Patent 7028873 was granted and assigned to Nike, Inc. on April, 2006 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A backpack includes a backpack body having a body side. A pair of shoulder straps is connected at each end thereof to the backpack body. A semi-rigid support plate is positioned proximate the body side, and a strap is connected to the support plate such that a lower portion of the support plate can be curved while an upper portion of the support plate remains substantially flat.