Patent Publication Number: US-5289906-A

Title: Folding bag, particularly travelling bag

Description:
DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to a folding bag, particularly a travelling bag, provided with a sack in a soft yielding material. 
     On several occasions, but especially during trips, it can be useful to have available a spare folding bag for use in case of need, for storing objects or garments purchased in the places visited. 
     Folding bags, especially travelling bags, exist on the market, made of a folding and pliable material, such as fabric, plasticized fabric, leather, that have the advantage of taking up very little space when they are folded. But these bags have the disadvantage of not being very strong and also somewhat inconvenient in use, because they are very yielding, especially for heavy objects having an irregular shape, or for objects that are easily deformed. 
     The object of the present invention is a folding bag that does not have the abovementioned disadvantages. 
     This object is attained with a folding bag, provided with a sack in a soft yielding material, characterized in that it comprises two half-shells of a semirigid material to which the bottom of said sack is integrally fastened. The half-shells are connected through hinges of the film-type and a junction plate also in a semirigid material and are provided with suitable closure means, so that said half-shells can be arranged side by side to form a reinforced base for the sack, when the bag is open, and can close one over the other by means of said closure means to form a case that can hold the folded sack, when the bag is closed. 
     According to a preferred solution the two half-shells have a substantially parallelepiped shape and are each formed by a bottom wall, by lateral walls and by a lateral flap detached from the same adjacent lateral walls and connected to, the bottom wall by means of one of the film-type hinges, the lateral flaps of the two half-shells being fastened to the junction plate. 
     Preferably the closure means are constituted by a zipper fastened to said half-shells, so that the same half-shells can close one over the other to form the abovementioned case. 
     According to a further solution straps are fastened to the sack to form handles supporting the bag and that preferably are in turn fastened to the half-shells. 
    
    
     Characteristics and advantages of the invention shall now be illustrated with reference to an embodiment shown as a non-limiting example in the enclosed drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag manufactured according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the bag of FIG. 1 partially folded; 
     FIG. 3 is a partially-sectioned side view, on an enlarged scale of the bag of FIGS. 1 and 2 folded; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the bag of FIG. 3. 
    
    
     FIG. 1 shows in the condition of use a folding travelling bag, indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 1. The the bag 1 comprises a sack in a plasticized material, indicated as 2, whose bottom is fastened by means of a seam, or other suitable process, to two half-shells indicated as 3. As shown in FIGS. 2-4 the two half-shells 3 have a substantially parallelepiped shape and are each formed by a bottom wall 4 provided with reinforcing and supporting ribs 9, by lateral walls 5 and by a lateral flap 6 detached from the same adjacent lateral walls 5 and connected to the respective bottom wall 4 by means of a film-type hinge 7. The lateral flaps 6 are fastened to a junction plate 8 by means of a seam. The half-shells 3 and the junction plate 8 are made of semirigid material, for example, a suitable plastic material such as polythene, so as to form a reinforced base for the bag 1. 
     A zipper 10 as provided with two cursors 11. Cursory bands 13 supporting rows of teeth are fastened to the edge of the two half-shells 3 by means of the same seam which joins to them the bottom of the sack 2. To the extremities of the bands 13 there are fastened two tongues 14 slidable in two slots 16 made in the junction plate 8, in which they are held by respective tabs 15, that can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. By means of the hinge 7 the half-shells 3 can be closed one over the other and form a case 12 capable of containing the sack 2 when it is folded. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, there are fastened to the sack 2, by means of seams, straps 17, in turn fastened to the edges of the half-shells 3 by means of the same seam that joins to them the bottom of the sack 2; the straps 17 forming handles 18 for supporting the bag 1. 
     When the bag 1 is not in use, the sack 2 is folded inside the two half-shells 3 and the case 12 is closed through the zipper 10. The operation of closing the zipper 10 is made easier by the tongues 14 which are used to hold the extremities of the zipper 10. The tongues 14 are also used as handles for carrying the bag when the case 12 is closed. 
     When the bag 1 is to be used, the zipper 10 is opened, as shown in FIG. 2, and the half-shells 3 are arranged side by side, so that it is possible to extract the sack 2 and form a reinforced base for the same bag 1. During the opening operation the tongues 14 are held in the slots by the tabs 15, completely inside so that they do not completely re-enter completely inside the case 12. 
     As can be seen from the previous description the folding bag 1 is especially handy and functional because. Once open, the bag 1 becomes very capacious and having a base, formed by the two half-shells 3, that is strong and has a uniform shape, is suitable for containing even heavy objects having an irregular shape, or objects that are easily deformed. When it is folded, the sack 2 is easily held in the case 12 having a limited size, from which it can be extracted very easily.