The present invention allows for a travel bag for clothing transport and storage which is portable and compact, enabling the business and non-business traveler to transport and store a small amount (e.g., a complete day's worth) of clothing in his/her briefcase, unhampered by the need to hand carry and/or account for an extra bag of luggage. The travel bag allows for separate holding structures for each type of article of clothing, assuring the traveler that the articles will remain in an unmixed state and thus permitting the traveler to readily access a particular piece of clothing without the necessity to unpack the other items.
Conventional luggage, including garment bags, are the typical means by which business and non-business travelers transport and store their clothing while traveling. Conventional luggage places an unnecessary burden on the traveler who is taking a short trip or only needs to pack a limited amount of clothing and/or accessories. Likewise, such conventional luggage presents difficulties for the traveler who wishes to travel as unhampered as possible. Moreover, due to luggage size restrictions and limitations on the number of carry-on items imposed by the airlines, for example, travelers are often forced to check bags containing personal items and wait to retrieve those personal items at baggage claim, further delaying the traveler's arrival at their intended destination.

[0005] Conventional luggage is designed and functions to allow the traveler to store the articles of clothing in a central area. Because the clothing articles are stored in one area, the articles often arrive at the traveler's destination wrinkled. Moreover, due to the storage restrictions, the traveler is forced to unpack most, if not all the articles, in order to find the particular article of clothing the traveler desires to wear, especially if the item sought is not one of the last items packed.

[0006] Garment bags, unlike conventional luggage, usually have separate storage compartments for the articles to be transported therein. Those storage compartments, however, are typically nothing more than simple open pockets with zipper enclosures. The clothing articles stored therein are often unsecured and become mixed while in transit. Moreover, each compartment must be separately opened and the articles unpacked to obtain the desired piece of clothing. Additionally, garment bags, which are usually meant to be hung during travel and at the traveler's arrival at his/her destination, are typically large in size and require that the traveler carry the garment bag either by use of a shoulder strap and/or handle, impeding the traveler's mobility.

[0007] U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,562,952 and 4,881,684 to Chinman (collectively, "Chinman") disclose a "Wrapper for Clothing" and a "Wrapper for Articles with Improved Securing Arrangement," respectively. The wrapper of Chinman, however, has several drawbacks. First, the wrapper includes a shape retainer that is necessary to place on the stack of clothing to be stacked in order to maintain the articles stored therein in a flat condition. Secondly, the wrapper of Chinman is limited to storage in only a central area. The side flaps of the wrapper do not and cannot function as storage areas, but instead, are designed to envelop and secure the articles stored in the central area and to maintain the structure of the wrapper. Moreover, due to the overall limitations of the wrapper of Chimnan, it is designed to be used in conjunction with other wrappers of the same design, with each wrapper holding a particular type of clothing. Additionally, due to the lack of an internal securing means, when the side flaps are in the completely opened position, the wrapper must be lain flat or the articles stored therein will fall out.

[0008] In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a travel bag that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art in the transportation, storage and preservation of clothing for the business and non-business traveler.