Air-cushion backpack
AssigneeE. Mishan & Sons, Inc.
InventorsLawrence W. Zalinsky, Kathleen V. Gee, Richard J. Rekuc
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A backpack has a pocket and at least one shoulder strap for supporting the backpack on a shoulder of a user. A generally rigid plate and a flexible inflatable bladder are in the pocket with a load bearing bag connected to the pocket for holding a load. A tubular extension extends from the bladder and into the shoulder strap for inflating and deflating the bladder and a mouth-inflatable check valve is connected to the tubular extension at a location spaced from the bladder and positioned so as to be accessible to the user for inflating the bladder by blowing into the check valve. A curved semirigid liner inside the material of the shoulder strap near the bladder forms a semirigid channel for receiving the tubular extension.
Claims20
A backpack comprising:
- a flexible pocket, at least one flexible material shoulder strap connected to the pocket for supporting the backpack on a shoulder of a user, a generally rigid plate and a flexible inflatable bladder in the pocket with the bladder being closer to a back of the user using the backpack than the plate, load bearing means connected to the pocket for holding a load, a tubular extension extending from the bladder and into the shoulder strap for inflating and deflating the bladder, a mouth-inflatable check valve connected to the tubular extension at a location spaced from the bladder and positioned so as to be accessible to the user for inflating the bladder by blowing into the check valve, and a curved semirigid liner inside the material of the shoulder strap near the bladder only for forming a semirigid channel for receiving the tubular extension and allowing passage of air in the tubular extension while preventing the tubular extension from being pinched closed.
A backpack comprising:
- a pocket made of flexible textile, a front side of the pocket being adapted to lay toward a user of the backpack;
- at least one shoulder strap made of material and connected to the pocket for supporting the backpack on a shoulder of the user;
- a generally rigid plate in the pocket;
- load bearing means connected to the pocket for holding a load;
- a pressurizable, flexible bladder in the pocket between the plate and the front side of the pocket;
- a tubular extension connected to and extending from the bladder and into the material of the shoulder strap for inflating and deflating the bladder;
- an openable and closable mouth-inflatable check valve connected to the tubular extension at a location that is spaced from the bladder and positioned so as to be accessible to the user for inflating the bladder by blowing into the check valve;
- and
- a curved semirigid liner inside the material of the shoulder strap near the bladder to form a semirigid channel for receiving the tubular extension in the liner, the length of the liner being less than the length of the shoulder strap and the liner being adjacent a junction between the tubular extension and the bladder to facilitate inflating and deflating of the bladder through the tubular extension by preventing the tubular extension from being pinched closed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.