Abstract:
A luggage article includes a main body including a first wall, a flap, and a first gusset attached to the main body and to the flap, with the flap being moveable from a closed position in which the flap is partially attached to the main bag body to an open position in which the flap is at least partially attached from the main bag body to form a storage compartment defined by the first wall and the flap that can receive an item therein. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to luggage articles and, more particularly, to a luggage article having a flap that forms an auxiliary storage compartment that can receive an item therein.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Numerous types of luggage articles are known and understood in the relevant art. Luggage articles typically are used for storing a plurality of items such as clothing or other items therein, and typically are configured with handles, wheels, and the like to facilitate moving the luggage articles and the items therein from one location to another. Luggage articles thus are conveniently used by travelers to transport from one location to another their clothing and other items needed for daily use. While such luggage articles have been reasonably successful at achieving their intended purposes, such luggage articles have not, however, been without limitation.  
           [0005]    Most luggage articles are configured with a main storage cavity into which the clothing and other items are introduced for storage and transportation. It is desirable, however, that dirty and sometimes wet clothes be kept separate from clean clothes in order to avoid the transmission of moisture perspiration, odors, and soil from the dirty clothes to the clean clothes. It is also desirable to isolate certain items, such as bottles holding liquids therein, from the clean clothing or other items in order to avoid the liquid from contaminating the clean clothing or other items in the event that the bottle breaks and the liquid escapes. While external pockets have been provided on some types of luggage articles, and it is understood that dirty clothes can sometimes be received in such pockets, the use of such pockets nevertheless remain inconvenient due to their small size and generally awkward configuration. Additionally, while some luggage articles are configured with multiple sub-compartments within the main storage cavity, such sub-compartments are undesirable for the storage of dirty clothing inasmuch as such dirty clothing presents an unsightly appearance when the main storage cavity is opened for other purposes, such as to place additional articles therein during travel.  
           [0006]    It is thus desired to provide an improved luggage article having a flap externally disposed thereon such that a storage compartment is defined behind the flap. The storage compartment preferably is separated by a wall from the main storage cavity and is configured to conveniently receive therein an item such as a piece of dirty clothing or other item. It is also preferred that the flap be configured to remain open under certain circumstances to facilitate the introduction of items therein.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In accordance with the foregoing, a luggage article is provided, the general nature of which can be stated as including a main body including a first wall, a flap, and a first gusset attached to the main body and to the flap, with the flap being moveable from a closed position in which the flap is at least partially attached to the main bag body to an open position in which the flap is at least partially detached from the main bag body to form a storage compartment that is defined by the first wall and the flap and that can receive an item therein. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained from the Description of the Preferred Embodiments and the accompanying figures in which:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a luggage article in accordance with the present invention, with the luggage article being in a closed condition;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the first embodiment in an open condition;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, except partially cut away;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a luggage article in accordance with the present invention, with the first embodiment being in a closed condition;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the second embodiment in an open condition and with a zippered compartment thereof not shown for purposes of clarity;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, except partially cut away and shown without the zippered compartment for purposes of clarity; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a sectional view as taken along line  7 - 7  of FIG. 4.  
         [0016]    Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    A luggage article  4  in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is indicated generally in FIGS.  1 - 3 . The luggage article  4  includes a main bag body  8 , a flap  12 , and a pair of gussets  16 . The luggage article  4  is configured to receive and store therein a variety of items such as clothing, personal items, and the like, and includes handles, wheels, and other devices to facilitate carrying or otherwise moving the luggage article  4  from one location to another. The luggage article  4  can be configured in the form of numerous known types of luggage articles, such as carry-on bags, suitcases, garment bags, and other known luggage configurations.  
         [0018]    In the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 - 3 , the main bag body  8  is roughly in the shape of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped with rounded comers, although it will be appreciated that other sizes and shaped can be utilized. The flap  12  and the gussets  16  are disposed on one side of the main bag body  8 . The flap  12  advantageously defines a storage compartment  20  between the flap  12  and the main bag body  8 . The storage compartment  20  is advantageously configured to receive an item therein, such as an article of dirty clothing or other such item, as will be set forth more fully below.  
         [0019]    The luggage article  4  is manufactured primarily out of a flexible and somewhat resilient material such as sheets of woven nylon or other such material. Moreover, while the luggage article  4  depicted in FIGS.  1 - 3  is manufactured primarily out of flexible, resilient fabric to be of a “soft-sided” configuration, it is further understood that in other configurations the luggage article  4  could be manufactured out of relatively stiff materials such as molded plastic, which could include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and PVC-derivatives, or other such materials, without departing from the concept of the present invention.  
         [0020]    The main bag body  8  includes a first wall  24  (FIGS. 2 and 3,) a second wall  28 , and a perimeter wall  32  connected with one another to form a hollow rectangular body. The first and second walls  24  and  28  are substantially rectangular with rounded corners, and are parallel and spaced apart from one another. The perimeter wall  32  extends between the spaced first and second walls  24  and  28  and extends around the perimeters of each of the first and second walls  24  and  28 .  
         [0021]    The main bag body  8  further includes a main bag zipper  36  that detachably connects the perimeter wall  32  with the first wall  24  and extends therebetween. When the main bag zipper  36  is in the released position, the first wall  24  can be pivoted away from the perimeter wall  32  to reveal a main storage cavity  40  within the main bag body  8 . The main storage cavity  40  is configured to receive therein a quantity of items such as clothing, shoes, personal items and the like. As will be set forth more fully below, the main storage cavity is advantageously separated from the storage compartment  20  by the first wall  24 .  
         [0022]    The first wall  24  includes a pair of first side edges  44 , a first top edge  48 , and a first bottom edge  52  that are connected with one another along arcuate corners to form the substantially rectangular perimeter of the first wall  24 . The first side edges  44  are substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another, and the first top and bottom edges  48  and  52  are likewise substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another. The second wall  28  is substantially similar to the first wall  24 .  
         [0023]    The flap  12  is a substantially rectangular body with rounded corners having a pair of parallel and spaced apart second side edges  56 , a second top edge  60 , and a second bottom edge  64 . The second top and bottom edges  60  and  64  are substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another, and along with the second side edges  56  form the perimeter of the flap  12 . The second bottom edge  64  of the flap  12  is fixedly attached to the main bag body  8  such as by sewing or other appropriate attachment method, such that the flap  12  is flexibly and pivotably mounted on the main bag body  8 .  
         [0024]    In the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 - 3 , the fixed attachment of the flap  12  to the main bag body  8  extends beyond the second bottom edge  64 , and continues along the rounded comers between the second bottom edge  64  and the second side edges  56 , and extends a small distance along the second side edges  56 . A flap zipper  68  extends between the flap  12  and the main bag body  8  along the remainder of the perimeter of the flap  12 . It is understood, however, that in other embodiments the relative extent of the flap zipper  68  and the fixed attachment of the flap  12  onto the main bag body  8  may vary without departing from the concept of the present invention.  
         [0025]    The flap zipper  68  advantageously can be moved between a zipped condition (FIG. 1) and an unzipped condition (FIG. 2), which permits the flap  12  to be moved between a closed position (FIG. 1) and an open position (FIG. 2). As is best shown in FIG. 2, the flap  12  in the open position is partially attached to the main bag body  8 , whereby the portions of the flap  12  that are fixedly attached to the main bag body  8  remain attached thereto, and the portions of the flap  12  along which the flap zipper  68  extends are detached from the main bag body  8 . As such, it can be seen from FIG. 2 that the second bottom edge  64  and a small portion of the lower ends of the second side edges  56  remain attached to the main bag body  8 , while the other portions of the perimeter of the flap  12  are spaced or pivoted away from the main bag body  8 .  
         [0026]    As can further be seen in FIGS.  1 - 3 , the flap  12  additionally includes a zippered compartment  72  that is internal either to the flap  12  or to the storage compartment  20 . The zippered compartment  72  includes a zipper on the flap  12 , and thus provides an additional separate storage space within the luggage article  4  that can be accessed from the exterior of the luggage article  4 .  
         [0027]    The embodiment of the luggage article  4  depicted in FIGS.  1 - 3  includes a perimeter strip  76  that extends between the first wall  24  and the flap  12 . The perimeter strip  76  thus spaces the flap  12  from the first wall  24  and increases the volume of the storage compartment  20 . It can seen, therefore, that the fixed attachment of the flap  12  to the main bag body  8  is actually a fixed attachment of the second bottom edge  64  and a portion of the second side edges  56  of the flap  12  to the perimeter strip  76 . Likewise, the flap zipper  68  extends between the flap  12  and the perimeter strip  76  about the remainder of the perimeter of the flap  12 . It is understood, however, that in other embodiments the luggage article  4  may be configured to not include the perimeter strip  76  without departing from the concept of the present invention. In such a configuration, the flap  12  may be mounted directly onto the first wall  24  of the luggage article  4 .  
         [0028]    As is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gussets  16  extend between the second side edges  56  of the flap  12  and the first side edges  44  of the first wall  24 . The gussets  16 , as depicted generally in FIG. 2, are roughly trapezoid-shaped sheets of material similar to that out of which the main bag body  8  and flap  12  are manufactured, although other appropriate materials may be employed without departing from the concept of the present invention. It can be understood from FIG. 2 that in other configurations the gussets  16  could potentially extend between the perimeter strip  76  and the second side edges  56  of the flap  12  without departing from the concept of the present invention.  
         [0029]    Assuming that the second bottom edge  64  is at a vertically lower position than the second top edge  60 , the flap  12  in the open position is retained in equipoise in the position depicted generally in FIG. 2 by the combined action of gravity and the retentive forces of the gussets  16 . As such, the flap  12  in the open position remains in the open position such that the storage compartment  20  includes a mouth extending generally vertically upward with respect to FIG. 2. This open-mouth configuration of storage compartment  20  permits the flap  12  to function in concert with the first wall  24  such that the storage compartment  20  serves as a laundry hamper that can receive a number of items therein, such as dirty clothing. The first wall  24  advantageously separates the storage compartment  20  from the main storage cavity  40  to resist the transmission of perspiration, odors, and soil therebetween. The luggage article  4  also is preferably configured such that it will remain vertically upright in the orientation depicted generally in FIG. 2 despite the introduction of numerous items into the storage compartment  20 .  
         [0030]    As is best shown in FIG. 2, the gussets  16  extend along a substantial portion of the first and second side edges  44  and  56 . The gussets  16  thus cooperate with the flap  12  and first wall  24  to form the laundry hamper which retains the items within the storage compartment  20  when the flap  12  is in the open position by resisting items from falling through the space between the flap  12  and the first wall  24 . It is understood, however, that the gussets  16  may be of other configurations than that depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 without departing from the concept of the present invention.  
         [0031]    Inasmuch as it is desirable to physically separate the storage compartment  20  from the main storage cavity  40  with the first wall  24 , and inasmuch as it is understood that some of the items that can be stored within the storage compartment  20  can include wet clothing and liquid-containing structures, the first wall  24 , the flap  12 , and the gussets  16  are lined with a moisture-resistant material to form moisture-resistant inner surfaces. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  1 - 3 , the moisture-resistant material is polyvinyl chloride. In other embodiments, it is understood that substantial benefits can also be achieved by lining only the first wall  24  with the moisture-resistant material. It is further understood that in other configurations the lining material may be of a different-moisture-resistant material, and it is farther understood that such moisture resistance may be imparted to the luggage article  4  in fashions other than by lining with a moisture-resistant material, such as by impregnating the various components of the luggage article  4  with the moisture-resistant material, or by manufacturing various components of the luggage article  4  out of the moisture-resistant material.  
         [0032]    In use, the luggage article  4  is typically transported from one location to another with the flap  12  in the closed position as is depicted generally in FIG. 1. When it is desired to place an item into the storage compartment  20 , the flap zipper  68  is moved from the zipped condition to the unzipped condition, which permits the flap  12  to pivot from the closed position to the open position, whereby the flap  12 , the gussets  16 , and the first wall  24  cooperate to make the storage compartment  20  into a laundry hamper with an upward-pointing mouth as is depicted generally in FIG. 2. The flap  12  is maintained in equipoise in the open position by the combined action of the gussets  16  and gravity acting upon the flap  12 , which advantageously permits items to be placed into the storage compartment  20  without the need to manually hold the flap  12  in the open position.  
         [0033]    Once the items are positioned in the storage compartment  20 , the flap zipper  68  is moved from the unzipped condition to the zipped condition to detachably reconnect the detached portions of the flap  12  onto the main bag body  8  and to thereby close the storage compartment  20 . In so doing, the material of the flap  12  and/or of the first wall  24  resiliently stretches or otherwise elastically deforms as needed to accommodate the items in the storage compartment  20 . The items in the storage compartment  20  are advantageously retained therein and are kept separate from the main storage cavity  40  by the first wall  24  that is interposed therebetween.  
         [0034]    It thus can be seen that the flap  12  and the gussets  16  advantageously define the storage compartment  20  against the first wall  24 , with the first wall  24  advantageously separating the storage compartment  20  from the main storage cavity  40 . The first wall  24  and other components of the luggage article  4  are advantageously moisture-resistant to resist the transmission of perspiration, odor, and soil between items in the storage compartment  20  and items in the main storage cavity  40 . The fixed attachment of the second bottom edge  64  of the flap  12  to the main bag body  8  operates in concert with the gussets  16  such that the flap  12  remains in the open position depicted generally in FIG. 2. The flap  12  and/or the first wall  24  are made out of a flexible and resilient material that can stretch to accommodate varying quantities of items of different shapes within the storage compartment  20 .  
         [0035]    A second embodiment of a luggage article  104  in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally in FIGS.  4 - 7 . The luggage article  104  advantageously includes gussets  116  that are in the form of straps  176  extending between the flap  112  and the first wall  124 .  
         [0036]    The straps  176  each include a first portion  180  and a second portion  184  that are detachably connected with one another via a buckle  188  extending therebetween. The first portion  180  of each strap  176  is connected with the first wall  124  of the luggage article  104 , and the second portion  184  of each strap  176  is connected with the flap  112 . The buckle  188  extending between the first and second portions  180  and  184  permits the first and second portions  180  and  184  to be detached from one another to permit the flap  112  to be pivoted farther away from the main bag body  108  than the open position.  
         [0037]    The luggage article  104  additionally includes a flexible sheet  192  on the first wall  124  that defines an additional retention compartment within the storage compartment  120 . The flap  112  additionally includes a zippered compartment  172  (FIG. 7) that is of a different configuration than the zippered compartment  172 .  
         [0038]    It can further be seen that the main bag body  108  includes a main bag zipper  136  that is disposed thereon opposite the flap  112 . The flap  112  thus remains stationary when the main bag zipper  136  is operated and the second wall is pivoted away from the main bag body  108 . In other embodiments, however, the main bag zipper could be disposed adjacent the flap  112 , whereby it would permit the first wall  124  to be selectively pivoted with the flap  112  away from the main bag body  108  to open the main storage cavity.  
         [0039]    The luggage articles  4  and  104 , depending upon their specific configurations, may have a front side and a back side defined thereon. The front and back sides may be defined by the presence of wheels and/or handles, the positioning of zippers, and in other fashions. In this regard, it is understood that the flaps  12  and  112  may be disposed on either or both of the front and back sides of the luggage articles  4  and  104 .  
         [0040]    While a number of particular embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it is understood that various changes, additions, modifications, and adaptations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.