Suitcase handle having damping device

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6397436
  • Patent Number
    6,397,436
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, January 30, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 4, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Mah; Chuck Y.
    Agents
    • Baxley; Charles E.
Abstract
A handle is rotatably secured to a housing with a pivot shaft for allowing the handle to be rotated relative to the housing between a working and a storing position. A spring may bias the handle to rotate relative to the housing from the working position to the storing position. A damping device may be used to damp the rotational movement of the handle relative to the housing and includes a gear provided on the pivot shaft, a tube rotatably received in the housing and having a pinion engaged with the gear for preventing the handle from sprung back to the storing position.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a handle, and more particularly to a handle for a suitcase of the like.




2. Description of the Prior Art




Typical suitcases comprise a handle for carrying purposes, and may comprise a spring member engaged with the handle for biasing the handle backward to the folded or storing position. The users have to rotate or pull the handle relative to or against the spring member in order to rotate or to pull the handle to the open or working position. However, once the handle is released, the spring member may bias the handle back to the folded or storing position quickly and may thus hurt the users inadvertently.




The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional handles for suitcases.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a handle for a suitcase or the like including a damping device for preventing the handle from being sprung back or rotated backward to the folded or storing position rapidly and for preventing the sprung back handle from hurting the users or the children inadvertently.




In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a handle comprising a housing, a handle body rotatably secured to the housing with a pivot shaft for allowing the handle body to be rotated relative to the housing between a working position and a storing position, means for biasing the handle body from the working position to the storing position, and means for damping a rotational movement of the handle body from the working position to the storing position.




The housing includes two ends each having a cavity for rotatably receiving two pins of the pivot shaft. The handle body includes a rod extended from the pivot shaft and having a channel formed in the rod, the biasing means includes a coil spring engaged on the rod and having a first end engaged in the channel of the rod and having a second end engaged with the housing.




The damping means includes a gear provided on the pivot shaft of the handle body, a tube rotatably received in the housing and having a pinion attached thereto and engaged with the gear of the handle, for allowing the tube to be rotated by the handle body when the handle body is rotated between the working position and the storing position.




The damping means further includes a barrel secured in the housing, the tube is rotatably received in the barrel. The housing includes a projection, the barrel includes a first end having a notch formed therein for receiving the projection and for preventing the barrel from rotating relative to the housing.




The damping means includes a damp fluid received in the barrel and received between the tube and the barrel for damping a rotational movement of the tube relative to the barrel.




The tube includes an outer peripheral portion having at least one groove formed therein. The tube includes at least one orifice formed therein and communicating with an inner portion and an outer portion of the tube for allowing the damping fluid to flow between the inner portion and the outer portion of the tube via the at least one orifice of the tube.




The damping means further includes a pipe received in the tube and secured to the barrel. The pipe includes an opening formed therein, the barrel includes a stop extended therefrom and engaged into the opening of the pipe for preventing the pipe from rotating relative to the barrel.




The pipe includes an outer peripheral portion having at least one groove formed therein for receiving the damping fluid.




Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of a detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded view of a handle in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a top plane view of the handle, in which the cover of the housing is removed for showing the inner structure of the handle;





FIG. 3

is an end view illustrating the operation of the handle;





FIG. 4

is an exploded view of the damping device; and





FIG. 5

is a plane view similar to

FIG. 2

, illustrating the other embodiment of the damping device for the handle.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to the drawings, and initially to

FIGS. 1-4

, a handle in accordance with the present invention comprises a substantially C or U-shaped handle body


10


to be attached to a housing


20


. The housing


20


may be secured to the suitcase or the like, and includes two ends each having a cavity


21


formed therein, and includes a partition provided therein and close to one end thereof and having a depression


22


formed therein, and includes a projection


23


extended or provided in the middle portion thereof. The handle body


10


includes a pivot shaft having such as two pins


11


attached or secured to the ends of the handle body


10


and pivotally or rotatably received in the cavities


21


of the housing


20


for rotatably securing the handle body


10


to the housing


20


. The pins


11


form the pivot shaft of the handle body


10


to the housing


20


. A cover


50


is secured to the housing


20


and includes two protrusions


51


engaged into the cavities


21


of the housing


20


, for stably and rotatably securing the pins


11


of the handle body


10


within the cavities


21


of the housing


20


, and for rotatably securing the handle body


10


to the housing


20


.




The handle body


10


includes an enlarged head


12


and a gear


13


formed or provided on the free ends of the pins


11


respectively for further solidly and rotatably securing the pins


11


to the housing


20


, and includes a rod


15


extended from the gear


13


and having a channel


14


formed therein. A spring member


30


, such as a coil spring


30


is engaged on the rod


15


(

FIGS. 2

,


3


,


5


) and includes one end


31


engaged in the channel


14


of the rod


15


and includes the other end


32


engaged with the housing


20


for biasing and rotating the handle


10


downward to the folding or storing position, as shown in dotted lines in FIG.


3


. The users may pull or rotate the handle body


10


upward to the erect or open or working position against the spring


30


, as shown in solid lines in FIG.


3


.




Referring next to

FIGS. 1 and 4

, the handle further includes a damp device for damping the backward rotation of the handle body


10


from the working position to the folding or storing position. The damp device includes a barrel


40


engaged in the housing


20


and having a middle portion stably received in the depression


22


of the housing


20


. The barrel


40


includes a notch


41


formed in one end thereof for receiving the projection


23


of the housing


20


and for preventing the barrel


40


from rotating relative to the housing


20


. The barrel


40


includes a stop


412


, such as a cross-shaped stop


412


formed in the inner portion thereof.




A tube


42


is rotatably received in the barrel


40


and includes a pinion


421


provided on one end thereof and engaged with the gear


13


of the handle body


10


, such that the tube


42


may be caused and forced to rotate relative to the barrel


40


when the gear


13


is rotated by the handle body


10


and when the handle body


10


is rotated between the working position and the storing position. The tube


42


includes a peripheral recess


426


formed in the one end thereof for receiving a sealing ring


44


which is engaged between the tube


42


and the barrel


40


for making a water tight seal between the tube


42


and the barrel


40


and for allowing a damping fluid to be sealingly received in the barrel


40


and the tube


42


. The tube


42


includes one or more longitudinal grooves


423


formed in the outer peripheral portion thereof for receiving the damping fluid, and includes one or more orifices


425


formed therein and communicating with the grooves


423


thereof for communicating the inner and outer portions of the tube


42


and for allowing the damping fluid to flow into the tube


42


. The damping fluid may thus be used to damp the rotational movement between the tube


42


and the barrel


40


.




A pipe


43


may further be provided and rotatably received in the tube


42


and includes an opening


432


, such as a cross-shaped opening


432


formed in one end thereof for receiving the corresponding cross-shaped stop


412


of the barrel


40


and for preventing the pipe


43


from rotating relative to the barrel


40


. The pipe


43


includes one or more longitudinal grooves


431


formed in the outer peripheral portion thereof for receiving the damping fluid and for further facilitating the damping effect of the damping fluid to or against the rotational movement of the tube


42


relative to the barrel


40


and the pipe


43


.




In operation, as shown in

FIG. 3

, the tube


42


may be rotated relative to the barrel


40


by the engagement between the gear


13


of the handle body


10


and the pinion


421


of the tube


42


when the handle body


10


is rotated relative to the housing


20


against the spring member


30


between the working position and the storing position. The damping fluid received in the barrel


40


and the tube


42


and the pipe


43


may be used to damp the rotational movement of the tube


42


relative to the barrel


40


, such that the handle body


10


may be prevented from being sprung back or rotated backward from the working position to the folded or storing position rapidly and and may thus prevent the sprung back handle from hurting the users or the children inadvertently.




Referring next to

FIG. 5

, the handle body


10


may directly include a paddle wheel, a non-circular extension


16


or the like extended from the rod


15


and engaged in the barrel


40


for engaging with the damping fluid received in the barrel


40


and for damping the rotational movement of the tube


42


relative to the barrel


40


.




Accordingly, the handle for a suitcase or the like in accordance with the present invention includes a damping device for preventing the handle from being sprung back or rotated backward to the folded or storing position rapidly and for preventing the sprung back handle from hurting the users or the children inadvertently.




Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.



Claims
  • 1. A handle comprising:a housing, a handle body rotatably secured to said housing with a pivot shaft for allowing said handle body to be rotated relative to said housing between a working position and a storing position, means for biasing said handle body from said working position to said storing position, and means for damping a rotational movement of said handle body from said working position to said storing position.
  • 2. The handle according to claim 1, wherein said housing includes two ends each having a cavity formed therein, said pivot shaft of said handle body includes two pins rotatably received in said cavities of said housing.
  • 3. The handle according to claim 1, wherein said handle body includes a rod extended from said pivot shaft and having a channel formed in said rod, said biasing means includes a coil spring engaged on said rod and having a first end engaged in said channel of said rod and having a second end engaged with said housing.
  • 4. The handle according to claim 1, wherein said damping means includes a gear provided on said pivot shaft of said handle body, a tube rotatably received in said housing and having a pinion attached thereto and engaged with said gear of said handle, for allowing said tube to be rotated by said handle body when said handle body is rotated between said working position and said storing position.
  • 5. The handle according to claim 4, wherein said damping means further includes a barrel secured in said housing, said tube is rotatably received in said barrel.
  • 6. The handle according to claim 5, wherein said housing includes a projection extended therein, said barrel includes a first end having a notch formed therein for receiving said projection and for preventing said barrel from rotating relative to said housing.
  • 7. The handle according to claim 5, wherein said damping means includes a damp fluid received in said barrel and received between said tube and said barrel for damping a rotational movement of said tube relative to said barrel.
  • 8. The handle according to claim 7, wherein said tube includes an outer peripheral portion having at least one groove formed therein.
  • 9. The handle according to claim 7, wherein said tube includes at least one orifice formed therein and communicating with an inner portion and an outer portion of said tube for allowing said damping fluid to flow between said inner portion and said outer portion of said tube via said at least one orifice of said tube.
  • 10. The handle according to claim 7, wherein said damping means further includes a pipe received in said tube and secured to said barrel.
  • 11. The handle according to claim 10, wherein said pipe includes an opening formed therein, said barrel includes a stop extended therefrom and engaged into said opening of said pipe for preventing said pipe from rotating relative to said barrel.
  • 12. The handle according to claim 10, wherein said pipe includes an outer peripheral portion having at least one groove formed therein for receiving said damping fluid.
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