U.S. patent application number 13/730417 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-09 for luggage case.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sinoxlock (Kunshan) Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Renny Tse-Haw LING. Invention is credited to Renny Tse-Haw LING.
Application Number | 20140008167 13/730417 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49877657 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140008167 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LING; Renny Tse-Haw |
January 9, 2014 |
LUGGAGE CASE
Abstract
A luggage case includes a case body, a handle, and at least one
cable. The handle is retractably connected to the case body and
includes a shaft and a hand grip, wherein the shaft has one end
connected to the case body and the other end connected to the hand
grip. The shaft is retractable to adjust a distance between the
hand grip and the case body. The cable has one end connected to the
hand grip and the other end connected to the case body. The cable
extends and is exposed between the hand grip and the case body when
the shaft extends out from the case body. The cable retracts in a
winding manner as the shaft retracts to the case body.
Inventors: |
LING; Renny Tse-Haw;
(Chung-Ho City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LING; Renny Tse-Haw |
Chung-Ho City |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
Sinoxlock (Kunshan) Co.,
Ltd.
Kunshan
CN
|
Family ID: |
49877657 |
Appl. No.: |
13/730417 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61669327 |
Jul 9, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
190/115 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 13/28 20130101;
A45C 2013/306 20130101; A45C 5/14 20130101; A45C 13/26 20130101;
A45C 2013/267 20130101; A45C 13/262 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
190/115 |
International
Class: |
A45C 13/26 20060101
A45C013/26 |
Claims
1. A luggage case, comprising: a case body; a handle retractably
connected to the case body, the handle including a shaft and a hand
grip, wherein one end of the shaft is connected to the case body
and the other end of the shaft is connected to the hand grip, the
shaft is retractable to adjust a distance between the hand grip and
the case body; and at least one cable having one end connected to
the hand grip and the other end connected to the case body; wherein
the at least one cable extends and is exposed between the hand grip
and the case body when the shaft extends out from the case body,
and the at least one cable retracts in a winding manner as the
shaft retracts to the case body.
2. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein a portion of the at least
one cable is wound in the hand grip or the case body as the handle
retracts toward the case body.
3. The luggage case of claim 2, further including a winding wheel
disposed in the hand grip, the at least one cable is wound around
the winding wheel as the handle retracts toward the case body.
4. The luggage case of claim 3, further including a supporting
element disposed in the hand grip, wherein an extending direction
of the at least one cable unwound from the winding wheel is changed
after passing by the supporting element.
5. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the hand grip further has
an opening formed on a side of the hand grip facing the case body
to allow the cable to pass therethrough.
6. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the at least one cable
exposed between the hand grip and the case body is substantially
parallel to the shaft and forms a support plane together with the
shaft.
7. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the shaft includes two
poles disposed side by side, and the at least one cable is disposed
between the two poles and spaced from the two poles.
8. The luggage case of claim 2, further including a winding wheel
disposed in the case body, the at least one cable is wound around
the winding wheel as the handle retracts toward the case body.
9. The luggage case of claim 8, further including a supporting
element disposed in the case body, wherein an extending direction
of the at least one cable unwound from the winding wheel is changed
after passing by the supporting element.
10. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the hand grip further has
an opening formed on the case body to allow the cable to pass
therethough.
11. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the at least one cable is
substantially unseeable as the handle retracts to the case body to
enable the handle to be in a storage state.
12. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the shaft includes a
single pole; the at least one cable is connected to the hand grip
near one end of the hand grip that is away from the single pole,
and the at least one cable and the single pole form a support
plane.
13. The luggage case of claim 1, wherein the at least one cable
includes multiple cables, and the cables are spaced apart and
aligned with the shaft.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a luggage case.
Particularly, the present invention relates to a luggage case
having accessory cables.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Today luggage cases have become a requisite accessory of
miscellaneous people who travel frequently, and a variety of
luggage cases in different size can be selected depending on
situations, such as traveling abroad, business trip, or shipping
items between locations. In addition to size, a variety of designs
are provided, such as hard case and soft case. Moreover, some
luggage cases have one or more zipper pockets on the outer side for
accommodating small items. However, generally, luggage cases are
not designed for easy access to items accommodated therein during
the trip or shipping. Luggage cases are usually designed to have a
closed configuration for convenient movement while a hand grip and
wheels are disposed on the exterior of the luggage case to
facilitate the user's operation and the mobility of luggage
case.
[0005] On the other hand, it is common that users often make good
use of the wheels to put the personal carry-on bag or belongings on
the luggage case to be moved together. Because of a concise outline
of luggage case, the users usually can merely put the personal
carry-on bag or belongings near the hand grip or the handle shaft.
However, because of the shaking caused by movements of the luggage
case, the accessories attached to or disposed on the luggage case
are mostly not steadily fixed thereon and even drop down to the
floor interrupting the movement. As a result, it is desired to
provide a luggage case for steadily supporting personal carry-on
bags or small luggage disposed thereon to be smoothly moved with
the luggage case.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
luggage case having accessory cables.
[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
luggage case for shipping items that may differ in size.
[0008] The luggage case of the present invention includes a case
body, a handle, and at least one cable. The handle is retractably
connected to the case body and includes a shaft and a hand grip,
wherein the shaft has one end connected to the case body and the
other end connected to the hand grip. The shaft is retractable to
adjust a distance between the hand grip and the case body. The
cable has one end connected to the hand grip and the other end
connected to the case body. The cable extends and is exposed
between the hand grip and the case body when the shaft extends out
from the case body. The cable retracts in a winding manner as the
shaft retracts to the case body.
[0009] The luggage case of the present invention further includes a
winding wheel disposed in the hand grip and/or the case body; the
at least one cable is wound around the winding wheel as the handle
retracts toward the case body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIGS. 1A-1D are schematic views of the embodiment of the
luggage case of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 1E is a schematic view of the embodiment of the luggage
case of the present invention in a state of use;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the
luggage case of the present invention;
[0013] FIGS. 3A-3B are schematic views of another embodiment of the
luggage case of the present invention;
[0014] FIGS. 4A-4B are schematic views of still another embodiment
of the luggage case of the present invention;
[0015] FIGS. 5A-5C are schematic views of still another embodiment
of the luggage case of the present invention; and
[0016] FIGS. 6A-6B are schematic views of still another embodiment
of the luggage case of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] As FIGS. 1A-1B show, the luggage case 10a of the present
invention includes a case body 300, a handle 100 and at least one
cable 200. The handle 100 is retractably connected to the case body
300 and includes a shaft 150 and a hand grip 120, wherein one end
of the shaft 150 is connected to the case body 300 and the other
end of the shaft 150 is connected to the hand grip 120. The shaft
150 is retractable to adjust a distance between the hand grip 120
and the case body 300.
[0018] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1A, the shaft 150 of the
luggage case 10a includes two poles disposed side by side and two
ends of the hand grip 120 are connected to the two poles,
respectively. The two poles, for example, may be disposed near two
sides of the case body 300, respectively. However, in other
embodiments, the shaft 150 may have other configurations. For
example, the shaft 150 may be in a U shaped frame configuration
with two vertical poles connected to the case body 300 and a
horizontal bar connected between the two vertical poles, wherein
the hand grip 120 can be made of any suitable material covering the
horizontal bar. In another embodiment, the shaft 150 can be a
single pole, which forms a T shaped handle with the hand grip 120
perpendicularly connected thereto (as shown in FIG. 2). That is,
the number of such pole is not limited to the embodiments.
Particularly, the pole(s) of the retractable shaft 150 can move
relative to the case body 300 in their extending direction to
extend out from the case body 300, specifically out of a top
portion 350 of the case body 300 or be at least partly received
inside the case body 300 as shown in FIG. 1 B, or in other
embodiments, retreat toward the case body 300 if the handle 100 is
disposed and exposed on the rear side of the case body 300 (not
shown).
[0019] The hand grip 120 can be formed as rod-like, flat
piece-like, or other suitable shapes, such as a shape suitable for
hand gripping. Instead of a long and narrow shape with two ends
connected to the two poles of the shaft as shown in FIG. 1A, the
hand grip 120 may be formed like a shorter bar or be a knob with
its middle portion connected to the single pole of the shaft 150 as
shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment that the hand grip 120 is a long
and narrow shape, the extending direction of the hand grip 120 is
usually consistent with the extending direction of a longer side of
the top portion 350. In the embodiment that the poles of the shaft
150 are disposed side by side, it is preferably that two ends of
the hand grip 120, which has a long and narrow shape, are connected
to the poles. As a result, the hand grip 120 and the shaft 150, and
further the top portion 350 together enclose a scope of plane.
[0020] When the luggage case 10a is in use, the user usually holds
the hand grip 120 to pull out the handle 100. As such, the
retractable shaft 150 extends out from the case body 300 so that
the distance between the hand grip 120 and the case body 300 is
adjustable. When the luggage case 10a is not in use; the user
usually pushes the hand grip 120 downward so that the shaft 150
retracts toward the case body 300, enabling the handle 100 to be in
a storage state, i.e. received in the case body 300.
[0021] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1B, an accommodation
space 400 is formed in the top portion 350. The accommodation space
400 has an extending direction consistent with the extending
direction of the hand grip 120 and preferably has a long and narrow
shape corresponding to the shape of the hand grip 120. When the
shaft 150 is received in the case body 300 completely (i.e. in the
storage state), it is preferable that at least a portion of the
hand grip 120 is received in the accommodation space 400 while the
remaining portion is exposed for the user's operation. As a result,
when pulling up the handle 100 originally in the storage state, it
makes the hand grip 120 protrude out of the top portion 350 and
then move away from the top portion 350. On the other hand, the
accommodation space 400 can be partially expanded at the central
portion to form an operation space 401. The operation space 401
corresponds to a location on the hand grip 120 for the user's
operation of pulling the handle 100 up.
[0022] The cable 200 of the luggage case 10a of the present
invention has one end connected to the hand grip 120 and the other
end connected to the case body 300, so that the cable 200 is
retractably connected between the hand grip 120 and the case body
300. The cable 200 is preferably a flexible structure in comparison
to the shaft 150, so that the length of the cable 200 between the
hand grip 120 and the case body 300 is adjustable in a winding or
folding manner. In the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the cable 200 extends and is exposed between the hand
grip 120 and the case body 300 when the shaft 150 extends out from
the case body 300, and at least a portion of the cable 200 retracts
in a winding manner as the shaft 150 retracts to the case body 300.
Specifically, the cable 200 is preferably wound in the hand grip
120 (as shown in FIG. 1C) or in the case body 300 (as shown in FIG.
1D) as the handle 100 retracts toward the case body 300. The
retracting handle 100 is usually able to reach the storage state,
such as the state of completely received in the accommodation space
40. In this regard, as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the cable
200 could be also in its storage state and substantially
unseeable.
[0023] The at least one cable 200 includes a single or multiple
cables 200. In a case of multiple cables, the cables 200 are
preferably spaced apart and aligned with the shaft 150. In the
preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, for example, two cables 200
are exposed between the hand grip 120 and the case body 300,
substantially parallel to the shaft 150, and form a support plane P
together with the shaft 150, wherein the support plane P
substantially includes the above mentioned scope of plane enclosed
by the hand grip 120, the shaft 150, and the top portion 350, and
the spaced apart cables 200 serve as an auxiliary supporter to
support any items disposed on the top portion 350. In the case that
the shaft 150 includes two poles disposed side by side, especially
two poles connected to the two ends of the hand grip 120, the at
least one cable 200 is preferably disposed between the two poles
and spaced therefrom. In addition, when it is especially provided
cables 200 in pairs, each of the cables 200 in pairs is preferably
located equidistant from its nearest pole. In other embodiments,
however, the at least one cable 200 may be disposed outside the
shafts 150; for example, there might be the pole(s) of the shaft
disposed between the cables. (i.e. the other sides of the shafts
facing each other).
[0024] In the embodiment that the shaft 150 includes a single pole,
as shown in FIG. 2, the at least one cable 200 is preferably
connected to the hand grip 120 near one end thereof that is away
from the single pole. In such case, the at least one cable 200 and
the single pole from the support plane P.
[0025] The unwound or folded length of the cable 200 is preferably
greater than a vertical distance between the hand grip 120 and the
top portion 350, so that the end of the cable 200 connected to the
case body 300 passes the accommodation space 400 in the top portion
350 and is received inside the case body 300. As such, it is a part
of the unwound cable 200 exposed between the hand grip 120 and the
top portion 350. Depending on the movement of the handle 100/hand
grip 120 relative to the top portion 350, the exposed part of the
cable 200 is variable in length. Specifically, when the handle 100
moves toward the top potion 350 such as the hand grip 120 being
pushed, the distance between the hand grip 120 and the case body
300 is shorten, the cable 200 is wound from the end connected to
the hand grip 120 and/or the other end received inside the case
body 300 so that the part exposed between the hand grip 120 and the
top portion 350 is then received inside the hand grip 120 and/or
the case body 300.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1C, for example, the luggage case 10a
further includes a winding wheel 110 disposed in the hand grip 120,
wherein the cable 200 is connected to the winding wheel 110 so as
to be wound around the winding wheel 110 as the handle 100 retracts
toward the case body 300 or released from the winding wheel 110 as
the handle 100 is pulled up. Particularly, the winding wheel 110
can include a rotational spring or a torsional spring. For example,
the torsional spring of the winding wheel 110 tends to its released
state and therefore lets the winding wheel 110 rotate to wind the
cable 200, which in the preferred embodiment specially happens
along with the shaft 150 retracting to the case body 300. On the
other hand, when pulling the handle 100 away from the case body 300
as well as enlarging the distance between the hand grip 120 and the
case body 300, the cable 200 having two ends respectively connected
to the hand grip 120 and the case body 300 is also pulled, forcing
the winding wheel 110 to rotate as well as to release the cable 200
from a winding state to an unwound state.
[0027] In addition, the luggage case 10a further includes a
supporting element 130 disposed in the hand grip 100 and an opening
105 formed on a side of the hand grip 100 facing the top portion
350, which is preferable for the cable 200 to pass therethrough.
The portion of the cable 200 in the hand grip 120 may extend along
the hang grip 100 between the winding wheel 110 and the supporting
element 130, passing by the supporting element 130, extends out of
the hang grip 100 through the opening 105 and naturally hangs down.
In other words, the supporting element 130 could change an
extending direction of the cable 200 and mediate together with the
opening 105 where the cable 200 is located relative to the shaft
150. The other end of the unwound cable 200 is received inside the
case body 300, wherein another winding wheel may be optionally
disposed in the case body 300 so that the cable 200 may has the end
received inside the case body 300 being connected to the winding
wheel and wound therearound.
[0028] In addition, the winding wheel 110 and/or the supporting
element 130 give the cable 200 a tension or mediate a hanging
direction of the cable 200.
[0029] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1D, the winding wheel 110
and the support element 130 are disposed in the case body 300 to
let the cable 200 be wound around as the handle 100 retracts toward
the case body 300 and change the extending direction of the cable
200. On the other hand, there might be an opening 106 formed on the
top portion 350 of the case body 300 for the cable 200 passing
therethrough and extending out of the case body 300. Alternatively,
the cable 200 may extend out of the case body 300 through the
accommodation space 400 mentioned above.
[0030] Material of the cable 200 may be selected from metal,
plastic, and rubber, and is preferably flexible material. On the
other hand, the cable 200 may be replaced by flat strip such as a
rubber belt. As FIG. 1E shows, after pulling up the handle 100, a
luggage 8 such as a package or a handbag may be disposed and lean
on the top portion 350 and the shaft 150 and further supported by
the cables 200, which also improves the use of the luggage case
10a. On the other hand, by means of the cable 200, items having
smaller volume are prevented from dropping from a space between the
poles of the shaft 150 when leaning thereon. In sum, the luggage
case of the present invention has the cable acting as an auxiliary
support for additionally supporting items different in size.
[0031] FIGS. 3A-3B are schematic views of another embodiment of the
luggage case 10b of the present invention. As FIG. 3B shows, the
accommodation space for receiving the hand grip 120 is omitted from
the top portion 350 of the luggage case 10b. As FIG. 3A shows, the
hand grip 120 of the handle 100 in the storage state is sitting on
the top portion 350. The center of the hand grip 120 is a gripping
portion 102. When the hand grip 120 is sitting on the top portion
350, the gripping portion 102 and the top portion 350 are apart by
a space for the user's hand reaching to hold and operate hand grip
120. On the other hand, in addition to the opening 352 formed on
the top portion 350 for the shaft 150 extending out from the case
body 300, a further opening 351 is provided for the cable 200 to
pass through the top portion 350. FIGS. 4A-4B are schematic views
of still another embodiment of the luggage case 10c of the present
invention, wherein the hand grip 120 is formed to have a streamline
shape.
[0032] FIGS. 5A-5C are schematic views of still another embodiment
of the luggage case 10d of the present invention, wherein depending
on a shape of the hand grip 120, one or more accommodation spaces
400 are formed on the top portion 350 corresponding to two ends of
the hand grip 120 while the shaft 150 can also extend out from the
case body 300 through the accommodation space 400. When the hand
grip 120 of the handle 100 is in the storage state, the side of the
hand grip 120 facing the top portion 350 is partially received in
the accommodation space 400. On the hand, the opening 351 is formed
on the top portion 350 for the cable 200 to pass through the top
portion 350. FIGS. 6A-6B are schematic views of still another
embodiment of the luggage case 10e of the present invention. In
comparison to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, the hand grip
120 and the corresponding accommodation space 400 of the embodiment
shown in 6A-6B may have different design.
[0033] Although the preferred embodiments of present invention have
been described herein, the above description is merely
illustrative. The preferred embodiments disclosed will not limited
the scope of the present invention. Further modification of the
invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the
respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within
the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *