Abstract:
An athletic equipment bag is disclosed defining a rear wall, a forward wall, first and second side walls, and top and bottom ends. The bag includes a plurality of compartments which extend the length of the bag for storage of the athlete&#39;s equipment and gear. The bag also includes a side flap attached to one of the side walls extending the length of the bag. The side flap encloses smaller pockets or pouches that are located on the side wall and also forms an elongated side compartment that extends the length of the bag. Located within one of the compartments is a flexible, lightweight, and foldable divider that serves as a shelf when the bag is hung vertically on a fence.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates in general to athletic equipment bags, and more particularly, to athletic equipment bags that include multiple elongated storage compartments and flexible dividers.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Athletic equipment bags are becoming increasingly popular in numerous sports because of their functionality and attractiveness to athletes. Known athletic equipment bags are becoming more lightweight and flexible to provide easier transport of the athlete&#39;s equipment, clothing, and other gear. In the sport of baseball or softball, for example, known athletic equipment bags typically include two compartments, one for baseball bats and the other for the player&#39;s uniform and gear. Some of these bags include clips for hanging the bag in an upright vertical position on a chain-link fence to keep the bag off of the ground. Once the bag is hung on the fence, however, the player&#39;s uniform and gear in the single compartment shift to the bottom of the bag. This has the undesirable effect of mixing the player&#39;s uniform and gear together making it difficult for the player to locate smaller items stored in the compartment.  
           [0003]    In an effort to rectify this problem, some known bags are now made with rigid shelves within the compartment to help organize and separate the ball player&#39;s gear within the bag when the bag is hung vertically. These rigid shelves, however, are inflexible and add weight to the bag. Moreover, these known bags only partially assist with the organization of the player&#39;s gear. That is, the known bags do not provide for the organized storage of the player&#39;s smaller items which are mixed with the larger items on the rigid shelves. The present invention overcomes these and other known disadvantages with existing athletic equipment bags.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an athletic equipment bag that provides multiple large and small storage compartments for the segregation of all the player&#39;s equipment and gear regardless of size. It is another object to provide an athletic equipment bag that provides for easy access to those compartments. A further object of the invention is to provide an athletic equipment bag that includes flexible, lightweight, perimeter-reinforced dividers that also serve as storage shelves when the bag is hung vertically. Yet another object is to provide an athletic equipment bag that includes a side flap that encloses smaller compartments located on the side wall of the bag and that also forms a large storage compartment extending the length of the bag.  
           [0005]    In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes an athletic equipment bag that has a bag enclosure which defines a rear wall, a forward wall, first and second side walls, and top and bottom ends. The bag further includes a plurality of compartments which extend the length of the bag for storage of larger equipment and gear. Located within one of these compartments is a flexible, lightweight, perimeter-reinforced divider that provides for better organization within the bag and that also serves as a storage shelf when the bag is hung in a vertical, upright position. The bag also includes a side flap attached to one of the side walls extending the length of the bag. The side flap forms an elongated compartment which extends the length of the bag and also serves as a cover for smaller compartments or pouches that are located on the side wall. A handle and a shoulder strap are also located on the bag to provide easy transport of the bag.  
           [0006]    The full range of objects, aspects and advantages of the invention are only appreciated by a full reading of this specification and a full understanding of the invention. Therefore, to complete this specification, a detailed description of the invention follows, after a brief description of the drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The detailed description of the invention will be described in relation to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the following figures have the following general nature:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the athletic equipment bag of the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the bag of FIG. 1 with an attached shoulder strap.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the bag of FIG. 1 hung vertically on a fence and depicting the side flap in an open position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the bag of FIG. 1 showing the inside of one of the bag compartments.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the bag of FIG. 1 showing the flexible divider as a shelf when the bag is hung vertically.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the bag of FIG. 1 illustrating another compartment wherein equipment, such as baseball bats, may be stored.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the bag of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    Referring to the Figures wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown an athletic equipment bag  10  in accordance with the present invention. The bag  10  defines generally a top  12 , a bottom  14 , a front wall  16 , a back wall  18 , an interior wall  20 , and opposing side walls  22 ,  24 . As depicted, the bag  10  also defines generally a plurality of storage compartments that extend the entire length of the bag. Interior compartment  26  is formed by the interior wall  20 , the opposing side walls  22 ,  24 , and the front wall  16 . Interior compartment  28  is formed by the back wall  18  and interior wall  20 . Exterior compartment  30  is formed by the side wall  22  and a compartment flap  32 . The bag  10  of the present invention may be made from a flexible and durable material such as nylon, or any other suitable material that provides flexibility and durability.  
         [0016]    The bag  10  includes carrying handles  34  which are straps that extend from the back wall  18 , along the opposing side walls  20 ,  22 , and beyond the front wall  16  of the bag. As conventional, the carrying handles are sewn to the back and side walls of the bag. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrying handles  34  may be positioned adjacent to each other and through the use of a wrap  35  can be held together to provide a comfortable carrying handle. The wrap is a flexible material that surrounds the handles  34  and is secured at each end by Velcro, snap fasteners or any other suitable means for securing the ends of the flexible material. The bag  10  farther includes a shoulder strap  36  that is secured near the top end  12  and bottom end  14  of the bag via strap handles  37 , which are sewn to the side walls of the bag. The shoulder strap  36  includes clips  38  which permit the removable attachment of the strap  36  to the strap handles  37 . The shoulder strap  36  further includes a buckle  40  located on the strap  36  for selective adjustment of the length of the strap  36 , and a slidable shoulder pad  42  for added comfort on the player&#39;s shoulder when carrying the bag.  
         [0017]    As depicted in the Figures, the interior compartment  26  extends the entire length of the bag to form the primary storage compartment in the bag. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, located on the front wall  16  of the bag are outer flaps  44 ,  46  which form plural openings into the compartment  26  to permit access to the interior of the compartment. The outer flaps may be a mesh material to permit the player to see into the interior pocket and to serve as an air vent, or a solid flexible nylon material. The outer flaps  44 ,  46  are joined at one end to the front wall  16 . The remainder of the periphery of the flap is a closure  48 , preferably a zipper. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that other closures may be used, including snap fasteners and Velcro. Located on the interior and exterior walls of the flaps may be additional pockets  50  to provide additional storage.  
         [0018]    Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, located within the compartment  26  is a foldable divider  52  that, when the bag is mounted in an upright position, serves as a shelf on which a player can place gear or equipment. The divider  52  creates compartments  54 ,  56  within the compartment  26 . The foldable divider  52  is made of a flexible material and is attached on one side to the interior wall  20  of the bag. The divider is removably attached at its periphery to the side walls of the bag. In an exemplary embodiment, snap fasteners  58  are located on the divider periphery to removably attach the divider to the side walls of the bag. It should be understood that other means for removably attaching the divider to the side walls or the front wall may be used with the present invention. When the divider  52  is not attached to the side walls, the divider  52  is foldable into a horizontal position thereby creating a single compartment in the compartment  26 .  
         [0019]    The divider  52  of the invention is a wire-reinforced soft divider with a support wire located along the periphery of the divider to provide structural support to the divider. When the bag is mounted in a vertical position and the divider serves as a shelf, the wire reinforcement provides structural integrity to the divider to allow the user to place heavier objects on the divider. For additional support for the divider, a lightweight reinforcing material  62  is attached, at one end, to the periphery of the divider and, at the other end, to the interior wall  20  of the bag. The use of the wire-reinforced divider and the lightweight reinforcing material provides a storage shelf that is flexible and is of lighter weight than conventional storage shelves.  
         [0020]    Referring to FIG. 6, the interior compartment  28  is formed by the interior wall  20  and the back wall  18 . The interior compartment  28  extends the entire length of the bag to serve as a storage compartment for longer equipment or gear, depending on the sport. The compartment  28  has a single opening  66  at the top  12 . A closure  68 , such as a zipper, is located at the opening  66  to permit the opening and closing of the compartment  28 . Again, it should be understood that other means for closing the opening  66  may be used with the present invention. Note also that more than one opening may be located on the bag to permit access to the compartment  28 .  
         [0021]    Also located at the top  12  of the bag near the opening  66  are clips  70  attached to the bag. The clips  70  are attached to the bag through the use of nylon straps which at one end provide a loop through which the clips are placed and, at the other end, are sewn to the bag. In use, the clips  70  permit the hanging of the bag in an upright or vertical position to a chain link fence, as depicted in FIGS.  3 - 5 .  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 7, located on the back wall  18  at each corner of the bag are wear pads  71 . The wear pads  71  provide a wear surface on which the bag will rest on the ground or against a fence. The wear pads are intended to increase the longevity and preserve the durability of the bag.  
         [0023]    Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the exterior compartment  30  is formed by the side wall  22  and the compartment flap  32 . The exterior compartment  30  extends the length of the bag and may be accessed through a closure  72 , such as a zipper, or any other suitable closure. Located within the compartment  30  are a plurality of additional compartments  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  for providing storage of smaller items. The compartments  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  are located either on the side wall  22  of the bag or on the flap  32  and, as depicted, may include a closure such as a zipper, a Velcro flap, or an elastic band for providing access to the compartments. These compartments may be any shape, size and number and may be made from a solid, mesh or insulated material. These compartments may also include additional compartments for further segregation of smaller items within these small compartments. The compartment flap  32  includes a clip  82  attached to the interior wall of the compartment flap  32 . The clip  82  is preferably attached to the flap  32  in the same manner as clips  70  are attached to the bag. The clip  82  may be used to attach the flap  32  to a chain-link fence to make the compartments  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  easily accessible. The clip may also be used to attach equipment or gear to the bag.  
         [0024]    It will be understood by those of skill in the art that variations to the embodiments are possible without being outside the scope of the present invention. Therefore, to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as the invention, the following claims conclude the specification.