Pop-up pocket carrying bag

[57] ABSTRACT

A bag for carrying, typically shaped as a traveler’s satchel or a lady’s handbag having pop-up pockets for carrying normally extra items as may be desired, such as papers, letters, handkerchiefs, or the like, situated around the main central bag enclosure, the pockets being convertible into merely inside walls of an extended form of the inner container by extending upwardly the outside walls of the pocket surrounding the inner container.

Claims, 6 Drawing Figures

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Patented July 17, 1973

3,746,066

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ATTORNEYS.

3,746,066

POP-UP POCKET CARRYING BAG

This invention relates to a multi-use carrying container of material or fabric flexible at least to some minimal extent, the container being convertible into a much longer container, but in its collapsed state having also the advantage of neat and compact appearance as well as an extra pocket continuous around the periphery of the inner container.

BACKGROUND

Prior to this invention there have been expandable pocket books, bags, and the like but all of these have been of basically similar structure and esign and accordingly have shared common drawbacks and/or limitations and the lack of the advantages of the present invention. In particular, typically such extendable bags have had the upper portion thereof folded in one manner or another inwardly into the lower portion of the bag, with the lower portion of the bag —in the folded stage— appearing to be an independent small bag having its own carrying handle of one sort or another.

As a result of the inwardly folding characteristics of prior extendable carrying bags, if there is provided any inner pocket whatsoever, the walls of the inner pockets empty their contents outwardly outside of the inner bag when the upper portion of the extended material is drawn upwardly to its extended position.

Also in the prior art extendable bags, by virtue of the fact that the upper portions of the extended bag pull inwardly into the lower portion of the bag, the collapsed upper portion reduces the available space within the lower-containing bag portions severely limiting the maximum amount of contents that may be carried in the collapsed bag. Any pockets formed by the material folded inwardly at best would be merely reclaiming some of the space already lost by virtue of the extendable portion being folded inwardly, and inner-fold pockets are not as accessible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Objects of the invention include the overcoming of one or more of the above stated limitations and problems associated with the prior art extendable bags, as well as the obtaining of new and unexpected advantages. Other objects become apparent from the preced- ⁴⁵ing and following disclosure. One or more of the objects of this invention are obtained by the present invention. The invention may take the form of any one or more of several embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Broadly the invention relates to an extendable carrying bag of which the lower bag portion retains its maximum carrying capacity in the collapsed (non-extended) position, which additionally provides extra supplemental carrying space by providing a continuous pocket around the entire perimeter of the inner compartment-case of the collapsed (non-extended) bag, and which because the peripheral pocket is actually a folded convolution that moves upward around the inner container in the process of being extended to its most expanded position, the outer pocket’s contents are thus emptied into the lower interior of the container; this latter advantage is in direct contrast to the shortcoming of prior art extendable cases which, when extended, dump any materials placed within the convolution outwardly outside of the entire bag. In addition to the practical utility described above, the inventive extendable handbag of this invention lends itself to various different shapes and appearances both practical and atractive to the eye thereby in conjunction with the above-discussed utilities resulting in a highly marketable and desirable prod5 uct of commerce. The accessibility of contents of the outer peripheral pocket is a marked advance over the prior art. Inner and/or outer containers’ walls may and preferably do include stiffening material, improving accessibility of the pockets.

¹⁰ THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical embodiment of the invention in which the handle means are ropes or straps, the illustrated embodiment being typically in 15 the nature of a duffel bag of a collapsible and extendable nature.

FIG. 2 is another view of the same embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1 except that in FIG. 2 the extendable bag is shown in the extended position.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3—3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perpective view of a different embodiment, in the nature of pocket book or briefcase, including a handle perforation providing a gripping means on ²⁵ the outer upper portion on each of opposite sides and typically having snaps or the like fastening the outside portion to the inside portion.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment more in the nature of either a pocketbook or of a satchel for travel 30 having a zipper for closing the inner container when being employed either as a collapsed bag or as a two compartment container if extended with the zipper still closed.

FIG. 6 is still another typical embodiment in perspec³³ tive view somewhat similar to that of FIG. 1 except that the upper portions of the outer and inner containers each have rings to which the handle detachable-snap may be snapped jointly or separately to either on each of opposite sides of the bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A primary advantage of this invention is the pop-up pocket between the outer portion wall and the inner container, the pocket appearing by nature of the telescoping of the outer portion downwardly onto the lower portion forming a convolution pocket whereby in effect the pocket pops-up to provide additional carrying space around the inner container but additionally whereby the inside bottom portions of the outer pocket in effect pop-up by moving upwardly when the outer upper portion of the bag is moved upwardly in the process of extending the bag during which process the contents of the pop-up pocket are dumped into the interior of the resulting longer extended bag.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the popup bag 1 has an inner compartment with its inner wall 8 folded at fold point 2 downwardly to form the outer pocket space 4 defined between the outer pocket inner wall 9 and upper portion inner wall 17 of upper portion 7 which is folded upwardly at second fold point 3. The strap or belt or rope 6α and 6b respectively are mounted through rings such as ring 16 in the upper wall 7 and 16α and 16i&gt; of the lower and mid-portions respectively, the latter two rings being more clearly shown in FIG. 2. When the strap is pulled from within the inner container, it serves to securely position and hold the bag in the collapsed pocket state, whereas

3,746,066 between the middle and upper wail sections, said upper wall section terminating at the bags top in and defining a top-end opening continuous with a single space enclosed by said lower, middle and upper wall sections, 5 the bag having a closed bottom at a lower edge of the lower wall section, said bag being compacted and the compacted bag having said middle wall section folded outwardly and downwardly from and at said first fold point and having said upper wall section folded out10 wardly and upwardly at and from said second fold point, said compacted bag’s lower wall section and outwardly downwardly folded middle section jointly dividing said top-end opening into a circumscribing accessible open-topped pocket having a circumscribing outer top-accessible access-opening and a central accessible open-topped pocket having an inner central topaccessible access-opening, and said compacted wall being extendable to a single high-walled extended bag.

2. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 1, ²⁰ including handle means at about said upper portion.

3. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 2, in which said handle means includes a hand-grip element on each of two opposing sides of said upper portion.

²⁵ 4. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 3, including additional handle means at said first fold point.

5. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 2, including additional handle means at said first fold ³® point.

6. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 1, including handle means at said first fold point.

7. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 1, including a joint handle means at about said upper por⁵ tion and at said first fold portion.

8. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 1, said extendable bag being constructed as a duffel bag, including a handle means.

₄₀ 9. An extendable carpring bag according to claim 1, said extendable bag being constructed as substantially a ladies’ handbag, including handle means.

10. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 9, in which in the base of the interior of the bag is a sub₄₅ stantially rigid form-structure imparting a predetermined shape to the base of the bag.

11. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 1, including stiffening material such as to impart shape to the inner container’s base and to the outer pocket cir50 cumferential side.

12. An extendable carrying bag according to claim 1, including an anchoring means for detachably fastening the upper portion of said top-section to about said fold point, such that when compacted a pocket is defined 55 around the lower section, the pocket extending downwardly from said first fold point and said upper portion, such that when said anchoring means is unfastened said bag is extendable into said single high-walled extended bag.

when the line, rope, cord or the like 5α is pulled from its outer position, adjacent ring 16, for example, extending outwardly from the wall portion 7, the pulling and carrying by these handle means 5α and 5b serve to extend the extendable bag to the extended position and as a convenient and sturdy handle for carrying the bag with its contents.

FIG. 3 more graphically illustrates the pocket space 4 formed between the convoluted inner wall and the upwardly folded outer wall. Also FIG. 3 illustrates the presence of an optional form board 10 or the like for maintaining the desired rounded, squared, triangular, or other desired base shape.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment basically similar to that of the prior figures except for the shape resembling that of a pocketbook or ladies* handbag, with a hole exending through the outer wall 7' providing a hand gripping means 5' when the handbag is in the extended position, and also having a hook means or snap means 11 and 11α, for example, for fastening the outer upper portion to the inner wall 9 when the bag is in the collapsed (non-extending) state.

FIG. 5 illustrates another alternative embodiment and shape more in the nature of a traverler’s bag or of a pocketbook, depending upon the size, color, and material, or the like, having a zipper 12 with zipper handle 12α for zipping closed the inner lower container.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment basically similar to that of FIG. 1, except having a ring hole wtih a ring coupled therethrough at the top of opposite sides of each of the upper portion and the central hole point portion at about the fold point 2 (identified in FIG. 1), whereby a detachable snap 15α having a head 15c with a shaft extending thrugh a turnbuckle 15b are continuous with a ring 15d on which is mounted a strap S'” which is attachable to either or both rings; normally each snap would be connected always to the outside ring but in the collapsed state would also be attached to the inner ring, for each snap on opposite sides of the bag.

It is to be understood that the embodiments illustrated in this invention are solely for the purpose of illustration to make possible a more clear understanding of the nature of the invention, and are not intended to unduly limit the scope of the invention. Acordingly, other various shapes incorporating the basic inventive concept(s) as described above are within the scope of this invention, including substitution of obvious equivalents and modifications as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in this art. The bag can be made typically of cloth fabric, leather, plastic, paper, or the like, typical plastic being nylon mesh, etc.