EP2886000A1

EP2886000A1 - Modular luggage

Info

Publication number: EP2886000A1
Application number: EP14198406.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Sidoli; Sara Mazzotti
Original assignee: Olim Srl
Current assignee: Olim Srl
Priority date: 2013-12-20
Filing date: 2014-12-17
Publication date: 2015-06-24
Also published as: ITMO20130355A1

Abstract

A modular luggage system (100), comprises one base unit (110), suitable for containing clothing and objects and defining a substantially rigid, solid shape, and a supplementary unit (120, 130) for containing clothing and objects (120, 130) and that can be can be removably fixed onto said base unit so as to define, together, a single piece of luggage.

Description

The present invention refers to the luggage field and specifically, it concerns a modular luggage system.
There are various known types of luggage including for example trolley cases, briefcases, suitcases, backpacks, and shoulder bags. Each one of the preceding types of luggage meets a specific need relating to transport and travel.
For example, briefcases are handy for transporting documents and a change of clothes, and they can be typically classified as carry-on luggage for air travel. In other words, they can also be stowed in the passenger cabin and not only in the cargo hold of the aircraft.
Briefcases have the drawback of having a limited capacity and furthermore, they are not always designed for safe transport of electronic devices, as they were originally created for transporting documents and stationery items.
Conversely, there are large-sized trolley cases that have a much greater capacity compared to briefcases, but in use they become quite heavy and are often not classifiable as carry-on baggage, with the resulting impossibility of stowing them in the passenger cabin.
In the event that a user is using one trolley case as his/her only piece of luggage, if that user has to go to a work-related meeting upon arrival at the destination, he/she must first empty out the trolley case, putting for example all his/her garments in the hotel room and then reinsert or in any case leave the documents and electronic devices in a semi-empty trolley case.
In the event that the trolley case is used for trips with a number of layovers, emptying the trolley case even if only partially of its large contents becomes problematic and if the trip is by plane, there is a real risk that the user will not have access to the trolley case in the intermediate layovers.
In practice, luggage pieces of the prior art are generically made up of a large rigid shell that can be opened in a book-like fashion along a specific zipper and thus they do not offer the versatility and the multi-functionality required by the situations and circumstances listed above.
Backpacks and soft and/or semi-rigid bags are not suitable for use in the case of work or business meetings, and in any case, their flexible soft structure does not permit adequate protection of electronic devices and risks causing untimely deterioration of documents transported therein.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to describe a modular luggage system that resolves the drawbacks described hereinabove.
This aim is achieved by a modular luggage system realized according to claim 1.
Characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the approximate and thus non-limiting description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of an element shaped so as to realize a modular luggage system, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a base unit of the modular luggage system according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an axonometric view of one of the supplementary units of the invention;
Figure 3 is an axonometric view of a supplementary unit differing from the one represented in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is an axonometric view of a garment bag comprised in the invention;
Figures from 5 to 8 are axonometric views of particular assembly modes for assembling the modular luggage system according to the present invention; and
Figure 9 is a schematic representation of attachment means provided in the modular luggage system constituting the object of the present invention.

A modular luggage system, which comprises at least one base unit 110, or "pilot case base unit", and one or more supplementary units that can be combined together in different configurations so as to define a single piece of luggage, is indicated in its entirety by the reference number 100.
The base unit 110 is a container suitable for transporting clothing and objects while travelling and defines a solid and at least partially rigid shape.
In practice, the base unit 110 identifies a three-dimensional and substantially rigid structure in which there is present at least one compartment designed for containing garments or objects in general. The base unit 110 comprises a plurality of lateral faces or walls 210, an upper wall 220 and a lower wall 230.
Preferably, the sides and walls are arranged in such a manner as to identify a prismatic geometric shape, for example a cube or a parallelepiped.
The walls of the base unit 110 can be at least partially realized in a composite material comprising a linen fibre.
Owing to this detail, the base unit 110 is provided with optimal mechanical strength, even though it has an ecological and natural base.
In further detail, the walls of the pilot case can be realized by means of an internal structure, or skeleton, made of a composite material and included within a covering casing.
This casing is preferably made of linen covered with a layer of polyurethane or another suitable material.
The modular luggage system 100 further comprises a telescopic handle 300 for transport.
Advantageously, the handle 300 is substantially arranged in the plane of the cited lateral walls of the base unit 110 and which shall be called the rear wall hereinafter.
As clarified herein below, this detail facilitates assembly of the modular luggage system 100 of the invention.
Measured externally, the handle is substantially as wide as the width of the base unit 110, so as to facilitate the transport thereof by the user.
The telescopic handle proves to be movable between a retracted position in which it is hidden, and an extended position in which it enables the luggage piece to be pulled.
The base unit 110 can comprise supporting feet that allow its lower surface 230 to be distanced from the ground.
Furthermore, the base unit 110 comprises a pair of wheels at the lower wall and that are substantially arranged in the plane of the rear wall, which is useful for enabling the luggage piece to be drawn by pulling it by the telescopic handle.
According to an important aspect of the invention, the proposed piece of luggage comprises at least one supplementary unit 120, 130 provided with at least one compartment for containing clothing and objects; the supplementary unit is removably fixed onto said base unit 110, so as to define, together, a single modular luggage system 100 (see Figure 8).
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in the attached figures, the luggage piece includes a plurality of supplementary units, each of which is suitable for being removably joined to the base unit 110, or pilot case, and to another supplementary unit 120, 130.
Furthermore, the proposed piece of luggage can comprise a covering bag 500 or "cover", which forms a garment bag.
The garment bag 500 is preferably made of a linen fabric coated with polyurethane or the like, and includes therein a frame made of a composite material, which defines a partially flexible structure thereof.
In practice, the invention comprises a type of luggage piece that can be constituted by a variable number of units that can be assembled in various configurations so as to define a single unit.
However, it can be disassembled and reassembled as needed, so that the user can have available a luggage piece, which can be transported and utilized as a single unit, and a plurality of travel containers, which can be used independently.
We shall return to these advantageous aspects of the invention following an illustration of further structural and functional aspects of its components.
As mentioned above, the base unit 110 has a substantially rigid and unbendable structure, in that it must function as a support element supporting the modular assembly when in use.
The supplementary units 120, 130 have a prismatic shape and preferably, each supplementary unit comprises two opposite rigid lateral walls that are connected by collapsible walls.
The rigid lateral walls of the supplementary units can be constituted by a plate-like core made of a composite material with linen fibres. The plate-like core is covered with a casing realized in the same manner as the casing described above for the pilot case 110.
In practice, owing to their collapsible walls, each supplementary unit 120, 130 can advantageously be folded over so as to reduce the thickness thereof.
In a first version of the supplementary unit 120, as represented in Figure 2, the unit has two larger rigid sides, while the sides defining the thickness are collapsible.
For the sake of convenience, this type of supplementary unit will be referred to as the "second unit" 120 hereinafter.
A second version of the supplementary unit 130 is instead characterized by being provided with at least one pair of compartments that are longitudinally located side by side of each other.
Each compartment defines a substantially prismatic cavity, for example a cube-shaped cavity.
In further detail, the supplementary unit of the second type, or "third unit" 130, can be constituted by two separable elements, each provided with one of said compartments.
Once the two separable elements are placed side by side, they take on the dimensions of the second unit 120.
Each unit 110, 120, 130 of the invention can include an opening defined by a zipper which allows access to the respective internal compartments.
Three non-limiting examples of assembly modes for assembling the modular luggage system of the invention are described herein below.
With all three modes, following assembly, the various units 110, 120, 130 forming the modular luggage system 100 will define together the lateral, upper and lower walls so as to identify a single, compact three-dimensional shape.
As shown in Figure 5, a first configuration of the luggage piece of the invention, corresponding to a respective combination of units, is described below.
The base unit 110 is positioned at a first lower height and functions as a supporting means.
A pair of second units 120 rests on the upper wall 220 of the pilot case 110 and the second units 120 are arranged vertically, facing each other along their respective larger lateral walls.
Owing to the fact that the handle and wheels are arranged in the plane of the rear wall of the pilot case 110, the second units 120 can be handily arranged on the upper wall of the former, which remains free.
Optionally, as represented in Figure 6, the first configuration is completed by the covering of the two second units and part of the base unit 110 with the inverted U-shaped garment bag folded over them.
This configuration advantageously makes it possible to fully exploit the rigidity of the larger walls of the second units 120 and to maintain the limited depth of the modular luggage system.
A second preferred combination of the units instead realizes a modular luggage system that differs from the first preferred combination described above in that a second unit is arranged facing the front wall of the pilot case 110, while two more second units are placed one over the other on the upper wall of the pilot case 110 and on the thicker wall of the front second unit.
In practice, the two upper second units 120 are substantially horizontal, that is, parallel to each other and to the upper wall of the pilot case 110, and they rest on their larger rigid walls.
In this case as well, the assembled units can be covered by the garment bag 500 applied as a "cover" covering the top, the front face and the rear face of the luggage piece.
In a third assembly mode, as shown in Figure 8, after the application of a front second unit to the front wall of the pilot case 110, a second unit is rested on the upper surface thus defined, alongside a third unit, which, we note again, is constituted by two separable elements, each bearing its own compartment.
Clearly, in this case as well, it is possible to apply the garment bag in the manner described hereinabove.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each unit 110, 120, 130 comprises, at the edges or corners thereof, attachment means 310, 320, 330 suitable for removable fastening with the attachment means for attaching the other units.
With the aid of Figure 9 in particular, the preferred version of the attachment means is described below.
Each unit comprises at least one ring 310 that enables the passage of one end portion of a rib 400 of a contiguous unit. The rib 400 is preferably and not exclusively realized by means of a strip of linen, sewn or in any case fastened on one of the sides of each unit, in such a manner as to extend at least between said upper surface and the lower surface.
A joining element of a first type is present at the end portion of the rib 400 and it is realized for example, though not exclusively with a female part 320 of an automatic button of a known type, which, in use, is coupled with a male part 330 of an automatic button of a known type. The male part of said automatic button forms a joining element of a second type that is installed on each unit substantially at said ring 310.
Alternatively, the joining elements of the first and the second type can be substituted with technical equivalents of an automatic button, realizing a removable element for locking or joining two or more units to each other. For example, magnets can be employed as well. However, the presence of an automatic button affords a greater guarantee that the contiguous units will be locked together.
Preferably, in the event that automatic "safety" buttons provided with a guide groove are employed, a predetermined movement must be carried out in order to fasten and release two contiguous units; this predetermined movement advantageously further increases secure locking of the contiguous units to each other.
Therefore, in use, the end portion of a unit is inserted in the ring 310 of a unit contiguous to it, and the female part 320 of the automatic button is engaged on the male part of the same unit, thus enabling secure locking to be achieved between the two or more units.
Preferably, the invention comprises shoulder belts, handles and shoulder straps or other linear gripping and transporting elements that can be removably fixed to the above-mentioned rings 310.
This aspect allows the various units, once they have been divided one from the other, to be easily transported.
According to an optional aspect of the invention, a plurality of different inserts (unillustrated) are comprised. By way of non-limiting example, these inserts can define organizers, beauty cases or the like.
In practice, these inserts, which can be made of linen for example, are configured to hold various objects and are insertable according to size and extractable as needed, so that various types of inserts can be used with the same units.
Some inserts are also capable of sub-dividing the internal volume of space inside the units into sub-areas of predetermined sizes and shapes, in such a manner as to define volumes of space that are more capable of keeping delicate objects or objects of particular shapes, such as devices or personal effects, firmly in place.
The pilot case 110 can include a number of detachable inserts containing for example the items one wishes to bring along.
The units and the empty inserts can be transported flattened inside the pilot case 110 and then taken out for use upon reaching one's destination.
The supplementary units containing clothing can be unfastened and placed directly in hotel wardrobes "as is", without having to remove and hang the clothes up. This is very convenient and makes it possible to prevent clothes from being wrinkled especially in the case of trips with a number of destinations.
Therefore, to provide one example, upon reaching the hotel, the business user unfastens the second units containing garments from the pilot case 110 and places them in the wardrobe just as they are; the user removes the objects that are in the pilot case 110 and the pilot case 110 can be used as a business case, or the user can remove a second unit from the pilot case 110, apply the organizer insert and the handles and bring it along as a business briefcase containing a tablet and the documents needed for a meeting with a client.
Then upon returning to the hotel, the user can for example take one of the third units 130, remove the beauty case, apply the shoulder belt to the unit and then wear it as a normal bag for personal effects to go out and visit the city in his/her free time.
The same can be done with one of the second units 120, for example by attaching the shoulder belt, so as to bring along not only one's personal effects, but also documents and other objects in a more casual manner, compared to a business briefcase, or the backpack-type straps can be attached in the event that one needs to get about using a motocycle rather than by car, or more simply because one prefers it to a shoulder bag.
The advantages of the modular luggage system constituting the object of the present invention are clear in light of the preceding description. It makes it possible to transport a large amount of goods and also to separate it into sub-units for greater transport convenience.
The user will be able for example to use the luggage piece constituting the object of the present invention as luggage for air travel, by detaching a supplementary unit 120, 130, which can conveniently become a hand bag that can be brought into the passenger cabin, and then reassembling the same luggage piece at the end of the flight. Therefore, at the end of the flight, the luggage piece becomes a single overall unit again and the user will not have to carry a number of separate bags.
By appropriately combining the sizes of the various units, the modular luggage system constituting the object of the present invention can function as a backpack, as a briefcase (with one or two units), as a carry-on trolley case or a trolley case for storage in the hold of the aircraft or as another known type of luggage, without the drawbacks found with luggage of a non-modular type.
In particular, therefore, the luggage piece constituting the object of the present invention can be advantageously utilized by users who constitute a heterogeneous group in terms of their transport needs, as the luggage piece offers the advantage that it can be disassembled in such a manner that each user can take a luggage unit or units from the overall assembly at a later point in time and thus give it its own independent life.
Furthermore, each unit presents at least one substantial rigid element on a plane (supplementary unit 120, 130) or is substantially rigid in its entirety (base unit 110), and this advantageously makes it possible to avoid wrinkling of the garments contained therein and more in general, it makes it possible to keep the items or goods contained therein more protected from impacts or jolts, compared to what would happen with soft types of luggage.
As they are partially foldable, the second units 120 can be stowed in a limited space.
Advantageously, the base material for the realization the units is also ecologically sustainable and ecological. Therefore, even in the case of disposal at the end of its life cycle, the modular luggage system constituting the object of the present invention causes less pollution compared to that which would occur with conventional types of luggage made entirely of a plastic or in any case, synthetic material.

Claims

A modular luggage system (100), comprising:
at least one base unit (110), suitable for containing clothing and objects and defining a substantially rigid, solid shape;

at least one supplementary unit (120, 130) for containing clothing and objects;

characterized in that said supplementary unit (120, 130) can be removably fixed onto said base unit so as to define, together, a single luggage.
The luggage according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of supplementary units (120, 130), each of which is suitable for being removably joined to at least one additional supplementary unit.
The modular luggage system according to claim 1, wherein said base unit (110) is substantially prismatic in shape.
The modular luggage system according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein said base unit (110) is equipped with a telescopic handle (300), which is substantially arranged in the plane of a lateral wall (210) of the same base unit.
The modular luggage system according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein said supplementary unit (120, 130) comprises two opposite rigid lateral walls that are connected by collapsible walls.
The modular luggage system according to at least one of the preceding claims, comprising units (110, 120, 130) that are at least partially realized with a composite material comprising linen fibres.
The modular luggage system according to claim 5, wherein said walls comprise a respective internal plate or structure realized in a composite material comprising linen fibres.
The luggage according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein each unit (110, 120, 130) comprises, at the edges or corners thereof, attachment means (310, 320, 330) suitable for removable fastening with the attachment means for attaching the other units.
The luggage according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the base unit (110) has an upper, horizontal support wall (220) and wherein a plurality of supplementary units (120) has such a configuration that they can be positioned on said upper wall, arranged vertically and facing each other along respective larger lateral walls.
The modular luggage system according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base unit (110) has an upper, horizontal support wall (220) and wherein the configuration of a plurality of supplementary units (120) is such that one of them is mounted facing a front wall of the base unit, while two other supplementary units are positioned one over the other, horizontally, on said upper wall.
The modular luggage system according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a covering element (500), which can cover said units (110, 120, 130) at least partially once they have been assembled, the covering element forming a garment bag.
The modular luggage system according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein each unit (110, 120, 130) has ribs (400) of flexible material extending for the entire length of at least one side of said plurality of sides, said ribs comprising end portions protruding beyond at least one edge of said side (210) and having a joining element of a first type (320) configured for coupling, in use, with a joining element of a second type (330) of a contiguous unit.
The modular luggage system according to claim 12, wherein each unit (110, 120, 130) comprises at least one ring (310) of a rigid material positioned at one end of at least one side (210) and configured so as to enable, in use, the passage of said end of at least one end portion of said rib (400) of said contiguous unit.
The modular luggage system according to the preceding claim, comprising one or more linear gripping and transporting elements that can be fixed in a releasable manner to said rings (310).