Patent Application
20120261223
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to travel luggage, and in particular to roller traveling cases commonly used as carry-on bags in air travel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The airline industry has started to charge extra fees for checked luggage and has limits on the weights and sizes of all the things travelers usually bring with them on a flight. The incentives have been increasing to bring carry-on luggage at the same time strict limits have been placed on the dimensions that are acceptable.
International airports have been getting more common and grown larger in size over what airports used to be. Air travelers frequently have to walk several hundred yards to get from parking to their gates and between concourse on connecting flights. So carry-on cases with little wheels and telescoping handles have been a universal convenience for millions of modern travelers.
However the small wheels commonly used on roller travel bags are difficult to steer and do not roll well over many common surfaces. Steering the roller travel bag usually requires large lateral swings of the handle that may not be possible in confined aisles. The little wheels are fixed in a straight ahead direction and the roller travel bag will resist being nudged to the side. Any such nudging will usually tip the bag over on its side, and righting it can be clumsy and obstruct other passengers.
What is needed is large ball roller that is quick and easy to maneuver in confined aisles and other obstacles often encountered by air travelers.
Briefly, a roller travel luggage system embodiment of the present invention includes a standard carry-on case or travel bag fitted with a large roller ball at the bottom end. The roller ball is captured in a socket ring on the bottom end that allows the roller ball to turn in any direction. The roller ball and socket ring are positioned at the center of the leading edge and two legs for upright standing are placed on the outside corners of the trailing edge of the bottom end. These legs are sized such that the roller travel luggage can stand up upright on its own without assistance. Alternatively, these legs can be fitted with small roller bearings on their ends such that the roller travel luggage can be easily scooted around short distances while standing upright.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments that are illustrated in the various drawing figures.
Roller ball 104 is a hollow sphere that fits into and is captured by a socket ring 118. These pieces can be made from polycarbonate, Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone (PEEK), nylon, or other plastics and metals with good wear and abrasion resistance and sliding ability. Roller ball 104 is free to rotate in any direction inside socket ring 118, much like a shoulder socket. Socket ring 118 may be a complete orbit closed all around roller ball 104. It can include small roller ball bearings to help roller ball 104 twist and turn inside socket ring 118.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the roller ball 104 and socket ring 118 are fixed, in others they are articulated to extend out and retract in. One kind of articulating mechanism can be attached to telescoping handle 112 such that when the users pulls out the handle, the roller ball 104 and socket ring 118 are forcefully extended and locked to take on the weight of the whole roller travel luggage system 100. And when the telescoping handle 112 is pushed back down in back-half case 110, the roller ball 104 and socket ring 118 are unlocked and retracted back inside bottom end 106.
Two outrigger stands 120 and 122 are provided to help roller travel luggage system 100 stand up on its end. These and roller ball 104 form a stable tripod. Outrigger stands 120 and 122 may include ball roller ends that would assist a user trying to scoot the roller travel luggage system 100 around on the floor while standing upright.
A compartment 416 provides quick access and storage for small items, especially those needed when shuffling through security lines, passport control, and ticketing.
A handle linkage 418 connects handle 412 to a 180-degree bell crank 420 with a mechanical advantage of 8:1. For every eight inches handle 412 is moved up or down, ball transfer caster and tilting extension mechanism 404 will be pushed oppositely one inch on pivot 406. A pushrod 422 attaches the 180-degree bell crank 420 to the ball transfer caster and tilting extension mechanism 404. A pair of standing legs 424 can be articulated to move in and out in tandem with ball transfer caster and tilting extension mechanism 404.
Pivot 406 and the geometry of ball transfer caster and tilting extension mechanism 404 provide the optimum extension angles seen in
A large, American football shaped roller 512 is mounted through its opposite pointed ends to a horizontal axle 514. Roller 512 is shown in
Handle 506 is connected through handle links 520 to a tie bar 522. A pair of connecting rods 524 and 525 attach to left and right 180-degree bellcranks 526 and 527. These can rotate on pivots 528 and 528, producing a mechanical advantage. For example, the mechanical advantage can be fixed from 4:1 to 16:1, depending on how far handle 506 can be pulled up and how far down roller 512 needs to be extended out. This, of course, will vary with each particular application. An axle yoke 530 is comprised of left and right yoke arms 532 and 533 connected to the outboard ends of axle 514.
Although the present invention has been described in terms of the presently preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be interpreted as limiting. Various alterations and modifications will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the above disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all alterations and modifications as fall within the “true” spirit and scope of the invention.
