Patent Document:

referring now to fig1 - 7 of the drawings , reference numeral 10 generally designates the a sports equipment carrying bag with an integrated footwear donning stool of the present invention . the bag body 12 includes at least one internal compartment 14 into which the footwear donning stool 16 is positioned . the internal compartment 14 includes a top panel 18 , a bottom panel 20 , a front panel 22 , a back panel 24 and a pair of side panels 26 and 28 all joined together along common edges to define the internal compartment 14 . while the bag body 12 is illustrated only having a single compartment , the overall construction of the bag body can take on various forms to include for example multiple internal compartments , external pockets , carrying straps and handles , etc . a pair of spaced apart ground engaging wheels 62 are rotatably attached to the bottom panel 20 approximate the back panel 24 of the bag body 12 . the pair of wheels 62 provide rolling support to the bag body 12 during transport . a handle 66 including a telescopic tube assembly 68 which is upwardly extendable and retractable from the bag body 12 above said pair of wheels 62 when the bag body is positioned upright . the telescopic tube assembly 68 includes a pair spaced apart tubes 69 that are attached to the bag body 12 along the bottom panel 20 from the front panel 22 towards the back panel 24 . the handle 66 and telescopic tube 68 assembly is of the type commonly used in personal wheeled luggage systems widely used today . further , it is contemplated , that various forms and constructs of telescopic or retractable handle assemblies could be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention . the stool 16 includes a top wall 30 , a front wall 32 having a inwardly slanted portion 34 which extends from an upper edge 36 of the front wall to a forward edge 38 of the top wall , a pair of sidewalls 40 , 42 , a back wall 44 and a bottom wall 46 . the slanted wall portion 34 provided for a foot support . the sidewalls 40 , 42 extend from the top wall 30 to the bottom wall 46 and span from the front wall 32 to the back wall 44 . a forward edge of each sidewall 40 , 42 is shaped to conform to the slanted wall portion 34 of the front wall 32 . the back wall 44 extends from the top wall 30 and spans between the pair of sidewalls 40 , 42 . to reduce manufacture cost , weight and increase storage capacity , the stool 16 can be hollow . extending from the slanted wall portion 34 of the front wall 32 along the upper edge 36 is a support lip 52 which acts to engage and support the foot from sliding downward and off of the slanted wall portion . the supporting feature of the lip 52 is important when a person is wearing heavy footwear such as an ice skate to prevent strain to the person in trying to support the footwear on the slanted wall portion 34 . in another aspect , an opening 54 can be formed through the slanted wall portion 34 to permit access within the stool 16 , as best seen in fig1 . in this aspect , a door 56 is provided to cover the opening 54 . the door 56 is hinged to the front wall 32 along the upper edge 36 so that the door opens from approximate the top wall 30 and swings downwardly towards the bottom wall 46 . in this arrangement , the lip 52 is formed along the lower edge of the door 56 . additionally , a second opening 60 is formed through the front wall 32 below the slanted wall portion 34 to allow elongated articles , such as a hockey stick to be placed in the internal compartment 14 and extend into the stool 16 . netting 76 can cover the opening 60 and one or more slots 78 can be formed through the netting , as shown best in fig7 . the slots 78 permits the insertion of an elongated article through the netting 76 and into the hollow portion of the stool 16 while preventing smaller items from entering into the hollow portion of the stool . with particular reference to fig4 and 5 , the stool 16 is positioned within the internal compartment 14 with the top wall 30 , bottom wall 46 , back wall 44 , and sidewalls 40 , 42 juxtaposed the top panel 18 , bottom panel 20 , back panel 24 , and side panels 26 , 28 respectively . the sidewalls 40 , 42 extend between the top and bottom panels 18 , 20 . the stool 16 fills out at least a portion of the internal compartment 14 which it occupies along at least the top panel 18 , bottom panel 20 , back panel 24 and side panels 26 , 28 and provides support to the respective panels . a seat member 58 is attached to the top wall 30 of the stool sandwiching the top panel 18 about the top wall and between the seat member and the top wall . the seat member 48 is of a length and width to correspond to the length and width of the top wall 30 . with reference now to fig1 , 2 , and 3 , an opening 48 is formed through the top panel 18 permitting access to the internal compartment 14 and at least the slanted wall portion 34 of the stool 16 . the opening 48 is sized to permit the insertion of a person &# 39 ; s foot including footwear into the internal compartment 14 to be placed and supported upon the slanted wall portion 34 . the opening 48 includes a perimeter that extends generally along the forward edge 38 of the top wall 30 of the stool 16 , adjacent the side panels 26 , 28 towards the front panel 22 , and along the front panel 22 defining a generally rectangular opening . while opening 48 is illustrated as being generally rectangular , the opening can take on various forms and configuration so long as the internal compartment 14 at least the slanted wall portion 34 can be accessed . it is contemplated a bag body 12 can be formed which completely encloses and conforms to the surface of stool 16 , in which case there may not be a need for an opening to permit access into the area of the bag body which holds the stool . a closure flap 50 for covering the opening 48 is attached to the top panel 18 along one edge of the perimeter of the opening 48 . using mating fasteners 82 , such as a zipper or a pile fastener , the remaining edges of the flap 50 are detachably secured to the top panel 18 to cover the opening 48 . to accommodate space taken within the internal compartment 14 by the wheels 62 along the joining edge of the bottom panel 20 with the back panel 24 , the lower rearward corner 64 of each sidewall 40 , 42 can be cutout forming a quarter circle . the bottom wall 46 extends from the front wall 32 to the forward quadrant edge of the quarter circle cutout of each sidewall 40 , 42 . the back wall 44 extends from the top wall 30 to the upper quadrant edge of the quarter circle cutout of each sidewall 40 , 42 . the bottom wall 46 of the stool 16 is formed by a pair of inwardly extending tabs 70 which extend from the lower edges of each sidewall 40 , 42 and terminate opposed facing ends 72 . each end 72 includes an elongated channel which engages a respective tube 69 of the telescopic tube assembly 68 attached to the bottom panel 20 . fasteners 75 attach each tab along its respective tube . it is important to note , the bottom wall 46 can take on other various other forms of construction and should not be limited to this particular construction . for example , the bottom wall 46 can be a continuous wall which is directly attachable to the bottom panel 20 or can be a continuous wall having one or more recesses or groves formed along the length thereof to receive the spaced apart tubes 69 of the telescopic tube assembly 68 . a pair of spaced apart ground engaging members 74 are attached to the bottom panel 20 approximate the bottom wall 46 and extending outwardly therefrom between the pair of side panels 26 , 28 , as best shown in fig5 . the ground engaging members 74 are frictionally engagable with the ground surface when the bag body 12 is placed on the ground surface with the bottom wall adjacent the ground surface to prevent the bag body from slipping when a person sits on the stool 16 or a foot is placed onto the slanted wall portion 34 with particular reference to fig6 , the back panel 24 can inwardly slant from the bottom panel 20 to the top panel 18 . the slant of the back panel 24 urges the bag 10 forward onto stops 80 when positioned upright to prevent the bag from falling backwards . it use , it can now be understood , the internal compartment 14 can be used to store and transport various articles of sporting equipment from one location to another . when a person , such as a child , desires to put on an article of footwear such as an ice skate , the bag body 12 is placed upon the ground with the bottom panel 20 adjacent the ground . the opening 48 through the top panel 18 is opened permitting access to the internal compartment 14 and at least the slanted wall portion 34 of the stool . a person can insert a foot along with an article of footwear into the internal compartment 14 for supporting on the slanted wall portion 34 . the lip 52 helps to prevent the foot for slipping off of the slanted wall portion 34 . a second person can sit on the seat member 58 facing the person and aid the first person in donning the article of footwear and other equipment . a number of embodiments of the present invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .

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