Article carrier

An article carrier to be worn over a person's shoulder and around his or her torso which comprises a plurality of individual pocket members which are provided with zippers whereby any desired number of such pocket members can be contiguously arranged so that the length or size of such carrier can be left to the person's choice.

The present invention relates generally to article carriers such as purses 
and the like, but more particularly to such carriers which are worn over a 
person's shoulder and around his or her torso. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
As styles and social conditions change, people's clothing and accessories 
change accordingly such that people are better able to provide the most 
comfortable and secure lifestyle under the prevailing conditions. That is, 
as individual privileges and freedoms become more precarious, such as is 
evidenced by the increase in personal confrontations in society, as a 
whole, it is desirable to have clothing and accessories thereto such as to 
provide additional protection or security for one's valuables. Today, 
there is virtually a constant threat to one's personal valuables when 
walking the streets or socializing in certain locations, and therefore it 
is desirable to have a container or carrier wherein to carry valuables 
such as money, home and car keys, checkbooks, as well as personal grooming 
items such as combs, lipsticks and the like. 
Although shoulder purses have hereto fore been available, virtually all of 
such valuables and personal items have been easily accessible to persons 
who would steal from or create bodily harm to individuals. Therefore, it 
is desirable to have a purse or other type of article carrier which is 
virtually attached to or mounted on a person's torso such that the purse 
or carrier cannot be easily torn away from the person. Also, it is 
desirable to have such an article carrier which can be varied in size, as 
desired, so that it can be worn easily and comfortably by persons of 
different height and overall size. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to 
provide an article carrier to be worn over the shoulder and about the 
torso of a person. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an article carrier as 
characterized above which is formed of a plurality of individual pocket 
members which are connected together to form an endless carrier, there 
being attachment means for this purpose. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an article carrier as 
characterized above wherein the attachment means between individual pocket 
members are standardized to enable the various pocket members to be 
interchanged as desired. 
An even still further object of the present invention is to provide an 
article carrier as characterized above wherein the individual pocket 
members can be formed of substantially any desired flexible sheet material 
such as plastic, cloth, leather and the like. 
Another even still further object of the present invention is to provide an 
article carrier as characterized above wherein each individual pocket 
member is provided with closure means such that the wearer can quickly and 
easily remove articles from within such pocket member. 
Another even still further object of the present invention is to provide an 
article carrier as characterized above which is simple and inexpensive to 
manufacture and which is rugged and dependable in operation.

Like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the 
several views of the drawings. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown therein an article 
carrier 10, according to the present invention, being worn by an 
individual. The carrier 10 is comprised of individual pocket members or 
compartments 12 which are connected together in contiguous fashion to 
provide the endless carrier 10 shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. 
Each pocket member 12 is made up of two pieces of identically-shaped flat 
sheet material which are firmly secured together along their peripheral 
edges to provide a pocket wherein articles such as checkbook, lipsticks, 
money and the like can be stored. In this regard, it is contemplated that 
one or both of such side members 12a and 12b of each pocket may be formed 
with pleats or other appropriate means for enabling such pockets to expand 
to accommodate bulky articles. 
Affording access to the interior or pocket of each pocket member 12 is 
closure means such as zipper 14. It is contemplated that the article 
carrier 10 can be such that the zipper 14 is located against the wearer's 
body or torso to enable only the wearer to have easy or ready access to 
the interior of such individual pocket members. Thus, as the zipper 14 is 
opened and closed, the wearer has access to articles within the 
corresponding pocket member. 
Immediately adjacent the zipper 14, and extending the entire length of the 
corresponding pocket member 12, the side members 12a and 12b are joined 
together to provide a continuous opening or passageway 12c. To accomplish 
this, one or the other of such side members 12a and 12b is folded, as 
shown in FIG. 5, and fastening means such as a series of strong stitches 
or staples 12d is provided to form such passageway 12c. 
The pocket members 12 are each provided with zipper means 16 along opposite 
edges thereof. That is, the opposite ends or edges of each pocket member 
12 are relatively straight and uninterrupted so as to accommodate half of 
the zipper means 16, as shown most particularly in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the 
drawings. In this regard, one-half of the zipper means 16 is attached to 
one edge of each pocket member 12, and the other half of such zipper means 
is attached to the opposite edge thereof. Thus, as will be readily 
apparent to those persons skilled in the art, the various zipper means 16 
can be used to connect together the individual pocket members 12 so as to 
form the endless chain or loop of pocket members to provide the article 
carrier 10. 
Once the article carrier is formed as the endless chain shown in FIG. 2, a 
cord 18 formed of nylon or the like is threaded through the then 
contiguously arranged openings or passageways 12c for purposes of 
security. After all of such pocket members 12 are so tied together by the 
cord 18, the opposite ends of such cord are firmly secured together by any 
appropriate means such as by tying a strong knot therein. 
It is contemplated that the flexible interior sidewall 12a of each member 
12 be formed of opaque material such as to enable the wearer of the 
article carrier to see through such sidewall into the pocket thereof. 
Thus, although the sidewall 12a would not be totally transparent, it would 
afford some "see through" qualities to enable the wearer to better locate 
articles within the pockets of the article carrier. The exterior sidewall 
12b may be formed of any appropriate material, and may be covered with a 
decorative panel, as shown at 20, to hide or cover sidewall 12b and zipper 
means 16 between the several pocket members 12. To make the resulting 
article carrier attractive, the panel 20 may be of leather, vinyl, fur or 
any other appropriate material which is pleasing in appearance and which 
compliments other articles of clothing worn by the wearer of the subject 
article carrier 10. In this regard, it is contemplated that the panel 20 
is provided with a mastic or bonding material on one surface thereof such 
that the panels 20 can be readily removed and other decorative panels 
substituted therefor, as desired. 
Article carrier 10, it is contemplated, can be virtually any length, to 
accommodate the physical size of the wearer. That is, for smaller persons, 
fewer pocket members 12 would be necessary to make an endless chain of 
pocket members to provide a well-fitting article carrier 10. On the other 
hand, larger persons would require a greater number of pocket members to 
provide the desired comfort and appearance. 
It is further contemplated that one of the pocket members 12 would be 
provided with a loop 22, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, to enable the 
wearer to carry certain articles exteriorly of the various pocket members. 
In this regard, it is contemplated that portable telephone units may be 
commonplace within the near future, and it might be desirable for 
individuals to carry such a unit for ready and easy access. Thus, with the 
subject article carrier, it would be a simple matter for the wearer to 
carry such telephone unit from the loop 22. Further, however, such loop 22 
is not limited to carrying telephone units, but rather can be used for 
virtually any type of article which the wearer prefers to carry externally 
of the article carrier. 
It is thus seen that the present invention provides a strong, adaptable and 
secure article carrier to be worn on a person's body to carry 
substantially any type of item or article desired. It is secure in its 
position on the wearer's body, and is further secured by means of a cord 
which prevents the entire endless chain from being easily broken or torn 
from the wearer's body. It is also seen that the present invention 
provides the required flexibility for enabling the wearer to virtually 
design his or her own article carrier with respect to the length or size 
thereof, and with respect to the appearance thereof. 
Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my 
invention, I am well aware that many modifications thereof are possible. 
The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is 
necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.