U.S. patent number 3,899,109 [Application Number 05/279,432] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-12 for backpack frame with handles.
Invention is credited to Frank M. Noice.
United States Patent |
3,899,109 |
Noice |
August 12, 1975 |
Backpack frame with handles
Abstract
A backpack frame including handgrip portions mounted near the
bottom of the pack frame and extending forwardly therefrom
laterally adjacent the hips of the backpack wearer thereby allowing
the wearer to easily lift the pack upwardly to relieve the load
normally borne continuously by the wearer's shoulders through
shoulder straps connected to the pack. Various forms of handgrips
and handgrip supports connectable to conventional backpack frames
are disclosed including height adjustable handles, rotationally
pivotal handles, vertically pivotal handles which may alternately
be used to support the pack frame when placed on the ground,
handles mountable within the hollow main vertical support rods of a
pack frame and handles which may be quickly clamped to or removed
from the bottom portion of a pack frame.
Inventors: |
Noice; Frank M. (Seattle,
WA) |
Family
ID: |
23068948 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/279,432 |
Filed: |
August 10, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/262;
224/263 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F
3/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45F
3/10 (20060101); A45F 3/00 (20060101); A45f
003/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;224/25A,8R,8A,9,45P |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Spar; Robert J.
Assistant Examiner: Forsberg; Jerold M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Christensen, O'Connor, Garrison
& Havelka
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a backpack frame of the type having a pair of generally
vertical main support bars each having upper and lower ends and
being interconnected by transverse rods, said frame having an upper
mounting means for fastening one end of a pair of shoulder straps,
said straps extending forwardly from said frame to mount the frame
on the back of a wearer and a mounting means secured to said lower
ends of said main support bars, for mounting a lower, body engaging
flexible support means, the improvement comprising a pair of
handles extending forwardly and outwardly from said lower ends of
said vertical main support bars adjacent the hips of the wearer,
said handles extending forwardly of the point of connection of said
lower body engaging support means to said lower end portions of
each of said main support bars and being rigidly connected to said
main support bars, said handles functioning structurally only as
handles, whereby said handles are accessible to and may be gripped
by the wearer and raised to lift the pack upwardly off the wearer's
shoulders to temporarily redistribute the pack load.
2. The backpack frame of claim 1 wherein each of said handles
include a generally L-shaped arm including releasable clamp means
mounted on one end thereof to clamp one of said vertical main
support bars, and a handgrip portion mounted on the end of said arm
distal from said clamp means.
3. The backpack frame of claim 2 wherein said releasable clamp
means is vertically adjustable on said vertical main support bar to
allow said hand grip portions to be raised or lowered to be
comfortably gripped by wearers of varying size.
4. A backpack frame comprising a pair of laterally spaced generally
vertical, main support bars interconnected transversely by support
rods; a pair of shoulder straps mounted between the top and bottom
portions of said frame and extending forwardly from said frame to
hold said frame on the back of a wearer; a body engaging support
means on said main support bars; and elongate rigid handle means
mounted on said vertical main suppport bars near the bottom
portions thereof and extending forwardly therefrom laterally
adjacent the hips of the wearer, at least a portion of said
elongate handle means extending forwardly beyond said body engaging
support means, said main vertical support bars include threaded
collar means mounted externally on the lower portions thereof, and
wherein said handle means comprise generally L-shaped arms having
handgrip portions on one end and chuck portions on their opposite
ends, said chuck portions including collars fixedly mounted on said
handle means and ring portions rotatably mounted thereon, said ring
portions including threaded portions mateable with said threaded
collar means to adjustably mount said L-shaped arms on said main
vertical support bars.
5. The backpack of claim 1 wherein said handles each comprise an
elongate rod having a handgrip portion on one end and a clamp
portion on its opposite end, said clamp portion including a
circular collar adapted to surround and grip one of said vertical
main support bars, said collar including a first semicircular
portion integral with said elongate rod and partially surrounding
one of said vertical main support bars and a second separate
semicircular portion adapted to mate with and be releasably
connected to said first semicircular portion to surround and grip
said vertical main support bar.
6. The backpack frame of claim 5 including a gripping pad mounted
on said vertical main support bar beneath said clamp portion, said
gripping pad including a roughened inner surface providing a
non-slip connection between said clamp portion and said vertical
main support bar.
7. The backpack frame of claim 4 wherein said L-shaped arms are
rotatable on said threaded chuck connections to move between a
forwardly extending lifting position laterally adjacent the
wearer's hips and a rearwardly extending storage position.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vertical main support bars
are hollow and said handles further comprise a pair of curved arms
having one end sized to slide within the bottom portions of said
vertical main support bars and be held therein, the opposite end of
said curved arms including handgrip portions, said handgrip ends of
said curved arms extending forwardly from said pack frame to a
position where they may be conveniently gripped and lifted by the
wearer of the pack.
9. The backpack frame of claim 8 including a pair of aligned holes
in the lower portions of said main vertical support bars and a pair
of holes adjacent the ends of said curved arms insertable in said
main vertical support bars and alignable with the pair of holes
therein, and pin means insertable through said aligned holes to
hold said L-shaped arms therein.
10. The backpack frame of claim 8 wherein said pair of curved arms
include a rearwardly curved transverse bar extending therebetween
providing a mount for a bedroll or the like on said backpack
frame.
11. In a backpack frame comprising a pair of upright main frame
elements interconnected by transverse members, a plurality of body
engaging support means, each of said support means connected to
said frame at mounting locations on said frame, said plurality of
body engaging support means including a pair of shoulder straps
each secured between mounting locations at the top and bottom
portions of the frame and extending forwardly therefrom to hold the
frame on the back of a wearer, the improvement comprising: a pair
of handles mounted rigidly upon said frame near its bottom portion
and extending forwardly therefrom beyond the forwardmost of said
mounting locations laterally adjacent but spaced outwardly from the
hips of the wearer, whereby those portions of said handles
extending forwardly of said forwardmost mounting locations are
readily accessible to be grasped and lifted by the wearer to
temporarily redistribute the pack load.
12. The backpack frame of claim 11 wherein said handle means
comprise an elongate arm having a handgrip portion on one end and a
connection means on its opposite end, said connection means
including a contoured portion on said elongate arm partially
surrounding a portion of said U-shaped main support bar and
fastener means clamping said contoured portion of said arm against
said U-shaped main support bar.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said body engaging support
means comprises a resilient cushion mounted laterally between said
support bars.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said body engaging support
means comprises a waist encircling belt mounting means adapted to
receive a waist encircling belt.
15. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said body engaging support
means comprises a resilient cushion mounted laterally between said
support bars.
16. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said body engaging support
means comprises a waist encircling belt mounting means adapted to
receive a waist encircling belt.
17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said body engaging support
means comprises a resilient cushion mounted laterally between said
support bars.
18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said body engaging support
means comprises a waist encircling belt mounting means adapted to
receive a waist encircling belt.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to pack frames used to support
loads on a packer's back by means of shoulder straps mounted
thereon, and, in particular, to backpack frames including handgrip
portions extending forwardly from near the bottom of the pack frame
to allow the pack wearer to lift a portion of the weight of the
pack from his shoulders while the pack is being carried.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, great numbers of persons have taken up hiking as a
form of outdoor recreation. Many of these hikers travel into
wilderness areas and camp for one or more nights thereby
necessitating their carrying their food, sleeping bags, shelter and
miscellaneous equipment with them, usually in a back pack or
knapsack. The term knapsack generally relates to a cloth bag having
shoulder straps for supporting the bag on a wearer's back. While
knapsacks are suitable for carrying relatively light loads over
short distances, it has been found that the carrying of heavy
loads, such as those which must be borne on hikes when the packer
is to be away from civilization for an extended period, are best
borne on a relatively rigid frame known as a pack frame. Normally,
a pack bag having one or more internal compartments and a plurality
of external pockets is fastened on the pack frame to compactly
carry the load, although it is also known to tie heavy or bulky
loads directly to a pack frame.
Presently, backpack frames are constructed in a wide variety of
designs from a great number of different materials. Early pack
frames were usually fashioned of wood in a simple, generally
rectangular shape, often having a plurality of cloth or rope straps
stretched thereover to hold the load carried on the pack frame away
from the wearer's back.
The presently most popular packs are usually constructed of hollow
tubular aluminum, and include vertical main support bars usually
contoured to generally conform to the curve of a wearer's back. The
vertical main support bars are usually interconnected by smaller
diameter aluminum rods some of which may be bowed outwardly to hold
a pack bag mounted thereon away from the wearer's back to both
allow air to circulate between the pack bag and the wearer and to
prevent objects within the pack bag from digging into the wearer's
back. Cushioning pads are often mounted transversely between the
main vertical support bars for additional comfort, while cushioned
shoulder straps and secured between the top and bottom of the pack
frame and extend forwardly therefrom.
A common problem encountered by novice hikers and experts alike is
the physical discomfort, felt particularly in the packer's
shoulders on which the pack straps bear, caused by carrying heavy
loads in substantially the same position for long distances. Waist
belts are sometimes mounted near the bottom of the pack frame in an
attempt to relieve the load on a pack wearer's shoulders, the waist
belt being tightened to ride on the wearer's hips such that the
pack load is distributed between the hips and shoulders. Waist
belts, however, are uncomfortable in their restriction of freedom
of movement and tendency to chafe, and further may be dangerous in
that they tie the heavy pack to the wearer which may be disastrous
in the event of an inadvertent slip into a river or stream.
Often, packers relieve and distribute the load on their shoulders
by placing their thumbs beneath the shoulder straps at chest level
and lifting the pack so that a portion of the load is borne by
their arms. This movement provides some temporary relief for the
packer's shoulders, but if the load being carried is of substantial
weight, the packer's thumbs soon tire. Temporarily shifting the
pack load while hiking gives significant physical relief to the
pack wearer, and can enable a hiker to cover substantially greater
distances before his shoulders "give out."
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a pack frame having a novel means for
shifting a portion of the pack load from the wearer's shoulders to
his arms comprising handles extending forwardly from the bottom of
the pack frame laterally adjacent the wearer's hips. The handles
are thus positioned to be easily gripped by the pack wearer to
allow a portion of the weight of the pack to be lifted from the
wearer's shoulders. A pack frame wherein the forwardly extending
handles are molded integrally with the pack frame is disclosed, as
are a plurality of handles and handle support arms mountable in a
variety of ways on packs of varying configurations. A laterally
rotatably mounted handle is disclosed to allow the handle to be
pointed rearwardly to prevent underbrush from snagging thereon when
hiking through extremely rough country. Further a vertically
pivotal handle is disclosed having an outwardly flanged platform on
its end which may act as a ground support for the pack when the
handle is pivoted out of its lifting position.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an
improved backpack frame having handles which are easily grippable
by the pack wearer to lift the pack to shift weight from the
wearer's shoulders while hiking.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a pack frame
having removable handles mounted on its lower portion.
One more object of the instant invention is to provide a pack frame
having handles which are horizontally rotatable with respect
thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pack frame
having forwardly extending pack frame lifting arms which are
relatively movable with respect to the pack frame.
Still another object is to provide a pack frame having a pivotally
mounted handle including an end mounted flange useful to support
the backpack on the ground when it is not being worn.
One more object is to provide handles for a conventional backpack
frame mountable thereon by insertion within the hollow main
vertical support bars of the pack frame.
An additional object is to provide a handle which may be quickly
and easily fastened to the bottom portions of a wide variety of
pack frame designs.
Other and additional objects will be apparent from the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical pack frame made according
to the instant invention including integral handles extending
forwardly from the lower portion of the pack frame, the pack frame
also including a belt and a pair of shoulder straps.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical handle made according to
the teachings of the instant invention mounted on the bottom
portion of one form of conventional pack frame.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another typical backpack handle
made according to the instant invention, the handle being shown in
dashed line pivoted vertically to act as a support for the pack
when placed on the ground.
FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of another typical form of
packback handles made according to the insntant invention including
a section view showing an L-shaped handle arm inserted within a
hollow pack frame structural member.
FIG. 5 is another typical backpack handle unit made according to
the instant invention, said unit being similar to the handles of
FIG. 4 but including a rearwardly extending curved bar suitable for
mounting a bedroll or the like.
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a backpack frame including
a typical rotatable handle made according to the instant invention
mounted on the bottom portion thereof, the handle being shown in
its rotated position in dashed line.
FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of still another typical embodiment
of the instant invention including a pack frame support arm and
handle which is adjustably mounted for vertical movement on the
lower portion of a pack frame.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another typical embodiment of the
instant invention wherein a pair of handles are removably mounted
on the bottom portion of a pack frame having an integral rearwardly
extending bedroll support.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring initially to FIG. 1, a backpack frame 10 is disclosed
comprising a pair of vertical main support bars 12 and 14
interconnected by transverse support rods 16 which are in turn
interconnected between the support bars 12 and 14 by means of bowed
vertical support rods 18. Resilient cushions 20 and 22 are mounted
laterally between support bars 12 and 14 while shoulder straps 24
are connected by conventional lock pins 26 or the like between the
uppermost transverse support rod 16 and the bottom portions of
vertical support bars 12 and 14.
As shown, shoulder straps 24 are padded and are length adjustable
to allow the pack to be worn comfortably by persons of different
size. It will be understood that pads 20 and 22 are also adjustable
up or down on the main vertical support bars 20 and 22 so that the
wearer of the pack may select the points on his back which the pack
will contact, however, the majority of the weight of the pack is
borne on the shoulders of the wearer through pack straps 24.
Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is a waist belt 28 mounted on the lower
set of lock pins 26. The handles of the instant invention function
somewhat similarly to a waist belt, in that both distribute the
weight of the pack between the wearer's shoulders and another
portion of the wearer's body, the hips in the case of a waist belt
and the hands and arms in the case of the instant invention. Thus
it will be understood that a pack frame embodying the instant
invention may be used with or without a waist belt as desired by
the user.
Referring again to main vertical support bars 12 and 14, it will be
seen that the lower portions of these bars are curved forwardly to
define support arms 30 and 32 on which handgrips 34 and 36 are
mounted. As shown, support arms 30 and 32 are flaired outwardly
from each other to provide lateral clearance for the support arms
with respect to the hips of the backpack wearer. Support arms 30
and 32 are formed of a length to allow the pack wearer to
comfortably grip the handles adjacent to or slightly forward of his
hips so that the handles may be easily lifted to raise the entire
pack frame and its load off of the wearer's shoulders.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an elongate handle 38 including a handgrip
portion 40 disposed on one end and a clamp portion 42 disposed on
its opposite end is disclosed mounted on the bottom portion of a
conventional pack frame 44. It will be understood that in actual
use a pair of like handles are mounted on the laterally spaced main
vertical support bars of the pack frame 44 or on some other
convenient portion of the pack frame. Handle 38 may be formed in
the shape of two mating pieces, the first including handgrip
portion 40 and a semicircular portion 46 of the clamp end 42 and
the second comprising clamp plate 48 and including a pair of
flanged end portions 50 and 52 and a central semicircular portion
54 cooperating with the semicircular portion 46 to form a circular
opening adapted to receive one of the main vertical support bars of
the backpack frame 44. Conventional fasteners such as nuts and
bolts 56 and 58 are mounted in aligned holes in clamp portion 46
and in flanges 50 and 52 to allow the clamp to be tightened onto
the pack frame. In one embodiment, a circular gripping pad 60
fabricated of plastic, hard rubber or the like and having a
roughened inner surface may be mounted within the jaws of clamp end
42 to provide a non-slip connection for the handle with the
backpack frame.
Pairs of handles such as that disclosed in FIG. 2 may be rapidly
and easily mounted on either vertical or horizontal structural
parts of a pack frame. Circular gripping pads of differeing
thickness and internal diameter may be employed to mount the
handles 38 on different diameter pack frame structural members,
although normally the larger diameter pack frame members are better
able to withstand the lifting forces transmitted thereto by the
handles during use. Additionally, mounting the handles on a
vertical rather than horizontal member prevents the handles from
rotating on its support during lifting.
Referring now to FIG. 3, an elongate support arm 62 is shown
pivotally mounted on pin 64 to the lower end of a main vertical
support bar 66 of a conventional backpack frame. Elongate support
member 62 includes a semicircular shoulder portion 68 mounted
adjacent pivot pin 64 to limit to horizontal the vertically upward
pivoting of the elongate support rod with respect to the pack frame
such that the horizontal elongate support arm acts as a lifting
handle for the pack frame. Again it will be understood that for
normal use, pivotal elongate support arms are mounted on the bottom
portion of each of the main vertical support bars. Flange 70 is
mounted on arm 62 opposite shoulder 68 to provide a platform on
which the pack frame may be rested on the ground when the pack has
been removed and elongate arm 62 pivoted to the vertical position
as shown in dashed line. The widened flange prevents arm 62 from
sinking into the ground when the pack is rested thereon, and
further serves as a portion of the handgrip on the arm when pivoted
to the horizontal position. In one embodiment of the invention,
elongate support arm 62 may be limited to pivot 90.degree. between
the horizontal lifting position and the dashed line vertical
support position, while in other embodiments, the elongate support
arm may be pivoted approximately 180.degree. to allow it to be
moved to a position extending rearwardly with respect to the pack
frame to reduce the possibility of its becoming entangled with
brush or the like during hiking.
FIGS. 4 and 5 disclose two related embodiments of the instant
invention mounted within the bottom portions of hollow main
vertical support bars 72 and 74 of a conventional backpack frame.
In FIG. 4, a pair of separate support arms 76 and 78 curved at
right angles along their length are shown disposed within the
hollow main vertical support bars and held therein by means of lock
pins 26 disposed in aligned holes 82 in the pack frame and in one
end of the support arms 76 and 78. Handgrip portions 84 and 86 are
mounted on the opposite ends of support arms 76 and 78. It will be
understood that holes 82 are often provided in conventional pack
frames to serve as mounting points for the bottom ends of the
shoulder straps or for pinning the pack bag to the pack frame and
thus the support arms 76 and 78 may be rapidly mounted on the pack
frame by merely removing the end plugs, such as caps 88 shown in
FIG. 1, from the bottom ends of the main vertical support bars,
sliding the support arms therein and removing and reinserting lock
pins 26 through the holes provided in the elongate support arms.
Although not illustrated, it will be understood that differently
sized holes may be vertically spaced on the upwardly extending
portion of the curved support arms both to allow the vertical
position of the handgrip portions 84 and 86 to be varied, as well
as to allow the support handles to be mounted on pack frames using
varying sized strap fasteners.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a substantially U-shaped handle 90 having
handgrip portions 92 and 94 mounted on its opposite ends and
including a pair of upstanding fingers 96 and 98 insertable within
the hollow end portions of main vertical support bars 72 and 74 and
pinned therein by means of conventional fasteners 26 extending
through aligned holes 82 is disclosed. The central portion 100 of
U-shaped handle 90 extends rearwardly with respect to the pack
frame to provide an additional mounting platform for a bedroll or
the like below the pack bag mounted on the pack frame as well as
adding structural rigidity to the handle structure such that a
lifting force on one of the handgrips is transmitted through handle
portion 100 to the laterally spaced main vertical support bar of
the pack frame.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a handle including support arm 102 curved
at a right angle along its length and having a handgrip portion 104
mounted on one end is shown mounted on the bottom of one of the
main vertical support bars 106 of a conventional pack frame by
means of chuck 108. Again it will be understood that pairs of the
illustrated handle units are mounted on a pack frame for actual
use. As illustrated, main vertical support bar 106 includes a
bottom flange 110 adapted to mate with a similarly sized flange 112
mounted on the end of curved support arm 102. Chuck 108 includes a
fixed collar 114 mounted above flange 110 and a fixed collar 116
mounted below flange 112. Collar 116 further includes a slidably
rotatable ring 118 mounted thereon. Rotatable ring 118 includes a
threaded portion 120 adapted to mate with cooperating threads on
collar 114 to allow flanges 110 and 112 to be clamped together to
prevent undesired rotation of the curved support arm 102 with
respect to the pack frame. Thus, while the handgrip 104 would
normally be oriented to extend forwardly with respect to the pack
frame as shown in full line, the unthreading of ring 118 from
collar 114 loosens the chuck 108 and allows the support arm 102 to
be rotated, such as to the dashed line position shown, to move the
support arm from adjacent the hips of the wearer. Further, it will
be seen that completely unthreading ring 118 from collar 114 allows
the support arm 102 to be completely removed from the pack
frame.
FIG. 7 discloses a curved pack frame support arm 122 mounted for
vertical movement on an S-curved main vertical support bar 124 of
one form of conventional pack frame. Curved support arm 122
includes handgrip portion 126 mounted on one end, while its distal
end 128 is contoured to the curved surface of the main vertical
support bar 124 and is held thereagainst by means of releasable
ring clamp 130. Clamp 130 includes a split ring the ends of which
are tied together by means of a conventional nut and bolt fastener
132, such that tightening the fasteners against each other draws
the ring clamp tight. It will be understood that loosening the
clamp 130 allows the curved support arm 122 to be moved vertically
on the main vertical support bar 124, such as to dotted line
position 134, for example, to allow the handgrips 126 to be
positioned for comfortable use by packers of varying size and arm
length. Support arm 122 includes a relatively long vertical portion
which allows the arm to be clamped to the relatively straight
central portion of the pack bar 124 rather than to the curved
bottom of the bar. Thus vertical movement of the curved support arm
122 on the pack bar does not alter the generally horizontal
orientation of the handgrips 126.
Finally, referring to FIG. 8, another embodiment of the instant
invention is disclosed wherein support arms 136 and 138 are
suitably formed for mounting on a known form of pack frame 140
having an integral bedroll support bar 142 extending rearwardly
therefrom. In this embodiment, support arms 136 and 138 include
handgrip portions 140 and 142 mounted on one end while the opposite
end of each support arm is contoured to partially surround the
outside diameter of a portion of the pack frame such that it may be
firmly connected thereto by means of conventional nut and bolt
fasteners 148 and 150 inserted through aligned holes in the pack
frame and the support arms 136 and 138. Clamps such as ring clamp
130 illustrated in FIG. 7 might also be used satisfactorily to
mount the support arms 136 and 138.
From all of the above, it will be understood that the instant
invention may be embodied in a variety of structures to accomplish
the principal purpose of providing handle means on the lower
portion of a pack frame to allow a packer to lift the pack frame
from his shoulders while hiking to temporarily redistribute the
weight of the pack between his shoulders and his arms.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The
present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects
as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention
being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing
description, and all changes which come within the meaning and
range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced
therein.
* * * * *