End support for traveling bags

Application filed. January 31. 1922. Serial No. 532,995.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William James, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State 5 of Massachusetts, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in End Supports for Traveling Bags, of which the followmg is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My present invention relates to bag supports, and more particularly to the supports for the bag ends.

As heretofore constructed, bags such as the student bag and many traveling bags 15 have had no means of support in their ends, other than the material of which the bag has been composed of. The result has been that after the bag has been subjected to some use, the material which the ends are com20 posed of becomes very pliable and a sagging or caving in of the corners is the result. In time the constant creasing of the ma-, terial causes cracks, and while the sides may be perfectly good the ends may be worn 25 out and present an unsightly appearance.

In my present invention, I have obviated the above mentioned difficulties, and have dei· eloped a strong end, support of minimum size and displacement that is simple and 30 strong in construction and extremely efficient in operation.

The principal object of my invention therefore, is an improved encl support for bags.

Another object is a means for positively bracing the corners of a bag.

Still another object, is an improved means for adjusting an encl support for bags to fit the contour, of the inside of a bag where 40 the contour may vary slightly without showing any noticible difference in the dimensions of the bag. ¹

Other objects and novel features of the construction of the support will be ap45 parent as the description of the invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bag with one end partially cut away to show the support in place on the inside;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of . the support removed from the bag;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one end of a support showing how it pivots on the hinges; and adjusts itself to a somewhat shorter and wider bag.

Fig. 4 is a similar plan view of one end of a support in a normal position, and fur- 60 ther illustrates the action of the hinges, and the torsional properties of the entire structure.

Referring to the drawings, B designates a bag of more or less flexible qualities. C 65 indicates the corners of said bag B where wrinkling or caving in usually occurs as soon as the stiffness of the material has been overcome by the constant use of same. At 10 and 10' I have formed a somewhat 70 rectangular base of the skeleton . type, the ends of which I have rounded slightly at 11 and 11', and at 12 and 12'. Midway and approximately, in' a center line between members .10 and 10', I have sharply bent 75 the frame to a perpendicular position placing the two members 13 and 13' side by side. Hinge members 14 consisting of a short, strap are secured to members 13 and 13' by bending the two ends of same around 80 the outer sides of members 13 and 13', thereby forming a simple hinge, the position of which is maintained by friction. At 15 and 15' I have again bent the members 16 and 16' ninety degrees in an opposite di- 85 rection to each other, and parallel to members 11 and 11' thus forming the top of support. At 17 and 17', I have again bent the members 16 and 16' in a downward direction forming the taper sides 18 and 18', 90 and securing the end of same to members 10 and 10' by means of the turned over ends 19 and 19',. and as members 16 and 16' are much shorter in length than members 11 and 11', the resulting shape of 95 outline formed by 18 and 18' is somewhat of a wedge and conforms to the . shape of the bag in which it is to be placed. Members 18 and 18' also serve to support members 13 and 13', and maintain an upright 100 position as well as a protection and support for the corners C of the bag B.

The operation of my invention is as follows, assuming the apparatus to be assembled as above described. A bag of the above 105 described class is first opened, the support is then inserted in the manner indicated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. When the bag is of exactly the right dimensions to perfectly fit the support no adjust- no ment is necessary, and the support will assume the position indicated at Fig. 4, if

1,428,098 the bag should be slightly shorter and ivider, as sometimes is the case, an adjustment may be obtained by compressing the two ends together, and the effect of this 5 action as illustrated at Fig. 3. By compressing the end or members 11 and. 11' their curvature, is reduced to a more nearly straight line and consequently the members 10 and 10' are expanded further apart and 10 in so doing the members .16 and 16' are pivoted in hinge members 14 and thereby straightened out to more or less of a straight line, the amount of straightening is wholly limited to the amount of compression ap15 plied at the ends. Members 18 and IS' having their lower ends 19 and 19' in an advanced position in respect to the perpendicular members 13 and 13' thereby form a bracing element to support the entire 20 end of the bag B, and also constitutes a support ifor each of its four corners. C thereby eliminating any and all tendency toward creasing or caving in of the corners of the bag.

It will be apparent from the above description, that I have designed a bag end support that is compact, simple and efficient in construction and operation, and while I have necessarily shown and described the 30 preferred embodiment of my invention somewhat in detail, it is to be understood that I may vary the size, shape, and general arrangement of the parts comprising my invention within wide limits without de35 parting from the spirit of the invention.