Patent Publication Number: US-2021186170-A1

Title: Multi-functional strap for providing various personal item carrying configurations

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/951,369, filed Dec. 20, 2019, the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present specification generally relates to personal items that may be carried. More specifically, the present invention relates to personal items having a multi-functional strap which provides the user with various configurations for holding, such as a handle, wristlet, or clutch. 
     2. Description of the State of the Art 
     The handbag dates back more than 5000 years; however, it was not until the industrial revolution, due in part to increased travel, that the modern handbag or pursue was born out of necessity in England. Today, whether an expression of style and/or mood, the handbag comes in a plethora of designs and is a convenient place to store and transport personal items such as keys, money, credit cards, ID, smart devices, personal items and a few makeup products. 
     Depending upon the functionality and/or fashion considerations, handbags can be categorized according to the silhouette of the bag, as well as the type of handle. In some instances the handle is simply a strap secured to opposing ends of the bag to form the handbag, or the handle is foregone altogether forming a clutch. Handbags may also be designed with a strap that loops around the user&#39;s wrist. Since the strap in this configuration resembles a bracelet worn on the wrist, the handbags are known as wristlets. These bags are especially handy for a night out when only a few essentials are needed. 
     Thus, a need exists for a single handbag capable of being easily configured so as to have varying functionalities and/or fashion considerations, while eliminating the need to purchase multiple handbags and constantly move personal items from one handbag to the other handbag depending on the personal circumstance. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional strap attachment to any personal item or accessory thereby allowing the user the ability to easily convert such personal item to or from a wristlet configuration without physically modifying the body of the wristlet&#39; s original construction. The wristlet can be configured to held by the handle like a purse or in the hand like a clutch depending upon the individual circumstance. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide for the ability to convert a wristlet to either a handbag or a clutch, thus allowing the wristlet to easily become a multi-purpose accessory without physically modifying the body of the wristlet&#39;s original construction. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a cell phone case with a multi-functional strap attachment allowing the user to carry the cell phone in a either a wristlet, handle or clutch configuration. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide shoes with a multi-functional strap attachment allowing the user to carry the phone in a either a wristlet, handle or clutch configuration. 
     Other objects and advantages will be apparent upon reading the description hereinafter. 
     Additional embodiments and features are set forth in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the specification or may be learned by the practice of the disclosed embodiments. The features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, combinations, and methods described in the specification. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosed embodiments may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings. All drawings are not to scale. 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wristlet with a multi-function strap according to a first configuration. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the embodiment of a wristlet shown in  FIG. 1A  with the ends of the multi-function strap unfastened according to a first configuration. 
         FIG. 1C  is a perspective view of the embodiment of a wristlet shown in  FIG. 1A-1B  with the one free end of the multi-function strap having been threaded through a second loop according to a first configuration. 
         FIG. 1D  is a perspective view of the embodiment of a wristlet shown in  FIG. 1A-1C  with the one free end of the multi-function strap having been secured to its opposing end to form a handbag according to a first configuration. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wristlet with a multi-function strap according to a second configuration. 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wristlet shown in  FIG. 2A  with an unfastened multi-function strap according to a second configuration. 
         FIG. 2C  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wristlet with a fastened multi-function strap to form a handbag according to a second configuration. 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wristlet with a multi-function strap according to a third configuration. 
         FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wristlet with a multi-function strap hidden from view to form a clutch according to a third configuration. 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a multi-functional strap which allows the user to convert a personal item to a wristlet configuration. 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a personal item shown in  FIG. 4A  having a multi-functional strap having a wristlet configuration. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is amenable to various modifications, specifics thereof have been shown by way of in the drawings and will be described in detail in the following more detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is listed in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is best shown in Figure  FIGS. 1A through 1D  showing a wristlet (as the starting configuration) with a multi-function strap system  100  comprising a strap  120 , a personal item  102  such as but not limited to a bag, cell phone case, shoes, slippers, flipflops, keychains, folios, wallet, etc. and wherein said personal item  102  has two or more loops positioned in parallel for securing said strap  120  in either a wristlet configuration or a stored position. As discussed in further detail below, strap  120 ,  220 ,  320  and  420  is attached according to a first configuration in  FIGS. 1A-1D , a second configuration in  FIGS. 2A-2C , a third configuration in  FIGS. 3A-3B , and fourth configuration  420 , respectively. The various configurations described below are meant to be exemplary of the versatility of the multi-strap system of the present invention and the personal items are purely illustrative and those of skilled in the art will recognize the various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents that may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosed embodiments. 
     The bag portion  102  in its most basic configuration has an inside (not shown), an outside  104 , a spine or bottom end  106 , a top end  108 , opposite ends  110 ′ and  110 ″, and a closure assembly  112  such as, but not limited to a zipper, clasp, teardrop closure, kiss lock closure, squeeze frame, magnetic, hook and loop fastener etc. As shown in  FIGS. 1A-1D  the wristlet is a zip-around style having a closure assembly  112  positioned along end  110 ′, top end  108 , and end  110 ″. However, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various constructions of bag portion  102  may be used without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For instance, opposite ends  110 ′ and  110 ″ could be closed and the closure assembly  112  would then only allow access to the inside of the bag portion  102  through top end  108 . The bag portion  102  may further be constructed of AirCarbon®, leather, vegan leather, vinyl, synthetic fabrics, non-synthetic fabrics, 3D printed fabrics and/or any other appropriate material. Construction from durable, lightweight materials may be preferred but is not required. 
     Spine  106  having opposed ends  106   a  and  106   b  has two strap loops  116  and  118  positioned near the ends  106   a  and  106   b,  respectively of the spine  106  and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of spine  106 . Strap loops  116  and  118  are each formed by securing the opposing ends of a strip of material, which may be, but does not necessarily have to be, made from the same material as that of bag portion  102 , to spine  106  using stitching or the like. Alternatively, loop  116  can be formed near spine end  106   a  by placing parallel slits in spine  106  perpendicular to the axis of spine  106  and this procedure is repeated near spine end  106   b  to form loop  118 . The width of the resulting loops  116  and  118  is determined by the distance between the two parallel slits and the length of the slits would have a length greater than the width of the strap  120  thereby allowing strap  120  to be threaded through the resulting loops. 
     In the wristlet configuration, as shown in  FIG. 1A , the strap  120  having opposed first and second ends  120   a  and  120   b,  respectively is threaded through the loop  116  and opposed ends  120   a  and  120   b  are mated and secured together through the use of a fastener  122 . Strap  120  may further comprise a keeper loop  124  positioned near one of the strap ends allowing the other strap end to pass through to assist in keeping the strap  120  in place. If desired strap  120  can also comprise a free loop (not shown), which is an extra loop positioned next to the keeper loop  124 . The free loop can be moved around the strap of the wristlet to adjust the size of the wristlet and further aids in fastening the strand  120  to the wrist. A wide variety of fasteners may be utilized for fastener  122 , such as but not limited to screw posts, such as a Chicago screw, snaps having female snap element and male snap element, magnets, button studs, etc. The primary requirement when choosing the type of hardware for fastener  122  is that one or both ends  120   a  and  120   b  are free to thread through the various loops holding strap  120  in place.  FIG. 1A  displays a screw post as fastener  122  attached to end  120   a  and opposed end  120   b  has a hole  126  for receiving fastener  122 . As discussed previously, there are a variety of fasteners that can be used and it is to be understood the depending upon the particular hardware used various modifications to ends  120   a  and  120   b  may be necessary. For example, if fastener  120  is a snap, the female or male snap element would be secured to end  120   a,  and  120   b  instead of having a hole for receiving a screw post, would have the corresponding male or female snap element counterpart to that secured to end  120   a.  The strap  120  may further be constructed of AirCarbon®, leather, vinyl, synthetic fabrics, non-synthetic fabrics, and/or any other appropriate material. Construction from durable, lightweight materials may be preferred but is not required. 
     In using the handbag with the multi-function strap system  100 , a user may easily alter the attachment of strap  120  to the bag portion  102  as set forth below to obtain a configuration that is most desirable at any given time. The wristlet configuration as shown in  FIG. 1A  may be altered to the handbag configuration shown in  FIG. 1D  by first disengaging ends  120   a  and  120   b  from one another and sliding end  120   b  out from keeper loop  124  as shown in  FIG. 1B . Next, the user threads end  120   b  through loop  118  and then ends  120   a  and  120   b  are once again couple to one another, shown in  FIG. 1C  so that strap  120  is essentially folded over on itself forming a handle that can be grasped by the users fingers as shown in  FIG. 1D . 
     In a second configuration  200  shown in  FIGS. 2A-2C  bag portion  202  has a spine  206  having one loop  216  that connects strap  220  to bag portion  202  and a second loop  218  that is formed by placing a first cut  217 , proximal to loop  216 , in the spine  206  of bag potion  202  perpendicular to the axis of spine  206  and a second cut  219  that is parallel to the first cut  218  in close proximity to spine end  206   b  to form loop  218 . Loop  218  could also be formed by stitching a wide piece of material over the surface of spine  206 . 
     The ends  220   a  and  220   b  of strap  220  are separated from one another and end  220   b  is further threaded through loop  118  until end  220   b  is visible past cut  219  ( FIGS. 1B ) and then ends  220   a  and  220   b  are once again coupled to one another by mating female snap element  222   a  and male snap element  222   b  or the like forming fastener  222  ( FIGS. 1C ). By threading strap  220  through the majority of spine  206  a more streamlined configuration of the handbag is formed, wherein the user is able to hold onto strap  220  but only about half of the strap is visible. 
     In the third configuration, shown in  FIGS. 3A-3B , the spine  306  of bag portion  302  has a slot  315  positioned along a portion of the axis of spine  306 . The strap  320  has two opposed ends  320   a  and  320   b  coupled to one another are inserted into slit  317  so that the fastener  322  protrudes through slot  315 . Fastener  322  can be a Chicago screw style having a shaft wherein the shaft has a diameter less than the width of slot  315  and a head that screws onto the shaft wherein the head has a diameter greater the width of slot  315 . When fastener  322  is positioned proximal to slit  317  the strap  320  will form a wristlet ( FIG. 3A ) and by sliding fastener  322  down the entire length of slot  315 , the strap  320  will retract through slit  317  and be positioned within spine  306  allowing the bag portion  302  to function as a clutch, as shown in  FIG. 3B . The spine  306  is constructed using an inner lay of material (not shown) which serves two functions. First the inner layer of material separates the interior of the bag portion  302  from the slot  315  so that the contents of the bag portion do not fall out through the slot  315 , and second this inner layer of material also keeps the strap  320  from falling into the interior of bag portion  302  thus keeping the strap  320  in position. Fastener  322  may be a Chicago screw which would allow the user to tighten the screw anywhere along its path in slot  315  and thus pinch the edges of slot  315  securing the fastener  322  in a fixed position thus also determining the size of the wristlet so that it can be worn comfortably on the user&#39;s wrist. 
     In the fourth and final configuration, shown in  FIGS. 4A-4B , the personal item used to illustrate the versatility of the present invention is a cell phone case  402  having two loops  418  and  424  attached to one edge of the case. Strap  420  is conveniently stored in place along the edge of case  402  by threading it through loops  418  and  424  and securing the free ends using fastener  422 . To achieve a wristlet configuration the ends  420   a  and  420   b  of strap  420  are decoupled, removed from loop  424 , and then recoupled so that strap  420  is secured to cell phone case  402  vis-a-vis loop  418  formin a wristlet configuration. 
     Having disclosed several embodiments, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elements have not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Accordingly, the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. 
     Also, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and “includes” when used in this specification and in the following claims are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or steps, but they do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, steps, acts, or groups.