U.S. patent application number 10/769026 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-04 for carrying case.
Invention is credited to Krutsch, Michael T., Krutsch, Robert P., Mohr, Scott.
Application Number | 20050167221 10/769026 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34808024 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050167221 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mohr, Scott ; et
al. |
August 4, 2005 |
Carrying case
Abstract
A carrying case for large, fragile equipment, which comprises: a
carrying case body having sidewalls, at least one of the sidewalls
comprising a first door which is completely separable from the case
body, and which may be latched to the carrying case body. The case
body has opposed, interior walls adjacent to the latched door, and
at least one groove is formed in each of the opposed interior
walls, to removably receive and hold a separated first door at
least partially within the carrying case body.
Inventors: |
Mohr, Scott; (Glenview,
IL) ; Krutsch, Michael T.; (Schaumburg, IL) ;
Krutsch, Robert P.; (Round Lake, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Garrettson Ellis
Seyfarth Shaw
Suite 4200
55 East Monroe Street
Chicago
IL
60603
US
|
Family ID: |
34808024 |
Appl. No.: |
10/769026 |
Filed: |
January 29, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
190/23 ; 190/18A;
312/138.1; 312/902 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 13/02 20130101;
A45C 5/14 20130101; A45C 5/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
190/023 ;
190/018.00A; 312/902; 312/138.1 |
International
Class: |
A45C 005/00; A47F
003/00 |
Claims
That which is claimed is:
1. A carrying case for large, fragile equipment, which comprises: a
carrying case body having side walls, at least one of said side
walls comprising a first door which is completely separable from
the carrying case body, and which may be latched to the carrying
case body; the carrying case body having opposed, interior walls
adjacent to said latched first door; at least one inwardly facing
groove formed in each of said opposed, interior walls, to removably
receive and hold said first door in a position at least partially
within said carrying case body.
2. The carrying case of claim 1 in which said opposed, interior
walls are vertical, and said grooves are horizontally spaced.
3. The carrying case of claim 2 in which said grooves are
positioned near the top of said opposed, interior walls.
4. The carrying case of claim 2 in which a pair of said horizontal
grooves are positioned in each of said opposed, interior walls, and
a side wall, opposed to said first door, comprises a second door
which is also completely separable from the carrying case body, and
which may be latched thereto, said second door also being capable
of being received and held in at least one of said pair of grooves
in each of said opposed, interior walls.
5. The carrying case of claim 4 which has an internal rack to which
contents of said carrying case may be temporarily secured.
6. The carrying case of claim 4 in which said doors each are
horizontally held within said carrying case body while engaging
said grooves.
7. The carrying case of claim 4 in which said horizontal grooves
are positioned near the top of said opposed, interior walls.
8. The carrying case of claim 1 in which said first door is
horizontally held within said carrying case body while engaging
said grooves.
9. The carrying case of claim 2 which has an internal rack
comprising perforated rails to which contents of said carrying case
may be temporarily secured.
10. The carrying case of claim 9 in which said internal perforated
rails are spaced below said horizontal grooves.
11. The carrying case of claim 5 in which said internal rack is
spaced below said horizontal grooves.
12. The carrying case of claim 1 in which said opposed, interior
walls are horizontal, and said grooves are vertically spaced.
13. The carrying case of claim 12 in which a pair of said grooves
are positioned in each of said opposed, interior walls, and a side
wall, opposed to said first door, comprises a second door which is
also completely separable from the carrying case body and which may
be latched thereto, said second door being also capable of being
received and held in at least one of said grooves in each of said
opposed, interior walls.
14. The carrying case of claim 13 which has an internal rack to
which contents of said carrying case may be temporarily
secured.
15. The carrying case of claim 1 in which said first door is
vertically held within said case.
16. A carrying case for large, fragile equipment, which comprises:
a carrying case body having side walls, at least one of said side
walls comprising a first door which is completely separable from
the carrying case body, and which may be latched to the carrying
case body; the carrying case body having opposed, interior walls
adjacent to said latched first door; at least one horizontal,
inwardly facing groove formed in each of said opposed, interior
walls, to removably receive and hold said first door in a
horizontal position at least partly within said carrying case body,
said opposed, interior walls being vertical, and said grooves being
horizontal, and further comprising an internal rack to which
contents of said carrying case may be temporarily secured.
17. The carrying case of claim 1 in which a pair of said horizontal
grooves are positioned in each of said opposed, interior walls, and
a side wall, opposed to said door, comprises a second door which is
also completely separable from the carrying case body, and which
may be latched thereto, said second door also being capable of
being received and held in at least one of said pair of horizontal
grooves in each of said opposed, interior walls.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Carrying cases known as custom flight cases are provided for
the storage and transport of mostly electronic equipment, for
example, equipment used by traveling shows such as music or drama
entertainment groups, sales people who produce exhibits at trade
shows, rental equipment companies, and the like.
[0002] These flight cases are basically like large trunks that were
used in the early years, particularly with railroad and sea travel,
being generally large, rigid transport cases.
[0003] Typically, the flight cases of the prior art open at the
sides, top or bottom. Rack style cases typically have doors that
completely separate from the flight case, with such a door being
provided often on both sides of the flight case, for ease of
installing large electronic equipment or other large, fragile items
in the flight case.
[0004] Typically, the rack style flight cases have a foam inner
lining with an internal wood rack. Angle iron rack members having
screw holes can be attached to the internal wood rack, so that the
electronic equipment or other contents may then be bolted into
tight securance by temporary attachment with the angle iron or
other metal rails carried by the wood rack..
[0005] A common problem with these large rack style flight cases is
that they are often heavy and numerous, in order to provide the
necessary equipment for a large concert, for example. Also, the
doors, which are often called "lids" even though they are side
opening, separate from the flight cases. Storing these often large
and heavy lids while using the rack type cases at a show can create
a substantial amount of clutter and disorganization. In addition,
doors for an individual flight case become commingled with other
flight case doors, which can result in confusion when it is time to
reattach lids to their respective flight cases.
[0006] As an attempt to solve this problem, the Clair Brothers
Company offers a "rack" (i.e. a case) where the side opening door
or "lid" is secured to the rest of the case, and slides vertically
into the case on rails, to get it out of the way after opening, so
that it is never removed from the case, and cannot get lost or
commingled with other lids or side doors. This type of design is
also used by other manufacturers.
[0007] However, such a sliding side door requires a special track
mechanism and an internal metal rack and shock system. Furthermore,
such a door storage mechanism and internal metal rack may add
significantly to the cost of the carrying or flight case.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In accordance with this invention, a conventional carrying
case of the general type described above has a door that is
completely separable from the case body. By this invention, the
door may be carried within the carrying case for storage while the
case is not in transit, with little increase in cost of manufacture
of the carrying case, when compared with conventional manufacturing
costs.
[0009] Specifically, the carrying case in accordance with this
invention has a body with side walls, at least one of the side
walls comprising a first door which is completely separable from
the carrying case body, and which may be latched to the carrying
case body. The carrying case body has opposed, interior walls which
are adjacent to the latched door. At least one horizontal, inwardly
facing groove is formed in each of the opposed, interior walls
(opposed side walls and/or top and bottom walls), proportioned to
removably receive and hold the first door in a horizontal (or
vertical) position at least partially within the carrying case
body. Thus, one or two removable doors may be horizontally (or
vertically) stored inside of the carrying case body while the case
is not in transit, that is, during the concert, play, trade show,
etc., while greatly reducing the risk of mislaying the doors among
a multitude of carrying cases and doors. Thus, each carrying case
which uses this invention is ready for reloading without the need
to search for the doors, and without the doors providing an untidy
clutter. This design also opens and closes faster and easier than a
conventional, removable lid rack case.
[0010] While the horizontally or vertically spaced grooves may be
positioned anywhere inside of the carrying case, including
locations near the bottom thereof, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
3 they are positioned near the top of the opposed, interior walls.
Other figures show the doors stored vertically in grooves in the
top and bottom of the internal wood rack.
[0011] In some embodiments, a pair of the horizontal grooves are
positioned near the top of each of the opposed, inner walls. A side
wall, opposite to the first door in its closed position, comprises
a second door, which is also completely separable from the carrying
case body, and which may be latched to it. The second door may also
thus be received and held in grooves in each of the remaining
opposed, interior walls, so both of the side doors may be
horizontally or vertically stored in this manner.
[0012] The carrying case of this invention may have an internal
rack of generally conventional design, to which the contents of the
carrying case may be temporarily secured. Specifically, the
carrying case may have a foam interior wall, and an internal wood
frame rack to which metal rack rails may be attached. The rack
rails define holes through which bolts may project, so that the
various items carried in the carrying case may be securely bolted
into rigid, immovable position before the case is closed up for
shipment.
[0013] Thus, typically large, fragile units of equipment may be
reliably secured and transported in a carrying case of this
invention, in which the opened side door or doors may be
horizontally or vertically stored by sliding into the carrying case
interior, with edges of the doors positioned in horizontal or
vertical grooves defined on opposed walls of the carrying case. A
pair of opposed side doors for the carrying case may be stored in
this manner. By this invention, the carrying cases which have the
above-described advantage may still have standard widths, and can
be manufactured without a significant cost increase because of the
modification.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of
the flight or carrying case of this invention.
[0015] FIG. 2A is a sectional view taken along line 2A-2A of FIG.
1.
[0016] FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line 2B-2B of FIG.
1.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carrying case of FIG. 1,
showing how one of its side doors have been removed and
horizontally placed within the carrying case.
[0018] FIG. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view of the wood frame
portion of the carrying case, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing an upper
corner of the interior of the carrying case of FIG. 1, with a side
door removed.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the same upper
corner shown in FIG. 5, with the two opposed doors of the carrying
case removed from their normal, closing position, and then
horizontally inserted into the interior of the carrying case.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
carrying case of this invention, with one door removed, and showing
a vertical, internal storage area for the doors.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the inner frame of
the carrying case, with the exterior container shown in broken
lines.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the carrying case of FIGS. 7
and 8, showing a closed door.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a carrying case 10 is shown,
comprising a rectangular, box-like container mounted on casters 12.
Container 10 may have a 24 inch standard width, as is customary, or
it may preferably be of any other width, although the particular
dimensions of the carrying case are not critical to the
invention.
[0025] The carrying case has a body comprising respective, opposed
side walls 14, 16, with other side walls further comprising
removable doors 18, 20 (FIGS. 1 and 3). Each door 18, 20 may be
latched to the carrying case body by latches 22, and may be
completely removable therefrom. The structure of door 18 is shown
in particular detail, and the same structure may be utilized for
door 20.
[0026] Specifically, door 18 is shown to have pair of conventional
latches 22, which are shown in cross section in FIG. 2B. Latches 22
are attached to door 18. A movable latch member 24, which is biased
upwardly by spring 26, is held in sliding relation to latch plate
28 by screw 30, which reciprocates up and down in slot 32. Outer
latch aperture 34 permits the user's hand to enter inner latch
aperture 37, to depress latch 24 out of its engagement with metal
door strip 38, to permit the removal of door 18.
[0027] Then, for relatching the door in place, door 18, shown in
phantom lines of FIG. 2B, is forcefully closed, causing latch 24 to
be forced downwardly by the engagement of angled face 36 with metal
strip 38, and then to snap back upwardly into the position shown in
full lines of FIG. 2B in latched position.
[0028] At the bottom of door 18, the door carries a projecting
flange 40 (FIG. 2A), which fits into slot 42, rather in the manner
of a tongue and groove arrangement, to secure door 18 at the
bottom.
[0029] Door 20, shown in FIG. 3, may be of identical design, and
may be releasably attached in its opposing side wall position in
similar manner.
[0030] Door 18, separated and positioned within carrying case 10 in
an upper, horizontal position, is shown in FIG. 3. To accomplish
this, the side edges 44 of door 18 reside in the respective
horizontal grooves that are defined at the top of the interior of
carrying case 10 in this particular embodiment. Specifically, as
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respective grooves 46 and 48 are formed
horizontal and parallel to each other, such grooves being present
in each side of carrying case 10. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the
respective, separated doors 18, 20 may be horizontally positioned
in grooves 46, 48 with respective side edges 44 occupying the
grooves. The situation on the other side of each of FIGS. 5 and 6
is substantially identical to that shown, so that the respective
doors 18, 20 may be removed by manipulating their latches 22 to
open them, and then placing them horizontally in the respective
grooves 46, 48 for storage, after the contents of the carrying
cases have been removed.
[0031] Grooves 46, 48 may be defined typically by upper bar 50,
which is in vertically spaced relation with lower bar 52 to define
lower groove 48. Top interior frame portion 54 then cooperates with
parallel upper bar 50 to define horizontal groove 46.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, the thickness of the top interior frame
portion 54 of carrying case 10 may be about 0.7 inch in thickness,
while the horizontal thickness of groove-defining wooden bars 50,
52 may be about 6-18 mm. Of course, plastic or other materials,
such as fiberglass, may substitute for the wood.
[0033] The rest of the internal structure of carrying case 10 with
its interior frame may be generally conventional, with the interior
walls carrying apertured metal vertical strips 56 adjacent to each
of the four corners, so that large electronic equipment and the
like can be secured by bolts to the strips, with several equipment
units being transported in the same carrying case, being stacked
together, but firmly secured so that they are not damaged in
transit.
[0034] Side walls 14 have conventional lifting and carrying handles
58, as shown.
[0035] Referring to FIGS. 7-8, a similar carrying case 10a is
provided, being similar to the previous embodiment, except as
otherwise described herein. In this embodiment, the separable doors
18a, 20a may be of the design of the previous doors, and may be
stored in a vertical manner in the respective vertically arranged
slot pairs 60, 62, which may be defined by a pair of vertically
arranged central ribs 64, which are attached to the inner frame of
container 10a. Thus, the respective doors 18a, 20a may be
vertically stored in the respective slots 60, 62 in a manner
similar to the horizontal door storage of the previous embodiment.
Carrying case 10a may also have an interior vertical wall 66 of
plywood or the like, to carrying two of the four apertured metal
vertical strips 56a, to which large electronic equipment and the
like can be secured by bolts, as in the previous embodiment. The
other two vertical strips 56a are in the left side corners of
carrying case 10a, one of which is visible in FIG. 8. The
respective doors have latches similar to the previous embodiment,
each of which can latch against a separate vertical strip 38a. As
in the previous embodiment, carrying case 10a may have conventional
lifting and carrying handles 58a on opposed sides thereof.
[0036] FIG. 9 shows the closed container, with door 20a carrying a
pair of latches 22a of design and function similar to the previous
embodiment.
[0037] Thus, a carrying case is provided for the storage and
transport of typically large electronic equipment and other items
as desired, in which the removable doors may be vertically or
horizontally stored in the carrying case when it is not in
transit.
[0038] The above has been offered for illustrative purposes only,
and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention of this
application, which is as defined in the claims below.
* * * * *