US3307758A

US3307758A - Carrying bag and back rest device

Info

Publication number: US3307758A
Application number: US391643A
Authority: US
Inventors: Benjamin J Platt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-08-24
Filing date: 1964-08-24
Publication date: 1967-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 1984-03-07

Description

March 7, 1967 B. J. PLATT CARRYING BAG AND BACK REST D EVIGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, 1964 INVENTOR. I fifl/JA M A J 4 T7 BY MM March 7, 1967 B.J.PLATT CARRYING BAG AND BACK REST DEVICE Filed Aug. 24, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

mzww yw March 7, 1967 B. J; PLATT CARRYING BAG AND BACK REST DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 24, 1964 INVENTOR TWZW/ r M M p M JMM W r MW Mm m 3,307,758 a i -P t nted Mar x7 1 7 35 1 CARRYINGBAG AND BACK REST 'DEVICE Benjamin J.:Platt,-.1803 N.5thSt.," West 0shtemo" v Township,-Kalamazoo County, Mich; 49001 I I 'This ventio'n jreiates to a combined back rest and carrying bag'fcbnstriiction and 'nioi'e particularly relates to such construction whichinone 'lc'ondit'iori supports the Back of ape'rs'onseated t-hereonfand' in another condition forms a carrying bag ofvaiiablevolurnef A number offprior art constructions are intended for use alternatively as a container for carrying articles and asfai'se tingdevice. i

fHoWeVe-fi; none when toldedfor carrying is substantially filled byjparts necess ry ffonits use as a back' 'r est'and, ,hence tlittle o rino roo n is left 'jforl carrying articles}! Other rigid walled de i vices generally define containers o fixedvoluniewhkh re -I 1 n satisfaetor'y Ito fthe a e rage user. wishingf'to carry widely varying volume. ran-ge at ditferenttimes-a devices inay be tool srriall to; accoinmodate a:

"or no loads'at irate i volve'dg, Such d evice s also requir'efekcessive storagelyolume. Many prioraart devices i clude a subst I V I x I 1 a seaflseet'ion; directly to a back ,section aiid covere'd by ajcloth ver.,, The s for" their contents.

tion for increased cqni fortiand. to pre g position.

ap b fof si i b'q the back and hi h ofiq tpe sonn 3 i l s i li ivs 1 p ble f: use: s.

e ted gh ruPQ 1 a carrying bag of va able yolume f hasbee n conipletely 'fs atis v factory. I least one Tc oin'prises a'irigid'wall 'casewhich antia l l y rigidL fratnelworkf htf elongated ele- .E c P o a t a s ve a s a fine a yn t b n 99mas bac lii restsl .Fonegiarnplgno den i i s; ynow whi h t e evat dzpc t the p upa t; from"slidihgiforwardly whenlthe baclg in a comfortable v Furt er how known prior de- '1 s o f fany type read ly allow the occupant tochange, fli f 11-, vsupp tth1 1.

upper portions of back and thigh supportingimemb'ers are norinally connected by *an' 1 elongated 'ele'n'ientnto maintain the angle therebetween substantially constant despiteadjustment ,ofthe inclination of the back member, in which the inclination of the thigh support inember can be adjustedindependently of'the ba'ck 'member if desired and by the seated occupant, and inwhich the means maintain-j ingia fixed angle between the body and thighsupport members-locks more tightly ini the presence ofthe weight of-the occupanti (5.)z-To provide a device, as aforesaid which' provides' aaclean 'dry surface 'on vvhich to; sit, which surface may" becushioned; which preventscold drjaftson the back of the occupant, which flexes slightlyi-to conform: tothe contours of -the occupant to increase the co'm'foi't of the 1 deviceg-whichinay-be" used on a wide variety of support ing surfaces ranging from single plank type stadium seats to "beach "sand; ground or snow 'without modification and which =wl1en' provide'd vvith a cushion'etl' s'eatportion is particularly adapted to use in snow or-on-otherwise unhospitable surfaces) J of -fo1'finin'g a carrying bag thavingaa pair of of -opposed, substantiallyrigid walls comprising saidback. andathigh':v support niembers which cooperate ,with a a web connected:

" ill to the bottom edgesf thereof: and ya flexible sheet aflixed;

tofphethereof to define-a voluminous; self-cleaning carry-v. ing bag having a large fiatflbottornrandain. which said walls are movabiejtogether;toclcsely sandwich a l'oad' fort pro f tecting theglqad; from crnshing orybreakin'g and; so that;

thei carryingt ba'grneedf-not be ;;substantially thicker.- thanthe-load canrieditherebym H t 3 (Di f-oi providexga:devicey;as-aforesaid;: in:. which said' elongated? element may; be yadji'lstedk-foruuse as t a han grip',:'for,scarrying Ithedevicetas aishoulder ba gor k'nap sackand hangingathe device ion a ivvallflhookand'whichand; widely available materials; whichfisinianufactu' back dfith occupant in cp rnfo tablyinclinedjpositionand;

a noiti t ais d 0 the occupa off the seat duefto theinclination of ,theback' thereof.

( 4) To provide {is (which thethe device spaced from-the backithereof is port the thighs of; the occupant to maintain. U htfs ignees ina comfortable raisedand partially bent f condition and to prevent :ihfi occupant from sliding i cross-sectionalview substantially as taken on ithe" li'n s ba-g'andffor use as an extension 'of the thigh-support men;

bentofpnotect :the- -l'e'gs o'f the-user fror'n sand,- dirt citthef like when device i'sused'as a badbrest.

(9) To provide a device, uas atoresaid, which may be constructed of any of a variety of relatively inexpensive in} large numbe s or individually "at flow st, i wh h iscapziblebiff v1 w a'frelative'ly long 1 a; d

H '4 a J for useflasuavcarrying bag1 ort knap sack foria;relativelyiargedoad.i t1. :1 FIGURE 4 ;is an: enlarged rear elevational view of the deviQe of FIGURES. FIGURE 5 misjl an; enlarged; 1 partially: broken centr' vv ofFIGURE 4x9 1 it I FIQURE is afpaftially broken/front elevational view of the device ofFIGURE the cov'er 's heet removed il'l FIGURE 7 is a partially broken, top view of the device of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken on the line XX of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 11 is an oblique view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a modification.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. The Words upwardly, downwardly, rightwardly and leftwardly will designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words front and rear will refer to directions taken with respect to the normal position of a person seated in the device embodying the invention such directions being to the right and left, respectively seen in FIGURES 2 and 5. The words inwardly and outwardly will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

General description In general, the combined back rest and carrying bag embodying the invention comprises a back member and a thigh support member hingedly affixed at longitudinally spaced locations to an intermediate seat portion which may be a fabric web. An adjustable back brace is hinged to the back member for supporting same at a variable inclination on a supporting surface such as the ground. The ends of a rope are adjustably fixed by jambing grommets to the upper side edges of the thigh support member, the rope extending through openings in the upper side edges of the back member and around the back thereof for determining the angle between the back and thigh support member. Thus, the back and thighs of a person seated on the web are supported in a comfortable inclined position by the back and thigh support members, respectively. The side edges of a rectangular bag sheet are affixed to the side edges of the back member, the midportion of the bag sheet being movable away from the back member to define a chamber therewith, and with said web, for carrying articles. The portion of the rope behind the back member may be used as a carrying handle for carrying the device as a carrying bag.

Detailed description The device 10 (FIGURES 1 and embodying the invention basically comprises a substantially rectangular back member or panel 12 and a longitudinal aligned thigh support member or panel 13 of preferably similar width afiixed to and separated by a seat element a panel 14. The

members

12 and 13 are pivotable with respect to each other along their opposed edges and with respect to the seat element H. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, the seat ele ment 14 comprises the intermediate portion of an elongated flexible web 11 which extends substantially throughout the longitudinal extent of the

members

12 and 13. The web 11 is preferably of medium weight canvas but other materials including flexible plastic sheeting or other fabrics may be used if desired.

The upper edge 16 (FIGURE 1) of the back member 12 is preferably convexly curved as are the concave lower edge 17 and convex upper edge 18 of the thigh support member 13. The nesting curves of the

edges

17 and 18 allow members to be sequentially cut from a piece of material with minimum waste while providing a pleasing appearance. If desired, the

edges

16, 17 and 18 may be straight. The back and thigh support

members

12 and 13 are preferably constructed of a substantially rigid and relatively light weight material capable of limited resilient flexure. Although the present embodiment uses 4; inch thick plywood, other materials such as cardboard or plastic panels or the like might be used if desired. The web 11 includes side flaps 19 which fold over the side edges of the

members

12 and 13 and a similar end flap 21 which folds over the upper end of the back member 12. The web 11 including the

flaps

19 and 21, is in the embodiment of FIGURE 1, attached to the back and thigh support

members

12 and 13 by a suitable adhesive of any convenient type although other fastenings including stitching, staples, rivets or the like may be used if desire-d.

A pad 22 (FIGURE 2) may be disposed upon the seat portion 14- and may be afiixed thereto by any convenient means such as adhesives. In the particular embodiment shown, the pad 22 comprises a slab of relatively dense resilient material such as foam rubber.

The side edges of a flexible rectangular bag sheet 27 are afiixed to the back member 12 adjacent the sideward edges thereof and are preferably covered by the flaps 19.

The bag sheet 27 is preferably of the same material as k the web 11. The bag sheet 27 is wider than the back member 12 approximately by twice the longitudinal extent of the seat portion 14. The bag sheet 27 extends from the bottom edge of the back member 12 upwardly almost to the upper edge 16 thereof. The upper and lower edges 28 and 29 of the bag sheet 27 are freely movable so that the bag sheet 27 may be folded flat against the back member 12 as shown in FIGURE 1 or may be freely pulled forwardly away from the back member 12 (FIGURES 3, 5 and 7) to define therewith and with the seat portion 14 a chamber 3-1 of large maximum volume (1800 cubic inches in the embodiment shown) for receiving articles to be carried. The forward portion of the bag sheet 27 is normally reinforced, when the device 10 is used for carrying, by the thigh support member 13 as indicated in FIGURE 5 and hereinafter discussed, the

members

12 and 13 acting to shield and protect articles placed in the chamber 31.

A pair of circular grommets 32 reinforce openings through the back member 12 near the upper corners thereof. A pair of jamb grommets 33 define a substantially key hole shaped opening through each of the upper corners of the thigh support member 13. The narrowed ends of the jamb grommets 33 are preferably opposed as in FIG- URE 6.

The midportion 37 (FIGURE 2) of an elongated flexible element, here a rope 36 normally lies, when the device 10 is arranged as a back rest as shown in FIGURE 1, behind the back member 12 between the grommets 32. The legs 34 of the rope 36 extend from the midportion 37 forwardly through the grommets 3-2 and through the enlarged portion of the corresponding jamb grommets 33. The transverse portions 35 of the rope 36 emerging from the jamb grommets 33 then cross the width of the forward or under face of the thigh support member 13 to pass upwardly or rearwardly through the narrow portion of the jamb grommets 33 on the opposite side. The ends 39 of the rope 36 are preferably terminated in knots 38 or by other enlargement means such as suitable clips, not shown, or the like to prevent inadvertent removal thereof from the jamb grommets 33 should said ends slip from the narrow portion of said jamb grommets into the wide portion thereof. It will be noted that tensioning of the rope 36 due, for example, to the weight of a person seated in the device 10 in its orientation of FIGURE 1, will cause the legs 34 of the rope 36 in the large part of the jamb grommets 33 to move toward the narrow portions thereof, thereby tightly Wedging or jambing the rope ends 39 into said narrow portions to fix the ends 39 with respect to the thigh support member 13 independently of the knots 38. The jambed ends 39 are released by outward movement thereof toward the wide part of the jamb grommets 33. Thus, the effective length of rope 36 between the jamb grommets 33 may be adjusted and looked between such adjustments to furnish the angle or distance between the

members

12 and 13 desired.

upper end of a vertically elongated and preferably upwardly eorivergently tapered back brace 41 is hinged on' mthetbackfac'e of "the ba'ck niernber 12 adjacent its upper end and extends snbstaritially'to'the bottom edge of theba'kbf theknein-ber 12" to form a cloth hin e 46. In

the particular embodiment shown, the upperportion 44a of the cloth 44 is double folded arid ablock 45- of preferably sirnilar inaterial and widthftofthe'back brace 41, is inserted intosaid' folded portion 44a. A plurality, here t r eia r i of th" cljoth 44 aridth'blobkflfi between the member 12 "(FIGURE 8');v The plate 4? includes a g'flaiiges fitl"foireceiving' a name tag or andfolded portion '44q abut v ac /41 -1 r ve mp (FIGURES iriover'rient thereof withres-pect to .the back member 12, If desired, the upper portion 444; may; be folded alesser ri um ber 'pf times where. a relatively thick block 45 is used. Alterri'ately. the-block 45; maybe omitted where the fabric of; the upper portion 44av when folded approaches :thefth" jss off the brace 4Lso-as; to adei li xlo es d ha ssi fli-w v n I y mmeted e'xtendthrough the cloth cover 44 a ong theverticahceiite'rline thereof, .A paipof gromd fi t qles- Ib t W sorn rsx -tt awmWar Z e ns similar cornerslof .the back brace 41.

L .ar i/Zth uf h hc mm 51 (FIGURE, 4) and SZ toward the rnidportion :56; of. said co'rdwhih carries a "hook 57." 1 hehook-may be inserted into a selected; one of the holes 4-7 to regulate the lengthof h 3, 'dfhe' e,,betweenthe backbrace 41 back r n tuber; Whenthedeviceltl -is arranged 'aek t GURE ,1). thahqq fii is. norma y i no rizjero angle b etween the-brace 41 lehqQkfiTis ner y. P in a I the ho lres 47: when the device 10is arranged y g bagXFIGURE Q) so that the .,-brace:.41 is "ld' closel'y againstthe, hackmember 12.;- "is t61 w lbf 11 ,adiwnt i itfiwarisd q pr f r y y sewing- Thecover shee t'6 1 is long enough to pass rearwardly'over and cover the chamber 3 1. at its tmaximumvolume' substantially as shownin FIGURE 5.;"Ih6;COV6I"Sh6tr,61.iS narrowi enough to] pass snugly but without wrinkling q elegs of therope 36near the grommets 3 2mA hook s :fixed to the free end of the cover sheet 61 preferab y a resilient thong :The' hook.62;is engagea'ble' with a selected .one of t hemholes 47 toaresiliently tensionand maintain the. cover sheet 61 over the. mouthof lfidQSlIfeQ-QJIOQCII topped pocket66 (FIGURE 5.) may be anchored along its side and bottomzedges to the forward wall o f the back member 12.1, Since the'pocket 66.1ies in part ,over the slot .43 in theflbaekmember .12,: said pocket is preferably provided with a back wall 67 to prevent lqss of small .articles .ftherefrom.

t Operation i When used 55a back rest, the device 10 beiused in two ways. In one way it is arrangedgs in FIGURE 1 upon a supporting surface, forexamplqthe ground. The e s t a e 413 f vl t da ax aw WFJME 12 .48fsa-ndwich the folded' upper end 44a i thighs fromthe member, 13 and pulls outwardly on.the

' changed.

by the eifecti ve'lengthlof the rope. 36, and by the slope of the backmem'ber' 12. I The back of a person seated on the portion' l4. is supported by thenorrnally inclined back member 12 and the thigh support member 13 supports the'thighsjof the occupant to assist in maintaining the knees of said occ'u'pant in'a cornfortableelevated position; the feetof the occup antextending forwardly there fromh Thel normal inclinedor upstanding position of the member. 13 also" positively prevents the. occupant from. sliding forwardly Off the device 10 or appreciably away fr om the bottom edge of the back member 12. as might otherwise be caused'by the inclination ofthe back member 12. The weight of the occupant on thernembers 12Tai1dj13 tensions the rope: 315. vt-Jo. cause said membersto resiliently band around the occupant tofsome ext entwhich increases the icomrsn'of [the devicelQ as a backrest. Thus the mem bersIIZ and fl3 together with theportiqns of the rope 36 extending therebe tween tend to. form' -a bucket like enclosure which holds the occupant withgreat stability and"substantially without effort on the part of the occupant in"a;comfortableIsitting'positionfl H The :Qccupantmay adjust the'sl pe of theback mem out le aving; the devicev 10. simply by reaching 111016547; and thereafterfurging the back. brace 141reiarlwhen to insure I that itfis in. vits rearwardmost position allowed by the repositioned hook'57. 'The thigh support member 13 tends to follow the member llquite. closely a s the inclination offthe. latter is .changed to maintain.

.. the included an le, between. the

members

12 and 13 indicated a t A imEIGUREQZ at least approximately constant despite, changes in inclination of the .back member 12;.

both thel comfort and the stability ofitheoccupant e ma at ina ithq itsepa ate adjustment to the m mer- 13. g s; the tf aa nv e ab k m m r s.

u inclinationiglofi R member '13 ma be a ar;

adjusted, by ;the occupant ,while' seated 7 without I adjust ment of the inclination of the rn ember. 12.. The. occupant preferably -rernoves at least someofi-th e weightof. his

ends 39.01:; therope 36 tomove same at-least partiallyout of the narrowportions of the jambgrommets33 thereby unlocking the ends 39. Thereafter, an .upward; and outward pull on the ends 3d. raises the merrrbenfi to :a more, vertical position andconversely; a downward force on. the, upper..edge ofthe member 13 reclines same. .Moye-- m n of t w sfii ,W I h.0 h Wh exe in a. simultaneous downward force on the member '13 relo cks the rope ends 39 in a new position. in they jarnb groinn ets33.

benefito f theback bra ce41.- In a stadium, for example, where a bleacher typeseat Quld provide no bearing for the backbrace; the latter may be left in the FIGURES position and b ac k support will .normally. be provided by,

weight of the thighs. on the support member 13 which pulls ,the back member 12 forwardly against the backjof the occupants The angle -A between the members 12 and,

13 is adjustable as described above. 1

icelitimay also be us edaas a baek rest without:

the

members

12 and 13 to bring said members into the substantially spaced, upstanding condition of FIGURE 5. The midportion of the bag sheet 27 may now be pulled forwardly away from the member 12 and toward its position of FIGURE so that articles to be carried may be placed within the chamber 31. Thereafter, the cover sheet 61 may be placed over the chamber31 and fastened by means of the hook 62 into one of the holes 47 in the back brace 41. The upwardly pulled midportion 37 of the rope 36, with the knots 38 abutting the grommets 33 will be long enough to be used as a shoulder strap or to be placed *behind the neck and in front of the shoulders of the user for carrying the device 10 as a knap sack. The midportion 37 may be shortened for use as a hand grip or handle by unlocking the rope ends 39 from the jamb grommets 33, axially adjusting said ends with respect to said grommets 33 and finally relocking said ends in said jamb grommets. Alternatively, the rope ends 39 may be left undisturbed in the jamb grommets 33 and the two portions of rope 36 passing forward of the support member 13 may be seized at their midpoints and drawn up until they lie next to the midportion 37 whereby all three may be grasped or hung on a hook. The

members

12 and 13 tend to move toward each other and curve around and snugly surround the load in the chamber 31 when the rope 36 is tensioned by an upward pull on the rope midportion 37. For thinner loads or when the chamber 31 is empty, the member 13 is moved upwardly as a whole with respect to, as well as, toward the member 12 upward urging of the rope midportion 37 acting to make the device thinner. In such flat condition, the device 10 may be readily stored in a small space. The chamber 31 may, if desired, be loaded substantially as above described but with the back member 12 braced nearly vertically by the back brace 41 whereby the device 10 stands up without manual support during loading or unloading.

The

grommets

33 and 32 are positioned so that an upward pull on the rope midportion 37 tends to move the upper end of the member 13 toward the upper end of the member 12. Thus, if only the bottom portion of the chamber 31 is filled, the upper edge of the member 13 moves inwardly while its lower edge stays spaced from the member 12 so that the member 13 at least partially covers the load in the chamber 31 thus allowing the cover sheet 61 to be omitted -or left open.

If desired, a liner, not shown, may be provided for continuously covering the upper faces (FIGURE 1) of the member 12, the pad 22 and the member 13. In such case the back sheet 67 of the pocket 66 may be omitted and the front sheet thereof is attached along its bottom and side edges to the face of the liner. It is also contemplated that the web 11 and such liner may together comprise a fabric tube, into an open end of which the member 12, pad 22 and member 13- may he slid, whereafter closure of the tube ends, as by sewing, and thereafter addition of the

grommets

32 and 33 fixes the

members

12 and 13 within the tube, the pad 22, if included, being fixed in said tube by any convenient means, such as adhesives.

Although the above discussion has been primarily di rected toward a preferred embodiment of the device 10, constructed for long life and for a pleasing appearance, at least the broader aspects of the invention might be carried out by a device such as seen in FIGURE 11, of less expensive materials and simplified construction for use as a throwaway to be discarded after a single or limited use. Turning to FIGURE 2, such a throwaway device might be constructed for example by making the back member 12, the seat element 14 and the support member 13 from a piece of cardboard creased and folded at the lines of separation between the

parts

12, 13 and 14. An inexpensive grade of heavy twine might be used for the elongated element 36. The pad 22, cover 61 and, for stadium use, the back brace 41 with its cord 8 53 might be eliminated. Even the bag sheet 27 might be eliminated although this would seriously degrade the ability of the device 10 to act as a carrying device except perhaps for single relatively large boxes or thin objects such as papers taken a few at a time.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed. above for illustrative purposes, it will be noted that variations or modifications thereof which come within the scope of the appended claims are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is: s

1. In a new article of manufacture adapted to form a back rest, the combination comprising:

afirst panel;

a second panel secured to said first panel and pivotable with respect thereto;

a third panel secured to said first panel and pivotable with respect thereto into divergence with said second panel, said second panel and third panel being spaced from each other by said first panel;

flexible tension elements connected between said second panel and third panel at points thereon adjacent the side edges thereof, said elements limiting the divergence of said second and third panels;

whereby a transverse pull on said elongated element will move said second and third panels toward each other.

2. In a combined back rest and carrying bag con struction, the combination comprising:

a flexible web;

a panel-like back member secured to said web;

a panel-like support member secured to said web, said back member and support member each having a bottom edge, said bottom edges being opposed to and spaced from each other;

an elongated flexible element connecting said back member and support member at points thereon spaced from said bottom edges for normally causing said back and support members to slope up wardly from said bottom edges, said elongated element being adjustable for varying the angle defined between said members;

a bag sheet of width greater than said back member and having side edges affixed adjacent the side edges of said back member, the midportion of said bag sheet being alternatively capable of being folded against said back member or being separated therefrom to define therewith and with said web a chamber for receiving articles to be carried;

whereby said back and support members may be used to support the back and thighs respectively of a person seated on said web and alternatively may be used to house a load in said chamber for carrymg.

3. The device defined in claim 2 wherein:

said back member has a pair of openings in the side edges thereof adjacent the top edge thereof;

said support member has a pair of substantially keyhole shaped jamb grommets in the side edges thereof adjacent the top edge thereof, the narrow portions of said jamb grommets being opposed;

said flexible element comprises a rope having an end portion in the narrow part of each jamb grommet, said rope ends running from said jamb grommets along the sides of the device, into the corresponding to for supporting said back member in an inclined condition with respect to a supporting surface;

a plurality of openings through said back brace;

a cord anchored to said back member adjacent the lower end thereof and passing through at least one of said openings in said back brace adjacent the lower end thereof;

a hook connected to said cord and alternatively engageable with one of the remaining openings in said back brace for limiting pivotal movement of said back brace away from said back member; 9

a cover sheet extending from the upper end of said support member for covering said chamber when said device is used as a carrying bag and a hook on the end of said cover sheet for engaging another of said holes in said back brace to hold said cover sheet in place.

5. The device defined in claim 2 wherein said web continuously covers at least one side of said back and support members and is made of fabric; and

said back support members and said back brace are of thin plywood, said back and support members being flexible at least across their width dimensions for bending around a person or load located therebetween on said web, said back member having a slot extending from the middle lower edge thereof to assist such flexibility.

6. The device defined in claim 1 in which said flexible elements are part of a single loop having one reach extending across the back of said second panel and a further reach extending across the front of said third panel, said flexible elments being disposed on opposite sides of the article and spaced from said first panel for connecting the corresponding ends of said one and further reaches to limit the divergence of said second and third panels.

7. The device defined in claim 1 in which at least said second and third panels are of substantially rigid material which resists bending at least longitudinally of the article for supporting the back and thighs, respectively, of a person seated on said first panel, the inclined third panel preventing said person from sliding forward off said device even when said second panel is at an obtuse angle to said first panel.

8. The device defined in claim 1 in which said first panel includes opposed edge portions integral therewith which are flexible and pivotally connect said second and third panels to said first panel.

9. The device defined in claim 1 in which said first panel comprises a single and continuous piece.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 155,739 10/ 1874 McAdams 297380 380,416 4/ 1888 Ames 224-47 1,140,997 5/ 1915 Minehart -8 1,625,106 4/ 1927 Sullivan 297-380 2,107,880 2/1938 Wilsdorf 297-380 2,816,599 12/1957 Adams 190-8 FOREIGN PATENTS 839,252 5/ 1952 Germany. 38,330 2/1915 Sweden.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

J. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

2. IN A COMBINED BACK REST AND CARRYING BAG CONSTRUCTION, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A FLEXIBLE WEB; A PANEL-LIKE BACK MEMBER SECURED TO SAID WEB; A PANEL-LIKE SUPPORT MEMBER SECURED TO SAID WEB, SAID BACK MEMBER AND SUPPORT MEMBER EACH HAVING A BOTTOM EDGE, SAID BOTTOM EDGES BEING OPPOSED TO AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER; AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE ELEMENT CONNECTING SAID BACK MEMBER AND SUPPORT MEMBER AT POINTS THEREON SPACED FROM SAID BOTTOM EDGES FOR NORMALLY CAUSING SAID BACK AND SUPPORT MEMBERS TO SLOPE UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM EDGES, SAID ELONGATED ELEMENT BEING ADJUSTABLE FOR VARYING THE ANGLE DEFINED BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS;