1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices for releasably attaching a carry bag, or item of luggage, onto the handle system of another carry bag or wheeled cart having upright supports. In particular, the present invention relates to a rotating handle for accomplishing such attachment objective, and a carry bag system having such rotating handle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Present day carry bags such as items of luggage with extendible tubular handles, or carry carts with such extendable handles generally utilize elastic ties such as bungee style resilient expandable cords with hooks or clips to attach a bag to the handle system. In general, such attachment systems are supplied separate from the carry bag or related handle and are somewhat cumbersome to utilize, since they often require strategic placement of the attachment devices and hooks to secure the bag in place. In addition, placement of the expandable cords often involves stretching the cords, a procedure which can sometimes be dangerous in that the cord can be accidentally released and cause injury.
At present, a convenient system for attaching items of luggage together or to transport devices such as luggage carts has not been developed.
The present invention relates to a rotatable handle system which is resiliently attached to an item of luggage such as a carry bag, and which is adapted to be quickly manipulated in a manner to releasably attach the bag to the handle system of another such carry bag, or to a wheeled carry cart.
A carry bag system is disclosed for attaching a first carry bag system to a second carry bag system or to a wheeled luggage cart having upright support members, which comprises a carry bag and a handle resiliently connected to one wall of the carry bag, the handle being dimensioned, structured and connected to rotate between a first storage position and a second attaching position, whereby in the second position the handle may be placed in attaching relation with one or more of the upright support members. The handle preferably has a generally elongated configuration, and preferably may be rectangular or oval in configuration. However, any elongated shape will suffice.
The device for resiliently attaching the handle to the first carry bag can be at least one resilient member attached at one end to the handle, and at the other end to the second carry bag. Alternatively, the handle may be resiliently attached to the second carry bag by a plurality of resilient members. Still alternatively, the handle may be resiliently attached to the first carry bag by at least two resilient woven straps, each strap being attached at one end to a wall of the second carry bag, and at the other end to the handle by a device which permits rotation of the handle relative to the strap or straps.
The handle may also be resiliently attached to the first carry bag by at least two resilient bungee cords, each cord attached at one end to a rear wall of the second carry bag, and at the other end to the handle by a device which permits rotation of the handle relative to the bungee cords. Further, the handle may be resiliently attached to the first carry bag by at least four resilient bungee cords, each cord is attached at one end to a rear wall of the first carry bag, and at the other end to the handle by a device which permits rotation of the handle relative to the bungee cords.
The handle may further comprise a gripping handle attached thereto to facilitate manually moving the handle between the storage position and the position in engagement with the support members. Also, the handle may be configured as a pouch for carrying articles, and at least one side of the handle may include a plate member for engagement with the support members. Preferably, the pouch and the plate member are generally rectangular or oval in shape. Any shape is preferred, provided that the handle interferes with the upright supports when positioned in the attaching orientation. The pouch preferably includes a zipper closure for opening and closing the pouch position.
Preferably the plate member is generally planar and is made of metal or plastic. Further, the plate member preferably includes cutout portions shaped generally similar to the outer surfaces of the support members for complementary engagement therewith.
In particular, the invention relates to a system for releasably attaching an article of luggage such as a first carry bag to a second carry bag system or to a wheeled luggage cart having at least a pair of spaced upright support members, when the first carry bag is positioned atop the second carry bag, which comprises a handle dimensioned in at least one direction to interfere with and engage the support members when positioned thereagainst in at least one predetermined orientation generally transverse to the support members. A device is provided for resiliently attaching the handle to the first carry bag in a manner to permit storage of the handle in a first position and to facilitate resilient movement of the handle away from the first bag, and permit rotation of the handle between the first storage position and the at least one predetermined orientation such that when the handle is retracted toward the first carry bag, the handle engages the support members of the second carry bag system to thereby engageably attach the first carry bag to the upright support members of the second carry bag system.
The system preferably comprises a handle having a generally elongated configuration, and a device for resiliently attaching the handle to the first carry bag in a manner to permit rotation of the handle between a first storage position and a second interference position with the upright support members of the second carry bag system to thereby permit attachment of the second carry bag to the upright support members of the second carry bag system.
The invention also relates to an article of luggage adapted for attachment to a carry bag system having a carry bag and at least a pair of upright support members, or to a wheeled luggage cart having at least a pair of upright support members, which comprises a handle preferably dimensioned in at least one direction for storage between the support members when the article of luggage is positioned atop the first mentioned carry bag. The handle is dimensioned in at least a second direction to interfere with and engage the support members when positioned thereagainst in at least one predetermined orientation generally transverse to the support members. Means is provided for resiliently attaching the handle to the article of luggage in a manner to permit the handle to be rotated between the storage position and the interference position. The handle preferably comprises at least one plate-like member, and a pouch attached thereto for storage or articles therein. Further, the handle is preferably rectangular or oval in shape.
The invention also relates to a method for attaching a first carry bag system to a second carry bag system having a second carry bag and at least a pair of spaced apart upright support members, wherein the first carry bag system includes a carry bag having a handle attached thereto by resilient means in a manner which permits rotation thereof between a first storage position between the support members when the first carry bag is positioned atop the second carry bag, and a second attaching position generally transverse to the support members of the second carry bag system and in engagement therewith. The method comprises positioning the first carry bag atop the second carry bag, gripping the handle and moving it away from the first carry bag and through the support members of the second carry bag system, rotating the handle to an orientation which interferes with the support members of the second carry bag system, and permitting the handle to be drawn toward the first carry bag by the resilient means until it engages the upright support members of the second carry bag system, to thereby attach the first carry bag system to the second carry bag system. According to the method of the invention, the orientation of the handle which interferes with the support members of the second carry bag system is generally transverse to the support members.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, wherein:
Referring initially to
Rotatable attachment handle 18 is attached to the rear wall 19 of bag 20 via resilient connectors 22,24 to permit resilient movement of handle 18 rearwardly away from bag 20 by grasping gripping handle 23. Since attachment handle 18 is actually rotatably attached to resilient connectors 22,24 (i.e., resilient woven straps) by a rivet or other fastener as will be described hereinbelow, the handle 18 readily be selectively rotated to either a horizontal attachment position, or the vertical storage position as shown. Handle 18 may be configured as a pouch, or pocket, having zipper 21, which permits access to the inner storage area for storing articles or the like.
Handle 18 is formed as a pocket or pouch 18a as shown, and includes a planar member such as plate 25 intended for direct engagement with tubular supports 14, 12 as will be described hereinbelow. Plate 25 may be made of plastic, metal or the like, and is configured to have at least one dimension which is sufficient to cause it to interface with upright tubular supports 14, 12 when it is positioned thereagainst in transverse relation thereto. In the embodiment shown, the plate 25 is rectangular. Pocket 18a may optionally be the same size as plate 25 as shown, or it may be of lesser or greater dimensions. However, the combination of pocket 18a and plate 25 is considered to be handle 18 for the purpose of the present description.
Referring to
Thereafter, the handle 28 is released to permit the resilient members 30, 32 to draw the handle 28 forwardly toward the parallel tubular supports 14, 12 to complete the attachment of the first bag system 26 to the second bag system 10. Axle, wheel and bag support system 43 is provided to permit moving the carry bags 20, 27 from place to place.
Referring now to
As shown in
In the embodiment of
Referring now to
In operation the carry bag 62 is first positioned atop the lower carry bag 70 shown in phantom lines over lower support shelf 73 for illustration purposes, and thereafter the user grips handle 60 via gripping handle 66, and it extends rearwardly of the carry bag as shown. Although the handle 60 can be configured in a variety of shapes, in general, it should be dimensioned sufficiently narrow in one direction to fit between the upright tubular supports 72,74,71,75 when in the stored position, and of sufficient length in at least one other direction to interfere with the tubular supports 72,74 when it is rotated, preferably 90 degrees to the position of interference with tubular supports 72, 74 as shown in
Referring now to
In
It should be understood that the single bungee cords of the embodiment of
Referring now to
It should be understood that in each of the embodiments described hereinabove, the rotatable handle can be made of a polymeric molded material preferably covered by the same fabric as the carry bag. The manual gripping handle can be made of a flexible material or it can be made of a fabric strap or leather strap or rope that matches the carry bag. Alternatively the grip may be a leather strap as well. The rotatable handle can also be made of metal with or without fabric covering.
In addition, the carry bag of the present invention can be releasably attached to the well known wheeled luggage carts having upright supports in the same manner as described hereinabove.
It should be understood that the various features shown and described hereinabove, can be varied from embodiment to embodiment, utilizing features of one of the embodiments with features of the other embodiments and vice a versa, so as to provide various combinations of features in the rotatable handle system for attaching a first carry bag system to a second carry bag system, wheeled luggage cart and the like.
This application claims priority to provisional application No. 60/682,222, filed May 17, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this application.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20060260893 A1 | Nov 2006 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60682222 | May 2005 | US |