Handbag, purse or the like

Aug. 13, 1957

B. STEMBER

2,802,501

HANDBAG, PURSE OR THE LIKE

Filed Dec. 6, 1956

Sheets-Sheet 1

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ATTORNEYS

Aug. 13, 1957 b. stember 2,802,501

HANDBAG, PURSE OR THE LIKE

Filed Dec. 6, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2

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BY &lt;£cJLu&gt;v_ Jjuh-&lt;^-CL t-

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^TTORNEYS

Aug. 13, 1957 b. stember 2,802,501

HANDBAG, PURSE OR THE LIKE

Filed Deo. 6; 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3

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INVENTOR.

BY cSJL·^

ATTORNEYS

2,802,501

Patented Aug. 13, 1957

United States Patent Office ·/

2,802,501

HANDBAG, PURSE OR THE LIKE

Bernard Stember, Summit, N. J., assignor to Aristocrat Leather Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation ofNewJersey

Application December 6,1956, Serial No. 626,656

Claims. (Cl. 150—36)

The present invention relates to purses, pocketbooks and handbags and similar articles of the type disclosed in my United States Patent No. 2,213,618.

One object of the present invention is to provide a purse, handbag, pocketbook or similar article of the above indicated type of improved and simplified construction. More particularly, in this connection one of the objects of the present invention is to provide such articles with a plurality of compartments having access openings at different positions and formed by providing the article with an interior wall common to both of said compartments.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of the indicated character with a series of compartments a plurality of which may have access openings at one position with provision for selective access to the compartments, and with another of the compartments having an access opening at a different position remote from the first mentioned position and preferably not readily observable except upon close examination of the purse.

A yet further object of the invention is generally to improve the art of handbags, pocketbooks and purses, with special reference to but in some instances not necessarily limited to, articles of the type disclosed in my above-mentioned patent.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently Contemplated of carrying out the invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a purse embodying my invention and illustrates a presently preferred embodiment thereof;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2—2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3—3 of Fig. 1; .

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a purse showing another form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5—5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side view of a purse. showing yet another form of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7—7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a purse showing another embodiment of the invention, parts being cut away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the upper part of the purse shown in Fig. 8, illustrating the three clasps for releasably securing the three hinged frames to each other;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a handbag embodying the present invention in another form thereof;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line 11—11 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a detail sectional view on the line 12—12 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the handbag illustrated by Figs. 10 to 12, showing the handle part of the handbag folded over the body of the handbag at the side there- of, as an optional disposition of said folded over part in relation to the body of the handbag; and

Fig. 14 is a bottom view of the handbag as illustrated in Fig. 13, the handle part being in folded over position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and first to the purse illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3, it will be observed that the purse 10 has the outward appearance of a conventional purse and comprises the opposite side walls 12 and 14 and a conventional hinged metal U-shaped 10 frame 16. However, as illustrated by Fig. 2, the purse is considerably different from the conventional purse for, as here shown, said purse is provided with a compartment 18 which is accessible at the top of the purse by opening the conventional hinged frame 16, and there is 15 another compartment 20 separate from the compartment 18 and not noticeable at the top opening of the purse.

The compartments 18 and 20 are formed by a dividing wall 22 which extends from the bottom of the purse at adjacent one side wall 12 to the top of the purse adjacent 20 the other side wall 14 thereof. More particularly, the intermediate wall 22 cooperates with the side wall 12 to form the compartment 18 and also cooperates with the opposite side wall 14 to form the compartment 20. Said wall 22 is stitched at its lower edge to the bottom 25 of side wall 12 as indicated at 24 and is stitched at its side edges to the meeting end edges 26 and 28 by the line of stitching at said edges which secure the side walls 12 and 14 to each other from the bottom of the purse to the pivots 30 between the: U-shaped frame members 30 of the frame 16.

The upper edge of the dividing wall is secured in the top part of one of the frame members 16' of the frame 16 together with the upper edge of the side wall 14, and the portion of wall 22 which extends above the pivot 30 35 is secured in the end portions 32 and 34 of the same frame member together with the portion of said wall 14 which extends above pivot 30.

The compartment 20 is provided with an access opening 34 which is releasably closed by a slide fastener or 40 zipper 36 which extends preferably completely across the bottom of the purse as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1. It will be observed that the lower portions 38 and 40 of side walls 12 and 14, respectively, are inturned and directed upwardly and the stringers of the zipper are ₄₅ stitched to the edge portion 38 and 40, respectively, so ⁸ that the access opening and closure 36 therefor to the compartment 20 are not noticeable except upon close examination of the purse.

It will be understood that the side walls 12, 14 and ₅₀ the intermediate wall 22 of the purse may be made of ^U leather, cloth, plastic or any other suitable material.

The provision of the plurality of compartments in the manner described above wherein the interior of the purse is divided into two compartments by the above-described ₅₅ arrangement of wall 22 not only facilitates the construction of the purse and reduces the cost thereof but also enhances the secret-pocket characteristic of the purse attained by the provision of the compartment 20 having a separate access opening remote from the conventional ₆₀ access opening to the interior of the purse afforded by the conventional hinged frame 16.

In the form of the invention illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, the hinged metal frame is omitted and in lieu thereof the access to the compartment 18A (Fig. 5) is obtained ₆₅ by the operation of the slide fastener closure 42 and ac⁸ cess to the other compartment 20A is obtained by operation of the slide fastener closure 44 at the opposite part of the purse. The intermediate wall is indicated at 22A and extends from the lower inturned portion 24A _7n of side wall 12A to the upper inturned portion 24B of the ⁷ .opposite side wall 14A, being stitched to said inturned portions by the seams 46 and 48, respectively. It will

2,802,501 be understood that the side edges of wall 22A are stitched together with the meeting vertical edges 50 and 52 of the side walls 12A and 14A.

The- purse shown by Figs. 6 and 7 is similar in construction to the purse shown by Figs. 4 and 5 except that the purse is closed at the extreme top and bottom by the seams 50 and 52, respectively, and access to the compartments 18B and 20B is obtained by operation of the slide fastener closures 56 and 58, respectively, which are disposed at the opposite sides of the purse adjacent said top and bottom, respectively. The intermediate wall is indicated at 22B and it will be understood that it is stitched in position by the top and bottom seams 50 and 52 and by the side seams 60 and 62 which secure the side edges of the side walls 12B and Ϊ4Β to each other.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 8, the purse is of substantially the same construction as the purse shown in Fig. 1 except that a third hinged frame member 84 is provided, and a dividing wall 86 secured thereto, and to the lower inturned edge portion 88 of the outer side wall 90 and its lining 92. A second dividing wall member 22C is secured to portion 88 together with the lower part of wall 86 and extends upwardly therefrom to the hinged member 94. The frame members 94 and 96 and the frame member 84 are hinged together at one end of the composite frame as indicated at 98 and are similarly hinged together at the opposite end of the composite frame. It will be understood that the side edges of the side walls 90 and 93 and the side edges of intermediate walls 86 and 22C are all secured to each other below the hinges 98 by the side seams 100 at the opposite ends, respectively of the purse, that the intermediate wall 86 is secured to the hinged frame member 84 and that the intermediate wall 22C is secured to the frame member 94 together with the side wall 93 as described above with reference to the purse shown by Figs. 1 to 3.

As illustrated in Fig. 9 the hinged- frames 84, 94, 96 are provided with individual clasp members 102 for releasably securing the frame members in closed position. It will be noted that access to the compartment between wall 86 and wall 22C may be obtained through the top of the purse by unclasping frame members 84, 94 and likewise access to the compartment between side wall lining 92 and wall 86 may be obtained through the top of the. purse by unclasping frame members 84 and 96. Also, it is obvious that access to the secret compartment between side wall 93 and wall 22C may be obtained by opening the zipper closure 102. It will be understood that the zipper closure 102 extends longitudinally of the purse at the bottom thereof above the lower ends of the side walls 90 and 93 and is normally concealed from view and is not readily observable except upon close examination, upon the purse. Thus the purse shown by Fig. 9 comprises a plurality of individually accessible compartments so as to afford a maximum degree of safety to the user of the purse against loss and stealth of articles contained therein.

Referring now to Figs. 10 to 14 of the drawing, the invention is shown embodied in a handbag 122 which comprises a receptacle part 124 and a handle part 126. As indicated by Figs. 10 and 14 the handle part 126 may be disposed in line with the receptacle part 124, as indicated by Fig. 10, or it may be folded and lie against one side of the latter as indicated by Fig. 13. In the folded over position of handle part 126 it overlies and conceals the zipper closure 128 by which access is obtained to the compartment 130 of the receptacle part 124 of the handbag. It will be observed that the compartment 130 is formed by a dividing wall 132 which also defines one side of the compartment 134 through which access is obtained at the bottom of the handbag by operation of the slide operated closure 136. In respect to. the receptacle part 124 the latter is or may be of the same construction as the purse 10, except that the hinged frame is omitted and the common wall 132 is stitched at its lower edge to the inturned edge portion 138 of the side wall 140 of the handbag and to the upper part of the opposite side wall 142 of the handbag as indicated at 144 in Fig. 11. Also, it will be understood that wall 132 is secured at its side edges by the seams 146 which secure the walls 140 and 142 to each other. In this connection, it will be understood further that the walls 140 and 142 are preferably integral with the side portions 148 and 150, respectively, of the handle part 126 and that the seams 146 extend continuously to the top of the handbag so as to secure the handle portions 148 and 150 to each other. Also, it will be observed that the handle portions 148 and 150 are stitched or otherwise secured to each other at the top edges 152. Again, it will be seen that the lower parts of handle portions 148 and 150 are secured to each other adjacent the top of the receptacle part 124 of the handbag as indicated at 154 in Fig. 11, continuously, across the top of the receptacle part 124 of the handbag so as to completely close the latter.

As in the case of purse 10, it will be understood that the materials employed for producing any of the above described articles (Figs. 4 to 14) and articles similar thereto in accordance with the present invention may be of any suitable kind, and may comprise leather, cloth, plastics, etc., and it will be understood that the parts may be secured to each other in any suitable way other than by stitching; for example, when the material is plastic or includes plastic, stitching in the conventional sense may be replaced by heat sealing, cementing, etc. Accordingly, the seams may be formed by stitching or by heat sealing or in any other way.

Thus it is seen that the articles herein shown and described are well adapted to accomplish the several objects of the present invention. It is to be understood, however, that I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments of the invention herein shown or described or to the specific forms of the invention except as may be required, according to the scope of the appended claims considered in connection with the prior art.