Soft-sided carrying case

Abstract

A soft-sided carrying case comprises a lower compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall, at least one upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall, and at least one hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the upper compartment to a selected sidewall of the lower compartment. The hinge permits the upper compartment to pivot about a hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with at least a portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position. In at least one exemplary form, the hinge may be defined exclusively by first and second flexible layers, with each of the layers including a first longitudinal edge secured adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the lower compartment and a second longitudinal edge secured adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the upper compartment.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A soft-sided carrying case comprising: 
 a lower compartment, the lower compartment including a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall;    at least one upper compartment, the upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall;    a hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the upper compartment to a selected sidewall of the lower compartment, the hinge permitting the upper compartment to pivot about a hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with at least a portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position; and    wherein the hinge includes a first fabric layer arranged to maintain the bottom wall of the upper compartment in a generally horizontal position when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position.    
     
     
         2 . The carrying case of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge includes a second fabric layer, the second fabric layer maintaining an edge of the selected sidewall of the upper compartment closely adjacent to an edge of the selected sidewall of the lower compartment.  
     
     
         3 . The carrying case of  claim 2 , wherein the first fabric layer is sized to be slack when the upper compartment is in the folded position, and further wherein the first fabric layer is sized to be stressed in a direction generally perpendicular to the hinge line when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position.  
     
     
         4 . The carrying case of  claim 1 , wherein lower compartment includes a pair of long sidewalls and a pair of short sidewalls, and wherein the selected sidewall of the lower compartment comprises one of the long sidewalls.  
     
     
         5 . The carrying case of  claim 1 , wherein lower compartment includes a pair of long sidewalls and a pair of short sidewalls, and wherein the selected sidewall of the lower compartment comprises one of the short sidewalls.  
     
     
         6 . The carrying case of  claim 1 , including a second upper compartment, the second upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall; 
 a second hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the second upper compartment to a second selected sidewall of the lower compartment, the second hinge permitting the upper compartment to pivot about a second hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the second upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with another portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position; and    wherein the second hinge includes a first fabric layer arranged to maintain the bottom wall of the second upper compartment in a generally horizontal position when the second upper compartment is in the unfolded position.    
     
     
         7 . The carrying case of  claim 6 , wherein the first hinge line is parallel to the second hinge line.  
     
     
         8 . A soft-sided carrying case comprising: 
 a lower compartment, the lower compartment including a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall;    at least one upper compartment, the upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall;    at least one hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the upper compartment to a selected sidewall of the lower compartment, the hinge permitting the upper compartment to pivot about a hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with at least a portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position;    the hinge defined exclusively by first and second flexible layers, each of the layers including a first longitudinal edge secured adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the lower compartment and a second longitudinal edge secured adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the upper compartment.    
     
     
         9 . The carrying case of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second flexible layers comprise a fabric.  
     
     
         10 . The carrying case of  claim 8 , wherein the first longitudinal edge of the first and second flexible layers are secured along a common seam on the lower compartment, and wherein the second longitudinal edge of the first and second flexible layers are secured along a common seam on the upper compartment.  
     
     
         11 . The carrying case of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second longitudinal edges of the first flexible layer are spaced apart a first distance, the first distance sized so that the first flexible layer is stressed in a direction perpendicular to the hinge line only when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position.  
     
     
         12 . The carrying case of  claim 11 , wherein the first and second longitudinal edges of the second flexible layer are spaced apart a second distance, the second distance sized so that the second flexible layer is generally unstressed in a direction perpendicular to the hinge line when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position.  
     
     
         13 . The carrying case of  claim 12 , wherein the first longitudinal edge of the first and second flexible layers are disposed generally parallel to the top wall of the lower compartment, and wherein the second longitudinal edge of the first and second flexible layers are disposed generally parallel to the bottom wall of the upper compartment.  
     
     
         14 . A soft-sided carrying case comprising: 
 a lower compartment, the lower compartment including a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall;    at least one upper compartment, the upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall;    at least one hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the upper compartment to a selected sidewall of the lower compartment, the hinge permitting the upper compartment to pivot about a hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with at least a portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position;    means for maintaining the bottom wall of the upper compartment generally parallel to the top wall of the lower compartment when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position, the means defined at least in part by a flexible fabric layer carried by the hinge.    
     
     
         15 . The carrying case of  claim 14 , the means further defined by a spacing member, the spacing member carried by at least one of the selected sidewall of the upper compartment and the selected sidewall of the lower compartment.  
     
     
         16 . The carrying case of  claim 14 , wherein the selected sidewall of the lower compartment and the selected sidewall of the upper compartment together define an end, and wherein the means is further defined by a spacing member mounted to the end, the spacing member including a ground engaging surface to thereby permit the carrying case to be supported on the end in an upright position on a support surface.  
     
     
         17 . The carrying case of  claim 14 , wherein the upper compartment covers more than fifty percent of the top wall of the lower compartment when the upper compartment is in the folded position.  
     
     
         18 . The carrying case of  claim 17 , wherein the upper compartment covers at least sixty percent of the top wall of the lower compartment when the upper compartment is in the folded position.  
     
     
         19 . The carrying case of  claim 18 , wherein the means is further defined by cooperating first and second structures, the first structure carried by the selected sidewall of the lower compartment and the second structure carried by the selected sidewall of the upper compartment, the first and second structures engaging each other when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position.  
     
     
         20 . The carrying case of  claim 19 , wherein the first structure comprises a stiffened panel, and wherein the second structure comprises a foot having a ground engaging surface, the ground engaging surface cooperating with a set of wheels mounted adjacent the selected sidewall of the lower compartment to thereby permit the carrying case to be supported on an end in an upright position on a support surface.  
     
     
         21 . A soft-sided carrying case comprising: 
 a lower compartment, the lower compartment including a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall;    at least one upper compartment, the upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall; and    a hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the upper compartment to a selected sidewall of the lower compartment, the hinge permitting the upper compartment to pivot about a hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with at least a portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position; and    the hinge including a separable connection, the separable connection permitting the upper compartment to be separated from the lower compartment.    
     
     
         22 . The carrying case of  claim 21 , wherein the separable connection of the hinge engages at least one of the top wall of the lower compartment and the bottom wall of the upper compartment so as to be accessible for separation only when the upper compartment is in the unfolded position.  
     
     
         23 . The carrying case of  claim 21 , wherein the separable connection includes a loop and a strap sized to extend through and engage the loop, the strap including a securement mechanism for maintaining the strap in engagement with the loop.  
     
     
         24 . The carrying case of  claim 23 , wherein the securement mechanism includes an item selected from the group consisting of snaps, buttons, velcro, buckles and zippers.  
     
     
         25 . The carrying case of  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 a second upper compartment having a plurality of sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall; and    a hinge pivotally joining a selected sidewall of the second upper compartment to a second selected sidewall of the lower compartment, the hinge of the second upper compartment permitting the second upper compartment to pivot about a second hinge line between a folded position in which the bottom wall of the second upper compartment is disposed in confronting relation with another portion of the top wall of the lower compartment, and an unfolded position;    the second hinge including the separable connection;    the separable connection permitting both of the upper compartments to be separated from the lower compartment; and    the separable connection on both of the upper compartments arranged to cooperate with each other to permit both of the upper compartments to be joined to each other after removal from the lower compartment.    
     
     
         26 . The carrying case of  claim 25 , wherein the separable connection includes an item selected from the group consisting of snaps, buttons, velcro, buckles and zippers.  
     
     
         27 . The carrying case of  claim 21 , wherein the upper compartment includes a fastener arranged to maintain the upper compartment in the folded position.  
     
     
         28 . The carrying case of  claim 21 , wherein the separable connection includes a post and a receiver shaped to receive the post, the post disposed in the receiver when the separable connection is connected.  
     
     
         29 . The carrying case of  claim 28 , wherein the post is sized to be frictionally received within the receiver, and wherein the post is withdrawn from the receiver by shifting the upper compartment along an axis parallel to a longitudinal edge of the selected sidewall of the lower compartment.  
     
     
         30 . The carrying case of  claim 29 , wherein the post includes a limit flange.