Patent Publication Number: US-7909214-B2

Title: Shoulder strap and waist belt bag

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Provisional Patent App. 60/715,166 file Sep. 9, 2005 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FED-SPONSORED R &amp; D 
     This invention had no federally sponsored research and development 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX 
     There is none 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are many bags with waist belts, and there are many bags with shoulder straps, and there are many bags that have both waist belts and shoulder straps, with either removable or fixedly attached shoulder straps or waist belts, and many bags with loops for holding removable waist belts. These bags may allow carrying what is needed, but they do not always keep the wearer comfortable or the contents easily accessible or usable while the bag is being worn by the person. These bags may even keep the load primarily on the shoulder, with use of the shoulder strap. If the size or weight of the load is large, these bags can be quite uncomfortable. Also, the bags may become unwieldy, making walking difficult due to the weight felt on shoulder or—without shoulder strap—on the hips, and there may be awkwardness in the case of a bag hanging below the waist of a bag hitting the lower back and/or leg area of the wearer. Sagging bags may also make access to or use of contents difficult, as the contents move to the lower center point of the bag in the case of a bag with one large or with a plethora of large compartments or pockets. If it is attempted to bypass this gathering of contents by utilizing small interior or exterior compartment or pocket, then it may be difficult to access the individual content items, and the bag may yet sag. 
     A hard bag may solve some of the organizational or access problems, but a hard bag presents problems of discomfort and inaccessibility. A hard case or bag is difficult to wear close to the human body because, while the case or bag may be rigidly geometric, the human body is flexible and unevenly curved, making carrying heavy if the weight is on shoulder, or impossible to bend or move if the weight is against back or hip. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present interconnected supported waist belt and supported bag invention solves the problems of carrying weight and accessibility while providing comfort for shoulder and back. This invention allows a bag to be connected to a waist belt where the human waist most bends—at the waist or hips—and for contents to be accessible and comfortable while the bag is being worn, without sagging or weight discomfort. In the instance of the present embodiment, a system of web holders and interlocking elastic holders, threaded by an aluminum rod, keeps the bag supportively attached to the waist belt at one area and there is support of waist belt and support of bag. 
     The bag in this embodiment is kept partially rigid through the aluminum rod that is held by web loops that are on the back of the bag, while the bag is connected to the waist belt through placement of the same aluminum rod through elastic loops that are on the front of the waist belt. The loops on bag and on waist belt are alternately spaced. As the aluminum rod only meets the waist belt in a small area, the waist belt remains curved against the wearer&#39;s body. This invention distributes weight primarily to the wearer&#39;s hips. The bag is slidably fixed on the waist belt, but all sections of the contents can be accessed by the user directly if the bag is on the users front, or may be accessed easily by movement of the waist belt to the user&#39;s front or hips. The waist belt is curved and tightened to the user&#39;s body while the bag is straight at the area where the aluminum rod is placed. 
     In the present embodiment, the optional detachable shoulder strap allows the waist belt to stay even closer to the user&#39;s body, as here the shoulder strap is attached directly to the d-rings on the waist belt. Most of the weight is at the user&#39;s hips rather than at the user&#39;s shoulders, and the shoulder strap also may not be used with light loads. The rigidity of at least part of the bag, in addition to where the bag is placed, allows the wearer to walk without awkwardness or discomfort. The connector rod threaded through alternating web and elastic loops provides both rigidity and shock absorption when the wearer is walking. 
     To allow quick-discard of the bag in the event of an emergency, and also for ease of wearing when the invention is being used, there are connecting points at both where the shoulder strap meets the waist belt for connection and where the waist belt meets with itself for waist belt closure. 
     While the present embodiment of the invention is thought to be best functioning when the bag is worn at the side, the hag is partially movable to the front of the wearer; also it is possible that the user will wear the bag at his or her back, turning the hag when access to the bag&#39;s interior is needed. If the optional shoulder strap in this embodiment is not used and the entire bag is secured on the user by the waist belt on the user&#39;s back, then the bag may be turned completely to the user&#39;s front for access to the bag interior. Although the present invention uses a bag of large capacity and rectangular horizontal dimensions, a myriad of sizes and dimensions may be conceived. Simple changes such as the material of shoulder strap in cotton and tricot rather than padded nylon, may be imagined, as well as more complex changes in material. The waist belt may be solidly padded nylon, it may have alternating padding it may have stays with or without padding, or it may have a plastic basis; other changes to the waist belt in structure and in material may also be imagined. Likewise, the bag or case itself may fully padded, may be a framed structure with solidly or with alternating thinner areas, may have an unframed unpadded structure with one rigid area, or may have alternative structures. Even a rigid case may be used. The invention may have an integral bag, or it may have an existing bag modified by the addition of attachment elastic pieces, aluminum pieces, plastic pieces, and/or other substitutions to complete the invention. Optional compression straps; compartments both in the interior and on the exterior of the bag or case; different arrangements of shoulder strap or even the addition of a second strap; compartments on the waist belt; these and other modifications may be imagined by one practiced in the arts. Likewise, alternative placements and use of plastic hardware, web, hook and loop, quick-release buckles, bolts, screws, nuts, clips, and other connecting materials, both invented or to come, are imagined. 
     A person practiced in the art may imagine a number of deviations in the scope of this invention. One imagined deviation is a substitution of the bag for a more shelf-like creation which would be useful to people with injuries that need time for rest, such as an injured arm: Additional padding, webbing, and means of attachment of additional pieces could allow superior rest for the injured limb. Other deviations come to mind: a child carrier; a dog or other small pet carrier; a book or papers carrier without the external bag but instead with a grill-like cage or other means of containment, and others. As new raw materials are invented, substitutions may be made while using or otherwise keeping the ideas of the present invention. Gel materials with imbedded shorter pieces such as aluminum, plastic, and other materials may be imagined, along with, or independent of additional constructions and material changes as may be imagined by one practiced in the arts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  Back view of the present shoulder strap and waist belt bag invention 
         FIG. 2  Front view the present invention 
         FIG. 3  Side view showing the bag stretched away from the waist belt, for the purpose of illustration 
         FIG. 4  Back of bag when it is not connected to waist belt or to shoulder strap, for the purpose of illustration 
         FIG. 5  Front of bag when it is not connected to waist belt or to shoulder bag, for the purpose of illustration 
         FIG. 6  Aluminum rod that is used in the present invention, shown removed from the full invention, for the purpose of illustration 
         FIG. 7  Front view of person wearing the present invention 
         FIG. 8  Back view of person wearing the present invention 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This embodiment of the present shoulder strap and waist belt bag invention has three main structures that interconnect to form the embodiment. The waist belt underside  2 , waist belt upper-side  12  connects to itself, or disconnects to itself at ends  20   a ,  20   b  with the use of quick-release buckle  7   a ,  7   b , which attach by web pieces  6  and stitching  13 . Towards the top of the waist belt  21   a ,  21   b , web pieces  6  connect quick-release buckles  7   c ,  7   d , which connect, or disconnect, with upper-side shoulder strap  3  and underside shoulder strap ends  11   b ,  11   c . The web  6  of the shoulder strap  3 ,  11   a  is adjustable through the use of hardware  8 . 
     The bag is comprised of bag back  1 , bag gusset  9 , bag flap  10 , bag inside  19 , and hag front  22 . At bag back  1  there are four web tunnels  5 , with stitching  13 , to allow passage of aluminum rod  17 . There is a flap  4  to prevent unintentional removal or dislodgement of aluminum rod  17  from web tunnels  5 . The flap  4  is closed by hook and loop  16 , and there is an end cap  18  on the aluminum rod  17  to allow easier-on-the-hands insertion of the aluminum rod  17 . On waist belt upper-side  12  there are two elastic loops  14  and the elastic tunnel  15 , both with stitching  13 , through which aluminum rod  17  is inserted alternatively with web tunnels  5  of bag back  1  forming the direct connection of the waist belt upper-side  12  and the bag back  1  of this embodiment of the present shoulder strap and waist belt bag invention, and coincidentally forming the fuller connection of the waist belt underside  2 , waist belt upper-side  12  and the bag  1 ,  9 ,  10 ,  19 ,  22 . On bag gusset  9 , web  6  holds quick-release buckle  7   f  to allow closure of bag flap  10 .