For example the carrier could be
used by a user engaged in other sports such as road runners,
cyclists, canoeists, and kayakers. It could also be used by users
participating in extreme sports such as hang gliding, parachuting
and rock climbing.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0004] A common pastime in many countries is for a person to visit
a beach and to engage in typical beach activities while they are at
the beach. These activities might include sunbathing, swimming,
surfing, diving, playing a ball sport on the beach, or flying a
kite.
[0005] A common problem encountered by bathers when visiting the
beach is that they do not have a place to store their valuables
while they are visiting the beach. As a result bathers might leave
their personal items in a beach bag that is left on the beach next
to their beach towel.
[0006] It will be appreciated that if personal items such as keys
and valuables are left with the bather's personal belongings
unattended on the beach they are vulnerable to being stolen. A
bather's personal belongings are particularly vulnerable to being
stolen on a beach because a thief can watch their movements
carefully and then pick an opportune moment to carry out the theft,
e.g. while they are away from their personal belongings and
swimming in the sea. Typically the thief might steal a beach bag or
item of clothing containing a person's valuables, when it is not
being overseen or guarded by a person.
[0007] In the prior art a bather might have tried to avoid this
risk of theft by placing their car keys in a pocket of their
bathing trunks. However in this scenario the car keys would be
likely to get wet. Further the car keys might also be at risk of
coming out of the pocket of the bathing trunks while the bather is
swimming in the sea and consequently being lost. This is
particularly so if the bather is engaged in board surfing or body
surfing. Further it will readily be appreciated that a bather could
not store paper money in a pocket of a pair of bathing trunks,
because the money would be likely to get wet.
[0008] Further some types of bathing trunks, particularly those
worn by women, are simply not suitable for carrying personal items
and do not have a pocket for storing a user's valuables and car
keys.
[0009] Some bathers manage this problem by visiting a beach in
groups of two or more people, and then taking it in turns to swim
in the sea. The idea is that there is always one person who stays
behind with bags and beach towels belonging to the group of
persons. That person remains as a sentry overseeing the bags on the
beach to reduce the risk of theft of personal items from the
bags.
[0010] However this situation is not optimal as it is desirable for
bathers to enjoy a sense of freedom when they visit a beach. It
would be advantageous if they did not have to continuously keep
watch over their personal belongings. It is also desirable for
bathers visiting the beach as a group to be able to do things as a
group on the beach and not to have one person maintaining watch or
guard over their personal items. It is recognized that this is a
significant detraction on the quality of enjoyment that can be
afforded by a visit to the beach.
[0011] Clearly it would be advantageous if an innovation could be
devised that gave a person the freedom to engage in a sporting or a
leisure activity without having to worry about the safety and
security of their personal possessions. At the same time it would
be further advantageous if the innovation enabled a person to keep
their personal possessions, e.g. paper money and credit cards, dry
as well as safe when they engage in leisure or sporting activities
that involve swimming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides
a carry bag for carrying personal items, the carry bag comprising:
an inner pouch within which one or more personal items can be
received, the inner pouch being made of a water impervious material
such that in use the inner pouch resists water entry and thereby
protects the personal items within the pouch from water; an outer
pouch within which the inner pouch is completely received, the
outer pouch having an opening through which the inner pouch is
passed and a flap extending across the opening to completely
conceal the inner pouch; and a strap on the outer pouch for
strapping the outer pouch to the body of a user.
[0013] Thus the personal items are received within the inner pouch,
which in turn is received within the outer pouch, which in turn is
strapped onto a user's body with the strap.
[0014] The inner pouch may be interchangeable between an open and a
closed condition.
[0015] The inner pouch may be made of a water impervious material,
e.g. plastic material, and the pouch may be designed to resist
water entry when in the closed condition.
[0016] The inner pouch may comprise two walls of flexible sheet
material. The two walls may be of substantially rectangular shape
and the inner pouch in turn may have a substantially rectangular
shape having two sides and two ends.
[0017] The inner pouch may define an opening through which personal
items may be inserted into the inner pouch and be withdrawn from
the inner pouch. The opening may be defined in an end thereof and
may be formed by free ends of walls of flexible material. Thus the
two walls of flexible material are not attached to each other along
this end thereby forming the opening.
[0018] The two walls of sheet material may be sealed to each other
to form said inner pouch. In particular the two walls of sheet
material may be sealed to each along two sides of the inner pouch
and one end of the pouch, namely the opposite end to that forming
the opening to the inner pouch.
[0019] The inner pouch may comprise a personal item receiving
section remote from the opening that is side by side with a fold
over section that is adjacent the pouch opening. The fold over
section may be folded over to lie against the item receiving
section when the inner pouch is in the closed condition whereby to
resist water entry into the inner pouch in use. Further the walls
of the inner pouch may be made of a material that tends to stick
together releasably when the two walls are brought into contact
thereby helping to resist water entry into the inner pouch.
[0020] The folded inner pouch may be sized to be received within
the outer pouch in such a manner that it can lie flat within the
outer pouch. This helps to keep the profile of the carry bag as low
as possible.
[0021] The outer pouch may have an outer pouch opening through
which the inner pouch can be inserted into the outer pouch and out
of which the inner pouch can be withdrawn from the outer pouch.
[0022] The outer pouch may be manually interchanged between an open
position in which the inner pouch can be inserted into or withdrawn
from the outer pouch, and a closed condition in which the inner
pouch is securely received within the outer pouch.
[0023] The outer pouch may be made of a resilient material that can
be manually stretched. The resilient material may be an elastomeric
material, e.g. a neoprene cloth material.
[0024] The outer pouch may comprise two major surfaces formed from
two walls of flexible sheet material that are fastened to each
other along at least part of their periphery.
[0025] The outer pouch may have a rectangular shape having two
sides and two ends extending transversely to the two sides. The two
walls may be fastened to each other along two sides and one end of
the outer pouch. The two walls may be free from each other along
the other end whereby to form the outer pouch opening.
[0026] The outer pouch may include a flap extending from one wall
across the opening, and then extending over part of the other wall
whereby to physically cover the opening of the outer pouch and
close it off.
[0027] The flap may have two opposed side edges extending to a
terminal or free edge spaced away from the opening of the outer
pouch, and the terminal edge may extend parallel to the ends of the
pouch.
[0028] The terminal edge of the flap may be positioned a distance
of 2-10 cm away from the open ends of the walls of the outer pouch,
e.g. a distance of 2-5 cm away from the open ends of the walls.
[0029] The two opposed side edges of the flap may be held against
the adjacent major surface of the flap along their length. The flap
may extend a distance of 2-10 cm along the other wall of the pouch
forming the other major surface, in a direction away from the
opening, e.g. a distance of 2-5 cm along the other wall away from
the opening.
[0030] The elastomeric nature of the flap enables the flap to be
manually pulled away from the adjacent wall of the outer pouch to
provide access to the opening, and to permit the inner pouch to be
inserted thereinto and be withdrawn therefrom.
[0031] The flap assists in securely retaining personal items within
the outer pouch during use.
[0032] The strap may include an elongate strap member having two
longitudinal side edges, two opposed ends and a releasable
attachment for releasably attaching the ends of the strap to each
other.
[0033] The strap member may also be made of elastomeric material.
The outer pouch and the strap member may be made of the same
elastomeric material. In one example form the strap member may be
integrally formed with the outer pouch of elastomeric material. The
strap member may form one of the walls of the outer pouch.
[0034] The strap member may be fastened to the limb of a user and
the strap member may be sized so that it is sufficiently long to
strap it to a long limb of a user. In one embodiment the strap
member may be sized for attachment to an arm of a user, e.g. an
upper arm or a forearm of a user. In another embodiment the strap
member may be sized for attachment to a leg of a user, e.g. an
upper leg or thigh region of a user, or a lower leg or a calf
region of a user. Instead in a yet further embodiment the strap
member may be sized so that it can be passed around the middle
trunk, midriff region or waist region of a user.
[0035] The releasable fastener may include two complementary
fastener components on the strap member spaced apart from each
other. In one form the fastener may be a hook and loop fastener
with a hook component on the strap member spaced away from a loop
component on the strap member spaced away from said hook
component.
[0036] Specifically one of the hook and loop components may be
positioned towards one end of the strap member and the other of the
hook and loop components may be positioned spaced away therefrom
along the length of the strap member. This is commonly referred to
as a VELCRO.TM. system.
[0037] The strap may include an eye for the strap member, through
which an end and associated end region of the strap member can be
passed. The end and associated end region of the strap member can
be passed through the eye and then be turned back over the strap
member. The hook and loop components can then be fastened to each
other.
[0038] The eye for the strap and the arrangement whereby an end
region of the strap member is passed through the eye and then
turned back over the strap member, to which it is fastened, this is
more secure than a simple attachment of free ends of the strap
member to each other. A secure fastening of the carry bag to the
body of a user is advantageous if valuables are to be stored in the
carry bag.
[0039] Instead in another form the strap may have a buckle for
fastening spaced points on the strap member to each other. The term
buckle is used in a generic sense in this context and includes all
manner of buckles, for example a turnbuckle may be used.
[0040] The ends of the outer pouch may extend parallel to the
longitudinal side edges of the strap member. Correspondingly the
sides of the outer pouch may extend transversely to the
longitudinal side edges of the strap member.
[0041] The strap member may be flared as it approaches its
attachment to the outer pouch and the width of the strap member may
be substantially the same as the outer pouch at the point where it
attaches to the outer pouch. Alternatively the strap member and the
outer pouch may be the same width along the entire length of the
carry bag. This also means that the eye or eyelet would be
approximately the same width of the outer pouch to receive the
strap member for securing the carry bag to the user.
[0042] This assists the outer pouch to be held in a position where
it lies flat on a user's body, and does not have a tendency to lift
off a user's body in use.
[0043] According to another aspect of this invention there is
provided a carry bag for carrying personal items, including: [0044]
a pouch within which one or more items can be received that is made
of a resilient material that can be manually stretched, the pouch
defining an opening through which the items can be passed and
including a flap extending across the opening. The carry bag may
include a strap on the pouch for strapping the pouch onto a limb of
a user.
[0045] The pouch may comprise two walls of flexible sheet material
defining major surfaces that are fastened to each other along at
least part of the length of the edge of the pouch.
[0046] The flap may extend from one wall of sheet material across
and over the opening, and then also across part of the other wall
forming the other major surface whereby to physically close off the
opening of the pouch.
[0047] The flap may have two opposed side edges extending to a free
edge spaced away from the opening of the pouch. The two opposed
side edges of the flap may be held against the adjacent major
surface of the flap along their length. The flap may extend a
distance of 2-10 cm along the other wall of the pouch forming the
other major surface, in a direction away from the opening, e.g. a
distance of 2-5 cm along the other wall away from the opening.
[0048] The resilient material may be an elastomeric material. The
elastomeric nature of the flap enables the flap to be manually
pulled away from the adjacent wall of the pouch to provide access
to the opening, and to permit an inner pouch to be inserted
thereinto and be withdrawn therefrom.
[0049] The flap may be fixed at each end so that it lies flat
against a face of the pouch. The flap assists in securely retaining
personal items within the pouch during use.
[0050] The strap may include an elongate strap member having two
longitudinal side edges, two opposed ends and a releasable
attachment for releasably attaching the ends of the strap to each
other.
[0051] The strap member may also be made of elastomeric material.
The pouch and the strap member may be made of the same elastomeric
material.
[0052] In one example form the strap member may be integrally
formed with the pouch of elastomeric material. The strap member may
form one of the walls of the outer pouch. In particular the strap
member may forms said one wall of the pouch.
[0053] The pouch and the strap may include any one or more of the
other features of the outer pouch and strap described in the first
aspect of the invention above.
[0054] The carry bag may further include an inner pouch within
which one or more articles can be received in which case said one
pouch may be referred to as an outer pouch. The inner pouch may be
capable of waterproof storage of personal items.
[0055] According to yet another aspect of this invention there is
provided a carry bag for carrying personal items, including: [0056]
a pouch within which one or more items can be received, the pouch
being interchangeable between an open and a closed condition, the
pouch being made of a water impervious material, and the pouch may
be designed to resist water entry when in the closed condition.
[0057] The carry bag may include a further pouch within which said
one pouch can be received in which case said one pouch can be
referred to as an inner pouch.
[0058] The inner pouch may comprise two sheets of flexible plastics
material. The two walls may be of substantially rectangular shape
and the inner pouch in turn may have a substantially rectangular
shape having two sides and two ends.
[0059] The water impervious sheet plastic material from which the
walls of the inner pouch are formed may be a material that tends to
stick together releasably when the two walls are brought into
contact thereby helping to resist water entry into the inner pouch.
The water impervious sheet plastic material from which the walls of
the inner pouch are formed may be a polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which
is a thermoplastic polymer.
[0060] The opening may be defined by one end of the inner pouch
which end is open. The two walls of sheet material may be sealed to
each other along two sides and one end thereof, e.g. the end
opposite the open end forming the opening.
[0061] The inner pouch may comprise a personal item receiving
section remote from the opening that is side by side with a fold
over section that is adjacent the open end. The fold over section
may be folded over to lie against the item receiving section when
the inner pouch is in the closed condition whereby to resist water
entry into the inner pouch in use.
[0062] The inner pouch may include any one or more of the other
features of the inner pouch described in the first aspect of the
invention above.
[0063] In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention
provides a method of manufacturing a carry bag for carrying
personal items, the method comprising:
[0064] cutting out a base piece corresponding to the shape and
dimensions of a combined strap member and a rear piece of an outer
pouch;
[0065] cutting out a front piece corresponding to a rectangular
shape having a left side, a right side, a top side and a bottom
side to form the front piece of the outer pouch;
[0066] cutting out a flap piece corresponding to a rectangular
shape having a left side, a right side, a top side and a bottom
side to form the flap piece of the outer pouch;
[0067] binding the bottom side of the flap piece;
[0068] binding together the front piece and the flap piece by
binding the corresponding left and right sides of the front piece
and the flap piece;
[0069] sewing the combined front piece and lap piece onto the base
piece by sewing down the left and right corresponding edges over
the previously bound edges;
[0070] binding the base piece around its entire periphery including
the top and bottom corresponding edges of the combined front piece
and flap piece;
[0071] cutting a vertical slit adjacent an end piece of the base
piece to accommodate an eye, the eye is then attached into the
vertical slit;
[0072] attaching a first fastening strip to another end of the base
piece and fastening a second complementary fastening piece on the
base piece spaced apart distance from the first fastening
strip.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0073] A carry bag for personal items in accordance with the
invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be
convenient to hereinafter describe in detail several preferred
embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to
instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the
invention how to carry the invention into practical effect. However
it is to be clearly understood that the specific nature of this
detailed description does not supersede the generality of the
preceding broad description. In the accompanying diagrammatic
drawings:
[0074] FIG. 1 is a front view of a carry bag for personal items in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention comprising an inner
pouch, an outer pouch, and a strap;
[0075] FIG. 2 is a schematic three dimensional view of the carry
bag of FIG. 1 in which the outer pouch and strap are being strapped
onto a user's forearm;
[0076] FIG. 3 is a front view of a carry bag for personal items in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention comprising an inner
pouch, an outer pouch and a strap;
[0077] FIG. 4 is a schematic front three dimensional view of the
outer pouch of the bag of FIG. 1 showing the flap that extends down
the front face of the pouch and how it can be manually held open to
provide access to the outer pouch;
[0078] FIG. 5 is a schematic rear three dimensional view of the
outer pouch of FIG. 4 showing how the strap member also forms the
back sheet of the outer pouch.
[0079] FIG. 6 is a schematic three dimensional view of the carry
bag of FIG. 1 showing three stages from fully open to passing the
strap through the opening and finally just before the strap is
folded to a closed position; and
[0080] FIG. 7 is a schematic three dimensional view of the carry
bag of FIG. 1 in which a credit card is inserted into the inner
pouch and the inner pouch is then inserted into the outer
pouch.
[0081] In FIGS. 1 to 7, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a
carry bag for carrying personal items in accordance with one
embodiment of the invention.
[0082] The carry bag 10 comprises broadly an inner pouch 12 within
which personal items (not shown) can be received, and an outer
pouch 16 within which the inner pouch 12 can be received. The carry
bag 10 also includes a strap 18 on the outer pouch 16 for strapping
the outer pouch 16 to the body 20 of a user.
[0083] The inner pouch 12 is a flat pouch having two major panels
22, 24 of rectangular shape that are sealed to each other around
three of their edges. The drawings show only the major panel 22,
major panel 24 is identical to that of major panel 22. The inner
pouch 12 is open along the fourth edge of each panel 22, 24 thereby
defining an opening 26 for the inner pouch 12. The inner pouch 12
can be divided up into a personal item receiving section 28 remote
from the opening 26 and a fold over section 30 adjacent the opening
26. The inner pouch 12 is manually interchangeable between an open
condition and a closed condition. In the open condition shown in
FIG. 3 the fold over section 30 is broadly in line or in plane with
the item receiving section 28 and the opening 26 can be opened up
to provide access to the interior of the inner pouch 12, in
particular the item receiving section 28. The fold over section 30
is folded over to lie against the item receiving section 28 when
the inner pouch 12 is in the closed condition shown in FIG. 7. The
inner pouch 12 lies flat with a low profile when it is in the
closed condition. Naturally the manner in which items are packed
into the inner pouch 12 can also help to achieve a flattened pouch
12 with a low profile.
[0084] The inner pouch 12 may also be folded over more than once,
for example the fold over section 30 may be divided into a number
of sections and folded over more than once to close the inner pouch
12. The fold over section 30 is folded over to lie against the item
receiving section 28 no matter how many times the folded over
section is folded over.
[0085] The inner pouch 12 is constructed so as to resist water
entry when in the closed condition. In the illustrated example
embodiment this is achieved by making the inner pouch 12 of a type
of plastics material in which adjacent surfaces of the plastic
material tend to stick to each other, e.g. releasably. This type of
plastic is commercially available and is referred to as sheet PVC
(polyvinyl chloride) plastics material.
[0086] The part of the two major panels 22, 24 forming the fold
over section of the pouch 12 lie up against each other and are in
contact with each other in the closed condition. The particular
material used for the major panels 22, 24 assists in getting the
sheets to seat up against each other. This way the inner pouch 12
resists the ingress or passage of moisture between the two surfaces
of plastic when the pouch 12 is in the closed condition. The inner
pouch 12 is sized to receive personal items therein such as a set
of keys, some money and personal cards such as a car license and a
credit card. In an example form of the invention the item receiving
section 28 of the inner pouch 12 is of rectangular shape and may
have a length of 10 to 15 cm and a width of 8 to 13 cm.
[0087] The fold over section 30 is similarly of rectangular shape
and may have a length of 8 to 13 cm and a width of 8 to 13 cm. The
fold over section 30 is of the same rectangular form that the item
receiving section 28.
[0088] The outer pouch 16 which will now be described in more
detail is made of a resilient material, e.g. an elastomeric
material, which can be manually stretched. In the example
embodiment the elastomeric material that is used is neoprene, e.g.
a 100% neoprene cloth of the type that is commercially available.
The elastomeric material assists the functioning of the pouch 16 as
will become apparent from the detailed description below.
[0089] The outer pouch 16 has an outer pouch opening 34, shown in
FIG. 4. The outer pouch 16 can be manually moved from a resting
condition in which the pouch opening 34 is closed to an open
condition in which the pouch opening 34 is held open by the hands
of a user (and the inner pouch 12 can be inserted into or withdrawn
from the outer pouch 16). This is achieved by stretching the
resilient material of the outer pouch 16 to the open condition.
When this manual stretching is released the inherent resilience of
the material of the outer pouch 16 returns it to the resting or
closed condition. The details of a user's hand pulling the flap 58
away from the front wall 42 have been omitted from FIG. 4 for
clarity.
[0090] In the example embodiment of the invention that has been
illustrated, the outer pouch 16 is of broadly rectangular
configuration being formed from two sheets of flexible material
that are fastened to each other and form major surfaces that are a
front sheet 42 and a back sheet 40.
[0091] The outer pouch 16 has two long sides 44, 45 along which the
two major surfaces forming the front sheet 42 and the back sheet 40
are attached to each other. The outer pouch 16 also has two short
ends 46, 47 that extend transverse to the long sides 44, 45. The
front and back sheets, 42, 40 forming the outer pouch 16 are
attached to each other along the two long sides 44, 45 and along
one end 46 of the pouch 16. The sheets 42, 40 are not attached to
each other along the end 47 of the pouch 16 thereby forming the
opening 34 of the outer pouch 16 through which access can be
obtained to the interior thereof. The long sides 44, 45 extend
transverse to the longitudinal direction of the strap 18 and the
transverse ends 46, 47 extend broadly parallel to the longitudinal
direction of the strap member 18.
[0092] The outer pouch 16 is sized to receive the inner pouch 12
therein (in the closed condition) in such a way that the inner
pouch 12 can lie flat within the outer pouch 16. It does not need
to be specifically folded or packed for it to lie properly within
the outer pouch 16.
[0093] The outer pouch 16 includes a flap 58 extending from the
back sheet 40 across and over the opening 34 and then along part of
the front sheet 42 whereby to physically close off the outer pouch
opening 34.
[0094] The flap 58 has two opposed side edges 64, 66 extending to a
free terminal end of the flap that extends a distance of 2-7 cm
away from the opening 34 along the front sheet 42. The two opposed
side edges 64, 66 of the flap 58 are held against the adjacent
front sheet 42 along their length, e.g. by being attached thereto
by stitching or the like.
[0095] The elastomeric nature of the flap 58 enables the flap 58 to
be manually pulled away from the adjacent front sheet 42 of the
outer pouch 16 to provide access to the interior of the outer pouch
16, through the opening 34, whereby to permit the inner pouch 12 to
be inserted therein and to be withdrawn therefrom. This action to
access the interior of the outer pouch 16 is shown in FIG. 4.
[0096] The strap 18 will now be described in some detail.
[0097] The strap 18 includes an elongate strap member 70 having two
longitudinal side edges 50, 52 and two opposed ends 72, 74 and a
releasable fastener 76 for releasably attaching the ends 72, 74 of
the strap member 70 to each other.
[0098] The strap member 70 is made of elastomeric material, like
the outer pouch 16, and is conveniently formed integral with the
outer pouch 16. In fact the strap member 70 can be used to form the
back sheet 40 of the outer pouch 16, to economise on material and
simplify manufacture, in the example embodiment of the invention as
shown in FIG. 5.
[0099] The releasable fastener 76 includes two complementary
fastener components on the strap member spaced apart from each
other. In the example form that has been illustrated the fastener
76 is in the form of a hook and loop fastener having a hook
component 80 on the strap member 70 towards one end thereof, and a
loop fastener 82 on the strap member 70 spaced away therefrom. This
is commonly referred to as a VELCRO.TM. fastener.
[0100] In the example embodiment, as has been described above, the
strap member 70 forms the back sheet 40 of the outer pouch 16.
Further the strap member 70 is sized to have a length that is
suitable for attachment to the forearm of a user 20.
[0101] The strap 18 includes an eye or eyelet 86 for receiving one
end 72 and an associated end region of the strap member 70,
therethrough. The end region is then folded back over the rest of
the strap member 70 and the complementary fastener components 80
and 82 are attached to each other.
[0102] The strap eye 86 and the returning section of the strap
member 70 provides a more secure attachment of the carry bag 10 to
the body of a user than if only the fastener components 80, 82 were
used. Even if the fastener 76 detaches, the end region of the strap
70 still has to be pulled through the eye 86 in the strap member 70
before it can detach from the limb of a user.
[0103] The width of the strap member 70 is less than the width of
the outer pouch 16 along a large part of the length of the strap
member 70. However the strap member 70 does flare outwardly, as
shown at 88, as it approaches the outer pouch 16 and transitions
into the outer pouch 16. The width of the strap member 70 is
broadly the same as the outer pouch 16 at the point where it
attaches to the outer pouch 16.
[0104] The correspondence between the side edges 50, 52 of the
strap member 70 and the short ends 46, 47 of the outer pouch 16
enables the corners of the outer pouch 16 to be held down on the
strap member 70, e.g. by being attached to the strap member 70
towards said side edges 50, 52. This assists in causing the outer
pouch 16 to lie flat on the strap member 70 and also to lie flat on
the limb of a user 20. If the outer pouch 16 is caused to lie flat
it will not be likely to interfere with the movement, e.g. limb
movement, of a user engaged in a sporting activity.
[0105] In the illustrated embodiment the strap member 70 forms the
back sheet 40 of the outer pouch 16 and thus the long sides 44, 45
of the outer pouch 16 are held flat against the strap member 70
along their length. This further assists the outer pouch 16 to be
held in a position where it lies flat on a users' body, and does
not have tendency to lift off a user's body in use.
[0106] In use the carry bag 10 will typically be used to carry
personal items on a user while they are engaged in a sporting or
leisure activity.
[0107] In a first step a user 20 will separate the inner pouch 12
from the outer pouch 16. The user 20 can then manually place their
personal items such as keys, credit cards and money into the inner
pouch 12 by inserting them in through the opening 26 as shown in
FIG. 3.
[0108] Thereafter the inner pouch 12 containing the personal items
can be placed in the outer pouch 16 in the manner shown in FIG. 7.
To do this the user 20 needs to manually open up the opening 34 of
the outer pouch 16. The user 20 does this by pulling the flap 58
away from the flexible front wall 42 of the outer pouch 16 in the
manner shown in FIG. 4.
[0109] Thereafter the outer pouch 16 is strapped onto the limb of a
user by means of the strap 18. This involves threading the end 72
of the strap member 70 through the eye 86 of the strap member 70
and then folding said end 72 of the strap member 70 and an
associated end region back along the belt member 70 as shown in
FIG. 6 and attaching the hook and loop fastener components 80, 82
to each other.
[0110] Thereafter the carry bag 10 is fitted onto a user 20 and the
user 20 can then engage in sporting or leisure activities such as
cycling, swimming, running, canoeing, kayaking or the like. They
can do so secure in the knowledge that their personal possessions
including car keys and valuables are safely contained in the inner
pouch 12 which is received within the outer pouch 16 which is
strapped onto their bodily person.
[0111] After use when a user 20 desires to retrieve their personal
items they separate the fastener components 80, 82, with draw the
strap member through the eye 86 and then detach the strap and pouch
16 from their arm or leg. Thereafter they can hold open the opening
34 to the outer pouch 16 to remove the inner pouch 12 from the
outer pouch 16. Thereafter they can retrieve their personal items
from the inner pouch 12.
[0112] FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate a carry bag for personal items that
is a variation on that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this drawing the
same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same
components as in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0113] In FIGS. 3 and 5 the strap member 70 is sized to be suitable
for passing around the leg of a user, e.g. a lower leg or a calf
region of a user. Otherwise the carry bag 10 is the same as that in
FIGS. 1 to 5 and functions in much the same way as the carry bag 10
in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0114] In yet another embodiment (not shown) of the invention that
has not been illustrated the strap is sized to be long enough to be
passed around the middle or waist region of a user. Apart from this
point of difference it functions similarly to the carry bag
described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0115] FIG. 6 is a schematic three dimensional view of the carry
bag of FIG. 1 showing the three stages from fully open to passing
the strap through the opening and finally just before the strap is
folded to a closed position. As the carry bag in FIG. 6 is
structurally and functionally similar to that in FIG. 1 the same
reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components
unless otherwise indicated.
[0116] In a still further embodiment (not shown) the strap member
70 has a shorter length than the FIG. 1 embodiment. This strap
member 70 is thus of a different size and can be used on a user
where a shorter strap length is required to fasten it to the body
of a user, e.g. a child.
[0117] The present invention will now be described with reference
to a method of manufacturing a carry bag for carrying personal
items. While this method is described it will be obvious to a
skilled person in the relevant art that a number of methods may be
used to manufacture the carry bag 10.
[0118] The process for manufacturing the carry bag 10 begins by
cutting out the back piece or sheet 40, the front piece or sheet
42, and the flap piece 58. The back sheet 40 includes the combined
strap member 18 and a rear piece of an outer pouch. The front sheet
42 is formed of a rectangular shape having a left side 44, a right
side 45, a top side and a bottom side 46 and forms the front piece
of the outer pouch 16. The flap piece 58 is a rectangular shape
having a left side 64, a right side 66, a top side 47 and a bottom
side and forms the flap piece 58 of the outer pouch 16.
[0119] Next the bottom side of the flap 58 is bound by sewing a
band onto the bottom side. The same process is then carried out to
bind together the front sheet 42 and the flap 58 by binding the
corresponding left 44, 64 and right sides 45, 66 of the front sheet
42 and the flap 58. Then the combined front piece 42 and flap 58
are sewn onto the base sheet 40 by sewing down the left 44, 46 and
right 45, 66 corresponding edges over the previously bound
edges.
[0120] The base sheet 40 is then bound around its entire periphery
including the top 47 and bottom 46 corresponding edges of the
combined front sheet 42 and the flap 58.
[0121] In order to fit the eye or eyelet 86 into the base sheet 40
a vertical slit is cut in the base sheet 40 adjacent an end piece
74 of the base sheet 40. The eye 86 is then attached by any known
method of attaching an eye to a material. For example the eye may
be sewn into the vertical slit.
[0122] Finally, the releasable fastening strips 80, 82 are attached
by a known method to the base sheet 40. The first piece 80 is
attached at an end 72 of the base sheet 40. The second piece 82 a
complementary fastening piece 82 is attached to the base sheet 40
spaced apart a distance from the first fastening strip 80.
[0123] The releasable fastener 80, 82 consists of two complementary
fastener components on the strap member 18 spaced apart from each
other. In the example form that has been illustrated the fastener
76 is in the form of a hook and loop fastener having a hook
component 80 on the strap member 70 towards one end thereof, and a
loop fastener 82 on the strap member 70 spaced away therefrom. This
is commonly referred to as a VELCRO.TM. fastener. An advantage of
the carry bag described above with reference to the drawings is
that it can be worn on the body of a user when they are engaging in
leisure activities such as playing a game or swimming in the sea.
The carry bag can also be worn on the body of a user engaged in
sporting activities, including a user engaged in a serious
competitive sporting activity such as a runner, a cyclist, a
canoeist and a kayaker. The personal items within the inner pouch
are securely received within the outer pouch that in turn is firmly
and securely strapped onto the body of a user.
[0124] Another advantage of the carry bag described above is that
the inner pouch seals in a water resistant fashion. Thus personal
items stored within the inner pouch are unlikely to get wet when
the user swims in the sea with the bag strapped to their arm or
leg. This is the case even when the user enters the water for a
long time such as occurs when the user is engaged in swimming or
diving activities. This is important if the carry bag is to be
useful for storing paper money such as bank notes or credit
cards.
[0125] A yet further advantage of the carry bag described above
with reference to the drawings is that it is strapped firmly onto
the limb of a user and lies flat against the arm of a user. As such
it is relatively unobtrusive and does not impede or interfere with
the body actions of a user. For example a user can comfortably swim
or surf while wearing the carry bag. This makes it particularly
suitable for users engaged in serious sporting activities such as
tri-athletes, surf lifesavers, marathon runners and the like.
[0126] A yet further advantage of the carry bag described above is
that the personal items are held securely within a pouch of the
carrier with minimal risk of the bag and its contents of personal
items being lost in the surf while swimming. At the same time it is
a quick and easy process to pack items into the bag and strap the
bag onto a user's body. It is also easy to take off the bag and
withdraw the personal items from the carry bag.
[0127] It will of course be realized that the above has been given
only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all
such modifications and variations thereto, as would be apparent to
persons skilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad
scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.
[0128] In the specification the term "comprising" shall be
understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term "including"
and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer
or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any
other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This
definition also applies to variations on the term "comprising" such
as "comprise" and "comprises".
* * * * *