WO1999006304A1 - Sports bag - Google Patents

Abstract

A sports bag (10) wherein a sports ball compartment (50) for retaining a sports ball is coupled to an outer surface of a primary compartment (20). Secondary storage compartments (32, 34, 44), such as first and second cleat pockets (32, 34) and a contaminated article pocket (44), are lined with inner sleeves (36). Shin guard compartments (33, 35) are coupled to an inner surface of the compartmented sports bag (10), and a beverage container sleeve (74) with an insulative barrier is coupled to the outer surface of the primary compartment (10). A drawstring closure (66) and a protective flap (70) combine to protect each of the primary compartment (20) and the first and second cleat pockets (32, 34) while permitting a ventilating communication between the contents of each compartment (20, 32, 34) and the environment. Shoulder straps (12, 14) allow the sports bag (10) to be employed as a back pack.

Description

DESCRIPTION

SPORTS RAG

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to articles carried by a person. More

particularly, it relates to a bag for retaining and transporting sports accessories.

Background Art

Many sports require that a player be possessed of a multiplicity of pieces of

equipment and articles of clothing for proper participation in the sport. For example, the

properly outfitted soccer player must have athletic shoes (i.e., cleats), shin pads, a soccer

ball, and a uniform. Obviously, this equipment and clothing must somehow find its way

to and from the playing arena. Normally, each player confronts this task individually and

with his or her own selected carrying means. Most often, this means comprises a carrying

bag.

Of course, one must recognize that the prior art has provided bags with storage

compartments large enough to carry all necessary equipment and clothing. However,

prior art bags, even those directed specifically to transporting sports equipment, leave the

user with a multitude of disadvantages. For example, conventional bags leave the user

with substantially one option for retaining all accessories in the form of a large single

compartment. As previous inventors have noted, in single-compartment bags the contained articles of clothing and sports equipment unavoidably jumble together. With

the player's athletic shoes intermingled with shin pads, a sports ball, and other accessories,

it often is difficult for an athlete to locate and retrieve a specifically desired article.

Other problems with prior art sports bags derive from the fact that certain game

equipment such as a player's cleats and sports ball often become laden with mud and other

debris during play. This wet and soiled equipment disadvantageously rubs against other

retained accessories, such as a player's uniform and change of clothes, thereby rendering

the accessories filthy, in need of cleaning, and possibly unwearable. Also, even in bags

where separate compartments have been provided for maintaining certain items such as

cleats separately, the mud and other debris becomes dislodged during transport and

especially with drying. Once its bottom is littered with such debris, cleaning the bag

usually requires one to empty the bag completely so that he or she can turn it upside-

down and shake the mud, grass, and other materials from within the bag.

«

This accumulation of debris is a recognized and longstanding problem with which

a multiplicity of inventors have attempted to deal. For example, U.S. Patent No.

5,356,002 discloses a sports bag that attempts to alleviate the undesirable effects of the

accumulation of mud and other debris by providing a compartment for retaining cleats or

the like that has an access opening on the bottom of the bag. Under this arrangement,

when the compartment is opened to remove the athletic shoes, all debris falls from the

compartment under the force of gravity. However, this arrangement suffers from a

number of disadvantages not the least of which is the fact that a user's forgetting to seal

the compartment or the compartment's unexpected opening would lead to the user's cleats falling from the bag and possibly being lost. Furthermore, by the very nature of the

invention, one opening the compartment undoubtedly would be bombarded with falling

debris. Such an evacuation and cleaning mechanism is less than advantageous.

Yet another problem with prior art bags derives from their inability to maintain

perspiration-dampened, potentially unsanitary athletic clothing separately from other,

unworn clothing. The undesirable repercussions of this inability are obvious. Further still,

many prior art bags, even back packs, have proven to be difficult to carry due to uneven

and changeable weight distribution. An additional disadvantage of the prior art is that

once the bag is closed the contents are effectively sealed in the bag; although desirably

protected from exposure to the elements, the potentially damp contents of the bag are

disadvantageous^ denied ventilation.

While solving one or more of the previously-mentioned problems certainly would

constitute a useful development, an invention presenting a solution to every one of the

previously-mentioned problems undoubtedly would represent a marked advance over the

prior art.

Disclosure of the Invention

Advantageously, the present invention presents a sports bag that meets the needs

left by the prior art. One aspect of the invention provides a solution to the troublesome

problem of mixing and jumbling of sports accessories in the form of a compartmented

sports bag. The preferred sports bag has a sports ball compartment coupled to an outer

surface of a primary compartment. This arrangement achieves dual benefits; the sports ball is eliminated from the mixing equation, and any debris or moisture that has

accumulated on the ball is prevented from contaminating other accessories. An ideal

sports ball compartment will have a ventilating means such as a mesh strip, possibly

shielded with a protective flap, to permit a drying ventilation to reach a contained sports

ball. Naturally, the sports ball compartment may assume a variety of shapes (i.e.,

spherical, football shaped) and sizes depending on the sports ball to be retained. Where

the sports ball compartment is spherical, a most efficient use of material is accomplished

by forming the compartment of mutually-matingly-coupled hourglass-shaped strips of

flexible material.

Another important aspect of the invention, which also assists in reducing clutter

within the bag, provides a unique solution to the disadvantages deriving from the

intercontamination of sports accessories and the accumulation of dried mud and other

debris on and within the sports bag. In this aspect, the sports bag includes a sleeved

storage compartment that is lined with an inner sleeve. Advantageously, a body portion

of the inner sleeve is not restrictedly coupled to the sleeved storage compartment. This

permits the inner sleeve to be turned inside out for evacuating debris from within the inner

sleeve and, derivatively, form the sleeved storage compartment and to allow any

necessary cleaning of the inner sleeve.

The sleeved storage compartment may be the bag's primary storage compartment.

Alternatively or additionally, it may comprise a first, sleeved cleat pocket which may be

supplemented by a second, similarly sleeved cleat pocket. The cleat pockets may be

coupled to opposite sides of the outer surface of the primary compartment. This arrangement provides a multiplicity of the advantages of the present invention. For

example, intercontamination between accessories retained within other compartments and

a pair of cleats or other footwear is eliminated. Furthermore, cleats and the other

accessories retained within the bag are retained in a more accessible and organized

fashion. Still further, debris crumbling from the shoes can be evacuated from the cleat

pockets quickly and easily by insiding-out the pockets' inner sleeves. Also, attaching the

cleat pockets to opposite sides of the bag enhances an even weight distribution, which is

particularly advantageous where the bag has a pair of shoulder straps as carrying means

and is adapted for use as a back pack.

Additional sleeved compartments may be provided to great advantage. For

example, a sleeved contaminated article pocket attached to the inner surface of the

primary compartment would provide a useful means for retaining contaminated articles

such as wet clothing separately from other accessories. Ideally, such a contaminated

article pocket would be waterproof. Of course, in addition to preventing contamination

of other accessories and allowing an evacuation and cleaning of the pocket, the

contaminated article pocket also would provide the additional advantages of further

improving the organization of the bag and increasing the accessibility of the retained

articles.

Other elements, including additional compartments may be included to improve

the organization of the bag, to enhance the accessibility of its contents, and to promote

consistently even weight distribution. For example, first and second shin guard

compartments, which may not need to be sleeved since shin guards do not normally accumulate substantial debris, may be coupled to the inner surface of the primary

compartment for retaining a pair of shin guards. The preferred embodiment of the

invention further increases the comfortable enjoyment of sports participation by coupling

a beverage container sleeve with an insulative barrier to the sports bag so that the sports

bag can maintain a beverage in a desired temperature condition.

Another important advantage of the invention derives from the invention's unique

compartment closure means that are comprised of a drawstring closure shielded by a

protective flap. Such a closure means preferably is used to close the primary

compartment and each of the cleat pockets. While traditional closure means such as

zippers tend to seal the contents of a closed compartment from ventilating communication

with the bag's environment whereby the bag's contents can not dry and become musty, the

present invention's closure means effectively protect the bag's contents from adverse

exposure while permitting contained accessories to breathe. As a result, damp accessories

can dry while in the sports bag, and neither the bag nor its contents become musty.

Of course, additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become

obvious to those skilled in the art who read this specification and view the accompanying

drawings. One also should be mindful that the foregoing discussion is designed merely

to broadly outline the more important features of the invention to enable a better

understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation

of the inventors' contribution to the art. Before an embodiment of the invention is

explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction,

descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of possible manifestations of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is a view in rear elevation of a sports bag embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the sports bag of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the sports bag of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of the sports bag of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a view in rear elevation of an alternative sports bag embodying the

present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Looking more particularly to the drawings, a particularly preferred embodiment

of the present invention for a sports bag is indicated generally at 10. The sports bag 10

has a primary compartment 20. As FIG. 3 illustrates most clearly, the primary

compartment 20 has a first side 22, a second side 24, a front 26, and a back 28, which

together enclose an open inner volume 30. With its relatively large open inner volume 30,

the primary compartment 20 may be used for retaining a variety of sports accessories such

as clothing or the like (not shown). First and second adjustable shoulder straps 12 and

14 act as a carrying means to enable a user to carry the sports bag 10 as a back pack. Of

course additional or alternative carrying means are within the scope of the invention.

A number of the invention's advantages, particularly regarding the organization of the bag and the accessibility of its contents, are provided by coupling certain additional,

secondary storage compartments to the primary compartment 20. These compartments

are unique in a number of ways including their size, shape, location, and individual

features. For example, a first cleat compartment 32 is coupled to the outer surface of the

first side 22 of the primary compartment 20 while an offsetting second cleat compartment

34 is coupled to the outer surface of the second side 24 of the primary compartment 20.

The first and second cleat compartments 32 and 34 are relatively deep and narrow

pockets that are generally oblong or rectangular in shape and allow cleats and other

athletic shoes that may be laden with mud and the like to be retained separately from

other, easily contaminated accessories, such as clothing. The location of the cleat pockets

32 and 34 enhance an even weight distribution of the contents of the sports bag 10. The

organization and balanced weight distribution of the bag 10 and the accessibility of its

contents are improved still further by the preferred embodiment's provision of first and

second shin guard compartments 33 and 35 coupled to the inner surface of the first and

second sides 22 and 24 respectively of the primary compartment 20. It has been found

that, when the sports bag 10 is constructed as in the preferred embodiment, shin guard

compartments 33 and 35 most ideally are approximately eight inches (twenty centimeters)

wide at their uppermost portion and approximately ten inches (twenty-five centimeters)

deep.

As has been amply noted, cleats retain significant debris, and that debris commonly

accumulates in compartments that retain the athletic shoes and is difficult to remove

without emptying the sports bag and turning it upside-down. Advantageously, as FIG. 1 most clearly shows, the present invention substantially obviates that difficulty with the

provision of an inner sleeves 36 that line each of the first and second cleat pockets 32 and

34. Each inner sleeve 36 has a body portion 38 with an inner surface 40 that normally is

retained within its respective cleat pocket 32 or 34. The inner sleeves 36 are not

restrictedly coupled to their respective cleat pockets 32 and 34 whereby the body portion

38 of each inner sleeve 36 may be pulled from within the cleat pocket 32 or 34 to permit

a ready evacuation of accumulated debris from within the inner sleeve 36 and,

derivatively, from the sleeved cleat pocket 32 or 34 and to allow a cleaning of the inner

surface 40 of the inner sleeve 36. To make insiding-out each inner sleeve 36 most

convenient, pull tabs 42 are affixed to the bottom of the inner surface 40 of each inner

sleeve 36 whereby a user can grasp the pull tab 42 and pull the inner sleeve 36 inside out.

Similarly fitted with an inner sleeve 36 is a contaminated article pocket 44 that is

affixed to the inner surface of the front 26 of the primary compartment 20. The

contaminated article pocket 44 is waterproof and has an elastic lip 46 that may be pulled

open by an opening tab 48 to permit a user to insert and remove contaminated articles

such as clothing that have been dampened by perspiration. When necessary, a user can

inside-out the inner sleeve 36 by simply pulling on the pull tab 42 thereby to permit an

easy removal of debris from within the inner sleeve 36 and a convenient cleaning of the

inner surface 40 of the inner sleeve 36.

Further advantages are realized by the coupling of a sports ball compartment 50

to the outer surface of the back 28 of the primary compartment 20. The sports ball

compartment 50 has an open inner volume 52 sufficient in size for retaining a sports ball (not shown). In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the sports

ball compartment 50 is generally spherical and, as such, is particularly suited for retaining

a spherical sports ball such as a soccer ball or a basketball with minimal movement and

minimal material usage. With a sports ball compartment 50 designed for retaining a

soccer ball, the open inner volume 52 should have an effective inner diameter D equal to

the diameter of a standard soccer ball plus an acceptable clearance. For example, an

effective inner diameter D of at least about eight and one-half inches (twenty-one and

one-half centimeters) probably is required, and an effective inner diameter D of about ten

inches (twenty-five centimeters) would be preferred. When the sports ball compartment

50 is sized to retain a basketball, an effective inner diameter D of about nine and one-half

inches (twenty-four centimeters) would be required, and an effective diameter D of about

eleven inches (twenty-eight centimeters) would be preferred.

Of course, it is within the scope of the invention that the sports ball compartment

50 could be suited to retain non-spherical sports balls. In FIG. 5, the sports ball

compartment 50 is shown to be football-shaped whereby a football may be retained most

advantageously. To retain a standard-sized football, the football-shaped sports ball

compartment 50 must a length L greater than about eleven inches (twenty-eight

centimeters) and a width W greater than about seven inches (seventeen and one-half

centimeters).

Although the mere inclusion of a sports ball compartment 50 provides significant

advantages over the prior art, a number of further details of the invention's preferred

sports ball compartment 50 are worthy of discussion. For example, the construction of the sports ball compartment 50 render it efficient in material usage and simple in

manufacture because the sports ball compartment 50 is comprised of a first hourglass-

shaped strip of flexible material 54 that is mutually matingly coupled with a second

hourglass-shaped strip of flexible material 56. A flap top 58 that is comprised of a bulb

of the first hourglass-shaped strip of flexible material 54 allows a user to render the sports

ball compartment 50 effectively topless by the unzipping of a zipper 60 whereby insertion

and removal of a sports ball is rendered most convenient.

Since one might predict that sports balls often will be damp or wet when inserted

into the sports ball compartment, the invention provides a ventilating means 62 in the

form of a mesh strip 62 to allow the ball to dry while ensuring that it is retained properly.

In FIG. 2, the mesh strip 62 is shielded from view by a protective zipper flap 64 that

prevents adverse exposure to the environment while permitting a ventilating

communication therewith. Of course, the ventilating means could assume a number of

alternative embodiments such as one or more eyelets (not shown).

One familiar with sports participation will note that other accessories in addition

to the sports ball also would be well served by preserving ventilating communication

between the accessories and the sports bag's 10 environment. Without such

communication, sports accessories are known to become unacceptably musty and

unpleasant. With this in mind, this most preferred embodiment of the invention employs

unique closure means for the primary compartment 20 and each of the cleat pockets 32

and 34 that provides effective protection from adverse environmental exposure while

permitting the contents of the sporis bag 10 to breathe. As FIG. 3 shows most clearly, in each case the closure means is comprised

essentially of a protective flap 70 and a drawstring closure 66 with a selectively slidable,

push-button slider 68. Looking to FIGS. 4 and 5, one sees that the protective flap 70 may

be secured by a male-female clip mechanism 72 that is adjustable in length. This

adjustability is useful for adapting the primary compartment 20 and the first and second

cleat pockets 32 and 34 to suit the size their respective contents. For example, where

large cleats are to be held in the first and second cleat compartments 32 and 34, a user can

allow for the added length and overall size of the large cleats by appropriately extending

the length of the male-female clip mechanism 72.

Finally, the preferred embodiment of the sports bag 10 is rendered still more useful

by the inclusion of first and second beverage container sleeves 74 and 76 coupled to the

back 28 of the sports bag 10 on opposite sides of the sports ball compartment 50.

Advantageously, the beverage container sleeves 74 and 76 each have an insulative barrier

78 for maintaining a retained beverage within a beverage container (not shown) in a

desired temperature condition. Furthermore, the opposing placement of the first and

second beverage container sleeves 74 and 76 further improves the balance of the sports

bag 10, which is particularly useful when the sports bag 10 is employed as a back pack

as in the preferred embodiment.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a multiplicity

of advantages over prior art sports bags. For example, with a multiplicity of particularly

adapted compartments, the sports bag 10 is capable or retaining an array of sports

accessories in an organized and accessible manner. Cleats, shin guards, a sports ball, contaminated articles, and a multiplicity of additional accessories can be maintained

separately with substantially no possibility of intercontamination or jumbling.

Additionally, those accessory compartments that are likely to accumulate debris can be

evacuated and cleaned easily by insiding out the inner sleeves 36 that line such

compartments. Of like importance is the invention's even weight distribution of contained

sports accessories which makes the sports bag 10 safer and more convenient to carry,

particularly when it is employed as a back pack. Furthermore, with first and second

insulated beverage container sleeves 74 and 76, the sports bag 10 can maintain beverages

in a desired temperature condition. Further still, with the drawstring closure 66 employed

in conjunction with the protective flap 70, accessories contained in the primary

compartment 20 and each of the cleat pockets 32 and 34 are afforded a breathing

communication with the sport bag 10 environment while being protected from adverse

environmental exposure.

Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain

preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art undoubtedly will find alternative

embodiments obvious after reading this disclosure. With this in mind, the following

claims are intended to define the scope of protection to be afforded the inventor, and

those claims shall be deemed to include equivalent constructions insofar as they do not

depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims We claim as deserving the protection of Letters Patent:

1. A compartmented sports bag (10) for retaining and transporting sports

accessories characterized in that the compartmented sports bag 10 comprises:

a primary compartment (20)

with an outer surface, an inner surface, and an open inner volume (30); a sports ball

compartment (50) coupled to the outer surface of the primary compartment (20) for

retaining a sports ball wherein the sports ball compartment (50) has an open inner volume

(52) sufficient in size for retaining a sports ball; and a carrying means (12, 14) attached

to the compartmented sports bag (10) for permitting a user to carry the sports bag (10).

2. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 1 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) is generally spherical with a generally spherical open inner

volume (52) whereby a spherical sports ball may be retained within the open inner volume

(52) of the sports ball compartment (50) with minimal movement and minimal material

usage.

3. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 2 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) has an open inner volume (52) with an effective inner

diameter (D) greater than about eight and one-half inches (twenty-one and one-half

centimeters) whereby the open inner volume is particularly suitable for retaining a

standard soccer ball.

4. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 2 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) has an open inner volume (52) with a spherical inner

diameter (D) greater than about nine and one-half inches (twenty-four centimeters)

whereby the open inner volume (52) is particularly suitable for retaining a standard

basketball.

5. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 2 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) comprises a first hourglass-shaped strip of flexible material

(54) mutually matingly coupled with a second hourglass-shaped strip of flexible material

(56).

6. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 1 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) is generally football shaped with an open inner volume (52)

that is generally football shaped whereby a football may be retained within the open inner

volume (52) with minimal movement and minimal material usage.

7. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 6 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) has an open inner volume (52) with a length dimension (L)

greater than about eleven inches (twenty-eight centimeters) and a central width (W)

greater than about seven inches (seventeen and one-half centimeters) whereby the open

inner volume (52) is particularly suitable for retaining a standard basketball.

8. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 1 characterized in that the

compartmented sports bag (10) further comprises a secondary storage compartment (32,

34, or 44) coupled to the sports bag wherein the secondary storage compartment (32, 34,

or 44) has an inner storage volume and further comprising an inner sleeve (36) with a

body portion (38) retained within the secondary storage compartment (32, 34, or 44)

wherein the inner sleeve (36) lines the secondary storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) and

is not restrictedly coupled to the secondary storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) whereby

the body portion (38) of the inner sleeve (36) may be pulled from within the secondary

storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) to permit an evacuation of debris from within the

inner sleeve (36) and, derivatively, the secondary storage compartment (32, 34, or 44).

9. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 1 characterized in that the

compartmented sports bag (10) further comprises a ventilating means (62) for permitting

a ventilating communication between a contained sports ball and an environment of the

compartmented sports bag (10).

10. A sports bag (10) for retaining and transporting sports accessories

characterized in that the sports bag (10) comprises a sleeved storage compartment (32,

34, or 44) with an inner volume, an inner surface, and an outer surface; an inner sleeve

(36) with an inner surface and with a body portion (38) retained within the sleeved

storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) wherein the inner sleeve (36) lines the inner surface

of the sleeved storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) and the body portion (38) of the inner

sleeve (36) is not restrictedly coupled to the sleeved storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) whereby the body portion (38) of the inner sleeve (36) may be pulled from within the

sleeved storage compartment (32, 34, or 44) to permit an evacuation of debris from

within the inner sleeve (36) and, derivatively, form the sleeved storage compartment (32,

34, or 44) and to allow a cleaning of the inner surface of the inner sleeve (36); and a

carrying means attached to the sports bag (10) for permitting a carrying of the sports bag

(10).

11. The sports bag (10) of claim 10 characterized in that the sleeved storage

compartment (32, 34, or 44) comprises a first cleat pocket (32); further comprising a

primary compartment (20) with an inner surface, an outer surface, and an open inner

volume (30); further comprising a second sleeved storage compartment (34) comprising

a second cleat pocket (34); and wherein each of the first and second cleat pockets (32,

34) is coupled to the outer surface of the primary compartment (20) whereby a pair of

cleats or other footwear may be retained separately from each other and from other

equipment to prevent intercontamination between the footwear and other retained

accessories and to enhance the organization and accessibility of all retained accessories

while permitting an evacuation of debris from the first and second cleat pockets (32, 34)

and a cleaning of the inner surface of the inner sleeve (36) of each of the first and second

cleat pockets (32, 34).

12. The sports bag (10) of claim 10 characterized in that the sports bag (10)

further comprises a primary compartment (20) with an outer surface, an inner surface, and an open inner volume (30) wherein the sleeved storage compartment (32, 34 or 44) is

comprised of a contaminated article pocket (44) coupled to the inner surface of the

primary compartment (20) whereby contaminated articles can be retained within the

contaminated article pocket (44) separately from other equipment to prevent

intercontamination between the contaminated articles and other retained accessories and

to enhance the organization and accessibility of all retained accessories while permitting

an evacuation of debris from the contaminated article pocket (44) and a cleaning of the

inner surface of the inner sleeve (36) of the contaminated article pocket (44).

13. The sports bag (10) of claim 11 characterized in that the primary

compartment (20) has a first side (22), a second side (24), a front (26), and a back (28);

wherein the first and second sleeved storage compartments (32, 34) are attached to first

and second sides (22, 24) respectively of the outer surface of the primary compartment

(20) whereby the sports bag (10) tends to exhibit an even weight distribution; and further

comprising a sports ball compartment (50) coupled to the outer surface of the back (28)

of the primary compartment (20) wherein the sports ball compartment (50) has an open

inner volume (52) sufficient in size for retaining a sports ball.

14. The sports bag (10) of claim 13 characterized in that the sports bag (10)

further comprises first and second shin guard compartments (33, 35) coupled to the inner

surface of the primary compartment (20) whereby a pair of shin guards may be retained

separately from each other and from other retained accessories to improve organization of the sports bag (10) and to prevent intercontamination of accessories.

15. The sports bag (10) of claim 14 characterized in that the sports bag (10)

further comprises a beverage container sleeve (74) coupled to the sports bag wherein the

beverage container sleeve has an insulative barrier for maintaining a retained beverage

within a beverage container in a desired temperature condition.

16. The sports bag (10) of claim 15 characterized in that the sports bag (10)

further comprises a contaminated article pocket (44) coupled to the inner surface of the

primary compartment (20) and further comprising an inner sleeve (36) with an inner

surface and with a body portion (38) retained within the contaminated article pocket (44)

wherein the inner sleeve (36) lines the contaminated article pocket (44) and is not

restrictedly coupled to the contaminated article pocket (44) whereby the body portion

(38) of the inner sleeve (36) may be pulled from within the contaminated article pocket

(44) to permit an evacuation of debris and to allow a cleaning of the inner surface of the

inner sleeve (36), further comprising a primary compartment closure means (66, 70)

operably coupled to the primary compartment (20) for effectively closing the primary

compartment (20), further comprising a cleat pocket closure means (66, 70) operably

coupled to each of the first and second cleat pockets (32, 34) for effectively closing each

of the first and second cleat pockets (32, 34), and wherein the sports ball compartment

(50) is generally spherical with a generally spherical open inner volume (52) whereby a spherical sports ball may be retained within the open inner volume (52) of the sports ball

compartment (50) with minimal movement and minimal material usage.

17. The sports bag (10) of claim 16 characterized in that the primary

compartment closure means (66, 70) comprises a drawstring closure (66) and a protective

flap (70) whereby contents of the primary compartment (20) are protected effectively

from adverse exposure while the primary compartment (20) retains ventilating

communication with an environment of the sports bag (10).

18. The sports bag (10) of claim 17 characterized in that the carrying means

(12, 14) comprises first and second shoulder straps (12, 14) attached to the front (26) of

the primary compartment (20) whereby the sports bag (10) may be carried as a back pack.

19. A compartmented sports bag (10) for retaining and transporting sports

accessories characterized in that the sports bag (10) comprises a primary compartment

(20) with an inner surface, an outer surface, a front (26), a back (28), a first side (22), a

second side (24), and an open inner volume (30); a sports ball compartment (50) coupled

to the back (28) of the outer surface of the primary compartment (20) for retaining a

sports ball wherein the sports ball compartment (50) has an open inner volume (52)

sufficient in size for retaining a sports ball; first and second cleat pockets (32, 34) coupled

to the first and second sides (22, 24) respectively of the outer surface of the primary compartment (20) whereby a pair of cleats or other footwear may be retained separately

from each other and from other equipment; first and second shin guard compartments (33,

35) coupled to the inner surface of the primary compartment (20) whereby a pair of shin

guards may be retained separately from each other and from other retained accessories;

a contaminated article pocket (44) coupled to the inner surface of the primary

compartment (20) whereby contaminated articles can be retained within the contaminated

article pocket (44) separately from other equipment; and a carrying means (12, 14)

attached to the compartmented sports bag (10) for permitting a user to carry the

compartmented sports bag (10); whereby the compartmented sports bag (10) enables the

retention and transportation of a multiplicity of sports accessories in a manner that

prevents intercontamination between the retained accessories and enhances the

organization and accessibility of all retained accessories.

20. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 19 characterized in that the

compartmented sports bag (10) further comprises a beverage container sleeve (74)

coupled to the outer surface of the compartmented sports bag (10) wherein the beverage

container sleeve (74) has an insulative barrier for maintaining a retained beverage within

a beverage container in a desired temperature condition.

21. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 19 characterized in that the

compartmented sports bag (10) further comprises first and second cleat pocket closure

means (66, 70) for effectively closing the first and second cleat pockets (32, 34) respectively and a primary compartment closure means (66, 70) for effectively closing the

primary compartment (20) wherein each of the first and second cleat pocket closure

means (66, 70) and the primary compartment closure means (66, 70) is comprised of a

drawstring closure (66) and a protective flap (70) whereby contents of the primary

compartment (20) and each of the first and second cleat pockets (32, 34) are protected

effectively from adverse exposure while the primary compartment (20) and each of the

cleat pockets (32, 34) each retain ventilating communication with the environment of the

compartmented sports bag (10).

22. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 21 characterized in that the

carrying means (12, 14) comprises first and second shoulder straps (12, 14) attached to

the front (26) of the primary compartment (20) whereby the compartmented sports bag

(10) may be carried as a back pack.

23. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 19 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) is generally spherical with a generally spherical open inner

volume (52) whereby a spherical sports ball may be retained within the open inner volume

(52) of the sports ball compartment (50) with minimal movement and minimal material

usage.

24. The compartmented sports bag (10) of claim 23 characterized in that the

sports ball compartment (50) comprises a first hourglass-shaped strip of flexible material (54) mutually matingly coupled with a second hourglass-shaped strip of flexible material

(56).