Patent Application
20240065402
This invention relates to articles of luggage in the form of suitcases or carrying cases, as commonly used by passengers or other travelers for the transportation of clothing and personal effects.
Luggage or carrying cases typically are configured as a rectangular, box-like case having a top and bottom side and four side walls. Historically, luggage was literally lugged or carried from one location to another while in use to transport an individual's personal effects or belongings, such as packed clothes, toiletries, and a wide range of various items. As use of luggage by travelers became more commonplace over time, improvements have been made to luggage to help facilitate ease of use. For example, luggage will often have two handles on different sides to ease handling of the luggage. Modern luggage typically has wheels that allow the luggage to be rolled across a ground surface, such as sidewalk, airport terminal floor, and the like. Moreover, luggage typically has a telescoping handle that extends from the luggage to enable an individual to more comfortably hold onto and control a piece of luggage while it is wheeled across a ground surface.
Despite the improvements made to luggage over time to make use and transportation of luggage more convenient for travelers and passengers, there are still issues that can make luggage inconvenient or frustrating to not only use but also to store when not in use. For example, most wheeled, rectangular luggage is designed for a piece of luggage to ride upright or vertical on the wheels, such that the wheels are attached across a narrower portion of the luggage characterized by the height and width of the luggage. In this manner, the length or longest dimension of the luggage is upright. While this configuration may appear convenient to use, it has its drawbacks. An upright, rectangular case with weight rather equally distributed across the case is typically somewhat top heavy, yielding the luggage prone to falling or easily being tipped or toppled over.
In addition, an individual will typically pack a suitcase with the case positioned horizontally on its back, with a flap or upper luggage piece designed to open to fully expose the interior of the luggage to facilitate packing of the case. However, once packed, the luggage will be rotated upward in a vertical position for transport, especially since most luggage has wheels mounted on a bottom, narrower side of the luggage. Thus, the contents, which were packed in a horizontal position, are now held in an upright, vertical position, making them prone to shifting within the luggage as it is wheeled about in an upright position.
Another inconvenience with luggage is that when not in use, the luggage occupies a significant volume of space, making it inconvenient to store when empty and not in use. For example, large suitcases can reach upwards of 13 inches high×22 inches wide×32 inches long (or more). Storage of empty suitcases while not in use accordingly requires significant space in a closet, garage, attic, or other storage space.
Given the limitations of currently available, typical luggage, there remains a need for luggage that is both more convenient to roll/transport from one location to another, and to store when empty and not in use. The presently disclosed luggage invention provides a solution to these needs.
Provided herein is luggage that can be conveniently rolled from one location to another across a ground surface, and that can be conveniently stored when not in use. The luggage advantageously has wheels that are mounted on the back or bottom side of the luggage along the longest dimensions of the length and width of the luggage. The wheels therefore facilitate transportation of the luggage in a horizontal orientation, whereby the weight of the luggage is distributed across the luggage horizontally, such that the luggage is not prone to falling or tipping over. Movement of the luggage is facilitated by a telescoping handle that extends out from the back/bottom side of the luggage and rotates upward so that the handle is at a convenient height for use by an individual when walking the wheeled luggage from one location to another.
An article of luggage has described herein typically has a body having a top side, a bottom side, and one or more connecting sides between the top and bottom sides, with the body having a closure on a portion thereof for opening and closing the body. The one or more connecting sides have an articulated configuration that articulates at a midpoint in the one or more connecting sides, the midpoint located between and parallel to the top and bottom sides, to enable the luggage to be compressed when not in use. The bottom side of the luggage has three or more wheels mounted on the outer, underside of the bottom side of the luggage. The luggage includes an extendible handle housed in the bottom side of the luggage, and when fully extended out from the luggage, the handle is rotatable upward and away from the bottom side of the luggage, such that the handle is raised above the surface the luggage is positioned on to allow the luggage to be towed with the handle at a comfortable and convenient height.
The luggage is advantageously compressible when empty and not in use, whereby the height of the luggage can be compressed 20% to 60% or upwards to 80%. In this respect, the height of the luggage can be reduced to facilitate storage of the luggage by reducing the space needed to store the luggage by 20% to 60% or upwards to 80%.
The extendible handle of the luggage typically has an overall U-shaped configuration with two extending portions bridged at the ends by a hand-hold portion (where a user would place their hand). The extending portions of the handle are configured to slide in and out of tracks mounted in the bottom side of the luggage. The ends of the tracks typically are handle-receiving brackets that are configured to engage and restrain an end piece located at the inner end of each extending portion of the handle. In this manner, the inner ends of the handle are within the bottom side of the luggage at all times. The handle-receiving brackets have a hinge portion that can freely rotate when the end piece of the extending portion of the handle is engaged with the receiving bracket. In this manner, the fully extended handle can be rotated upward and away from the bottom side of the luggage such that it can be held at an angle above the ground surface that readily allows the luggage to be conveniently pulled or pushed by a user.
An additional, optional feature of the presently disclosed luggage is one or more electronic device outlets housed/built in the luggage, with the one or more outlets powered by a power bank that is also housed within the luggage.
The preceding and following embodiments and descriptions are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other aspects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.
The present invention relates to a wheeled and compressible article of luggage. As used herein, the term “luggage” is used in the ordinary sense of the word, and is synonymous with carrying case, suitcase, travel case, travel bag, and so forth. Luggage accordingly refers to an article that has a box, bag, and/or container like construction that is designed to hold personal goods/belongings such as clothes, various personal effects, and the like. A piece of luggage therefore typically has a body with a closure on a portion thereof for opening and closing the body to allow insertion and removal of articles into the luggage. The term “luggage” is derived from common, historical use in which an article of luggage was literally lugged or carried from one location to another for the transport and/or storage of personal goods. Typically, use of luggage is associated with travel, in which luggage is used to store and/or transport personal goods while traveling by automobile, bus, train, airplane, ship, and so on, and while staying at a destination away from home.
Luggage is typically sized and shaped to provide a convenient medium for the storage and transport of personal goods, such as sizes that are allowed or required for air travel. In that regard, luggage may be carried on-board, into the cabin of an airplane, or checked in for transport in the luggage or freight compartment of an airplane. In the case of carried on luggage, most airlines have volume requirements, such that luggage must fit within certain height, width and/or length requirements. Likewise, most airlines have volume and weight requirements for checked luggage, such that luggage must fit within certain height, width and/or length requirements along with certain weight requirements.
The dimensions and weight of luggage often make luggage cumbersome to move about. The presently disclosed luggage makes it more convenient for a person to both transport luggage and to store it when not in use. The transportation of the disclosed luggage is facilitated by wheels that are mounted underneath the luggage on its back side, such that the longest length and width dimensions along with the center of gravity of the luggage face and ride as close to the ground as reasonably possible, with ground clearance defined by the height of the wheels. This configuration alleviates the issue of cumbersome luggage that is prone to falling or tipping/toppling over because it is top heavy relative to the position of the wheels on the luggage. Furthermore, this configuration allows luggage to serve as a base for transporting other luggage, such that the luggage can effectively act as a cart for carrying additional luggage that can be placed or stacked upon the wheeled luggage. A key aspect of the presently disclosed luggage is a handle that telescopically extends from the luggage and rotates upward to a height that is convenient for pulling and/or pushing the luggage, either by itself or when loaded with additional items placed or stacked upon the luggage.
Another aspect of typical luggage that makes it inconvenient is the amount of storage space required to store the luggage when not in use. Luggage, such as a large suitcase designed to be checked in, can easily reach dimensions of about 13 inches high by about 22 inches wide by about 32 inches long or more with respect to each of the dimensions. An empty piece of luggage accordingly can occupy a significant amount of space. The presently disclosed luggage makes storage more convenient by providing a case that compresses or folds down when empty and not in use. The luggage compresses or folds down to about 20% to about 80% of its fully extended height, with all variations, such as 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% and virtually all dimensions included within that range. For example, a large suitcase that might be 12 inches high when fully expanded to its maximum height might compress to a height of about 3 inches, 4 inches, 5 inches, 6 inches, or any increment in-between.
The presently disclosed luggage is capable of being compressed via a hinge-like, articulated design that is typically located at the midpoint of the height of the luggage case, running the full length and width of the case. Accordingly, the articulated design or configuration articulates at a midpoint in the sides of the luggage, with the midpoint being located between and parallel to the top and bottom sides of the luggage. For example, a case measuring 30 inches long by 20 inches wide by 12 inches high when fully expanded will have a hinge-like, articulated construction that allows the side walls of the luggage to compress, hinge, fold, and so forth inward (toward the center of the luggage) to a fully folded height of about 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 inches. In one embodiment, the side walls of the luggage case will be soft sided or semi-soft sided and have a seam that runs the entire length and width of each of the side walls of the case and is located at the midpoint of the height of the luggage side walls, such that when the case is compressed, the side walls fold in at the seams toward the center of the case to allow the case to fold down to a lower, fully folded height. For example, a case that has a fully expanded height of about 12 inches may have a seam located at a midpoint 6 inches in from the top and back sides of the luggage, such that the sides can be folded in at the seam when the luggage is not in use, thereby compressing the height of the luggage to about 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 inches, depending upon the particular configuration, material used in the construction of the luggage, and so forth. In an alternative embodiment, the luggage will have a hinged, framed construction that has a rod or similar hard stick or bar-like rigid member that is located mid-point between the top and bottom sides of the luggage, such that the sides of the luggage case fold inward toward the center when compressed.
An additional, optional feature of the presently disclosed luggage is one or more electronic device outlets housed/built into the luggage, with the one or more outlets powered by a power bank or battery that is also housed within the luggage. In this manner, the luggage can conveniently provide a source for charging one or more electronic devices, such as a cell phone, tablet computer, and so on. For example, the luggage can house one or more USB ports, micro-USB ports, USB-C ports, lightening ports, and other similarly functioning ports that can be used as charging outlets to charge portable electronic devices. One or more charging ports can be mounted into the luggage such that a port is accessible on an exterior surface of the luggage or alternatively, accessible inside a compartment located on the exterior or interior of the luggage. Power to the one or more charging ports is provided by a power bank that is contained within a designated space in the luggage that is configured to hold a power bank and position it for connecting to the one or more charging ports. For example, a power bank can be contained in a pocket inside a compartment on the exterior of the luggage. The power bank can be configured to be charged while in the luggage, or alternatively, can be a portable power bank configured to be charged outside of the luggage and then inserted into the luggage when charged for use.
Turning to the figures, an exemplary embodiment of the presently disclosed luggage is shown.
In a preferred embodiment, the luggage further contains one or more charging outlets for portable electronic devices, such as a cell phone, tablet computer, and so on, whereby the charging outlets are powered by a power bank housed in the luggage. Such charging outlets can be mounted on an exterior surface of the luggage (preferably with a cover for when not in use) or alternatively, within an exterior or interior compartment. For example, one or more charging outlets can be mounted within an external or internal pocket on the luggage, whereby an external pocket would be accessible on the exterior of the luggage, while an internal pocket would be accessible when the main, internal compartment(s) of the luggage is open. As shown in
Once the luggage is in a fully operable position with the handle fully extended and rotated upward, the luggage can be readily wheeled about across a ground surface from one location to another. Furthermore, the stability of the luggage allows it to effectively function as a cart to which other luggage or other items or containers (such as a box, etc.) can be stacked. In this manner, the luggage can facilitate relocation of not only the luggage itself but other items that are placed on the luggage. Airports and other transportation centers often provide rental carts to assist passengers/travelers with movement of luggage. Such rental carts are used in a manner in which one or more pieces of luggage are placed onto the cart for rolling transport from one location to another. The presently disclosed luggage alleviates use of such a cart, since the luggage can effectively act as cart for additional luggage and items to be transported.
While the present invention has been described as having particular configurations disclosed herein, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
