Patent Publication Number: US-2018035769-A1

Title: Pouch system and methods of use thereof

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This disclosure claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/371,618 filed on Aug. 5, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to a system for storing, transporting and containing items such as when using an ambulatory device (e.g., a cane, crutch, walker or wheelchair) or other modes of transportation, such as a stroller, bike, scooter or boat or items, such as a backpack, pole or line. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Often a user of an ambulatory device, such as a cane, walker or wheelchair, needs to be able to transport personal items while using such device. Use of a traditional purse or backpack often interferes with the user&#39;s ability to operate the ambulatory device as it may put the user off balance. Further, attempting to attach a traditional purse or backpack to an ambulatory device can lead to the purse or backpack falling off or becoming entangled with the device. Therefore, a need exists for a system that allows a user to transport personal items easily and effectively while using an ambulatory device. Additionally, the need exists to be able to transport or secure personal items without interfering with the operation of a device or to allow ones personal belonging to be securely stowed. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosed herein is a system for storing, transporting and containing items while operating any device, such as an ambulatory device (e.g., a cane, crutch, walker or wheelchair) or other mode of transportation, such as a stroller, bike, scooter or boat or article, such as a pole, line or backpack. In one embodiment, a disclosed system comprises a pouch with a first vertical attachment member for securing the pouch to the device, article or surface and a second vertical attachment member which facilitates the fastening of the pouch to the device, article or surface by coupling to the first vertical attachment member on the pouch. In some embodiments, a disclosed pouch further comprises one or more horizontal attachment members to provide additional points of attachment between the device, article or surface and the pouch. In some embodiments, the first vertical attachment member comprises hook and loop fastening material on a first, front side and a second, back side capable of being attached to the pouch. In some embodiments, the second vertical attachment member comprises hook and loop fastening material on a first, front side and adhesive material on a second, back side so that the adhesive side may be secured to the device, article or surface in a position desired by the user to secure the pouch. The hook and loop fastening material on the front side of the second vertical attachment member can interconnect with the hook and loop fastening material on the first vertical attachment member on the pouch thereby securing the pouch to the device, article or surface. It is contemplated that the disclosed system can be used with any device, such as an ambulatory device, transportation device or other item including, but not limited to, a cane, crutch, walker, stroller, bike, scooter, boat, wheelchair, pole, line or backpack. 
     Also disclosed are methods of assembling a pouch system. In some embodiments, the method comprises positioning the second vertical attachment member on a surface, such as an ambulatory or transportation device surface, in a location to which the user wishes to secure the pouch; aligning the first, front surface of hook and loop fastening material of the first vertical attachment member with the first, front surface of hook and loop fastening material of the second vertical attachment member so that that two can interconnect and thereby attaching the pouch to the desired surface. In some embodiments, the method further comprises attaching one or more horizontal attachment members to the surface, such as an ambulatory or transportation device surface, to further secure the pouch to the desired surface. 
     The foregoing and other features of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view an exemplary pouch system. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of an exemplary pouch. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of an exemplary second vertical attachment member coupled to an ambulatory device. 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of an exemplary pouch with a plurality of fasteners secured to an ambulatory device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other aspects and/or embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forth below. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed things and methods can be used in conjunction with other things and method. 
     Unless otherwise explained, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the word “or” is intended to include “and” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Hence “comprising A or B” means including A, or B, or A and B. 
     Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, suitable methods and materials are described below. 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of disclosed system  100 . It is contemplated that the disclosed system can be used with any device or surface including, but not limited to, a cane, crutch, walker, wheelchair, stroller, bike, scooter, boat, pole, line or backpack. In some embodiments, the device is an ambulatory device, such as a cane, crutch, walker or wheelchair. In some embodiments, the device is a transportation device such as a bike, scooter or boat. As illustrated, the system  100  includes pouch  102 . Pouch  102  is an outer shell to define an interior space in which items can be stored, transported or contained. In some embodiments, the outer shell has front panel  104 , rear panel  106 . top panel  108 , bottom panel  110  and two side panels  112 . in some examples, the outer shell comprises at least one compartment, such as front panel compartment  114 . in sonic examples, front panel compartment  104  includes fastening mechanism  116 . For example, fastening mechanism  116  can be a zipper, eyes and hooks, hook and loop fastening material, snaps or any other fastener which allows the compartment to be opened and dosed. In some examples, top panel  103  includes fastening mechanism  118  which allows a user to access the interior space of the pouch and to secure the interior space. For example, fastening mechanism  118  can be a zipper, eyes and hooks, hook and loop fastening material, snaps or the like. In some examples, at least one of the two side panels includes a side compartment, such as elongated compartment  120 . It is contemplated that the side compartment can further comprises a fastening mechanism. In one specific example, the side compartment is shaped to hold an elongated bottle, such as a water bottle. In some examples, pouch  102  does not include a strap. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates rear panel  106  of pouch  102 . As illustrated, rear panel  106  includes a. first vertical attachment member  122 . in some examples, first vertical attachment member  112  is sewn or otherwise affixed to rear panel  1106 . In one example, first vertical attachment member  112  is sewn to rear panel  106  so that it is equal distance from a first vertical edge  124  of rear panel  106  and a second vertical edge  126 . In some examples, first vertical attachment member  112  comprises a first, front side and a second, back side capable of being attached to the pouch. For example, a first, front side may be formed or including a fastening mechanism to facilitate the attachment of the pouch to a device and a second, back side formed of a material capable of being attached, such as sewn, to the pouch. In one example, the first, front side is hook and loop fastening material. In some examples, the first vertical attachment member is between 2 inches and 4 inches wide (such as 2 inches, 2½ inches, 3 inches, 3½ inches, or 4 inches) and extends the length of the rear panel. In some examples, the vertical attachment member extends at least 70% the length of the rear panel, such as at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100%, including between 80% and 100%, 90% and 100% of the length of the rear panel. 
     In some examples, pouch  102  further comprises one or more horizontal attachment members  128  coupled to the pouch to provide additional points of attachment between the device or item and the pouch. In some examples, one or more horizontal attachment members  128  are a plurality of attachment members. In some examples, the one or more horizontal attachment members are coupled to the first vertical attachment member. For example, the one or more horizontal attachment members are positioned and secured to the pouch behind the first vertical attachment member. For instance, the one or more horizontal attachment members are designed to loop around a surface, such as an ambulatory device, for example, a cane, for added security once the first vertical attachment member is secured to the device. In some examples, the one or more horizontal attachment members are formed of hook and loop fastening material. In some examples, the pouch comprises an even number of horizontal attachment members, such as 2, 4, or 6 horizontal attachment members. In other examples, the pouch comprises an odd number of horizontal attachment members, such as 1, 3, or 5 horizontal attachment members. In some examples, the one or more horizontal attachment members are spaced equidistant along the first vertical attachment member. In some examples, the one or more horizontal attachment members are spaced asymmetically along the first vertical attachment member. It is contemplated that the shape of the one or more horizontal attachment members may vary depending upon the device. In some examples, the one or more horizontal attachment members range in length of 1 to 4 times the diameter of the device to which they will be attached. In some examples, the one or more horizontal attachment members are strips of hook and loop fastening material ranging in length from 6 inches to 12 inches, including 6 inches, 6½ inches, 7 inches, 7½ inches, 8 inches, 8½ inches, 9 inches, 9½ inches, 10 inches, 10½ inches, 11 inches, 11½ inches, 12 inches, and width from ½ to 3 inches, such as 1 inch to 2 inches, including 1 inch, 1¼ inches, 1½ inches, 1¾ inches, 2 inches, 2¼ inches, 2½ inches, 2¾ inches and 3 inches. 
     Pouch  102  is an outer shell which can be formed of a pliable material such as cloth, leather, vinyl, suede or the like. In some examples, the outer shell comprises a durable, flexible textile material, such as a woven fabric. In some examples, the outer shell comprises a fabric mesh allowing a user to easily see the contents in the interior space. In some examples, the rear panel is formed of a fabric of greater rigidity than the remainder of outer shell. In some examples, at least one compartment is formed of a solid fabric. In one particular example, the rear panel is formed of polyester fabric, at least one compartment is formed of polyester fabric and the remainder of the pouch is formed of mesh material. 
     Also as shown in  FIG. 1 , system  100  includes a second vertical attachment member  130 . Second vertical attachment member  130  is configured to facilitate attachment of pouch  102  to a surface, such as an ambulatory device (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), transportation device/system or any other desired surface. In some examples, second vertical attachment member  130  has a first, front side  132  with a fastening mechanism, such as hook and loop fastening material, for operationally coupling a pouch to a surface, such as an ambulatory or transportation device surface, and a second, back side  134  with a fastening mechanism, such as an adhesive, for attaching the second vertical attachment member to the device surface. In one example, second vertical attachment member  130  includes hook and loop fastening material on a first, front side and adhesive material on a second, back side so that the adhesive backing may be secured to the surface in a position desired by the user to secure the pouch and the hook and loop fastening material on the first, front side can interconnect with the first, front side of hook and loop fastening material of the first vertical attachment member thereby allowing the pouch to be secured to the desired surface. It is contemplated that the size and shape of a second vertical attachment member can vary, for example dependent upon the surface, e.g., ambulatory or transportation device and/or the pouch. In some examples, the second vertical attachment member is similar in dimension to the first vertical attachment member. For example, the length and/or width of the second vertical attachment member is at least 50% the length and/or width of the first vertical attachment member, including between 50% and 150%, between 75% and 95%, between 80% and 90%, between 90% and 100%, between 90% and 110% such as 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100%, 105%, 110%, 115%, 120%, 125%, 130%, 135%, 140%, 145% or 150% the length and/or width of the first vertical attachment member. In some examples, more than one second vertical attachment member can be used to attach the pouch to the surface of the device, system or item. For example, two second vertical attachment members that as a sum approximately equal the length of the first vertical attachment member can be utilized to secure the pouch. In some examples, a second vertical attachment member is ½ to 3 inches in width, such as 1 inch to 2 inches, including 1 inch, 1¼ inches, 1½ inches, 1¾ inches, 2 inches, 2¼ inches, 2½ inches, 2¾ inches and 3 inches and 6 inches to 12 inches in length, such as 9 inches to 12 inches, including 6 inches, 6½ inches, 7 inches, 7½ inches, 8 inches, 8½ inches, 9 inches, 9½ inches, 10 inches, 10½ inches, 11 inches, 11½ inches, and 12 inches. 
     It is contemplated that the direction of the first and/or second attachment members may be altered depending upon the surface to which the pouch is to be attached. In additional embodiments, a pouch system is disclosed which includes a rear panel with a first horizontal attachment member instead of a first vertical attachment member. In such embodiment, the second attachment member is positioned horizontally along a horizontally surface of the surface (such as a walker). In some embodiments, the secondary attachment member is positioned alone a horizontal surface on a device and is coupled to the first vertical attachment member on the rear panel of the pouch. In some other embodiments, a pouch system includes a rear panel with both a first horizontal attachment member and a first vertical attachment member. The second attachment member in this embodiment may then be placed along either the horizontal or vertical surface of the device, system or item. 
     Also disclosed are methods of assembling a pouch system. In some embodiments, the method comprises positioning the second vertical attachment member on a surface in a location to which the user wishes to secure the pouch; aligning the first, front surface of hook and loop fastening material of the first vertical attachment member with the first, front surface of hook and loop fastening material of the second vertical attachment member so that that two can interconnect and thereby attaching the pouch to the surface, such as an ambulatory device or transportation device/system. In some embodiments, the method further comprises attaching one or more horizontal attachment members to the device, system or item to further secure the pouch.  FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary pouch secured to an ambulatory device. 
     In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosure may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. I therefore claim as my invention all that comes within the scope and spirit of these claims.