GB2328202A

GB2328202A - Modular suitcases

Info

Publication number: GB2328202A
Application number: GB9817274A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roberto Briccola
Original assignee: Bric S Ind Valigeria Fine S R
Current assignee: Bric S Ind Valigeria Fine S R
Priority date: 1997-08-13
Filing date: 1998-08-07
Publication date: 1999-02-17
Also published as: FR2767256B3; IT237862Y1; DE29812444U1; ITMI970610U1; GB9817274D0; FR2767256A3

Abstract

A suitcase comprises two sub-cases A,B which are detachably joined, preferably by a zip fastener 10,11, and may be carried and used independantly. The sub-cases may be of soft or framed form and may have closable external pockets, and one sub-case A may have wheels or other rolling elements 9 and a retractable handle 8. The sub-cases may be joined face-to-face, may have the same peripheral dimensions with different depths and may be closed by zip fasteners.

Description

2328202 Suitcase This invention relates to a suitcase, particularly to a

suitcase suitable for air travel in which limits are placed on hand luggage. The term "suitcase" is used broadly to include soft (unframed) luggage as well as framed luggage.

Suitcases are known, commonly known as trolley cases, provided with a retractable (or extractable) handle at one end and wheels at the other end to facilitate their transportation by the user. If the suitcase falls outside the weight limits placed by the airline for hand luggage, the user is compelled to despatch it as unaccompanied luggage knowingly subject to rough treatment during handling, and hence such as to endanger the safety of fragile or delicately transported objects or appliances, such as video cameras, photographic cameras and the like.

The user is hence compelled to transport such objects separately in another container or suitcase with the discomfort of having to carry two pieces of luggage, namely the wheel-mounted trolley case and a hand suitcase.

Accordingly, the invention provides a suitcase (as herein defined) comprising at least two sub-cases detachably joined together, each subcase being adapted to be carried and used independently of the at least one other sub-case when detached therefrom.

Preferably, the present invention consists in a suitcase comprising at least two sub-cases adapted so as to be able to be removably joined together, each sub-case being able to be used independently of the at least one other sub-case when not being joined to the at least one other sub-case, one of the sub-cases being provided with an extendable handle and wheels or other rolling elements.

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the suitcase according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the suitcase split into two mutually independent sub-cases; Figure 3 is a perspective view of that sub-case not wheel-mounted; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the wheel-mounted sub-case.

In the figures the reference numeral 1 indicates overall the suitcase. It comprises two separable but re connectable parts A and B, known herein as "sub-cases", each of which, once separated from the other, represents an actual independent suitcase, provided in this preferred embodiment with a zip fastener 2, 3 giving access to its own interior compartment, and with a handle 4, 5. The sub-case 7 is wheel-mounted (ie of trolley case type) in the sense that wheels 9 and support feet are provided on one of its sides 6 lying at 90 to that on which the handle 5 is situated, two handles 7 and 8 also being provided, one of which, namely the handle 8, is of the usual extractable/retractable type. The surrounding edges of the two sub-cases A and B have the same form and the same plan dimensions, however their depth, ie the dimension H, can differ. The material used for the two sub-cases is of known flexible type, reinforced in known manner by a metal frame in the case of the sub-case A. The two sub-cases are provided in known manner with beading along the perimeter of their major sides.

According to the invention, the two sub-cases can be joined together (Figure 1) by a perimetral zip fastener of separable type, the mutually connectable component parts 10, 11 of which are applied (fixed) respectively along the contours (or perimeters) of those identical lateral faces 12, 13 which lie in mutual contact when the sub- cases are joined together by the separable zip fastener 10, 11 to form a single suitcase.

When the need or opportunity arises, the separable zip fastener 10, 11 is opened to separate the two sub-cases, of which one, B, is transportable for example as hand luggage, and the other is transportable as luggage to be stored in the hold on the occasion of air travel.

A further advantage of this separability is that that sub-case 8 of lesser depth H can be used as a brief-case for papers and documents and carried by the user on the occasion of visits or meetings, whereas the other sub-case A of greater capacity, which can contain clothing or articles not required for the meeting or visit and hence certainly heavier, can be left in the hotel or elsewhere. Each of the two sub-cases A, B can comprise one or more external pockets closable by zip fasteners indicated by 14 and 15 in the figures.

The scope of the invention also includes means other than zip fasteners for removably connecting the sub-cases A and B together, or closing the pockets. For example, hook and eye tapes (for example these known by the name of VelcroO), press studs or the like can be used.

4 Each feature disclosed in this specification (which term includes the claims) and/or shown in the drawings may be incorporated in the invention independently of other disclosed and/or illustrated features.

Statements in this specification of the "objects of the invention" relate to preferred embodiments of the invention, but not necessarily to all embodiments of the invention falling within the claims.

The description of the invention with reference to the drawings is by way of example only.

The text of the abstract filed herewith is repeated here as part of the specification.

The suitcase comprises two parts removably joinable together by a zip fastener, each part defining a sub-case provided is with its own handle and able to be used independently of the other once the perimetral zip fastener has been opened. one of said sub-cases is of the trolley type and is provided with a further retractable handle on a different side, with wheels and with support feet.

Claims

1. A suitcase (as herein defined) comprising at least two sub-cases detachably joined together, each sub-case being adapted to be carried and used independently of the at least one other sub-case when detached therefrom.

2. A suitcase as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a said subcase is provided with wheels or other rolling elements.

3. A suitcase according to Claim 2, wherein said sub-case is provided with a substantially retractable/extractable handle.

4. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the sub-cases are detachably joined together face to face.

5. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least two sub-cases can be removably joined together is by zip fasteners.

6. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the sub-cases are constructed of flexible material, and wherein a sub-case which is provided with a retractable handle has a reinforcement structure.

7. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the sub-cases comprise closable external pockets.

8. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein each sub-case is closable by zip fasteners.

9. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein each sub-case has surrounding edges of the same form and the same plan dimensions.

10. A suitcase according to any preceding claim, wherein the depth of each sub-case is different.

11. A suitcase substantially as described hereinabove with reference to the accompanying drawings.