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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. In a flexible garment bag having an enclosed interior space for
receiving garments:
access panel means having a size such that, when closed, said access panel
means comprises at least a major portion of the front panel of the garment
bag;
means flexibly connecting the access panel means along an edge portion
thereof to the garment bag;
means for detachably connecting other edge portions of the access panel
means to the garment bag so that when the detachable connection is open,
the access panel means can be opened to provide an opening through which
garments can be inserted into and removed from the interior space of the
garment bag, and when the detachable connection is closed, the inside face
of the access panel means defines a portion of the enclosed interior
space; and
handle means attached to the outer face of the access panel means to enable
a user to carry the bag in the manner of a suitcase.
2. A flexible garment bag according to claim 1, wherein the enclosed
interior space has an upper portion and a lower portion, the garment bag
including additionally hanger support means generally centrally located in
the upper portion of the enclosed interior space for receiving clothes
hangers, and diagonal pockets in the upper corners of the enclosed
interior space for receiving accessories and the like.
3. A garment bag according to claim 2, wherein the diagonal portions of the
diagonal pockets extend generally parallel to and are spaced a short
distance from the arms of clothes hangers supported on the hanger support
means, whereby the lower portions of the diagonal pockets assist in
holding in place the shoulder portions of clothes carried by the hangers.
4. A garment bag according to claim 2, including additionally two straps
attached to the interior of the garment bag, one end of each strap
extending from one of the diagonal pockets to the opposite side of the
interior space, so as to criss-cross garments hanging on clothes hangers
to assist in holding the garments in place.
5. A garment bag according to claim 1, wherein the access panel means
contains at least one pocket therein.
6. A garment bag according to claim 5, including additionally first means
located on the outer face of the access panel means for opening and
closing the pocket, and second means located on the inside face of the
access panel means for opening and closing the pocket.
7. A garment bag according to claim 6, wherein the portion of the pocket on
the inside face of the access panel is comprised of mesh material through
which the user can see the contents of the pocket when the access panel
means is open.
8. A flexible garment bag, comprising:
a front panel;
a back panel;
means connecting the front and back panels in spaced relationship to each
other to form an enclosed elongated interior space for receiving garments;
access panel means comprising at least a major portion of the front panel;
the access panel means having flexible connecting means along a portion of
the perimeter thereof, enabling the access panel means to be folded back
along the flexible connecting means to permit garments to be inserted into
or removed from the interior of the garment bag;
the access panel means having detachable connecting means on other portions
of the perimeter thereof; and
handle means on the outer face of the access panel means located generally
centrally of the front panel, whereby the back panel of the flexible
garment bag can be folded upon itself transversely of the elongated
interior space and the folded garment bag can be carried by the handle
means.
9. A flexible garment bag according to claim 8, wherein the back panel
contains a relatively narrow rigid portion extending transversely of the
garment bag and located substantially opposite the location of the handle
means when the access panel is closed, whereby when the garment bag is
folded, garments hanging in the elongated interior space will be folded
generally about the relatively narrow rigid portion.
10. A flexible garment bag according to claim 9, wherein the rigid portion
comprises a rod held in place on the interior side of the flexible
material of the back panel.
11. A flexible garment bag according to claim 8, wherein the means
connecting the front and back panels in spaced relationship comprises
relatively narrow top, bottom and side panels, and the access panel means
comprises a panel flexibly connected to the bottom panel.
12. A flexible garment bag according to claim 11, including additionally at
least one strap extending across the width of the inside face of the
access panel to hold down the bottom portions of long garments.
13. A flexible garment bag according to claim 11, wherein the access panel
contains at least one pocket therein, the pocket being accessible from
both the outer and inside faces of the access panel.
14. A flexible garment bag according to claim 11, including additionally
bag hanger means connected to the top panel of the garment bag for
supporting the bag in elongated vertical condition, and means adjacent the
bottom panel for receiving the bag hanger means to hold the garment bag in
folded condition.
15. A flexible garment bag according to claim 14, wherein the bag hanger
means comprises a hook, and the means adjacent the bottom panel for
receiving the hanger means comprises a plurality of spaced loops, the hook
being adapted to fit into one of the loops.
16. A flexible garment bag according to claim 11, including additionally a
corner pocket in each of the upper corners of the garment bag, the
interior surfaces of the corner pockets extending generally vertically
downwardly from the top panel for a substantial distance, the generally
vertical surfaces being spaced from each other on opposite sides of a
hanger support means, and the interior surfaces of the corner pockets
extending diagonally from the lower extremity of the vertical surface to
the nearest side panel, the corner pockets being arranged so that the
diagonal interior surfaces are spaced a short distance from and are
generally parallel to the arms of a coat hanger supported on the hanger
support means to assist in holding in place garments supported on the arms
of the hanger.
17. A flexible garment bag according to claim 16, wherein the side edges of
the access panel are detachably connected to the side panels, and the
upper edges of the access panel are detachably connected to the corner
pockets adjacent the interior surfaces thereof.
18. A flexible garment bag according to claim 16, including additionally
two straps having upper and lower ends, the upper ends of the straps being
attached to the diagonal interior surfaces of the corner pockets and the
lower ends of the straps being attached to the interior of the garment bag
adjacent the opposite sides thereof.
19. A flexible garment bag according to claim 18, wherein the lower ends of
the straps are fixedly attached and the upper ends are removably attached.
20. A flexible garment bag comprising an enclosed interior space for
receiving garments, said interior space being defined at least in part by
a front panel:
an access panel for providing entry into the interior space, said panel
when closed defining at least a major portion of said front panel;
the access panel when closed defining a portion of the interior space; and
handle means on the outer face of the access panel to enable the garment
bag, when folded, to be carried like a suitcase.
21. A flexible garment bag comprising an enclosed interior space for
receiving garments, said interior space being defined at least in part by
a front panel;
an access panel for providing entry into the interior space the access
panel when closed defining at least a major portion of said front panel;
the access panel when closed defining a portion of the interior space; and
means for carrying said garment bag in a folded position with the access
panel facing outward, and a relatively narrow rigid portion extending
transversely of the garment bag and located substantially opposite the
location of said means for carrying when said access panel is closed and
the garment bag is in said folded position. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a flexible garment bag, and more particularly, it
relates to a flexible garment bag of the type that can be folded upon
itself to form a suitcase type of configuration.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When packing the usual type of foldable garment bag, the empty open bag is
either hung from a support or laid across a horizontal support, such as a
bed. Garments supported on clothes hangers are inserted through the access
panel and the hangers are set in place on a hanger support trolley. After
the access panel is closed the bag is turned around to permit pockets on
the opposite panel of the bag to be filled with smaller clothing items or
accessories. Then, if it is desired to carry the bag in suitcase fashion,
it is transversely folded so that the access panel is folded upon itself,
with the opposite or back panel forming the exterior sides of the folded
bag. In such an arrangement the bag is carried by a handle located at the
midpoint of the back panel of the bag, which after folding is positioned
at the top of the folded bag.
One problem facing the traveler who carries a garment bag is the tendency
of the hanging garments to wrinkle when the bag is folded. Since it is
often inconvenient or impossible to maintain the bag in its elongated
condition, attempts have been made to alleviate the problem. Probably the
most successful of these attempts is disclosed in U.S. application Ser.
No. 673,351, filed on Nov. 23, 1984 in the name of William L. King et al,
now U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,513 which provides a number of features designed
to better hold the clothes in place. Corner compartments are provided for
receiving small items of clothing or accessories to avoid having to clump
such items at the bottom of the bag. A stay bar is provided at the
midpoint of the elongated bag so that hanging garments will tend to fold
or drape smoothly over the bar when the bag is folded, as opposed to
bunching toward the center of a cinch strap commonly provided for this
purpose across the center of the bag.
The King et al application further provides cross straps connected at one
end to the corner compartments and at the other to the stay bar. The cross
straps hold the garments against their hangers in order to restrain the
garments against sliding or falling downwardly when the garment bag is
folded. In addition, straps are provided at the bottom portion of the bag
to hold in place the folded end portions of long garments to prevent them
from clumping at the bottom of the bag.
Although these various features have resulted in a greatly improved garment
bag, nevertheless there are still areas in which improvements can be made.
At times it would be helpful if the corner compartments were able to hold
larger items than the size they were originally designed to receive. It
would also be more convenient not to have to contend with the stay bar at
all when hanging garments in the bag. As designed, the stay bar is simply
moved up out of the way, such as to the top panel of the garment bag, when
packing clothes in the bag. Even this minor step, however, can be an
annoyance to some people.
Further, the necessity to turn the garment bag around when using the
storage pockets can be not only bothersome but difficult, particularly
when the contents of the bag are heavy and the bag is resting on a
horizontal surface or hanging against a door.
Finally, despite all the improved features added to the existing type of
garment bag, some garments, particularly those with lapels, continue to
have wrinkling problems. This is caused to a large extent by the manner in
which garment bags are packed. Most people insert their garments into the
bag with the front of the garment exposed. This natural inclination allows
the user to adjust the front of the garment after the hanger on which it
is supported has been put in place. It also permits the garments to be
buttoned or unbuttoned, permits the arms of the garments to be positioned
for minimum wrinkling, and provides access to any trousers draped on the
hanger. By arranging the clothes in this way, however, it often assures
wrinkling of the lapels because of their tendency to wrinkle when folded
over the stay bar.
It would be desirable to improve still further the features of the garment
bag disclosed in the King et al application, and to provide means for
reducing the wrinkling of garment lapels.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention involves a flexible garment bag of a design that differs
from the conventional approach of the prior art. Instead of providing a
handle on the back panel to allow the folded bag to be carried in the
manner of a suitcase, a handle is attached to the front access panel. When
the bag is folded, the access panel thus becomes the exterior side of the
folded bag and the back panel becomes the unexposed panel folded upon
itself.
This arrangement results in a number of advantages. By loading garments
through the access panel with their lapel side out, and then carrying the
bag by a handle located on the access panel, the garments are folded about
their back faces, with the lapel side facing up. As explained more fully
hereinafter, the lapels are thus less likely to wrinkle than when they are
facing down. In addition, by providing pockets in the access panel both
the interior of the garment bag and the pockets as well can be reached
from the front of the bag. The need to turn the bag over when packing is
thereby obviated.
Other features are also made possible by this new arrangement. Instead of
having a stay bar in the interior of the garment bag over which the
hanging garments are folded, an integral folding bar or strip can be
provided in the back panel. Since such a strip does not take up space in
the interior of the garment bag, it does not interfere with the loading
process. It also results in more usable loading space. Moreover,
criss-cross straps can be attached to the sides of the bag rather than
being connected to a stay bar.
Corner pockets or compartments which extend a relatively great distance
into the interior of the garment bag are also provided. They not only
provide more loading space for small items of clothing and accessories,
but in cooperation with the closely spaced shoulder portions or arms of
the hangers, they assist in holding the garments in place against the
tendency to slip off the end of the hangers when the bag is in the folded
condition.
Other features and aspects of the invention, as well as its various
benefits, will be made more clear in the detailed description of the
invention which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of the flexible garment bag of the
present invention shown in its folded condition;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the garment bag of FIG. 1, shown in
its vertical elongated condition with the access panel closed;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the top of the garment bag;
FIGS. 4A and 4B, when taken together, are a front elevational view of the
garment bag of FIG. 2, shown with the access panel open, with a portion of
the length of the bag removed for ease of illustration;
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the upper portion of the garment bag
of FIGS. 4A and 4B, showing a modified corner pocket and hanger support
arrangement;
FIG. 5A is an enlarged pictorial representation of one form of hanger
support which can be used with the arrangement of FIG. 5;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the garment bag of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a back elevational view of the garment bag of FIG. 2;
FIG. 8 is a pictorial representation of the garment bag of the present
invention, shown with garments hanging therein; and
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the folded garment bag of the present
invention, taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6, the flexible garment bag 10 of the
present invention is shown as having a handle 12 attached by rivets 14 or
other suitable fastening means to the central portion 16 of the access
panel 18. The lower edge of the access panel 18 is foldably or flexibly
attached at 20 to the front edge of the bottom panel 22 so that the access
panel can be folded down about the flexible connection when it is opened.
The vertical edges of the access panel are detachably connected to the
side panels 24 by suitable fasteners such as zippers 26 which continue
around the peripheral edges 30 of the upper portions of the access panel
18 adjacent to corner pockets 28. The access panel is attached to the
upper panel 32 when in closed condition by suitable attachment means such
as the strap and buckle arrangement 34, shown in FIG. 2. Any other
fastening means capable of being easily connected and disconnected could
be used instead, as desired. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4A, 4B, 6, and 8,
the access panel 18 comprises the major portion of the front panel of the
garment bag when in the closed condition and exposes at least the major
portion of the interior space of the garment bag when it is opened. As
shown in FIG. 6, the back panel 36 is connected to and extends between the
top and bottom panels 32 and 22.
Except for the top panel 32 and the central portion 16, all the panel
portions described thus far are comprised of fabric or fabric-like
material. The side panels 24 consequently can be considered to be gusset
panels. The central portion 16 may be comprised of any stiff material
strong enough to withstand the stresses distributed through it when the
folded bag is lifted by the handle 12. Similarly, the top panel 32 can be
made of stiff material in order to withstand the stresses produced when
the bag is lifted or supported by the hook 38, shown in FIG. 2, which is
attached by suitable means to the top panel 32. It should be understood
that the stiff material of the top panel 32 or central portion 16 need not
be exposed, but may for the sake of appearance be covered by the same
fabric that makes up the other flexible panels.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, gusseted pockets 40 and 42 are connected to
the lower portion of the access panel 18, the lowermost pocket 40 being
provided with a zipper opening and closing means 44 and the pocket 42
being provided with a similar zipper means 46. When the garment bag is in
its folded condition, as shown in FIG. 1, the pockets comprise one exposed
side of the folded bag. Zipper means 48, shown in FIG. 2 just above the
central portion 16 of access panel 18, provides entry to a non-gusseted
pocket 49 in the upper portion of the access panel 18.
As shown in FIG. 1, the garment bag support hook 38 has been inserted in
loop 50 located on the front lower face of the pocket 40. Depending on how
full the garment bag has been packed, the hook 38 will best fit in one of
the three loops illustrated. This arrangement serves to both hold the hook
in place and hold the bag in folded condition. Obviously, the number of
loops provided and their spacing can be varied according to preference.
The shoulder strap 52 is shown in FIG. 1 as being attached to clips 54 to
allow the bag to be carried by the shoulder strap when in folded
condition. The strap can be attached instead to the clips 56, shown in
FIG. 3 as being located at the outer edges of the top panel 32, to
facilitate carrying the bag in its elongated vertical condition or, if
desired, the strap 52 can be removed entirely.
Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the bag is shown in its vertical position
with the access panel 18 open, supported at the foldable connection 20. A
zipper connection 58, shown just below the foldable connection 20, permits
access to the pocket 40 through the interior lining 60 of the pocket. In
like manner, zipper connections 62 and 64 provide access to the pocket 42
and to the non-gusseted pocket 49 through the same lining 60. The lining
60 is shown as being comprised of mesh material, preferably a non-slip
material, to not only permit access to the pockets from the inside of the
access panel, but to expose the contents to view from the inside of the
access panel. It should be understood that although no pockets are shown
in the back panel of the bag, such pockets could readily be provided, with
similar inside access through a mesh interior lining material if desired.
As in the aforementioned King et al application, straps 66 can be provided
in the lower interior portion of the access panel 18 to hold in place the
lower portions of long garments which extend down beyond the flexible
connection 20.
Referring to FIG. 4A, the corner pockets 28 are shown as comprising part of
the front panel of the garment bag but not part of the access panel.
Zipper connections 68 are provided to open and close the corner pockets
along the upper portions of the pockets adjacent the top panel 32 and also
along the outer vertical portions of the pockets adjacent the side panels
24. These connections are also shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6. For purpose of
illustration, the left corner pocket is shown as being partially open in
FIG. 4A. The inner portions of the pockets 28 are defined by generally
vertical sections 70 extending downwardly from the top panel a substantial
distance, and diagonal sections 72 extending from the bottom of the
vertical section to the side panels 24.
As can be seen in FIG. 4A, the vertical sections 70 are as closely spaced
as practicable while still leaving enough room to enable the hooked
portion of a clothes hanger 74 to be inserted between them and hung on the
hanger support trolley 76. The relationship between the pocket dimensions,
the hanger dimensions and the location of the hanger support 76 is such
that the arms of a conventional clothes hanger will be substantially
parallel to and spaced only a short distance from the diagonal sections of
the pockets so that in the folded condition of the bag the bottom walls of
the diagonal section 72 will prevent any significant sliding movement of
clothes from the hangers on which they are supported.
Still referring to FIG. 4A, straps 78 are provided for further assisting to
hold the handing garments in place to prevent slipping and wrinkling. One
end of each strap is connected to a side panel of the garment bag adjacent
the midpoint thereof and the other end is releasably connected, as by
clips or buckles or other suitable attaching means, to the diagonal
section of the oppositely located corner pocket 28. Preferably, the straps
are elastic so that they can be used to secure a thick collection of
garments as well as just one or two relatively flimsy garments.
Referring to FIG. 5, a similar corner pocket arrangement is shown except
that the vertical sections 70A of the pockets 28A are longer, extending
deeper into the interior space of the garment bag. The slope of the
diagonal sections 72A remains the same, so that the diagonal sections are
closely spaced and parallel to the arms of a conventional hanger 74. In
order to achieve the greater depth of the corner pockets, the hanger
support 76A extends farther down from the top panel of the garment bag
than does the hanger support 76. As shown in FIG. 5A, the support 76A may
simply be an elongated U-shaped support bar extending down from the top
panel 32 of the garment bag. If used as shown, the close proximity of the
diagonal sections 72A of the corner pockets 28A would prevent the hanger,
when the bag is carried in folded condition, from moving off the hanger
support to such an extent that it would become permanently dislodged. If
desired, any suitable means could be provided on the support 76A, such as
a cross piece spaced a short distance from and extending parallel to the
bottom portion of the U-shaped member, to more positively prevent the
hanger from disengaging from the support 76A.
Referring back to FIG. 4A, extending substantially parallel to the flexible
connection 20 is a folding bar or rod 80 located generally at the midpoint
of the back panel of the garment bag. The rod is shown as being held in
place between spaced rows of stitching 82 and 84 which connects the inner
lining and the exterior face of the back panel. It is also shown in the
view of the back panel 36 in FIG. 7. Preferably, the rod is arcuate in
cross section to reduce the tendency of garments hanging inside the bag to
wrinkle when they are folded about the rod as the bag is folded to its
closed condition. One type of arcuate rod configuration which has been
found to perform well is formed from a foam-covered wooden rod. Although
such a design is preferred for reasons of performance, material
availability and economy, obviously other materials or combinations of
materials could also be used.
In use, garments on hangers are inserted through the space vacated by the
open access panel 18 until the garment bag 10 is loaded. The garment bag
in this condition is illustrated in FIG. 8, with the fronts of the
garments facing outwardly. The gusseted pockets 40 and 42, and the
ungusseted pocket 49 may be packed at this time through zippered closures
58, 62 and 64, respectively (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). The corner pockets 28
are also accessible from the front of the bag and may be conveniently
packed at this time. Of course if the back panel 36 has pockets as
referred to before, these may also be packed through zippered closures
provided in the back panel 36, preferably before the hanging clothes are
placed in the bag.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the packed garment bag is folded the clothes C are
folded about the fold bar or rod 80. As a result the fronts of the
garments, which includes the lapels, are folded about a larger radius than
the backs of the garments. A benefit of this larger folding radius is that
the fabric in the fronts of the garments is placed in slight tension
around this larger radius. This enables the lapels and the garment fronts,
which are normally more bulky and susceptible to wrinkling than the backs
of the garments, to come through the folding process with less danger of
being wrinkled.
As noted earlier, the benefits resulting from the new garment bag design of
the present invention are many. Garments can be packed with the front side
out with reduced likelihood of wrinkling the lapels. The garment bag can
be packed entirely from the front of the bag, by using the pockets in the
access panel and, if present, the inside pockets of the back panel.
Garments can be held in place by the criss-cross straps and also held
against slipping off the hangers when the bag is in folded condition by
the proximity of the corner pockets. The corner pockets themselves can be
made extra deep to hold more items or larger accessories, yet standard
hangers can be used. Further, the garments are folded about a built-in
fold bar which does not take up any space in the interior of the garment
bag.
It should be obvious that although a preferred embodiment of the invention
has been described, changes to certain specific details of the preferred
embodiment can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined in the accompanying claims.
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Description |
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