Pannier for bicycle rear carrier racks

Claim 1

A pannier for a rear carrier rack of a bicycle or the like comprising a bag of generally flexible lightweight material having a top wall, a back wall, a front wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, an essentially rigid, unitary interior frame received within the bag which includes a back part having a peripheral portion matching and engaging the perimeter of the rear wall of the bag to impart shape and stability thereto, and a top part substantially rigidly connected to the upper edge of the rear part, extending out at substantially a right angle to a plane defined by the peripheral portion of the rear part and having a peripheral portion substantially matching and engaging the perimeter of the top wall of the bag to impart shape and stability thereto, and two side parts substantially rigidly connected to the two side edges of the rear part, extending out at substantially a right angle to planes defined by both the peripheral portions of the rear and top parts and extending only partly down the side walls from the top to impart shape and stability to the upper side walls and permit the bottom portions of the front and side walls to assume the shape of the contents of the pannier, the interior space of the pannier thus being entirely uninterrupted side to side and top to bottom, and attaching means joined to the frame adjacent the juncture between the rear part and top part and adapted to mount the pannier on the rack with the top wall of the bag lying generally contiguous to the rack platform, the top part of the frame thus constituting a structural element for supporting part of an object carried on the rack platform and for supporting the bag and objects within it.