DESCRIPTION

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of accessories for bags, and more in par ticular relates to a modular handle system for bags that makes it possible to switch from a short handle to a longer handle, for example of the shoulder or cross body type.

State of the art

In general, bags can be provided with a pair of handles on opposite sides of the opening of a bag. The length of the handles can be short, for simply holding the bag in one hand, or long, for“over the shoulder” use.

Other types of bags also use cross-body straps, i.e., particularly long handles that can be used to hang the bag from the shoulder or between the neck and the hip. Often the cross body handle can be removed from the bag, for example by means of special hooks placed at the ends of the cross body handle and on the bag.

Some types of bags have a double handle, one short, and another longer, for the shoulder.

Object and summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to develop a modular handle system for bags that allows the handle to be adapted to personal needs without having to provide two different handles on the bag.

Another important object of the present invention is to produce a modular handle system for bags that is simple to use.

Another important object of the present invention is to produce a modular handle system for bags that is adaptable to any type of bag.

These and other objects, which will be more apparent below, are achieved with a modular handle system for bags, comprising

-a first portion of handle to secure stably to the bag, provided with two ends, an end to be secured to the bag and an opposite first end provided with a first part of quick coupling device;

-a second portion of handle to be secured stably to the bag in a position of the bag spaced from the fastening position of the first portion; this second portion of handle is provided with two ends, one end to be secured to the bag and an opposite second end provided with a second part of quick coupling device, complementary to the first part of quick coupling device to allow coupling between the first and second end;

-a third portion of handle extension provided with two opposite ends, respectively a third end provided with a third part of quick coupling device operatively complemen tary, in terms of coupling, to the first part of quick coupling device, and a fourth end provided with a fourth part of quick coupling device operatively complementary, in terms of coupling, to the second part of quick coupling device;

the system according to the invention has at least two using configurations, a first configuration with a short handle with said first and second portion of handle connected directly to each other through the coupling of said first and second part of quick cou pling device, and a second configuration with a long handle with the ends of said third portion connected directly to said first and second portion by means of coupling of the third and fourth parts of quick coupling device respectively to said first and second part of quick coupling device.

Preferably, the quick coupling device is of the bayonet type.

Preferably, the quick coupling device provides for the coupling of a first part of male type provided with a retaining head, and a second part of female type comprising a slot for receiving said retaining head, provided with a seat for blocking the retaining head; an elastically yielding coupling is present between the head and the seat to allow snap coupling by means of insertion of the head into the slot and subsequent rotation of the head in the slot from a position of insertion in the slot to a position of blocking in the seat, and vice versa.

The slot is provided with a bottom elastically yielding to the thrust of the retain ing head to allow the same head to access the blocking seat; this head is adapted to be inserted into said slot pushing the bottom to allow access to the seat and rotating the same head from a position of insertion in the slot to a position of blocking in said seat.

Preferably, the second part of quick coupling device comprises

-a socket- shaped body

-a disc contained in said socket and translatable therein, defining the bottom of the slot,

-an elastic element interposed between the base of the socket and the disc,

-a bushing reversibly secured, preferably screwed, onto the outside or the inside of the socket, comprising therein an intermediate baffle on which a through slot is pre sent; there is defined on the first face of the slot facing the disc a blocking seat for a re taining head of the first part of quick coupling device; this seat has an orientation trans verse to the slot; the disc is pressed by said elastic element against the first face of the slot in which the blocking seat is defined;

when the retaining head enters the slot, it thrusts the disc toward the base of the socket, releasing the seat, so that a rotation of the second part of quick coupling device carries the retaining head into the seat and the disc once again toward the first face of the slot.

According to preferred embodiments, the first portion of handle and the second portion of handle have

- the same or a substantially similar length, or

- a different length.

Preferably, the first portion (or, respectively, the second portion) of handle corre sponds to a short rigid element comprising said end for securing to the bag and an oppo site end provided with a first part (or, respectively, second part) of quick coupling de vice, so that the portion of handle that can be held by the user is substantially the whole of the second portion of handle (or, respectively, the whole of the first portion of han dle).

Preferably, the end for securing the first or second portion of handle to the bag comprises a fastening body provided with a threaded hole for receiving a threaded ele ment adapted to block with its head a plate adapted to sandwich the upper of the bag be tween said body and said plate.

According to another aspect, the invention also relates to a handle for bags ac cording to a modular system as in one or more of the configurations described above.

According to another aspect, the invention also relates to a bag using a modular handle system according to one or more of the configurations described above.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more appar ent from the description of some preferred but non-exclusive embodiments thereof, il lustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 represents a schematic view of a bag with a handle system according to the invention;

Fig. 2 represents a schematic view of a handle of a system according to the inven tion, in a first configuration;

Fig. 3 represents a schematic view of a portion of handle extension of a system according to the invention;

Fig. 4 represents a schematic view of a handle of a system according to the inven tion, in a second configuration;

Fig. 5 represents a schematic view of a handle of a system according to the inven tion, varying with respect to the preceding figures;

Fig. 6 represents a schematic axonometric view of a quick coupling device of portions of handle of a system according to the invention, with the two coupling parts of the device separate;

Fig. 7 represents a schematic front view of a quick coupling device of portions of handle of a system according to the invention, with the two coupling parts of the device separate, sectioned along the line VII- VII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 represents a schematic front view of the quick coupling device of Fig. 7, with the two coupling parts of the device shown during the step of insertion of one into the other, sectioned along the line VIII- VIII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 represents a schematic front view of the quick coupling device of Fig. 7, with the two coupling parts of the device shown coupled, sectioned along the line VIII- VIII of Fig. 6.

Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention

With reference to the previously cited figures, a bag with a handle system accord ing to the invention is indicated as a whole with the number 100. A handle according to the invention is indicated as a whole with the number 10.

The bag 100 is provided with an outer upper 101 and an opening 102. Two han dles 10 are present on opposite sides of the opening 102.

Each handle 10 comprises a first portion 11 of handle to secure stably to the bag 100, provided with two ends, an end 12 to be secured to the bag 10, by means of a first fastening body 12A, and an opposite first end 13 provided with a first part 14 of a quick coupling device, better described below.

The same handle 10 also comprises a second portion 15 of handle to secure stably to the bag in a position of the bag spaced from the fastening position of the first portion

11.

This second portion of handle 15 is provided with two ends, an end 16 to be se cured to the bag, by means of a second fastening body 16A, and an opposite second end 17 provided with a second part 18 of the aforesaid quick coupling device, complemen tary to the first part 14 of the quick coupling device to allow coupling between the first 13 and the second end 17. Therefore, the quick coupling device is formed by the first part 14 and by the second part 18.

Fig. 2 shows the diagram of a“short” handle, i.e., to carry the bag only by hand. According to the invention it is possible to add to the handle a third portion 19 of han dle, which acts as an“extension” of the short handle, shown in Fig. 3 and in Fig. 4.

This third portion 19 is provided with two opposite ends, respectively a third end 20 provided with a third part 21 of quick coupling device operatively complementary, in terms of coupling, to the first part 14 of quick coupling device, and a fourth end 22 pro vided with a fourth part 23 of quick coupling device operatively complementary, in terms of coupling, to the second part 18 of quick coupling device,

Therefore, the handle system according to the invention, in this example, has two using configurations, a first configuration with a short handle, as in Fig. 2, with the first and second portion of handle 11-15 connected directly to each other through the cou pling of the first and second part of quick coupling device 14-18, and a second configu ration with a long handle, as in Fig. 4, with the ends of the third portion of handle 19 connected directly to the first and second portion 14-18 by means of coupling of the third and fourth parts of quick coupling device 21-23 respectively to the first 14 and second part 18 of quick coupling device. In practice, two quick coupling devices 14-21 and 21-23 are present.

Preferably, the first part 14 and the third part 23 of the fastening devices are sub stantially identical, just as the second part 18 and the fourth part 21.

It is clear that in other configurations two or more third portions of handle exten sion 19 can be present, connected in series to one another.

The material of which the three portions of handle 11, 15 and 19 are composed can be of a wide variety, such as leather strips or tapes, fabric, metal or other material, or formed by chains, or a combination of strips, tapes and chains or other typical ele- ments of bag handles.

In the example of Fig. 2 and 4, the first and second portion of handle have sub stantially the same length. In other examples, these portions can have a different length.

For example, Fig. 5 shows an example in which the first portion of handle 11 is formed solely by the fastening body 12A and by the first part of quick coupling device 14.

The fastening bodies 12A and 16A to the upper 101 of the bag 100, are provided, for example, with a threaded hole for receiving a threaded element X adapted to block with its head a plate K, this latter adapted to sandwich the upper 101 of the bag between the fastening body 12A (16A) and the same plate.

In this example, the quick coupling device 14-18 (and therefore 14-21 and 21-23) is of the bayonet type. With this bayonet configuration, according to preferred embodi ments, the first part 14 of the quick coupling device is of male type and is provided with a retaining head 25, for example enlarged with respect to its supporting shaft 25A. Con sequently, the second part 18 of the quick coupling device is of female type and com prises a slot 26 for receiving the retaining head 25. This slot 26 is provided with a seat 27 for blocking the retaining head 25.

An elastically yielding coupling is present between the retaining head 25 and the seat 27 to allow snap coupling by means of insertion of the head 25 into the slot 26 and subsequent rotation of the head in the slot from a position of insertion in the slot to a position of blocking in the seat, and vice versa.

More in particular, the second part 18 of the quick coupling device comprises a socket-shaped body 29 and a disc 30 contained in the socket-shaped body 29 and trans latable therein. This disc 30 defines the bottom of the slot 26. An elastic element 31 is interposed between the base of the socket-shaped body 29 and the disc 30.

The second part 18 further comprises a bushing 32 screwed onto the outside of the socket-shaped body 29, which comprises therein an intermediate baffle 32A on which the through slot 26 is present.

On the first face of the slot 26 facing the disc 30 there is defined the seat 27 for blocking the retaining head 25; this seat, in plan view, has an orientation orthogonal to the slot 26. The disc 30 is pressed by the elastic element 31 against the first face of the slot in which the blocking seat 27 is defined. Operation of the coupling device is simple. The retaining head 25 of the first part 14 is inserted into the slot 26 of the second part 18, pushing on its bottom, i.e., the disc 30, which yields elastically, allowing the head 25 to pass beyond the slot 26. At this point a rotation through 90 degrees of the retaining head carries this latter in alignment with the blocking seat 27. Preferably, in this position rotated through 90°, an abutment can be present inside the slot on which the head 25 abuts, such as to stop the head from rotating beyond that position, ensuring alignment with the blocking seat and prevent travel beyond it.

Once the head is aligned with the blocking seat, the disc 30, due to the elastic el- ement 31, pushes the head inside the blocking seat 27, producing coupling. To release the two parts 14 and 18 it is sufficient to follow these operations in reverse order.

It is understood that the drawing only shows possible non-limiting embodiments of the invention, which can vary in forms and arrangements without however departing from the scope of the concept on which the invention is based. Any reference numerals in the appended claims are provided purely to facilitate the reading thereof, in the light of the above description and accompanying drawings, and do not in any way limit the scope of protection.