US2552443A - Shoulder bag - Google Patents

Description

J. MOLINARI SHOULDER BAG Mayr8, 1951 Fil ed Feb. 26, 1948 INVENTOR. Jean/1'4 1210/1310]? BY aria/157's Patented May 8, 1951 I 1 UNITED STATES SHOULDER BAG Jeanne Molinari, Zurich, Switzerland Application February 26, 1948, Serial No. 11,077 In Switzerland September 12, 1944 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires September 12, 1964 5 Claims.

The present invention relates to a bag and more especially to a bag adapted for use as a pp g bag or on walking or hiking trips and for beach wear and which is so constructed that it may be supported or carried in any of several ways depending upon the needs or convenience of the user.

Shopping bags, as heretofore customarily made, are merely paper or fabric sacks having handles or other means by which they are carried by the hand of the user and although it is often the case that the shopper would like to have both hands free such is not possible without putting down the shopping bag. Conventional shopping bags are not adapted to be carried in a horizontal position nor are they ordinarily provided with any means for closing the open end thereof and hence any attempt to carry the same in other than an up right position would result in spilling out some or all of the packages or articles.

The bags that have heretofore been provided for use on Walking or hiking trips have generally been of the knapsack type and, although provided with straps or similar supports adapting them to be suspended from the shoulder or upon the back, they are not suited to the everyday needs of the woman shopper. They are, moreover, bulky and unattractive in appearance.

The present invention has for an object to provide a bag characterized by its adaptability to a wide variety of uses and which may be supported or carried in any of a number of positions with full assurance that the contents will not slip out of the opening through which they were introduced while the bag is being carried. For example, a bag may be suspended from the shoulder and lie in a horizontal position as carried. It may similarly be supported on the handles of a bicycle or it may be carried on the back, and all while permitting the owner to use one or both hands for other purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag adapted to be suspended from the shoulder or any other suitable support by means of a rope or strap that also acts as a drawstring to open and close one end of the bag at will.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a generally tubular bag of net or similar open work construction having one end permanently closed and the other end openable and closable at will by means of a drawstring passing through a series of spaced rings at the openable end of the bag and a ring at the closed end of the bag and wherein the drawstring provides a convenient means for suspending the bag from the shoulder or support.

A still further object of the invention resides in an open-ended shoulder bag of such construction that the open end thereof automatically closes when the bag and its contents are picked up by the shoulder strap or are supported. by the shoulder strap.

A still further object of the invention resides in a bag of the type above described which is composed of a light, strong material which can be folded or rolled into a very small, compact condition when empty and not in use.

Other objects and advantages will be understood and appreciated by those familiar with this art or will be pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my new shopping bag in an open condition ready to receive packages or articles to be carried therein;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a package within the bag which is in a closed condition;

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner of supporting the shopping bag from the handle bars of a bicycle and Fig. 4 illustrates one way of supporting the bag from a shoulder of the user.

A shopping bag constructed in accordance with this invention has a body member II) which is of substantially tubular shape. One end I I of body member I0 is permanently closed and the other end I2 is openable and closable at the will or pleasure of the user. The closed end II is provided with a ring It which is suitably secured thereto in any desired manner such that the bag will not become torn. The openable and closable end I2 of the body member is provided with a series of spaced rings I 4 which are secured to the edge of the net-like bag material and these rings, as well as the ring It, may be sewed, tied or otherwise affixed to the bag in any desirable or convenient manner. While I have found that metallic rings are especially satisfactory, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto since rings of other materials can also be employed, such as plastic or wood. The rings I3 and I 4 may also be in the form of loops of the same material as the bag-i. e., loops of cotton which may either be secured to the bag or which may be made as an integral part of the bag in the form of projecting loops. The rings or loops should, however, all be sufiiciently large so as to enable the free passage therethrough of a drawstring I5 of adequate size and strength and should also be so constructed and arranged that such drawstring can slide relatively easily in either direction. The drawstring I5 may be composed of various materials, such as heavy string or cord, a strip of fabric or ribbon or a leather strap.

The term drawstring is herein employed in a generic sense to include all such materials as well as other suitable materials and. the term ring" or rings is likewise used generically irre- 3 spective of the exact nature or construction of the rings, loops and the. like. While I prefer to employ an endless drawstring so that there are no knots or enlarged points which would inter.-.

fere with the free sliding of the same through the various rings, the invention is not so limited since drawstrings which have a small knot,

buckle, bow or other means for connecting the ends thereof may be employed so long asthe same ends .thereofso as to form, in effect, an endless drawstring. The drawstring is preferably applied at the time the bag is manufactured but could,.of course, be subsequently applied or the drawstring provided by the manufacturer can be replaced by the purchaser with a ribbon, strap or other suitable or desired drawstring. A relatively thick or wide drawstring is preferable. since it prov-ides for better support and since it does not tend to chafe or cut into the shoulder of the wearerwhen the loaded bag. is in. the position, for example, which is shown in Fig. 4. This feature of the invention, however, is less important when the bag is supported by winding the drawstring around the handlebars of a. bicycle, for example, as shown in Fig. 3.

It will be clear that a bag in accordance with this invention can be readily opened to insert a package or article therein merely by a simple expanding movement at the openable and closable end of the bag. It will be further apparent that, when the bag is picked up by the drawstring I5, the opened end automatically closes or, if already closed, remains securely closed since the weight of the bag and its contents inherently results in the rings 14 being moved into a closely adjacent position as shown, for example, in Fig. 2. Thus, the mere lifting of the bag by the drawstring l5 insures that the contents of the bag will not fall out regardless of the position in which the bag is thereafter held and hence the bag can be readily carried in a position suspended from a shoulder of the user, as shown in Fig. 4. If desired, one handof the user can be employed to grasp the drawstring adjacent the closed end i and thus ensurethat movements of the bag will coincide with the movements of the person car-. rying the sameandtherefore any tendency for the bag to bump against the body of the user is minimized. This is not essential, however, since, the bag will stay in the position of Fig. 4 without being manually held or guided, Alternatively, one or both of the strands of thedrawstrings may be placed over the head and held in the. hand when it is desired that the bag shallbe supported on the back and shoulders as on hiking or walking trips. The bag has the further advantage that it can be carried on the handlebars of a bicycle or other supporting member and is preferable to the use of a bicycle basket becausethe packages and articles cannot be spilled out.

The bag, when empty, can be folded into a small bundle and therefore can be carried in the ordinary ladies handbag or can be kept on the person for use whenever needed. The material of the bag is preferably of a coarse mesh such as a fish-net type of construction, and may be formed by hand knitting or by machine knitting. When formed of knitted material the body of the bag conforms readily to the shapes and siz s of.

irregularly shaped packages or articles fir of regularly shaped packages. or articles which, independently of the individual shapes thereof, may

. become assembled in various irregular arrangements in the bag.

It will be noted that, when the bag is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the rings M are all in substantial alignment and, since the drawstring, the rings andthe body member of the bag can be made ofv various materials and of various colors, it will be appreciated that the bag may be given a highly ornamental and attractive appearance which may harmonize with the items of wearing apparel worn by the user.

Instead of making the drawstring l5 endless as. shown in thepreferred embodimentabove described and providing a ring l3: at the closed end of the bag through which the. drawstring may pass in either direction, it is to. be'understood-that the ring [3. may be omitted, in which case the drawstring may be fixedly attached at the closed end. This will not interfere with the functioning of. the drawstring both to automatically close the open end of the bag and also tov act as a. support for carrying or otherwise suspending the bag.

I claim:

l. A bag comprising a tubular body member having one end which is openable and closable and having its other end closed, a ring secured. to said closed end, a series of spaced rings secured to said openable end anda drawstring extending through all said rings and slidable therethrough in two directions. a

2. A bag comprising .a tubular body member one end of which is openable and closable and the other end of which is closed, a ring secured to the body member at the closed end, a series of rings secured to the said body member at spaced points around the edge of the openable. and closable end thereof and an endless drawstring passing through all said rings and having intermediate loops extending between the endsof the body member and longer than the length of the bag, said drawstring being slidable through said rings in either direction, and said loops serving as carrying means for said bag. r

3. A bag comprising a tubular body member having one end closed and the other end openable and closable at will, a series of spaced rings secured. at the openable and closable end of said body member, a ring secured to the closed end-of said body member and a drawstring passing through all said rings and along the entirelength of said bodymember, said drawstring having an intermediate portion extending between the ends of the body member and adapted to serve-as a shoulder strapor like-support for said has and said drawstring acting to automatically close said bag and, maintain the bag closed when the bag and its contents are supported by means of said drawstring.

4. A'shoulder bag comprising a body member having one end which is openable and closable and having its other end closed, a series of rings disposed in spaced relation about said open end and a drawstring extending through said rings and slidable therethrough in either direction, said. drawstring being connected to'the closed end of said bag and having an intermediate portion free: to serve as a carrying support for said bag;

5. A bag comprising a body member of pliable material having one end closed and the other end openable and closable byunfoldingand foldin of the material adjacent said other end, a series of rings disposed in spaced relation about said openable end, a drawstring extending through said rings and slidable therethrough, means connecting said drawstring to the closed end of the body member, said drawstring and said connecting means cooperating to form an elongated supporting member adapted to support said body member in ahorizontal position With said openable end closed by the Weight of any load carried in the body member, said o penable end being readily openable by spreading while so carried.

JEANNE MOLINARI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number D. 147,494

Name Date Eisner -1 Sept. 16, 1947 Molinari Feb. 13, 1951 Kizer Jan. 26, 1886 Toney Dec. 4, 1888 Emeric May 28, 1889 Bassett Apr. 1.9, 1904 Leue May 22, 1906 Jordan Jan. 3, 1911 Humphreys May 12, 1914 Lester Jan. 9, 1940 Brady Jan. 1, 1946 Marsico et a1 June 6, 1950

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