Expandable luggage bag

Claim 1

In an expandable bag constructed of flexible material having a main section and a secondary, expansible section which is retained within the main section when the bag is in its non-expanded condition, the improvement comprising, said main section having a generally rectangular bottom panel, each of the main and secondary sections having two generally rectangular side panels and two generally rectangular end panels joining said side panels, the upper edges of said side and end panels defining together a horizontal opening such that in the fully opened position of each of the main and secondary sections the bag assumes an oblong configuration and in the fully closed position, said side panels collapse to permit progresive upward tapering of the bag, each of the main and secondary sections including a zipper closure member having mating halves secured to the upper periphery of side and end panels, a zipper slide to effect engagement of the mating halves of the zipper beginning at one end panel and ending at the opposite end panel, in the fully closed position the start and finishing ends of said zipper together with the upper underlying portions of said side panels projecting for a short distance laterally of each end of the bag, a tab connected to the starting end of the zipper to join the mating halves thereof, a tab connected to the zipper slide and fastening means connected to each of said tabs and to each side panel to permit drawing and securing the projecting upper ends of the side panels against an intermediate portion of the end panels, and wherein the zipper closure members are each one-half of a conventional zipper assembly, the finishing ends forming a continuous, closed loop.