Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Convertible or combined
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2001-05-15
Garbe, Stephen P. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Convertible or combined
C224S318000, C224S329000, C224S575000, C224S579000, C224S617000, C224S653000, C224S657000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230951
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to the storage, display, safe-keeping and transportation of a surfboard, and in particular to a unitary protective board cover, board wall/ceiling rack for storage/display purposes and vehicle rack.
BACKGROUND
A surfboard is made up of fiberglass and foam. It is a very fragile piece of equipment and can be damaged extremely easily. Fiberglass is sensitive to pressure, stress and heat. The fins on a surfboard are also very sensitive to stress and can snap with ease. A surfboard can range from 4 to 10 ft. long, and can be as wide as 22 to 36 inches. Some boards, mainly “Longboards” (8-10 ft. in length), can weigh up to 25 lbs. Most “Shortboards” (5-7 ft. in length) weigh less than 10 lbs.
A surfer has various needs for safekeeping the board during both storage and traveling. One product for storage and travel is the “Board bag”. There are many different types of “board bags”. The make up of a “Board bag” has been materials like cotton, padded nylon and hard, plastic travel cases. Some bags can be as simple as a cloth material that is pulled over the board to keep it clean. Board bags that are padded, heat resistant and have carrying provisions, like a handle or a shoulder strap, are very useful in transporting the board and protecting the board from sun damage, heat or pressure dings. Board bags range in size and material depending on the surfboard size and traveling needs. There are some board bags that have room for two boards, various zippers for storing other objects, and have hard covers for traveling by air.
When a surfer is traveling by car, the board can be stored on top of the car using a surfboard rack. There are various types of car racks, but the most common racks for cars are usually either “hard racks” (permanent metal racks) or “soft racks” (portable padded racks). The board racks work by strapping the board to the padded rack on top of the vehicle.
Another need when owning a surfboard is safely storing the board while idle. There are various ways to store a surfboard, but the most popular seems to be the wall rack. The wall rack is made up of two “L” shaped, padded arms that screw into the wall. The board is then placed on the arms of the wall rack and is held suspended off the ground. One major problem with the wall rack is that it sticks out from the wall (about three feet) and it does not necessarily keep the board clean or safe from damage.
In the past, all of these needs have been met by acquiring different products, one for storing the surfboard, one for carrying the surfboard and one for mounting the surfboard on the roof of a car. What is needed is an improved board bag, which incorporates a board bag, wall/ceiling rack and vehicle transportation rack all in one product. The present invention fulfills these needs and many others.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly and in general terms the present invention provides a surfer with a protective board bag, a wall or ceiling storage/display rack and a car rack all in one product. The surfboard is placed into a protected, padded board bag by opening (typically unzipping) the side of the board bag, placing the board in the bag and closing (typically rezipping) the bag. The bag with the board inside can then be carried by a handle or by a padded shoulder strap. For the purpose of this invention the bag used to carry a surfboard will be called the “Pro Bag”. The Pro Bag has at least one zippered pocket that can store any unused components or accessories associated with the surfboard.
The Pro Bag can also be placed on the top of a vehicle with or without a roof rack and for traveling can be easily strapped down to the top of the vehicle with straps selectively placed (typically with clips or snaps) on the bag to hold the bag snugly against the vehicle roof in combination with “gutter units”. The “gutter units” are easily attached to the ends of the straps and are wedged into or attached to the car roof gutters. Once the “gutter units” are in place, the straps can be hooked on to corresponding D-rings near the middle of the board bag and then pulled taut to keep the bag tight against the top of the vehicle. The Pro Bag has a padded underside that acts as a buffer between the car and the board bag. Other surfboards can also be strapped to the vehicle by placing the board bag on top of the other surfboards and strapping them down tightly together. When the Pro Bag needs to be taken off the vehicle, the surfer can easily loosen and unhook the straps, remove these straps from the bag and put these straps in the at least one zippered pocket for storage. The user can then clip onto the Pro Bag a padded shoulder harness for use in carrying the Pro Bag with the surfboard in it while walking.
As a feature of this invention, the Pro Bag can also be clipped to the back of a pick-up truck. Most pickup trucks come with at least four D-Rings in the bed of the truck. The Pro Bag can be connected to each D-Ring via the straps and clips and can be harnessed down in the bed of the truck. The straps can also be attached around other surfboards and clipped together for traveling with various boards.
When the Pro Bag needs to be stored in a safe place, it can be attached to wall, ceiling or garage rafters via “wall units” and straps with clips (two straps or four straps depending on the style of display) to be displayed in a safe and protected manner. The wall units can work with only two straps or with all four straps according to the manner in which the board is displayed. Once a surfer comes home, he or she can easily unclip the shoulder harness and clip the Pro Bag containing the board to the wall units using the same straps as used to mount the Pro Bag on top of a vehicle and adjust the straps according to the most desired display. Whether on the wall above a bed or strapped tight to the ceiling of a garage, the Pro Bag will be protected while out of the way and yet displayed.
The surfer can position the Pro Bag flat against the wall in a parallel or vertical position. The bag can also be stored flat (i.e. parallel) or vertically (i.e. with the long axis of the stored surfboard parallel to the ceiling with the plane of the surfboard perpendicular to the ceiling) on the ceiling. Once the board is clipped to the wall units, it lays flat and is protected from dirt, dings and daily traffic.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3000418 (1961-09-01), Bitting
patent: 3000419 (1961-09-01), Morrison
patent: 3316951 (1967-05-01), Jacobson
patent: 3339607 (1967-09-01), Howard
patent: 4483380 (1984-11-01), Beran
patent: 4793535 (1988-12-01), Johnson
patent: 4848628 (1989-07-01), Lopez
patent: 5033497 (1991-07-01), Hernandez
patent: 5094344 (1992-03-01), Savage
patent: 5318084 (1994-06-01), Jackson
patent: 5405002 (1995-04-01), Troia
patent: 5538169 (1996-07-01), Moore
patent: 6138881 (2000-10-01), Paul et al.
Garbe Stephen P.
Skjerven Morrill & MacPherson LLP
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