JP2021062165A - suitcase - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a suitcase with an excellent appearance, capable of changing a volume by having a cornice.SOLUTION: A cornice 30 is bridged over a first element 11 and a second element 12. The cornice 30 comprises an outer cover 32 connecting the first element 11 to the second element 12, an inner bag arranged inside the outer cover 32, and a hinge-shaped reinforcement member stored in the inner bag. The reinforcement member is a hinge having almost the same size when opened as the outer cover, and the hinge includes a torsion spring openable without applying external force. Since the outer cover is flat, an appearance is excellent.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a variable volume suitcase.

As for suitcases used for overnight trips, hard cases are preferred from the viewpoint of protecting the contents (luggage). The hard case has a constant volume. If you have a lot of luggage, you can't fit it in your suitcase. Put the remainder in another bag.
If the volume of the suitcase can be changed, even if there is a lot of luggage, it can be stored in one suitcase.

Therefore, a variable volume suitcase has been conventionally proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (FIG. 2)).
Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, the variable volume suitcase 100 includes a case body 101, a fastener 102, a bellows 103, and a lid 104. The bellows 103 is a cloth.

The cloth bellows 103 has the advantages of being highly elastic, having a simple structure, and being inexpensive. On the other hand, the folded shape of the bellows 103 is not stable when it is shrunk. The bellows 103 becomes so-called crumpled.

A variable volume suitcase that can overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the suitcase 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2 (Claim 1, FIG. 6, FIG. 8)).

According to claim 1, of Patent Document 2, a ring-shaped frame, a box-shaped main body having an opening having a shape corresponding to the peripheral edge of the frame on the storage side, and a plurality of non-shaped main bodies provided between the frame and the main body. A telescopic mechanism in which a flexible plate body is connected by a rotating shaft and the plate body is connected to the frame and the main body by a rotating shaft so that the rotating shaft is substantially parallel to the edge of the frame and the main body. A bag characterized by being provided with, is provided.

Patent Document 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.
As shown in FIG. 13, the first plate body 201 and the second plate body 202 are connected by the rotating shaft 205, the second plate body 202 and the third plate body 203 are connected by the rotating shaft 205, and the third plate is connected. The body 203 and the fourth plate body 204 are connected by a rotation shaft 205. In addition, the first plate body 201 and the first mounting plate 207 are connected by the rotating shaft 205, and the fourth plate body 204 and the second mounting plate 208 are connected by the rotating shaft 205.
The first mounting plate 207 is screwed to the frame, and the second mounting plate 208 is screwed to the main body. As a result, the suitcase 200 shown in FIG. 14 is obtained.

As shown in FIG. 14, since the plate bodies 201 to 204 and the rotating shaft 205 are provided between the frame 211 and the main body 212, the volume of the suitcase 200 is sufficiently large.
When the volume of the suitcase 200 is reduced, the plates 201 to 204 are folded around the rotation shaft 205. Therefore, the drawback of Patent Document 1 (the bellows become crumpled) is eliminated in Patent Document 2.

However, since the plates 201 to 204 and the rotating shaft 205 are exposed, it cannot be said that the appearance is good.
Since the plates 201 to 204 and the rotating shaft 205 are arranged on the bottom surface of the suitcase 200, the side surface in front of the drawing, the side surface and the upper surface in the back of the drawing, the suitcase 200 is inevitably heavy. It is desired to reduce the weight of the suitcase 200.

Utility Model Registration No. 3183546 Utility Model Registration No. 3202799

An object of the present invention is to provide a suitcase having a bellows and having a good appearance.

The invention according to claim 1 is a box-shaped suitcase provided with a bellows and whose volume can be changed.
The components of this suitcase include a first element and a second element.
The bellows is bridged between the first element and the second element.
The bellows is composed of an exodermis connecting the first element and the second element, an inner bag arranged inside the exodermis, and a reinforcing member housed in the inner bag.
This reinforcing member is a hinge having a size when opened is substantially the same as that of the exodermis, and the hinge is characterized by having a torsion spring that opens without applying an external force.

The invention according to claim 2 is the suitcase according to claim 1.
The box-shaped suitcase is characterized in that a caster is provided on a bottom surface, a handle is provided on an upper surface parallel to the bottom surface, and the reinforcing member is arranged only on the bottom surface and the upper surface.

The invention according to claim 3 is the suitcase according to claim 1 or 2.
The inner bag is characterized by having a bag opening / closing fastener for putting in and taking out the reinforcing member.

The invention according to claim 4 is the suitcase according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The first element is provided with a main dividing portion for opening and closing the suitcase as a whole, and the second element is provided with a small lid for locally opening and closing the suitcase.

In the invention according to claim 1, the exodermis of the bellows is an external member. Since the outer skin is flat or almost flat, the appearance is good.
According to the present invention, a suitcase having a bellows and having a good appearance is provided.

In the invention according to claim 2, the reinforcing member is arranged only on the bottom surface and the upper surface. Reinforcing members may be arranged on the bottom surface, the left side surface, the right side surface, and the top surface, respectively, but this makes the suitcase heavier.
In claim 2, since the reinforcing material is arranged only on the bottom surface and the top surface, the weight of the suitcase can be reduced.

In the invention according to claim 3, the bag opening / closing fastener can be opened and the reinforcing member can be put into the inner bag. When a defect occurs in the reinforcing member, it can be easily replaced with a non-defective product.

In the invention according to claim 4, the first element is provided with a main division portion, and the second element is provided with a small lid. It is convenient because you can open the small lid and put small items in your suitcase.

It is a side view of the suitcase (in the extended state) which concerns on this invention. It is a two-part enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view of a bellows. It is an exploded view of the bellows which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of the reinforcing member which concerns on this invention. It is an exploded view of a reinforcing member. It is sectional drawing of the reinforcing member. It is a working figure of a reinforcing member. It is a working diagram of a bellows. It is a side view of the suitcase (in the contracted state) which concerns on this invention. It is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIG. It is the operation explanatory drawing of the suitcase which concerns on this invention, (a) is the figure which shows the Example, (b) is the figure which shows the comparative example. It is a perspective view of the conventional suitcase disclosed in Patent Document 1. It is a block diagram of the conventional bellows disclosed in Patent Document 2. It is a side view of the conventional suitcase disclosed in Patent Document 2.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the suitcase 10 has a box-shaped volume in which the first element 11 and the second element 12 are included in the components, and the bellows 30 is hung on the first element 11 and the second element 12. It is a variable suitcase.

The case body 13, which is another component of the suitcase 10, and a part 14a of the lid 14 are connected by the main fastener 15. At this time, a part 14a of the lid 14 becomes the first element 11. The main fastener 15 is arranged in the main division portion 16 of the suitcase 10. The main division portion 16 is used when opening and closing the suitcase 10 as a whole.

The case body 13 is provided with a handle 17 that the user holds and lifts the suitcase 10.
Further, the case body 13 is provided with the telescopic handle 18. The telescopic handle 18 is used when the suitcase 10 is laterally moved by using the casters 19.

The second element 12 is, for example, the remaining portion 14b of the lid. The lid 14 is divided into a part 14a and a rest 14b, and a bellows 30 is provided between them. That is, in this example, the bellows 30 was interposed in the lid 14. Further, the bellows 30 may be interposed in the case body 13. Further, the bellows 30 may be interposed in both the lid 14 and the case body 13.

When the suitcase 10 is composed of a case body 13, a center frame (FIG. 14, code 211), and a lid 14, one side surface of the center frame is the main division portion 16. In this case, the bellows 30 can be interposed between the lid 14 and the center frame, or the bellows 30 can be interposed between the case body 13 and the center frame. Further, the bellows 30 may be interposed between the lid 14 center frame and between the case body 13 and the center frame.

Further, the remaining portion 14b of the lid body 14 is provided with a small lid 21 that locally opens and closes the suitcase 10. When the small lid fastener 22 is opened, the small lid 21 is opened, and small items (FIG. 11 (a), reference numeral 26) can be put in and taken out of the suitcase 10.

The structure and configuration of the bellows 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
FIG. 3 will be described first.
As shown in FIG. 3, the bellows 30 includes a half body 31a of the bellows fastener 31 arranged under the first element 11 (inside the suitcase; the same applies hereinafter) and a bellows fastener 31 arranged under the second element 12. It is composed of a half body 31b, an outer skin 32 arranged under the half bodies 31a and 31b of the bellows fastener 31, an inner bag 33 arranged under the outer skin 32, and a reinforcing member 40 housed in the inner bag 33. ..

The outer skin 32 is made of cloth (including a woven fabric of resin thread), leather (including artificial leather), rubber or resin, and a central folding habit portion 34 is provided in the center in order to impart a folding habit. The side folding habits 35 are provided on both sides. The central fold portion 34 is used for valley folds, and the side fold portion 35 is used for mountain folds.

When the exodermis 32 is a cloth, the central fold portion 34 and the side fold portion 35 are not indispensable because they are highly flexible. That is, it is optional to provide the exodermis 32 with the central fold portion 34 and the side fold portion 35.

The inner bag 33 is a cloth bag or a resin bag (a bag made by weaving a resin thread), and has a bag opening / closing fastener 36 in the center of a surface (inner surface of the suitcase 10) far from the outer skin 32. Using this bag opening / closing fastener 36, the reinforcing member 40 can be optionally taken out from the inner bag 33 and the reinforcing member 40 can be inserted into the inner bag 33.
The structure of the reinforcing member 40 will be described in detail later, but the size when opened (when no external force is applied) is almost the same as that of the exodermis 32.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first thread 37 fixes the half body 31a of the bellows fastener 31, one end of the exodermis 32, and the inner bag 33 to the first element 11. Similarly, the second thread 38 fixes the half body 31b of the bellows fastener 31, the other end of the outer skin 32, and the inner bag 33 to the second element 12.

In the inner bag 33, the space between the first thread 37 and the second thread 38 (the portion surrounded by the circle A in FIG. 3 (the surface on the outer skin 32 side)) can be omitted. By omitting it, the consumption of cloth can be suppressed. However, since the reinforcing member 40 directly hits the inner surface of the outer skin 32, the outer skin 32 is scratched when the reinforcing member 40 bends.
In this respect, in the case of the inner bag 33 of the embodiment, the reinforcing member 40 is surrounded by a cloth or the like, the reinforcing member 40 does not directly hit the outer skin, and the outer skin 32 is not scratched. Therefore, examples are recommended.

Next, the structure of the reinforcing member 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 5 will be described first.
As shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcing member 40 includes a trapezoidal plate-shaped first blade 41 and a second blade 42, a torsion spring 43 passed to the first blade 41 and the second blade 42, and a first blade 41. It is composed of a hinge rod 44 that rotatably connects the two blades 42.

A small cylindrical portion 41a is integrally formed on one side of the first blade 41. A spring groove 41b for accommodating a part of the torsion spring 43 is integrally provided in the first blade 41.
Similarly, a small cylindrical portion 42a is integrally formed on one side of the second blade 42. A spring groove 42b for accommodating a part of the torsion spring 43 is integrally provided in the second blade 42.
The hinge rod 44 is inserted so as to penetrate the cylindrical portion 41a, the cylindrical portion 42a, and the torsion spring 43 together. As a result, the hinge 45 shown in FIG. 4 is completed. The hinge 45 is correctly read as "hinge", but it is also commonly read as "hinge".

FIG. 6 shows the hinge 45 (reinforcing member 40) in the open state. The urging force of the torsion spring (FIG. 4, reference numeral 43) causes the first blade 41 to be rotated clockwise and the second blade 42 to be rotated counterclockwise. When the side of the second blade 42 hits the side of the first blade 41, the rotation becomes impossible. At this time, the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 form a large flat surface.

It is recommended that the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 be provided with recesses on the upper and lower surfaces to reduce the weight. The recess can be easily formed during resin molding.

By the way, in FIG. 2, when the second element 12 approaches the first element 11, the exodermis 32 is in a valley-folded state at the central fold portion 34. This valley fold pushes down the center of the reinforcing member 40. The exodermis 32, which does not have the central fold portion 34 or the side fold portion 35, is in a zigzag state, and the center of the reinforcing member 40 is pushed down.
Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the hinge 45 shown in FIG. 6 becomes V-shaped and is in a closed state.
When the external force is removed in FIG. 7, the process returns to FIG. 6 due to the urging force of the torsion spring 43.

In FIG. 2, when the second element 12 approaches the first element 11, the outer skin 32 becomes V-shaped and the reinforcing member 40 becomes V-shaped. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the inner bag 33 also becomes V-shaped. It becomes a shape. In this state, the half body 31b of the bellows fastener 31 is connected to the half body 31a of the bellows fastener 31. As a result, the suitcase 10 shown in FIG. 9 is obtained.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIG. 1, wherein a caster 19 is provided on a bottom surface 24, and a handle 17 is provided on a top surface 25 parallel to the bottom surface 24. In this case, it is recommended that the reinforcing member 40 is arranged only at two locations, the bottom surface 24 and the top surface 25.

The first reason for recommendation is weight reduction and cost reduction.
In FIG. 10, the reinforcing member 40 may be provided along the left and right side surfaces, but at this time, the number of the reinforcing member 40 is four and the number of the inner bag 33 is also four, so that the suitcase As 10 becomes heavier, the cost increases. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the number of the reinforcing members 40 is two and the number of the inner bags 33 is two, so that the suitcase 10 becomes lighter and the cost becomes lower.

The second recommended reason is to prevent the bottom surface 24 from bending.
In FIG. 10, it is also possible to stop the reinforcing members 40 on the bottom surface 24 and the top surface 25 and arrange the reinforcing members 40 only on the left and right side surfaces. At this time, the bottom surface 24 is recessed downward by the contents. As a countermeasure, it is necessary to add another reinforcing plate to the bottom surface 24. In this respect, in the present embodiment, since the reinforcing member 40 arranged on the bottom surface 24 also serves as the reinforcing plate, the reinforcing plate can be omitted. Therefore, it is recommended to arrange the reinforcing member 40 of the present invention on the bottom surface 24 near the caster 19.

By the way, when the suitcase 10 shown in FIG. 9 is used, the user opens and closes the main division portion 16 for large-scale loading and unloading of luggage. Sometimes I buy small items at the airport shop. Small items can be taken in and out of the suitcase 10 by opening and closing the small lid 21. Since the small lid 21 is lighter than the lid 14, the burden on the user can be reduced.

Therefore, the action of the small lid 21 will be compared and described with reference to FIG.
A comparative example is shown in FIG. 11 (b). The suitcase 300 of FIG. 11B has a cloth bellows 301 similar to the suitcase 100 described with reference to FIG. Place the suitcase 300 on the floor (or suitable platform) of the airport lobby. Since the cloth bellows 301 has a weak waist, it shrinks crumpled due to the weight of the remaining 302 of the lid. The height dimension H2 is relatively small.

When the contents are stored to some extent, the remaining portion 302 of the lid is placed on the contents. In this state, in order to open the small lid 303 and insert the small item 304, it is necessary to pull up the remaining portion 302 of the lid body with one hand of the user to extend the bellows 301. By stretching, a gap is created between the contents and the remaining portion 302 of the lid. The accessory 304 is thrown into this gap. The act of pulling up the remaining 302 of the lid becomes a burden.

An embodiment is shown in FIG. 11 (a). The suitcase 10 of FIG. 11A is provided with a hinge 45 shown in FIG. 4 on the back of the outer skin 32. The hinge 45 includes a torsion spring 43. As a result, the bellows 30 is maintained in an elongated state, and the height dimension H1 becomes relatively large (H2 <H1).
A gap having a height corresponding to the maximum (H2-H1) is generated between the contents and the remaining portion 14b of the lid. The small lid 21 can be opened and the small item 26 can be thrown into this gap. Since it is not necessary to pull up the remaining portion 14b of the lid with one hand at the time of this loading, the convenience is enhanced.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the suitcase 10 has an outer skin 32 as an exterior member, and the outer skin 32 is rich in flatness. Therefore, the suitcase 10 according to the present invention has a good appearance even though it is provided with the bellows 30.

The present invention is not limited to a suitcase in a narrow sense, and may be a box-shaped container, and can be applied to a box-shaped bag, a storage case, or a trunk.
The invention of claim 1 is also applicable to a suitcase without casters and a suitcase without a small lid.

The present invention is suitable for a box-shaped suitcase whose volume can be changed.

10 ... Suitcase (variable capacity suitcase), 11 ... 1st element, 12 ... 2nd element, 16 ... Main division, 17 ... Handle, 19 ... Caster, 21 ... Small lid, 24 ... Bottom of suitcase, 25 ... Top surface of suitcase, 30 ... Bellows, 32 ... Outer skin, 33 ... Inner bag, 34 ... Folding part (central folding part), 35 ... Folding part (side folding part), 36 ... Bag opening and closing fastener , 40 ... Reinforcing member, 43 ... Torsion spring, 45 ... Hinge.

Claims (4)

A box-shaped suitcase with a bellows that can be changed in volume.
The components of this suitcase include a first element and a second element.
The bellows is bridged between the first element and the second element.
The bellows is composed of an exodermis connecting the first element and the second element, an inner bag arranged inside the exodermis, and a reinforcing member housed in the inner bag.
This reinforcing member is a hinge whose size when opened is substantially the same as that of the exodermis, and this hinge is characterized by having a torsion spring that opens without applying an external force. The suitcase according to claim 1.
The box-shaped suitcase is characterized in that a caster is provided on a bottom surface, a handle is provided on an upper surface parallel to the bottom surface, and the reinforcing member is arranged only on the bottom surface and the upper surface. The suitcase according to claim 1 or 2.
The inner bag is a suitcase having a bag opening / closing fastener for putting in and taking out the reinforcing member. The suitcase according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The suitcase is characterized in that the first element is provided with a main dividing portion for opening and closing the suitcase as a whole, and the second element is provided with a small lid for locally opening and closing the suitcase.

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