Abstract:
A personal Item holder having a backing, a framing device for providing support and shape to the backing, attachment devices for attaching the personal items to the backing, and mounts attached to the backing for mounting the holder.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a device for holding personal items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for individually and separately holding numerous items. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    Various attempts have been made to provide display units capable of displaying items, such as jewelry, to allow visual inspection and selection by a person. Generally, the display unit uses the item&#39;s fastener, in the case of jewelry, to facilitate attachment to a support structure. Such attachment is awkward to manipulate during the attachment and detachment steps. 
         [0005]    One example of such an organizer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,849, to Bacon, which discloses a display unit for the removable attachment of holder units that can retain small objects. The device functions by utilizing holder units that are affixed, via hook-and-loop fasteners, to a support surface. The device is designed so that the items can be removed easily and with little force. There is not sufficient strength of the holder units to maintain a larger item, such as a purse. Additionally, the entire device is rather flexible and is not designed to hold items that are heavy. This limits the use of the device to lightweight items such as jewelry. 
         [0006]    Detachable holders are known in the art that act to hold the item or items while allowing attachment to a display box. Generally, these holders are attachable only at predetermined locations, as exampled by elevated slats on the display box. User selected random placement is not permitted with such configurations. 
         [0007]    Other attempts at creating organization for personal items include the use of drawer organizers or under-bed storage organizers. These organizers are not easily utilized, as they require a substantial amount of room in which to organize the items. Further, it is often difficult to view all of the items that are being organized because of the large amount of space that the organizer occupies. There is, therefore, a need for personal item organizers that do not require a large amount of space, are easy to use, and enable the user to easily view the items that are being organized. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    According to the present invention, there is provided a personal item holder having a backing, a framing device for providing support and shape to the backing, attachment devices for attaching the personal items to the backing, and mounts attached to the backing for mounting the holder. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Other advantages of the present invention are readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front view of the device of the present invention with a pocket at the top of the device; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the fastening device used to maintain an item within the device of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the device of the present invention with a pocket at the bottom of the device; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a detailed view of the top portion of the holder of the present invention; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the hanging device of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    Generally, the present invention provides a holder for maintaining numerous individual items. The holder is generally shown as  10  in the figures. The holder  10  is preferably used to organize and present items such as purses or other items capable of being maintained by the holder  10  of the present invention. 
         [0016]    A preferred embodiment of the device  10  of the present invention includes a backing  12 , support devices  161  hanging devices  18 , and fasteners  22 . The backing  12  is preferably formed of a single piece of material. The backing  12  is the base upon which all other parts of the holder are affixed; therefore, the backing  12  must be formed of a sturdy material capable of withstanding the attachment of the remaining parts of the holder  10 . Examples of such materials are well known to those of skill in the art. One example of such a material is canvas. Other materials exhibiting similar resilient properties can also be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
         [0017]    Additionally, the device  10  can include crosspieces  14 . The crosspieces  14  are pieces of material to which the fasteners  22  are affixed. The crosspieces  14  are preferably formed of the same material as the backing  12 , but can be formed of other materials without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Examples of such materials are well known to those of skill in the art. The crosspieces  14  are affixed to the backing  12  at regular intervals, such that through-pockets  28  are formed between the affixing locations. It is at the location of the through-pockets  28  that the fasteners  22  are attached. 
         [0018]    The fasteners  22  (also referred to as attaching devices) can either be attached to the crosspieces  14  at the through-pockets  28 , or the fasteners  22  can be attached directly to the backing  12 . The fasteners  22  can be formed of any material capable of being easily opened and closed, while also being able to support the weight of an object that is held within the fastener  22 . The fastener  22  is preferably a rectangular piece of material that includes a closing device  24 , 26  at each end of the fastener  22 , such that when the fastener  22  is closed, a loop is formed for holding the item in place. The closing device  24 , 26  can be any device having the above characteristics known to those of skill in the art. Preferably, the closing device  24 , 26  is a hook-and-loop fastener. 
         [0019]    The holder  10  of the present invention also includes a frame/support device  16 . At least one support device  16  forms the frame and is used in each holder  10  in order for the holder  10  to maintain the proper shape when being hung. Preferably, at least three support devices  16  are used in the holder  10  of the present invention. The support devices  16  are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals, thereby ensuring proper shape when the holder  10  is hung. The support devices  16  are made of resilient materials such as a resilient plastic or a metal. The resilient materials are preferably lightweight so as to prevent weighing down the holder  10  or making the holder  10  difficult to either hang or stay hung. 
         [0020]    The holder  10  is hung using wall mounting devices  18 . The wall mounting devices  18  can be grommets through which hooks, nails, or other similar devices can be placed to attach the holder  10  to a wall or door. Alternatively, the wall mounting devices  18  can be openings through which over-the-door supports are placed, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The over-the-door supports can be affixed at the top of the holder  10 , or at the same location as the grommets or other wall mounting devices  18  are affixed.  FIG. 4  shows a detailed view of the top portion of the holder  10  and  FIG. 5  shows a detail of one such over-the-door mounting device  18 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the mounting device  18  can be generally U-shaped, but could also be J-shaped without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
         [0021]    The holder  10  can also include at least one pocket or pouch  20  for holding additional small items that cannot be maintained with the fasteners  22 . The pocket  20  can be located at any position on the holder  10  without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Also, multiple pockets  20  of varying shapes can be included in the holder  10 . Preferably, the pocket  20  is rectangular shaped, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . In order to form a more rigid pocket, the pocket can be formed of a rigid material that is covered by material identical to that of the holder  10 . For example, the pocket  10  can be formed of a cardboard material that is covered by canvas. The pocket  10  can be manufactured using techniques known to those of skill in the art. The pocket can either be entirely formed of canvas, and then have pieces of cardboard inserted into sleeves within the canvas or the pocket can be formed of cardboard and then the canvas is attached to the formed pocket  20 . Alternatively, the holder  10  can be comprised entirely of pockets or pouches  20 . 
         [0022]    More specifically, the present invention relates to a device or holder  10  that can be hung on a door or mounted on a wall. In the preferred embodiment, the holder  10  includes a canvas backing  12  having fabric webbing crosspieces  14  sewn onto the canvas backing  12 . The canvas backing  12  also includes horizontal supports  16  at the top, middle, and bottom of the holder  10 . The horizontal supports can be, but are not limited to, flat, metal, or plastic bars. The canvas backing  12  further includes grommeted openings  18  at the top and bottom for attachment to a wall, door, or any other suitable surface. At least one pouch  20  is fixedly attached to the bottom of the canvas backing  12  for the storage of items such as, but not limited to, purses, wallets, small bags, sunglasses, sunglass cases, cell phones and cases, makeup bags, and PDAs. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , a purse  30  can be attached to the holder by fasteners  22 . The fasteners  22  can be any fastening devices known to those of skill in the art. Preferably, the fasteners  22  are hook-and-loop fasteners having a first side  24  of loops and a second side  26  of hooks that are placed though holes  28  created by open spaces between the canvas backing  12  and the fabric webbing crosspieces  14 . Alternatively, the fasteners  22  can be buttons or snaps. 
         [0024]    Throughout this application, author and year and patents by number reference various publications, including United States patents. Full citations for the publications are listed below. The disclosures of these publications and patents in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. 
         [0025]    The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
         [0026]    Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.