Abstract:
A sports equipment bag with an integrated stool for storing, carrying and transporting sporting equipment while providing a foot support to aide a user in donning their sporting equipment. The foot support can be utilized by a single person alone to aid in putting their own equipment on or the foot support can be used in combination with the integrated stool to assist a first person in aiding a second person in donning equipment. The stool and foot support are integrated into the bag and the foot support is positioned within the bag&#39;s internal compartment. Along the bottom portion of the bag are a pair of spaced apart ground engaging wheels rotatably and a telescopic handle may be extendable from the bag, thus making the bag, stool and foot support easily storable and transportable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to sports equipment carrying bags. More particularly, relating to a sports equipment carrying bag having an integrated footwear donning stool, for use, for example with hockey equipment and aiding in donning of ice skates or roller skates. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Sports equipment carrying bags are known in the art for use in carrying the equipment of a myriad of different sports. More specifically, hockey equipment bags heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, and do not include a stool for aiding in the donning of footwear, such as skates. Examples of sports equipment bags are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,095,385; 6,431,333. 
   Carrying bags incorporating seating arrangements are known in the art for use in carrying various articles and providing a seat. Carrying bags incorporating seating arrangements heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, and do not include a stool for aiding in the donning of footwear. 
   Examples of carrying bags having seating arrangements are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,954,248; 3,662,932; 5,186,372; 5,462,213; and 6,264,078. 
   While the devices heretofore fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not provide a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool. As such, there exists a need to for a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool, which substantially departs from the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of carrying sports equipment in an organized manner and aiding in the donning of footwear. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of sports equipment carrying bags and carrying bags including seating arrangements now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool construction wherein the same can be used for carrying and storing sports equipment and aiding in the donning of footwear. The intended use of the sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool is to aid a person in the donning of relatively cumbersome articles of footwear, such as for example, a pair of ice skates. The stool provides a foot support and seat for a first person to aid a second person in putting on equipment, such as pads and skates. For example, a parent could sit on the stool to aid a child in putting on their equipment. Additionally, the stool can be utilized by a single person alone to aid in putting their equipment on. The stool being integrated with the bag portion is easily transported along with the bag from one location to another. 
   In general, in one aspect, a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool is provided. The sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool comprises a bag body including top, bottom, front, back, and a pair of side panels defining an internal compartment. A stool including top, bottom, front, back, and a pair of side walls. The front wall having a slanted wall portion which slants in a direction from front to back of the stool. The stool being positioned within the internal compartment with the top wall juxtaposed the top panel, the bottom wall juxtaposed the bottom panel, and the pair of side walls extending between the top and bottom panels. The bag body can be placed on a ground surface with the bottom panel adjacent the ground surface providing a seating surface defined by the top wall and a foot supporting surface defined by the slanted wall portion to aid in the donning of an article of footwear. 
   In general, in another aspect, the sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool can further include a seat member attached to the top wall sandwiching the top panel therebetween. 
   In general, in another aspect, the sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool can further include a pair of spaced apart ground engaging wheels rotatably attached to the bottom panel approximate the back panel. 
   In general, in another aspect, the sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool can further include a handle engaged on a telescopic tube assembly which is upwardly extendable and retractable from the bag body above the pair of wheels when the bag body is positioned upright. 
   In general, in another aspect, the a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool can further include a pair of spaced apart ground engaging members attached the bottom panel approximate the bottom wall and extending outwardly therefrom between the pair of side panels, whereby each ground engaging member is engagable with the ground surface when the bag body is placed on the ground surface with the bottom wall adjacent the ground surface to prevent the bag body from slipping when a person sits on the stool or a foot is placed onto the slanted wall portion. 
   In general, in another aspect, the a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool can further include a lip extending from the front wall along a lower edge of the slanted wall portion. 
   In general, in another aspect, a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool is provided. The sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool includes a bag body including top, bottom, front, back, and a pair of side panels defining an internal compartment. A stool including a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, a slanted wall extending from an upper edge of the bottom wall to a forward edge of the top wall, and a pair of side walls. The stool being positioned within the internal compartment with the top wall juxtaposed the top panel, the bottom wall juxtaposed the bottom panel, and the pair of side walls extending between the top and bottom panels. The top panel including an opening therethrough permitting unrestricted access to the internal compartment and at least the slanted wall portion of the stool. A flap attached to the top panel and being releasably engagable therewith to close the opening formed through the top panel. The bag body can be placed on a ground surface with the bottom panel adjacent the ground surface providing a seating surface defined by the top wall and a foot supporting surface defined by the slanted wall such that a persons foot can be inserted through the opening and placed upon the slanted wall to aid in the donning of an article of footwear. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. 
   Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective diagrammatic view of the a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevation diagrammatic view showing a partial cross section thereof with a foot bearing an ice skate inserted into the internal compartment and resting upon the slanted wall portion of the stool; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan diagrammatic view showing the opening in the top panel of the bag open allow access to the internal compartment and the slanted wall portion of the stool; 
       FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic cross section view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating construction features of the stool and the sports equipment bag; 
       FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic cross section view take along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 , illustrating construction features of the stool and the sports equipment bag; 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevation diagrammatic view showing the sports equipment bag placed upright on end with the handle extended outward from the bag; and 
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged detail view of a the sports equipment bag of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1-7  of the drawings, reference numeral  10  generally designates the a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool of the present invention. The bag body  12  includes at least one internal compartment  14  into which the footwear donning stool  16  is positioned. The internal compartment  14  includes a top panel  18 , a bottom panel  20 , a front panel  22 , a back panel  24  and a pair of side panels  26  and  28  all joined together along common edges to define the internal compartment  14 . While the bag body  12  is illustrated only having a single compartment, the overall construction of the bag body can take on various forms to include for example multiple internal compartments, external pockets, carrying straps and handles, etc. 
   A pair of spaced apart ground engaging wheels  62  are rotatably attached to the bottom panel  20  approximate the back panel  24  of the bag body  12 . The pair of wheels  62  provide rolling support to the bag body  12  during transport. 
   A handle  66  including a telescopic tube assembly  68  which is upwardly extendable and retractable from the bag body  12  above said pair of wheels  62  when the bag body is positioned upright. The telescopic tube assembly  68  includes a pair spaced apart tubes  69  that are attached to the bag body  12  along the bottom panel  20  from the front panel  22  towards the back panel  24 . The handle  66  and telescopic tube  68  assembly is of the type commonly used in personal wheeled luggage systems widely used today. Further, it is contemplated, that various forms and constructs of telescopic or retractable handle assemblies could be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. 
   The stool  16  includes a top wall  30 , a front wall  32  having a inwardly slanted portion  34  which extends from an upper edge  36  of the front wall to a forward edge  38  of the top wall, a pair of sidewalls  40 , 42 , a back wall  44  and a bottom wall  46 . The slanted wall portion  34  provided for a foot support. The sidewalls  40 ,  42  extend from the top wall  30  to the bottom wall  46  and span from the front wall  32  to the back wall  44 . A forward edge of each sidewall  40 ,  42  is shaped to conform to the slanted wall portion  34  of the front wall  32 . The back wall  44  extends from the top wall  30  and spans between the pair of sidewalls  40 ,  42 . To reduce manufacture cost, weight and increase storage capacity, the stool  16  can be hollow. 
   Extending from the slanted wall portion  34  of the front wall  32  along the upper edge  36  is a support lip  52  which acts to engage and support the foot from sliding downward and off of the slanted wall portion. The supporting feature of the lip  52  is important when a person is wearing heavy footwear such as an ice skate to prevent strain to the person in trying to support the footwear on the slanted wall portion  34 . 
   In another aspect, an opening  54  can be formed through the slanted wall portion  34  to permit access within the stool  16 , as best seen in  FIG. 1 . In this aspect, a door  56  is provided to cover the opening  54 . The door  56  is hinged to the front wall  32  along the upper edge  36  so that the door opens from approximate the top wall  30  and swings downwardly towards the bottom wall  46 . In this arrangement, the lip  52  is formed along the lower edge of the door  56 . Additionally, a second opening  60  is formed through the front wall  32  below the slanted wall portion  34  to allow elongated articles, such as a hockey stick to be placed in the internal compartment  14  and extend into the stool  16 . Netting  76  can cover the opening  60  and one or more slots  78  can be formed through the netting, as shown best in  FIG. 7 . The slots  78  permits the insertion of an elongated article through the netting  76  and into the hollow portion of the stool  16  while preventing smaller items from entering into the hollow portion of the stool. 
   With particular reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the stool  16  is positioned within the internal compartment  14  with the top wall  30 , bottom wall  46 , back wall  44 , and sidewalls  40 ,  42  juxtaposed the top panel  18 , bottom panel  20 , back panel  24 , and side panels  26 ,  28  respectively. The sidewalls  40 ,  42  extend between the top and bottom panels  18 ,  20 . The stool  16  fills out at least a portion of the internal compartment  14  which it occupies along at least the top panel  18 , bottom panel  20 , back panel  24  and side panels  26 ,  28  and provides support to the respective panels. 
   A seat member  58  is attached to the top wall  30  of the stool sandwiching the top panel  18  about the top wall and between the seat member and the top wall. The seat member  48  is of a length and width to correspond to the length and width of the top wall  30 . 
   With reference now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , an opening  48  is formed through the top panel  18  permitting access to the internal compartment  14  and at least the slanted wall portion  34  of the stool  16 . The opening  48  is sized to permit the insertion of a person&#39;s foot including footwear into the internal compartment  14  to be placed and supported upon the slanted wall portion  34 . The opening  48  includes a perimeter that extends generally along the forward edge  38  of the top wall  30  of the stool  16 , adjacent the side panels  26 ,  28  towards the front panel  22 , and along the front panel  22  defining a generally rectangular opening. While opening  48  is illustrated as being generally rectangular, the opening can take on various forms and configuration so long as the internal compartment  14  at least the slanted wall portion  34  can be accessed. It is contemplated a bag body  12  can be formed which completely encloses and conforms to the surface of stool  16 , in which case there may not be a need for an opening to permit access into the area of the bag body which holds the stool. A closure flap  50  for covering the opening  48  is attached to the top panel  18  along one edge of the perimeter of the opening  48 . Using mating fasteners  82 , such as a zipper or a pile fastener, the remaining edges of the flap  50  are detachably secured to the top panel  18  to cover the opening  48 . 
   To accommodate space taken within the internal compartment  14  by the wheels  62  along the joining edge of the bottom panel  20  with the back panel  24 , the lower rearward corner  64  of each sidewall  40 ,  42  can be cutout forming a quarter circle. The bottom wall  46  extends from the front wall  32  to the forward quadrant edge of the quarter circle cutout of each sidewall  40 ,  42 . The back wall  44  extends from the top wall  30  to the upper quadrant edge of the quarter circle cutout of each sidewall  40 ,  42 . 
   The bottom wall  46  of the stool  16  is formed by a pair of inwardly extending tabs  70  which extend from the lower edges of each sidewall  40 ,  42  and terminate opposed facing ends  72 . Each end  72  includes an elongated channel which engages a respective tube  69  of the telescopic tube assembly  68  attached to the bottom panel  20 . Fasteners  75  attach each tab along its respective tube. It is important to note, the bottom wall  46  can take on other various other forms of construction and should not be limited to this particular construction. For example, the bottom wall  46  can be a continuous wall which is directly attachable to the bottom panel  20  or can be a continuous wall having one or more recesses or groves formed along the length thereof to receive the spaced apart tubes  69  of the telescopic tube assembly  68 . 
   A pair of spaced apart ground engaging members  74  are attached to the bottom panel  20  approximate the bottom wall  46  and extending outwardly therefrom between the pair of side panels  26 ,  28 , as best shown in  FIG. 5 . The ground engaging members  74  are frictionally engagable with the ground surface when the bag body  12  is placed on the ground surface with the bottom wall adjacent the ground surface to prevent the bag body from slipping when a person sits on the stool  16  or a foot is placed onto the slanted wall portion  34   
   With particular reference to  FIG. 6 , the back panel  24  can inwardly slant from the bottom panel  20  to the top panel  18 . The slant of the back panel  24  urges the bag  10  forward onto stops  80  when positioned upright to prevent the bag from falling backwards. 
   It use, it can now be understood, the internal compartment  14  can be used to store and transport various articles of sporting equipment from one location to another. When a person, such as a child, desires to put on an article of footwear such as an ice skate, the bag body  12  is placed upon the ground with the bottom panel  20  adjacent the ground. The opening  48  through the top panel  18  is opened permitting access to the internal compartment  14  and at least the slanted wall portion  34  of the stool. A person can insert a foot along with an article of footwear into the internal compartment  14  for supporting on the slanted wall portion  34 . The lip  52  helps to prevent the foot for slipping off of the slanted wall portion  34 . A second person can sit on the seat member  58  facing the person and aid the first person in donning the article of footwear and other equipment. 
   A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.