US20080135144A1

US20080135144A1 - Purse insert having interchangeable accessory holders and method therefor

Info

Publication number: US20080135144A1
Application number: US10/886,303
Authority: US
Inventors: Nancy P. Brody
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-12-03
Filing date: 2004-07-07
Publication date: 2008-06-12

Abstract

An adjustable size purse insert for easily transferring items from one purse to another. The adjustable purse insert has a plurality of accessory holders for holding and storing different items within a purse. A coupling device is coupled to a body section of each of the plurality of accessory holders. The coupling device allows for removably coupling successive accessory holders together. This allows the purse insert to be adjustable in size and to allow individuals to combine different accessory holders together to form different sizes and configurations of purse inserts.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to purses and handbags, and more specifically, to a purse insert which will have a plurality of different interchangeable accessory holders. The purse insert will allow for the easy transfer of articles from one purse/handbag to another.
2. Background of the Invention
The majority of women carry purses or handbags (hereinafter purse) for storing various personal items. Most women consider a purse a necessity in order to store all the different items which they may use to support their daily activities. Some of the items which a typical purse may store, include, but is not limited to, credit cards, photographs, identification or personal credentials, glasses/sunglasses, checkbook, wallet, change purse, keys, stamps, coupons, note paper and pen, phone number listings, tissues, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), cellular phone, pager, and the like.
To accommodate one or more of these various items, purse manufacturers have provided purses which include specialized compartments for the orderly reception of some of these different items. However, most purses do not have a sufficient amount of specialized compartments to hold/store all of the different items which a woman may want stored in her purse. Thus, many times the user ends up placing the majority of the items in the main compartment of the purse. When this happens, many of the items often become entangled at the bottom of the purse compartment making it difficult for the user to retrieve a particular item.
In order to accommodate the many different individual aesthetic preferences of the user and in order to compliment a particular garment or occasion, manufacturers have designed numerous different types and styles of purses. Women are frequently changing from one purse to another in order to match the style of the purse with the occasion or a color of a particular dress or article of apparel. When this is done, it is necessary for the user to remove the needed contents from one purse and then transfer the contents to another. As pointed out above, this can be difficult as many items have been loosely placed within the purse and it is necessary to sort through the items in the purse and make the transfer so that the selected new purse contains the necessary items. Transferring of items from one handbag to another is not efficient and often items are forgotten or left in a previous handbag which are needed later.
Presently, there are several different types of purse inserts. These purse inserts have several compartments for storing different items within a purse. The problem with these inserts is that there are not enough compartments to store the many different items a woman may place in the purse. Furthermore, the purse insert is not adjustable. Present purse inserts only come in a single size. The problem is that these purse inserts will not fit into smaller purses and handbags.
Therefore, a need existed to provide an improved purse insert that overcomes the above mentioned problem. The improved purse insert will allow for the easy and organized transfer of items from one purse to another. The improved purse insert will be adjustable. The improved purse insert will have a plurality of interchangeable accessory holders in order to hold and store the many different items in the purse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved purse insert.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved purse insert that will allow for the easy transfer of items from one purse to another.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved purse insert that is adjustable.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved purse insert that will have a plurality of interchangeable accessory holders in order to hold and store the many different items in the purse.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an adjustable size purse insert for easily transferring items from one purse to another is disclosed. The adjustable purse insert has a plurality of accessory holders for holding and storing different items within a purse. A coupling device is coupled to a body section of each of the plurality of accessory holders. The coupling device allows for removably coupling successive accessory holders together. This allows the purse insert to be adjustable in size and to allow individuals to combine different accessory holders together to form different sizes and configurations of purse inserts.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrated embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals and symbols represent like elements.

FIG. 1 is an exploded elevated perspective view of one embodiment of the adjustable purse insert of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of another embodiment of the adjustable purse insert of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of another embodiment of the adjustable purse insert of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the adjustable purse insert of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the FIG. 1, an adjustable purse insert 10 (hereinafter purse insert 10) is shown. The purse insert 10 is comprised of a plurality of different accessory holders 12. Each accessory holder 12 is designed to hold and store different items which a woman may require and/or use during the day. For example, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the purse insert 10 has an accessory holder 12 which is designed as a sunglasses/eyeglasses case 14. Another accessory holder 12 is designed as a wallet holder 16. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, other types of accessory holders 12 include a credit card holder/personal identification card holder 18, an address book/PDA holder 20, and a key holder 22. It should be noted that other types of accessory holders 12 may be used. These other types of accessory holders 12 will be described in relation to the other embodiments. However, it should be kept in mind that any combination of different accessory holders 12 may be used in any of the different embodiments.
Each accessory holder 12 will have a coupling device 24 attached to the body section of accessory holder 12. The coupling device 24 will allow an accessory holder 12 to be removably coupled to a corresponding accessory holder 12. Thus, each individual accessory holder 12 may have a corresponding accessory holder 12 removable coupled to either the front, back, or both the front and back of the body section. The coupling device 24 may be any type of device which will allow one to easily attach and remove the accessory holders 12 from one another. In accordance with the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the coupling device 24 is made of a hook and loop material. Thus, front side of each body of each accessory holder 12 will have a strip of hook material 24A and a back side of each body section of each accessory holder 12 will have a strip of loop material 24B (or vice versa). This will allow each accessory holder 12 to be removably coupled to a corresponding accessory holder 12.
As depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the coupling devices 24 are placed at the bottom body section of each accessory holder 12. Such placement is functionally novel as pertains to the plurality of accessory holders 12. By placing such coupling devices 24 on the lower portion, flexibility and availability of external items exist in the purse. In particular, the added flexibility occurs because the coupling device 24 slightly pivots at the bottom end, much like a hinge. Consequently, the more accessory holders 12 that are added in, the more flexible the accessory holders become. As a result of the added flexibility, access to the external portions of the accessory holders becomes available and items externally located on the plurality of accessory holders, including the key holder 22 and the credit card/personal identification holders 18, may be inserted/extracted from the purse.
The sunglass/eyeglass case 14 holds and stores the sunglasses/eyeglasses when one no longer wishes to wear them. Additionally, the sunglass/eyeglass case serves a useful purpose when quick access is needed to a pair of sunglasses, including when direct sunlight blinds the driver of a vehicle or when one losses their contacts. Furthermore, one may retrieve the sunglasses/eyeglasses from the convenient side opening 30 when items are placed on top of the purse inserts.
Structurally, the sunglass/eyeglass case 14 is attached by a coupling device 24 on the bottom portion of the case to another accessory holder 12. The case contains a hard or soft rectangular shaped body 14 a having an interiorly hollowed area with one opened end 30. A coefficient of friction exists against the hollowed interior walls 14 b of the rectangular shaped body 14 a and the inserted pair of sunglasses/eyeglasses. Thus, the sunglasses/eyeglasses are prevented from falling out of the opened end 30.
The wallet holder 16 is designed to expand and contract with the size of the wallet due to the many forms of wallets women carry. The wallet holder 16 performs the acts of expanding/contracting by the use of an accordion file-type shaped body 16 a having a hollow interior section. A bendable flap 34 closes the interior bounded portion through the use of a clasping or coupling device 36. As a result, a user of the wallet holder 16 inserts the wallet into the wallet holder 16, and covers and secures it using the bendable flap 34. Therefore, the wallet will not fall out of the wallet holder 16 and hence the purse. A coupling device 24
Another accessory holder 12 in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 includes a credit card holder/personal identification holder 18. The credit card holder/personal identification holder 18 is a flat rectangular piece of material 18 a containing slots 38. The slots 38 hold the exteriorly located credit cards/personal identification to the flat rectangular piece of material. Accordingly, one may use the credit card holder/personal identification holder 18 by placing credit cards/personal identification in the slots 38 in the flat rectangular piece of material 18 a.
Another instance of an item a woman may require and/or use during the day is an address book/PDA holder 20. The address book/PDA holder 20 expands and contracts with the size of the address book/PDA due to the many forms of address books/PDAs women carry. The address book/PDA holder 20 performs the acts of expanding/contracting by the use of an accordion file-type shaped body 40. A zipper 42 is coupled to the body 40 and covers the interior bounded portion, which also secures the address book/PDA. As a result, a user of the accessory holder inserts the address book/PDA into the holder 20, and covers and secures it using the zipper 42. As a result, the address book/PDA will not fall out of the purse.
A key holder 22 is also depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Specifically, the key holder 22 is attached to the address book/PDA holder 20. However, unlike the plurality of accessory holders 12 that carry specific items, the key holder may attach to any one of the accessory holders, including the sunglass/eyeglass holder 14, wallet holder 16, and credit card/personal identification holder 18. Compositely, the key holder 22 is made of a bendable, durable strip-like material, which may include leather or flexible plastic. The key holder 22 has a coupling device 24. Therefore, a set of keys may be secured into one of the plurality of accessory holders 12.
Referring now to FIG. 2, wherein like numerals and symbols represent like elements, a side view of another embodiment of the purse insert 10 is shown. In this embodiment, the purse insert 10 is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1. The main difference is that there are additional accessory holders 12 removably coupled together. In this embodiment, the key holder 22 is individually coupled to a corresponding accessory holder 12. Furthermore, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, one may see the individual strips of hook and loop material on each of the individual accessory holders 12.
Referring to FIG. 3, wherein like numerals and symbols represent like elements, another embodiment of the purse insert 10 is shown. In this embodiment, the purse insert 10 is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The main difference is that the accessory holders 12 are removably coupled to each other in a side by side position. The coupling device 24 is attached to a side section of each accessory holder 12.
In the present embodiment, two different types of coupling devices 24 are shown. One coupling device 24 is the same as in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. A piece of hook material 24A may be placed on a side of each accessory holder 12. A separate piece of loop material 24B is then used to coupled successive accessory holders 12 together. Once again it should be noted that the hook and loop material may be switched or that different types of coupling devices may be used. FIG. 3 shows an alternative method for coupling successive accessory holders 12 together. Snaps 24C may be used to removably couple successive accessory holders 12 together. One or more male connector may be coupled to each accessory holder 12. A female connector may be on a separate piece of material and used to connect successive accessory holders 12 together. Once again it should be noted that the male and female connectors may be switched.
In the present embodiment, additional accessory holders 12 are shown. In this embodiment, an accessory holder 12 is designed as a cosmetic holder 26. The cosmetic holder 26 expands and contracts with the size of the amount of cosmetics due to the many forms of cosmetics women carry. The cosmetic holder 26 expands/contracts by the use of an accordion file-type shaped body 46. A bendable flap 48 coupled to the body 46 covers the interior bounded portion, which also secures the cosmetics through the use of a clasping or coupling device 50. As a result, a user of the accessory holder inserts their cosmetics into the holder, and covers and secures it using the bendable flap 48. Therefore, the cosmetics will not fall out of the purse. Accordingly, the usefulness of this specific insert is apparent when one needs access to cosmetics, but needs to carry other items as well, including keys, sunglasses, etc. Additionally, it should be noted that other items may be placed inside the cosmetic holder 26 besides cosmetics. For example, other items that may be stored inside the cosmetic holder 26 include, but is not limited to: a notepad and pencil/pen, coupons for shopping, pictures, loose change, etc.
A cellular phone/pager holder 28 is also depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 3. The cellular phone/pager holder has a rectangular shaped body section 30 having an interiorly bounded portion. A fastening device opens and closes the singular opening for the insertion/extraction of the cellular phone/pager. As a result, the holder secures the cellular phone/pager.
The first accessory holder from the left-hand side depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 3 is a checkbook holder 30. The checkbook holder 30 has a flat rectangular shaped body 30′ of fixed size having an interior bounded portion for the insertion/extraction of checkbook. Additionally, the holder secures the checkbook with a fastening device.
Referring now to FIG. 4, wherein like numerals and symbols represent like elements, another embodiment of the purse insert 10 is shown. In this embodiment, the purse insert 10 is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The main difference is that the coupling device 24 is a clip 24D similar to that found on a pager or a cellular phone. Each accessory holder 12 will have a loop 24E or other item coupled to the bottom body section. A clip 24D will also be coupled to the bottom body section of each accessory holder 12. The clip 24D will be used to removably coupled one accessory holder 12 to the loop 24E of a successive accessory holder 12.
The purse insert 10 will allow one to easily transfer items from one purse to another. The purse insert 10 may be easily remove from one purse and inserted into another. The purse insert 10 is adjustable in size. Different combination of accessory holders 12 may be coupled together to allow one to form different sizes and configurations of purse inserts 10.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An adjustable size purse insert for easily transferring items from one purse to another comprising, in combination:

a plurality of accessory holders wherein each of the plurality of accessory holders is removably coupled to a successive accessory holder, the plurality of accessory holders are interchangeably coupled so that different accessory holders may be coupled together to form different size purse inserts, the plurality of accessory holders are coupled on the bottom portion for the insertion/extraction of items exteriorly located on the accessory holders wherein said bottom coupling provides more flexibility and storage area, the plurality of accessory holders is designed to hold and store specific individual purse accessory items; and

coupling devices coupled to a body section of each of the plurality of accessory holders for removably coupling successive accessory holders together.

2. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein the coupling devices are coupled to at least one of a front or back of the body section.

3. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein the coupling devices comprise:

a flat stripped piece of hook material coupled to a first surface of the accessory holder; and

a flat stripped piece of loop material coupled to a second surface of an adjacent accessory holder

4. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein the coupling devices comprise:

a flat stripped piece of hook material coupled to a first surface of first accessory holder;

a flat stripped piece of hook material coupled to a second surface of adjacent accessory holder; and

a flat rectangular piece of loop material coupling the hook material of the first accessory holder to the hook material of the adjacent accessory holder wherein said accessory holders are coupled side-by-side.

5. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is an eyeglasses/sunglasses case comprising:

an oblong rectangular shaped holder;

a closed bottom curve on one end of the oblong holder; and

a permanent opening on the other end of the oblong holder for the insertion/extraction of the eyeglasses/sunglasses.

6. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a wallet holder comprising:

a rectangular accordion file-type shaped body and having an opening for the insertion/extraction of a wallet;

a bendable flap coupled to the rectangular accordion file-type shaped body that covers said opening; and

a coupling device for securely coupling said bendable flap to said rectangular accordion file-type shaped body.

7. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is an ID/credit card holder comprising:

a flat rectangular shaped body; and

a plurality of slots cut in said flat rectangular shaped holder wherein ID/credit cards are inserted into said slots for holding said credit cards or ID cards to said flat rectangular shaped body.

8. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is an address book/PDA holder comprising:

a rectangular accordion file-type shaped body which is expandable and having a single rectangular opening for the insertion/extraction of an organizer book/PDA; and

a zipper coupled to said rectangular accordion file-type shaped body for opening and closing said opening.

9. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a cellular phone holder comprising:

a rectangular shaped body of fixed size;

a singular opening for the insertion/extraction of a cellular phone; and

a fastening device coupled to the rectangular shaped body for securely covering said opening.

10. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a checkbook holder comprising:

a flat rectangular shaped body of fixed size;

a singular opening for the insertion/extraction of a checkbook; and

a fastening device coupled to said flat rectangular body for securely covering said opening.

11. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a cosmetic holder comprising:

a rectangular accordion file-type shaped body which is expandable and having a single rectangular opening for the insertion/extraction of cosmetics;

a bendable flap coupled to said rectangular accordion file-type shaped body for covering said opening; and

a coupling device securely coupling said bendable flap to said rectangular accordion file-type shaped body.

12. An adjustable size purse attachment in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a key holder comprising:

a flat strip body member for holding one or more keys, said body member being flexible; and

a connector coupled to a first and second end of said flat strip body member for coupling said first end to said second end to hold said at least one key.

16. An adjustable size purse insert for easily transferring items from one purse to another comprising, in combination:

a plurality of accessory holders wherein each of the plurality of accessory holders is designed to hold and store specific individual purse accessory items; and

coupling devices coupled to the bottom body section of each of the plurality of accessory holders for removably coupling successive accessory holders together;

wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a key holder comprising:

a connector coupled to a first and second end of said flat strip body member for coupling said first end to said second end to hold said at least one key;

wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is an ID/credit card holder comprising:

a flat rectangular shaped body; and

17. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 16 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is an eyeglasses/sunglasses case comprising:

an oblong rectangular shaped holder;

a closed bottom curve on one end of the oblong holder; and

18. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 16 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a wallet holder comprising:

19. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 16 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is an address book/PDA holder comprising:

20. An adjustable size purse insert in accordance with claim 16 wherein at least one of the plurality of accessory holders is a cellular phone holder comprising:

a rectangular shaped body of fixed size;

a singular opening for the insertion/extraction of a cellular phone; and