Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Article held by receiver
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-18
2003-10-28
Newhouse, Nathan J. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Article held by receiver
C224S604000, C224S637000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06637631
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an improved knapsack in which the system for securing the strap assembly and/or the belt assembly to the back or frame of the knapsack is fitted with a damper for damping angular pivoting.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A knapsack is constituted by a container or bag, with a strap assembly enabling the knapsack to be secured to the shoulders of the user, and with a belt assembly for securing the knapsack around the waist of the user, said strap and belt assemblies being generally fixed to the back of the bag and optionally to a stiffening frame.
Proposals have already been made in document EP 0 260 959 for a fastening system between the knapsack bag and the strap assembly which allows the strap assembly to pivot angularly relative to the bag. That fastening system comprises a male piece which is secured to the strap assembly and which includes a projecting fixing head, and a female piece secured to the back of the bag, presenting a central recess and means for locking the fixing head once it has penetrated into the central recess. Specifically, the male piece includes a kind of peg made up of a plurality of flexible branches each terminated by a projecting catch, while the female piece has a hole terminated by an annular shoulder. The respective dimensions of the peg and of the hole are such that the peg penetrates into the hole by virtue of its component branches bending, and the two pieces are locked together by the projecting catches extending into the annular shoulder. This allows the male piece to pivot in either direction about the pivot axis, i.e. the axis of the peg, thereby enabling the strap assembly to track movements of the user while traveling.
In a particular embodiment of document EP 0 260 959, provision is made to limit the angular pivoting of the male and female pieces by means of a kind of stud which is provided on the male piece and which penetrates into a groove formed in the female piece. The end uprights of the groove define the maximum angular stroke between the male and female pieces.
Nevertheless, in that document, no attempt is made to damp displacement of the two pieces relative to each other between the two abutments. Thus, depending on the particular movements of the user, jolts can be imparted to the strap assembly whenever the relative angular displacement between the two pieces would otherwise exceed the maximum angular stroke as defined by the abutments.
Document EP 0 628 265 similarly describes a fastening system between the back of a knapsack bag and a belt assembly, which system allows for angular pivoting of the belt assembly relative to the back of the bag by means of a rather complex set of pieces. That document makes provision for a system of abutments that define a maximum angular stroke, and also a set of flexible tongues each having one end fixed securely to a piece forming part of the belt assembly and an opposite end which is free and which penetrates into a respective notch provided in a piece which is secured to the knapsack. During angular pivoting, the tongues are caused to deform, depending on the angular position adopted. Although not explicitly stated in the text of that document, it can be assumed that the tongues do not deform without a certain amount of force being exerted, with said force thus opposing angular pivoting. It should be observed that the presence of the abutments is essential since otherwise the free ends of the flexible tongues could escape from the notches in the event of angular pivoting through too great an amplitude.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a knapsack which includes a fastening system allowing angular pivoting between the back of the bag and the strap (and/or belt) assembly but without requiring the presence of abutments for defining the maximum stroke of such pivoting, and which provides progressive damping of the forces involved during such pivoting.
This object is fully achieved by the knapsack of the invention. In conventional manner, the knapsack of the invention comprises a container or bag, a strap assembly for securing the bag to the shoulders of the user, a belt assembly for securing the bag around the waist of the user, and a fastening system for fastening the strap (and/or belt) assembly to the back of the bag, said fastening system comprising a first piece secured to the strap (and/or belt) assembly and a second piece secured to the back of the bag, said pieces co-operating with each other to enable the first and second pieces to be fastened together and to pivot about a pivot axis perpendicular to the back of the bag.
In characteristic manner of the invention, the fastening system comprises:
a) at least one elastomer element secured to one of the two pieces; and
b) engagement means secured to the other piece and engaging the elastomer element at least during pivoting so that during pivoting the engagement means causes the elastomer element to be deformed, thereby opposing said pivoting.
Angular pivoting of the strap (and/or belt) assembly relative to the bag causes the elastomer element to be deformed in its zone adjacent to the means driving it in the pivot direction. Thus, in the fastening system of the invention, there is no abutment defining the maximum angular stroke or pivoting. It is the ability of the elastomer element to deform that absorbs the forces involved during relative movements of the user's body, and thus of the strap (and/or belt) assembly which tracks such movements. Depending on the relative position and on the structure of the elastomer element and of the first and second pieces, the deformation can be of the compression, traction, twisting, shear, or bending type.
The elastomer used is determined as a function of the volume of the bag and thus of the average weight carried thereby so that the angular pivoting lies in a range of −5° to +5° about a normal position.
The generic term “elastomer” should naturally be understood to mean not only synthetic elastomers but also rubbers. It is preferable to use a vulcanized elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer having determined hardness on the Shore A scale.
The engagement means can be of various kinds: it can be constituted by purely mechanical means or by adhesive means. By way of example, when the engagement means are constituted by adhesive means, the two opposite faces of the elastomer element are stuck respectively to the first and second pieces; relative pivoting of the two pieces deforms the element in shear across its thickness. Nevertheless, there is a risk of the elastomer element coming unstuck in use. Mechanical means are therefore preferred.
In a mechanical embodiment, the elastomer element is fixed via two anchor points to the rear face of the first piece and presents at least one hollow zone between the two anchor points; in addition, the front face of the second piece has a projecting stud, said stud penetrating snugly into the hollow zone of the elastomer element when the two pieces are fastened together.
Depending on its direction, angular pivoting of the strap (and/or belt) assembly relative to the back of the bag causes one or other of the two zones of the elastomer element lying between the hollow zone and the two anchor points to be deformed in compression.
The elastomer element preferably includes at least one rib, and the stud is preferably in the form of an elongate shoulder suitable for engaging in the corresponding rib, the ribs and the shoulders extending radially relative to the pivot axis. By means of this particular disposition, the contact area between the elastomer element and the stud is increased thus enabling deformation of the elastomer element to be distributed uniformly during pivoting.
Advantageously, the elastomer element is in the form of an annular or part-annular strip, centered on the pivot axis; in addition the fastening system has two diametrically opposite assemblies each constituted by one or more hollow zones, together with optional radial ribs, and one or more studs, t
Barbier Franck
Belledame Stéphane
Guret Fabian
Lafoux Antoine
Decathlon
Newhouse Nathan J.
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C.
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