Traveling bags

June 7, 1955 1.1_. braverman 2,710,084

TRAVELING BAGS Filed Feb. 23, 1954

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2,710,084

Patented June 7, 19S5

United States Patent Office

2,710,084

TRAVELING BAGS

Irving L. Braverman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application February 23, 1954, Serial No. 411,979 6 Claims. (Ci. 190—43) ¹ °

The present invention relates to traveling bags and, 1.5 more particularly, to a traveling bag or grip which is constructed and arranged so that it may be readily reduced in size for storage or other purposes and so that it may be easily and quickly set up into operative condition, ready for use. 20

One object of the invention is the provision of a collapsible traveling bag with a frame which is of simple construction and which can be readily collapsed and set up within the bag enclosure for collapsing the bag and for holding the bag enclosure in its normal bag-defining for- 25 mation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bag with a fabric or other flexible covering and with a light frame for holding the covering in its bag formation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a 0 frame which can be readily inserted as a unit into the flexible or pliable bag enclosure and which can be easily secured to the latter.

A yet further object of the invention is generally to provide a traveling bag which is simple and inexpensive ³³to manufacture and which, is convenient in use and which when not in use can be placed within a small space for storage or other purposes.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from 40 the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the best mode now contemplated by me for practicing my invention.

In the drawings: ⁴³

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a traveling bag embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, on a larger scale, taken on the line 2—2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the frame removed from ³⁰the bag, showing the frame in expanded or operative condition, with a dotted line indication of the foldability of said frame;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of part of the frame in its folded condition; ³³

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5—5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bag in its folded or collapsed condition.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the bag 10 embodying the present invention, comprises a bag enclosure or envelope 12 which is preferably formed of cloth or any other suitable sheet material which is flexible or pliable or which can be folded. Said bag enclosure or envelope comprises the opposite side walls 14 and 16, and a pe- ^fi3ripherally extending wall 18 to which said sides 14 and 16 are secured at their adjacent peripheral edges 20 and 22, respectively, by suitable seams or in any other way. Side 14 is provided with an opening and a releasable closure part 24 which may be closed and opened by a slide operated fastener or zipper 26. The bag is provided with a carrying handle 28.

Pursuant to the present invention, the bag 10 is provided with a collapsible or foldable open frame 30 which is formed of metal. Said frame is, of course, disposed within the bag enclosure or envelope 12 and is operable, in the expanded or set-up condition of the frame, to hold the bag enclosure 12 in the normal box-like shape thereof illustrated in Fig. 1. Said frame 30 comprises the endless open members 32 and 34 which are preferably formed of stiff wire and connected to each other by the front and rear toggles each of which comprises the straps 36, 38. These toggle straps are all of the same construction and are connected to each other and to the frame members 32 and 34 in the same manner. The companion straps 36 and 38 of each toggle are pivotally connected to each other at their inner ends by a conventional hinge 40, and each of said straps has a reflexed outer end portion 42 for pivotal securement to the frame members 32 and 34, respectively, the reflexed portion 42 being pivotally engageable in an ear 44 which is spot welded to the frame member 32 or 34. One of the toggle strap members, here shown as the member 42, is provided with a rigid end extension 46 fixedly secured thereto as by a rivet or spot weld indicated at 48 in Fig. 5. The companion toggle strap member 36 is provided with a retaining loop 50 which is slideably longitudinal of said strap member to releasably engage the extension 46 for releasably holding the toggle strap members 36 and 38 in their extended or frame-expanding positions, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. A cross bar 52 is secured at its opposite ends to the front toggles and, more particularly as here shown, to the toggle strap members 38, in any suitable way, as by rivets or by spot welds indicated at 54. The brackets 56 to which the handle 28 is pivotally secured, in a conventional manner, have portions which pass through the fabric of the bag enclosure part 12 and through openings 58 in bar 52 and are riveted over said bar as indicated at 60 in Fig. 2, to secure the handle to the frame 30.

It will be understood that in the manufacture of the bag the bag enclosure or envelope 12 and the frame 30 are manufactured as separate units, respectively, and are thereafter assembled by inserting the frame 30 within the bag through the opening in the side wall 14 after which the brackets 56 of the handle 28 are fastened to the bar 52 of the frame. It will be understood, in this connection, that by thus making the bag enclosure 12 and the frame 30 as separate units and by designing the bag enclosure and the frame so that the frame can be readily inserted into said enclosure the manufacturing and assembling operations are reduced to a minimum. Moreover, by reason of the foldability of the frame and the foldability of the bag enclosure or envelope 12, the bag has the added advantage of being foldable into a comparatively small size so that it takes up very little room when not in use. However, unless otherwise specified in the claims, it is within the scope of the present invention to construct the frame in such a manner that it is not readily collapsible after it is inserted in the bag, if the collapsible feature is not desired and this can be accomplished in any suitable way, for example by rigidly securing the extension 46 of one strap member 33 to the companion strap member 36, by a rivet or by spot welding or by any other device, after the frame is inserted within the bag enclosure and arranged in its expanded condition for holding said enclosure in its box-like formation.

As shown by the drawings, the frame 30 is dimensioned in relation to the interior of the bag so that the frame members 32 and 34 lie closely adjacent to the peripheral edges 20 and 22, respectively, of the bag, i. e., at the junctures of the peripheral wall 18 with the sides 14 and 16, respectively. When the frame is collapsible, as it is in

2,710,084 the latter and connected at their outer ends to said open frame members, respectively, the length of each of said toggles in the extended condition of the toggle being substantially equal to the width of said peripheral wall so 5 that when said toggles are in their extended condition they hold said peripheral wall taut in the direction of its width, said opposite side walls being held taut by said open frame members, two of said toggles being disposed adjacent the front of said enclosure, a cross bar connected between 10 said two of the toggles and positioned adjacent the front of said enclosure, and a handle for carrying the bag secured to said cross bar, and means for releasably holding said toggles in said extended condition thereof, said toggles being collapsible when released and said open 15 frame members being concomitantly movable toward each other to permit said enclosure to be reduced in width.

3. A traveling bag, comprising a flexible bag enclosure and a frame therein for holding the bag enclosure in bag-defining condition, said bag enclosure and said frame 20 being complete units in themselves and assembled with each other by inserting said frame within said enclosure, said frame being concealed from view externally of the bag by said unitary bag enclosure, said bag enclosure having opposite side walls and said frame comprising a pair 25 of members which extend peripheral!}' of the bag adjacent said opposite side walls, respectively, for holding the latter in flat condition and cross members which hold said peripherally extending members in spaced relation adjacent said side walls of the bag for holding said side walls 30 in spaced confronting relation, said cross members being arranged in pairs with the members of each pair pivotally connected to each other and to said first mentioned frame members, respectively, whereby the bag is collapsible, and means for preventing substantial pivotal movement ³³ of said cross members in relation to the frame and to each other, said last mentioned means comprising an extension on one member of each pair of said cross members overlapping the other member of each pair of cross members when said cross members hold said bag enclosure in bag defining relation, and a slidable loop on said other member of each pair of cross members adapted to fit around at least a part of said other member and around the overlapping extension to prevent relative movement between the members of each pair of cross members.

4. A traveling bag, comprising a flexible bag enclosure and a frame therein for holding the bag enclosure in bagdefining condition, said bag enclosure and said frame being complete units in themselves and assembled with each other by inserting said frame within said enclosure, said 50 frame being concealed from view externally of the bag by said unitary bag enclosure, said bag enclosure having opposite side walls and said frame comprising a pair of members which extend peripherally of the bag adjacent said opposite side walls, respectively, for holding the latter in flat condition and cross members which hold said peripherally extending members in spaced relation adjacent said side walls of the bag for holding said side walls in spaced confronting relation, said cross members being arranged in pairs with the members of each pair pivotally ³⁰ connected to each other and to said first mentioned frame members, respectively, whereby the bag is collapsible, and means for preventing substantial pivotal movement of said cross members in relation to the frame and to each other, said last mentioned means comprising an exten³³ sion on one member of each pair of said cross members overlapping the other member of each pair of cross members when said cross members hold said bag enclosure in bag defining relation, and a slidable loop on said other member of each pair of cross members adapted to fit '0 around at least a part of said other member and around the overlapping extension to prevent relative movement between the members of each pair of cross members, two of said pairs of cross members being disposed adjacent the front of said enclosure, a cross bar connected to said ⁷³ two pairs of cross members and positioned adjacent the the preferred form of the invention, it is merely necessary to move the retaining loops 50 out of engagement with the companion strap extensions 46 so that the toggle strap members 36, 38 may be folded from the relative positions thereof illustrated in Fig. 3 to the relative positions thereof illustrated in Fig. 4, thus permitting the opposite sides 14 and 16 of the bag to lie closely adjacent to each other in parallel confronting relation with the peripheral wall 18 of the bag in folded condition. It will be noted that when the handle brackets 56 are secured to the cross bar 52 of the frame, the latter is thereby fixed to the frame and cannot readily be removed therefrom; however, it is within the scope of the present invention to fasten the handle brackets 56 to the cross bar 52 by screws (not shown) or by any other releasable fastening device so that the frame can be readily removed from the bag enclosure 12 when it is desired to remove the bag enclosure or to repair or replace the latter or the frame.

The toggles 36, 38 are dimensioned so that they are substantially as long as the width of the peripheral wall 18, whereby the latter is held taut by the toggles in the extended condition thereof. The sides 14 and 16 are held taut by the open wire frames 32 and 34. Thus, while the bag covering or enclosure 12 is not in itself self-sustaining but on the contrary is preferably readily foldable so that the bag can be collapsed, said covering is held taut and in box-like formation by frame 30. Also, it will be observed that the bag enclosure is supported by the frame and not by the handle, so that the weight of the contents of the bag is distributed over the front of the frame which, in turn, is supported directly by the handle 28 when the bag is being carried.

While I have shown and described the presently preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied in other ways and that in the illustrated embodiment certain details in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the underlying ideas or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.