A variety of organizer systems and organizer devices are known in the art and are provided with various pockets for storing materials, useful tools, paper, and the like. A number of these systems and devices have been developed for specific tasks, jobs or projects. For example, organizers have been developed for planning weddings. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,736 to Russo, issued Jul. 20, 1999. Another example is color reference systems for decorating. See U.S. Pat. 5,743,407 to Williams, issued Apr. 28, 1998. Organizing systems have also been developed for sorting and organizing coupons. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,736 to Parker, issued Aug. 7, 1984.
Some of these organizer systems and devices are of a more general nature. For example, U.S. Pat. 3,904,003 to Margerum, issued Sep. 9, 1975, discloses a combination carrying case and traveling desk having a handle 30 for carrying it and which has an accordion file 42 with pockets 43 (plus pockets 54 for cover flaps 20 and 21) for storing various items. Another example is the portable file case disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,454 (Wang), issued Jun. 26, 1990, which allows for the stored files 6 or lining structure 5 having a plurality of compartments 51 to be removed from case 2 and is provided with a handle 12 that can be gripped by the user for carrying it. Yet another example is the combination organizer and accordion file disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,170 (Chisolm), issued Sept. 21, 1999, that is provided with carrying handles 36 and 38, and which has built in pockets and storage areas 52, 58, 62 and 64, as well as an accordion file 40 with dividers 44.
Organizer handbags are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,183 to Cooper, issued Sept. 4, 2001, discloses an organizer handbag provided with a loop strap for carrying over the shoulder, as well as various interior and exterior pockets and compartments for storing keys, pagers, cosmetic pouches and the like. Another example of such an organizer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,118 to Kearl, issued Feb. 27, 2001, that has a work surface that can be used as an erasable writing surface, pockets for storing various items and an organizer tray for writing implements such as crayons.
The art has also provided various types of planning devices. For example, U.S. Pat. 2,941,314 to Schwieger, issued Jun. 21, 1960, discloses a room planner comprising a box provided with sheets of grid paper 50 and furniture models 58. Another example is the planning and toy assemblies kit of U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,620 to Barlett issued Apr. 9, 1996, that has receiving surfaces 12 and a plurality of planning elements 14A, 14B and 14C adherable by magnetic attraction to these receiving surfaces. A further example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,156 to Laravea et al, issued Apr. 30, 2002, is an organizer for strategizing team play comprising a plurality of pages bound in a ring binder, including a magnetic surface and player pieces.
While these prior organizer systems and devices provide certain benefits, there is still a need for an improved organizer system that not only provides those benefits, but additionally provides a system with additional components, options and flexibility needed to organize, plan, store, transport and display the items that the user determines are necessary for the development or management of a specific task, job or project, or a non-specific task, job or project. Although these tasks, jobs or projects can be very different, such as, for example, decorating, wedding planning, gardening, landscaping, accounting, business and office management, athletic coaching and management, and the like, these systems and options need to be able to accommodate a number of different aspects, including storing and organizing various materials, such as samples, floor plans, receipts, pictures, and phone numbers; providing the ability to plan various activities and how various items are to be arranged, such as, for example, a work or writing surface, as well as displaying various materials or objects; holding and carrying personal items such as keys, waterbottle, and portable phone, while allowing for easy and convenient transportation. Such a multipurpose organizer system should also permit the components to be used separately, in combinations of only selected components, or all components together.
There is also a need for such systems and options that are directed and tailored for specific tasks, jobs and projects. For example, an organizing system for decorating needs to be easy to carry from home or office to the car, to the store and back, hold, store and organize items that are accumulated and needed for the decorating project, provide the ability to display these items in a manner that makes it simple to work with and compare to other items one may wish to purchase, provide a surface for planning room and furniture layouts, as well as accommodate other components of the organizer system such as replacing the need for a purse when shopping to permit everything be transported in a carry bag that also holds keys, wallet, etc. In the case of an organizing system for wedding planning, it would be desirable to display choices for easy coordination of color and theme, provide a surface with a writing pad for notes or comments, provide pockets for separate aspects of the wedding such as guest lists, addresses, flowers, etc., and provide the ability to have the components of the system to be carried in a fashionable, lightweight, non-bulky, sturdy bag that can stand upright, can be hung on the user's shoulder, and again eliminate the need for a purse. When the organizer is to be used for managing and coaching athletics, it would be desirable to provide an organizer that holds, stores and organizes papers, phone numbers, contracts, rosters, birth certificates, receipts for equipment, tournament information, schedules and pictures, along with a diagram board of the field to plan and show plays to the athletes, such as a removable and erasable surface to draw plays on, as well as a carrier for these items to be used when traveling to athletic events and practices that is lightweight, durable and convenient to use, and includes a carrybag to hold and transport various personal items such as keys, waterbottle and portable phone, replacing the need for a purse or separate bag. Again, while the task, job or project can have specific requirements that are needed to store, organize, plan, display and transport, the organizer system should also be flexible to be able to accommodate multiple purposes and options.