Carrying case

June 9, 1964

S. PLATT

3,136,398

CARRYING CASE

Filed Sept. 19, 1961

<img file="US3136398A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US3136398A_D0002.tif" />

<img file="US3136398A_D0003.tif" />

3,136,398

United States Patent Office Patented June 9, 1964 case of FIGURE 1, showing an outline of a bowling ball as it would appear supported within the case;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the case, ot ri URE 1 with the case in an open position; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged partially broken away, se tional view taken along line 5—5 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to El URES 2 and 3, the present invention comprises a holl case 11 having a base member 13, wafi^S and 17^ end walls 19 and 21, and a top wall 23. The case&gt;11 has a generally trapezoidal cross section as viewed from one end (FIGURE 3), with the side walls tapering inward?slightly toward'the top andffihe topsail_23&gt; being thereby somewhat narrower than the base 13 The&gt; wal are rounded where they meet with one another to pro vide an attractive appearance, and also to eliminate sharp edges or corners which would make carrying of the case uncomfortable, as well as subject it to excessive local ^W The case 11 is divided into two parts along a P^lan® which passes diagonally through the end.walls !9 and 21 so as to provide a lower or bottom shell 25 and an upper or closure shell 27 each of which is open on one _ . .-, __,,~_____ Ιλπιαγ snPllR &amp;Γβ

DULH UL L11O -r-ir— ------ .,,

-enerally triangular cross-section and mate with

Cl CllUilg, a Aim ------ ,manner which will be described m detail shortly, and lower shells 25 and 27 open to the

3,136,398 CARRYING CASE _

Sidney Platt, Highland Park,' Hl., assignor to Platt ^Luggage, Inc., Chicago, IH., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 19,1961, Ser. No. 139,311

Claims. (Cl. 190—51)

This invention relates generally to carrying cases for sporting equipment, and more specifically, to a case par ticularly adapted to facilitate the carrying of a bowling . ball and other bowling accessories. _trqnsnortin”

Various means have been provided for transportin individual bowling balls, bowling shoes, and other related accessories. Flexible bowling ball bags, fabricated of cloth or plastic, are now well-known, but oags of this type ^ΡΓ FhrtVeMhT handles of such bags are normally secured bv rivets or fasteners, and the flexible material frequently weakens at the area of attachment, resulting ^.eventual tearing and necessitating either extensive repair or re^P“dhion, with the use of % flexible material, the shape of the bag when carried conforms ^rather ,^cJ°®^e^ · the shape of the ball. Hence, even whemthe bag.is opened, as by a zipper, the removal of the ball is often difficult because of the tendency of the bag to cling the ball while the ball is being lifted out of the bag. Frequently, therefore, the bag must be held with one hand while the ball is lifted out with the other.

Moreover, when shoes and other equipment are carried in the bag and are 'shoved into the space between the walls of the bag and the ball; they are not readily a cessible and in addition, the storage and carrying^oi the shoes in that manner causes the soles of the shoes to as sume a curved shape as a result of being pressed into in- 35 timate contact with the ball; making them uncomfortable and of relatively shorter life. .

Attempts have been made to provide carrying cases o rigid material so as to overcome some of the objection able features inherent in the flexible bag, but none of the rigid cases now'available is openable in a manner pi viding ready and complete access to its contents whd standing in a stabilized upright Or carrying position on ^Fmthermore, whereas the side walls of bowling ball 45 cases formed of flexible material tend to grip the ball to a certain extent when the case is being carried and thereby prevent movement of the ball within file cas no such feature is present in known =^ases 50 material, and repeated contact between the ball and the ou walls of the case, if the ball becomes dislodged and moves therein, eventually mars the surface of the ball, thus making the use of such cases less desirable.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an improved rigid, carrying case for a bowling ball which will permit easy insertion .and removal of the ball while the case stands on the floor. A further Object of the invention is to provide a case for a bowling ball in which bowling shoes can also_be stare without deformation because of the contact with ^the^^a.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rigid case for a bowling ball which includes-means for fixing the ball in place within the case. _ .

Other objects and advantages of the invention-wfll become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings. - ”

In the drawings: . . ., . _f^a .

FIGURE 1 is a perspective side view of a case in ac cordance with the present invention, .

FIGURE 2 is a perspective end view of the case or

FIGURE 1; . „ , . , _Λ.'

FIGURE 3 is a partially, sectioned end view or the so side. Both of the resulting upper and lower shells are of a generally triangular cross-section and mate with each other along a rim 29, which defines their open side, in a manner which will be described m detail shortly

The upper and lower shells 25 and 27 open to the position shown in FIGURE 4, in which the entire contents of the case are completely visible and accessible, and from which the ball can be easily lifted without interference from the side or end walls, but more important, without any necessity for further re-orientation of the case on any surface where it may conveniently have been put down. The upper shell swings between the open and closed positions on a pair of hinges 31 which interconnects a side edge 14 of the base 13 with a lower side edge of the closure shell 27. As shown in FIGURE 3 the side edge 14 is turned upwardly somewhat adjacent the hinge 31 s . as to elevate the hinge above the plane of the base. Thus, when the case is opened, the upper shell may lie flat on the floor without exerting any lifting leverage tending to rock, or upset the base shell 25. Further, placing, of the.closure_;shell 27 in the open position shown in FIGURE 4 does not upset the stability or balance of the bottom shell 25 so as to cause it to tip or become otherwise displaced from its normal position. . . .__,

The upper and lower shells of the case 11 are maintain in a closed condition by a releasable clasp 33 provided at ) the top of the case, as shown most clearly in FIGURED and 3. The clasp is of the type commonly used for luggage and similar cases and, because it is relatively wellknown in the art, will not be described herein in further

To strengthen the structure of the bottom shell 25, and also to provide a means for maintaining a ball· m place· within the. case,-the base 13 is formed so_as to mdud^a ball-retaining ring 35. As shown in FIGURE 3, the ring 35 is integral with the base 13 and includes an outer sidewall 37 and an inner dish 39 which has a shape correspondin” to that of the surface of the ball so as to enable it to distribute the weight of the ball over a larger area. The side wall 37 of the ring is inclined inwardly and upwardly slightly and, although the base is constructed of a relatively rigid material, the ring 35 will flex slightly m ^resP®“®® to the weight of the ball and cushion the-ball from shock _ -inng naiKlllllg ML tutv VUCV. . . , «

The lower surface of the base is raised front the supporting surface by pads-or. feet 41 to. permit, flexing of the base for a cushioning effect-when the .ball is placed, in the case. The pads 41 are preferably formed of-rubber. or other resilient material and are located so that the hinge during’handling of the case.

3,136,398 &lt; ³ overhangs somewhat a pair of the pads so as to thereby further facilitate the opening and closing of the case

The side wall 15 of the bottom shell 25 and the side wall 17 of the closure shell 27 are preferably stiffened, as by ribs or corrugations 43 as seen in FIGURE 3.

The closure or upper shell 27 of the case comprises generady the top wall 23, the side wall 17, and the upper sections or. the end walls 19 and 21. The closure 27 is provided with a carrying handle 45 which is pivotally mounted on the top wall 23 by means of a pair of brackets 47.

In.order that the case may be closed in such a manner at it will protect the contents from the weather, dust etc., the run 29 of each of the upper and lower shells is provided with a metal border 49 and 51 respectively as shown m FIGURE 5. The borders 49. and 51 mate with one another so that they overlap slightly and thereby proK ⁶, ^a generally weather-tight seal. In this regard, the border 49 includes an upper flange 53 and the border 51 mcludes a lower flange 55, with the flange 53 overlyim’ the flange 55 when the case is in a closed position. ।

Support for various bowling accessories, as well as a means for preventing dislodgement of the ball from the ring 35 is provided by a shelf 57 pivotally mounted within tne case 11 m overlying relation to the ball and engageable with the upper surface thereof so as to fix the ball in , ί^{εΙΕ 57 com}Prises a flat generally rectangular plate 59 which is curved upwardly at its side edges so as to provide end walls 61 and 62 and a side wall 63 which serves to retain items on the upper surface of the shelf. ^A £?^urtb edge 64 of the plate 59 remains relatively flat.

Ine shelf 57 is sufficiently wide to accommodate a pair ot shoes (not shown) and, of course, various smaller items if desired.

The shelf is pivotally mounted within the case 11 so that it can be moved from a ball-engaging horizontal or first position to an out of the way upwardly inclined or second position (not shown) which will facilitate insertion and removal of the ball. The pivotal mounting is accomplished by means of rivets 67 which secure the curved end walls 61 and 62 to the uppermost corner of the end walls 19 and 21 respectively of the base shell 25, with the flat edge 64 of the shelf being adjacent the side wall 15 of the base shell. Downward pivotal movement of the shelf past the horizontal position is limited by engagement with the ball and by the engagement of the rearward edge 64 of the shelf with the side wall 15 of the base shell 25.

To facilitate the engagement between the shelf 57 and the upper surface of the ball, the plate 59 is formed with an upwardly projecting dome 69 having a concave lower surface 71 which is positioned so as to contact the upper surface of the ball and provide a substantial area of engagement therewith. The concave surface 71 is preferably of the same radius as the ball.

The ball can be secured within the case 11 by raising the shelf 57, positioning the ball on the ring 35 of the base 13, and then lowering the shelf 57 so that the concave surface 71 engages the ball. Cooperation of the ring 35 and the surface 71 then serve to maintain the ball securely in place.

Once the shelf 57 has been lowered to a position overlying and engaging the ball and the case 11 is closed, subsequent upward pivotal movement of the shelf as would permit dislodgement of the ball is prevented by interengagement of the lip of the side wall 63 and the side wall 17 of the closure shell 27, which engagement is facilitated by the inward tapering of the side walls of the case. Also as can be seen in FIGURE 3, when the case is in the closed position, the lip of the side wall 63 becomes positioned between a pair of the ribs or corrugations 43 of the side wall and the shelf is thus further prevented from upward movement.

Closing of the case 11 therefore serves to lock the shelf 57 in the horizontal position and prevent dislodrament of the ball from the ring 35. The ball is thus secured and will not roll or otherwise move about within । the ease white the case is being transported. In addition, the shelf 57 serves as a convenient storage rack for shoes or other bowling accessories.

The bowling case thus provided is advantageous over those previously available in several other respects. AlmnlHeH ^fij'^r™^{od of}, ^a relatively rigid material such as a S thl b_nn^arii^{C and thus} P^r°^{Vlding substaniial} Protection ^th® u ’ ^{CaSe Can be Opened t0 a} Ρθ^ΐοη in which ^{bal1 content}s are readily accessible and easily visibte._ The case itself is of a sturdy construction, with the weight of the ball distributed throughout the shell

T* ^W‘i^{h the} i°^a£i-bearing base effectively supported by the side and end walls. The contents of the case are protected from the weather, and dust, etc. by the cooperation of border flanges on each half of the’ rnn%_t^{and mea}?^{S 316 provided for} supporting in a protected the bowler^Van°^{US accessories which mi}8^{ht b}e used by

Although shown and described with reference to a particular structure, it is apparent that various modifications and changes might be made in the above described Γηνβηίίοη^{βηί Wlth}°^{Ut de}P^arimg from the principles of the °* ^the features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.