TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention concerns rucksack construction.

More specifically this invention is concerned with a rucksack of a type, which is now well known for large capacity loads, and which comprises a fabric sack, a supportive frame comprising at least one substantially rigid vertical member mounted at the rear of the sack, a harness comprising shoulder pads mounted on said frame and associated straps for securement to the body of a user and/or adjustment of the position of the shoulder pads, a lumbar pad mounted on the sack or its frame below the shoulder pads, and hip pads at respective sides of the lumbar pad linking into a hip belt.

BACKGROUND ART

A very wide range of such rucksacks are available on the market. Any particular manufacturer will offer different capacities and styles of fabric sack, e.g. long and narrow or wider and shorter, and with varying pocket arrangements and accessories, different colours or colour combinations of fabric sack, and different sizes and styles of harness and lumbar/hip belt arrangement, both to suit users of different stature and to take into account the likely loading and/or user requirements for particular recreations. A further factor is the price ranges at which differing sacks can be offered for sale (owing to differing manufacturing costs). In order to satisfy all potential purchaser requirements such a wide range of models is necessary at present, and this is not favorable from the point of view of either the manufacturer, or the retailer, who is

obliged to hold a larger stock and even then may still find difficulty in meeting the criteria of each customer for price/style of sack, colour, and harness/hip belt size/style.

The object of the present invention is to tackle the problem just outlined, with a view to reducing the complexity of manufacture of such a large number of different models of rucksack, and also reducing the problems of retailers in matching all customer requirements.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a rucksack of the type specified above is characterised in that the harness and/or the hip pads are readily detachable.

As regards the harness, the shoulder pads are mounted on the vertical frame bar or bars preferably by the bar or bars extending through one or more slotted elements at the rear of the pads, in which case the pads can then be removed by releasing the bar or bars from keepers, which constitute the usual means of connection of the top and bottom ends of the bar or bars to the fabric sack.

The aforesaid slotted elements may conveniently comprise runners or sliders whereby the pads, when mounted, are non-incrementally adjustable in position on the bar or bars.

The aforesaid keepers are advantageously formed of relatively rigid plastics material so as to provide for secure and stable bar connections to the fabric sack, and preferably also to provide attachment points for various straps.

As regards the hip pads, these are also, advantageously, mounted on the vertical frame bar or bars by the bar or bars extending through respective slotted elements at the rear of the pads, such that said hip pads can be removed by releasing the bar or bars from their attachment keepers.

Various options are possible for precise construction of embodiments.

In presently preferred embodiments the frame bar or bars are primarily releasable from their top end keepers, and at the bottom the or each keeper simply incorporates a socket, from which the relevant bar may be removed after release at the top. Both the harness (shoulder pads) and the hip pads may then be detached by sliding of their slotted elements off the ends of the bar or bars, once the latter are released or removed from their keepers.

Alternatively, the bar or bars may not be detachable at the bottom, yet both the harness and the hip pads could still be slid to the top end of the or each bar for removal and replacement.

A further alternative, where there is solely top end release of the or each bar, is that only the harness is removable and the hip pads are attached, either to the frame, or the sack, or indeed to the sides of the lumbar pad, in a more permanent manner.

Other embodiments could be constructed with converse arrangements. That is to say, with primary release of the or each bar from the bottom keeper(s) and mere removal from socket-style keeper(s) at the top. Again, with this arrangement, both the harness and the

hip pads, if mounted on the frame bar(s) by slotted elements, can be readily removed. In the alternative, if the frame is not releasable at the top, either both sets of pads could be slid off from the bottom, or else only the hip pads may be detachable, and the harness may not, in this instance.

It will be appreciated that by making use of the basic concept of the invention, namely the ready demountability of the harness and/or the hip pads, assembly of different styles/sizes of fabric sack with different styles/sizes of harness or hip belt at the production stage is facilitated. Furthermore, exchange or replacement of harnesses and/or hip belt arrangements is possible at the point of sale, or afterwards. For example, a retailer is able, if need be, to take a harness of correct size and appropriate style from one sack and attach it instead to a sack of the style/price/colour required by any particular customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of rucksack in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary- rucksack from the rear and with the fabric sack indicated only schematically;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the same rucksack, part of the sack being cut away and some parts of the harness webbing being omitted for the sake of clarity;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a top keeper;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section along line IV-IV in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a lid for the top keeper of Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the lid for the top keeper;

Fig. 7 is a transverse cross-section of the lid along the line VII-VII of Fig.5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a bottom keeper;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal cross-section along the line IX-IX in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse cross-section along the line X-X in Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary enlarged detail of part of the rear side of the shoulder pad unit;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a modified top keeper with lid;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail of a top strap connector which could be secured to the keeper of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a front perspective view of an individual hip pad for use in a modified embodiment of rucksack; and

Fig. 15 is rear perspective View of the same hip.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT INVENTION

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2, this exemplary rucksack comprises a fabric sack 1 (the detail and capacity of which are unimportant to this explanation of the invention) to the rear panel of which spaced parallel metal bars 8 are mounted to provide a supportive "frame". These bars 8 are generally made of aluminum. They are secured at their top ends by respective top keepers 2 and at their bottom ends by respective bottom keepers 6. Each pair of top and bottom keepers 2, 6 are precisely positioned and accurately aligned. They comprise relatively rigid plastics components, the configuration of which will be described in more detail shortly.

Mounted on the bars 8 is a harness, designated generally by reference numeral 16. This comprises a pair of side by side interconnected shoulder pads 18, mounted on respective sliders or runners 11, which are slidable upwardly and downwardly of the bars 8. Only the lower (scapular region) parts of the shoulder pads 18 are interconnected and the upper parts extend separately to fit over the user's shoulders. Additionally the harness 16 includes webbing which provides top straps 20, connecting the shoulder pads 18 adjustably to locations adjacent the top keepers, bottom straps 21 connecting the upper ends of the shoulder pads 18 adjustably to locations ad acent the bottom keepers 6, and shoulder pad position adjuster straps 22, whereby the pads 18 can be pulled downwards relatively to the bars 8, whilst the rucksack is on the user's back. The webbing accordingly, carries various connectors 5 and buckles 10, as well as the sliders 11, all of which may be of plastics and may be moulded directly onto the webbing.

An integrally formed one-piece lumbar hip pad 17 is fixed to the sack 1 adjacent the bottom of the rear panel, its mid line lying centrally, between the two 5 vertical bars 8. At each side of the central lumbar region, this pad 17 is attached to a respective bottom keeper 6 by means of the respective bar 8. In this respect, the pad 17 is provided on its rear surface with appropriately spaced slotted elements 14 through which 10 the relevant bar 8 also fits, slotted portions of each element 14 fitting between slotted portions of each keeper 6, as will be explained further. Hip belt portions 19 extend from the ends of the pad 17.

With reference to Figs. 2 to 7, each top keeper 2 15 has a recess 30 for accommodating the top end of its associated bar 8. This recess is covered by a slidable lid 31 (Fig. 5 to 7), which at its upper end carries a resilient catch portion 32, which is engageable through an opening 33 in the keeper 2 at the top of the recess 2030. The side edges of the lid 31 are formed as outwardly angled flanges 34 with lips which are slidingly guided in corresponding guide channels 35 at the sides of the recess 30 (see Figs. 3 and 7).

It will be readily understood that the top ends 25 of the bars 8 can be freed by disengagement of the catch portions 31, then sliding downwards and out of the lids 31. The shoulder pads SJL290990

18 can then be removed by sliding the runners 11 off the top of the bars 8.

30 Turning now to the bottom of the sack, the configuration of a bottom keeper 6 is shown in detail in

Figs. 8 to 10. The bottom keeper 6 has a socket portion 40 and spaced above that, two slotted portions 41 and

42, with a gap therebetween. The slotted elements 14 of the lumber hip pad 17 are also formed with spaced apart slotted portions (see Fig.2).

In use, at each side of the rucksack, the slotted portions of the hip pad elements 14 fit into the respective gaps between the slotted portions 41, 42 of the bottom keeper 6, and between the slotted portion 41 and the socket 40 of the bottom keeper 6. The bars 8 projects downwards through all these aligned slotted portions with their end margins located in the sockets 40. Of course, upon release of the top ends of the bars 8, they can simply be lifted upwards out of the sockets 40 and out of all the aforesaid slotted portions so as to free the hip pads 17, if the latter need to be removed or exchanged.

The initial assembly of the rucksack upon manufacture is simply effected by the reverse sequence of operations.

OTHER MODES OF CARRYING OUT INVENTION

Fig. 12 illustrates a modified form of top keeper 130 in which the lid 132 is provided with a more prominent stud 131, engageable through the aperture 133 at the top of the recess for reception of the top end of a bar. Such a stud 131 can serve for direct connection of a webbing.connector 15 (such as that shown in Fig. 13) at the end of the top strap of the harness, thereby avoiding the need for separate connection of the top strap 20 to the fabric sack 1, as in Figs. 1 and 2. The bottom keepers could similarly be provided with studs for direct connection of similar connectors on the bottom straps 21, but that possibility is not illustrated.

Figs. 14 and 15 show another variation wherein individual hip pads 27 are provided, for location at the side of centrally located lumbar pad (not shown). In this case, each pad 27 has its own slotted element 14 adjacent its inner edge, for connection to the relevant bar 8 and bottom keeper 6. A recess 28 to accommodate the user's hip is shown on the front surface of the pad 27, and on the rear surface (Fig. 15) opposite the non- recessed area there is a stiff reinforcement web 29 to facilitate transmission of weight downwards to the user's hip. Such arrangement is the subject of a co- pending patent application of the present applicant.

The foregoing is, of course, not limitative and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. Various possibilities have already been referred to in the introduction. Compared to the illustrated embodiment, additional possibilities are that there may be only a single bar instead of two parallel bars constituting the frame, and that the configuration of the keepers, the hip pad(s) and the connectors and their manner of interengagement may vary according to design preferences and as will readily be within the capabilities of designers in this technical field.

Furthermore in other embodiments the entire arrangement could be the reverse of that exemplified with the bottom keepers constructed to allow primary release of the bottom ends of the vertical frame members, and the top keepers comprising merely sockets for securing the upper ends of the members, thus allowing their release only after their detachment at the bottom end, or not permitting their release at all.