US20140110203A1

US20140110203A1 - Structure of case

Info

Publication number: US20140110203A1
Application number: US13/654,544
Authority: US
Inventors: Wen-Kung Sung
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-10-18
Filing date: 2012-10-18
Publication date: 2014-04-24

Abstract

An improved structure of case body includes receiving containers for receiving wheel sets to stow therein. When the case is moved, especially when the case is pushed or pulled, the wheel sets stowed in the receiving containers can be selectively extended outside the case to allow 360 degree rotation with the aid of wheels of the wheel sets and when a user wishes to place the case for the purposes of for example shipping or transportation of baggage, the wheel sets mounted to the bottom of the case can be first retracted back into and stowed in the receiving containers of the case to avoid undesired impact of the wheel sets during the transportation of the case to thereby extend the service life thereof and also to reduce the amount of space needed between adjacent case.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved structure of case, and in particular to an improved structure of case that is capable of receiving wheels to be stowed therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional suitcase is often designed to carry a weight of around 20 to 30 kilograms. A conventionally used wheel set is generally a single wheel arrangement, which has a simple structure and is not easily replaced. After carrying an excessive weight or being set in abrasion contact with the rough ground for a long time, the wheels often get worn. Further, the wheel set is generally mounted to an outside surface of the bottom of the suitcase, so that when the suitcase is shipped, it is often subjected compression and impact that often lead to damage of the wheels, making them no longer operable.
Thus, it is desired to have an improved structure of case that helps extending the service life of wheels of the suitcase and thus alleviates the known problem of the conventional suitcase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the drawbacks of the known techniques, it is desired to provide an improved structure of case that is capable of receiving a wheel set to be stowed therein in order to overcome the problem. Thus, the primary object of the present invention is to disclose an improved structure of case, which comprises a receiving container arranged therein to receive and contain a wheel set. To move the case, the wheel set is extended from the receiving container and to place the case, the wheel set is retracted back into the receiving container, so that the drawback that the wheel set is easily damaged due to being exposed outside the case during the shipping of the case can be alleviated.
According to the object of the present invention, the present invention discloses an improved structure of case, which comprises a case body, a plurality of receiving containers, a plurality of wheel sets, and a plurality of fastener assemblies. The case body has a top and a bottom and forms therein a receiving space adapted to receive and hold at least one article. The receiving containers are arranged inside the bottom of the case body and each has a top and a bottom that forms an opening. The wheel sets are respectively receivable in the receiving containers and each comprises an elastic element, a base, and a wheel. The elastic element has a first end fixed to the top of the respective receiving container and a second end fixed a top of the base. The wheel is fixed to a bottom of the base. The fastener assemblies each comprise a handle, a support section, and a stop section. The handle is pivotally mounted to an outside wall of the case body at a location adjacent to the bottom of the case body and corresponding to a corresponding one of the receiving containers and partially project into the corresponding receiving container. The support section is positionable against the bottom of the base to support the base. The stop section is arranged at the bottom of the case body, wherein the fastener assemblies are of a number corresponding to the number of the wheel sets and that of the receiving containers.
In an embodiment of the present invention, when the handle is moved in a direction away from the outside wall of the case body, the support section is caused to separate from the base of the wheel set to allow the wheel set to be sprung by the elastic element in a direction to extend outside the bottom of the case body until the base leans against the bottom of the corresponding receiving container and the wheel of the wheel set projects outside the bottom opening of the case body, whereby the handle is allowed to return to lean against the outside wall of the case body and the support section is allowed to return inside the corresponding receiving container of the case body to be positioned against the top of the base of the wheel set.
In an embodiment of the present invention, when the handle is moved away from the outside wall of the case body and the support section is moved from the corresponding receiving container of the case body toward the outside wall of the case body, the case body is allowed to apply an external force in a downward direction to force the wheel set to move back into the corresponding receiving container of the case body and the handle is returned back to leaning against the outside wall of the case body. The support section is thus returned back into the corresponding receiving container of the case body and leans against the bottom of the base of the wheel set to stow the wheel set in the corresponding receiving container of the case body.
In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the wheel sets comprises a wheel mount, which is fixed to the bottom of the base and pivotally connected to the wheel set.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the wheel of each of the wheel sets is rotatable in a range of 360 degrees.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the improved structure of case further comprises a pull bar mounted to the top of the case body.
In an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the support section of each of the fastener assemblies received in the corresponding receiving container at a vertical position that substantially corresponds to vertical position where the base is located in the bottom of the case body when the wheel set is extended outside the case body.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the handle, the support section, and the stop section of each of the fastener assemblies are integrated together as a unitary member.
In an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the elastic element comprises a spring.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention can be easily appreciated through reading of the following detailed description and associated drawings of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an improved structure of case according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a wheel set received and stowed in the improved structure of case according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the wheel set extended outside the case from a receiving container of the improved structure of case according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is made here to explore an improved structure of case, which comprises receiving containers for receiving wheel sets to stow therein, whereby when the case is moved, especially when the case is pushed or pulled, the wheel sets stowed in the receiving containers can be selectively extended outside the case to allow 360 degree rotation with the aid of wheels of the wheel sets and when a user wishes to place the case for the purposes of for example shipping or transportation of baggage, the wheel sets mounted to the bottom of the case can be first retracted back into and stowed in the receiving containers of the case to avoid undesired impact of the wheel sets during the transportation of the case to thereby extend the service life thereof and also to reduce the amount of space needed between adjacent cases. To provide a full understanding to the present invention, detailed steps and compositions of the present invention will be given in the following description. However, certain details regarding the manufacturing process and manufacturing steps of the case and the wheel sets that are already known will be omitted to avoid imposing unnecessary limitation to the present invention. Yet, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail and it is appreciated that, besides the details described, the present invention is also applicable to other embodiments. The present invention is not limited to any specific embodiment and the scope of the present invention is only defined by the appended claims.
Firstly, referring to FIG. 1, a schematic view showing an improved structure of case according to the present invention is given. In FIG. 1, the improved structure of case according to the present invention, generally designated at 1, comprises a case body 11, a plurality of receiving containers 20, a plurality of wheel sets 30, and a plurality of fastener assemblies 40. The case body 11 comprises a top 112 and a bottom 114. The case body 1 forms therein a receiving space 13 for accommodating articles and objects. The receiving containers 20 are arranged inside the bottom of the case body 11. The plurality of wheel sets 30 is respectively received and stowed in the receiving containers 20 or is selectively extended outside the bottom 114 of the case body 11 to allow a user to pull or push the case body 11 to move. The plurality of fastener assemblies 40 is arranged adjacent to the bottom 114 of the case body 11 and is mounted to an outside surface of the case body 11 to correspond to the receiving containers 20. Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, a portion the case body 11 that is adjacent to the bottom 114 has a reduced width that is smaller than the nominal width of the upper portion of the case body 11 for the purposes of preventing the fastener assemblies 40 that are arranged close to the bottom 114 of the case body 11 (see FIG. 2) from protruding beyond the nominal width of the case body 11. In another embodiment, the case body 11 is arranged to have the same width from the top 112 thereof to the bottom 114, so that the fastener assemblies 40 mounted close to the bottom 114 of the case body 11 protrude beyond the width of the case body 11. Further, the fastener assemblies 40 are of a number corresponding to that of the receiving containers 20 and the wheel sets 30 (not clearly shown in the drawings).
Next, reference is made to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the wheel sets received and stowed in the improved structure of case according to the present invention. It is noted that the following description is made on the basis of an illustration of a portion of the case for explaining the case that is capable of receiving and stowing wheel sets therein, but this partial illustration of the case should not affect the inventive idea of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the receiving containers 20 are arranged in the lower portion of the case body 11 at locations adjacent to the bottom 114. Each of the receiving containers 20 comprises a top 202 and an opening 204. Actually, the top 202 of the receiving container 20 is arranged next to the bottom (not explicitly shown) of the receiving space 13 of the case body 11 (see FIG. 1). The opening 204 of the receiving container 20 is located in the bottom 114 of the case body 11. The purpose of the opening 204 is for receiving and stowing the respective wheel set 30.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the receiving containers 20 arranged in the case body 11 can be at least three receiving containers 20, of which two receiving containers 20 are respectively set at two parallel opposite side walls of the case body 11 and the remaining one receiving container 20 is set at the other side wall of the case body 11. In another embodiment, the receiving containers 20 can be three receiving containers 20, of which two receiving containers 20 are respectively set at corners of two parallel opposite sides of the bottom 114 of the case body 11 and the remaining one receiving container 20 is set at the other side wall of the case body 11.
Further, in another embodiment, the receiving containers 20 can be at least four receiving containers 20. The four receiving containers 20 are respectively set at the four side walls of the case body 11. Further, the four receiving containers 20 can be alternatively set at the four corners (not explicitly shown) of the case body 11.
Next, with continuous reference to FIG. 2, each of the wheel sets 30 comprises an elastic element 302, a base 304, and a wheel 306. The elastic element 302 has an end that is fixed by a first fastening element 303 to the top 202 of the receiving containers 20. The elastic element 302 has an opposite end that is fixed by a second fastening element 305 to a top 3042 of the base 304. The wheel 306 is fixed by a third fastening element 307 to a bottom 3044 of the base 304. The wheel set 30 is arranged in such a way that the wheel 30 can be sprung out of the receiving container 20 by the elastic element 302 to extend outside the bottom 114 of the case body 11 to allow the user to tow or push the case. Or, the user may apply an external force to the wheel 306 to compress the elastic element 302 so as to retract the wheel 306 back into and stowed inside the receiving container 20. In an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic element 302 comprises a spring.
Again, with continuous reference to FIG. 2, the improved structure of case 1 further comprises fastener assemblies 40. Each of the fastener assemblies 40 comprises a handle 402, a support section 404, and a stop section 406. The handle 402 is pivotally mounted to an outside surface of the case body 11 at a location adjacent to the bottom 114 of the case body 11 and corresponding to the respective receiving container 20. The support section 404 projects from the handle 402 and extends through an outside wall of the case body 11 to be partially received in the receiving container 20. The support section 404 is arranged to lean against the bottom 3044 of the base 304 in order to support the base 304. The stop section 406 is arranged on the bottom 114 of the case body 11 and a fourth fastening element 403 fixes the stop section 406 to the bottom 114 of the case body 11. Thus, when the wheel set 30 is received in the receiving container 20, the support section 404 may constrain the wheel set 30, not allowing the wheel set 30 to extend outside the bottom 114 of the case body 11 when the case body 11 is shipped or transported. In an embodiment of the present invention, the handle 402, the support section 404, and a stop section 406 of the fastener assembly 40 are integrally formed as a unitary member.
Next, reference is made to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the wheel set extended outside the case from the receiving containers of the improved structure of case according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, when the user moves the handle 402 in a direction away from the outside wall of the case body 11, the support section 404 of the fastener assembly 40 is simultaneously moved in a direction away from the case body 11. Namely, the support section 404 is moved away from the receiving container 20, whereby the support section 404 of the fastener assembly 40 is getting separated from the base 304 of the wheel set 30 to allow the base 304 and the wheel 306 to be sprung by the elastic element 302 in a direction to extend outside the bottom 114 of the case body 11 until the base 304 gets abutting against the bottom 114 of the case body 11. Under such a condition, the wheel 306 of the wheel set 30 projects outside the bottom 114 of the case body 11 and the handle 402 of the fastener assembly 40 is allowed to return to the position leaning against the outside wall of the case body 11 with the support section 404 returned back into the receiving container 20 of the case body 11 and positioned on the top 3042 of the base 304 of the wheel set 30. It is noted here that the vertical position where the support section 404 extends through the case body 11 is substantially corresponding to the vertical height of the base 304 of the wheel set 30 so that when the elastic element 302 force the base 304 and the wheel 306 completely outside the case body 11, the base 304 is completely accommodated in the space between the support section 404 and the bottom 114 of the case body 11. Further, since the support section 404 is positionable on the top of the base 304, the wheel set 30 is constrained from retracting back into the receiving container 20. Under this condition, the user is allowed to use a handle bar 50 provided on the top 112 of the case body 11 to tow or push the case body 11 to move with the assistance of rolling or rotation of the wheel 306. Further, the wheel set 30 may selectively comprise a wheel mount 309, which is pivotally mounted to the wheel 306 to allow the wheel 306 to do arbitrary 360 degree rotation or rolling with the wheel mount 309.
Next, to stow the wheel 306 in the receiving container 20 of the case body 11, referring simultaneously to FIGS. 2 and 3, the user moves the handle 402 in a direction away from the outside wall of the case body 11 and the support section 404 is moved from inside the receiving container 20 of the case body 11 in a direction toward the outside wall of the case body 11 to separate the support section 404 from the top 3042 of the base 304. An external force is applied downward from the case body 11, whereby the wheel set 30 is caused by the external force to move toward the receiving container 20 of the case body 11. The handle 402 of the fastener assembly 40 is then allowed to return to the position leaning against the outside wall of the case body 11 with the support section 404 getting back into the receiving container 20 of the case body 11 to be positioned against the bottom 3044 of the base 304 of the wheel set 30, whereby the wheel set 30 is completely received and stowed in the receiving container 20 of the case body 11, as shown in FIG. 2.
Thus, according to the above described improved structure of case, receiving containers are provided for receiving and stowing wheel sets, whereby when the case is moved, especially when case is pushed or pulled, the wheel sets stowed in the receiving containers can be selectively extended outside the case to allow 360 degree rotation with the aid of wheels of the wheel sets and when a user wishes to place the case for the purposes of for example shipping or transportation of baggage, the wheel sets mounted to the bottom of the case can be first retracted back into and stowed in the receiving containers of the case to avoid undesired impact of the wheel sets during the transportation of the case to thereby extend the service life thereof and also to reduce the amount of space needed between adjacent case.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A structure of case, comprising:

a case body, which has a top and a bottom and forms therein a receiving space adapted to receive and hold at least one article;

a plurality of receiving containers, each of which is arranged inside the bottom of the case body and has a top and a bottom, the bottom forming an opening;

a plurality of wheel sets, which is respectively receivable in the receiving containers and each comprises an elastic element, a base, and a wheel, the elastic element having a first end fixed to the top of the respective receiving container and a second end fixed a top of the base, the wheel being fixed to a bottom of the base; and

a plurality of fastener assemblies, each of which comprises a handle, a support section, and a stop section, the handle being pivotally mounted to an outside wall of the case body at a location adjacent to the bottom of the case body and corresponding to a corresponding one of the receiving containers, the support section projecting from the handle to extend through the outside wall of the case body and be partially received in the corresponding receiving container, the support section being positionable against the bottom of the base to support the base, the stop section being arranged at the bottom of the case body, wherein the fastener assemblies are of a number corresponding to the number of the wheel sets and that of the receiving container.

2. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the handle is moved in a direction away from the outside wall of the case body, the support section is caused to separate from the base of the wheel set to allow the base and the wheel to be sprung by the elastic element in a direction to extend outside the bottom of the case body until the base leans against the bottom of the corresponding receiving container and the wheel of the wheel set projects outside the bottom of the case body, whereby the handle is allowed to return to lean against the outside wall of the case body and the support section is allowed to return inside the corresponding receiving container of the case body to be positioned against the top of the base of the wheel set.

3. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the handle is moved away from the outside wall of the case body and the support section is moved from the corresponding receiving container of the case body toward the outside wall of the case body, the case body is allowed to apply an external force in a downward direction to compress and force the wheel set and the elastic element back into the corresponding receiving container of the case body and the handle is returned back to leaning against the outside wall of the case body, the support section being returned back into the corresponding receiving container of the case body and leaning against the bottom of the base of the wheel set to stow the wheel set in the corresponding receiving container of the case body.

4. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the wheel sets comprises a wheel mount, which is fixed to the bottom of the base and pivotally connected to the wheel set.

5. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel of each of the wheel sets is rotatable in a range of 360 degrees.

6. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a pull bar mounted to the top of the case body.

7. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support section of each of the fastener assemblies received in the corresponding receiving container at a vertical position that substantially corresponding to vertical position where the base is located in the bottom of the case body when the wheel set is extended outside the case body.

8. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle, the support section, and the stop section of the fastener assembly are integrated together as a unitary member.

9. The structure of case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic element comprises a spring.