Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45F—TRAVELLING OR CAMP EQUIPMENT: SACKS OR PACKS CARRIED ON THE BODY
  • A45F5/00—Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
  • A45F5/10—Handles for carrying purposes
  • A45F5/102—Handles for carrying purposes with means, e.g. a hook, receiving a carrying element of the hand article to be carried
  • A45F5/1026—Handles for carrying purposes with means, e.g. a hook, receiving a carrying element of the hand article to be carried the carrying element being flexible, e.g. plastic bag handle
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45F—TRAVELLING OR CAMP EQUIPMENT: SACKS OR PACKS CARRIED ON THE BODY
  • A45F5/00—Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
  • A45F5/10—Handles for carrying purposes
  • A45F5/102—Handles for carrying purposes with means, e.g. a hook, receiving a carrying element of the hand article to be carried
  • A45F5/1026—Handles for carrying purposes with means, e.g. a hook, receiving a carrying element of the hand article to be carried the carrying element being flexible, e.g. plastic bag handle
  • A45F5/1046—Handles for carrying purposes with means, e.g. a hook, receiving a carrying element of the hand article to be carried the carrying element being flexible, e.g. plastic bag handle and supported above the grip surface of the carrying handle
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C13/00—Details; Accessories
  • A45C13/30—Straps; Bands

Definitions

• This invention relates to a carrying strap, and in particular to a padded shoulder strap for carrying loads such as shopping bags.
• Bags with shoulder straps are well known in which a strap is permanently or removably fixed to a single bag and the strap is passed over a shoulder of a user to carry the bag supported by the strap on the shoulder, rather than the bag being supported by a hand and arm.
• JP 2004 248764 and US 2004/0035899 disclose shoulder straps with clips for clipping to one or more bags to carry the bags below waist level, so as .to leave free the hands of a person carrying the bags.
• weight of the bags is not thereby evenly distributed and bags slung so low and unevenly on a person would unbalance and impede the use of, for example, a bicycle while carrying bags with the shoulder strap.
• FR 2641955 appears to disclose a similar strap, with similar disadvantages, for passing through all the handles of bags to be carried so that the strap adjusted to a short length can be held by hand or adjusted to a longer length passed over a shoulder, apparently with all the suspended bags to one side of the user.
• a longitudinal rigid member is provided in a sleeve around the strap for keeping a portion of the strap straight which is held in the hand when the. strap is used in that mode.
• US 2005/0103817 discloses two specially designed bags and shoulder straps in which in one embodiment shoulder straps of the two bags are crossed and the bags are carried in front and at the back of a user with the bags connected to each other by a further connecting strap to stabilize the bags on the person.
• this carrying strap is not suitable for carrying arbitrary shopping and grocery bags or other loads.
• NL 1011602 discloses a two-bag and strap integral combination in which one bag may be carried to the front and the other to the back of a person. Again, this system is not suitable for directly carrying, for example, shopping or grocery bags, without using bags of the combination.
• US 5,361,956 discloses a foldable bar equipped with hooks to which handles of bags may be attached and which is provided with a shoulder strap attached to opposed ends of the bar for suspending the bar apparently at waist level.
• a shoulder strap attached to opposed ends of the bar for suspending the bar apparently at waist level.
• WO 00/40114 discloses an elongate sheet of material having lateral hooks proximate opposed ends of the elongate member for receiving plastic handles of shopping bags. With at least one bag suspended from each end of the elongate member the elongate member can either be held in a hand or passed over a shoulder with at least one bag in front of a person carrying the bags and at least one bag behind the person.
• One surface of the elongate member or strap may be provided with non-slipping material to secure the strap to a shoulder while an opposed surface may be rounded for carrying by hand.
• a sleeve surrounds a central portion of the strap to cover sharp edges of the central portion to prevent injury to a hand carrying the loaded strap.
• the strap is a "relatively thin" sheet of elongate material provided with a plurality of generally transverse ribs to reinforce the thin sheet against transverse bending when the strap is held in a hand.
• a method of retaining bags on the strap other than open hooks and there is disclosed no means of preventing the strap chafing, or bearing uncomfortably on, a shoulder.
• EP 0898906 discloses a shoulder strap for golf bags, rucksacks and other carry bags including an airtight inflated sack insert divided into compartments to render a strap more comfortable when carrying a heavy load.
• Figure 1 is an inside or underside view of a shoulder strap according to the invention in an open orientation
• Figure 2 is an outside or upper view of the shoulder strap of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the shoulder strap of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the shoulder strap of Figure 1 in a partially closed orientation;
• Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the shoulder strap of Figure 1 in a completely closed orientation;
• Figure 6 is an inside or underside view of the shoulder strap of Figure
• Figure 7 is a schematic view of the shoulder strap of Figure 1 in use to carry the bags.
• a shoulder strap 10 according to the invention comprises an elongate double layered member 11, at least a central portion 110, of which is padded, the central portion 110 comprising approximately a third of the length of the elongate double layered member.
• a suitable padding is foam and wadding.
• the central portion is bounded to the left and right, as viewed in the Figures, by a first fold line 121 and a second fold line 131 respectively.
• references to the left hand and the right hand herein refer to the carrying strap as illustrated, and no limitation is intended thereby other than to distinguish between ends of the carrying strap for clarity of the description.
• Attached by tape 124 to the inside face of the elongate member 11 adjacent an outer end of the left hand portion 120 is a female member 123 of a latching clasp or buckle.
• Attached by tape 114 to the inside face of the elongate member 11 adjacent to the second fold line 131 within the left central portion 110 is a male member 113 of the latching clasp or buckle for cooperation with the female member 123.
• An outer portion of the inner face of the right hand portion, proximate a free end thereof, is provided with first attachment means 135, such as Velcro® hooks, for engaging second attachment means 125, such as Velcro® loops, on an outer face of the left hand portion 120, proximate a free end thereof, as shown in Figure 2, in a manner to be described herein.
• the outer face of right hand portion 130 may be provided with for example a logo.
• a member of an outer clasp or buckle may be provided on this surface.
• the shoulder strap 10 is passed partially through handles 71 of the bags 7 to be loaded until the bag handles 71 are between the female member 123 and the male member 113 of the clasp.
• the left hand portion 120 is folded along the first fold line 121 through substantially 180 degrees in the direction of arrow-headed line 126 in Figure- 3 until the male member 113 of the clasp or buckle can latchingly engage the female member 123 of the clasp or buckle and the clasp or buckle is closed. In this position an inner face of the left hand portion 120 is opposed to the inner face of the central portion 110 as shown in Figure 4, with the bag handles 71 between the latched clasp 113, 123 and the inner face of the left hand portion 120 and the inner face of the central portion 110.
• the right hand portion 130 is then also folded with respect to the central portion 110 about the second fold line 131 through substantially 180 degrees in the direction of arrow-headed line 136 in Figure 4 until at least an outer extremity of the right hand portion 130 overlays an outer extremity of the left hand portion 120 and the first attachment means 125 on the outer face of the left hand portion 120 engages the second attachment means 135 on the inner face of the right hand portion 130 to hold the right hand portion 130 in place over the clasp or buckle 113, 123.
• members of an outer buckle or clasp may be provided on the outer faces of the left and right hand portions 120, 130 respectively to retain the right hand portion 130 over the inner clasp or buckle 113, 123.
• the right hand end portion 130 could be folded so that a free end of the right hand end portion abuts, and is preferably fastened to, a free end of the left hand end portion. It will be further understood that the principle purpose of folding the right hand portion 130 is merely to conceal the clasp or buckle in use, and that the strap of the invention may be used without this second fold.
• One or more pockets may be provided in the carrying strap for storing, for example, a rain-proof cover for the carrying strap or one or more bags.
• the shoulder strap in use is placed on a shoulder of a user with, for example, at least one bag in front of the user and at least one bag behind the user.
• the stiffening members 112, 122 tend to retain the shoulder strap substantially flat around the shoulder by opposing forces exerted by the bag handles 71 tending the squeeze the shoulder strap laterally, i.e. transversely.
• the invention provides a comfortable padded shoulder strap for carrying two or more bags, designed for lightening the apparent load of carrying shopping bags with the advantage of freeing hands to hold onto children, opening doors, paying a bill etc.
• the strap may also be used for carrying other objects with handles or similar carrying means. In operation the strap is simply threaded through handles of bags, the clasp is closed and the two outer portions 120, 130 of the strap 10 attached together with Velcro® fastener. The strap 10 is slung onto a shoulder with one bag or multiple bags evenly weighted, carried both in front and behind. The well-balanced load is easier to carry, avoids tiring the wrists and elbows of the user and feels a lot lighter than carrying bags by hand.
• An embodiment merely with attachment means such as Velcro® fastener can be used for lighter weights instead of the inner clasp 113, 123 described above.
• the inner clasp is used to provide greater security for heavier loads.
• the clasp could alternatively be placed on the outside of the folded support strap and could be fashioned as a logo or design.
• the shoulder strap can be made from various fabrics, plastic or leather and is adaptable for a variety of personalized designs either shaped into logos or logos may be printed onto the fabric for promotional purposes.
• the described device can also be used additionally or alternatively to carry bags, and other loads with handles, by hand, for example, to prevent handles of loaded plastic bags bearing uncomfortably on a hand.

Landscapes

• Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=35220718

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (22)

• 2005
  • 2005-09-01 GB GB0517839A patent/GB2429635B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2006
  • 2006-09-01 US US11/991,337 patent/US20100314425A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-09-01 CN CN2006800208677A patent/CN101212916B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2006-09-01 BR BRPI0615263-5A patent/BRPI0615263A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-09-01 AU AU2006286319A patent/AU2006286319A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-09-01 EP EP06779263A patent/EP1933663A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-09-01 WO PCT/GB2006/003242 patent/WO2007026161A1/en not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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