BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pouches and other containers are used by professionals, students and others for storing various items, such as pens, pencils, calculators, personal organizers, cell phones and other school and business supplies. Binders or portfolios, such as three-ring binders, are typically used for storing loose leaf papers and other school supplies. Accordingly, a pouch that can be, coupled to a binder or portfolio enables a user to utilize the benefits of the pouch and binder simultaneously. Such a pouch is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No.

4,961,596, hereby incorporated by reference. However, the pouch disclosed in that patent is not easily modified to be used separately from the binder (i. e., in"standalone" mode). Accordingly, there is a need for a pouch that can be detached from the associated binder or portfolio and used as a"stand-alone"pouch separate and apart from the binder or portfolio.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a pouch that can be attached to a portfolio, yet can be modified to be used as a stand-alone pouch. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is a pouch for attachment to a portfolio, the pouch comprising a body having an inner cavity and a pair of elastic straps extending from the body. The straps are attachable to each other and located to fit around a portfolio to couple the body to the portfolio. The pouch further includes a cover located on the body and forming a cover cavity between the cover and the body, wherein the straps can be received in the cover cavity when the straps are not in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the pouch of the present invention, shown attached to a binder; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pouch and binder of Fig. 1, illustrating the pouch in its open position; Fig. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the pouch of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the pouch of Fig. 3, with the straps of the pouch received under the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As shown in Fig. 1, the pouch 10 of the present invention includes a body 12 having an outer surface 14 and a pair of elongated sides 16,18. The pouch 10 is preferably made from a fabric material. The body 12 includes a top portion 20 and a bottom portion 22 that are connected together by a hinge 24 and a releasable fastening component 26, such as a zipper or a hook and loop fastener (such as VELCRO). The fastening component 26 extends substantially around the perimeter of the body 12, and the hinge 24 extends along side 18 such that the top portion 20 can be fully opened relative to the bottom portion 22 (Fig. 2). The top portion 20 and the bottom portion 22 preferably have approximately the same shape, such that when the pouch 10 is moved to its open position, a user is provided full access to the inner cavity 30 of the pouch 10.

The pouch 10 includes a pair of elastic straps 32,34, each strap extending from an opposite end of the body 12. The straps 32,34 are preferably made of a stretchable, generally elastic material, and the straps 32,34 are shaped and located to fit around the cover 36 of a binder or portfolio 38 to attach the pouch 10 to the binder or portfolio. The straps 32,34 are attachable to each other, and preferably include a hook and loop fastening element 35,37 (such as VELCROO) located on the distal end of each strap (see Fig. 3). In this manner, each strap 32,34 can fit around an edge 40,42 of the cover 36 of the binder or portfolio 38 and attach to each other, thereby coupling the pouch 10 to the portfolio 34. In a preferred embodiment, the pouch 10 includes a pocket 44 located on the top portion 20 (Fig.. 1), as well as a pocket 46 located in the inner cavity 30 (Fig. 2).

Further preferably, the pouch 10 includes a pair of pencil loops 48 for receiving writing instruments therein, as well as a loop 50 which provides a surface for a user to grip and carry the pouch 10 or for receiving other hooks such as on a backpack or locker.

As shown in Figs. 3-4, the pouch 10 includes a cover 54 located on the bottom portion 22 of the body 12. The cover 54 is preferably a generally flat piece of material attached to and extending between the two elongated sides 16,18 of the body 12 to cover more than one-half of the surface area of the bottom portion 22. The edges 61,63 of the cover 54 are not attached to the bottom portion 22. When the cover 54 is spaced away from the bottom portion 22, the cover 54 defines a cover cavity 60 between the cover 54 and the bottom portion 22, the cover cavity 60 having an upper opening 62 and a lower opening 64.

As shown in Fig. 4, when the pouch 10 is not attached to the binder, the straps 32, 34 can be attached to each other via fastening elements 35,37 and slid below the cover 54 and into the cover cavity 60 such that the straps 32,34 are maintained between the cover 54 and the bottom portion 22. The cover 54 is preferably made of a generally roughened material to provide a non-slip surface when the pouch 10 is used as a stand-alone pouch.

When the pouch 10 is not attached to a binder and is in its configuration shown in Fig. 4, a user may use the pouch 10 in a stand-alone mode, and the pouch may be carried, placed in a pocket, backpack, or carried on top of books and the like. Furthermore, it should be understood that although Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the pouch 10 attached to a binder, the pouch can be coupled to a variety of components without departing from the scope of the invention, including but not limited to portfolios, books, folios, notebooks, report covers, calendars, planners, folders, dividers, pockets and the like.

Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that modifications and variations thereof are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: