Garment bag

• US 6,076,666 A
• Filed: 10/08/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toni M. Santa-Maria
• Original Assignee: Toni M. Santa-Maria
• Inventors: Santa-Maria, Toni M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Reoll A.
• Application Number:
  US09/168,253
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 190/1, 190/115, 190/39, 190/107, 190/18 A, 190/109, 206/282, 206/286, 206/288, 206/289, 206/292, 206/287, 206/287.1, 206/290, 206/291, 383/22, 383/23
• US Class Current: 206/287.1
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 3/004 Foldable garment carrier bags
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 5/14 with built-in rolling means

Abstract

A garment bag that folds into a suitcase with hanger retainers at each end and with a front and a back with the two halves of the front opposing one another when folded into a suitcase and with each half being rotatable 180 degrees so that the two halves of the back oppose one another permitting clothes on both hanger retainers to hand down and be readily selected from the garment bag when the garment bag is hung from both ends with both front halves exposed.

Claims

1. A garment bag for carrying long garments hung within the garment bag from both ends of the garment bag and which garment bag can be folded together in one direction to carry the garment bag and which can be folded in the opposite direction to hang the garment bag permitting the clothing hung at both ends of the garment bag to hang down, said garment bag comprising:

a compartment having an inside and an outside with a back and two sides and two ends and a front, the back and front being generally rectangular, the sides being longer than the ends, the back, sides and ends being closed, the compartment having two end sections and a mid section between the two end sections, the mid section being flexible;

a pair of hanger retainers, one located on each of the ends on the inside of the compartment;

closing means for securing together the end sections with the two front sections adjacent each other, the back being folded at the midsection;

means outside the compartment secured to the ends for hanging the compartment; and

handle means affixed to the outside of the compartment at the midsection.

2. A garment bag according to claim 1 wherein the back of the compartment has a rectangular shape with rounded corners.

3. A garment bag according to claim 1 wherein the sides of the compartment are longer than the ends.

4. A garment bag according to claim 1 wherein the closing means is a zipper.

5. A garment bag for carrying long garments hung within the garment bag from both ends of the garment bag and which garment bag can be folded together in one direction to carry the garment bag and which can be folded in the opposite direction to hang the garment bag permitting the clothing hung at both ends of the garment bag to hang down, said garment bag comprising:

a back panel having a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners and having an edge extending about it, the back panel having two end sections and a midsection located between the two end sections, each of the two end sections having substantially the same size and shape and the midsection being flexible;

a pair of side panels, each side panel having a back edge and a front edge, the back edge being secured to the edge of the back panel;

a pair of end panels, the side panels being longer than the end panels, each side panel having a slot extending through it from the front edge to the rear edge substantially midway between the two end panels, the side panels being flexible about the slot, the back panel, end panels and side panels forming an enclosure, the end panels being connected to the side panels;

a pair of hanger retainers, one located generally centrally on each of the end panels within the enclosure;

means for closing the enclosure mounted on the front edges of the side panels;

closing means for securing together the two end panels with the back panel folded at the midsection and with each of the two side panels folded together about the slot;

hook means located on each end section opposite from the hanger retainers for hanging on a bar when the end sections are folded about the midsection of the back section with the two end sections of the back panel adjacent one another; and

handle means secured to the midsection.

6. A garment bag according to claim 5 wherein the means for closing the enclosure includes overlapping flaps.

7. A garment bag according to claim 5 wherein the closing means is a zipper.

8. A garment bag for carrying long garments hung within the garment bag from both ends of the garment bag and which garment bag can be folded together in one direction to carry the garment bag and which can be folded in the opposite direction to hang the garment bag permitting the clothing hung at both ends of the garment bag to hang down, said garment bag comprising:

a back panel having a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners and having an edge extending about it, the back panel having two end sections and a midsection located between the end sections, each end section having substantially the same size and shape and the midsection being flexible;

a pair of side panels, each side panel having a back edge and a front edge, the back edge being secured to the edge of the back panel;

a pair of end panels, the side panels being longer than the end panels, each side panel having a slot extending through it from the front edge to the rear edge substantially midway between the two end panels, the side panels being flexible about the slot, the back panel, end panels and side panels forming a compartment, the end panels being connected to the side panels;

a pair of hanger retainers, one located generally centrally on each of the end panels within the compartment;

one pair of flaps mounted on the front edge of both side edges over one end section and another pair of flaps mounted on the front edge of both side edges over the other end section to close partially the compartment;

means for securing each pair of flaps together;

a zipper means having two interlocking half sections, one interlocking half section extending along one slot about the front edge of the side panel and end panel and about the front edge of the other side panel and along one slot within one end section and the other interlocking half section extending along one slot about the front edge of one side panel and end panel and about the front edge of the other side panel and along the slot within the other end section, the two interlocking half sections of the zipper means being adjacent one another with the back panel folded at the midsection and with the front edges of the side panels and end panel adjacent front edges of the side panels and end panel of the other end section;

hook means located on each end section opposite from the hanger retainers for hanging on a bar when the end sections are folded about the midsection of the back section with the two end sections of the back panel adjacent one another; and

handle means secured to the midsection.