Air-cushion backpack and laptop sleeve

Abstract

A backpack has a front pocket containing a plate and a pair of shoulder straps for holding the plate against the back of a user. A pressurizable, flexible and elastic bladder covers the plate and has inside surfaces with an embossed pattern for preventing sticking together of facing walls of the bladder to facilitating an initial inflation of the bladder. A pair of tubular extensions extend from the bladder and into the shoulder straps, one of the tubular extensions being for inflating and deflating the bladder. A mouth-inflatable check valve connected to extension is location so as to be accessible to the user for inflating the bladder and a valve cover is detachably connected over the entire mouth engageable perimeter of the check valve for keeping it clear. Semi-rigid liners in the shoulder straps near the bladder form channels for facilitating inflating and deflating of the bladder. A pair of cushion panels in, or separate from the backpack, include pluralities of offset parallel, partially filled air tubes spaced by webs for minimizing volume when there is nothing between the cushion panels.

1 . A backpack comprising:
 a first front wall ( 20 );   a second front wall ( 22 ) spaced forwardly of the first front wall and defining a front pocket ( 24 ) with the first front wall;   a generally rigid plate ( 26 ) having a front face and a back face, the plate being in the front pocket ( 24 ) with the back face of the plate being adjacent the first front wall ( 20 );   a pair of shoulder straps ( 30 ) operatively connected to at least one of the front walls for holding the plate against a back of a user with the second front wall ( 22 ) being between the plate and the back of the user;   load bearing means connected to at least one of the front walls for holding an object;   a pressurizable, flexible and elastic bladder ( 28 ) covering generally all of the front face of the plate, the bladder being in the front pocket between the front face of the plate and the second front wall, at least the entire inside surfaces of the bladder having a non-smooth texture ( 29 ) thereon for preventing sticking together of facing walls of the bladder to facilitating an initial inflation of the bladder;   a pair of tubular extensions ( 32 ,  33 ) extending from the bladder ( 28 ) and respectively into each of the shoulder straps ( 30 ), one of the tubular extensions being for inflating and deflating the bladder;   a mouth-inflatable, normally closed check valve ( 34 ) connected to the one tubular extension at a location that is spaced from the bladder and positioned so as to be accessible to a user for inflating the bladder by blowing into the check valve while the shoulder strap is on a shoulder of the user, the check valve having a mouth engageable perimeter;   a valve cover ( 35 ) detachably connected over the entire mouth engageable perimeter of the check valve for covering the check valve ( 34 ) and keeping it clear; and   a pair of semi-rigid liners ( 36 ,  37 ) respectively in the shoulder straps ( 30 ) near the bladder to form a pair or semi-rigid channels for the tubular extensions ( 32 ,  33 ) near the bladder to facilitate inflating and deflating of the bladder through the one tubular extension ( 32 ).   
     
     
         2 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the non-smooth texture ( 29 ) is an embossed pattern ( 29 ) on at least the entire inside surfaces of the bladder. 
     
     
         3 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the non-smooth texture ( 29 ) is an embossed pattern ( 29 ) of concentric circles at least the entire inside surfaces of the bladder. 
     
     
         4 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the load bearing means is a bag fixed to at least one of the first and second front walls behind the back face and having an openable closure. 
     
     
         5 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the plate is an imperforate semirigid plastic plate. 
     
     
         6 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein at least one front wall of the front pocket is made of mesh. 
     
     
         7 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the check valve ( 34 ) has a flapper that is normally closed to prevent air from escaping from the bladder and includes a push button ( 39 ) on the flapper that is manually depressed to move the flapper and allow air to escape from the bladder. 
     
     
         8 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the second front wall ( 22 ) is a stretchable textile front panel forming the front pocket holding the bladder. 
     
     
         9 . The backpack defined in  claim 8  wherein the load bearing means includes a textile rear panel forming a rear pocket with the first front panel. 
     
     
         10 . The backpack defined in  claim 9 , further comprising a first slide fastener closing an end of the rear pocket and a second slide fastener closing an end of the front pocket. 
     
     
         11 . The backpack defined in  claim 10  wherein the second front panel is a mesh. 
     
     
         12 . The backpack defined in  claim 11  herein the bladder is subdivided into a plurality of interconnected compartments. 
     
     
         13 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the bladder is subdivided into a plurality of interconnected compartments and the compartments include a relatively large lower compartment and a plurality of relatively small upper compartments. 
     
     
         14 . The backpack defined in  claim 8  wherein the front pocket is downwardly open and the backpack further comprises a releasable fastener at a lower edge of the front panel. 
     
     
         15 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the bladder is formed with a forwardly open central recess for avoiding pressure on the spine of a user. 
     
     
         16 . The backpack defined in  claim 1  wherein the load bearing means includes a textile rear panel forming a rear pocket with the first front panel, and including a pair of cushion panels connect in the rear pocket and behind the first front wall ( 20 ), each cushion panel comprising a plurality of spaced apart, parallel, permanently sealed and partially filled air tubes made of flexible elastic material with webs between the air tubes in each cushion panel, the air tubes of one cushion panel each facing the webs of the other cushion panel for minimizing a volume occupied by the cushion panels when there is nothing in a space between the cushion panels, and for cushioning a laptop computer placed between the cushion panels. 
     
     
         17 . The backpack defined in  claim 15  including a top permanently sealed and partially filled air tube made of flexible elastic material with top web connected between one of the cushion panels and the top air tube for covering and cushioning the space between the cushion panels, and a pair of side and a bottom permanently sealed and partially filled air tubes made of flexible elastic material connected respectively at the sides and the bottom of the space between the cushion panels for further cushioning the space. 
     
     
         18 . The laptop computer sleeve comprising:
 a pair of cushion panels comprising a plurality of spaced apart, parallel permanently sealed and partially filled air tubes made of flexible elastic material with webs between the air tubes in each cushion panel, the air tubes of one cushion panel each facing the webs of the other cushion panel for minimizing a volume occupied by the cushion panels when there is nothing in a space between the cushion panels, and for cushioning a laptop computer placed between the cushion panels.   
     
     
         19 . The laptop sleeve defined in  claim 18  including a top permanently sealed and partially filled air tube made of flexible elastic material with top web connected between one of the cushion panels and the top air tube for covering and cushioning the space between the cushion panels, and a pair of side and a bottom permanently sealed and partially filled air tubes made of flexible elastic material connected respectively at the sides and the bottom of the space between the cushion panels for further cushioning the space. 
     
     
         20 . A backpack comprising:
 a first front wall;   a second front wall spaced forwardly of the first front wall and defining a front pocket with the first front wall;   a generally rigid plate having a front face and a back face, the plate being in the front pocket with the back face of the plate being adjacent the first front wall, the plate being an imperforate semirigid plastic plate;   a pair of shoulder straps operatively connected to at least one of the front walls for holding the plate against a back of a user with the second front wall being between the plate and the back of the user;   load bearing means connected to at least one of the front walls for holding an object;   a pressurizable, flexible and elastic bladder covering generally all of the front face of the plate, the bladder being in the front pocket between the front face of the plate and the second front wall, at least the entire inside surfaces of the bladder having a non-smooth texture thereon for preventing sticking together of facing walls of the bladder to facilitating an initial inflation of the bladder, the non-smooth texture being created by an embossed pattern on at least the entire inside surfaces of the bladder;   a pair of tubular extensions extending from the bladder and respectively into each of the shoulder straps, one of the tubular extensions being for inflating and deflating the bladder;   a mouth-inflatable, normally closed check valve connected to the one tubular extension at a location that is spaced from the bladder and positioned so as to be accessible to a user for inflating the bladder by blowing into the check valve while the shoulder strap is on a shoulder of the user, the check valve having a mouth engageable perimeter;   a valve cover detachably connected over the entire mouth engageable perimeter of the check valve for covering the check valve and keeping it clear; and   a pair of semi-rigid liners respectively in the shoulder straps near the bladder to form a pair or semi-rigid channels for the tubular extensions near the bladder to facilitate inflating and deflating of the bladder through the one tubular extension;   the load bearing means being a bag fixed to at least one of the first and second front walls behind the back face and having an openable closure;   the check valve having a flapper that is normally closed to prevent air from escaping from the bladder and includes a push button on the flapper that is manually depressed to move the flapper and allow air to escape from the bladder;   the bladder being subdivided into a plurality of interconnected compartments and the compartments include a relatively large lower compartment and a plurality of relatively small upper compartments;   the load bearing means including a textile rear panel forming a rear pocket with the first front panel; and   a pair of cushion panels connect in the rear pocket and behind the first front wall ( 20 ), each cushion panel comprising a plurality of spaced apart, parallel, permanently sealed and partially filled air tubes made of flexible elastic material with webs between the air tubes in each cushion panel, the air tubes of one cushion panel each facing the webs of the other cushion panel for minimizing a volume occupied by the cushion panels when there is nothing in a space between the cushion panels, and for cushioning a laptop computer placed between the cushion panels.   
     
     
         21 . The backpack defined in  claim 20  including a top permanently sealed and partially filled air tube made of flexible elastic material with top web connected between one of the cushion panels and the top air tube for covering and cushioning the space between the cushion panels, and a pair of side and a bottom permanently sealed and partially filled air tubes made of flexible elastic material connected respectively at the sides and the bottom of the space between the cushion panels for further cushioning the space.