Storage bag assembly and method of use

Abstract

A storage bag assembly for storing and readily retrieving an article includes a shell, which is semirigid or rigid and has a top that is open, and a hood, which is resiliently flexible. The shell comprises opposed sidewalls, which extend between front and back walls. As the front wall is dimensionally shorter than the back wall, an upper section of each opposed sidewall extends convexly from the front wall to the back wall. The hood comprises a center panel and a pair of side panels. A front edge of the center panel is attached to an upper edge of the front wall and the side panels are attached to its opposing edges. Rear and bottom edges of the side panels are resiliently elastic, enabling the hood to be positionable and self-retained in an open configuration and a closed configuration.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A storage bag assembly comprising:
 a shell defining an interior space and being semirigid or rigid, a top of the shell being open, the shell comprising a front wall, a back wall, and opposed sidewalls, with each opposed sidewall extending between the front wall and the back wall, the front wall being dimensionally shorter than the back wall, an upper section of each opposed sidewall extending convexly from an upper edge of the front wall to an upper end of the back wall; and   a hood, the hood being resiliently flexible and comprising:
 a center panel having a front edge attached proximate to the upper edge of the front wall, and 
 a pair of side panels shaped complementarily to the upper sections of the sidewalls and being attached singly to opposing edges of the center panel, rear edges and bottom edges of the side panels being resiliently elastic, enabling the hood to be positionable and self-retained in an open configuration, wherein the shell is configured for selective insertion or extraction of an article, and a closed configuration, wherein the hood covers the top and substantially covers the upper sections of the opposed sidewalls. 
   
     
     
         2 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 1 , further including:
 a pair of connectors, each connector being attached to and extending between a respective opposed edge of the back wall and a respective side panel, such that the hood is hingable between the open configuration and the closed configuration; and   a lip attached to the center panel and extending between the side panels along a back edge of the center panel, such that, with the hood in the closed configuration, the lip extends over the upper end of the back wall and is positioned in abutment to an outer surface of the back wall, the lip being semirigid or rigid, such that constriction of the rear edges of the side panels pulls downwardly on the lip to retain the hood in the closed configuration, thereby preventing inadvertent opening of the hood.   
     
     
         3 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each connector comprises a strap. 
     
     
         4 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 2 , further including a pair of pulling members attached singly to the side panels of the pair of side panels, the pulling members of the pair of pulling members being pretensioned, such that the pair of pulling members retain the hood in the open configuration, by pulling the hood toward the back wall and against the front wall, and in the closed configuration, by application of a downward pulling force for locking the lip over the upper end of the back wall. 
     
     
         5 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 4 , further including:
 each pulling member comprising an elastic band, the elastic band, in a nontensioned state, being dimensionally shorter the bottom edge and the rear edge of the side panel; and   a plurality of stitch lines, each stitch line extending through a respective side panel and a respective elastic band in a pretensioned state, proximate to the bottom edge and the rear edge of the respective side panel, such that the elastic band is fixedly attached to the respective side panel in the pretensioned state.   
     
     
         6 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 5 , further including:
 the elastic band being positioned in a respective sleeve of a pair of sleeves, the respective sleeve being dimensionally longer than the bottom edge and the rear edge, such that the respective sleeve comprises a plurality of bunches and is selectively extensible; and   respective stitch lines extending through the respective sleeve, the elastic band, and a respective side panel, such that the respective sleeve and the elastic band are fixedly attached to and extends along the bottom edge and the rear edge of the side panel.   
     
     
         7 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 6 , wherein each sleeve is attached to a respective side panel by two stitch lines extending singly proximate to opposite edges of the sleeve and one stitch line positioned substantially equally distant from the opposite edges, each of the three stitch lines also extending through the elastic band positioned in the sleeve. 
     
     
         8 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 2 , further including a grip attached to the center panel, proximate to the back edge of the center panel, or to the lip, wherein the grip is configured for grasping in digits of a hand of a user for selectively motivating the hood between the open configuration and the closed configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the grip comprises a flexible tab. 
     
     
         10 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the interior space is complementarily to a pair of binoculars, a range finder, a camera, or a scope. 
     
     
         11 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shell and the hood are padded. 
     
     
         12 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 1 , further including a set of exterior panels attached to the shell defining a set of pockets. 
     
     
         13 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the set of exterior panels comprises one or more of:
 a rear panel attached to the back wall defining a rear pocket;   a pair of opposed side panels, each opposed side panel of the pair of opposed side panels being attached to a respective opposed sidewall defining a side pocket; and   a front panel attached to the front wall defining a front pocket.   
     
     
         14 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the rear panel comprises resiliently flexible mesh;   the front pocket is zippered; and   each opposed side panel is fitted with an elastomeric band along an opening of the side pocket.   
     
     
         15 . The storage bag assembly of  claim 1 , further including a plurality of couplers attached to the back wall, wherein the couplers of the plurality of couplers are configured for attaching the shell to a user or substrate. 
     
     
         16 . A method of storing and retrieving an article comprising the steps of:
 motivating a hood attached to a shell from a closed configuration to an open configuration, the hood being retained in the open configuration by constriction of rear edges and bottom edges of side panels of the hood, which are resiliently elastic;   inserting an article through a top of the shell into an interior space defined by the shell;   motivating the hood from the open configuration to the closed configuration, the hood being retained in the closed configuration by constriction of the rear edges and of the side panels; and   motivating the hood from the closed configuration to the open configuration, as needed, to extract the article.