Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Flaccid attaching means looped around neck or crossing shoulder
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-12
2001-11-20
Garbe, Stephen P. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Flaccid attaching means looped around neck or crossing shoulder
C002S460000, C224S907000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318609
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a shoulder strap pad for holding a shoulder strap and cushioning a shoulder strap and more particularly to a shoulder strap pad that resists slipping relative to a shoulder and that holds a shoulder strap in place.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wedge shaped shoulder pads are used on shoulder straps to cushion straps that do not conform to the slope of a person's shoulder. Most individuals have shoulders that slope downwardly and outward from their neck. Shoulder straps are generally straight straps that tend to extend horizontally at the top of the loop that passes over a person's shoulder. This results in the inside edge of a shoulder strap exerting more pressure on a person's shoulder than the center portion or the outside edge of a shoulder strap. This concentration of pressure makes it uncomfortable to carry a bag or a piece of equipment with a shoulder strap. If the bag or equipment is heavy, the concentration of pressure may become painful in a short period of time.
Straight shoulder straps also tend to slide off a person's shoulder. With the outside edge of a shoulder strap being lightly loaded, the strap tends to slide down a sloping shoulder. To keep the strap from falling off a person has to move the strap back toward their neck periodically.
Wedge shaped shoulder pads have been proposed to evenly distribute the pressure and reduce sliding. These pads distribute the load more evenly when the shoulder strap is centered on the pad. The pad can however slide off a person's shoulder. The shoulder strap can also slide off the shoulder pad.
Shoulder pads have been attached to the shoulder straps by a variety of retainers. These retainers can break. Some of the retainers have also allowed shoulder pads to slide out from under the shoulder strap.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The shoulder strap pad has a generally rectangular base with an inside edge, an outside edge, a front end, a rear end, a top surface, and a bottom surface. A plurality of spaced apart projections are integral with the base and project downwardly from the bottom surface. Free ends of the plurality of spaced apart projections have flat surfaces.
A plurality of spaced apart ribs are integral with the base and project upwardly from the top surface of the base. Each of the ribs has a short inside edge, a tall outside height and an upper rib surface. The upper rib surface is concave. An inside strap retaining projection extends upward from an inside portion of the upper rib surface. An outside strap retaining projection extends upward from an outside portion of the upper surface. One or more shoulder strap pad holders holds the shoulder pad on a shoulder strap.
The spaced apart projections on the bottom of the rectangular base tend to limit movement of the base relative to a person's shoulder. The spaced apart ribs with a concave surface, an inside strap retaining projection and an outside strap retaining projection hold a shoulder strap centered on the upper concave surface of the ribs.
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patent: 5507422 (1996-04-01), Shields
patent: 5590826 (1997-01-01), Endo
patent: 767014 (1957-01-01), None
Garbe Stephen P.
Merek Joseph C.
Reising Ethington, Barnes, Kisselle, Learman & McCulloch, P.C.
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