Padded carrying strap construction

Claim 2

A carrying strap construction comprising: a first thin, soft, pliable strip forming a first surface layer of said strap; a second thin, soft, pliable strip overlying said first strip and forming a second surface layer of said strap; a resilient layer of padding material of greater thickness than said surface layers sandwiched between said surface layers; a thin, flexible strip of high-strength material resistant to stretching forming an inner load-bearing layer of said strap between said padding layer and one of said surface layers and extending across the full width of said padding layer, said inner load-bearing layer having substantially the same overall width edge-to-edge of said strap as the adjacent said surface layer, and edge securing means securing together said first and second surface layers and said load-bearing inner layer at the opposite side edge portions of said strap and along the length thereof to bind together said surface and inner layers and enclose said layer of padding, such that said surface and inner layers extend together throughout substantially the full width and length of said strap end securement means attaching said surface layers and said load bearing inner layer to each other at their ends and for attachment to a load carrying means

Claim 3

A construction according to claim 1 wherein said opposite side edge portions of said strap are covered with edge caps overlying said first and second surface layers, said stitching securing together said edge caps, first and second surface layers and said load-bearing inner layer.

Claim 4

A construction according to claim 1 wherein said surface layers are composed of a soft pliable leather-like vinyl material.

Claim 5

A construction according to claim 1 wherein said high-strength inner layer comprises a tightly woven canvas webbing.

Claim 6

A construction according to claim 1 wherein said surface layers comprise cloth-backed vinyl material, said load-bearing inner layer comprises a tightly woven canvas webbing and said padding layer comprises a resilient sponge-like foam material.

Claim 7

A construction according to claim 2 wherein said edge caps and surface layers comprise a vinyl material and said load-bearing inner layer comprises a tightly woven cloth webbing.

Claim 8

A construction according to claim 1 wherein said padding layer terminates short of opposite end portions of said strap such that said end portions include only said load-bearing inner layer between said surface layers.

Claim 9

A construction according to claim 1 wherein one of said first and second surface layers comprises a body-engaging inner surface layer and the other said surface layer comprises an outer surface layer, said load-bearing inner layer lying between said padding layer and said outer surface layer.

Claim 10

A construction according to claim 8 wherein said inner and outer surface layers and said load-bearing inner layer extend the full width of said strap and define an enclosed space within said strap for receiving said padding layer, said inner layer extending substantially flat across the full width of said strap and beyond the opposite side edges of said padding layer.

Claim 11

A construction according to claim 8 wherein said inner load-bearing layer and said outer surface layer extend substantially flat across the width of said strap in the relaxed condition thereof, said padding layer and said inner surface layer defining a substantially flat, wide, body-engaging surface area centered between the opposite side edges of said strap in the relaxed condition thereof, whereby said strap lies flat against the supporting body portion of a user and resists curling from edge to edge thereof.

Claim 12

A construction according to claim 1 wherein said strap has a wide intermediate strap portion of substantial length between opposite end portions of said strap, said intermediate portion tapering inwardly from edge to edge thereof as it approaches said opposite end portions so that said opposite end portions are substantially narrower than said intermediate portion.

Claim 13

A carrying strap construction comprising: a first thin, soft, pliable strip forming a first surface layer of said strap; a second thin, soft, pliable strip overlying said first strip and forming a second surface layer of said strap; a resilient layer of padding material of greater thickness than said surface layers sandwiched between said surface layers; a thin, flexible strip of high-strength material resistant to stretching forming an inner load-bearing layer of said strap between said padding layer and one of said surface layers and extending across the full width of said padding layer, said inner load-bearing layer having substantially the same overall width edge to edge of said strap as the adjacent said surface layer, and edge-stitching means extending through said first and second surface layers and said load-bearing inner layer at the opposite side edge portions of said strap and along the length thereof to stitch together said surface and inner layers and enclose said layer of padding, such that said surface and inner layers extend together throughout substantially the full width and length of said strap end securement means attaching said surface layers and said load bearing inner layer to each other at their ends and for attachment to a load carrying means.

Claim 14

A carrying strap construction comprising: a first thin, soft, pliable strip forming a first surface layer of said strap; a second thin, soft, pliable strip overlying said first strip and forming a second surface layer of said strap; a resilient layer of padding material of greater thickness than said surface layers sandwiched between said surface layers; a thin, flexible strip of high-strength material resistant to stretching forming an inner load-bearing layer of said strap between said padding layer and one of said surface layers and extending across the full width of said padding layer, said inner load-bearing layer having substantially the same overall width edge to edge of said strap as the adjacent said surface layer, and edge-stitching means extending through said first and second surface layers and said load-bearing inner layer at the opposite side edge portions of said strap and along the length thereof to stitch together said surface and inner layers and enclose said layer of padding, such that said surface and inner layers extend together throughout substantially the full width and length of said strap end securement means attaching said surface layers and said load bearing inner layer to each other at their ends and for attachment to a load carrying means.