Patent Grant
9894972
The inventive subject matter is generally directed to items of luggage, including suitcases, backpacks, travel packs, carry-ons, duffel bags, brief cases, travel cases, and gear bags. More particularly, the inventive subject matter is directed to luggage items with an expandable section to selectively increase the volume of the item and hence the carrying capacity. In some embodiments, the inventive subject matter is directed to a modular luggage system where one item of luggage removably couples to a main item of luggage with the expandable section.
One patent of interest, U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,569 in the name of The North Face, shows a small backpack that is zippered to the face of a larger backpack. When the small backpack is detached, a set of pockets is exposed on the supporting face of the larger backpack. The face of the larger backpack includes a stowable cover that can be pulled out to cover the pockets and the area that was occupied by the detached backpack.
Other such modular systems show detachable backpacks or similar carriers on the face of an item of luggage or expandable sections in an item of luggage.
In present day travel, many travelers prefer to avoid the hassles and extra costs associated with traveling with multiple items of luggage. Travelers also prefer not to travel with unnecessarily bulky luggage items. At the same time, travelers may acquire items during the course of trip or may reduce the number of items they initially started with. Accordingly, a significant need exists for luggage items and systems that adaptably adjust capacity to the needs of a traveler.
The inventive subject matter in its various embodiments overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages in the prior art by providing a novel expandable luggage system. The system allows for modularity, as well as expandability.
In certain general embodiments, the inventive subject matter is directed to an item of luggage, comprising: a plurality of sides sufficient to define a first volumetric space, an expandable section disposed within the space between first and second opposing sides, wherein at least the first opposing side defines a boundary for the volumetric space and provides an exterior surface for the item of luggage; and
the expandable section having a first configuration wherein it is stored within the space and has an expandable side that is adjacent to the first opposing side, and a second configuration wherein the expandable side extends a predetermined distance from the first opposing side to define a boundary for a second volumetric space that is the same as or different from the first volumetric space.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the second opposing side may be removable and the expandable side may be extendable to provide the corresponding exterior side of the item of luggage and to define a generally planar boundary for the second volumetric space.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the expandable section may be configured to expand beyond the boundary of the second opposing side so as to define a second volumetric space that is greater than the first volumetric space.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the luggage item may consist of a modular set of luggage items comprising a main item and a removable item, and the second opposing side may consist of a side of a removable item of luggage.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the removable item of luggage may be the smaller of the items and includes at least one shoulder strap.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the removable item includes two backpack straps.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the expandable section may be made of a flexible material.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the luggage item may include a stay system, or other support mechanisms, that supports the expandable section in a desired form.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the stay system may extend into the second volumetric space and supports the expandable section in an intended configuration defining the second volumetric space.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the second volumetric space may be from about 25% to about 200% or greater that than the first volumetric space.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the removable pack may attach to the main item via a zipper, or other inter-engaging parts.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the volumetric space may be defined by two or more sides of the main luggage item and a surface of the second opposing side.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the luggage item may consist of a modular set of luggage items comprising a main item and a removable item, and the first opposing side is a side of the main item and the second opposing side comprises a side of a removable item of luggage.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the first opposing side and at least one other side of the main item may define a volumetric space for the main item, and the surface of the second opposing side is partly or fully recessed into the volumetric space for the main item.
In any of the embodiments contemplated herein, the surface of the second opposing side may be disposed above the compartment of the main luggage item so as to provide a total volumetric space for the combined main item and removable item that is greater than the volumetric space of the main luggage item.
The inventive subject matter is also directed to a method of making a luggage item according to any of claims comprising providing a main luggage item with an expandable section that is stored in a compartment of the main luggage item.
These and other embodiments are described in more detail in the following detailed descriptions and the Figures.
The foregoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list of embodiments and features of the inventive subject matter. Persons skilled in the art are capable of appreciating other embodiments and features from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.
The following is a description of various inventive lines under the inventive subject matter. The appended claims, as originally filed in this document and the above-referenced provisional patent application, or as subsequently amended, are hereby incorporated into this Summary section as if written directly in.
The accompanying Figures show representative embodiments according to the inventive subject matter, unless noted as showing prior art.
Representative embodiments according to the inventive subject matter are shown in
In some embodiments, the inventive subject matter is directed to an item of luggage having a plurality of sides sufficient to define a first volumetric space. An expandable section is disposed within the space between first and second opposing sides. At least the second opposing side defines a boundary for the volumetric space and provides an exterior surface for the item of luggage. The expandable section has a first configuration wherein it is stored within the space and has an expandable side that is adjacent to the first opposing side. It has a second configuration wherein the expandable side extends a predetermined distance from the first opposing side to define a boundary for a second volumetric space that is the same as or different from the first volumetric space.
The Figures show one of many possible examples of a luggage item that is consistent with the foregoing description. In this example, a luggage item 10 consists of a main luggage item 12 and an optional removable luggage item 14, such as a backpack, duffel bag or travel or brief case (hereinafter, the removable item will generally be referred to as a “pack” for the sake of convenience).
The assembly 10 of luggage items provides an overall item that has a front side 1 and an opposing back side 2. The front and back sides are generally planar and they provide generally planar opposing boundaries that define an overall volumetric space for the interior compartment for the overall luggage item 10 and any intermediate subcompartments. In this example, the removable pack 14 provides the front side 1 of the overall (combined) luggage item 10. Referring to
The overall luggage item 10 also has a top side 3, bottom side 4, left side 5 and right side 6, as well as front and back sides. In the example shown, each pair of front/back sides, top/bottom sides, and right/left sides are opposing sides. Each side has an exterior surface and an interior surface. The sides are the composite of the merged sides of main luggage item 12 and removable pack 14. (These same reference numerals also indicate the various sides of main luggage item 12 when the removable pack 14 is detached.) In some cases, the space between the exterior facing surface and the interior facing surface may be occupied with one or more plies of material and/or one or more sub-compartments or pockets, for example.
Luggage items, 10, 12 and 14 are not limited to having six sides; any one can have more or less sides. The overall luggage item 10 or any other item can also be in different shapes, not just rectilinear. For example, any item could be round like a hatbox or it could be pear shaped.
As can be appreciated, a volumetric space can be defined by as few as two or more sides, and other boundaries for the volumetric space extrapolated from the two or more known sides. For instance, referring to the embodiment shown in the Figures, the general volumetric space for the interior compartment 7 of main luggage item 12 may be defined by looking at a combination of any two sides that are orthogonal to each other. These could be the top side or bottom side and any one of the right side or left side, for example. Alternatively, they could be the back side or front side and any one of the right, left, top, or bottom sides.
Looking at
In other embodiments, the expandable section 9 or 109 may consist of two or more sub-compartments. The sub-compartments could be arranged in a number of ways along the X, Y and/or Z axes. For example, they could be generally parallel and coextensive to each other along the Z axis, with each capable of independently expanding along the Z axis so that there are a plurality of volumetric shapes along that axis. Similarly, there may be a plurality of sub-compartments arranged along the X and/or Z axes that allow for a plurality of volumetric shapes along one or both such axes. The compartments, sub-compartments, and pockets in the expandable section, and any other section of the luggage item 10, may have zippers, snaps, drawstrings, hook and loop closures, buttons, etc. for accessing and securely storing things.
While the example presented illustrates a combination of luggage items, in some embodiments, a single luggage item is contemplated. For example, the removable luggage item 14 could be replaced by a non-removable panel portion that has front and back surfaces defining a front side of the luggage item, with the back surface facing the interior compartment and the front surface forming an exterior surface of the front side of the luggage item.
Further, if a removable luggage item 14 is part of an overall item of luggage 10, it may be positioned not only on the front side of the main item but on any other side as well. As noted above, the removable pack may occupy some or all the volume of compartment 7. If it occupies the entire volume its compartments between surfaces 141 and 142, the overall luggage item 10 may have an overall volumetric space that is about the same as or greater than that of compartment 7. The overall volumetric space for the overall luggage item 10 can essentially be the volumetric space of compartment 7 plus the volume added by the volumetric portion of removable item 14 that extends above compartment 7, but not double counting the volume of the removable item that recedes into compartment 7. Of course, some space may be lost to the arrangement of solid materials used in constructing the removable item.
Although the expandable section 9 is disposed between back and front sides, providing expandability along a Z-axis, it may be disposed between any other set of opposing sides. For example, it may be disposed between top and bottom sides 3, 4 and expandability would be along the Y-axis. Alternatively, it may be disposed between the left and right sides 5, 6 and expandability would be along the x-axis. Still further, the assembly of luggage item 10 and the expandable section 9 may be such that the expandable section has multiple sides and the luggage item may be expandable from a first position stored in the volumetric space for an interior compartment along any one or more of the X, Y, of Z axes.
In some embodiments, the expandable section 9 or 109 is permanently fixed to the luggage item, e.g., by sewing, mechanical fasteners, or chemical bonding. In other embodiments, it may be removable by use of zippers, snaps, buttons, etc.
Among the possibilities is for the expandable section to have an expandable side, e.g., side 91, that moves from a first configuration adjacent to any of the sides of the luggage item towards an opposite side or boundary for the luggage item and thereby into a second configuration. The expandable section 9 also may have fully or partially enclosed sides 93, 94, 95, and 96 connected at the periphery of front side 91 that extend parallel to the corresponding sides 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the luggage item. Sides 93 (top), 94 (bottom), 95 (left), and 96 (right) are perpendicular to back side 2 to which the expandable side 91 is adjacent and generally parallel.
The expandable section 9 may be made of any flexible material that is suitable for use as siding for a luggage item, such as woven fibers, knit fibers or non-woven flexible materials, such as TPU films, commingled fibers, or other flexible materials. It could also be made of relative rigid materials, such as thermoformed foams, polycarbonate, ABS, PP, PE, PA, or other plastics that are mechanically expandable. For example, an expandable side 91 of expandable section 9 could be a rigid sheet material that is connected at one or more points along its periphery to an expansion system, such as an accordion structure or a telescoping structure or inflatable bladders that form or are disposed at one or more of sides 93, 94, 95, and 96. The expandable section 9 could also be constructed of a combination of flexible and relatively rigid materials.
In some embodiments, the expandable section 9 is stored in a first configuration within the compartment 7 wherein one or more sides of the expandable section are parallel to and generally coextensive with a side of the item of luggage. For example, the Figures show a side 91 of the expandable section 9 that overlies the adjacent interior surface of the back side 2 of the main luggage item. In other embodiments, an expandable side could be less than coextensive with an adjacent side of the luggage item. For example, the expandable section 9 could be rolled or folded into a more discrete space within the compartment 7 and could be deployed to a second, expanded configuration by a user or through automatic mechanisms for deployment, e.g., spring, hinge, or inflation systems.
The luggage item 10 may include a stay or support system that supports some or all of the expandable section 9 in a desired form.
Other mechanisms that could be used to deploy expandable section 9 include other hinged structures, e.g., opposite ends of the elongate elements 16, 18 are disposed on the luggage item, and the hinge point is in between the opposing ends of the elongate elements 16, 18. Another option would be to use inflatable bladders that extend along the periphery of one or more sides of the expandable section, for example.
Additional stiffening or tensioning elements may be associated with the expandable section. For example, an elongate stiffening element 24 may be disposed or placed in the expandable section along the bottom section 94, between the left and right corners, as shown in
A luggage item according to the inventive principles may be configured with any number of other features to advance and supplement the inventive advantages. For example, as seen in the FIGS., the luggage item may optionally include fixed or telescoping poles 26 with a handgrip 30 on one or more of the telescoping poles. The luggage item may include wheels 32 for rolling the item. It may include one or more shoulder straps 34 so that the luggage item may be carried as a shoulder pack or bag or as a backpack. The luggage item may include storage compartments for stowing the strap. The luggage item may include one or more handgrips on the body of the item to facilitate carrying and handling of the luggage item. The luggage item may include any number or arrangement of sub-compartments and pockets in a similar fashion as described above for the expandable section.
One or more removable luggage items may be attached to a main luggage items using zipper systems having one or more complementary zipper tapes 28 (28A, 28B) mounted along a defined area on each item. The removable items may attach to the main luggage item in other ways, such as by straps, snaps, and other inter-engaging parts.
As used herein “adjacent” means directly adjacent or indirectly adjacent, i.e., there may be close spacing but separation by an intermediate layer of material or structure. As used herein, “couple” and variants of that word mean directly or indirectly connected or attached together.
Persons skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations are possible in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts and actions which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the inventive subject matter, and that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit and scope of the teachings and claims contained therein.
Any patent and non-patent literature cited herein is hereby incorporated by references in its entirety for all purposes.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/721,361, filed Nov. 1, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein for all purposes.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 892125 | Bourne | Jun 1908 | A |
| 1460016 | Emery | Jun 1923 | A |
| 1786775 | Paterson | Dec 1930 | A |
| 1950118 | Lifton | Mar 1934 | A |
| 2078624 | Wolff | Apr 1937 | A |
| 2087951 | Jarvis | Jul 1937 | A |
| 2212390 | Conklin | Aug 1940 | A |
| 2536169 | Gray | Jan 1951 | A |
| 2729257 | Kepper | Jan 1956 | A |
| 3061057 | Miller | Oct 1962 | A |
| 3122225 | Ward | Feb 1964 | A |
| 3340969 | Rothberg | Sep 1967 | A |
| 3443671 | Dyke | May 1969 | A |
| 4081061 | Tucker | Mar 1978 | A |
| 4106598 | Davis | Aug 1978 | A |
| 4153146 | Patton et al. | May 1979 | A |
| 4236615 | Ginat | Dec 1980 | A |
| 4437549 | Gibbs | Mar 1984 | A |
| 4655329 | Kaneko | Apr 1987 | A |
| 4718278 | Bergsma | Jan 1988 | A |
| 4756394 | Cohen | Jul 1988 | A |
| 4763763 | Sadow | Aug 1988 | A |
| 4773515 | Kotkins, Jr. | Sep 1988 | A |
| 4787488 | Campanini | Nov 1988 | A |
| 4979598 | Verheij et al. | Dec 1990 | A |
| 5240106 | Plath | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5307908 | Shyr et al. | May 1994 | A |
| 5358082 | Armstrong | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5413199 | Clement | May 1995 | A |
| 5427453 | Cloessner | Jun 1995 | A |
| 5547052 | Latshaw | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5560479 | Leyba et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5671831 | Chiu | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5678666 | Shyr et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5749503 | Wulf et al. | May 1998 | A |
| 5875876 | Wang | Mar 1999 | A |
| 6050374 | Johnston | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6213267 | Miller | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6244399 | Birkestrand | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6382376 | Rosen et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6467594 | Wu | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6533087 | Chen | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6550651 | Murdoch et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6637633 | Eberle | Oct 2003 | B1 |
| 7232018 | Salander | Jun 2007 | B1 |
| 7594569 | Bass et al. | Sep 2009 | B2 |
| 7641030 | Selvi | Jan 2010 | B2 |
| 7665642 | Abbate | Feb 2010 | B2 |
| 20020130004 | Lin | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20040238303 | Hafif | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050156002 | Neal et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20060102673 | Collier | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20100006459 | Foley | Jan 2010 | A1 |
| 20100320048 | Clamy Boccard | Dec 2010 | A1 |
| 20110174583 | Yoneno | Jul 2011 | A1 |
| 20130140120 | Rasmussen | Jun 2013 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2573635 | May 1986 | FR |
| 2626753 | Aug 1989 | FR |
| 2626753 | Aug 1989 | FR |
| 2874796 | Mar 2006 | FR |
| 2080220 | Feb 1982 | GB |
| 2184940 | Jul 1987 | GB |
| WO 2007067574 | Jun 2007 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| In't Search Authority/US, International Search Report and Written Opinion for PCT Application No. PCT/US2014/056812, Publication No. WO 2015/047956, dated Mar. 13, 2015, pp. 28. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140116829 A1 | May 2014 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61721361 | Nov 2012 | US |
