U.S. patent application number 15/210043 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-19 for luggage case and case body structure thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Jiaxing Jackson Travel Products Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Xue Lin Zhu.
Application Number | 20170295898 15/210043 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59980878 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170295898 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhu; Xue Lin |
October 19, 2017 |
LUGGAGE CASE AND CASE BODY STRUCTURE THEREOF
Abstract
A case body structure of a luggage case includes a case top
member, a case bottom member and a sidewall member that are
independent components. Each of the case top member and the case
bottom member is a hard structure. The sidewall member includes a
wall plate and a cover plate. The wall plate includes a connecting
section, two installation sections, and an installation breach
defined and formed by the two installation sections. The cover
plate is disposed correspondingly to the installation breach. The
cover plate and the wall plate define a hollow cavity. The case top
member and the case bottom member are respectively disposed at two
ends of the sidewall member to enclose the hollow cavity. The cover
plate selectively opens relative to the wall plate to allow an
object to be placed into or taken out of the hollow cavity.
Inventors: |
Zhu; Xue Lin; (Jiaxing,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Jiaxing Jackson Travel Products Co., Ltd. |
Jiaxing |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
59980878 |
Appl. No.: |
15/210043 |
Filed: |
July 14, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 2013/267 20130101;
A45C 5/02 20130101; A45C 13/262 20130101; A45C 5/03 20130101; A45C
5/14 20130101; A45C 13/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45C 5/03 20060101
A45C005/03; A45C 5/14 20060101 A45C005/14; A45C 13/26 20060101
A45C013/26; A45C 5/02 20060101 A45C005/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 19, 2016 |
CN |
201620330912.X |
Apr 19, 2016 |
CN |
201620334755.X |
Claims
1. A case body structure of a luggage case, comprising: a case top
member and a case bottom member, each of the case top member and
the case bottom member being a hard structure; and a sidewall
member, comprising a wall plate and a cover plate, the wall plate
comprising a connecting section, two installation sections
respectively integrally extended from two opposite lateral sides of
the connecting section and perpendicular to the connection section,
and an installation breach defined and formed by the two
installation sections, the cover plate corresponding to the
installation breach and disposed on the two installation sections,
the cover plate and the wall plate defining a hollow cavity;
wherein, each of the case top member, the case bottom member and
the sidewall member is an independent component, the case top
member and the case top member are respectively disposed at two
ends of the sidewall member to enclose the hollow cavity, and the
cover plate selectively opens relative to the wall plate to allow
an object to be placed into or taken out of the hollow cavity.
2. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 1, wherein a
width of the connecting section of the wall plate is greater than a
width of each of the installation sections, and a width of the
installation breach is smaller than or equal to the width of the
connecting section and greater than the width of each of the
installation sections.
3. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 2, wherein
the wall plate comprises a support element and a flexible outer
layer clad on the support element, the flexible outer layer is
assembled to the case top member and the case bottom member, and
two ends of the support element are respectively abutted against
the case top member and the case bottom member to cause the
flexible outer layer to be tightened relative to the support
element.
4. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 3, wherein
each of the case top member and the case bottom member comprises an
assembly groove for abutting and connecting with the sidewall
member.
5. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 3, wherein
the flexible outer layer is selected from the group consisting of
textile, nylon, leather and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
6. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 1, wherein
the wall plate is a formed integral made of a hard plastic
material.
7. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 6, wherein
each of the case top member and the case bottom member comprises an
assembly groove for abutting and connecting with the sidewall
member.
8. The case body structure of a luggage case of claim 1, further
comprising at least two suture shutters, each of the suture
shutters being disposed at a seam of the case top member and the
sidewall member or the case bottom member and the sidewall member,
and each of the suture shutters comprising a connecting portion
being deep into the seam and a shutter portion integrally extended
from the connecting portion and protruding out of the seam.
9. (canceled)
10. A luggage case, comprising: the case body structure of claims
1, 3, and 8; a pull handle, assembled with the case body structure;
and a pull handle positioning module, comprising a support sleeve
disposed on the case top member and allowing the pull handle to be
inserted therein and to perform a back-and-forth movement, and a
limiting element disposed in the support sleeve and limiting or
allowing the pull handle to perform the back-and-forth movement
relative to the support sleeve.
11. The luggage case of claim 10, wherein the case top member
comprises an installation opening in communication with the hollow
cavity and allowing the support sleeve to be correspondingly
disposed, and the support sleeve is further located in the hollow
cavity.
12. The luggage case of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of
rollers that are disposed on the case bottom member, the case
bottom member comprises a plurality of assembly holes in a quantity
corresponding to the rollers, and the assembly holes are
respectively assembled to the rollers.
13. The luggage case of claim 10, wherein the pull handle comprises
an outer tube assembled to the case body structure, and an inner
tube inserted in the outer tube and capable of stretching and
retracting relative to the outer tube.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a luggage case and a case
body structure thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] To conveniently carry various objects for travelling or
house moving, luggage cases are some of the first choices for
loading objects. The most eye-catching part of a luggage case is
the case body of the luggage case, which is much targeted by many
consumers when a luggage case is chosen and purchased. Some main
factors that consumers consider include the size and the outer
appearance of the case body. For example, current luggage case
structures are as disclosed by the Taiwan Patent Nos. 404193 and
No. M332408, the China Patent No. 202456880, the U.S. Patent
Publication No. 2014/0224608, and the European Patent No.
2873342A1, and have case bodies that are categorized based on the
type of materials used. Current case body structures are chiefly
categorized into two types--made of a textile fabric, and made of a
plastic material in a formed integral.
[0003] Luggage cases made of textile fabrics eliminate costs for
developing and manufacturing molds, with however large amounts of
manpower and textile machinery required as a trade-off, leading to
overall costs that cannot be lowered due to manpower costs and
disfavored mass production. Further, for luggage cases implemented
by plastic materials, although they can be mass produced once large
sums of mold costs are invested at the beginning of the development
and manufacturing process, the molds made are strictly limited to
the use of one single product. In the event of slow sales in the
manufactured luggage cases, these molds become unsuitable and need
to be discarded. In addition, the manufacturer needs to invest
another round of mold costs needed for a launching another product.
The cycle above may lead to not only increased costs for the
manufacturer but also waste in resources.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention
to solve issues of a conventional luggage case manufacturing
method.
[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides
a case body structure of a luggage case. The case body structure of
a luggage case includes a case top member, a case bottom member and
a sidewall member. Each of the case top member and the case bottom
member is a hard structure. The sidewall member includes a wall
plate and a cover plate. The wall plate includes a connecting
section, two installation sections respectively integrally extended
from two opposite lateral sides of the connecting section and
perpendicular to the connecting section, and an installation breach
defined and formed by the two installation sections. The cover
plate corresponds to the installation breach, and is disposed on
the two installation sections. The cover plate and the wall plate
define a hollow cavity. Each of the case top member, the case
bottom member and the sidewall member is an independent component.
The case top member and the case bottom member are respectively
disposed at two ends of the sidewall member to enclose the hollow
cavity. The cover plate selectively opens relative to the wall
plate to allow an object to be placed into or taken out of the
hollow cavity.
[0006] In one embodiment, the width of the connecting section of
the wall plate is greater than the width of each of the
installation sections, and the width of the installation breach is
smaller than or equal to the width of the connecting section and
greater than the width of each of the installation sections.
[0007] In one embodiment, the wall plate includes a support element
and a flexible outer layer clad on the support element. The
flexible outer layer is assembled to the case top member and the
case bottom member. Two ends of the support element are
respectively abutted against the case top member and the case
bottom member to cause the flexible outer layer to be tightened
relative to the support element.
[0008] In one embodiment, each of the case top member and the case
bottom member includes an assembly groove for abutting and
connecting with the sidewall member.
[0009] In one embodiment, the flexible outer layer is selected from
the group consisting of textile, nylon, leather and polyvinyl
chloride (PVC).
[0010] In one embodiment, the wall plate is a formed integral made
of a hard plastic material.
[0011] In one embodiment, the case body structure further includes
at least two suture shutters. Each of the suture shutters is
disposed at a seam of the case top member and the sidewall member
or the case bottom member and the sidewall member, and includes a
connecting portion being deep into the seam and a shutter portion
integrally extended from the connecting portion and protruding out
of the seam.
[0012] The present invention further provides a luggage case, which
applies one of the case body structures of the foregoing
embodiments. The luggage case further includes a pull handle and a
pull handle positioning module. The pull handle is assembled to the
case body structure. The pull handle positioning module includes a
support sleeve disposed on the case top member and causing the pull
handle to be inserted therein and to be able to perform a
back-and-forth movement, and a limiting element disposed in the
support sleeve and limiting or allowing the pull handle to perform
the back-and-forth movement relative to the support sleeve.
[0013] In one embodiment, the case top member includes an
installation opening in communication with the hollow cavity and
allowing the support sleeve to be correspondingly disposed therein.
The support sleeve is further located in the hollow cavity.
[0014] In one embodiment, the luggage case further includes a
plurality of rollers disposed on the case bottom member. The case
body member includes a plurality of assembly holes, which are in a
quantity corresponding to the rollers and are respectively
assembled with the rollers.
[0015] In one embodiment, the pull handle includes an outer tube
assembled to the case body structure, and an inner tube inserted in
the outer tube and capable of stretching and retracting relative to
the outer tube.
[0016] Through the above technical solution, the present invention
provides following features as opposed to the prior art.
[0017] The Applicant of the application considers that the size as
well as the outer appearance and design are determined by the size
and pattern of the case body structure instead of the design of a
top surface or a bottom surface of the case body structure.
Therefore, in the present invention, the case body structure is
formed by the case top member, the case bottom member and the
sidewall member that are independent components. During development
and manufacturing, only one-time molds need to be made for the case
top member and the case bottom member and may serve as universal
parts. Thus, when a new product is developed, only the mold for the
sidewall member needs to be manufactured, hence reducing
unnecessary waste and development and manufacturing costs as well
as enhancing market competitiveness.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a structure according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an appearance schematic diagram of a structure
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a front view of a luggage case not provided with a
cover plate according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a wall plate according to
an embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a partial schematic diagram of a case top member
and a sidewall member according to a first embodiment of the
present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a partial schematic diagram of a case top member
and a sidewall member according to a second embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0024] FIG. 7 is a partial schematic diagram of a case top member
and a sidewall member according to a third embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] Details and technical contents of the present invention are
given with the accompanying drawings below.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the present invention
provides a luggage case and a case body structure thereof. The case
body structure 1 includes a case top member 11, a case bottom
member 12 and a sidewall member 13. Each of the case top member 11,
the case bottom member 12 and the sidewall member 13 is an
independent component. That is, the case top member 11, the case
bottom member 12 and the sidewall member 13 are individually
manufactured, and are not a formed integral. Further, each of the
case top member 11 and the case bottom member 12 is a hard
structure, which may be made of a plastic material such as
polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) or polyethylene
terephthalate (PET). The case top member 11 or the case bottom
member 12 may be a formed integral made by machinery processing.
The case top member 11 and the case bottom member 12 may be
corresponding structure designs based on actual requirements to
bear an expect load weight, so as to prevent the case top member 11
or the case bottom member 12 from deformation during a weight
bearing process.
[0027] The sidewall member 13 includes a wall plate 14 and a cover
plate 15. The wall plate 14 in overall appears substantially
U-shaped, as shown in FIG. 4. The wall plate 14 includes a
connecting section 141, two installation sections 142 respectively
integrally extended from two opposite lateral sides of the
connecting section 141 and perpendicular to the connecting section
141, and an installation breach 143 defined and formed by the two
installation sections 142. Further, the wall plate 14 may be
designed with at least one recessed pattern or protruding block
according to esthetic requirements. The cover plate 15 corresponds
to the installation breach 143 and is disposed on the two
installation sections 142, and the cover plate 15 and the wall
plate 14 define a hollow cavity 16 when assembled. Two ends of the
hollow cavity 16 are not shielded and appear as a through formed.
That is, when not assembled to the case top member 11 and the case
bottom member 12, the sidewall member 13 appears as a through form
with two open ends. To assemble the case body structure 1, the case
top member 11 and the case bottom member 12 are respectively
disposed correspondingly to the two open ends of the sidewall
member 13 to enclose the two ends of the sidewall member 13,
thereby completing the case body structure 1 of the present
invention. Further, the cover plate 15 is assembled to the wall
plate 14 by a zipper (not shown), such that the cover plate 15 may
selectively open or close relative to the wall plate 14. When the
cover plate 15 opens relative to the wall plate 14, an object may
be placed into or taken out of the hollow cavity 16.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 4, in the present invention, the width of
the connecting section 141 of the wall plate 14 is greater than the
width of each of the installation sections 142, and the width of
the installation breach 143 is smaller than or equal to the width
of the connecting section 141 but greater than the width of each of
the installation sections 142. For example but not limited to, the
wall plate 14 and the cover plate 15 may be implemented by a hard
plastic material. In one embodiment, the wall plate 14 includes a
support element 144 and a flexible outer layer 145 clad on the
support element 144. The flexible outer layer 145 has an
appropriate flexibility to be appropriate stretched, and is
selected from the group consisting of textile, nylon, leather and
polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Further, the flexible outer layer 145 is
assembled to the case top member 11 and the case bottom member 12,
and a remaining length of the part of the flexible outer layer 145
after the flexible outer layer 145 is assembled to the case top
member 11 and the case bottom member 12 is smaller than the length
of the support element 144. When two ends of the support element
144 are respectively abutted against the case top member 11 and the
case bottom member 12, the case top member 11 and the case bottom
member 12 are spaced by a distance, owing to which the flexible
outer layer 145 is caused be tightened relative to the support
element 144. Further, when the flexible outer layer 145 is
tightened, the case top member 11 and the case bottom member 12,
under the effect of the flexible outer layer 145, are more stably
pressed upon the support element 144, such that better assembly
effects among the components of the case body structure 1 are
achieved.
[0029] In the present invention, since the sidewall member 13 is
not a formed integral with the case top member 11 or the case
bottom member 12, a manufacturer or a consumer may select different
patterns or materials for the sidewall member 13 according to
designs or preferences. Further, with the present invention, a
manufacturer is required to only replace the mold of the sidewall
member 13 when launching a new product, hence innovating a
conventional implementation of replacing an entire set of molds for
a new product when a manufacturer launches the new product.
[0030] In one embodiment, respective ends of the case top member 11
and the case bottom member 12 predetermined to be assembled to the
sidewall member 13 are provided with assembly grooves 111 and 121
for abutting and connecting with the sidewall member 13. The
assembly grooves 111 and 121 may further surround the case top
member 11 or the case bottom member 12. However, in an assembly
process, the sidewall member 13 may be assembled to the case top
member 11 and the case bottom member 12 by aligning with the
assembly grooves 111 and 121. As such, the sidewall member 13 is
substantially positioned to effectively support the case top member
11 and the case bottom member 12.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 5, in the present invention, the fastening
between the case top member 11 or the case bottom member 12 and the
sidewall member 13 may be achieved through a stitching method. As
known from foregoing embodiments, only after the flexible outer
layer 145 is assembled to the case top member 11 and the case
bottom member 12, the sidewall member 13 is then assembled to the
support element 144. The flexible outer layer 145 may be assembled
to the case top member 11 and the case bottom member 12 through
stitching (as shown by the stitching position 20 in FIG. 5), and
the assembly of the support element 144 may then be performed after
the flexible outer layer 145 is completely assembled.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 6, in another embodiment, the wall plate
14 may be implemented by a hard structure, and after the case top
member 11 or the case bottom member 12 is assembled to the sidewall
member 13, an overlapping region of the two components assembled to
each other may be stitched to produce a securing effect. To more
substantially implement stitching, the thickness of the sidewall
member 13 of the present invention is selected to meet an
appropriate support strength and to be within a range that can be
stitched. Further, the stitching position of the case top member 11
or the case bottom member 12 may also be correspondingly designed
to facilitate the implementation of stitching. Further, to optimize
the esthetic appearance after the stitching process, the case body
structure 1 further includes at least two suture shutters 17. Each
of the suture shutters 17 is disposed at a seam 21 of the case top
member 11 and the sidewall member 13 or the case bottom member 12
and the sidewall member 13, and includes a connecting portion 171
being deep into the seam 21 and a shutter portion 172 integrally
extended from the connecting portion 171 and protruding out of the
seam 21. During the implementation of the stitching process, while
the case top member 11 (or the case bottom member 12) is aligned
with the sidewall member 13, the connecting portion 171 of the
suture shutter 17 is correspondingly placed at the seam 21 between
the case top member 11 (or the case bottom member 12) and the
sidewall member 13, such that the shutter portion 172 protrudes
from the seam 21 and is revealed at an outer side of the sidewall
member 13. The case top member 11 (or the case bottom member 12),
the connecting portion 171 of the suture shutter 17 and the
sidewall member 13 are stitched to secure the three through
stitching. Then, the shutter portion 172 is used to cover the
stitched positions to polish the overall appearance of the case
body structure 1. Further, in the present invention, each of the
suture shutters 17 is a formed integral made from a soft plastic
material. Further, the technical solution of implementing the
suture shutters 17 may be applied to the embodiment of the wall
plate 14 including the support element 144 and the flexible outer
layer 145, with associated details shown in FIG. 7.
[0033] Again referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in addition to the
foregoing case body structure 1, the present invention further
discloses a luggage case 9. The luggage case 9 applies the case
body structure 1 disclosed in the abovementioned embodiments, and
further includes a pull handle 3 and a pull handle positioning
module 4. The pull handle 3 is assembled with the case body
structure 1. The pull handle positioning module 4 includes a
support sleeve 41 disposed on the case top member 11, and a
limiting element (not shown) disposed in the support sleeve 41. The
support sleeve 41 may be installed at an outer edge of the case top
member 11 or inside the hollow cavity 16. Further, the case top
member 11 may include an installation opening 113 in communication
with the hollow cavity 16 and allowing the support sleeve 41 to be
correspondingly disposed at an inner edge of the case top member
11. Further, the support sleeve 41 allows the pull handle 3 to be
installed therein, such that the pull handle 3 is capable of
performing a back-and-forth movement relative to the support sleeve
41, i.e., the pull handle 3 is capable of performing drawing and
pulling operations relative to the support sleeve 41. Further,
apart from being disposed in the support sleeve 41, the limiting
element further allows the pull handle 3 to be inserted and
disposed therein, or limits or allows the pull handle 3 to perform
the back-and-forth movement relative to the support sleeve 41. In
addition, the luggage case 9 further includes a plurality of
rollers 5, which are disposed at an outer edge of the case bottom
member 12 and distributed at four corners of the case bottom member
12. Further, the case bottom member 12 includes a plurality of
assembly holes 123 respectively corresponding to the rollers 5 and
respectively assembled to the rollers 5.
[0034] In one embodiment, the pull handle 3 further includes an
outer tube 31 assembled to the case body structure 1, and an inner
tube 32 inserted in the outer tube 31 and capable of stretching and
retracting relative to the outer tube 31. In other words, when the
pull handle 3 is pulled and drawn by a consumer, the inner tube 32
slides relative to the outer tube 31 to protrude out of the outer
tube 31 for the consumer to push or pull. Then, after releasing the
limitation of the limiting element on the pull handle 3, the
consumer may apply a force to push the inner tube 32 towards the
outer tube 31 to retract the inner tube 32 back into the outer tube
31.
* * * * *