Dual opening carrying bag

• US 5,427,453 A
• Filed: 05/28/1993
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jacob E. Cloessner
• Original Assignee: Jacob E. Cloessner
• Inventors: Cloessner, Jacob E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pascua, Jes F.
• Application Number:
  US08/069,971
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 383/2, 383/38, 383/39, 383/41, 190/103, 190/109, 190/111, 150/112, 150/117
• US Class Current: 383/38
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/02 Interior fittings; Means, e.g. inserts, for holding and packing articles
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 3/00 Flexible luggage; Handbags collapsible or extensible luggage, bags or the like A45C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 5/00 Rigid or semi-rigid luggage collapsible or extensible luggage, bags or the like A45C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 7/0063 comprising an integrated expansion device

Abstract

A compartmentalized carrying bag is provided comprising a containment structure formed from wall members whose interior surfaces form a sealable interior cavity having a fixed maximum volume. The cavity is divided into separate sealable chambers by a dividing member attached to the interior surfaces. Each separate chamber is accessible from outside the containment structure by separate sealable access portals. The dividing member is structured to permit the volume of each separate chamber to vary from approximately the fixed maximum volume to approximately zero, wherein at all times the sum of the volumes of the separate chambers is equal to approximately the fixed maximum volume.

Claims

1. A bag capable of carrying clothing comprising:

a containment structure having walls whose interior surfaces form a sealable interior cavity having a fixed maximum volume, said interior surfaces forming a midline area extending about said cavity wherein approximately half of said fixed maximum volume is on either side of said midline area, said containment structure provided with at least two separate access portals, each of which is separately provided with means to open and close each respective access portal extending through said containment structure to connect said interior cavity to the exterior of said containment structure; and

a dividing member fixed to at least one of said interior surfaces of said walls to form a plurality of separate chambers within said interior cavity, each of said separate chambers being accessible through a corresponding one of said access portals sized to permit clothing which may be in one of said chambers to be removed and placed in another of said chambers, said access portals being spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness of said dividing member, said dividing member having a first section and a perimeter section attached to said midline area, at least one of said first section and perimeter section being flexible and sized to enable said dividing member to be positioned adjacent at least a portion of said walls to permit the volume of each of said separate chambers to be varied from about zero to approximately said fixed maximum volume of said interior cavity, wherein the sum of the volumes of said separate chambers is at least approximately equal to said fixed maximum volume.

2. The carrying bag of claim 1 wherein said dividing member is fixed permanently to said interior surfaces.

3. The carrying bag of claim 1 wherein said dividing member is constructed from material which prevents moisture from transfering from one of said chambers to another of said chambers.

4. The carrying bag of claim 1 wherein said dividing member is constructed from material which prevents odor from transfering from one of said chambers to another of said chambers when the pressure differential between said separate chambers is substantially zero.

5. The carrying bag of claim 1 wherein said walls comprise two end walls connected by a side wall to form a cylindrically shaped interior cavity, and wherein said dividing member is attached at about the midline of said cylindrically shaped interior cavity.

6. The carrying bag of claim 1 wherein both said first section and said perimeter section are flexible.

7. The carrying bag of claim 5 or 6 wherein said dividing member is trough-shaped to conform to each half of said cylindrically shaped interior cavity.