Patent ID: 7717310

Claim:
A backpack comprising: a first front wall ( 20 ); a second front wall ( 22 ) spaced forwardly of the first front wall and defining a front pocket ( 24 ) with the first front wall; a generally rigid plate ( 26 ) having a front face and a back face, the plate being in the front pocket ( 24 ) with the back face of the plate being adjacent the first front wall ( 20 ); at least one shoulder strap ( 30 ) operatively connected to at least one of the front walls for holding the plate against a back of a user with the second front wall ( 22 ) being between the plate and the back of the user; load bearing means connected to at least one of the front walls for holding an object; a pressurizable and flexible bladder ( 28 ) covering generally all of the front face of the plate, the bladder being in the front pocket between the front face of the plate and the second front wall; a tubular extension ( 32 ) extending from the bladder ( 28 ) and into the at least one shoulder strap ( 30 ) for inflating and deflating the bladder; an openable and closable check valve ( 34 ) connected to the tubular extension at a location that is spaced from the bladder and positioned so as to be accessible to a user for inflating the bladder by blowing into the check valve while the shoulder strap is on a shoulder of the user; and a U-shaped semi-rigid liner ( 36 ) inside the material of the shoulder strap near the bladder to form a semi-rigid channel for receiving the tubular extension ( 32 ) in the liner, the length of the liner ( 36 ) being less than the length of the shoulder strap ( 30 ) and the liner being adjacent the iunction between the tubular extension ( 32 ) and the bladder ( 28 ) to facilitate inflating and deflating of the bladder through the tubular extension by preventing the tubular extension from being pinched closed.