JPH06507107A - Luggage bag with intelligent opening mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

Attache cases and business cases in general typically have a portfolio section for organizing papers and a main packing section. Depending on the needs of the user, these portions can be selectively closed off. However, it is best that these sections are relatively accessible depending on whether the case is opened from the vertical position or whether the case is opened from the horizontal position. Accordingly, applicant has provided a portfolio catch system which, depending on the orientation of the case (10), holds the portfolio (20) in a closed position where the front (22) of the portfolio is attached to the lid portion (11) of the case (10), or in the alternative, if the case (10) is opened from the vertical position, the panel (22) is held to the base (14) of the case (10), thus preventing the contents of the base (14) from spilling and automatically permitting ready access to the contents of the portfolio (20). Also disclosed is a series of lid containers (13) and base containers (15) arrayed along the upper edge of the lid (11) and base (14) shells at the upper side of the case (10). These containers (13, 15) are readily accessible in all conditions of the case (10), and are especially accessible when the case is opened from the vertical position wherein access to the contents of the portfolio (20), as well as these lid and base containers (13, 15), can be readily had.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Luggage bag with intelligent opening mechanism Background of the invention The present invention relates to a luggage case, such as a business or attaché case. Sara More particularly, the present invention is suitable for carrying packed personal and business related items. It has two main compartments to organize them when necessary. , the compartments are interconnected by internal hinged divider panels. Regarding cases that are separated into two.

Such cases generally belong to two groups. The first group is generally Fabrics or resins that are often unstructured with large envelope shapes. It is a soft-sided case made of a leather-like material. Other general case The lath consists of a lid shell and a base shell that are hinged together along the bottom edge. It has a hard outer structure or jacket that is divided into two parts. Base shell is usually carried A handle is attached to the top for easy access. Lid shell and base shell The wells are typically selectively held closed together by a latching device. business - In the case, a hinged partition along the lower inner edge of the lid shell A document case containing a number of vertically arranged flexible dividers attached to a panel. It is very common to include regions. The entire document case structure is made up of partition plates. A flexible gusset panel that allows the panel and the intermediate divider after it to hinge out. held on the left and right sides by flannel. This allows easy access Expose paper, documents, etc.

The base shell is commonly used to carry clothing, stacks of paper, books and other items. Provides a large compartment. An example of such a briefcase is the No. 3,756,639, assigned to the Assignee of Ming. here , in addition to exhibiting the above-mentioned characteristics, the case can be opened with the case tipped over. a gravity-responsive detent 4 that prevents movement of the latch lever 17 in the event of an attempt to do so; It is equipped with 1. This is done in the main shell as shown in Figure 2 of that patent. Prevent held documents from spilling. This is Sansui rice, which was also transferred to the inventor. National Patent No. 4714286 shows an attache case with other gravity sensitive features. ing. However, Sansui recommends that if the case is improperly oriented, Rather than making it impossible to open the lid shell completely, it is possible to control the degree to which the lid shell opens. It is equipped with gravity-sensitive means for trolling. Especially when the case is in a horizontal position. ball bearing located in the slot in the lid stay if A detent allows the case to be fully opened. However, the case is hanging down. When opened from a straight position, the ball falls into the slot and hits one of the stays. It acts to shorten the arm of. The lid shell is prevented from fully opening and Therefore, the contents within the main shell of the case will not fall out of the case. . However, at least some of the contents of the main shell are Even if it is completely prevented from falling out of the case, it is still possible to fall to the bottom of the case. It will be. If the lid is only partially open, the bottom of the case Do not close the lid as contents (paper, pencils, tape recorders, etc.) may accumulate on the It is difficult.

One solution to this is shown in US Pat. No. 3,112,017. here Now we have an attachment with a divider panel hinged to the bottom wall of the base shell. Ucase is shown. When the partition plate 25 is clipped in place The contents of the base shell are hidden from view and the case cannot be opened in any position other than horizontal. Even if the case is dropped, its contents are generally prevented from falling out of the case. Partition plate Panel 25 provides a writing surface so that the case can be used as a desk. but, The divider panel 25 is moved from one position to another after the case is opened. There must be.

Therefore, if you want to access the shirt 24 etc., open the case and use the partition plate. Pull the pad from the latched position over the shirt and onto article 24. to hold its divider pad in a vertical position within the lid while accessing Preferably, the retaining device 23 is clipped.

In this way, these traditional cases are based on the contents of the main parts of the attaché case. Keep the contents from spilling out of the case or migrating to the bottom of the case. Provides a means to automatically allow access to the contents of the document compartment while held. It does not have any discrepancies. In all of the conventional cases mentioned above, the case changes from a vertical position to Automatically allows access to the document compartment of the case when opened and against the contents within the base shell of the case when the case is opened from a horizontal position. do not provide a means to allow access to

Also, these traditional attaché cases are only partially opened. such as pencils, sunglasses, etc., for easy access in case you don't have them. There is no way to organize small items. One traditional case is a pencil case. box-like objects, but those boxes are hinged to the case. for easy access to these small items. requires the user to open the case completely. In addition, many attaché cases are There is a small pocket for blank tickets, business cards, etc. along the front of the document compartment divider panel. There is. Again, to access these relatively small and flat items. the case is substantially fully opened, exposing the base shell, or Such contents must be allowed to eject and prevented from fully closing the case again. Must be.

Soft sight and heart side access to internal and external compartments etc. External zippered pocket for access, bib with extra pencil There are business cases and handbags. Extra compartment like this allows selective access to the contents of the case, i.e. these extra Holds parts of the case closed while opening compartments. death However, such extra access openings complicate the case structure and require safety compensation. Separate locks and latches must be provided where desired.

Summary of the invention Therefore, the applicant proposes that the base shell, the lid shell, and the lid shell be It is equipped with a document compartment that is normally carried inside the well, and the document compartment is A hinged front panel along the bottom edge and a hinged front panel along the bottom edge. means for holding the front panel in the open or closed position relative to the front panel. case with flexible gussets for attaching the sides of the lid and shell. Invented the

The lid shell has a height dimension, and the front panel of the document compartment is over a portion of said height from the hinged side towards the upper edge of the shell. It is being extended. Attach the divider panel to the lid shell at the top edge of the divider panel. or a means for releasably attaching it to the base shell, whereby The degree of opening of the lid shell from the base shell around the hinge is The document compartment divider panel opens when the divider panel is attached to the base shell. Preferably, it is limited by the extent to which it can be exposed. Because of this fixation The means is a protrusion means placed on the front panel of the document case and the protrusion is released. first means carried on the base shell for retaining the protruding means; a second means carried by the lid shell for releasably retaining the lid shell; .

Lid Shell and Base Shell and their Lid Shell and Base - comprising means for selectively holding the shells together in the form of latches, the lid shell is hinged to the base shell and the lid shell is a case that defines a main compartment and a base shell that defines a main compartment. A resource will also be provided. Inside the case there is a main compartment and a lid compartment. An internal panel is located for closing the ment. case or generally vertical This is the first position that closes the panel or main compartment when opened from that position. A first means is provided for automatically holding the panel. This method is Also, when the case is opened from a substantially horizontal position, the panel Hold the panel in the second position.

It also includes the lit shell, the base shell, and the hinges along the joint edges of these shells. lid shell and base shell to close the case. A case is provided with means for holding it together. The lid shell is compartments, and the base shell is the main stuffing compartment. Define it. The lid compartment usually carries a document case. child A briefcase has a panel defining its front, the sides of this panel and a lid shell. It is equipped with a bellows gusset that extends between the inside of the holder and the inside of the holder. Interchange this panel Means are provided for holding the panels in position relative to each other, which means This acts to hold the white chrysanthemum in position 1 or in the second position within the base shell. Selective positioning of lid shell and base shell in closed position act between. The means for this movement include a first foot pivoted on the lid shell. This hook engages the front panel when the case is in the horizontal position. sense the direction of gravity pull to position this hook to meet and Equipped with a pendulum that releases the panel when the case is in the vertical position, the hand The stage further includes a second hook positioned and carried by the base shell. Equipped with This second hook senses the direction of gravity and keeps the case in a vertical position. Position the hook so that it engages the panel when the case is in a horizontal position It is provided with pendulum means for releasing the panel when in position.

The first and second hook means engage each other when the case is in the vertical position. are positioned with respect to each other such that More specifically, this second hook: When this second hook rotates in response to gravity when the case is in a vertical position, the second leg means for forcibly disengaging the first hook from engagement with the panel; There is.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 shows an attaché case according to the invention in an open position.

Figure 2 The broken part of the case in Figure 1 with the beam Radshell opened from the horizontal position. It shows the minutes.

FIG. 3 shows the case of FIG. 1 after being opened in the vertical position.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway view of details of the attaché case shown in FIG. 1.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, or shows the case after opening in the vertical position. ing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The attache case 10 has the same overall shape and structure as a conventional attache case. have. As in its traditional case, this case has a lid shell defining a lid compartment 12 defined by a space contained therein; It is equipped with a lid shell 11. This case also has a lid shell. It has a base shell similar to that of a standard model. This base shell 14 is constitutes a main compartment 17 which is typically larger than the main compartment 12; Define a volume. The lid shell 11 and the base shell 14 are arranged in a known manner. are hinged to each other along their lower joining edges 24. lid shell and The base shell is selectively located within the latch hook receptor 19 in the base shell. are selectively held together by latch hooks 18 which are received in the latches. Rat H hook 18 rotates it out of locking engagement in receiver 19. actuated by a pivotably mounted latch lever. This latch machine The structure may be a conventional key lock or perhaps a combination, as is known in the field of luggage. It may also include a locking device such as a lock.

The base shell is now installed in a cavity along the top side of the base shell. It is equipped with a carrying handle 21 shown in FIG. Base shell top table Even more regular handles with a handle attached to the surface or a shoulder strap A dollar mechanism is also contemplated.

Lid shell compartments are typically made of thin but solid and aesthetic material A partition plate panel 22 made of a flexible cloth, leather, or leather-like material Occupied primarily by document holders with bellows gussets made of It is. These bellows gussets generally have a triangular overall shape. the lid compartment to indicate its contents. The panel 22 may be pivoted about the lower edge at the bottom side of the lumen.

On either side of the briefcase there are hinge stays 25 of known construction. This is a hint limits the range of pivoting of the lid shell about the hinge 24.

A pair of rod members 36 and 36 are attached along the upper horizontal edge of panel 22. has been done. These rod members 36 have corresponding projections projecting from their sides. forming an end. The upper edge of the panel is defined by the lid shell 11 and therein. The height of the filing compartment is substantially less than the overall height of the lit compartment. Define. the space between the upper edge of panel 22 and the upper edge of the shell compartment; There are one or more lid containers 13 within. These lid cons Tena is a zippered pouch made of leather or fabric. In a preferred embodiment, they are connected to compartment 13. A simple spring-loaded hinge that hinges around the lower edge to allow access. Defined by a box with a hinged door. The importance of this new configuration The details are shown below.

Similarly, the main compartment 17 comprises one or more base containers 15. There is. Like lid containers13, these containers can take many forms. hinges that pivot around the lowermost edge (when the case is in the vertical position) defined by a generally box-like structure with an attached lid; It is shown as Again, these compartments or containers and their location within the base shell will be shown in further detail.

Panel 22 engages the protruding ends of one or more of the rods 36. It is held in the position shown in FIG. 1 by a pair of filing catches 30.

Referring to FIG. 2, details of this arrangement are shown. Catch 30 is shown holding the first pivot member 32 for relatively free pivoting movement about an axis; It is equipped with a box 31. This first pivot member is a rod portion as shown. It includes a first hook 32a that can selectively engage material 36. first pivot member further includes a pendulum portion 33 that responds to the pull of gravity.

In the position shown in FIG. 2, the pendulum member 33 rotates counterclockwise about its axis. A torque is applied to firmly engage the hook member 32a with the protruding end of the rod 36. Ru. The second box 38 is constructed similarly to box 31 and has a base controller. positioned directly opposite within the part 17 and within the base shell 14. It is attached to the side wall of the section. The first box and the second box are When the shell and base shell are closed together, these boxes and An engagement surface 35 may be included to assist in aligning the inserted members with each other.

The second pivot member 34 is pivotally mounted for free rotation inside the second box 38. It is. This second pivot member does this by orienting itself with gravity. The second hook 34a is integral with the second pendulum portion 39 which responds to the pull of gravity. have.

Projecting arm 40 forms part of pendulum section 39 . As explained, This projecting arm 40 engages the first pivot member 32 under certain conditions and The first pivot member can be rotated through the force of gravity on the member 34. Ru. The second box 38 has a lid shell and a base shell closed together. semi-cylindrical shape for receiving and precisely positioning the rod member 36 when It has a recess.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the panel 22 is attached to the first pivot member 32. It is held in the closed position by hook portion 32a.

In this way, the document catch 30 and its counterpart on the other side of the case 30 minutes, the case is shaped as shown in Figure 1 to allow access to the contents of the document case. can be manually released from the filing cabinet if the Of course, Rid Con The contents of the container 13 and base container 15 are removed using the finger holes shown. It can be easily taken out by flipping open the door.

The lid shell and base shell are closed together and shown in FIGS. When the first and second the pivoting members engage each other and simultaneously move the first rotating member 32 to the end of the rod member 36. and release the second hook member 34a from its locked engagement. The rod member 36 is engaged with the rod member 36. This can be explained by referring to Figure 4. That's the best way to understand it. Here, the second pivot member 34 is moved clockwise relative to the case. It moved. The engagement surfaces 35 of the first and second boxes are mutually connected on all parts. Precisely positioned and semi-cylindrical notches in the second box 38 The hooks 36 and 36 are held in precise alignment with the various hook portions. No. The second pivot member 34 rotates to move the protruding arm 40 into the pendulum portion of the first pivot member 32. Note that 33 is engaged. The pendulum member 33 is shown in FIG. tends to remain in position, but when the protruding arm 40 engages it, the member 34, etc. Excess power is provided by the larger mass. Therefore, the first hook 32a comes off the end of the rod 36. The case is connected to the second pivot member 34 and its corresponding When the hook 34a is opened from the vertical position where it engages the rod 36, the shape of FIG. arise. In particular, in the base compartment of panel 22 or base shell 14. held by a second pivot member 34 to close most, if not all, of it; be done. At the same time, the bellows gussets 23 are pulled to their open position to accommodate documents. to expose the contents of the container. Gusset 23 substantially but limits the lid shell. The size is such that it can be opened only to a specified extent. therefore, The degree to which the lid shell pivots and opens from its vertical orientation is determined by the stay 25. rather than being limited by the bellows sides.

In this way, the contents of the main compartment 17 are held in place and Do not allow contents to spill out and make it impossible to close the case completely again. Make sure not to. The position shown in Figure 5 also provides access to the contents of the briefcase. The document compartments are arranged so that the access points are accessible to the user from the top of the case. It was very conveniently carried out in various parts of the In addition, lid container 13 and the contents of the base container 15 are the opened and arranged contents of the document storage area. Standing on the side of the lid and placed along the top edge of the base shell easily accessible.

In this way, the disclosed attache case can be opened from a horizontal position. depending on whether the case is opened from a vertical position or not. It is designed to automatically and immediately respond to different requests from different users. This new The feature is that the user must first open the case and store it for access or inspection. For inspection whether the compartment should be closed or the document compartment This is done without the need to decide whether or not to open. In this way Difficulties in the case of the next technology will be overcome by the elder brother. In each case, the case is in vertical position When the main compartment 17 is opened, the contents of the main compartment 17 may inadvertently spill out. or visible.

It should be understood that other configurations are also contemplated by the invention.

A pair of rods are shown having projecting ends 36 and 36, with hook 32a and 34a must be engaged alternately with only one rod. Made with other structures. This allows the hook parts to pass through each other and the same rod 3 The protruding legs 40 are slightly offset to enable them to engage different parts of the This is easily accomplished if the pivot members 32 and 34 are biased relative to each other. obtain. Also, although a simple swing nap is shown, other gravity sensitive means are also contemplated. There is. A mercury switch or some kind of orientation sensing means or electromagnetic switch to obtain the same operation. can be used to control the catch.

Additionally, the orientation of the case can be used to trigger various functions of the document compartment latch member. However, other means are within the scope of the invention. For example, base panel If the case is opened to attach to the shell or to attach to the lid shell. A separate latch that can be operated from the outside before being opened is clearly possible. Also, hold Other attachment or locking functions can be triggered by the carrying handle 21. for example , when the handle 21 is in the vertical position as shown in FIG. are held in the base shell as shown, then attach the handle 21 and the cap. A mechanical linkage between the two can be provided. However, the handle 21 is not shown in Fig. 1. When in the position shown, the panel is held in the closed position on the lid shell. It will be done.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a business case, its teachings may be applied to an external pocket or If access panels are insufficient or missing, the user must ensure that the case is the contents of the case lid and/or the upper part of the case when Others wishing to access the contents of small compartments arranged along It could also be easily applied to a handbag of this type.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. a base shell and hinged to the base shell along one bottom side Lid shell, handle on top of case, base shell and lid - Located between the base shell and the inside of the case, in front of the base shell. The divider panel is hinged near the bottom side and the divider panel is attached to the lid. means for retaining the lid shell in an open or closed position relative to the shell; height dimension, and the divider panel extends from the hinged side of the lid shell to the case. The upper edge of the partition panel and the upper edge of the case on the inside of at least one of the shells. The case is equipped with a closable pocket. 2. means for flexibly attaching the sides of the divider panel to the lid shell; The divider panel is releasably attached to the lid shell or to the base shell. centering on the hinged side; The degree of opening of the lid shell from the base shell also makes the divider panel flexible. A case according to claim 1, whose scope is limited by the means for attaching it. 3. The releasably securing means comprises protruding means disposed on the partition panel. a first means for retaining the protruding means on the base shell; and a first means for retaining the protruding means on the base shell; a second means carried by a lid shell which releasably retains the means; Cases listed in item 2 of the scope of request. 4. said releasably securing means comprising means for sensing orientation of said case; and when the case is opened from a generally vertical orientation, the first means retains said projecting means and said case is opened from a generally horizontal orientation; Claim 3, wherein the second means retains the protruding means when the projecting means is opened. case listed. 5. Lid shell and base shell and this lid shell and base - includes means for selectively holding the shells together such that the lid shell a lid shell defining a lid compartment; The base shell defines the main compartment, and the base shell defines the main compartment. internal pad to close the main compartment and lid compartment. panel and the main compartment panel when the case is opened from a generally vertical position. automatically holds said panel in a first position, closing the case and keeping the case substantially A second position that closes the lid compartment when opened from the flat position. A case equipped with means for automatically holding the panel. 6. The case is an attaché case, and the panel is attached to a lid panel. a front panel of the document compartment attached to the document compartment; the panel when the holding means does not hold the panel in the second position; a bellows gusset capable of hinged out of said lid compartment; as claimed in claim 5 attached to the lid compartment by a case. 7. the lid shell, the base shell, and the joint edges of these shells. Hinges and aligns the lid shell and base shell in the closed position to close the case. latching means for selectively retaining the lid shell so that the lid shell is a main compartment, and the base shell defines a main compartment. and a document holder normally carried within the lid compartment; This document case has a panel defining the front of it, and a lid shell between this panel and the lid shell. Flexible gussets extending between the sides and hands holding the panels in alternating positions a step, the means for placing the panel in the first position within the lid shell or selectively retaining panel in second position for selectively retaining panel to base shell; The selective holding action of both of said means is the lid shell and the base. - Cases that can be made when the shell is in the closed position. 8. This retaining means senses the direction of gravitational pull to keep the case in a horizontal position. sometimes to engage the panel and when the case is in vertical position carried on the lid shell with a pendulum portion that positions the hook to release the a first hook carried by the base shell; The second hook senses the direction of gravity and Engages the panel when the case is in the horizontal position and when the case is in the vertical position The invention as set forth in claim 7 may sometimes include a pendulum portion for releasing the panel. case. 9. The first and second hooks are connected to each other whether the case is in the vertical or horizontal position. Claims positioned relative to each other so as to selectively engage each other accordingly. Cases described in Section 8. 10. The second hook is attached when the case is rotated to the vertical position. rotates in response to gravity, contacts the first hook, and pushes the first hook. Claim 9, further comprising leg means for disengaging said panel. case. 11. The handle is attached to the base shell on the upper side of the case. Cases listed in item 1 of the scope of the request. 12. the base shell has a cavity along an upper side thereof, and the base shell has a cavity along an upper side thereof; 12. A case as claimed in claim 11, in which a needle is inserted into the cavity.