Adjustable mount for backpack

Abstract

An adjustable mount usable with backpack having a rear wall and shoulder straps has a base plate attached to the rear wall of the backpack, a cover on the base plate and forming therewith a housing, guide rails in the housing on the base plate and extending in an adjustment direction, and a slide in the housing and movable along the guide rails in the direction between end positions. A support plate outside the housing is attached to the shoulder straps and connected through the cover with the base plate for joint movement therewith in the direction. A control element coupled to the slide is movable between a locking position arresting the slide on the base plate and a release position allowing the slide to move steplessly in the direction on the rails relative to the base plate. The control element is accessible by a wearer of the backpack.

Claims

1. In combination with backpack having a rear wall and shoulder straps, an adjustable mount comprising: a base plate attachable or attached to the rear wall of the backpack and formed with two seats spaced apart in an adjustment direction; respective coupling drums rotatable in the seats; a cover on the base plate and forming therewith a housing; guide rails in the housing on the base plate and extending in the direction; a slide in the housing and movable along the guide rails in the direction between end positions; a support plate outside the housing, attached to the shoulder straps, and connected through the cover with the slide for joint movement therewith in the direction; a control element coupled to the slide and movable between a locking position arresting the slide on the base plate and a release position allowing the slide to move steplessly in the direction on the rails relative to the base plate, the control element being accessible by a wearer of the backpack while same is on a back of the wearer; a ball chain spanned over and rotationally coupling the drums and fixed to the slide for joint movement therewith in the direction, one of the drums being formed with a hole fitted with the control element for rotation of the one drum and thus displacement of the chain, slide, and support in the direction; and a formation on the base plate fittable with the coupling element for preventing rotation thereof and movement of the slide in the direction.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the coupling element is a shaft at least partially of polygonal section and the hole is of complementary polygonal section and fits with the shaft.

3. The combination according to claim 2, further comprising: a spring urging the control element into the locking position.

4. The combination according to claim 2, further comprising: a handle accessible by the wearer while wearing the backpack on an outer end of the shaft, an inner end of the shaft being of the polygonal shape and fitting complementarily through the hole in the one drum and into the formation that is a polygonal-section seat opening coaxially to the shaft, the shaft being displaceable axially of its rotation axis between the locking and release positions.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein the axis extends orthogonal to the direction.

6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the one drum is formed by two at least partially frustoconical rings forming a radially outwardly open groove in turn formed with angularly uniformly spaced and radially outwardly open recesses, the ball chain fitting complementarily with the groove and recesses.

7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the slide is formed with a groove extending in the direction and formed with recesses uniformly spaced in the direction, the combination further comprising: a retainer holding the ball chain in the groove and recesses of the slide and thereby coupling the slide to the ball chain.

8. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is permanently fixed to the shoulder straps.

9. The combination according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one clip releasably attaching the shoulder straps to the slide.

10. The combination according to claim 1, further comprising: another cover secured to a front face of the base plate and covering a stretch of the ball chain exposed on the front face.

11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein the other cover presses the stretch against the base plate and thereby frictionally brakes movement of the chain.

12. The combination according to claim 10, wherein the other cover pushes the drums apart in the direction and thereby tensions the ball chain between the drums.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front view of the inventive mount with a part of its cover;

(3) FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 without the support plate;

(4) FIG. 3 is a back view of the mount;

(5) FIG. 4 is a front perspective exploded view of the mount; and

(6) FIG. 5 is a small-scale exploded view of the mount and the associated backpack.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) As seen in the drawing an adjustable mount 1 carries a backpack 18 via shoulder straps 19 that are indirectly attached to the outside of the back wall of the backpack 18. The adjustable mount 1 has a rectangular housing with a base plate 2 and a cover plate 20 shown partially in FIG. 1. The base plate 2 of the adjustable mount 1 has vertical guide rails 3 extending longitudinally inside the housing. A slide 4 is movable along these rails 3 and lockable in any position thereto. The slide 4 is connected via removable clips 22 to a support plate 5 to which the shoulder straps 19 of the backpack 18 are secured. The support plate 5 moves together with the slide 4 along the rails 3 between two end positions. In addition, the slide 4 can be locked with the support plate 5 in the desired position so that unwanted movement is prevented. Here the adjustment and/or locking is effected by an operating element 6 rotatable between a blocking position and a release position.

(8) The slide 4 is inside the housing formed by the base plat 2 and cover 20 and the support plate 5 is outside the housing cover 20, but connected therethrough via clips 22 riding in slots 21 of the cover plate 20.

(9) The adjustable mount 1 here formed by the slide 4, the support plate 5 and the control element 6 is connected to the back wall of the backpack 18 and is operable from outside the backpack 18 when it is in position of use on the back of a wearer. In addition, according to the invention vertical-position adjustment of the support plate 5 and thus the shoulder straps 19 with respect to the adjustable mount 1 is stepless. In this solution, the adjustable mount 1 and its operating parts do not extend through holes in the back wall, so that entry of water or dirt is completely avoided.

(10) Alternatively but not shown in the drawing, the adjustable mount 1 together with the slide 4 are also be inside or part of the back wall of the backpack 18 In this solution both the control element 6 and the support plate 5 extend through back wall and project out through such a backpack 18.

(11) With such a backpack 18 according to the invention a vertical-position adjustment of the backpack 18 is possible in a particularly quick and easy way in the position of use, i.e. when the backpack 18 is on the back of the wearer. The backpack 18 can thus be adjusted for the current situation without the backpack 18 having to be taken off of the wearer.

(12) According to the invention as in particular shown in FIG. 4, near each of the short upper and lower end edges of the rectangular housing base plate 2 there is a part-cylindrical pocket or recess in which sits a respective cylindrical ball-coupling drum 7a or 7b. The two drums 7a and 7b are spanned by a ball chain 8. This ball chain 8 is on the front side of the base plate 2 between the two parallel and longitudinal guide rails 3 and close to the back of the base plate 2. The ball chain 8 is frictionally connected to the slide 4 and moves the slide 4 between its end positions. The lower ball-coupling drum 7b has a through hole for the control element 6. Thus, the operating element 6 can rotate the ball-coupling drum 7b to adjust the ball chain 8 to move the frictionally connected slide 4 between its end positions. After reaching the desired position, the control element 6 is lockable in this position. Alternatively and not shown in the figures, the through holes 9 can have other polygonal shapes.

(13) In this embodiment a free end of the cylindrical shaft forming the control element 6 has a shape (here square) and size complementary to the through hole of the drum 7b it passes through. The operating element 6 is, as shown in particular in FIG. 4 biased by a spring 10 into the locked position. This ensures at all times that when the adjustable mount 1 or the operating element 6 of the adjustable mount 1 is not actuated, the operating element 6 remains in a locking position to prevent unwanted shifting of the backpack 18 and the shoulder straps 19.

(14) According to the invention, the operating element 6 carries a handle 11 projecting laterally from the housing 2, 20 of the adjustable mount 1. This handle 11 can be operated by hand at any time, including in the use position in which the backpack 18 is on the back of a wearer, to adjust the vertical position of the backpack 18. As can also be seen in particular from FIG. 4, the actuation shaft on its free end opposite the actuation handle 11 is of a shape that is complementary to the square through hole 9 and fits through it.

(15) On the side opposite the actuation handle 11 of the ball-coupling drum 7 the base plate 2 carries a square locking seat 12 in which the free end of the actuation shaft of the operating element 6 can fit while engaged in the complementary through hole 9 to be held against rotation. To adjust the operating element 6, the wearer must pull it slightly out of the locking seat 12 and then set the desired vertical position of the adjustable mount 1 by rotating it. This is followed by automatic locking of the control element 6 by the spring 10, which moves the operating element 6 back into the locking seat 12. This ensures at all times that the control element 6 is in the locked position and thus unwanted vertical-position adjustment is prevented.

(16) For easier operation, the control element 6 extends orthogonal to the normally vertical direction of movement of the slide 4 and the support plate 5. This allows the wearer to reach particularly easily around the side of his body backward to the backpack 18 and there grab the laterally projecting handle 11 of the control element 6 of the adjustable mount 1 to operate it as desired.

(17) According to the invention, the ball-coupling drums 7 each consist of two frustoconical rings forming a radially outwardly open groove 13 in turn formed with a row of part-spherical and radially outwardly open recesses 14. Both the groove 13 as well as the recesses 14 receive and guide the ball chain 8 and its balls.

(18) In addition, the slide 4 is formed roughly centered on the slide 4 and thereby approximately parallel to the longitudinal extension of the adjustable mount 1 with a groove 15 in turn formed with a row of recesses 16 that together fit with ball chain 8 and its balls. This ensures particularly effective force transmission between the ball chain and the slide 4. A retaining element 23 engages over the chain 8 and holds it in the groove 15.

(19) In a manner known per se, the support plate 5 is permanently connected to the shoulder straps 19, for example by sewing, screwing, riveting or gluing. The slide 4 can also be releasably connected, for example by clips, with the support plate 5.

(20) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 4 according to the inventing the backpack 18 carries on the front face of the base plate 2 a second cover 17. The second cover part 17 fits over the front reach of the ball chain 8 to protect it from contact or for example from dirt. In addition, the cover part 17 has tensioning or guide formations that contact the ball chain 8 and tension or tighten it in the direction of the base plate 2. As a result, there is a certain restriction of its movement against an undesired movement of the ball chain 8, so that a certain force has to be applied to the ball chain 8 together with the slide 4 and the support plate 5 for adjustment.

(21) The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment but variable within the framework of the disclosure. Everything disclosed in the description and/or drawing and combined features are considered essential to the invention.