Athletic bag with a built-in air circulating configuration for removing moisture from apparel or gear being carried in the bag

Abstract

An athletic bag is provided that comprises a built-in air circulating configuration for airing out and drying apparel and/or gear carried in the bag. The bag provides an ideal solution for drying and airing out sweaty clothes and/or gear placed in the bag after a physical workout. The built-in air circulating configuration comprises an electrical fan system that pulls air through the bag to dry wet apparel and gear and one or more air vents to allow proper air flow. This ensures that workout apparel and/or gear will dry quickly, sometimes even before the user returns home, which preserves the apparel and gear, allows health risks associated with mold, mildew, bacteria and viruses to be avoided, and results in spending less money on new workout apparel and gear.

1 . An athletic bag comprising:
 a built-in air circulating system that is configured to remove moisture from apparel or gear carried in the bag, the built-in air circulating configuration comprising:
 an electrical fan system configured to pull air through the bag to generate an air flow in an interior space of the athletic bag that helps remove moisture from apparel or gear carried in the interior space of the athletic bag, the electrical fan system comprising at least a first inflow electric fan for pulling air into the interior space of the bag; and 
 an electrical power supply configured to supply electrical power to the electrical fan system. 
   
     
     
         2 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first outflow electric fan for pushing air out of the interior space of the bag.   
     
     
         3 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more air vents disposed in one or more sides of the bag to facilitate the air flow.   
     
     
         4 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pop-up basket disposed in the interior space of the bag in a main compartment of the bag, the pop-up basket being collapsible or foldable into a collapsed state and expandable into an expanded state in which the basket expands into a basket shape, wherein in its expanded state, the pop-up basket provides a receptacle for placement of apparel or gear in the interior space of the bag, the pop-up basket being porous to allow the air flow generated by the electrical fan system to pass through the basket to help remove moisture from apparel or gear held in the basket.   
     
     
         5 . The athletic bag of  claim 4 , wherein the pop-basket includes one or more rails or bars that extend from one side to another side of a top end of the basket when the basket is in the expanded state for draping apparel or gear across said one or more rails or bars to facilitate the removal of moisture from the apparel or gear. 
     
     
         6 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical power supply is a rechargeable battery having a connection for connecting an external recharging power source to the rechargeable battery for recharging the rechargeable battery. 
     
     
         7 . The athletic bag of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a control panel electrically coupled to the rechargeable battery and to the electrical fan system, the control panel having one or more user-selectable controls to allow a user to turn said at least a first inflow electric fan off and on.   
     
     
         8 . The athletic bag of  claim 7 , wherein the control panel has at least a first user-selectable control to allow the user to turn said at least a first inflow electric fan off and on and a second user-selectable control to allow the user to change a speed of said at least a first inflow electric fan. 
     
     
         9 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , wherein said at least a first inflow electric fan comprises at least the first inflow electric fan disposed in a first side of the athletic bag and a first outflow electric fan disposed in a second side of the athletic bag for pushing air out of the interior space of the bag. 
     
     
         10 . The athletic bag of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second sides of the athletic bag are different. 
     
     
         11 . The athletic bag of  claim 10 , wherein the first side of the athletic bag is a lengthwise side of the athletic bag and the second side of the athletic bag is a widthwise side of the athletic bag. 
     
     
         12 . The athletic bag of  claim 10 , wherein the first side of the athletic bag is a first lengthwise side of the athletic bag and the second side of the athletic bag is a second lengthwise side of the athletic bag. 
     
     
         13 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a shoe compartment that is separated from the interior space of the athletic bag by a panel that prevents or at least reduces air flow from the shoe compartment into the interior space main compartment of the athletic bag.   
     
     
         14 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a compartment or pocket disposed in the interior space of the bag for holding an air freshener device.   
     
     
         15 . The athletic bag of  claim 1 , wherein each electric fan of said at least a first inflow electric fan is mechanically coupled to a respective fan cover.