US2772713A - Lady's handbag with multiple compartments - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4, 1956 R. KORET 2,772,713

LADYS HANDBAG WITH MULTIPLE COMPARTMENTS Filed June 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Shat 1 INVENTOR .RICHAR D KORE T ATTORNE R. KORET Dec. 4, 1956 LADYS HANDBAG WITH MULTIPLE COMPARTMENTS FiledJune 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.

INVENTOR RICHARD KORET BY nub, w.

ATTORNE;

the bottom compartment closed.

United States Patent LADYS HANDBAG WITH MULTIPLE COMPARTMENTS Richard Koret, Bedford Hills, N. Y., assignor to Koret, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 12, 1956, Serial No. 590,942

7 Claims. (Cl. 150-28) The present invention relates to ladies handbags, and more particularly to an improved handbag having a plurality of selectively usable compartments therein.

As a general rule, ladies handbags are employed for carrying a wide variety of articles,-such as make-up, credit plates, jewelry, change, and the like. Some of these articles, such as change, for example, are used quite frequently, while other articles are used with relative infrequency. The present invention, therefore, seeks to provide an improved handbag in which those articles most frequently used are held in a readily accessible position, while other and less frequently used articles are contained in a separate compartment, out of sight, and in such manner as not to restrict in any way the free accessibility of the more frequently used articles. With respect to the above, the invention provides an improved handbag in which infrequently used articles are contained in a normally closed compartment, below the other articles. The most frequently used articles are held in a normally open compartment in the top part of the bag. The top compartment, while being surrounded by the wall panels of the bag, and thus hidden from normal view, is open at the top, so that free access may be had thereto at all times. The lower compartment, on the other hand, is normally closed off, and is not opened when removing articles from the upper compartment. In this manner, the less frequently used articles, in the lower compartment, do not interfere in any way with the free removal of the more frequently used articles. Moreover, the less frequently used articles need not even be exposed when other articles are removed.

The present invention furtherprovides a novel handbag having the advantageous features mentioned above, in which the functional features are'combined in such manner to impart a stylish and pleasing outward appearance to the bag.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the new handbag;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of-the handbag of Fig 1, illustrating details of the bottom compartment closing means;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the new handbag with the bottom compartment open; a

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the new handbag, with the bottom compartment closed, and with a'sidepanel thereof bent outwardly'to expose details of the top compartment; and 1 Fig. 5 is an end'elevation of the new handbag with 2,772,713 Patented Dec. 4, 1956 2panels 10, 11 are connected together byend wall panels 12, 13 and abottom wall panel 14. In the preferred and illustrated form of the invention, the end and bottom wall panels 12-14 may be formed of two similar pieces of materialjoined together at the center of the bottom wall. However, the various panels 1214 will be referred to herein as separate and independent elements of the combination. p

As shown in Fig. 3, the bottom portions of theend wall panels 12, 13 are of substantially the same width as thebottom wall panel 14. However, the upper portions of theend panels 12, 13 flare outwardly, so that the end panels are somewhat wider at the top than at the bot-tom. The end and bottom panels are joined with theside wall panels 10, 11 along corner seams, formed in any suitable manner.Suitable piping 15, or other decorative trim, may be secured at these seams, if desired.

'As shown in Fig. 3, theend wall panels 12, 13 are provided withpermanent creases 16, which extend vertically along the center lines of the panels, from the upper edges thereof to points spaced above thebottom panel 14. Thecreases 16 are so formed that the upper portions of the end panels tend to fold inwardly when the oppositeside wall panels 19, 11 are pressed toward each other. In this respect, theend wall panels 12, 13 form gussets, which permit theside wall panels 10, 11 to be pressed together, in a substantially fiat condition, or separated to full width of the end panels, as indicated in Fig. 3. When theside wall panels 10, 11 are pressed together, thecreases 16 lie inside the general outlines of the bag, as indicated in Fig. 2.

When the bag is fully opened, a generally rectangular compartment or receptacle is formed in the lower portion thereof, while a second compartment is formed in the upper portion of the bag. 1 v In accordance with the teachings of the invention, the lower compartment may be closed off, while leaving the upper compartment exposed and freely accessible. To this end, the new handbag includes means to hold the oppositeside wall panels 16, 11 together at their midsection. In the illustrated form of the invention, pairs ofsnap fasteners 17, 18 are provided at opposite sides of thesidewall panels 10, 11 facing outwardly substan tially in the manner indicated in Fig. 2. Thefasteners 17, 18 are preferably the female elements of complete pairs of fasteners. Themale elements 17, 18' of the pairs are secured at the ends of short straps or'cinchers 19, 20, which may be formed of material similar to that with which the bag generally is formed, or may be made of a contrasting material, where desired. The

'straps 19, 20 are of such length that, when the male Referring now to the drawings, the numerals designate, generally, opposite side wall panelsof thehandat the bottom than at the top, howeven' The' sid e wall fastener elements thereof are engaged with thefemale fastener elements 17, 18 on the bag, theside wall panels 10, 11 are drawn and held close together. This substantiallycloses o'if the lower compartment of the bag ,as will'be readily apparent upon comparison of Figs. 3 and 5.

It is an important feature of the invention that thestraps 19,.20 engage thesidewall panels 19, 11 around the midi-portion or waist of the bag, while the upper por-- tions of the side wall panels remain free. The closed or cinched waist ofthe bag thereby defines the bottom of the upper compartment, which is open at the 'top and therefore freely accessible at all times.

As" shown Fig. 5 when the cinchcrstraps 19,120 are provide for the normal divergence of the upper portions of 'the side wall panels, the panels are formed of two sections of material joined together alonghorizontal seams 21. As shown in Fig. l, for example, thepanel 10 comprises upper and lower sections ltla, 1011 which are secured in overlapping relation and secured byseams 2i and 22. This imparts additional strength or body to the waist portion of the bag, to improve the cinching thereof by thestraps 19, 20.

As shown in Fig. 4, one of the upper side wall portions 1011 has apocket 23 therein, closed at the top by ahorizontal zipper 24. In this respect, it will be understood that the panel 10a, as well as the other panels described herein, may be formed of several layers of material including, for example, a body fabric, an inner lining, and an outer or cover fabric. Thepocket 23, therefore, may be formed between the body fabric and inner lining of the panel 10a, and the pocket itself may be defined by addition-al layers of material. The actual construction of the pocket, per se, is not part of the present invention and will, therefore, not be described in detail. The location of thepocket 23 is, however, of importance, and in the illustrated bag thezipper 24 at the top of the pocket is located in the upper compartment of the bag, a short distance below the upper edge of the panel llia and parallel therewith.

On the opposite panel Ida, constituting the upper portion of the side wall panel ll, is secured a change-purse 25, which may be of a conventional type, having pivotedframe members 26 of inverted U-shape forming closure elements. Thepurse 25 is positioned so that the upper portion thereof is located within the upper compartment of the "bag, a short distance below the upper edge of the panel 11a.

The change-purse 25 andZipper pocket 23 are, in accordance with the invention, exposed at all times in the upper compartment of the bag, so that ready access may be had thereto regardless of whether the :cincher strapsare fastened in place. Frequently used articles, such as change, tokens, and the like, may, therefore, be conveniently carried in thepocket 23 orpurse 25, while other articles may be carried in the lower compartment of the bag. In this respect, however, it will be understood that thepockets 23 and 25 are merely exemplary, and other combinations or arrangements may be employed to hold article in an accessible manner in the upper compartment of the bag.

For carrying the bag, a pair ofloop handles 27, 28 are secured to the upper panels liia, 11a, respectively. Thehandles 27, 28 extend above the top of the bag an appropriate distance, so that they may be conveniently gripped by the hand or slipped over the forearm. The handles 2 7, 28 are advantageously mounted upon the upper panels 1%, 1111, so that these panels tend to close when the bag is carried, while, when the handles are re leased, the panels Ida, 11a assume the divergent positions shown in Fig. 5.

Perhaps, the most important advantage of the new invention is the novel structure whereby separate closed and open compartments are provided by cinching the bag at the waist. Bulky and infrequently used articles may be carried in the normally closed lower compartment, Where they are out of view, as well as out of the way. The more frequently used articles may be carried in a conveniently accessible manner, in either the zipper pocket .23 or change-purse 25, which are exposed at all times in the open upper compartment of the bag.,

When it is desired to reach an article in the lower compartment of the bag, one or both of the cincher straps 19, 2!) may bedisengaged atone end, so that the bag may be fully opened to expose the lower compartment. In a mann r, h ne desi d; e inch srap 19 293, 23 b ent re y rem v a th b g mploy as a general purpose tote bag:

The various features of the new bag, which are adpended claims in determining'thefull scope of the grant.

I claim:

l. A ladys handbag comprising in combination a pair of generally vertical side wall panels, a bottom wall panel joining said side wall panels along their bottom edges, a pair of generally vertical end wall panels joining the side edges of one of said side wall panels with corresponding side edges of the other of said side wall panels and joining with said bottom wall panel, said panels forming a handbag body and defining an opentopped receptacle, said end wall panels being foldable inwardly of said receptacleupon movement of said side wall panels toward :each other, releasable means engaging said side wall panels approximately midway between the top and bottom edges thereof for limiting the separation of said sidewall panels and substantially closing off the bottom portion of said receptacle to form upper and lower compartments therein, at least the upper portions of said side walls being relatively flexible and being separable when said side walls are engaged by said releasable means, and pocket means exposed in said upper compartment.

2. The handbag of claim 1, in which said releasable means comprises flexible means releasably engaging corresponding side vedges of said side wall panels and extending from one side wall panel to the other.

3. The handbag of claim 2, in which said means releasably engaging said side wall panels comprises a pair of flexibl cinch straps at opposite ends of said handbag and adapted to extend around the ends thereof from one side wall to .the other, means to connect one end of each strap to a side wall panel, and releasable fastener means for attaching the other end of each of said straps to an opposite side wall panel, said straps being of such length as to limit the separation of said sid wall panels when said straps are connected at both ends to opposite side 'wall panels.

4. A ladys handbag. comprising in combination a pair of generally vertical side wall panels, a bottom wall panel joining said side. wall panels along their bottom edges, a pair of generally vertical end wall panels of substantially the same width as said bottom wall panel, said end wall panels joining said side-wall panels along their side edges, said panels forming a handbag body and defining an open-top receptacle, releasable means to hold said side wall panels in closely spaced relation at a point approximately midway between the upper .and lower edges thereof to substantially close off the bottom portion of said receptacle and thereby define upper and lower compartments, and carrying handles secured to said side wall panels above said releasable means, said handles tending, When-gripped simultaneously, to close the said upper compartment.

5. The handbag ofclaim 4 further characterized by said releasable means comprising flexible cinch straps engaging corresponding side edge portions of said side wall panels. 7 r

6. The handbag of claim 5 including means securing one end of each of said cinch straps to a side wall panel, and releasable snap fastener means for connecting the other end of each cinch strap to a side wall panel.

7. The handbag ofclaim 4 further including auxiliary pocket meanscarried by one of said side wall panels and exposed in the said upper compartment, said auxiliary pocket means being accessible when said side wall panels are engaged by said releasable means.

References Cited in the file of this patent D. 119,848 D. 154,119 D. 162,845

UNITED STATES PATENTS Lewis Apr. 9, 1940 Gumbrill June 14, 1949 Kohn Apr. 10, 1951 Pichel June 14, 1921 6 Keiser et a1. June 5, 1928 Samstag Apr. 29, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 1, 1923

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