US20140097053A1

US20140097053A1 - Foldable Luggage Bag

Info

Publication number: US20140097053A1
Application number: US13/646,599
Authority: US
Inventors: Shaomin Huang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-10-05
Filing date: 2012-10-05
Publication date: 2014-04-10

Abstract

A foldable luggage bag includes a collapsible luggage body, a rigid reinforcing member, and a wheel seat arrangement. The collapsible luggage body has a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of side surfaces extended between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a receiving cavity. The rigid reinforcing member has a bottom reinforcing portion mounted at the bottom surface, a plurality of side reinforcing portions formed on lower portions of the side surfaces of the collapsible luggage body, and a plurality of curved reinforcing portions integrally extended between the bottom reinforcing portion and the side reinforcing portions of the rigid reinforcing member respectively. The wheel seat arrangement includes a plurality of wheel seats and a plurality of rolling wheels received in the wheel seat, so that the collapsible luggage body is rotatably supported by the rolling wheels and is substantially protected by the rigid reinforcing member.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION

This is a non-provisional application that claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to a non-provisional application, application No. 61/682,189, filed Aug. 10, 2012.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a luggage bag, and more particularly to a foldable luggage bag which comprises a rigid reinforcing member for substantially reinforcing a bottom portion of the foldable luggage bag.
2. Description of Related Arts
Referring to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C of the drawings, a conventional foldable luggage bag comprises a container body 10P having an upper portion 11P, a lower portion 12P, and a zipper 13P provided at a boundary between the upper portion 11P and the lower portion 12P for selectively allowing extension or collapse of the lower portion 12P of the container body 10P. The container body 10P must have a receiving cavity formed therein for receiving external objects. Moreover, the conventional foldable luggage bag further comprises a plurality wheels 17P rotatably mounted underneath the lower portion 12P of the container body 10P for rotatably supporting the foldable luggage bag so that it can be easily moved by a user thereof.
As shown in FIG. 1B of the drawings, the container body 10P further comprises a supporting panel 101P provided on a bottom fabric 15P of the container body 10P so as to reinforce the bottom fabric 15P. As such, when external objects are placed in the receiving cavity, the supporting panel helps to retain a shape of the bottom fabric 15P and prevent damage thereof. Very often, a surface area of the supporting panel is slightly smaller than that of the bottom fabric 15P so as to allow the manufacturer to easily dispose the supporting panel 101P into the receiving cavity and to secure it on the bottom fabric 15P.
As a result, when the foldable luggage bag is subject to a large loading (because of heavy luggage) and a sideward pulling force, the corner portions formed between the bottom fabric 15P and the corresponding side fabric 16P becomes points of stress concentration and may break very easily. This problem is illustrated in FIG. 1B of the drawings.
In other words, the supporting panel merely protects the foldable luggage bag to the extent that it prevents the bottom fabric 15P from breaking and it helps the bottom fabric 15P to withstand the heavy loading coming from the receiving cavity. However, it does not prevent the points of stress concentration from accidentally or, ordinarily indeed, breaking because all the stress is concentration at certain points of the foldable luggage bag. Thus, although the volume of the foldable luggage bag can be increased substantially due to its extendable feature, the structural integrity of the foldable luggage bag is not correspondingly reinforced or improved to prevent the occurrence of the disadvantages stemming from increasing the volume of the foldable luggage bag.
Moreover, when the foldable luggage bag is fully extended and is pulled by the user, it can flip over very easily because the supporting panel is positioned within the receiving cavity. And because of this structure, the bottom fabric 15P is directly exposed to external environment, and is very close to a floor surface. Thus, objects which exist on the floor surface may come into contact with the bottom fabric 15P very easily. Since the bottom fabric 15P is usually made by nylon, it is extremely vulnerable to external scratching. This reflects another weakness in association with the above-mentioned conventional foldable luggage bag.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The invention is advantageous in that it provides a foldable luggage bag which comprises a rigid reinforcing member for substantially reinforcing a bottom reinforcing portion of the foldable luggage bag.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable luggage bag comprising a rigid reinforcing member which is capable of providing water-proof, impact-resistance, and flip-resistance effects to a bottom reinforcing portion of the foldable luggage bag.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable luggage bag comprising a rigid reinforcing member and a wheel seat arrangement which is capable of rotatably supporting the foldable luggage bag while it is substantially protected by the rigid reinforcing member.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable luggage bag comprising a collapsible luggage body, a rigid reinforcing member and a rigid side cover, wherein the rigid side cover is provided on the collapsible luggage body in such a manner that when the collapsible luggage body is collapsed, the rigid reinforcing member and the rigid side cover can be secured with each other so as to form a compact and rigid casing for embedding the collapsible luggage body.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable luggage bag comprising a rigid reinforcing member which has a plurality of reinforcing ribs formed thereon so as to prevent undesirable twisting of the rigid reinforcing member, especially when the foldable luggage bag is subject to heavy loading and substantial pulling force.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a foldable luggage bag comprising a rigid reinforcing member, wherein the foldable luggage bag is easy to manufacture and does not involve expensive and complicated mechanical components so as to keep the manufacturing cost as low as possible.
Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appended claims.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by providing a foldable luggage bag, comprising:
a collapsible luggage body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of side surfaces extended between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a receiving cavity formed between the top surface, the bottom surface, and the side surfaces;
a rigid reinforcing member having a bottom reinforcing portion mounted at the bottom surface, a plurality of side reinforcing portions formed on lower portions of the side surfaces of the collapsible luggage body, and a plurality of curved reinforcing portions integrally extended between the bottom reinforcing portion and the side reinforcing portions of the rigid reinforcing member respectively; and
a wheel seat arrangement, which comprises:
a plurality of wheel seats spacedly mounted at four corner portions of the bottom reinforcing portion of the rigid reinforcing member respectively, wherein each of the wheel seats has a receiving hole formed thereon; and
a plurality of rolling wheels mounted in the receiving holes of the wheel seats respectively, so that the collapsible luggage body is rotatably supported by the rolling wheels and is substantially protected by the rigid reinforcing member.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C are schematic diagrams of conventional luggage container.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a foldable luggage bag according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the foldable luggage bag according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the foldable luggage bag according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 of the drawings, a foldable luggage bag according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, in which the foldable luggage bag comprises a collapsible luggage body 10, a rigid reinforcing member 20, and a wheel seat arrangement 30.
The collapsible luggage body 10 has a top surface 11, a bottom surface 12, a plurality of side surfaces 13 extended between the top surface 11 and the bottom surface 12, and a receiving cavity 14 formed between the top surface 11, the bottom surface 12, and the side surfaces 13.
The rigid reinforcing member 20 has a bottom reinforcing portion 21 mounted at the bottom surface 12 of the collapsible luggage body 10, a plurality of side reinforcing portions 22 formed on lower portions of the side surfaces 13 of the collapsible luggage body 10, and a plurality of curved reinforcing portions 23 integrally extended between the bottom reinforcing portion 21 and the side reinforcing portions 22 of the rigid reinforcing member 20 respectively.
On the other hand, the wheel seat arrangement 30 comprises a plurality of wheel seats 31 and a plurality of rolling wheels 32. The wheel seats 31 are spacedly mounted at four corner portions of the bottom reinforcing portion 21 of the rigid reinforcing member 20 respectively, wherein each of the wheel seats 31 has a receiving hole 311 formed thereon.
The rolling wheels 32 are mounted in the receiving holes 311 of the wheel seats 31 respectively, so that the collapsible luggage body 10 is rotatably supported by the rolling wheels 32 and is substantially protected by the rigid reinforcing member 20.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the collapsible luggage body 10 is made of fabric material so that the entire collapsible luggage body 10 can be selectively collapsed and extended by a user. Thus, the collapsible luggage body 10 has a main luggage portion 15, a bottom luggage portion 16 foldably provided underneath the main luggage portion 15, and a zipper element 17 provided at a boundary between the main luggage portion 15 and the bottom luggage portion 16 to operate between an opened position and a closed position, wherein in the opened position, the zipper element 17 is opened so as allow the bottom luggage portion 16 to unfold and extend for increasing a volume of the collapsible luggage body 10, wherein in the closed position, the zipper element 17 is closed and the bottom luggage portion 16 is folded to form a compact size underneath the main luggage portion 15. In such situation, the overall volume and size of the collapsible luggage body 10 is reduced, and the zipper element 17 is closed to prevent the bottom luggage portion 16 from unfolding.
The collapsible luggage body 10 further comprises a handle arrangement 18 provided thereon for allowing a user to exert a pulling force for moving the foldable luggage bag in a desirable direction. Note that the handle arrangement 18 may be embodied as a fabric-made handle loop 181 provided on the top surface 11 of the collapsible luggage body 10.
The rigid reinforcing member 20 is made of strong, non-fabric material and further has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 24 protruded from the bottom reinforcing portion 21 thereof for substantially reinforcing the rigid reinforcing member 20 and for preventing it from twisting, especially when the collapsible luggage body 10 is subject to heavy loading and substantial pulling force. The rigid reinforcing member 20 is therefore capable of withstanding substantial external impact.
In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcing ribs 24 are extended along the bottom reinforcing portion 21 in a cross manner so as to form a plurality of squares and a corresponding net-like structure. This net-like prevents the rigid reinforcing member 20 from twisting.
It is worth mentioning that the rigid reinforcing member 20 is externally mounted underneath the bottom luggage portion 16 of the collapsible luggage body 10, the rigid reinforcing member 20 is arranged to substantially protect the bottom luggage portion 16 from directly contacting with external objects which may cause damage to fabric-made collapsible luggage body 10.
Moreover, it is important to mention that the rigid reinforcing member 20 protects not only the bottom side of the collapsible luggage body 10, but also the bottommost portion of the side surfaces 13 thereof. This feature is accomplished by the curved reinforcing portion 23 and the side reinforcing portion 22 of the rigid reinforcing member 20.
Each of the wheel seats 31 comprises a supporting base 312 in which the corresponding receiving hole 311 is formed thereon. Moreover, each of the supporting base 312 has a plurality of side sections 3121 and a mid section 3122 surrounded by the side sections 3121, wherein the receiving hole 311 is indently formed on the mid section 3122 of the supporting base 312. The corresponding rolling wheel 32 is rotatably mounted in the receiving hole 311 for rotatably supporting the collapsible luggage body 10. Since the receiving hole 311 is formed on the mid section 3122 which is embedded by the side sections 3121, the rolling wheels 32 are also substantially protected from external impact. Moreover, since the rolling wheel 32 is mounted at the mid section 3122 of the supporting base 312, the possibility of the collapsible luggage body 10 being flipped over can be minimized.
In this preferred embodiment, each of the supporting bases 312 further has a corner edge section 3123 formed between the mid section 3122 and the side section 3121, wherein the corner edge section 3123 is arranged to further reinforce the corresponding supporting base 312 to support the corresponding rolling wheel 32.
Note that each of the rolling wheels 32 comprises a wheel supporter 321 rotatably mounted in the corresponding receiving hole 311 in such a manner that the wheel supporter 321 can freely rotate with respect to the supporting base 312 at 360° freedom of movement about a longitudinal direction of the collapsible luggage body 10, and a wheel member 322 rotatably mounted on the wheel supporter 321 in such a manner that the wheel member 322 can freely rotate with respect to the wheel supporter 321 at 360° freedom of movement about a transverse direction of the wheel supporter 321. The combination of these rotating movements ensures that the wheel seat arrangement 30 is capable of rotatably supporting the collapsible luggage body 10 to move on a ground surface at 360°.
From the forgoing description, it can be appreciated that the rigid reinforcing member 20 and the wheel seat arrangement 30 are capable of providing reinforcement feature to the collapsible luggage body 10 so as to make the collapsible luggage body 10 to be twist resistant, flip-over resistant, and impact resistant.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Its embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable luggage bag, comprising:

a collapsible luggage body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of side surfaces extended between the top surface and said bottom surface, and a receiving cavity formed between said top surface, said bottom surface, and said side surfaces;

a rigid reinforcing member having a bottom reinforcing portion mounted at said bottom surface, a plurality of side reinforcing portions formed on lower portions of said side surfaces of said collapsible luggage body, and a plurality of curved reinforcing portions integrally extended between said bottom reinforcing portion and said side reinforcing portions of said rigid reinforcing member respectively; and

a wheel seat arrangement, which comprises:

a plurality of wheel seats spacedly mounted at four corner portions of said bottom reinforcing portion of said rigid reinforcing member respectively, wherein each of said wheel seats has a receiving hole formed thereon; and

a plurality of rolling wheels mounted in said receiving holes of said wheel seats respectively, so that said collapsible luggage body is rotatably supported by said rolling wheels and is substantially protected by said rigid reinforcing member.

2. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 1, wherein said rigid reinforcing member has a plurality of reinforcing ribs protruded from said bottom reinforcing portion thereof for substantially reinforcing said rigid reinforcing member and for preventing said reinforcing member from twisting.

3. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 2, wherein said reinforcing ribs are extended along said bottom reinforcing portion in a cross manner so as to form a plurality of squares and a corresponding net-like structure for preventing said twisting of said rigid reinforcing member.

4. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said wheel seats comprises a supporting base in which said corresponding receiving hole is formed thereon, wherein each of said supporting base has a plurality of side sections and a mid section surrounded by said side sections, wherein said receiving hole is indently formed on said mid section of said supporting base, wherein said corresponding rolling wheel is rotatably mounted in said receiving hole for rotatably supporting said collapsible luggage body.

5. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 2, wherein each of said wheel seats comprises a supporting base in which said corresponding receiving hole is formed thereon, wherein each of said supporting base has a plurality of side sections and a mid section surrounded by said side sections, wherein said receiving hole is indently formed on said mid section of said supporting base, wherein said corresponding rolling wheel is rotatably mounted in said receiving hole for rotatably supporting said collapsible luggage body.

6. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 3, wherein each of said wheel seats comprises a supporting base in which said corresponding receiving hole is formed thereon, wherein each of said supporting base has a plurality of side sections and a mid section surrounded by said side sections, wherein said receiving hole is indently formed on said mid section of said supporting base, wherein said corresponding rolling wheel is rotatably mounted in said receiving hole for rotatably supporting said collapsible luggage body

7. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 4, wherein each of said rolling wheels comprises a wheel supporter rotatably mounted in said corresponding receiving hole in such a manner that said wheel supporter is capable of freely rotating with respect to said supporting base about a longitudinal direction of said collapsible luggage body, and a wheel member rotatably mounted on said wheel supporter in such a manner that said wheel member is capable of freely rotating with respect to said wheel supporter about a transverse direction of said wheel supporter.

8. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 5, wherein each of said rolling wheels comprises a wheel supporter rotatably mounted in said corresponding receiving hole in such a manner that said wheel supporter is capable of freely rotating with respect to said supporting base about a longitudinal direction of said collapsible luggage body, and a wheel member rotatably mounted on said wheel supporter in such a manner that said wheel member is capable of freely rotating with respect to said wheel supporter about a transverse direction of said wheel supporter.

9. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 6, wherein each of said rolling wheels comprises a wheel supporter rotatably mounted in said corresponding receiving hole in such a manner that said wheel supporter is capable of freely rotating with respect to said supporting base about a longitudinal direction of said collapsible luggage body, and a wheel member rotatably mounted on said wheel supporter in such a manner that said wheel member is capable of freely rotating with respect to said wheel supporter about a transverse direction of said wheel supporter.

10. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 7, wherein said collapsible luggage body has a main luggage portion, a bottom luggage portion foldably provided underneath said main luggage portion, and a zipper element provided at a boundary between said main luggage portion and said bottom luggage portion to operate between an opened position and a closed position, wherein in said opened position, said zipper element is opened so as allow said bottom luggage portion to unfold and extend for increasing a volume of said collapsible luggage body, wherein in said closed position, said zipper element is closed and said bottom luggage portion is folded to form a compact structure underneath said main luggage portion.

11. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 8, wherein said collapsible luggage body has a main luggage portion, a bottom luggage portion foldably provided underneath said main luggage portion, and a zipper element provided at a boundary between said main luggage portion and said bottom luggage portion to operate between an opened position and a closed position, wherein in said opened position, said zipper element is opened so as allow said bottom luggage portion to unfold and extend for increasing a volume of said collapsible luggage body, wherein in said closed position, said zipper element is closed and said bottom luggage portion is folded to form a compact structure underneath said main luggage portion.

12. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 9, wherein said collapsible luggage body has a main luggage portion, a bottom luggage portion foldably provided underneath said main luggage portion, and a zipper element provided at a boundary between said main luggage portion and said bottom luggage portion to operate between an opened position and a closed position, wherein in said opened position, said zipper element is opened so as allow said bottom luggage portion to unfold and extend for increasing a volume of said collapsible luggage body, wherein in said closed position, said zipper element is closed and said bottom luggage portion is folded to form a compact structure underneath said main luggage portion.

13. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 10, wherein each of said supporting bases further has a corner edge section formed between said mid section and said side section, wherein said corner edge section is arranged to further reinforce said corresponding supporting base to support said corresponding rolling wheel.

14. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 11, wherein each of said supporting bases further has a corner edge section formed between said mid section and said side section, wherein said corner edge section is arranged to further reinforce said corresponding supporting base to support said corresponding rolling wheel.

15. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 12, wherein each of said supporting bases further has a corner edge section formed between said mid section and said side section, wherein said corner edge section is arranged to further reinforce said corresponding supporting base to support said corresponding rolling wheel.

16. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 9, wherein said handle arrangement is a fabric-made handle loop provided on said top surface of said collapsible luggage body.

17. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 12, wherein said handle arrangement is a fabric-made handle loop provided on said top surface of said collapsible luggage body.

18. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 15, wherein said handle arrangement is a fabric-made handle loop provided on said top surface of said collapsible luggage body.

19. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 15, wherein said rigid reinforcing member is made of non-fabric material which is capable of withstanding substantial external impact.

20. The foldable luggage bag, as recited in claim 18, wherein said rigid reinforcing member is made of non-fabric material which is capable of withstanding substantial external impact.