U.S. patent application number 10/661957 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-09 for wheeled suitcase with detachable garment holder.
Invention is credited to Chernoff, Don.
Application Number | 20040173427 10/661957 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32930596 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040173427 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chernoff, Don |
September 9, 2004 |
Wheeled suitcase with detachable garment holder
Abstract
An apparatus for transporting clothing comprising a wheeled
rolling suitcase and a detachable garment holder where the garment
holder wraps around the outside of the suitcase and is held against
the suitcase by attachment means. By wrapping the garment holder
around the perimeter of the suitcase it does not require folding.
The result is that clothes in the garment holder do not crease or
wrinkle as they do in conventional luggage.
Inventors: |
Chernoff, Don; (Vienna,
VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Don Chernoff
2226 Chestertown Dr.
Vienna
VA
22182
US
|
Family ID: |
32930596 |
Appl. No.: |
10/661957 |
Filed: |
September 15, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60451238 |
Mar 3, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
190/108 ;
190/18A |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 5/14 20130101; A45C
7/0045 20130101; A45C 3/004 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
190/108 ;
190/018.00A |
International
Class: |
A45C 003/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus comprising: a combination wheeled rolling suitcase
and a garment holder, said garment holder wraps around the outside
of said suitcase and is held against the outer surface of said
suitcase by at least one releasable attachment means.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprise
a plurality of hook and loop fasteners positioned for releasable
securement of said garment holder to said rolling suitcase.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprise
a plurality of clips, said clips comprising a male portion that is
resleasably secured to a female portion, and at least one of the
male portion and the female portion is releasably secured to one of
said wheeled rolling suitcase and said garment holder.
4. The aparratus of claim 3 wherein at least one of said male
portions or said female portions of said clips have adjustment
means for adding tension to said garment holder after it is wrapped
around said suitcase, said adjustment means comprising straps that
can be selectively tensioned to securely hold said garment holder
against said outer surface of said suitcase.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said straps are of sufficient
length to allow for the selective expansion of said garment holder
to be loaded with varying amounts of clothing.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said garment holder wraps
substantially around the perimeter of said rolling suitcase, and is
releasably secured thereto.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rolling suitcase has a
plurality of wheels integral to the bottom portion of said suitcase
and a retractable handle positioned to extend above said rolling
suitcase for pulling said rolling suitcase on said plurality of
wheels.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 where said wheels are preferably made
from a polymer material that allows for smooth and quiet rolling of
said apparatus.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 where said rolling suitcase contains
interior padding material to provide for cushioning along the edges
of said rolling suitcase when said garment holder wraps around said
rolling suitcase, said padding increasing the angle traversed by
said garment holder, effectively rounding the corners of said
suitcase and removing a source of creasing of said clothing in said
garment holder.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 where said suitcase has an access
opening at the top end of said suitcase, said access opening being
releasably securable and allowing access to the interior portion of
said suitcase while said garment holder is wrapped around said
suitcase, without having to detach said garment holder from said
suitcase.
11. A two-part luggage apparatus comprising a combination wheeled
rolling suitcase and a detachable garment holder, said garment
holder being of sufficient size to hold large articles of clothing
such as suits, coats, and dresses, said garment holder being
removably securable onto said outer surface of said rolling
suitcase by at least one attachment means.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 where said garment holder is made
from woven fabric with a water resitant coating on said fabric to
protect said large articles of clothing from the environment.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 where said garment holder contains
access means to allow for loading of said large clothing into said
garment holder.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 where said access means comprise a
zipper of sufficient length so that substantially the entire
interior portion of said garment holder can be exposed.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 where said garment holder contains
pockets on its interior and exterior faces to allow for holding
additional items of varying size.
16. A two-part luggage apparatus comprising a wheeled rolling
suitcase and a detachable garment holder, said garment holder and
said rolling suitcase each being usable by themselves.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 whereby said garment holder has an
integral handle to enable it to be carried when not attached to
said rolling suitcase.
18. The apparatus of claim 16 where said garment holder has
integral attachment means to enable it to be hung in a vertical
position from a fixed support
19. The apparatus of claim 18 where said attachment means comprise
a strap with releasable buckle, said strap being releasably
securable to a door handle, hanger rod, or other support.
20. The apparatus of claim 18 where said attachment means comprise
an itegral hook.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to luggage, specifically a suitcase
with means to carry large clothing like suits and dresses without
wrinkling. Luggage for transporting clothing typically takes the
form of a suitcase or a garment holder. Carrying large garments
such as suits and dresses, and avoiding wrinkles, has been an
ongoing problem with both these types of luggage. Traditional
luggage, commonly referred to as a suitcase cannot hold large
garments like suits or dresses without folding them to fit inside,
resulting in wrinkles and creases to the garments. Garment holders
are the traditional means of traveling with large garments, but
these also require folding in half or in thirds to make the garment
holder small enough to be carried on board a commercial flight. A
further disadvantage to both types of luggage is the need to lift
and carry them, which can be inconvenient and uncomfortable.
[0002] A recent development has been luggage with wheels and a
retractable handle, known commonly as a rollaboard (Plath, U.S. No.
Pat. 4,995,487). This invention allows a user to pull and roll the
suitcase instead of having to lift and carry it. This type of
suitcase has become extremely popular due to the obvious
improvement in comfort and convenience to the user. The most
popular types of rolling suitcases are those that are sized to meet
the carry-on size limits of airlines, typically
22".times.14".times.9" although these dimension can vary slightly
from airline to airline and country to country. Rollaboard style
luggage also suffers from the same deficiency of having to fold
large garments to fit them into the luggage.
[0003] Manufacturers have tried to combine the convenience of
rollaboard type suitcase and the capacity of a garment holder by
including an internal garment holder that allows for suits and
large garments to be inserted inside the suitcase. These "suiters",
as they are known in the luggage industry, eliminate the need to
carry two separate pieces of luggage. However, suiter style
luggage, as well as traditional garment holders and suitcases--with
or without wheels, all suffer from the same deficiency of having to
fold large articles of clothing. Furthermore, by putting the
garment holder inside the suitcase valuable space is used up.
[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,026, Chemoff (this applicant)
demonstrated the concept of rolling clothing around a cylinder to
reduce wrinkles. This concept of rolling, not folding, large
garments solves the problem of folding, but a garment holder of
this type must still be carried. A fully loaded garment holder of
this type can be heavy and uncomfortable to carry.
[0005] In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no wheeled luggage
formerly developed allows for large articles of clothing to be
carried without the defect of folding the clothing to fit into or
onto the luggage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The primary object of the invention is an improved luggage
apparatus that combines the convenience of a wheeled suitcase and
the carrying capacity of a large garment holder while reducing the
wrinkles and creases associated with both. The invention consists
of a wheeled suitcase and a detachable garment holder that wraps
around the outside of the suitcase. Wrapping the garment holder
around the outside of the suitcase eliminates the need to fold the
garment holder and subsequently eliminates wrinkles and
creases.
[0007] Accordingly several objects and advantages of the invention
are to allow large articles of clothing to be carried on the
outside of a suitcase, eliminating the need to fold said clothing
and resulting in more space inside the suitcase, to enable one to
travel with large garments without having to lift or carry a
garment holder, and to create a two-part luggage apparatus that can
be used together as described herein, or as a separate garment
holder and suitcase.
[0008] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of
illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is
disclosed.
DRAWINGS
[0009] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and
include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be
embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some
instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated
or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention, and
some details may be removed from the drawings for clarity.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the suitcase portion
of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the garment holder
portion of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the garment holder
portion of the invention opened up completely as would be done to
load clothing inside.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the invention with the
garment holder attached and partially wrapped around the
suitcase.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the invention with the
garment holder completely wrapped around the suitcase.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the suitcase portion
of the invention showining the Top access access opening.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are
provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present
invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but
rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for
teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in
virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or
manner.
[0017] Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the
two main components of the invention, comprising a wheeled suitcase
10 having an access opening 11 and a garment holder 20 having an
access opening 21. The suitcase 10 comprises a substantially
rectangular hollow box with a main access opening 11 a retractable
handle 12 on the top portion and wheels 14 along the rear edge of
the bottom portion. The wheeled suitcase 10 is loaded with shoes,
toiletries, and smaller articles of clothing through access opening
11. Access opening 11 is perferably releasably secured with a
zipper 13 extending substantially around 3 sides of the perimeter
of access opening 11. Large articles of clothing, including but not
limited to suits, dresses, and coats, are loaded into the garment
holder 20 through access opening 21. Access opening 21 is
perferably releasably secured with a zipper extending substantially
around 3 sides of the perimeter of garment holder 20 so that
garment holder 20 may be opened to form two opposing halves
connected along one edge 23. The four long comer edges 17 of
suitcase 10 have foam padding (not shown) beneath the outer fabric
of suitcase 10 to soften and round the corners so when the garment
holder 20 is wrapped around the suitcase 10 it gently curves around
the suitcase to minimize the chance of creasing the clothing
contained inside the garment holder 20.
[0018] FIG. 3. shows the garment holder 20 completely opened up
showing the two opposing halves, the exterior fabric half 24 and
the interior fabric half 25. The exterior fabric half 24 of garment
holder 20 is made from a ballistic weave polyester or nylon fabric
with a waterproof coating on the inside face of the fabric. The
interior fabric half 25 of garment holder 20 is made from a lighter
weave fabric to save weight and cost. After opening the garment
holder 20 and exposing the interior for loading large clothing into
the garment holder, clothes are placed onto the inside face of the
exterior fabric half of the garment holder 24. After all the
clothing is placed onto the exterior fabric half 24 of garment
holder 20 the opposing interior fabric half 25 is placed over the
clothing and the two fabric halves are joined together by sliding
the zipper along access opening 21.
[0019] After the suitcase 10 and garment holder 20 are loaded, the
user places the garment holder 20 on a large flat surface, a bed or
table for example, and places the suitcase 10 on top of the garment
holder 20 as shown in FIG. 4. The top end 22 of garment holder 20
is aligned with one edge of suitcase 10 and connected to the
suitcase 10 with attachment means preferably including 3 clips 30
on the top end 22 of garment holder 20 that are aligned with and
connected to complementary clips (not shown for clarity) on the
suitcase 10. The attachment means may alternatively include one or
more strips of hook and loop style fastener material 40 on the
garment holder 20 that are aligned with complementary strips of
hook and loop fastener material 40 on the suitcase. For purposes of
clarity, hook and loop fastener strips 40 are only shown on exposed
surfaces of the suitcase 10 and garment holder 20. After the
suitcase 10 is attached to the garment holder 20, the user rolls
the suitcase 10 along the long axis of the garment holder so the
garment holder 20 becomes wrapped around the outside of the
suitcase 10. When the garment holder 20 is wrapped around the
suitcase 10 the interior fabric side 25 of garment holder 20 will
be in contact with the exterior surfaces of the suitcase 10 and the
exterior fabric side 24 of garment bag 20 will face out and provide
the protective surface for the clothes contained inside the garment
bag 20.
[0020] After the garment holder 20 has been completely wrapped
around the suitcase 10 it is secured in place with 3 clips 30
attached to complementary clips on the suitcase or on the outside
of the garment holder. For clarity these complementary clips are
not shown. The last step in the process is to tighten the straps 50
connected to the clips 30 by pulling on them until the garment
holder 20 is held tightly against the suitcase 10. The combination
of clips tightened with straps, and hook and loop fastener strips,
hold the garment holder 20 securely against the suitcase 10 and
prevent slipping and movement of the clothing contained therein.
FIG. 5 shows the garment holder completely wrapped around the
suitcase with all fasteners removed, for clarity.
[0021] While traveling it may be desirable to access the interior
of suitcase 10 without removing garment holder 20 to reach main
access door 11. FIG. 6 shows the top access door 15 of suitcase 10
opened up to expose the interior 17 of suitcase 10. Access door 15
is releasably securable with a zipper 16 extending around 3 sides
of the perimeter of access door 15.
[0022] Combining a garment holder and a wheeled suitcase into one
apparatus, as described in this specification, has many advantages
over existing luggage. All conventional luggage, from carry-on size
up to the largest suitcase, requires large clothing to be folded to
fit inside. Large luggage may require clothes be folded in half,
and the smaller and more popular carry-on size luggage requires
large clothing to be folded in thirds. The result is that the
folded clothing will develop at least one and typically two creases
due to being folded. The invention described herein does away with
the need to fold large clothing. By wrapping the garment holder
around the padded comers of the suitcase, large clothing gently
wraps around the corners of the suitcase, eliminating creasing and
reducing the chance for the clothes to become wrinkled. Wrapping
large clothing around the outside of the suitcase also frees up
space inside the suitcase. This allows the suitcase to be made
smaller than a conventional suitcase. The result of reducing the
size of the suitcase is that it weighs less and is easier to lift
and easier to fit in confined spaces such as the overhead bins on
an airplane.
[0023] While the invention has been described in connection with a
preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the
invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it
is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
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