EP1467641A2

EP1467641A2 - Wide handle upright luggage case

Info

Publication number: EP1467641A2
Application number: EP03708891A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Clemens Van Himbeeck; Luc Huyghe
Original assignee: Samsonite Corp
Current assignee: Samsonite Corp
Priority date: 2002-01-25
Filing date: 2003-01-23
Publication date: 2004-10-20
Also published as: WO2003063637A3; WO2003063637A2; MXPA04007047A; BR0302855A; CN1622773A

Abstract

A luggage (1) having a wide wheel handle grip (21) which extends along the entire lateral dimension across the upper face of the case and conforms snuggly to the upper surface of the case when fully collapsed. This wide wheel handle includes telescoping rods or tubes (23) adjacent to each case’s side faces along the inside surface of the rail. The storage tubes (22) into which the tubes (23) telescopically stored from two wide of a four-sided framed extending along the entire walls for the rail of the case to provide structure for the case without interfering with the packing items. The front face of the case includes molded corner pieces to provide structural stability and volume to the main packing door (12).

Description

WIDE HANDLE UPRIGHT LUGGAGE CASE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Upright luggage cases are well known. Generally such cases have a telescopically extendable handle that protrudes from an edge of the case body at the upper narrow end of the case. A pair of wheels protrudes at the lower end of the case, usually along an edge defined by the intersection of the bottom surface of the case and the back vertical face of the case. The telescoping handle is normally contained in or adjacent to this back vertical side of the case that is the side of the case facing the person wheeling the case. Such an upright luggage case is shown in U.S. Patent 6,305,514. Upright luggage cases inherently have the disadvantage of the wasted space caused by the vertically extending tubes, into which the telescoping portions of the wheel handle store, when they project into the packing space. Thus, clothes packed in the main packing compartment must lie across vertical protrusions of these vertical tubes.

The position of these tubes also restricts the size of any auxiliary packing compartment that could be positioned on and accessible from the back face of the case. The above-mentioned U.S. Patent 6,305,514 shows one way to provide such an auxiliary packing compartment. Here an extra zippered gusset is sewn on to the surface of the luggage back wall. This provides a relatively outwardly protruding packing compartment.

Also, prior art upright cases tend to require an extra carry handle, much like the strap handle shown on the side of the case in the above mentioned patent, in addition to the telescopically extendable wheel or tow handle at the top of the case. The upright case shown in the above mentioned patent tends to compensate for this by creating an offset molded portion interconnecting the telescoping tubes with the grip. These move the wheel handle grip more towards the center line (as measured between the front main wall and the back main wall of the case) such that the luggage case can be lifted and supported by this handle, thus eliminating an extra carry handle. However, the cumbersome vertical tubes still remain in and along the back vertical wall of the case, thus restricting packing options and compromising the packing space.

There have been attempts to move the telescoping down tubes of the wheel handle such that they do not protrude into and otherwise restrict the inside surface of the main packing compartment. One example of this attempt is U.S. Patent 5,833,039. Here the wheel handle is mounted outside of, but adjacent to, the back vertical surface of the case. Also, the down tubes are located adjacent to the upper corners of this back surface to present a wheel handle grip which extends almost across the entire lateral dimension of the case. An alternative construction disclosed in this patent places these down tubes inside and along the inner surface of the back wall of the case, which does not solve the packing problem outlined above. A further alternative places the down tubes along the corners of the luggage case at the intersection of the back wall and vertical side walls, just inside the case. However, the structural portions of this luggage case, such as the frame 42 providing the structural integrity for the case and the down tubes of the wheel handle, give little structural advantage over conventional constructions, yet still protrude into the interior of the case. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide an upright luggage case having a telescopingly mounted handle that extends from the upper surface of the luggage case opposite from the end having at least a pair wheels. The down tubes for storing the telescoping portion of the wheel handle extend along substantially the entire vertical dimension of the luggage case and are mounted adjacent to the vertical side surfaces of the main packing compartment, whereby the storage or down tubes serve to structurally reinforce these side surfaces. Thus, the storage tubes and the telescoping portions of the wheel handle do not substantially restrict access through either the front or back walls of the case.

It is another object of the invention to provide a relatively wide telescopically extendable wheel handle grip, which extends substantially the entire lateral width of the upright luggage case to which it is attached. This wide wheel handle includes a depressible button which operates to release latching devices mounted in and along down tubes of the telescoping wheel handle. The down tubes are mounted adjacent to but immediately within the vertical side walls of the luggage case. The down tubes pass through an upper U-shaped structural member which is attached at its ends to an upper end of each of the storage tubes whereby the storage tubes and the U-shaped structural member form a frame for the upper and both side walls of the luggage case.

Another object of the subject invention is to provide a luggage case that eliminates any restriction to passage of the traveler's goods through either the front or back wall of the case so that substantial packing compartments can be provided into and with access through both the front walls and rear walls of the luggage case. It is another object of the invention to provide an upright luggage case with a telescopically extendable luggage handle grip mounted about at the geometric center of the upper wall of the case, the handle including latching means that holds the handle grip at the right distance from the upper wall so that the grip can be used to lift and carry the luggage case. The telescoping handle has telescoping rods that are normally stored in tubes built into the vertical side walls of the case to partially serve as frame members to give structural rigidity to the case.

Accordingly, the subject invention includes a vertically oriented luggage case having a pair of wheels mounted at the lower corners of the luggage case and a telescopically extending wheel handle selectively deployable from the upper surface or upper wall of the luggage case. The telescoping wheel handle includes a grip which extends horizontally from the center of the case and outwardly to a pair of generally vertically extending tubular elements. The tubular elements include a device for locking the tubes in a vertically deployed position, in a position partially stored and in a position fully stored within the luggage case. The luggage case includes a pair of storage tubes, one tube extending along and approximate to the centerline of each of the side walls. The luggage case has a bottom board for mounting the wheels. This bottom board is fixedly attached to the lower end of each of the storage tubes. An upper molded structural board is also provided which extends along the upper wall of the luggage case and is fixedly attached at each end to an upper end of each of the vertical storage tubes whereby the storage tubes, the bottom board and the molded top board form a peripheral frame that extends along and is adjacent to vertical side walls, the bottom wall and the top wall of the luggage case. This frame is flanked on each open end thereof by a front case wall and a back case wall. The front case wall has a main packing door therein for access to the main packing compartment. The rear wall has a secondary zippered access door which opens into a gusseted pocket built within the confines of the thus defined frame.

Further aspects of the invention will be understood with reference to the following figures and description showing a preferred embodiment of this invention.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred luggage case with the wide wheel handle extended.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the front face and main packing door of the luggage case. Figure 3 shows a side view of the luggage case showing a side wall.

Figure 4 shows the back face of the luggage case with the auxiliary packing compartment door in an opened position.

Figure 5 shows the bottom of the luggage case.

Figure 6 shows a detail of the corner construction of the front wall. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the molded corner used in the construction shown in Figure

6.

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the case partially in cross-section showing the parts comprising the peripheral frame and extendable wide wheel handle.

Figure 9 is a perspective top view showing a molded portion of the bottom board. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the under side of the molded top board.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the top surface of the molded top board.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the bezel that is received in the top board and in turn receives a portion of the wide wheel handle.

Figure 13 is a detail of the combination grip and glide shown in Figure 5. Figure 14 is a detail interior view of the button as it is installed in the wheel handle for operating the stop mechanisms for the extendable wheel handle mechanism. Figure 15 is a detailed view of the storage tube and telescoping rods for the wide wheel handle. Figures 16 A, B and C show the cross-sectional shape of the telescoping tubes of the handle portions at sections A and B, respectively, and the storage tube section C shown in Figure 15. Figure 17 shows the wide handle in its many use positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The upright luggage case 1 consists of a generally conventional predominantly fabric jacket 10 surrounding the wheel handle mechanism 20 and frame 30, which will be detailed. The jacket or shell 10 of the luggage case does include some novel features. The front face or front wall of the luggage case consists almost entirely of a zipper-attached main packing door 12 which provides access to the main packing compartment 14. This door includes molded corner portions 40 made of a flexible thermoplastic injection molding compound, such as well-known alloys of polyethylene and polypropylene. This corner portion has a thin dome shaped center portion 42. The overall shape is generally that of a three-sided section of a sphere or spherical triangle with one curving side 44 corresponding to the rounded corner edge at the intersection of top surface and side surface of the side wall or rail portion 18 of the jacket 10. The remaining other edges 46 and 48 form a right angle to one another. The outer edges of all three sides have sewing flanges 50 so that this molded portion can be attached beneath the adjacent edges of the fabric panels 121, 122, 123 which make up the main vertical face of the packing door and the adjacent vertical flanking portions of the door as seen in the figures. The first edge has a sewing flange to which attaches the tape for the main packing door zipper 16 and the conventional edge beading 17 containing a coil wire or tempered wire stiffening member. The main packing door is otherwise relatively unstructured and provides a fairly flexible, somewhat protruding panel.

Note that the main surface of the front face of the luggage case comprises a single, generally rectangular textile fabric panel 121 which extends from the lower most edge (as defined by one straight portion of the edge beading 17) to the upper most edge (also defined by a portion of the stiffening edge beading 17 and central reach of the access zipper 16). The other two main textile panels 122 and 123 are also elongated and rectangular. This construction has the advantage of using the textile material in a very efficient and relatively waste free manner, especially when contrasted with other constructions that require cutting curved patterns from textile bolt materials, an inherently wasteful process.

The back side 2 of the case 1 also presents some unusual features. First, the lower portion 3 of the case is an uninterrupted band of textile extending from the relatively conventional wheel assemblies 4 up to about the mid-point on the case. A skid bars or scuff bars 5 are molded from a tough injection molding plastic compound and extend from the bottom of the case up to about the mid-line of the case. A single large access door 6, self-hinged along the seam at the mid-point, extends upwardly to the top surface of the case. A zipper 7 similar to the zipper 16 for the main packing door extends in an inverted U-shaped path along the side edges of the rail 18 at the vertical sides of the case and across the top edge. Within this auxiliary packing door is an auxiliary packing compartment 8, which is defined by a fairly large, gusseted textile panel or divider 9 that protrudes almost a third of the distance of the depth of the case into the main packing compartment. This auxiliary packing compartment 8 is made possible by the fact that the storage tubes 22 and the telescoping down tubes 23 (see Figure 8 etc.,) of the wheel handle are not located along this back wall but are built into the side walls, as will be detailed.

The structural features of this unusual case dominate the sides, top and bottom of the case. The ends of the bottom board 32 have structural features and cavities appropriate for fastening the wheel assemblies 4 at each end and for fixedly receiving the bottom ends of the storage tubes 22. Similarly, the top board 34 is also injection molded of thermoplastic and dominates the upper surface of the case and defines the upper structural portion of the frame 30. It also includes cavities and wells for receiving the upper ends of the storage tubes 20. Note the generally curving indentations 35 shaped to receive the complimentary shaped ends of the wide wheel handle 21.

As is conventional in this sort of construction, the textile jacket can be sewn almost to completion. This frame assembly is placed within the almost completed textile jacket. First, the top and bottom boards are placed on the storage tubes 22 but not fastened in place along the tubes. This permits the top and bottom boards to be inserted within the textile jacket 10 and aligned within the rail portion 18. Then the top and bottom boards are pushed firmly against the textile to tension the textile and give it a neat, tailored appearance. Finally, penetrating fasteners are screwed into respective receivers in the top and bottom boards and into holes provided for this purpose in the storage tubes 22, thus completing the frame. Finally, the wheel housings, various glides, grip glide 13 with its gripping cavity 15, other handle grips and bezels can now be fastened to the outside of the jacket by penetrating fasteners which pass from the inside of the case and through portions of the bottom board and top board. Except for its striking shape and dimension (as well as the position along the center line of the case as was mentioned previously), and some constructional details, the wheel handle latching system operates much like that of a conventional wheel handle. Of course, this wheel handle has detents and corresponding holes 19 and 19' in the storage tubes 22 and telescoping tubes 23 respectively to hold the position of the wheel handle tubes 23 in its various extended and stored position. The detent operating mechanism is similar to that shown in U.S. Patent 6,305,514. The disclosure of this wheel handle as contained in this U.S. Patent is hereby incorporated by reference except to the extent that disclosure is inconsistent with this disclosure. As seen in the figures, the handle release button used to control the latching system protrudes from the back side of the handle 11 which consists of a handle base 28 and top shell 29. These are both injection molded parts that snap and screw together and hold the cable operated release button and related mechanisms. This is different than the conventional wheel handles where the operating button usually protrudes from the upward facing surface thereof. Here the release button includes ramp surfaces 25 protruding out and engaging a pair of cam-like terminations 26 on a pair of cables 27 (Figure 14). The cables 27 extend outwardly along both sides of the elongated wheel handle between the top handle shell and base, and down along the curving sides, and then down into the telescoping tubes where the cable operates a detent mechanism similar to that shown in the above referenced patent. Note that the handle has a fairly wide cross section in the horizontal direction. This is to permit it to have the necessary structural integrity, yet still be fairly narrow in the vertical direction to lie relatively flat against the upper surface of the case when the handle is in the fully collapsed position. Thus, the horizontally extending operating button 24 takes advantage of this extra width so that the stroke of the button and thus the operation of the cam surfaces 25 against one another can provide the adequate movement to the release mechanism positioned within the telescoping tubes 23. As mentioned above, the wheel handle lies fairly snugly against the top surface of the case when the luggage handle is fully collapsed. In fact, the wheel handle provides a gap between its lower surface and the upper surface of the case approximating that needed for a carry handle. Thus the wide wheel handle positioned along the center line of the luggage case can be used to carry the luggage case when the case is not being moved on its wheels. In order to permit the wheel handle to collapse fully against the case for storage and when not being carried, each of the bezels are dominated by an elongated cavity sized and shaped for receiving much of the curving portion of the wide wheel handle.

The combination of these features provides for a very versatile wheel handle mechanism. As seen in Figure 17 the wheel handle has four main useful positions. In the first position shown at the extreme left of Figure 17, known as the "check-in" position, the wheel handle fits relatively snugly immediately adjacent to the upper surface of the luggage case. This is made possible primarily by the bezels' large elongated cavities and the corresponding indentations 35 in the molded top board. These receive the respective ends of the wide wheel handle as mentioned above. The second position, called the carrying position shown next in Figure 17, provides about a 45mm gap between the upper surface of the case and the lower surface of the handle grip, so as to provide a properly positioned carry handle. The third and fourth positions are for use while wheeling the luggage case on its wheels. One or the other extended positions is best for shorter or taller travelers. Note also that the wide handle grip permits the user to pull the case from either side of the case while walking (Figure 1). Conventional narrow handles tend to require the user to pull the upright case so that it trails behind, where the user tends to kick the back wall of the case with one's heels. The inventive handle system permits the case to trail the user off to one side, and thus tending to avoid this kicking problem.

Claims

We Claim:

1. An upright luggage case having front and rear walls and a rail portion between the front and rear walls, a telescopically extendable handle that protrudes from an upper portion of the luggage case, a pair of wheels positioned across the width dimension thereof and protruding at a lower end of the case opposite the handle, the improvement comprising a grip portion of the telescoping wheel handle, said grip extending horizontally across a center of the case substantially the entire width dimension of the case, a pair of telescoping tubes attaching end portions of the grip portion to the case, a pair of storage tubes for receiving the telescoping tubes, the storage tubes being mounted adjacent to vertical side walls of the luggage case and extending substantially the entire height dimension of the luggage case, whereby the storage tubes comprise side portions of the frame of the luggage case.

2. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the telescopically extendable handle further includes means for locking the telescoping tubes in a vertically deployed position, for locking the tubes in a partially stored position within the storage tubes, and for locking the telescoping tubes in a position within the storage tubes whereby the handle grip fits snugly against the top surface of the luggage case.

3. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the handle grip is positioned approximate the center of the rail portion.

4. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said frame further includes a bottom board fixedly attached to the lower end of the luggage case and fixedly attached to the lower ends of each of the storage tubes, said frame further including an upper molded structural board which has holes passing therethrough sized to receive upper portions of said storage tubes.

5. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said case further includes a main packing door comprising the front wall of a luggage case, said main packing door operating to give access to a main packing compartment therein, said rear wall having a secondary zippered access door therein which opens into a gusseted pocket built within the confines of the rail portion.

6. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 2 wherein said means for locking includes means for locking the handle grip in the partially stored position at a distance from the upper surface of the luggage case to define a carry handle for carrying the upright luggage case by the grip portion-

7. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 6 wherein said grip portion includes a depressible button for operating said means for locking said tubes, said button being positioned on a surface of said grip which faces the same direction as the front wall.

8. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 2 wherein said grip portion has an overall inverted "U" shaped curving profile with end portions thereof connecting to the end of each of the telescoping tubes attached thereto, the case further including a bezel having a hole passing therethrough to receive one of said telescoping tubes, said bezel mounted at a corner defined in an upper portion of said rail, said bezel further including an indentation sized to receive the corresponding curved portion of said handle grip portion.

9. An upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 8 wherein said frame further includes an upper molded structural board which has holes passing therethrough sized to receive upper portions of said storage tubes, said upper molded structural board further including indentations sized to receive portions of said bezels.

10. A luggage case comprising a frame and a fabric jacket supported by said frame, and a fabric panel construction forming a part of the fabric jacket, the panel construction including at least a pair of molded corner portions made of a flexible injection molding compound, each of said corner portions having a dome-shaped center portion surrounded by three sides in the form of a spherical triangle, the panel construction further including at least one fabric panel having edges, the edges of the fabric panel being attached to two adjacent sides of said molded corner portion.

11. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 10 wherein said corner portion has the overall shape of a section of a sphere.

12. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 10 wherein the fabric jacket has corners, at least a pair of the corners of the textile jacket have said pair of corner portions positioned thereat.

13. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 10 wherein the luggage case has a rail portion, the panel construction being attached to the rail by a zipper whereby the panel construction comprises a main access door.

14. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 13 wherein one of the sides of the corner portion is attached to the zipper and the other two sides of the corner portion are attached to the fabric panel.

15. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 14 wherein the fabric panel construction is made of at least two fabric rectangles sewn together, the main face of the packing door being comprised of a first fabric rectangle which extends substantially the entire vertical dimension of the main packing door, the second fabric rectangle being sewn to the first fabric rectangle along one vertical edge thereof, the first and second fabric rectangles forming a corner to which the molded corner portion is sewn, whereby the panel construction has an overall protruding shape.

16. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 10 wherein each of said three sides includes a sewing flange whereby the side can be attached beneath adjacent edges of the fabric panels.

17. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 15 wherein said panel construction further includes a third fabric rectangle sewn to said first fabric rectangle along another vertical edge thereof, the first fabric rectangle and said third fabric rectangle forming another corner to which the other of said molded corner portions is sewn.

18. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 17 wherein said fabric panel construction comprises a second pair of molded corner portions substantially identical with the first pair of molded corner portions, the second pair of corner portions being attached at the remaining corners of said fabric panel construction.

19. A luggage case as set forth in Claim 18 wherein the width dimension of said second and third fabric rectangles is substantially equal to the length of the corresponding side of said molded corner portion attached thereto.

20. A rectangular frame for an upright luggage case comprising a bottom board for supporting the lowermost portion of an upright luggage case, a top board for supporting a portion of the luggage case opposite the bottom board, and side members, the side members comprising storage tubes which extend along substantially the entire vertical dimension of the resulting rectangular frame, the storage tubes sized to receive telescoping tube portions of a telescoping wheel handle mechanism.

21. A frame for an upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 20 wherein the bottom board includes integrally molded sockets sized to receive the lowermost end of said storage tubes, the top board further comprising openings passing therethrough sized to receive the uppermost ends of said storage tubes, whereby the bottom board and top board may be positioned on the storage tubes to permit easy inserting within a textile jacket for making an upright luggage case.

22. A frame for an upright luggage case as set forth in Claim 20 wherein the top board includes indentations adjacent to opposite ends thereof, the indentations sized and positioned to receive downwardly curving portions of the wheel handle mechanism, whereby the wheel handle mechanism can be snugly stored against the top uppermost surface of the top board.