Fitness and travel pouch

Abstract

An apparatus maintaining a position of an item is disclosed which includes a pouch, a flap, a magnet attracting material, and a magnetic member. The pouch includes a first panel coupled to a second panel along a periphery of the first panel and the second panel with a portion of the panels uncoupled to form an opening. The flap is positionable in an engagement position wherein the flap is positioned parallel to the second panel with the second panel disposed between the flap and the first panel. The magnet attracting material is coupled to one of the second panel and the flap with the magnetic member coupled to the other of the second panel and the flap. The magnetic member has a magnetic field sufficient to attract the magnet attracting material when one or more pieces of material are positioned between the second panel and the flap.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus to maintain a position of an item comprising:
 a pouch comprising a first panel coupled to a second panel along a periphery of the first panel and the second panel, at least a portion of the periphery of the first panel and the second panel being uncoupled to form an opening in the pouch, and the first panel having at least one magnetic member coupled thereto;   a flap coupled to or integrally formed with the first panel of the pouch at a top of the pouch, the flap being positionable between an engagement position and a disengagement position, the flap being positioned parallel to the second panel with the first panel disposed between the flap and the second panel when the flap is positioned in the engagement position, the opening in the pouch remaining uncovered by the flap when the flap is in the engagement position such that the opening in the pouch is accessible when the flap is in the engagement position, the flap having at least one magnetic member coupled thereto, the magnetic member associated with the flap being positioned parallel to the magnetic member associated with the pouch when the flap is positioned in the engagement position, at least one of the magnetic members having a magnetic field sufficient to attract the other magnetic member to retain the flap in the engagement position when one or more pieces of material are positioned between the magnetic members;   a pocket formed on or in at least one of the first panel or the second panel, the pocket having an opening disposed within an interior of the pouch, the pocket comprising a closure mechanism for selectively opening and closing the opening of the pocket, the pocket being accessible when the flap is in the engagement position; and   a pocket formed on or in the flap, the pocket having an opening disposed on an exterior of the flap, the pocket comprising a closure mechanism for selectively opening and closing the opening of the pocket, the pocket being accessible when the flap is in the engagement position,   wherein, when the flap is in the engagement position, a loop is formed between the flap and the first panel such that the magnetic field from at least one of the magnetic members has a strength sufficient to exclusively support the apparatus in a first direction when the one or more pieces of material are positioned within the loop between the magnet attracting material and the magnetic member.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pouch comprises one or more access opening. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the magnetic members comprises a material selected from a ferromagnetic material, a ferrimagnetic material, and a paramagnetic material. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the formed loop further includes a slip resistant material disposed on a first surface interior to the formed loop such that when the flap is in the engagement position with the one or more pieces of material positioned between the flap and the first panel, the attractive force of the magnetic members causes the slip resistant material to contact the one or more pieces of material causing the slip resistant material to reduce movement of the pouch in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the slip resistant material comprises an additional material that is different than the material that comprises the flap and that is mechanically fastened to the first surface. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the magnetic members has a length sufficient to span a portion of a distance between a first edge of the pouch and a second edge of the pouch, wherein the distance spanned by the at least one of the magnetic members is sufficient to provide structural support to at least one of the pouch and the flap to maintain the pouch in a substantially planar orientation. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first panel or the flap has at least two magnetic members coupled thereto. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a support member positioned between each of the at least two magnetic members to separate the at least two magnetic members, each support member having a length sufficient to span a distance between each magnetic member, wherein each support member is shaped to provide structural support to maintain the distance between each magnetic member and to maintain at least one of the pouch or the flap coupled to the at least two magnetic members in a substantially planar orientation. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the magnetic member of at least one of the first panel or the flap comprises at least two pieces of magnet attracting material at. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising a support member positioned between each of the at least two pieces of magnet attracting material to separate the at least two pieces of magnet attracting material, each support member having a length sufficient to span a distance between each piece of magnet attracting material, wherein each support member is shaped to provide structural support to maintain the distance between each piece of magnet attracting material and to maintain at least one of the pouch or the flap coupled to the at least two pieces of magnet attracting material in a substantially planar orientation. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a stiffening member attached to the at least one of the first panel or the second panel, the stiffening member being configured to bend or flex in a first direction and remain substantially stiff in a second direction, wherein the stiffening member is configured to bend or flex to allow for the opening in the pouch to opened or closed, and wherein the stiffening member is configured to limit sagging of the apparatus in the second direction. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus to maintain a position of an item comprising:
 a pouch comprising a first panel coupled to a second panel along a periphery of the first panel and the second panel, at least a portion of the periphery of the first panel and the second panel is uncoupled to form an opening in the pouch;   a flap coupled to or integrally formed with the first panel of the pouch, the flap being movable between an engagement position and a disengagement position, the opening in the pouch remaining uncovered by the flap when the flap is in the engagement position such that the opening in the pouch is accessible when the flap is in the engagement position;   a pair of magnetic members, one of the magnetic members being coupled to the first panel of the pouch and the other magnetic member being coupled to the flap, the magnetic members being associated with the first panel and the flap such that a magnetic force therebetween is sufficient to selectively maintain the flap in the engagement position;   a pocket formed on or in at least one of the first panel or the second panel, the pocket having an opening disposed within an interior of the pouch, the pocket comprising a closure mechanism for selectively opening and closing the opening of the pocket, the pocket being accessible when the flap is in the engagement position; and   a pocket formed on or in the flap, the pocket having an opening disposed on an exterior of the flap, the pocket comprising a closure mechanism for selectively opening and closing the opening of the pocket, the pocket being accessible when the flap is in the engagement position.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the pouch comprises one or more access opening. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising a stiffening member attached to the at least one of the first panel or the second panel, the stiffening member being configured to bend or flex in a first direction and remain substantially stiff in a second direction, wherein the stiffening member is configured to bend or flex to allow for the opening in the pouch to opened or closed, and wherein the stiffening member is configured to limit sagging of the apparatus in the second direction. 
     
     
         15 . A method for maintaining the position of an item, the method comprising:
 providing an apparatus having a pouch and a flap;   moving the flap to a disengagement position;   positioning the pouch inside a user's waistband such that the pouch is positioned between the user and the user's waistband;   securing the apparatus to the user's waistband; and   accessing an interior of the pouch or a pocket disposed within the pouch or in the flap while the apparatus is secured to the user's waistband.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein moving the flap to the disengagement position comprises disengaging a magnetic member associated with the flap from a magnetic member associated with the pouch and unfolding the flap relative to pouch. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein securing the apparatus to the user's waistband comprises moving the flap to an engagement position. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein moving the flap to the engagement position comprises folding the flap relative to pouch and onto an outside of user's waistband. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein moving the flap to the engagement position comprises positioning the magnetic members adjacent to one another such that a magnetic force between the magnetic members secures the apparatus to the user's waistband. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein positioning the pouch inside a user's waistband comprised aligning a stiffening member in the pouch with a top edge of the user's waistband.