Patent Abstract:
The present invention provides a utility bag for carrying small and minute items and larger items such as medium size tools and the like from place to place in safety. The bag has a generally rectangular first compartment with has an opening therein and contains at least one removable tray and a second substantially pocketbook shaped compartment. A plurality of pockets are attached to the outside perimeter of the first compartment, except for the wall containing the opening. Using the bag of the present invention, the user can carry tools of various kinds and sizes and the like in the second compartment and in the pockets surrounding the first compartment and small/minute items in the tray located within the first compartment.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to utility bags and specifically to soft-sided utility bags which are used by tradesmen, construction workers, handymen, plumbers, carpenters, fly fisherman and by anyone else who has the need to carry from place to place and thereafter have easy access to a plurality of numerous small and medium size items. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     There are currently in use many different types of carrying packs or bags used by various tradespersons, fly fisherman and the like who have a need to carry small items from place to place. Common examples include tool belts, bucket carriers, utility bags, and backpacks, all of which have numerous compartments or pockets for containing and carrying items of various sizes and shapes. However, each of the prior art devices has drawbacks for persons who deal with numerous small items to which they need access at the site, since the numerous small items tend to become lost or buried within the pockets or compartments. Further, the person seeking the items is required to search through the pockets or compartments until the correct item is found. The prior art devices also provide little protection or security for the tools themselves, and little or no compartmentalization for certain small materials or other items. 
     Thus, it would be desirable to have a bag that would provide easy access to any one of the numerous items contained therein. Further it also would be desirable if such a bag provided the user with a case that could contain numerous small and minute items without concern that they would be mixed together while being carried from place to place. 
     Certain prior art utility bags have hinged end enclosures which opens in doorlike fashion to give access to the interior of the bag such as the one that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,008. In that prior art device, the only means of access to the items contained anywhere within the bag is through the hinged end enclosure. 
     Likewise, most travel or storage systems used by fly-fishermen comprise hard-case fly-tying boxes (or an adapted hard-case fishing tackle box of conventional design) or one of the other prior art carriers set forth above. The hard-case fly tying box utilizes a system of drawers with individually divided sections and a larger top-loading drawer for miscellaneous storage. Usually these cases are made of hard plastic and have several inherent drawbacks—materials and tools are not equally and easily visible and accessible at all times and the overall size and weight of the case makes it difficult to carry. 
     Thus, none of the prior art carrying devices provide for the ease of removal of a combination of types of articles by the user, nor do they provide a means of removing various small items contained therein without having to remove other larger items to gain access to the smaller items. Likewise, none of the prior art devices provide a separate compartment for just the small and minute items so that they may be carrier to place to place without mixing. 
     The present invention provides a simple device for carrying small and minute items and larger items such as medium size tools and the like from place to place, while allowing ease of access to any of the small and minute items as needed. The device of the present invention eliminates the need to stack various items on top of one another, which may require the removal of several of them from the device in order to get to the case containing the small and minute items. Likewise, the present invention also provides a removable tray for holding the small and minute items separately. The tray easily may be removed from the device through a special opening in the bag. The tray also is maintained in a substantially horizontal position to ensure that one minute item does not combine with another minute item therein during transport. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a soft sided utility bag having a generally rectangular first compartment and a second substantially pocketbook shaped compartment. The first compartment is comprised of six generally rectangular walls: a pair of opposed vertical side walls, a pair of opposed vertical end walls, a top wall and a bottom wall. One of the first compartment vertical side walls provides access to the interior of the first compartment. In the preferred embodiment, the first compartment vertical side wall has a large opening which provides access to the first compartment. Inside the first compartment is at least one removable tray which has a plurality of individual compartments for storing small and minute items. In the preferred embodiment, the tray is rigid and has a lid which prevents the items in the tray from mixing and spilling when the tray is closed. Also in the preferred embodiment, the tray is approximately the same size as the bottom wall of the first compartment. 
     The second compartment is comprised of five generally rectangular walls, a pair of opposed vertical end walls, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed vertical side walls, which are capable of collapsing in on themselves. Handle means are also provided so that the bag of the present invention may be carried from place to place. In the preferred embodiment, a handle is permanently affixed to the exterior of each one of the vertical side walls of the second compartment. Also, in the preferred embodiment a rigid hinged frame is attached to the top of each of the vertical side and end walls of the second compartment to provide additional support. 
     In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of pockets are attached to the outside of end walls and one of the vertical side walls of the first compartment. Using the bag of the present invention, the user can carry tools of various kinds in the second compartment and in the pockets surrounding the first compartment and small/minute items in the tray located within the first compartment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top right side of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown with the second compartment open and the first compartment open to expose a substantial portion of the removable tray located within the interior of the first compartment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the right side of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the first compartment is closed. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention taken along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 2, which illustrates the interior arrangement of the compartments and tray when the first compartment of the present invention is in a closed position. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 1-3, a carrying case  10  is shown which comprises a first compartment  12  and an second compartment  14 . A removable tray  16  is located within first compartment  12 . In the preferred embodiment tray  16  is comprised of a plurality of compartments (not shown) so that many small and minute items may be carried therein. Tray  16  also has a removable lid  18  thereon, which prevents the contents of the tray  16  from shifting, mixing or falling out during transport. 
     In lieu of one tray  16  being contained within first compartment  12 , a plurality of smaller trays (not shown) may be carried within the first compartment  12 . 
     First compartment  12  is comprised of 6 substantially rectangular walls: a first wall  20 , pair of opposed vertical side walls  22  and  24 , a pair of opposed vertical end walls  26  and  28  and a top wall  30 . Each of the walls is attached to the adjacent two vertical walls and to the top and bottom walls  20  and  30  along corresponding parallel contiguous edges with reenforced edging. 
     The top, bottom and side walls  30 ,  20  and  22  may have a structural element (not shown) enclosed therein to maintain the structural integrity of the upper wall. These structural elements can be made of any suitable material, such as wood, metal, plastics or composites. In a typical embodiment, the structural elements are composed of metal wire or a rigid cardboard. 
     The first compartment vertical side wall  24  has an opening  32  which provides access to the interior of the first compartment  12  and to tray  16 . In the preferred embodiment, opening  32  is created by a first flap  34  which has been cut out of wall  24  and attached to the remainder of wall  24  by a zipper. Alternatively, flap  34  could be completely detachable such that a zipper will be attached around the entire perimeter thereof so as to attach it to the first compartment when the tray is contained therein or flap  34  could comprise an entire side or end wall of the first compartment. The size and shape of the flap  34  is determined by the size of first compartment  16  and the size of the tray or other item that will be inserted into and carried within the first compartment  16 . Flap  34  is attached to the bottom of the bag along the seam  42 . 
     Also, in the preferred embodiment, first flap  34  is covered by a second flap  36 , which is permanently affixed to the exterior of bag  10  such that it overlaps flap  34 . Also in the preferred embodiment the inner surface  38  of flap  36  has hook or loop material thereon, while the outer surface  40  of the lower flap  34  has corresponding loop or hook material so that flap  36  may rest snugly against the top of flap  34 . Alternatively, flap  36  could be attached to flap  34  by the use of a snap, clasp, hook or other similar attachment means. 
     In FIG. 1, the bag  10  is shown in an opened state, such that flap  36  has been lifted up and detached from flap  34 , flap  34  has been unzipped around its side and top such that it lays flat, and tray  16  is partially withdrawn from the first compartment  12 . 
     In FIGS. 2 and 3, the bag  10  is shown such that the first compartment  12  is in a closed state while the second compartment  14  is shown in an open state. 
     Second compartment  14  is comprised of 5 substantially rectangular walls: a bottom wall  50 , pair of opposed vertical side walls  52  and  54 , and a pair of opposed vertical end walls  56  and  58 . In the preferred embodiment, second compartment  14  has a two part frame  60   a  and  60   b  integrated within the upper end thereof. The frame elements can be of any suitable material, such as wood, metal, plastics or composites. In a typical embodiment, the frame members  60   a  and  60   b  are composed of metal. Proximate the outer edge of frames  60   a  and  60   b , a zipper  62  has been placed such that a user may fully enclose items within second compartment  14 . Alternatively, a latch, clasp, snap, or other suitable enclosure means may be used instead of a zipper. 
     Second compartment can be configured a variety of ways, such that there is one large area, as shown in the preferred embodiment, or there could be a plurality of pockets, hooks, trays, etc. that could be placed on the inside thereof. 
     The bottom wall  50  of second compartment  14  may also enclose a piece of cardboard, foam or other suitable material to provide some additional support for the items to be carried within second compartment  14 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the second compartment  14  and the lower compartment  12  are enclosed within a protective shell  70   a  and  70   b . However, the protective shell only extends part way down the vertical side wall  24  of first compartment  12  such that when flap  34  is undone, an optional structural element  44  is revealed which is created by the outer wall  70   b  of the bag  10 . 
     The bag  10  is provided with handles  64   a  and  64   b  are permanently affixed to the shell  70   a  and  70   b  of the bag  10  to permit the bag  10  to be picked up and carried. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, handles  64   a  and  64   b  comprises two flexible straps. The ends of each strap  64   a  and  64   b  are attached spaced-apart near the side edges of the lower wall  50 . The two handle straps  64   a  and  64   b  also could be attached together to form a single handle grip (not shown) by a flexible clasp (not shown). Handles  64   a  and  64   b  are attached to the bag by stitching or other suitable means. In the preferred embodiment, straps  64   a  and  64   b  are constructed of heavy duty nylon. 
     Also in the preferred embodiment, pockets may be attached around the perimeter of the bag  10 . For example, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, pockets  66   a ,  66   b , and  66   c  are attached to the outside of end walls  26  and  28  and to vertical side wall  22  of bag  10 . While one row of pockets is shown, there may be partial or complete second and third rows of pockets permanently affixed, as well. Pockets  66   a ,  66   b , and  66   c  are sized so as to accommodate elongated objects or varying weight and size. 
     In the first preferred embodiment, all of the edges of bag  10 , including the edges of each flap, the immediate areas adjacent to the zipper  62  on the inside and the outside of bag  10 , the upper and lower edges of each row of pockets, and the edges of upper flap  36  are reinforced with binding  68  to prevent fraying. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the bag  10  is made of a heavy duty lightweight material such as Cordura or a stiff canvas because of its relative rigidity, durability, light weight and ease with which it can be fastened together. However, if more flexible walls are desirable, the bag  10  can be made of any thin flexible material, such as cloth, flexible plastic or rubber. 
     Also additional compartments may be added to the bag  10  to provide additional storage and/or carrying areas for items. 
     While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and illustrated herein, it will be understood that many changes, substitutions and modifications may be made by those persons skilled in the art. It will be appreciated from the above description of the presently preferred embodiment that other configurations and materials are possible and within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments specifically discussed hereinabove.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0