The present invention relates to a rolling bag and a stopper for preventing slippage of a belt or the like that is hung from a vertically movable handle of a rolling bag.
Heretofore, a handle with one or more retractable stays has been attached, as an element separate from a handgrip, to a bag body of a rolling bag. The stays are extended so as to pull the handle up from the bag body as needed. Thus, the rolling bag has a structure that allows a user to pull the bag body while holding the handle with his/her hands without carrying the bag while holding the grip provided on the bag body with his/her hands. For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose some devices for preventing the length of stays from changing when a rolling bag is being pulled or for preventing an unexpected retraction of stays, which causes a handle to be lowered, when a bag body is stood in a state in which casters or ground seat portions of the bag body serve as bases of the bag body. Such devices incorporate therein a locking mechanism in which the interior of the handle is engaged with the interior of the stays so as to hold the stays in a manner such that the stays have a variable length. When an operation button provided at the center of an upper surface of the handle is pushed, the locking mechanism is unlocked.
Furthermore, some rolling bags include a hard case type of a bag body, and others include a soft case type of a bag body. In the case of a soft case type bag body, the shape of the bag body may not be sustained because of the contents of the rolling bag. Therefore, Patent Literature 3 discloses a device for preventing the shape of a bag body from collapsing or for allowing a small item or a plastic bag to be hung thereon. Specifically, a hook is provided below a handle. A soft case type bag body may be hung on the hook to prevent the bag body from losing its shape. Alternatively, a small item or a plastic bag may be hung on the hook.
For example, Patent Literature 4 describes a technique of attaching a hook member that allows something to be hung thereon. For example, Patent Literature 5 illustrates a portable bag having such a hook member although a handle of the bag cannot be moved vertically with retractable stays as described above. The portable bag has a hook member projecting from an upper portion of a suitcase that can be pulled by holding a raised grip so that a handbag can be hung on the hook member.
Patent Literature 1: WO 2002/067719
Patent Literature 2: U.S. Pat. No. 5630250 B
Patent Literature 3: JP 3162919 U
Patent Literature 4: JP 50-051833 U
Patent Literature 5: DE 4221215 B
The aforementioned device of a hook provided under a handle of a rolling bag as disclosed in Patent Literature 3 can also be used in a general rolling bag having a hard case with a handle that is retractable with stays. For example, when one waits for someone with this rolling bag, the rolling bag is often stood in a state in which the handle has been pulled up. The height of the pulled handle is made unchanged by a locking mechanism. Therefore, if there is a hook provided under the handle as described above, other small item, plastic bag, umbrella, and the like can be hung under the handle. Accordingly, one does not need to hold any small items any more, which may be temporarily though. Thus, this device may provide convenience.
However, in the case of a structure having a hook hanging under a handle, when the handle is lowered toward the bag body, a portion of the hook hinders the handle from being received into the bag body. Thus, a problem arises that the handle cannot be arranged and received at a position that does not spoil the appearance of the bag body.
Furthermore, with the technology of arranging a hook member on an upper surface of a suitcase body in a vertically movable manner as disclosed in Patent Literature 5, a long item such as an umbrella cannot be hung from the hook member. Moreover, with regard to a hook member disclosed in Patent Literature 4, there should be prepared various types of hook members depending upon cross-sectional shapes of members to which the hook members are to be attached. It is not practical to produce various types of hook members so as to correspond to handles having a variety of horizontal cross-sections. Furthermore, Patent Literature 2 only discloses a structure for avoiding interference with a rod that moves upon a locking operation and fails to teach a technique to properly prevent the slippage of an item being hung.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to prevent the slippage of an item hung from a handle of a rolling bag and to allow the handle to be properly received into a bag body, thereby improving the usability of the rolling bag.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. In order to solve those problems, therefore, an aspect of the present invention provides a rolling bag having a bag body with casters and a rolling bag handle attached to the bag body via a retractable stay so that expansion and retraction of the stay allow the rolling bag handle to be lifted and lowered between a position of the bag body and an upper position in a height direction of the bag body. The rolling bag is characterized in that a stopper is provided on an end of the rolling bag handle for preventing a slippage of an item being hung on the rolling bag handle.
The stopper may be attached to an upper surface of the rolling bag handle.
The upper surface of the handle may be recessed at a location to which the stopper is to be arranged.
The stopper may comprise a projecting member that can be lifted and lowered in the height direction of the bag body.
An engagement recess portion in which an upper surface of the handle is recessed downward in the height direction of the bag body may be formed on the end of the rolling bag handle, and the stopper may be formed at an outer end of the engagement recess portion in a longitudinal direction of the handle.
Furthermore, in order to solve those problems, another aspect of the present invention provides a stopper for a rolling bag handle, characterized by comprising an attachment plate that can deform according to a shape of an upper surface of the rolling bag handle and attachment means provided on the attachment plate for attaching the stopper to the upper surface of the rolling bag handle. The attachment plate has an upper surface with engagement means projecting upward for preventing a slippage of an item hung on the rolling bag handle when the stopper is attached to the rolling bag handle via the attachment means.
The attachment plate may have a ridge portion with upper end positions gradually increasing from the upper surface of the attachment plate toward the engagement means, and the ridge portion may be formed in a continuous manner or a discontinuous manner with the engagement means.
The attachment means may comprise an adhesive member, and the adhesive member of the attachment means may be provided on a lower surface of the attachment plate.
The attachment means may comprise hook-and-loop fasteners provided on opposite ends of the attachment plate along the longitudinal direction of the handle, and overlapping portions of the hook-and-loop fasteners wound around the rolling bag handle may be attached to and separated from each other.
The attachment means may comprise an engagement member having an engagement boss provided on one side portion of the attachment plate along a longitudinal direction of the handle and a belt having a plurality of holes formed on an opposite side portion of the attachment plate, and the engagement boss of the engagement member may be engaged with one of the holes of the belt wound around the rolling bag handle in a detachable manner.
According to a rolling bag of the present invention, handle portions of carrying items, such as a belt portion of a bag, a handle of a plastic bag, and a handle of an umbrella, can be hung on a stopper from above a rolling bag handle. There is no obstruction between a lower surface of the rolling bag handle and a bag body when the rolling bag handle is lowered with the carrying items being removed from the stopper. Therefore, the rolling bag handle can properly be received into the bag body. Thus, the present invention demonstrates advantageous effects because it does not significantly spoil the appearance of the bag body, which serves as a primary portion of the rolling bag.
A slippage prevention device can extremely readily be provided on the upper surface of the rolling bag handle by attaching the stopper to an upper surface of the rolling bag handle.
The attached state of the stopper can be stabilized by recessing the upper surface of the handle at a location to which the stopper is to be arranged.
The slippage can readily be prevented on the upper surface of the rolling bag handle by forming the stopper of a projecting member that can be lifted and lowered in the height direction of the bag body as needed.
A slippage prevention device can readily be obtained when an engagement recess portion in which an upper surface of the handle is recessed downward in the height direction of the bag body is formed on the end of the rolling bag handle, and the stopper is formed at an outer end of the engagement recess portion in a longitudinal direction of the handle.
According to a stopper for a rolling bag handle of the present invention, when the stopper is attached to an upper surface of the rolling bag handle, it is possible to prevent unexpected slippage of handle portions of carrying items, such as a belt portion of a bag, a handle of a plastic bag, and a handle of an umbrella, that have been hung on the stopper from above the rolling bag handle. When the rolling bag handle is lowered with the carrying items being removed from the stopper, the stopper is located on the upper surface of the handle. Therefore, the handle can properly be received into a storage portion of the bag body. Thus, the appearance of the bag body, which serves as a primary portion of the rolling bag, is not significantly spoiled.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, a ridge portion gradually increasing in height toward the engagement means is provided. Therefore, even if the engagement means is located at an end of the handle having a downwardly inclined slope or curved surface, the degree to which portions of the stoppers located around the engagement means lean downward is reduced by the ridge portion. Accordingly, the present invention demonstrates advantageous effects because a load of an item being hung can properly be supported not only by the engagement means, but also by the ridge portion around the engagement means.
Moreover, the stopper can readily be attached to the upper surface of the rolling bag handle by providing an adhesive member of the attachment means on a lower surface of the attachment plate.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, an attachment operation and a detachment operation of the stopper is facilitated when hook-and-loop fasteners provided on opposite ends of the attachment plate (side portions along the longitudinal direction of the rolling bag handle when the attachment plate is arranged in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle) are wound around the rolling bag handle, and the hook-and-loop fasteners are overlapped with and coupled to each other.
Moreover, according to the present invention, the attachment and detachment of the stopper is facilitated when a belt formed on an end of the attachment plate (one of the side portions along the longitudinal direction of the rolling bag handle when the attachment plate is arranged in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle) is wound around the rolling bag handle, and the belt is engaged with an engagement member provided on the other end of the attachment plate (the other side portion along the longitudinal direction of the rolling bag handle when the attachment plate is arranged in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle).
a) is an explanatory diagram showing the stopper as viewed from another side of the stopper of
a) to 20(e) are explanatory diagrams showing stoppers according to other embodiments.
Next, the present invention will be described in detail below based upon embodiments illustrated in
In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 denotes a rolling bag. The rolling bag 1 includes a bag body 3 having casters 2. In a state in which the bag body 3 is stood so that the casters 2 of the bag body 3 serve as bases of the bag body 3, a rolling bag handle 5 is attached to a portion opposite to the casters 2 via a pair of retractable stays 4, which can be extended from the interior of the bag body 3. In a direction of the height of the bag body 3 in a state in which the bag body 3 is stood, the rolling bag handle 5 is vertically movable between a position near the bag body 3 when the rolling bag handle 5 is lowered and a position above the bag body 3 at which the pair of stays 4 has been extended. The height of the rolling bag handle 5 being pulled is configured to be lockable at any desired height. For example, the rolling bag handle 5 may be locked by a locking mechanism (not shown) at a position in which the rolling bag handle 5 is lowered and at a position in which the stays 4 are extended to the greatest extent. The rolling bag handle is hereinafter abbreviated to the handle.
As shown in the drawings, stoppers 6 are provided, as elements for preventing the slippage, on opposite ends of the handle 5. The stoppers 6 project upward in the height direction of the bag body, i.e., upward in a retractable direction of the stays 4 and in a direction in which the handle 5 is vertically moved. In the illustrated example, the stoppers 6 are located near the ends of the handle that are out of a range of the handle 5 gripped by hands and positioned above connection portions between the stays 4 and the handle 5.
Thus, the stoppers 6 are provided on opposite ends of the handle 5, which can be lifted from the bag body 3 and positioned there. When the rolling bag 1 is stood in a state in which the handle 5 has been lifted, items to be hung, such as a belt of a bag or a handle of a long umbrella, can be hung from above the handle. Even if those items are slid toward the ends of the handle 5, the corresponding stopper 6 can receive the items so as to prevent the slippage of the items. Since the stoppers 6 are located above the stays 4, loads of items engaged with and supported by the stoppers 6 can readily be supported by the stays 4. Therefore, any problems do not arise that the handle 5 is deflected. Furthermore, as described above, the stoppers 6 are provided on the upper surface of the handle. Therefore, even if the handle 5 is lowered onto the bag body, the entire stoppers 6 are not positioned between the handle and the bag body. Accordingly, any problems do no arise that the handle projects from the bag body to a large extent to thereby spoil the appearance of the bag body.
The stoppers 6 for preventing the slippage in the aforementioned embodiment are formed integrally with the handle 5. Nevertheless, the stoppers 6 are not limited to those formed integrally with the handle 5. For example, stoppers made of a synthetic resin material or a rubber material, which is formed separately from the handle, may be attached to the handle by using a screw or an adhesive member.
Furthermore, the stoppers 6 for preventing the slippage in the aforementioned embodiment project in a fixed manner. However, the engagement means may pivotably be attached to opposite ends of the handle 5 so that they can be hold in a raised state, and the engagement means may be provided so that they can be lifted from the upper surface of the handle. Thus, the stoppers may be formed by raising the engagement means upward.
Moreover, as shown in
As shown in
The stopper 6 having the aforementioned attachment means 62 will be described in greater detail. As shown in
The attachment plate 61 of the stopper 6 has flexibility so as to absorb differences in shape of the upper surface of the handle 5, which may vary. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the engagement means 60 and the attachment plate 61 are integrally formed of the same material. When the stopper 6 is attached to the upper surface of the handle 5 via the attachment means 62, not only the attachment plate 61, but also the entire stopper 6 can deform according to the shape of the upper surface of the handle. With regard to formation of the stopper 6, the stopper 6 is not limited to a stopper into which the engagement means 60 and the attachment plate 61 are integrally formed. Specifically, a combination of different materials may be used in order to change the characteristics such as hardness and strength, depending upon the location to which the stopper is to be attached.
In the example illustrated in
The stopper 6 has the ridge portion 63 that gradually increases in height toward the engagement means 60 located at an end of the stopper 6. Therefore, even if the stoppers 6 are attached such that the engagement means 60 correspond to ends of the handle having a downwardly inclined slope or a curved surface, the degree to which portions of the stoppers located around the engagement means 60 lean downward is reduced. Accordingly, a load of an item being hung can be supported not only by the engagement means 60, but also by the ridge portion 63 around the engagement means 60.
Furthermore, a plurality of lines of recessed grooves 64 are formed in part of the upper surface of the attachment plate 61 and in the upper surface of the ridge portion 63 of the stopper 6, so that the upper surface of the stopper 6 has irregularities. Thus, the frictional resistance is increased so that an item being hung, such as an umbrella or a handbag, is prevented from unexpectedly moving when the item is hung on the stopper 6. The length of the handle 5 varies from a long one to a short one. Some handles have a locking operation button located at the center of the handle 5 on an upper surface of the handle 5. Therefore, a user may need to adjust the length of the attachment plate 61 when the stopper 6 is to be arranged on the upper surface of the handle 5. Since portions of the attachment plate 61 in which the recessed grooves 64 are formed are thin, the recessed grooves 64 can serve as a guide indicative of a portion that can readily be cut by a user. In this manner, the recessed grooves 64 are extremely useful because they have a function of increasing the frictional resistance against an item being hung and a function of facilitating user's cutting of the attachment plate. The arrangement locations or patterns of the recessed grooves 64 are not specifically limited. For example, when the recessed grooves 64 are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the attachment plate, a function of further improving the flexibility of the attachment plate in the width direction of the attachment plate is added to the recessed grooves 64. Specifically, such recessed grooves 64 are extremely useful because they can increase the frictional resistance to further enhance the effects of preventing the slippage, can readily present the locations for cutting, and can provide further flexibility.
In the stopper 6, the attachment means 62 has been described as being formed of an adhesive member attached to a lower surface of the attachment plate 61. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. Any attachment means 62 may be used as long as the attachment plate 61 located at an end of the handle 5 on an upper surface of the handle 5 can be deformed and arranged depending upon the shape of the upper surface of the handle 5 in the longitudinal direction of the handle 5 or upon the shape of the upper surface of the handle 5 in the horizontal cross-sectional direction of the handle 5, and can be maintained in such a state.
In another example, as shown in
In still another example, as shown in
In the above embodiments, the ridge portion 63 is illustrated as being continuous with the base of the engagement means 60. However, since the ridge portion 63 is for reducing the degree to which portions of the stopper located around the engagement means 60 lean downward due to a downward inclination of an end of the handle, the ridge portion 63 itself does not need to be continuous with the base of the engagement means 60. As shown in
Furthermore,
Each of the stoppers 6 illustrated in
Use of the aforementioned stoppers attached to the handle provides high flexibility of selection of a material of a stopper or high flexibility of the shape of a stopper. Therefore, the aforementioned stoppers attached to the handle are extremely useful because they exhibit slippage prevention effects more effectively as compared to a stopper formed integrally with a handle.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-000847 | Feb 2011 | JP | national |
2011-004727 | Aug 2011 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2012/054479 | 2/17/2012 | WO | 00 | 8/2/2013 |