Patent Publication Number: US-6220493-B1

Title: Multi-way bag

Description:
This is a continuation-in part application of application Ser. No. 09/097,110 filed on Jun. 12, 1998 which is a continuation-in part of application Ser. No. 08/851,001 filed on May 5, 1997 both abandoned. 
    
    
     SPECIFICATION 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to bags, and more particularly to a multi-way bag that can be carried as an arm-holding bag, a handbag, a shoulder bag, a rucksack, a wrist bag, a waist bag or the like. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Multi-way bags are known. For example, DE. Pat. No. 693,272 (Weber) discloses a multi-way bag which is a kind of draw-string bag having at it&#39;s top end an opening which can be closed by means of a strap. 
     Also, multi-way bags are disclosed in publications, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,416,332 (Kliot), 5,526,924 (Klutznick), 4,998,653 (LaBelle), 5,577,652 (Cooper) and 4,810,102 (Norton) and FR. Pat. No. 2,394,268 (Llombart et al.). However, there has heretofore been no such a multi-way bag as can be used as an arm-holding bag, a handbag, a shoulder bag, a rucksack, a wrist bag, a waist bag or the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE ENVENTION 
     The present invention is intended to provide an improved multi-way bag which comprises, in combination: a bag comprising front and back panesl, a pair of side panels, a top panel and a bottom panel; a length-adjustable strap for carrying the bag; four pairs of strap guides allowing said strap to pass therethrough and comprising first two pairs of strap guides and second two pairs of strap guides; and four connectors for connecting said strap to said bag so that said bag is supportable by a user with said strap; said connectors connecting said strap to said bag such that said bag is supportable by means of said strap in one of a plurality of configurations selected by the user, said first two pairs of the strap guides extending transversely of and being fixedly mounted on said top panel such that one of said two pairs is located at a portion near one end of said top panel and the other of said two pairs is located at a portion near the other end of said top panel, said second two pairs of the strap guides extending transversely of and being fixedly mounted on the bottom panel such that one of said two pairs is located at a portion near one end of said bottom panel and the other of said two pairs is located at a portion near the other end of said bottom panel, each of said four connectors being rotatably and slidably mounted inside each pair of said strap guides so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of each of said top and bottom panels and to be slidable along said longitudinal axis for a predetermined distance. 
     It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a multi-way bag which can be carried as an arm-holding bag, a handbag, a shoulder bag, a rucksack, a wrist bag, a waist bag or the like. 
     Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FEG.  1  is a perspective view of the bag and strap as one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view, in an enlarged scale, of a connector and a clasp located at a portion near one end of the top panel of the bag shown in FIG. 1 from which a pair of strap guides has been removed; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear view of the bag with the strap shown in FIG. 1, illustrating a manner in which the bag is configured to an arm-holding bag; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the bag with the strap shown in FIG. 1, showing a manner in which the bag is configured to a handbag; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear view of the bag with the strap shown in FIG. 1, illustrating a manner in which the bag is configured to a shoulder bag; 
     FIG. 6 is a rear view of the bag with the strap shown in FIG. 1, showing a manner in which the bag is configured to a rucksack; 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the bag with the strap shown in FIG. 1, illustrating a manner in which the bag is configured to a wrist bag; 
     FIG. 8 is a rear view of the bag with the strap shown in FIG. 1, showing a manner in which the bag is configured to a waist bag; and 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of the bag with a zip fastener, illustrating the state in which the bag is about to be fully opened by manipulation of the zip fastener. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, in FIGS. 1 through 9, there is shown a multi-way bag as one embodiment of the present invention. The multi-way bag comprises, in combination, a bag  1  and a length-adjustable strap  22  for carrying the bag. 
     Preferably, the bag comprises a top panel  26 , a bottom pamel  27 , a pair of side panels  28 ,  29 , a back panel  30  and an openable front panel  31 . 
     The bag is provided with four pairs of strap guides  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9  which allow the strap to pass therethrough, four connectors  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13  for connecting the strap  22  to the bag so that the bag is supportable by a user with the strap  22  and four pairs of slits  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21  each pair of which allows the strap  22  to pass therethrough. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the strap guides are fixedly mounted on the top and bottom panels  26  and  27  with two pairs each on each panel at portions near both ends thereof. Alternatively, however, the strap guides may be mounted on the side panels  28 ,  29  in a similar manner. Eeach of the connectors  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13  is rotatably and slidably mounted inside each pair of the strap guides so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of each of the opposite panels  26   27  and to be slidable along said longitudinal axis for a predetermined distance. The four pairs of the slits are formed in the back panel  30  in such a manner that each two pairs of the slits are opposed to each other. 
     The strap  22  is of a double-strap type and has at one end a first spring hook  24  and at the other end a second spring hook  25 . These hooks are releasably connectable with each other and with each of the connectors  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13  of the bag  1  and has an adjustment buckle  23  for adjusting the length of the strap  22 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, two pairs of strap guides  2 ,  3  and  8 ,  9  are located at portions near both ends of the top panel  26 , respectively, while the other two pairs of strap guides  4 ,  5  and  6 ,  7  are located at portions near both ends of the bottom panel  27 , respectively. 
     However, the four pairs of strap guides may be mounted on the side panels  28 ,  29  with two pairs each on each side panel at portions near both ends thereof. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, each strap guide  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9  has a rectangular cross-section shape. However, it may have an arch, arcuate or U cross-section shape. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 through 8, each pair of the strap guides extends transversely of each of the top and bottom panels  26 ,  27  in parallel spaced-apartrelationship, respectively. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, each connector  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13  is preferably shaped like a rectangular frame. However, it may be of an elongated elliptical shape. 
     Each of the connectors is movably mounted by means of a transversely extending elongated clasp  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35  with an arcuate passage which allows each connector  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13  to rotate about the longitudinal axis of each of the opposite panels  26 ,  27  and to slide along said axis for a predetermined distance. 
     As clearly shown in FIG. 1, a first pair of slits  14 ,  15  is formed in the back panel  30  on the right hand side thereof, a second pair of slits  16 ,  17  is formed in the back panel on the left hand side thereof, a third pair of slits  18 ,  19  is formed in the back panel on the upper side thereof and a fourth pair of slits  20 ,  21  is formed in the back panel on the lower side thereof. 
     As shown in FIG. 9, the openable front panel  31  is a flap panel swingably attached at a lower end thereof to a front edge of the bottom panel  27  and arranged to be opened and closed by means of a zip fastener  36 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a manner in which the bag is configured to an arm-holding bag as one of configurations that can be selected by the user. 
     As may be seen from FIG. 3, first, the first spring hook  24  of the strap  22  is connected to a connector  11 . Next, the second spring hook  25  is made to pass through the strap guides  3 ,  2 ,  9 ,  8 ,  7 ,  6  one after another. Then, the second spring hook  25  is connected to the connector  11 . After that, the length of the strap  22  is adjusted so as to be suitable for carrying the bag as an arm-holding bag by manipulating the buckle  23 . Thus, the bag having an arm-holding bag mode can be provided. 
     FIG. 4 shows a manner in which the bag is configured to a handbag as another example of bag configuration that can be selected by the user. 
     As may be seen from FIG. 4, first, spring hook  24  is connected to a connector  11 . Next, the other spring hook  25  is made to pass through the strap guides  3 ,  2 ,  9 ,  8 ,  7 ,  6  one after another. Then, the other spring hook  25  is connected to the connector  11 . Thereafter, the length of the strap  22  is adjusted so as to be suitable for carrying the bag as a handbag. In this way, the bag having a handbag mode can be provided. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a manner in which the bag is configured to a shoulder bag. 
     As may be seen from FIG. 5, first, the first spring hook  24  is connected to a connector  11 . Next, the second spring hook  25  is made to pass through the strap guides  3 ,  2 ,  9 ,  8  one after nother. Then, the second spring hook  25  is connected to a connector  12 . After that, the length of the strap  22  is adjusted so that the bag is capable of being carried by the user in the form of a shoulder bag. 
     In this case, the buckle  23  is manipulated so as to lengthen the strap  22  to a length sufficient for carrying the bag as a shoulder bag. Thus, the bag having a shoulder bag mode can be provided. 
     FIG. 6 shows a manner in which the bag is configured to a rucksack. 
     As may be seen from FIG. 6, first, the length of the strap  22  is roughly adjusted for a rucksack. Next, the second spring hook  25  is connected to a connector  13 . Then, the first spring hook  24  is made to pass through the strap guides  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7  one after another. After that, the first spring hook  24  is connected to a connector  10  so that the strap  22  is crossed in the form of X as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     Furthermore, the length of the strap  22  is adjusted so as to be suitable for carrying the bag as a rucksack. In this way, the bag having a rucksack mode can be provided. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a manner in which the bag is configured to a wrist bag. 
     As may be seen from FIG. 7, first, the first spring hook  24  is connected to a connector  11 . Next, the second spring hook  25  is made to pass through the strap guides  3 ,  2 ,  9 ,  8  one after another. Then, the second spring hook  25  is connected to another connector  12 . After that, a part of the strap  22  is pulled up from beween the pair of strap guides  2  and  3 . Furthermore, the length of the strap  22  is adjusted so as to be suitable for carrying the bag as a wrist bag. Thus, the bag having a wrist bag mode can be provided. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a manner in which the bag is configured to a waist bag. 
     As may be seen from FIG. 8, first, the second spring hook  25  is made to pass through the slits  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17  one after another. Next, the spring hook  25  is connected to the first spring hook  24 . Then, the length of the strap  22  is adjusted so as to be suitable for carrying the bag as a waist bag. In this way, the bag having a waist bag mode can be provided. 
     To provide such a waist bag, the first spring hook  24  is directly connected with the second spring hook  25 . In this case, there is no necessity of using the above-mentioned connectors of the bag. 
     Thus, as may be seen from the foregoing, according to the present invention a multi-way bag is provided which can be carried as an arm-holding bag, a handbag, a shoulder bag, a rucksack, a wrist bag, a waist bag or the like.