US 5,330,049 AGranted

Garment bag with reinforcing members

AssigneeTumi Luggage, Inc.

InventorsJeffrey A. Bertelsen, Robert P. Davis

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A garment bag is provided with a single reinforcing member which extends across the top end of the bag. A carrying handle, a hanger for hanging the bag from a support, and a trolley for hanging garments within the garment bag are all connected directly to the reinforcing member so that the reinforcing member supports the entire weight of the garment bag and its contents both when the bag is hanging in an extended configuration from a support and when the bag is being carried from place to place in a folded configuration. A stiffening member which extends across the width of the bag in the bottom portion thereof and which lies adjacent the top end of the bag when the bag is in a folded configuration prevents the bottom portion of the bag from sagging to present a neat appearance. The use of a single reinforcing member enables the garment bag to be lighter in weight, easier to use and less costly to manufacture.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A flexible garment bag of the type adapted to be folded from an extended configuration to a folded configuration for carrying, comprising

a front panel,
a rear panel,
means for connecting said front panel in confronting relationship to said rear panel to define an enclosed garment receiving cavity,
means for providing access to said garment receiving cavity,
only one reinforcing member, said reinforcing member being elongated and extending along a top end of the garment bag,
handle means connected to said reinforcing member for carrying the garment bag in the folded configuration,
support means connected to said reinforcing member within said garment receiving cavity for supporting garments,
an elongated stiffening member secured to one of said panels exterior of said garment receiving cavity, said stiffening member extending parallel to said reinforcing member but remote therefrom so that said stiffening member lies adjacent said top end of the garment bag in the folded configuration, said stiffening member being less rigid than said reinforcing member, and
securing means for securing the garment bag in the folded configuration so that a bottom end of the garment bag lies adjacent said top end, said securing means including at least two fasteners each having a first portion and a second portion, said first portions being connected to said top end of the garment bag and said second portions being connected adjacent said stiffening member so that upon engagement of said first and second portions with one another in the folded configuration of the garment bag, forces transmitted through said fasteners to a lower region of the garment bag are not transmitted through said stiffening member.

6 more elements

A flexible garment bag of the type adapted to be folded from an extended configuration to a folded configuration for carrying, comprising

a front panel,
a rear panel,
means for connecting said front panel in confronting relationship to said rear panel to define an enclosed garment receiving cavity,
means for providing access to said garment receiving cavity,
only one reinforcing member, said reinforcing member being elongated and extending along a top end of the garment bag,
handle means connected to said reinforcing member for carrying the garment bag in the folding configuration,
support means connected to said reinforcing member within said garment receiving cavity for supporting garments,
an elongated stiffening member secured to one of said panels exterior of said garment receiving cavity, said stiffening member extending parallel to said reinforcing member but remote therefrom so that said stiffening member lies adjacent said top end of the garment bag in the folded configuration, said stiffening member being less rigid than said reinforcing member and including at least one fabric layer, a stiffening bar superposed on said fabric layer and having a first portion formed from a relatively hard material and a second portion formed from a relatively soft material, and a line of stitching extending through and joining said fabric layer and said second portion of said stiffening bar, and
securing means for securing the garment bag in the folded configuration so that a bottom end of the garment bag lies adjacent said top end.

6 more elements

A flexible garment bag of the type adapted to be folded from an extended configuration to a folded configuration for carrying, comprising

a front panel,
a rear panel,
means for connecting said front panel in confronting relationship to said rear panel to define an enclosed garment receiving cavity,
means for providing access to said garment receiving cavity,
an elongated reinforcing member extending along a top end of the garment bag,
handle means connected to said reinforcing member for carrying the garment bag in the folded configuration,
support means connected to said reinforcing member within said garment receiving cavity for supporting garments,
an elongated stiffening member secured to one of said panels, said stiffening member extending parallel to said reinforcing member but remote therefrom so that said stiffening member lies adjacent said top end of the garment bag in the folded configuration, said stiffening member being less rigid than said reinforcing member, and
securing means for securing the garment bag in the folded configuration so that a bottom end of the garment bag lies adjacent said top end, said securing means including at least two fasteners each having a first portion and a second portion, said first portions being connected to said top end of the garment bag and second portions being connected adjacent said stiffening member so that upon engagement of said first and second portions with one another in the folded configuration of the garment bag, forces transmitted through said fasteners to a lower region of the garment bag are not transmitted through said stiffening member.

6 more elements

A flexible garment bag of the type adapted to be folded from an extended configuration to a folded configuration for carrying, comprising

a front panel,
a rear panel,
means for connecting said front panel in confronting relationship to said rear panel to define an enclosed garment receiving cavity,
means for providing access to said garment receiving cavity,
an elongated reinforcing member extending along a top end of the garment bag,
handle means connected to said reinforcing member for carrying the garment bag in the folding configuration,
support means connected to said reinforcing member within said garment receiving cavity for supporting garments,
securing means for securing the garment bag in the folded configuration so that a bottom end of the garment bag lies adjacent said top end, and
an elongated stiffening member secured to one of said panels, said stiffening member extending parallel to said reinforcing member but remote therefrom so that said stiffening member lies adjacent said top end of the garment bag in the folded configuration, said stiffening member being less rigid than said reinforcing member and including at least one fabric layer, a stiffening bar superposed on said fabric layer and having a first portion formed from a relatively hard material and a second portion formed from a relatively soft material, and a line of stitching extending through the joining said fabric layer and said second portion of said stiffening bar.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.