US20240130499A1 - Suitcase structure - Google Patents
Suitcase structure Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20240130499A1 US20240130499A1 US17/970,927 US202217970927A US2024130499A1 US 20240130499 A1 US20240130499 A1 US 20240130499A1 US 202217970927 A US202217970927 A US 202217970927A US 2024130499 A1 US2024130499 A1 US 2024130499A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- case
- cover
- sidewall
- side recess
- section
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
- A45C13/00—Details; Accessories
- A45C13/10—Arrangement of fasteners
- A45C13/1076—Arrangement of fasteners with a snap action
- A45C13/1084—Arrangement of fasteners with a snap action of the latch-and-catch type
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
- A45C13/00—Details; Accessories
- A45C13/10—Arrangement of fasteners
- A45C13/1023—Arrangement of fasteners with elongated profiles fastened by sliders
- A45C13/103—Arrangement of zip-fasteners
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
- A45C5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage
- A45C5/03—Suitcases
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
- A45C5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage
- A45C5/03—Suitcases
- A45C2005/037—Suitcases with a hard shell, i.e. rigid shell as volume creating element
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a suitcase structure that can be closed or opened via a latching assembly, and more particularly, to a suitcase structure having a latching assembly that would not separate from the suitcase structure when being collided with a foreign object while the suitcase structure is pulled to move around.
- a suitcase is generally carried by a user during a holiday trip or a sightseeing travel abroad for holding personal things.
- various kinds of suitcases available in the market featured by different functions and designs to satisfy users' increasing demands.
- Most of the suitcases are mainly formed of two shells, which are selectively openably closed to each other using zippers or latches. Therefore, the suitcases currently available in the market can be generally divided into two types, namely, zipper suitcases being openably closed using zippers and zipperless suitcases being openably closed using latches.
- the latches on the suitcase respectively have a large part protruded from outer surfaces of the two shells, such that most outer surfaces of the latches are exposed to an external space.
- the exposed outer surfaces of the latches tend to collide with other objects. In some worse condition, the latches become separated from the shells and lose their function of closing the zipperless suitcase.
- a primary object of the present invention is to provide a suitcase structure with an improved latch configuration.
- the latch is not protruded from an outer surface of the suitcase structure when it is in a latched position to close the suitcase structure, and accordingly, would not separate from the suitcase structure even when it collides with an external object while the suitcase structure is pulled to move around.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved suitcase structure that allows a user to conveniently retrieve things from the suitcase structure when the same is in an upright state. Further, things received in the suitcase structure would not fall out of the suitcase structure undesirably when the latter is opened.
- the suitcase structure according to the present invention includes a case portion, a cover portion, and a latching assembly.
- the case portion includes a case bottom wall, a case sidewall enclosing four sides of the case portion, and a case-side transitional edge portion located between and connected to the case bottom wall and the case sidewall.
- the case sidewall has an end defining a case opening and the case bottom wall is located at another opposite end of the case sidewall to be spaced from the case opening.
- the case sidewall further has a sunken area formed on one side of the case side wall near the case opening to provide a case-side recess, which defines a case-side receiving space having an open top of the case-side receiving space flush with an outer surface of the case sidewall.
- the cover portion is pivotally turnably connected to the case portion, such that the cover portion can be swung relative to the case portion to selectively open or close the case opening.
- the cover portion includes a cover top wall located spaced from the case bottom wall, a cover sidewall located in alignment with the case sidewall when the cover portion is closed to the case opening, and a cover-side transitional edge portion located between and connected to the cover top wall and the cover sidewall.
- the cover portion has a sunken area extended from the cover-side transitional edge portion to the case sidewall to provide a cover-side recess.
- the cover-side recess is aligned with the case-side recess and defines a cover-side receiving space, an open top of the cover-side receiving space flush with an outer surface of the cover sidewall and the cover-side transitional edge portion.
- the latching assembly includes a latch capable of straddling across the case-side recess and the cover-side recess, and a retainer formed in the cover-side recess.
- the latch includes a pivoting section corresponding to the case-side recess and a latching section corresponding to the cover-side recess.
- the pivoting section is pivotally connected to the case sidewall, such that the latch can be swung for the pivoting section to move toward and receive in the case-side recess and for the latching section to move into the cover-side recess to be retained to the retainer.
- a distance between the spaced case bottom wall and the case opening is defined as a case thickness, and an end of the cover sidewall farther away from the cover top wall defines a cover opening.
- the cover top wall is spaced from the cover opening and a distance between them is defined as a cover thickness.
- the cover thickness is smaller than the case thickness; and a ratio of the case thickness to the cover thickness is 7.25 ⁇ 7.5:1.5 ⁇ 1.75.
- the outer surface of the cover-side transitional edge portion is configured as a cover-side curved surface
- the latching section has an outer surface configured as a latch-side curved surface.
- the latch-side curved surface has a curvature the same as that of the cover-side curved surface.
- the retainer includes an extended section extended from the cover portion, and a retaining section further extended from the extended section.
- the retaining section is located spaced from an inner surface of the cover-side recess, such that a retaining space is formed between the retaining section and the inner surface of the cover-side recess.
- the latching section has a length being receivable in the retaining space and retained to the retaining section.
- the present invention is characterized in that, when the latch of the latching assembly is retained to the retainer of the latching assembly, the pivoting section and the latching section of the latch are located in the case-side recess and the cover-side recess, respectively, such that the whole latch is received in the case-side recess and the cover-side recess at the same time. Therefore, the latch is not protruded from the case portion and the cover portion.
- any external object colliding with the latch would only impact the outer surface of the latch without causing separation of the latch from the case portion. That is, the latch of the present invention is not easily separable from the suitcase structure even it is subjected to an impact of an external force.
- the suitcase structure of the present invention not only allows a user to retrieve things from the suitcase structure when the latter is laid horizontally, but also allows the user to conveniently retrieve the things when the suitcase structure is in an upright state. Further, things received in the suitcase structure would not fall out of the suitcase structure undesirably when the latter is opened.
- FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a suitcase structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the suitcase structure of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional side view of the suitcase structure of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view showing a cover portion is pivotally turnable relative to a case portion of the suitcase structure of the present invention
- FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partially sectional side view showing a latch of the present invention before it is mounted to the case portion and the cover portion of the suitcase structure;
- FIG. 6 shows the latch of FIG. 5 is mounted to the case portion of the suitcase structure of the present invention and located at a released position;
- FIG. 7 shows a retaining section of the latch of the present invention is moved into a retaining space on the cover portion
- FIG. 8 shows the latch is fully moved into a latched position on the suitcase structure of the present invention.
- a suitcase structure 1 includes a case portion 10 , a cover portion 20 , and a latching assembly 30 .
- the case portion 10 includes a case sidewall 11 enclosing four sides of the case portion 10 and a substantially rectangular case bottom wall 12 .
- the case sidewall 11 has an end that defines a case opening 13 , and has sunken areas formed on different sides thereof near the case opening 13 to provide a case-side recess 14 each.
- Each of the case-side recesses defines a case-side receiving space 141 , which has an open top flush with an outer surface of the case sidewall 11 .
- the case bottom wall 12 is located at another end of the case sidewall 11 opposite to the case opening 13 , such that the case bottom wall 12 is spaced from the case opening 13 .
- a case-side transitional edge portion 15 is provided between and connected to the case sidewall 11 and the case bottom wall 11 , so that the case sidewall 11 is not directly located adjoining the case bottom wall 12 .
- the case bottom wall 12 is spaced from the case opening 13 , there is a distance between the case bottom wall 12 and the case opening 13 , and the distance is defined as a case thickness H1.
- the cover portion 20 includes a substantially U-shaped cover sidewall 21 and a substantially rectangular cover top wall 22 .
- the cover sidewall 21 has an end that faces toward the case opening 13 and defines a cover opening 23 .
- the cover opening 23 has a contour smaller than that of the case opening 13 .
- the cover top wall 22 is located at another end of the cover sidewall 21 facing away from the cover opening 23 , such that the cover top wall 22 is spaced from the cover opening 23 .
- the cover top wall 22 has a contour smaller than that of the case bottom wall 12 .
- a cover-side transitional edge portion 24 is provided between the cover sidewall 21 and the cover top wall 22 , so that the cover sidewall 21 is not directly located adjoining the cover top wall 22 .
- the cover-side transitional edge portion 24 has a rounded outer surface, which is defined as a cover-side curved surface 241 .
- the cover portion 20 has sunken areas that are extended from the cover-side transitional edge portion 24 to the cover sidewall 21 to provide a cover-side recess 25 each.
- Each of the cover-side recesses 25 defines a cover-side receiving space 251 , which has an open top flush with an outer surface of the cover sidewall 21 and the cover-side curved surface 241 .
- the cover top wall 22 is spaced from the cover opening 23 , there is a distance between the cover top wall 22 and the cover opening 23 , and the distance is defined as a cover thickness H2.
- the cover thickness H2 is smaller than the case thickness H1. In the preferred embodiment, a ratio of the case thickness H1 to the cover thickness H2 is 7.25 ⁇ 7.5:1.5 ⁇ 1.75.
- the cover sidewall 21 of the cover portion 20 is pivotally turnably connected to the case sidewall 11 of the case portion 10 , such that the cover portion 20 can be swung relative to the case portion 10 to selectively open or close the case opening 13 of the case portion 10 .
- the cover opening 23 of the cover portion 20 is located adjacent to the case opening 13
- the cover top wall 22 of the cover portion 20 is spaced from the case bottom wall 12 of the case portion 10
- the cover sidewall 21 of the cover portion 20 is aligned with the case sidewall 11 of the case portion 10 .
- cover-side recesses 25 on the cover portion 20 are in one-to-one correspondence with the case-side recesses 14 on the case portion 10 , such that the cover-side recesses 25 are correspondingly communicable with the case-side recesses 14 .
- the latching assembly 30 includes a plurality of latches 31 and a plurality of retainers 32 .
- the latches 31 are in one-to-one correspondence with the case-side recesses 14 on the case portion 10 , and respectively have a length being a pivoting section 311 .
- the remaining length of each latch 31 is a latching section 312 that is forward extended from the pivoting section 311 .
- the latching assembly 30 further includes a swing arm 33 disposed between each set of corresponding pivoting section 311 and case-side recess 14 .
- the swing arm 33 is connected at an end to the case sidewall 11 of the case portion 10 and at another opposite end to the pivoting section 311 , such that each of the latches 31 can swing to and fro about the swing arm 33 relative to the case portion 10 , allowing the pivoting section 311 to move into the corresponding case-side recess 14 and be fitly received in the case-side receiving space 141 while the latching section 312 is located outside the case-side recess 14 .
- the latching section 312 has an outer surface configured into a latch-side curved surface 312 a , which has a curvature the same as that of the cover-side curved surface 241 .
- each of the retainers 32 includes an extended section 321 extended from the cover portion 20 and a retaining section 322 further extended from the extended section 321 in an opposite direction to a location spaced from an inner surface of the cover-side recess 25 , such that a retaining space 323 is formed between the retaining section 322 and the inner surface of the cover-side recess 25 .
- the latch 31 of the latching assembly 30 is located at a released position P1, i.e. the whole latch 31 is pivotally connected to one end of the swing arm 33 and located outside the case-side recess 14 on the case portion 10 .
- the cover portion 20 can be pivotally turned relative to the case portion 10 .
- FIGS. 5 and 7 Please refer to FIGS. 5 and 7 .
- a front part of the latching section 312 can be moved to the cover-side recess 25 on the cover portion 20 to be received in the retaining space 323 of the retainer 32 .
- the pivoting section 311 of the latch 31 is located outside the case-side recess 14 on the case portion 10 .
- the latch 31 of the latching assembly 30 can be swung about the swing arm 33 clockwise, so that the pivoting section 311 of the latch 31 is moved into the case-side recess 14 on the case portion 10 .
- the front part of the latching section 312 is still received in the cover-side recess 25 on the cover portion 20 , so that the latching section 312 fitly covers the cover-side receiving space 251 of the cover-side recess 25 . That is, the latch 31 is now located at a latched position P2 with the latching section 312 being retained to the retainer 32 .
- the cover portion 20 is not pivotally turnable relative to the case portion 10 and can therefore keep closing the case opening 13 of the case portion 10 .
- the latch 31 when the latch 31 is in the latched position P2, it straddles across the case-side recess 14 and the cover-side recess 25 while the pivoting section 311 of the latch 31 has a large part being located in the case-side recess 14 without protruding therefrom. That is, the pivoting section 311 is covered on the case-side receiving space 141 on the case portion 10 with an outer surface of the pivoting section 311 being flush with the outer surface of the case sidewall 11 of the case portion 10 .
- the latching section 312 is covered on the cover-side receiving space 251 on the cover portion 20 with the latch-side curved surface 312 a being flush with the cover-side curved surface 241 of the cover portion 20 .
Landscapes
- Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)
Abstract
A suitcase structure includes a case portion having a case opening and provided with a case-side recess; a cover portion pivotally connected to the case portion to selectively close or open the case opening and provided on a cover-side transitional edge portion and a cover sidewall thereof with a cover-side recess located corresponding to the case-side recess; a latch pivotally connected to the case portion and having an end receivable in the case-side recess and another end receivable in the cover-side recess; and a retainer for retaining the other end of the latch thereto. Therefore, the latch can be located in the case-side and the cover-side recess at the same time to be flush with outer surfaces of the case portion and cover-side transitional edge portion. Therefore, the latch is avoided from colliding with external object and separating from the suitcase structure when the latter is pulled to move around.
Description
- The present invention relates to a suitcase structure that can be closed or opened via a latching assembly, and more particularly, to a suitcase structure having a latching assembly that would not separate from the suitcase structure when being collided with a foreign object while the suitcase structure is pulled to move around.
- A suitcase is generally carried by a user during a holiday trip or a sightseeing travel abroad for holding personal things. Presently, there are various kinds of suitcases available in the market featured by different functions and designs to satisfy users' increasing demands. Most of the suitcases are mainly formed of two shells, which are selectively openably closed to each other using zippers or latches. Therefore, the suitcases currently available in the market can be generally divided into two types, namely, zipper suitcases being openably closed using zippers and zipperless suitcases being openably closed using latches.
- When a zipperless suitcase is in a closed state, the latches on the suitcase respectively have a large part protruded from outer surfaces of the two shells, such that most outer surfaces of the latches are exposed to an external space. When the zipperless suitcase is pulled to move around, the exposed outer surfaces of the latches tend to collide with other objects. In some worse condition, the latches become separated from the shells and lose their function of closing the zipperless suitcase.
- A primary object of the present invention is to provide a suitcase structure with an improved latch configuration. The latch is not protruded from an outer surface of the suitcase structure when it is in a latched position to close the suitcase structure, and accordingly, would not separate from the suitcase structure even when it collides with an external object while the suitcase structure is pulled to move around.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved suitcase structure that allows a user to conveniently retrieve things from the suitcase structure when the same is in an upright state. Further, things received in the suitcase structure would not fall out of the suitcase structure undesirably when the latter is opened.
- To achieve the above and other objects, the suitcase structure according to the present invention includes a case portion, a cover portion, and a latching assembly.
- The case portion includes a case bottom wall, a case sidewall enclosing four sides of the case portion, and a case-side transitional edge portion located between and connected to the case bottom wall and the case sidewall. The case sidewall has an end defining a case opening and the case bottom wall is located at another opposite end of the case sidewall to be spaced from the case opening. The case sidewall further has a sunken area formed on one side of the case side wall near the case opening to provide a case-side recess, which defines a case-side receiving space having an open top of the case-side receiving space flush with an outer surface of the case sidewall.
- The cover portion is pivotally turnably connected to the case portion, such that the cover portion can be swung relative to the case portion to selectively open or close the case opening. The cover portion includes a cover top wall located spaced from the case bottom wall, a cover sidewall located in alignment with the case sidewall when the cover portion is closed to the case opening, and a cover-side transitional edge portion located between and connected to the cover top wall and the cover sidewall. The cover portion has a sunken area extended from the cover-side transitional edge portion to the case sidewall to provide a cover-side recess. The cover-side recess is aligned with the case-side recess and defines a cover-side receiving space, an open top of the cover-side receiving space flush with an outer surface of the cover sidewall and the cover-side transitional edge portion.
- The latching assembly includes a latch capable of straddling across the case-side recess and the cover-side recess, and a retainer formed in the cover-side recess. The latch includes a pivoting section corresponding to the case-side recess and a latching section corresponding to the cover-side recess. The pivoting section is pivotally connected to the case sidewall, such that the latch can be swung for the pivoting section to move toward and receive in the case-side recess and for the latching section to move into the cover-side recess to be retained to the retainer.
- In a preferred embodiment, a distance between the spaced case bottom wall and the case opening is defined as a case thickness, and an end of the cover sidewall farther away from the cover top wall defines a cover opening. The cover top wall is spaced from the cover opening and a distance between them is defined as a cover thickness. The cover thickness is smaller than the case thickness; and a ratio of the case thickness to the cover thickness is 7.25˜7.5:1.5˜1.75.
- The outer surface of the cover-side transitional edge portion is configured as a cover-side curved surface, and the latching section has an outer surface configured as a latch-side curved surface. The latch-side curved surface has a curvature the same as that of the cover-side curved surface.
- The retainer includes an extended section extended from the cover portion, and a retaining section further extended from the extended section. The retaining section is located spaced from an inner surface of the cover-side recess, such that a retaining space is formed between the retaining section and the inner surface of the cover-side recess. The latching section has a length being receivable in the retaining space and retained to the retaining section.
- The present invention is characterized in that, when the latch of the latching assembly is retained to the retainer of the latching assembly, the pivoting section and the latching section of the latch are located in the case-side recess and the cover-side recess, respectively, such that the whole latch is received in the case-side recess and the cover-side recess at the same time. Therefore, the latch is not protruded from the case portion and the cover portion. When the suitcase structure is pulled to move around, any external object colliding with the latch would only impact the outer surface of the latch without causing separation of the latch from the case portion. That is, the latch of the present invention is not easily separable from the suitcase structure even it is subjected to an impact of an external force.
- Further, since the case portion has a thickness larger than that of the cover portion, more articles can be contained in the case portion than the cover portion. Therefore, the suitcase structure of the present invention not only allows a user to retrieve things from the suitcase structure when the latter is laid horizontally, but also allows the user to conveniently retrieve the things when the suitcase structure is in an upright state. Further, things received in the suitcase structure would not fall out of the suitcase structure undesirably when the latter is opened.
- The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, wherein
-
FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a suitcase structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the suitcase structure ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional side view of the suitcase structure ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view showing a cover portion is pivotally turnable relative to a case portion of the suitcase structure of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partially sectional side view showing a latch of the present invention before it is mounted to the case portion and the cover portion of the suitcase structure; -
FIG. 6 shows the latch ofFIG. 5 is mounted to the case portion of the suitcase structure of the present invention and located at a released position; -
FIG. 7 shows a retaining section of the latch of the present invention is moved into a retaining space on the cover portion; and -
FIG. 8 shows the latch is fully moved into a latched position on the suitcase structure of the present invention. - The present invention will now be described with a preferred embodiment thereof and by referring to the accompanying drawings.
- Please refer to
FIGS. 1 and 2 . Asuitcase structure 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes acase portion 10, acover portion 20, and alatching assembly 30. As can be seen inFIGS. 2 and 3 , thecase portion 10 includes acase sidewall 11 enclosing four sides of thecase portion 10 and a substantially rectangularcase bottom wall 12. Thecase sidewall 11 has an end that defines a case opening 13, and has sunken areas formed on different sides thereof near the case opening 13 to provide a case-side recess 14 each. Each of the case-side recesses defines a case-side receivingspace 141, which has an open top flush with an outer surface of thecase sidewall 11. Thecase bottom wall 12 is located at another end of thecase sidewall 11 opposite to the case opening 13, such that thecase bottom wall 12 is spaced from the case opening 13. A case-sidetransitional edge portion 15 is provided between and connected to thecase sidewall 11 and thecase bottom wall 11, so that thecase sidewall 11 is not directly located adjoining thecase bottom wall 12. As can be seen inFIG. 3 , since thecase bottom wall 12 is spaced from the case opening 13, there is a distance between thecase bottom wall 12 and the case opening 13, and the distance is defined as a case thickness H1. - Please refer to
FIGS. 2 and 3 . Thecover portion 20 includes a substantially U-shapedcover sidewall 21 and a substantially rectangular covertop wall 22. Thecover sidewall 21 has an end that faces toward the case opening 13 and defines acover opening 23. The cover opening 23 has a contour smaller than that of the case opening 13. The covertop wall 22 is located at another end of thecover sidewall 21 facing away from thecover opening 23, such that the covertop wall 22 is spaced from thecover opening 23. The covertop wall 22 has a contour smaller than that of the casebottom wall 12. A cover-sidetransitional edge portion 24 is provided between thecover sidewall 21 and the covertop wall 22, so that thecover sidewall 21 is not directly located adjoining the covertop wall 22. The cover-sidetransitional edge portion 24 has a rounded outer surface, which is defined as a cover-sidecurved surface 241. As shown, thecover portion 20 has sunken areas that are extended from the cover-sidetransitional edge portion 24 to thecover sidewall 21 to provide a cover-side recess 25 each. Each of the cover-side recesses 25 defines a cover-side receiving space 251, which has an open top flush with an outer surface of thecover sidewall 21 and the cover-sidecurved surface 241. Further, since the covertop wall 22 is spaced from thecover opening 23, there is a distance between the covertop wall 22 and thecover opening 23, and the distance is defined as a cover thickness H2. The cover thickness H2 is smaller than the case thickness H1. In the preferred embodiment, a ratio of the case thickness H1 to the cover thickness H2 is 7.25˜7.5:1.5˜1.75. - Please refer to
FIGS. 3 and 4 . Thecover sidewall 21 of thecover portion 20 is pivotally turnably connected to thecase sidewall 11 of thecase portion 10, such that thecover portion 20 can be swung relative to thecase portion 10 to selectively open or close the case opening 13 of thecase portion 10. When thecover portion 20 closes the case opening 13, the cover opening 23 of thecover portion 20 is located adjacent to the case opening 13, and the covertop wall 22 of thecover portion 20 is spaced from the casebottom wall 12 of thecase portion 10, while thecover sidewall 21 of thecover portion 20 is aligned with thecase sidewall 11 of thecase portion 10. - Meanwhile, the cover-side recesses 25 on the
cover portion 20 are in one-to-one correspondence with the case-side recesses 14 on thecase portion 10, such that the cover-side recesses 25 are correspondingly communicable with the case-side recesses 14. - Please refer to
FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 . The latchingassembly 30 includes a plurality oflatches 31 and a plurality ofretainers 32. Thelatches 31 are in one-to-one correspondence with the case-side recesses 14 on thecase portion 10, and respectively have a length being apivoting section 311. The remaining length of eachlatch 31 is alatching section 312 that is forward extended from thepivoting section 311. The latchingassembly 30 further includes aswing arm 33 disposed between each set of corresponding pivotingsection 311 and case-side recess 14. More specifically, theswing arm 33 is connected at an end to thecase sidewall 11 of thecase portion 10 and at another opposite end to thepivoting section 311, such that each of thelatches 31 can swing to and fro about theswing arm 33 relative to thecase portion 10, allowing thepivoting section 311 to move into the corresponding case-side recess 14 and be fitly received in the case-side receiving space 141 while thelatching section 312 is located outside the case-side recess 14. Thelatching section 312 has an outer surface configured into a latch-sidecurved surface 312 a, which has a curvature the same as that of the cover-sidecurved surface 241. On the other hand, theretainers 32 are in one-to-one correspondence with the cover-side recesses 25 on thecover portion 20. As shown, each of theretainers 32 includes anextended section 321 extended from thecover portion 20 and aretaining section 322 further extended from theextended section 321 in an opposite direction to a location spaced from an inner surface of the cover-side recess 25, such that a retainingspace 323 is formed between the retainingsection 322 and the inner surface of the cover-side recess 25. - Please refer to
FIGS. 5 and 6 . Thelatch 31 of the latchingassembly 30 is located at a released position P1, i.e. thewhole latch 31 is pivotally connected to one end of theswing arm 33 and located outside the case-side recess 14 on thecase portion 10. When thelatch 31 is in the released position P1, thecover portion 20 can be pivotally turned relative to thecase portion 10. - Please refer to
FIGS. 5 and 7 . When thelatch 31 of the latchingassembly 30 is swung from the released position P1 counterclockwise, a front part of thelatching section 312 can be moved to the cover-side recess 25 on thecover portion 20 to be received in the retainingspace 323 of theretainer 32. At this point, thepivoting section 311 of thelatch 31 is located outside the case-side recess 14 on thecase portion 10. - Please refer to
FIGS. 5 and 8 . Then, thelatch 31 of the latchingassembly 30 can be swung about theswing arm 33 clockwise, so that thepivoting section 311 of thelatch 31 is moved into the case-side recess 14 on thecase portion 10. At this point, the front part of thelatching section 312 is still received in the cover-side recess 25 on thecover portion 20, so that thelatching section 312 fitly covers the cover-side receiving space 251 of the cover-side recess 25. That is, thelatch 31 is now located at a latched position P2 with thelatching section 312 being retained to theretainer 32. With thelatching section 312 being retained to theretainer 32 on thecover portion 20, thecover portion 20 is not pivotally turnable relative to thecase portion 10 and can therefore keep closing the case opening 13 of thecase portion 10. In the preferred embodiment, when thelatch 31 is in the latched position P2, it straddles across the case-side recess 14 and the cover-side recess 25 while thepivoting section 311 of thelatch 31 has a large part being located in the case-side recess 14 without protruding therefrom. That is, thepivoting section 311 is covered on the case-side receiving space 141 on thecase portion 10 with an outer surface of thepivoting section 311 being flush with the outer surface of thecase sidewall 11 of thecase portion 10. Meanwhile, a large part of thelatching section 312 is received in the cover-side recess without protruding from therefrom. That is, thelatching section 312 is covered on the cover-side receiving space 251 on thecover portion 20 with the latch-sidecurved surface 312 a being flush with the cover-sidecurved surface 241 of thecover portion 20. With these arrangements, when thesuitcase structure 1 being pulled to move around is collided with some external object, the external object would only contact with a top outer surface of thelatch 31 without endangering other areas of thelatch 31. Therefore, thelatch 31 of the present invention is not easily separable from thecase portion 10 even if thelatch 31 is subjected to an external force or a collision with an external object. - The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
Claims (5)
1. A suitcase structure, comprising:
a case portion including a case bottom wall, a case sidewall enclosing four sides of the case portion, and a case-side transitional edge portion located between and connected to the case bottom wall and the case sidewall; the case sidewall having an end defining a case opening and the case bottom wall being located at another opposite end of the case sidewall to be spaced from the case opening; the case sidewall further having a sunken area formed on one side of the case sidewall near the case opening to provide a case-side recess; the case-side recess defining a case-side receiving space, and an open top of the case-side receiving space flush with an outer surface of the case sidewall;
a cover portion being pivotally turnably connected to the case portion, such that the cover portion can be swung relative to the case portion to selectively open or close the case opening; the cover portion including a cover top wall located spaced from the case bottom wall, a cover sidewall located in alignment with the case sidewall when the cover portion is closed to the case opening, and a cover-side transitional edge portion located between and connected to the cover top wall and the cover sidewall; the cover portion having a sunken area extended from the cover-side transitional edge portion to the case sidewall to provide a cover-side recess; the cover-side recess being aligned with the case-side recess and defining a cover-side receiving space, an open top of the cover-side receiving space flush with an outer surface of the cover sidewall and the cover-side transitional edge portion; and
a latching assembly including a latch capable of straddling across the case-side recess and the cover-side recess, and a retainer formed in the cover-side recess; the latch including a pivoting section corresponding to the case-side recess and a latching section corresponding to the cover-side recess; the pivoting section being pivotally connected to the case sidewall, such that the latch can be swung for the pivoting section to move toward and receive in the case-side recess and for the latching section to move into the cover-side recess to be retained to the retainer; and
wherein, when the latching section is retained to the retainer, the case-side recess and the cover-side recess are covered by the pivoting section and the latching section, respectively, with an outer surface of the pivoting section located flush with the outer surface of the case sidewall and an outer surface of the latching section located flush with the outer surface of the cover-side transitional edge portion.
2. The suitcase structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a distance between the spaced case bottom wall and case opening is defined as a case thickness, and an end of the cover sidewall farther away from the cover top wall defines a cover opening; the cover top wall being spaced from the cover opening and a distance between them being defined as a cover thickness; and the cover thickness being smaller than the case thickness.
3. The suitcase structure as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the case thickness to the cover thickness is 7.25˜7.5:1.5˜1.75.
4. The suitcase structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the cover-side transitional edge portion is configured as a cover-side curved surface, and the outer surface of the latching section is configured as a latch-side curved surface; and the latch-side curved surface having a curvature the same as that of the cover-side curved surface.
5. The suitcase structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the retainer includes an extended section extended from the cover portion, and a retaining section further extended from the extended section; the retaining section being located spaced from an inner surface of the cover-side recess, such that a retaining space is formed between the retaining section and the inner surface of the cover-side recess; and the latching section having a length being receivable in the retaining space and retained to the retaining section.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17/970,927 US20240225224A9 (en) | 2022-10-21 | Suitcase structure |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17/970,927 US20240225224A9 (en) | 2022-10-21 | Suitcase structure |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20240130499A1 true US20240130499A1 (en) | 2024-04-25 |
US20240225224A9 US20240225224A9 (en) | 2024-07-11 |
Family
ID=
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US5924533A (en) * | 1994-07-15 | 1999-07-20 | Samsonite Corporation | Luggage case |
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US20080307835A1 (en) * | 2007-06-13 | 2008-12-18 | Jean-Pierre Grenier | Carrying case with locking latch mechanism |
US20150021132A1 (en) * | 2013-07-19 | 2015-01-22 | Samsonite IP Holdings S.ar.l. | Luggage with shell, frame, and lock |
US9248566B2 (en) * | 2012-12-28 | 2016-02-02 | Makita Corporation | Tool housing case and subcase |
US20190313752A1 (en) * | 2018-04-17 | 2019-10-17 | Chengdu Skywalker Technology Co., Ltd. | Trolley case with front open |
US20200128931A1 (en) * | 2018-10-31 | 2020-04-30 | Samsonite Ip Holdings S.A R.L. | Luggage article including a burst resistant rim |
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US5924533A (en) * | 1994-07-15 | 1999-07-20 | Samsonite Corporation | Luggage case |
US6481605B1 (en) * | 1999-11-22 | 2002-11-19 | Gi., Vi S.R.L. | Motorbike transport case comprising a releasable handle lock |
US20080307835A1 (en) * | 2007-06-13 | 2008-12-18 | Jean-Pierre Grenier | Carrying case with locking latch mechanism |
US9248566B2 (en) * | 2012-12-28 | 2016-02-02 | Makita Corporation | Tool housing case and subcase |
US20150021132A1 (en) * | 2013-07-19 | 2015-01-22 | Samsonite IP Holdings S.ar.l. | Luggage with shell, frame, and lock |
US20190313752A1 (en) * | 2018-04-17 | 2019-10-17 | Chengdu Skywalker Technology Co., Ltd. | Trolley case with front open |
US20200128931A1 (en) * | 2018-10-31 | 2020-04-30 | Samsonite Ip Holdings S.A R.L. | Luggage article including a burst resistant rim |
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