Abstract:
A flexible garment carrier containing accessory pockets capable of accepting clothing which is not pre-folded and then capable of being folded in a manner to form an article of luggage that will fit under an airline seat, or overhead aircraft compartment or be hung in a closet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Travelers frequently use a carry-on garment carrier in order to arrive at their destination with wrinkle-free clothes, and to avoid the time consuming delays of checking and picking up checked luggage. The proliferation of passengers with carry-on luggage has led the airlines to provide closets for hanging garment carriers and closable overhead compartments suitable for storage of carry-on items. These storage spaces, however, are often inadequate to hold all the carry-on articles passengers are likely to have. Specifically, pasesngers who are among the last people to board may find all the closets and overhead compartments filled, leaving only the option of storing carry-on items under the seat in front of the passenger or checking the items with the flight attendants. 
     Previous attempts by others have not successfully addressed all of these problems. It does not appear that anyone has provided a carry-on luggage article that was configured like a garment carrier and could also be configured to store under an airline seat. Many attempts have been made to combine a garment carrier with other carrying cases, such as described in Shapiro U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,835 and Ekeson U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,038; and to provide a garment carrier that is convenient to carry, such as Tabor et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,429 and Rosenblum U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,675; and various other combinations Komroff U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,266 and Foge U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,038. 
     It is an objective of the present invention therefore to address the problem of providing travelers with a garment carrier that can carry a suit or dresses and accessories which can also be carried on an aircraft and can be stored under an airplane seat when necessary. Further, the present invention is intended to achieve the objective of providing an article of luggage that contains specialized pockets to carry items likely to be needed in addition to the clothes in the garment carrier. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an article of luggage that combines the features of a flexible garment carrier with accessory pockets, and attachments for convenient carrying, into an article of luggage capable of being carried onto airline airplanes and either hung as a garment bag, stored in an overhead compartment or stored under an airline seat. The garment carrier article, described in greater detail hereinafter, consists of front and rear panel members connected by a flexible side wall member, and can be of a generally rectangula shape, or preferably with an arcuate top portion along the shorter dimension of the rectangle, the entire carrier being adapted to completely receive articles of clothing that are hanging on a standard hanger. The side wall is provided with closure means that allows access to the interior space of the garment carrier. Additionally, a first pocket with pocket opening means or closure means are attached to the garment carrier for storing articles other than hanging clothing and additionally provided with specialized pockets or receiving means which are provided for carrying articles such as a pair of shoes, which are located as further described herein, or adjacent the edges of the top of the carrier when the carrier is rectangular in configuration. The garment carrier article of the present invention is designed so it can be folded into a compact rectangular shape along predetermined creases so that will fit under an airline seat. The garment carrier further has a hand grip for carrying as conventional luggage and one or two adjustable shoulder straps for carrying the luggage over the shoulder when it is in its folded compact configuration. A method of compressing the folded compact configuration is provided in order to adjust the bag for varying the loading capacity of loading and has a semi-rigid panel to form a stable bottom when folded so the bag will be self-supporting when set down. Friction means are provided such that in the compact folded configuration relative movement of the front and rear panels is minimized in order to maintain the shape of the folded bag whether carried by the hand grip or the shoulder straps. Structural means are also provided for counteracting the deforming forces of the shoulder strap when the folded article is carried by one or more shoulder straps. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the garment carrier in a folded configuration. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the garment carrier in unfolded configuration. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the other side of the folded garment carrier. 
     FIG. 4 is a close-up of the top portion of the garment carrier, when unfolded, with closure means partially disengaged showing the interior of the luggage article. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the luggage article of the present invention comprises a garment carrier portion 2 constructed of a flexible front panel 4, and a flexible rear panel 6, connected by a flexible side wall 8 which contains a closure means 10. This closure means is preferably a zipper which is installed along the two sides and the arcuate top portion of the flexible panels 4 and 6. The rectangular bottom portion of the garment carrier is preferably a continuous wall or attachment or single fold between the front panel 4 and rear panel 6. These items 4, 6, 8 and 10, comprise the garment carrier portion 2 of the luggage. Attached to the top surface and bottom end of the front panel 4 is a first pocket means 12 which has its own pocket closure means 14 which allows access to said pocket means 12, which can be used for storing items necessary for traveling in addition to garments contained in said garment carrier 2. In addition, attached to or integral with the bottom surface 13 of flexible rear panel 6, the luggage article can be provided with second pocket means 15 for small, preferably flat articles, said means also being provided with a closure means 17, which is preferably positioned, as shown, to be opened and closed while the luggage article is in a folded condition (see FIG. 3). 
     Attached to the mid section of the front panel 4 at a location above the semi-rigid panel 28 which will constitute the bottom of the luggage when in the folded position, are shoe pockets or other receiving means 16 which can be used for carrying a pair of shoes or other articles. The garment carrier 2 with attached pocket means 12 and attached shoe pocket means 16 can be folded to form a top fold crease 24 and bottom fold creases 26 to form a compact rectangular luggage of approximately 20&#34;×13&#34;×8&#34; for convenient storage under an airplane seat. Attached to said rear panel 6 is a suitable carrying means 18 for carrying the luggage over one or both shoulders. Optionally, a single shoulder strap can be employed and fastened similar to the shoulder strap shown in phantom in FIG. 1, or with one or both ends attached to connecting loops 36 (shown in phantom) to stimulate functionally carrying means 18. The luggage contains a structural means 20 or 21 to counteract the forces of said carrying means 18 in order to maintain the rectangular shape of the luggage when it is carried with said carrying means 18 or the alternative carrying means shown. Said structural means 20 or 21 is shown as a compression member installed approximately between the attachment locations of said carrying means 18 and the alternative carrying means. Attached to the midpoint of said top fold crease 24 on said rear flexible panel 6 and to the bottom midpoint of said front panel 4 are devices to form a handle means 22 which can be used as a handgrip when in the folded configuration. Said semi-rigid panel 28 is located near the midpoint of garment carrier 2 between bottom fold creases 26, and, when in the folded configuration, will form a firm bottom to support the luggage in an upright position. Friction means 30, such as hook and loop fabric means, are attached to said front and rear panels 4 and 6 and on said first pocket 12 at approximate locations shown in FIG. 2 such that in the folded position, said friction means 30 contact a corresponding friction means 30 in order to limit the relative lateral motion between said front and rear panels 4 and 6 when the luggage is carried with said carrying means 18 or handle means 22. With this embodiment said garment carrier 2 will accept garments that are on a standard hanger 34 and the top portion of said garment carrier 2 is tapered or arcuate shaped to conform to the general shape of a standard hanger 34 and to allow an internal space for said shoe pocket means 16 when folded on said top and bottom fold creases 24 and 26 to form a compact rectangular luggage. 
     In addition to the foregoing, fastening means 32 are provided which can be adjusted or fixed at a predetermined length to compress the carrier, when in a folded configuration to form and maintain the compact rectangular shape of the dimensions described. 
     Further, a strap and loop structure 35 is provided for receiving a standard hanger 34. 
     It is contemplated that the inventive concepts herein described may be variously otherwise embodied and it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.