Garment Bag

Abstract

The application discloses a garment bag of conventional construction except that it is provided with an interior access affording front panel which is unsecured to the top closure member of the bag. A gripper arrangement provides such access. A stiffener is provided to under-lie the top portion of the front panel to maintain the bag dust-free and in good appearance. Preferably a dust cover is also provided which is sewn into the top closure of the bag and over-lies the top portion of the front panel. The stiffener and cover serve to maintain the appearance of the bag with the zipper either closed or partially or fully opened.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 889037 filed 12/30/69, now abandoned.

Description

The present invention relates to closet accessories and in particular to garment bags adapted to store dresses and the like protected from dust, lint and to some extent moisture that suffuses the usual closet atmosphere.

When a garment bag has a closure zipper located, for example, in the middle of its front panel and extending the vertical length of the bag, or substantially such length, loading the bag will ordinarily require one hand to place the garment within the bag while the other hand holds apart the two panels on either side of the zipper. According to the present construction the half panels are unsecured at the top of the bag so that it is unnecessary to hold the panels open in this manner. Access to the interior of the bag is thus facilitated. Additionally a stiffener is provided under-lying the top portion of the two half panels which serves to provide stability to the top portion of the bag and, in combination with a dust cover over-lying the panels, maintains the front panels of the bag upright whether or not the zipper is closed, thereby preserving its appearance.

One object of the invention is to provide a garment bag having easy access and a presentable appearance in both open and closed conditions.

There is presented below a more detailed description of one embodiment of the invention which is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the garment bag in partially open condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bag opened to permit access to its interior while the front panels maintain their closed position; and

FIG. 3 is in section taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings the garment bag constructed according to the inventive concept is shown suspended from a hanger bar adapted to be supported within a domestic closet. The bag has side portions 4 and 5, back panel 6 and top and bottom closures 7 and 8, respectively. The top closure is supported on the usual metal frame 9.

The front panel 10 consists of two half panels 10a and 10b which may be connected together by zipper 12. The front panels are secured to the front edges of sides 4, and 5, and to the front edge of bottom closure 8 but not to the top closure 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, a stiffener 14 is shown as sewn to the top 7 and to dust cover 15 on stitch line 16 thereby affording additional stability to the panel and closure members. The stiffener 14 and cover 15 extend the entire width of the panel 10 embracing the top portion of the front panels and serve to hold the panels upright when their connecting zipper is open and while garments are being inserted in the bag. The stiffener and cover also prevent the front panel from flopping inwardly or outwardly when the bag is closed. Hence the bag remains dust-free in its normally closed condition, as is true of bags of more conventional construction, as well as in open condition since the panels are sandwiched between the two members and held together in a plane even with the zipper in down position. At the same time the stiffener and cover do not interfere with access to the interior when the bag is opened for that purpose.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A garment bag having a top frame, a top closure on said frame and a bottom closure, front, rear and side panels, said front panel comprising two sections adapted to be joined together in the middle of said panel by a zipper and being secured solely to the bottom closure and side panels whereby the front panel is free or unsecured along its top edge, a stiffener being provided at the top, front edge of the bag underlying the top portion of the front panel and a dust cover overlying said top portion of the front panel, the meeting edges of said closure, stiffener and dust cover being stitched together.