Patent Publication Number: US-2009224017-A1

Title: Shopping Bag

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to bags and, more particularly, to a shopping bag wearable by a consumer that is adapted to hold multiple bags or articles while in the process of shopping. 
     One of the biggest challenges shoppers encounter is carrying all of their purchases from store to store until returning to their car. This is especially the case when a consumer is shopping at a mall where a large number of stores are connected or grouped together but at a distance from the consumer&#39;s vehicle. Carrying and keeping track of multiple bags of merchandise obtained from multiple stores is difficult. 
     Various devices have been proposed in the art for carrying items of merchandise. For example, shopping carts are routinely used in grocery stores. Large bags with handles may be provided for holding merchandise from clothing stores and the like. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a reusable bag for holding multiple shopping bags and that is wearable by a user. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a shopping bag that is removably wearable on the shoulder or back of a user. Further, it would be desirable to have a shopping bag that will hold multiple bags of merchandise. In addition, it would be desirable to have a shopping bag that can secure the multiple shopping bags from inadvertently falling out. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A shopping bag according to the present invention includes first and second generally planar sides, each side having opposed ends, a top, and a bottom. The shopping bag also includes a carrying strap having opposed ends coupled to the first side, one strap end being relatively adjacent the first side top, another strap end being relatively adjacent the first side bottom. The first side bottom is joined with the second side bottom and the first side ends are respectively joined with the second side ends to define a cavity between the first and second sides. The cavity is accessible through an opening collectively defined by the first side top and the second side top. The first and second sides are deformable to allow said cavity to selectively expand and contract. The bag may include a second carrying strap such that the first and second carrying straps may be coupled to a user&#39;s arms for positioning the bag on the user&#39;s back. 
     Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a shopping bag for holding multiple other bags or articles while a consumer travels between stores while shopping. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a shopping bag, as aforesaid, in which the shopping bag may be attached to a user&#39;s arm and positioned on the user&#39;s shoulder or attached to both of the user&#39;s arms and positioned on the user&#39;s back. 
     Still another object of this invention is to provide a shopping bag, as aforesaid, having a drawstring for selectively securing the contents in the shopping bag. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a shopping bag, as aforesaid, having at least one compartment suitable for holding cold items or items that need to be insulated. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide a shopping bag, as aforesaid, that is economical to produce and user-friendly to use. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a shopping bag according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the shopping bag as in  FIG. 1  taken from another angle; 
         FIG. 3  is an elevated view of the shopping bag as in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the shopping bag as in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A shopping bag according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 4  of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, the shopping bag  100  includes a flexible container  110  and a shoulder strap  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the flexible container  110  has an open top end  112  and a cavity  115  accessible at the top end  112 . The top end  112  is uncovered, and the container  110  is configured to hold at least one object in the cavity  115 . The container  110  may include first and second sides  114 ,  116 ; each side  114 ,  116  may have opposed ends  114   a ,  116   a , a top  114   b ,  116   b , and a bottom  114   c ,  116   c ; and the sides  114 ,  116  may collectively define the cavity  115 . More particularly, to define the cavity  115  between the first and second sides  114 ,  116 , the first side bottom  114   c  may be joined with the second side bottom  116   c  and the first side ends  114   a  may be respectively joined with the second side ends  116   a . The first side top  114   b  and the second side top  116   b  may collectively define an opening  118  for accessing the cavity  115 , and the opening  118  may extend uncovered between the first side top  114   b  and the second side top  116   b . It should be understood that “joined with” as used herein may refer to elements formed separately and actually coupled together or alternately to elements formed in a continuous manner such that no coupling is required; either way, the elements are unitary. 
     The first and second sides  114 ,  116  may be deformable to allow the cavity  115  to selectively expand and contract, and a draw string  119  may be coupled to the container  110  adjacent the top end  112  (i.e., coupled to the first side top  114   b  and the second side top  116   b ) to selectively restrict access to the cavity  115 . Before deformation, the sides  114 ,  116  may be generally planar, which may ease manufacture. The sides  114 ,  116  may be constructed of cloth (e.g., canvas, muslin, etc.), plastic, and/or any other appropriate material. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4 , the shoulder strap  120  (also referred to herein as a “carrying” strap) has opposed ends  122   a ,  122   b  coupled to the container  110  (i.e., to the first side  114 ) so that end  122   a  is relatively adjacent to the top end  112  of the container  110  (i.e., relatively adjacent the first side top  114   b ) and end  122   b  is relatively distant to the top end  112  (i.e., relatively adjacent the first side bottom  114   c ). A second shoulder strap  130  (also referred to herein as a “carrying” strap) having opposed ends  132   a ,  132   b  may also be coupled to the container  110  (i.e., to the first side  114 ) so that end  132   a  is relatively adjacent to the top end  112  of the container  110  (i.e., relatively adjacent the first side top  114   b ) and end  132   b  is relatively distant to the top end  112  (i.e., relatively adjacent the first side bottom  114   c ). The shoulder strap  120  and the second shoulder strap  130  may be collectively configured to be respectively coupled to a user&#39;s arms so that the container  110  may be worn on a user&#39;s back. It is understood that a single shoulder strap may be coupled to a single arm of a user such that the shopping bag  100  may be positioned over a single shoulder of a user. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the ends  122   a ,  122   b  of the carrying strap  120  are respectively coupled to the first side  114  at first and second points  128 ,  129 , and the ends  132   a ,  132   b  of the carrying strap  130  may be coupled to the first side  114  at third and fourth points  138 ,  139 . The length of the carrying strap  120  may be longer than a distance between the first and second points  128 ,  129  so that the carrying strap  120  extends away from the first side  114 , and the length of the carrying strap  130  may be longer than a distance between the third and fourth points  138 ,  139  so that the carrying strap  130  extends away from the first side  114 . The carrying strap  120  and the second carrying strap  130  may extend generally perpendicular to the first side bottom  114   c , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     One or more flexible partition  140  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) may be located inside the container  110  (i.e., extending between the sides  114 ,  116 ) to separate the cavity  115  into two or more distinct portions  115   a ,  115   b . The partition  140  may be insulated to impede heat transfer between the cavity portions  115   a ,  115   b.    
     In use, a user may bring the shopping bag  100  to a store, or a store may provide the user with the shopping bag  100 . Items (e.g., purchases, etc.) may be placed through the opening  118  into the cavity  115 , and the draw string  119  may be used to close the opening  118  and secure the items in the cavity  115 . The shoulder strap  120  and/or the second shoulder strap  130  may be used to couple the container  110  to the user&#39;s back, and the user may continue shopping in other stores or otherwise transport the items. Use of the shopping bag  100  may be especially advantageous if the user is going to transport the items for extended periods of time or over extended distances, e.g. while shopping at a shopping mall. Multiple items may be separated in the shopping bag by the partition  140 , and hot and cold items may be transported inside the shopping bag  100  with minimal heat transfer if placed on opposite sides of the partition  140  and the partition  140  is insulated. 
     It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.