FR2669518A1 - Improvements made to rucksacks - Google Patents

Abstract

- Rucksack for hiking, camping, and, in general, for participating in outdoor sports, characterised in that it includes, on one wall, an interruption in the form of a slot (6) which can be closed off by a slide fastener (zip) (7) and which, as desired, connects the inner volume of the rucksack to the outside, and the said wall of the rucksack includes, in the vicinity of the said slot which can be closed off, at least one accessory, particularly in the form of an auxiliary flexible wall, particularly of a textile nature, capable of being alternately folded back into a retracted position inside the rucksack and unfolded into an active position outside, passing through the said slot.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of backpacks in particular for mountaineers, hikers, athletes, campers.

The invention relates more particularly to improvements made to backpacks and intended to develop from a single structure the possibilities of use and the flexibility of the multiple services that can be rendered by the backpack depending on its conditions. various and successive of use according to the circumstances. Thus, in the context of the invention, it has been sought to allow protection against bad weather, in particular against rain, thus making it possible to use the bag despite deviable weather conditions.

However, according to other developments of the invention, provision has been made for structural arrangements of the bag allowing a multiplicity and a great flexibility making it possible to adapt to large varieties of uses.

Indeed, the known bags constitute a definitive and fixed structure meeting a particular need.

In particular with regard to their structure, volume, multiplicity or variety, such as the arrangement of interior and especially exterior compartments which they can make available to the user.

So the hiker, the camper or the walker, theoretically must have a whole arsenal of bags adapted to each use.

A light bag of simple structure and moderate capacity for a limited walk or for a short hike or one that does not include the transport of camping equipment; whereas for a hike or an extended stay, in particular involving the use of camping equipment, the bag will obviously have to have a capacity and developments (for example side pockets, straps etc ...) greater and consequent in their volume and in their possibility of use.

Similarly certain sports, such as mountaineering, cross-country skiing, require freedom of movement which consequently limits the possibilities of development of the bag and in particular the possibilities of having pockets on the side walls of the bag, which are conventional for hiking bags, but which would handicap the necessary ease of movement in certain circumstances such as those mentioned above concerning mountaineering or the practice of cross-country skiing, for which the arms must be able to move back and forth without being hampered by the presence of side pockets overflowing on each side of the bag.

Under these conditions, the sportsman must have a whole equipment of bags, each one being adapted to the specific practice of the sport or the excursion which he wishes to practice in each circumstance.

It follows that this successive use of different bags represents a considerable investment and in reality prohibitive.

It would therefore be desirable to be able to have a bag which would allow, from a single central structure, to include removable or retractable developments which can consequently be placed in the erasing position and deactivated when they are not useful and, conversely, capable of being deployed and placed in an active position when they are necessary depending on the particular circumstances of their use.

And according to a first object, the invention makes it possible, from a single structure of a standard bag, to deploy accessories or elements which are normally maintained in the retracted and erased position inside the bag but which can be brought in. active position depending on the circumstances.

According to a first development, the invention will therefore make it possible to deploy outside of the bag a protective envelope in the event of bad weather.

And according to a second development, the invention will make it possible to deploy outside the bag, in particular lateral capacities or pockets which will therefore be erased when the conditions of use of the bag do not make it necessary, but which can be deployed by developing by therefore considerably the capacity of the bag depending on the circumstances.

And we will successively describe the two developments, the first being related to the installation of a weather protection envelope, the second being related to the implementation of capacities forming successively erasable pockets inside the bag or put in position of use.

It is known for hikers, campers, mountaineers, who carry in a backpack their equipment and their personal objects, to protect themselves in case of bad weather by using a hood or a traditional poncho coming to cover the shoulders and the bag by ensuring thus both the waterproof protection of the upper part of the body and the bag in position on the back.

The development of clothing made of new material, waterproof while remaining airtight, has reduced the value of the specific and waterproof protection of the upper part of the body, which can be ensured by the clothes themselves the user and who provide this protection in the event of unexpected rain.

It remains that in this case the problem of protecting the bag remains posed.

Indeed, even if the bag itself is made of waterproof or waterproofed material, it is difficult to guarantee completely waterproof protection of the interior volume of the bag.

Indeed, the bag being necessarily constructed from inserts of sewn textile material, the stitching zones necessarily represent a solution of continuity in the impermeable surfacing and consequently a passage for the water flowing along the walls of the bag.

In the case of a brief passing rain, the bag provides sufficient protection; however when the camper or the hiker continues his way during long hours in the rain, the water penetrates then gains and permeates by capillary action the articles in particular textiles, that is to say the dry clothes which are kept in reserve in the inside the bag; and it is particularly unpleasant for the hiker, arrived at the stage, to find wet spare clothes, if not soaked inside the bag.

So the hiker is obliged, if he wants to guarantee the waterproof and impermeable protection of the bag, to put on the poncho or the traditional hood which however has the disadvantage of covering the whole body and the bag and which must consequently be removed at each stop and each time the user wants to put down his bag.

The present invention according to a first object overcomes this drawback and provides independent and specific protection of the backpack against the rain.

And the invention aims in particular to avoid campers or hikers from having to search and set up by ensuring immobilization sometimes uncertain of a protective cover on the entire bag, and independent of the protection of the upper part from the body of the user himself.

The invention relates to a backpack for hikers, campers, and in general for outdoor sports, characterized in that it has on one wall a continuity solution in the form of a slot, closable by a zipper and communicating at will the internal space of the bag and the exterior and said wall of the bag comprises, near said closable slot at least one accessory, in particular in the form of a flexible auxiliary wall, in particular of textile nature and suitable for alternately be folded in the erased position inside the bag and deployed in the active position outside by passing through said slot.

And according to a first embodiment, said auxiliary wall consists of a cover forming a cover, made of waterproof and flexible material, offering continuous surfacing, this cover being integral with the top of the bag and able to be alternately in the folded and compacted position inactive. , and in the active deployed position by covering with a continuous film impermeable to liquids the upper and side walls of the bag.

More specifically, said cap is capable of being brought back and contained in the inactive position in a pocket situated on the external and upper part of the flap closing the bag.

More especially still, this cap is integral with a yoke which constitutes the closure of said pocket containing the cap in its inactive and compacted position.

The cap is advantageously shaped so as to constitute an upper dome extended by an overall lower skirt offering a continuous surface and impermeable to liquids.

More specifically, the skirt includes tightening means for its adaptation around the body of the bag.

And these tightening means are constituted by an elastic link or not inserted in a sheath running along the wall of said skirt.

According to a variant, the tightening means consist of a cord running along a sheath surrounding the walls of the skirt.

Advantageously, the cap is made of waterproof or waterproofed textile material.

Advantageously also, the bottom of the cap has a groove forming a gutter for the recovery of water flowing along the walls of the bag and with a view to the rejection of this water towards the rear part of the skirt.

Finally, the skirt may include a recess corresponding to the back face of the bag.

And according to a variant, said auxiliary wall conforms to a removable and retractable pocket comprising four vertical sides, a bottom and a hinged cover, defining a flexible and deformable parallelepiped for its passage through the slot allowing it to be retracted inside the bag or deployed outside to create additional storage space.

And preferably, said sides of said pocket have on their outer face, the pocket being in the deployed position, passers-by adapted to receive straps arranged in the waiting position on the outer wall adjacent to the bag, the insertion of the straps in said passers-by allowing immobilization of the pocket deployed in the active position against the outer wall of the bag without movement.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows and which is given in relation to a particular embodiment presented by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a bag produced according to the invention and comprising in a top pocket the protective cap in the compacted position.

Figure 2 shows the bag of Figure 1 in which the waterproof protective cap has been put in the active position around the bag.

Figure 3 shows a side elevational view of the bag of Figure 1, the cap being in the compacted and inactive position.

Figure 4 shows a side elevational view of the bag of Figure 2 in which the cap of the invention is in the deployed position.

Figure 5 shows the bag in perspective after deployment of an erasable pocket, shown during deployment in Figure 6 and in the retracted and erased position according to Figure 7.

According to all of Figures 1 to 6, it can be seen that a bag 1 of the conventional type is produced, consequently comprising a main body 2, possibly lateral pockets 3a, 3b and an upper flap 4 closing the bag.

It is understood that the bag being formed of inserts sewn together cannot completely ensure waterproof protection of the products, articles and objects, in particular the clothing, contained inside the bag.

To this end, according to the example which is described here, the flap 4 has at its upper part an inner pocket 5 closed by the slot 6 provided with a zipper 7 protected by the fold 9.

The opening of the slot 6 makes it possible to release a cap 8 contained in the interior space of the bag, in particular in the interior pocket 5.

The cap 8 is made in the form of an extremely thin and light material, therefore compact, it can be made in the form of a plastic film in the form or in the form of coated textile.

As can be seen in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 4, this cap once deployed has the general conformation of an upper dome 10 extended laterally by a generally circular wall forming a skirt 11.

It can therefore be seen, in particular in FIGS. 5 and 6, that it is easy during the occurrence of precipitation (rain, snow, etc.) to release the closure panel 6 which can be folded down towards the straps or suspenders 12 c '' ie towards the back of the user while releasing the whole of the cover 8 which can be turned over and come to cover the whole of the bag thus ensuring a continuous protective surfacing allowing the waterproof insulation of the bag itself and its content.

Advantageously, there is provided at the base or towards the lower part of the skirt 11 of the cover 8 an inner sheath containing a link making it possible to tighten at 13 the base of the skirt, thereby ensuring that the cover is kept in the correct position around the bag.

At the base of the skirt, a channel 14 can be provided, thus forming a gutter capable of receiving the water flowing along the walls which are directed towards the rear where they flow through the outlet spout 15, thus avoiding wetting. the lower part including the lower limbs of the user.

As the cap 8 is integral with the bag, being laminated (for example) against the closing of the upper pocket, it is automatically available whenever the need arises, without the user having to search in a pocket or inside the bag an independent element.

There is also no risk of the user forgetting this accessory since it is an integral part of the bag.

Being compacted in the inner pocket 5, the cover or cap occupies only an extremely reduced space, thanks to the use of a very fine material, of small thickness, and flexible, but sufficient to ensure the protection of the body. from the bag.

Under these conditions the user is guaranteed against the risk of bad weather and consequently avoids the inconvenience of finding after long day of walking in the rain the interior contents of the wet or even wet bag.

The protective cover being further associated with the bag and independent of the body of the user, it forms one body with the bag; the bag can be removed while remaining independently protected.

FIG. 7 refers to another development of the invention in which the openings made on a wall of the bag allow it to be deployed outside of a pocket thus placed in the active position if necessary but capable of being retracted inside the bag in which it is erased and retracted in periods of non-use.

On a side face there is provided a continuity solution in the form of a slot, preferably in the upper part of the side wall 21 of the bag.

And this slot 22 is provided with a zipper 23 thus allowing by the play of the slide 24 to open or close at will said slot to put or not in communication the interior space of the bag with the exterior.

And advantageously the slot 22 is protected by an upper flap 25 which in particular prevents any penetration of infiltration or runoff water through said slot.

The interior space of the bag comprises, against the internal face of the wall 21, a pocket which is erased and which is therefore not visible in Figure 7 but which is shown in the deployed position in Figure 5 and in the current position deployment in Figure 6.

This pocket has in particular vertical sections 26, 27 respectively as well as a bottom and a closing flap or upper cover 28.

The upper flap 28 can close the capacity formed by the pocket by a zipper 29 which will advantageously be protected by a flap covering the zipper 29.

We see that it is thus possible, starting from FIG. 7, to open the zipper 23 to release the slot 22.

This allows to extract from the interior of the bag the pocket 30 (Figure 6) which was in the waiting position inside the bag.

It is advantageously possible to dispose, during the period of non-use, the pocket 30 inside the bag being turned over and thus making it possible to conform an interior compartment to the bag and able to receive elements, objects or effects which are thus isolated in the bag from the rest of the interior space.

In periods of non-use, the pocket is neither neutral nor unused, it constitutes a partitioning defining an interior pocket allowing better storage conveniences.

When it is desired to increase the carrying capacity and volume of the bag, and if the use of a side pocket then becomes recommended and compatible with the conditions of use of the bag, the pocket 30 can be extracted from the interior space of the bag. bag through the slot 22, this pocket being turned over (like a glove) to reveal the sides 26, 27 etc ... by their external face.

And the deployed pocket can thus be brought against the receiving wall 21.

Advantageously and according to all of the Figures, it can be seen that a set of straps 31, 32 has been provided cooperating with the loops 33, 34 arranged horizontally on the wall 21.

When not in use, the straps are neutralized, being tightened against the wall 21.

They could also be used to hold in place a small and flat object.

During the deployment of the pocket 30 the straps 31 and 32 are inserted into loops 35, 35 ', 36, 36' provided on the flap 27 of the pocket and the straps are closed on the receiving loops 33 and 34, as is see on the
Figure 5, so that the pocket is immobilized, although being "suspended" by its upper part to the upper part of the wall 21, it is prevented from undergoing any parasitic movement of movement by following the movements of the carrier by the retaining straps 31 and 32.

We see that the invention thus allows a rational use of a versatile bag which allows to adapt not only to the temporary need of the user and the required storage and transport capacity, but also to adapt to the practice of various sports.

Some do not allow the positioning of side pockets to allow, as explained above, the freedom of movement of the arms (cross-country skiing).

And when the bag has to be assigned to a different use, the pockets are then likely to be deployed and thus be made available.

Claims (9)

1 - Backpack for hikers, campers, and in general for outdoor sports, characterized in that it has on one wall a continuity solution in the form of a slot (6, 22), closable by a closure slide (7, 23) and communicating at will the internal space of the bag and the outside and said wall of the bag comprises, near said closable slot, at least one accessory, in particular in the form of a flexible auxiliary wall (8, 30), in particular of a textile nature and able to be alternately folded in the erased position inside the bag and deployed in the active position outside by passing through said slot. 2 - Backpack according to claim 1, and characterized in that said auxiliary wall consists of a cover forming a cover (8), made of waterproof and flexible material, offering continuous surfacing, this cover being integral with the top of the bag and able to be alternately in the folded and compacted inactive position, and in the active deployed position by covering with a continuous film impermeable to liquids the upper and side walls of the bag. 3 - Backpack according to claim 2, and characterized in that the cap (8) is shaped so as to constitute an upper dome (10) extended by a lower skirt (11) assembly providing a continuous and impermeable surface to liquids. 4 - Backpack according to claim 3, and characterized in that the skirt (11) comprises tightening means for its adaptation around the body of the bag, and constituted by an elastic link (13) or a cord inserted in a sheath running along the wall of said skirt. 5 - Backpack according to one of claims 2 to 4, and characterized in that the bottom of the cap has a channel (14) forming a gutter for the recovery of water flowing along the walls of the bag and in view the rejection of this water towards the rear part (15) of the skirt. 6 - Backpack according to one of claims 2 to 5, and characterized in that the skirt has a recess corresponding to the back face of the bag, for the passage of the suspenders for suspending the bag. 7 - Backpack according to claim 1, and characterized in that said auxiliary wall conforms to a removable and retractable pocket (30) comprising four vertical sides, a bottom and a hinged cover, defining a flexible and deformable parallelepiped for its passage through the slot allowing it to be retracted inside the bag or deployed outside to constitute an additional storage volume. 8 - Backpack according to claim 7, and characterized in that said sides of said pocket have on their inner face, the pocket being in the deployed position, passers-by (35.35 ', 36.36') capable of receiving straps (31, 32) arranged in the standby position on the outer wall (21) adjacent to the bag, the insertion of the straps in the said passers-by allowing immobilization of the pocket deployed in the active position against the outer wall of the bag without travel. 9 - Backpack according to one of claims 1 to 8, and characterized in that the slot (6, 22), provided with a zipper, is protected against the weather by an upper fold (9, 25) .