Patent Application
20140216875
Persons who travel know the difficulties associated with the various aspects of being away from their own home. Many luggage devices have been developed with the traveler in mind. However, there exists one difficulty for which even the most experienced traveler is often ill prepared. There are a significant number of places where lodging is provided and there is limited or no space for unpacking comfortably or there is no storage space for personal articles once a guest arrives. The existing configuration of luggage require that, in order to access the contents, the luggage be placed on a surface or on the floor, usually making it uncomfortable and difficult to access or retrieve items stored inside. The difficulties are present for people of any age but especially for elders. The traveler recurrently needs either to bend over and/or to unpack several undesired objects or pieces of clothing in order to reach the desired item and then having to pack back the rest, closing and displacing the luggage to a more convenient place until he or she needs to access it again, repeating the hurdle.
The present invention addresses this difficulty by providing a luggage assembly that is constructed and arranged such that it can function as not only a piece of traveling luggage but a portable closet. The present invention further contemplates a portable chest configuration in which the contents are made available not only in a comfortable height to be accessed by the traveler but also disposed in a more organized manner that requires no or minimal displaced objects/pieces of clothing every time one needs to access contents in a luggage. More than this, the invention transforms the luggage in a kind of convenient, piece of furniture to temporarily participate in the configuration of the room and not needing to be moved and dealt with every time a traveler needs to retrieve an item.
The present invention provides a luggage assembly comprising:
The assembly main case in constructed and arranged to position above said base and lock into an elevated position by virtue of a locking mechanism incorporated on said stand rods.
In one embodiment, a main clothing pocket is configured to receive a men's suit jacket having a length of between 26 to 40 inches and a width between 16 to 24 inches in a hanging and unfolded position. This configuration encompasses men's suits of U.S. sizes ranging from approximately size 36 to size 50. Although this is one preferred embodiment, the assembly main pocket encompasses many sizes and can be sized larger or smaller as desired.
The assembly main case, in said first configuration is locked into a fixed position on said base.
The base comprises an internal storage cavity accessible when the main body is elevated above the base. That is to say, base internal storage cavity is accessible when said assembly is in said second configuration in which said main case body is elevated above said base and held into said elevated position above said base and locked into an elevated position by virtue of a locking mechanism incorporated on said stand rods.
The further comprises rolling means on an underside of said base.
The luggage carrier assembly 10 includes a main case 12 with a lifting handle 14 attached to the upper most surface of case 12. Telescoping handle 16 is constructed and arranged with a pair of telescoping rods 18 that attach telescoping handle 16 to case 12. Case 12 has formed thereon a primary outer pocket 20. Primary outer pocket 20 is constructed and arranged such that various items of clothing are placed therein with minimal or no folding.
For example, in one embodiment, primary pocket 20 is constructed and arranged to receive a man's suit jacket whereby the suit jacket need not be folded. Case 12 can have one or more side-mounted pockets 22 disposed thereon. Luggage carrier assembly 10 includes a plurality of telescoping standing rods 24 which extend and retract from the lower surface of luggage carrier assembly 10 when luggage carrier assembly 10 is in a standing upright position as demonstrated in the several figures.
Luggage assembly 10 rests on a base 32. When case 12 is raised up off of base 32 by means of telescoping extending rods 24, internal base storage cavity 34 is exposed and accessible. As generally understood in the art, telescoping extending rods 24 are constructed and arranged in a configuration that provides rods 24 lock in an extended position and thus elevate case 12 over base 32.
In one embodiment, storage cavity 34 is constructed and arranged to receive stored articles such as shoes, belts and other travel type items. When case 12 is lowered, as shown in embodiment in
As generally understood, casters 36 are utilized on the underside of base 32 for ease of movement of luggage carrier assembly 10 in a rolling fashion. Casters, according to the present invention, are any movement rolling means known in the art, including, but not limited to, traveling wheels, ball rollers or other known rolling means utilized in luggage and other movable articles.
Luggage assembly 10 is constructed and arranged to function as a traveling closet. When traveling with luggage carrier assembly 10 case 12 is locked into position on base 32. When using luggage carrier assembly 10 as a traveling closet a user typically will extend case 12 upward from base 32 utilizing telescoping rods 24. This raises up case 12 to a level where a user can more easily access the interior of case 12. As stated above, primary outer pocket 20 is constructed and arranged to hold at least one hanging article of clothing. The hanging article of clothing can be one or more men's suits, women's suits, women's dresses, men's pants, men's shirts and the like. When a user opens the pocket covering primary pocket 20, the user is able to access an interior hanging area.
The interior of case 12 is configured in a plurality of configurations as desired. In one configuration, as demonstrated in
In another embodiment, as demonstrated in
The present invention is not intended specifically to be limited to the embodiments shown in the several drawings. For example one or more hanging devices can be utilized with luggage carrier assembly 10 the present invention. In this embodiment one is provided with a detachable, mountable hanging device such as a rod suitable to hang conventional clothes hangers. In this configuration a user can hang additional items when luggage carrier assembly 10 is used a portable closet.
Other shelf, hanging, and closet-type configurations are contemplated incorporated in the assembly of the present invention.
With the incorporation of any closet-like features or amenities, be they shelves, lights, hangers, mirrors, and the like, the configuration is to be arranged for a first suitcase/travel configuration and a second, stationary, portable closet configuration. All such closet-like features are to be configures in order that they fit within the assembly and are secured for storage when the assembly is used as a suitcase.
While the invention has been described in its preferred form or embodiment with some degree of particularity, it is understood that this description has been given only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction, fabrication, and use, including the combination and arrangement of parts, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
