U.S. patent application number 15/187978 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-21 for rolling suitcase that converts to a luggage cart.
The applicant listed for this patent is Robert M. Hamaty. Invention is credited to Robert M. Hamaty.
Application Number | 20170360165 15/187978 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60660985 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170360165 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hamaty; Robert M. |
December 21, 2017 |
ROLLING SUITCASE THAT CONVERTS TO A LUGGAGE CART
Abstract
A suitcase includes a kit to convert the suitcase to a luggage
cart. A typical rolling suitcase additionally includes at least
three sockets provided in spaced relation in the major bottom wall
of the suitcase base and open to an outside of the suitcase, and at
least three stem casters, each stem caster having a wheel rotatable
in a housing and a stem attached to the housing, the stem being
configured to be removably secured in one of the at least three
sockets. When the at least three stem casters are secured in the at
least three sockets and the bottom wall of the suitcase base is
arranged facing the ground with the wheels of the at least three
stem casters touching the ground, the suitcase is useable as a
luggage cart by piling at least one further suitcase over the
suitcase lid.
Inventors: |
Hamaty; Robert M.; (Grand
Caymen, KY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hamaty; Robert M. |
Grand Caymen |
|
KY |
|
|
Family ID: |
60660985 |
Appl. No.: |
15/187978 |
Filed: |
June 21, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 5/03 20130101; A45C
13/30 20130101; A45C 13/262 20130101; A45C 5/143 20130101; A45C
9/00 20130101; A45C 2009/005 20130101; A45C 2013/306 20130101; A45C
5/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45C 9/00 20060101
A45C009/00; A45C 5/06 20060101 A45C005/06; A45C 5/03 20060101
A45C005/03; A45C 5/14 20060101 A45C005/14; A45C 13/26 20060101
A45C013/26; A45C 13/30 20060101 A45C013/30 |
Claims
1. A suitcase, including a kit to convert the suitcase to a luggage
cart, comprising: a suitcase base having a major bottom wall,
opposing front side and rear side walls and opposing top and bottom
end walls, the major bottom wall, the front side wall, rear side
wall, top end wall and bottom end wall together forming a luggage
compartment; a suitcase lid operably connected to the suitcase
base, the suitcase lid having a closed position closing the luggage
compartment and an open position allowing access to the luggage
compartment in the suitcase base; at least one pair of wheels
extending from the bottom end wall of the suitcase base configured
to allow the suitcase to be rolled in an upright position with the
bottom end parallel to the ground or in a position with the top end
tilted toward the user such that the bottom end is tilted from
parallel; at least three sockets installed in spaced relation in
the major bottom wall of the suitcase base and open to an outside
of the suitcase; and at least three stem casters, each stem caster
having a wheel rotatable in a housing and a stem attached to the
housing, each stem being configured to be removably secured in one
of the at least three sockets, whereby when the at least three stem
casters are secured in the at least three sockets and the bottom
wall of the suitcase base is arranged facing the ground with the
wheels of the at least three stem casters touching the ground, the
suitcase is useable as a luggage cart by piling at least one
further suitcase over the suitcase lid.
2. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, wherein one pair of
wheels is provided extending from the bottom end wall of the
suitcase base, the one pair of wheels configured to allow the
suitcase to be rolled in a position with the top end tilted toward
the user such that the bottom end is tilted from parallel.
3. The suitcase and kit according to claim 2, further comprising a
retractable handle having a retracted position with the handle
being substantially flush with the top end wall and an extended
position with the handle extending away from the top end wall such
that the handle can be used for pulling the suitcase with the top
end tilted toward the user.
4. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, wherein two pairs of
wheels are provided extending from the bottom end wall of the
suitcase base, the two pairs of wheels being configured to allow
the suitcase to be rolled in an upright position with the bottom
end parallel to the ground.
5. The suitcase and kit according to claim 4, further comprising a
retractable handle having a retracted position with the handle
being substantially flush with the top end wall and an extended
position with the handle extending away from the top end wall such
that the handle can be used for pushing or pulling the suitcase in
an upright position with the bottom end parallel to the ground.
6. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, wherein four sockets
are installed adjacent respective four corners of the major bottom
wall of the suitcase base; and four stem casters are provided, each
stem caster having a wheel rotatable in a housing and a stem
attached to the housing, the stem being configured to be removably
secured in one of the four sockets.
7. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, further comprising an
adjustable length strap connectable to the suitcase for securing
the at least one further suitcase over the suitcase lid.
8. The suitcase and kit according to claim 7, further comprising a
pocket provided on the suitcase external to the luggage compartment
for storing the adjustable length strap.
9. The suitcase and kit according to claim 7, further comprising
connectors attached to opposing sides of the suitcase configured to
connect to ends of the adjustable length strap.
10. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, further comprising a
pocket for storing the at least three stem casters.
11. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, further comprising a
flexible strap connectable to at least one of the top end and the
bottom end of the suitcase configured to be used to pull the
suitcase when it is being used as a luggage cart.
12. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, further comprising
at least one reinforcement piece installed inside the major bottom
wall of the suitcase, wherein the at least three sockets are
received in and supported by the at least one reinforcement
piece.
13. The suitcase and kit according to claim 1, wherein the opposing
front side and rear side walls and opposing top and bottom end
walls are reinforced to support further suitcases stacked on top of
the suitcase lid.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
[0001] Robert Plath, an airline pilot, is generally credited with
inventing the modern style rolling suitcase. Plath is the inventor
of U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,487, which discloses a luggage assembly
comprising a suitcase having integrally connected thereto a
laterally extendable handle at its upper end and a wheel assembly
(usually a pair of wheels) at its lower end. To effect transport,
the handle is moved from a lowered, compact, position to a raised
position and the suitcase is tilted from an upright standing
position to a canted position in which it is supported solely by
its wheels and rolled by pulling said handle. An attachment allows
for additional luggage items to be carried by the assembly and
transported in a fully balanced manner. This type of rolling
suitcase is sold, e.g., under the trademark Rollaboard.RTM. by
Travelpro International, Inc.
[0002] In a variation of this concept, so-called "spinner"
suitcases include four wheels at the lower (usually smaller) end.
Spinner suitcases are designed for the four wheels to remain level,
in contact with the ground or floor and be free spinning, not to be
tilted and rolled like two wheeled rolling suitcases.
[0003] Rolling luggage is convenient if one is using only a single
suitcase or one rolling suitcase and a smaller bag, e.g., a laptop
case, that can be carried on top of and attached to the rolling
suitcase. However, rolling suitcases become inconvenient when one
is traveling with two or more larger suitcases.
[0004] Various proposals have been made for combination rolling
carts and suitcases. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,656 discloses
combination rolling cart and suitcase that includes a base
suitcase, an external support frame, a plurality of steel
stabilizers, a plurality of permanent adjustable straps and
plurality of attachment points where the attachment points receive
and removably couple the permanent adjustable straps to secure one
or more suitcases across a top portion of the combination rolling
cart and suitcase. The combination rolling cart and suitcase also
includes a pair of telescoping handles, a telescoping stem, a
releasable handle lock, a plurality of omnidirectional casters and
a lid releasably fastened to the base suitcase.
[0005] In the various combination rolling cart and suitcase
proposals, three or four wheels are installed on the large bottom
face of the suitcase. However, having the three or four wheels
exposed on the bottom face of the suitcase poses problems for
stacking the suitcases in modern airline cargo holds. Therefore, a
number of such proposals have complicated arrangements for
retracting some or all of the wheels within the bottom face of the
suitcase. These disadvantages are likely why such proposals have
not been commercially popular.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0006] It is therefore still desirable to have a modern style
rolling suitcase, either of the two-wheeled tilt and rolling type
or of the four wheeled spinner type, which can easily be converted
into a suitcase cart, but does not have the disadvantage of having
permanently installed wheels on its bottom face and/or have the
disadvantage of a complicated wheel retraction mechanism.
[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a suitcase
including a kit to convert the suitcase to a luggage cart. The
suitcase includes a suitcase base having a major bottom wall,
opposing front side and rear side walls and opposing top and bottom
end walls, the major bottom wall, the front side wall, rear side
wall, top end wall and bottom end wall together forming a luggage
compartment. A suitcase lid is operably connected to the suitcase
base, the suitcase lid having a closed position closing the luggage
compartment and an open position allowing access to the luggage
compartment in the suitcase base. At least one pair of wheels
extends from the bottom end wall of the suitcase base configured to
allow the suitcase to be rolled in an upright position with the
bottom end parallel to the ground or in a position with the top end
tilted toward the user such that the bottom end is tilted from
parallel. At least three sockets are installed in spaced relation
in the major bottom wall of the suitcase base and open to an
outside of the suitcase and at least three stem casters are also
provided, each stem caster having a wheel rotatable in a housing
and a stem attached to the housing, each stem being configured to
be removably secured in one of the at least three sockets. When the
at least three stem casters are secured in the at least three
sockets and the bottom wall of the suitcase base is arranged facing
the ground with the wheels of the at least three stem casters
touching the ground, the suitcase is useable as a luggage cart by
piling at least one further suitcase over the suitcase lid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away perspective view of one
embodiment of the suitcase and kit of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is another partially cut-away perspective view of one
embodiment of the suitcase and kit of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a plan view of one embodiment of the suitcase of
the present invention showing the major bottom wall.
[0011] FIG. 4A is side and partial cross-sectional view of one
embodiment of a socket and caster of the present invention in the
assembled position; FIG. 4B is side and partial cross-sectional
view of one embodiment of a socket and caster of the present
invention in the unassembled position.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the suitcase
and kit of the present invention in use.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the
suitcase and kit of the present invention in use.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an adjustable length
strap to be connected to a connector attached to one side of the
suitcase.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a partially cut-away top plan view of an inside of
the luggage compartment of one embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0016] The present invention provides a suitcase including a kit to
convert the suitcase to a luggage cart. The suitcase includes a
suitcase base having a major bottom wall, opposing front side and
rear side walls and opposing top and bottom end walls, the major
bottom wall, the front side wall, rear side wall, top end wall and
bottom end wall together forming a luggage compartment. A suitcase
lid is operably connected to the suitcase base, the suitcase lid
having a closed position closing the luggage compartment and an
open position allowing access to the luggage compartment in the
suitcase base. At least one pair of wheels extends from the bottom
end wall of the suitcase base configured to allow the suitcase to
be rolled in an upright position with the bottom end parallel to
the ground or in a position with the top end tilted toward the user
such that the bottom end is tilted from parallel. Thus, with one
pair of wheels extending from the bottom end wall of the suitcase
base, the suitcase, when not being used as a luggage cart, is still
operational in its basically upright position as a two-wheeled tilt
and rolling type suitcase. Similarly, with two pair of spinner-type
wheels extending from the bottom end wall of the suitcase base, the
suitcase, when not being used as a luggage cart, is still
operational in its upright position as a the four wheeled spinner
type suitcase.
[0017] At least three (preferably four) sockets are installed in
spaced relation in the major bottom wall of the suitcase base and
open to an outside of the suitcase and at least three (preferably
four) stem casters are also provided, each stem caster having a
wheel rotatable in a housing and a stem attached to the housing,
each stem being configured to be removably secured in one of the at
least three sockets. When the at least three (preferably four) stem
casters are secured in the at least three (preferably four) sockets
and the bottom wall of the suitcase base is arranged facing the
ground with the wheels of the at least three stem (preferably four)
casters touching the ground, the suitcase is useable as a luggage
cart by piling at least one further suitcase over the suitcase
lid.
[0018] FIGS. 1 and 2 are partially cut-away perspective views of
one embodiment of the suitcase and kit of the present invention
(showing opposite sides of the suitcase) and FIG. 3 is a plan view
of one embodiment of the suitcase of the present invention showing
the major bottom wall. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, The suitcase 10 in
this embodiment includes a suitcase base having a major bottom wall
12, opposing front side wall 14 and rear side wall 16 and opposing
top end wall 18 and bottom end wall 20, the major bottom wall 12,
the front side wall 14, rear side wall 16, top end wall 18 and
bottom end wall 20 together forming a luggage compartment 22 (see
FIG. 8). A suitcase lid 24 is operably connected to the suitcase
base, the suitcase lid 24 having a closed position (e.g., by means
of a zipper 26) closing the luggage compartment 22 and an open
position (not shown) allowing access to the luggage compartment 22
in the suitcase base. The suitcase 10 in this embodiment is an
improved two-wheeled tilt and rolling type suitcase. That is, the
suitcase 10 has one pair of wheels 28 extending from the bottom end
wall of the suitcase base, the suitcase 10, when not being used as
a luggage cart, is still operational in its basically upright
position as a two-wheeled tilt and rolling type suitcase.
[0019] In the embodiment shown, the suitcase 10 includes a
retractable handle 30 as is known in the art having a retracted
position with the handle being substantially flush with the top end
wall as shown in the figures and an extended position with the
handle extending away from the top end wall such that the handle
can be used for pulling the suitcase with the top end tilted toward
the user as is known in the art. An example of a suitcase having a
handle 30' in an extended position with the handle extending away
from the top end wall, as is known in the art, is shown for example
in connection with the top suitcase in FIG. 5.
[0020] In another embodiment, as shown in connection with the
suitcase 10' shown in FIG. 6, two pair of spinner-type wheels 28'
extend from the bottom end wall 20 of the suitcase base. In this
embodiment, the suitcase 10', when not being used as a luggage
cart, is still operational in its upright position as a four
wheeled spinner type suitcase as is known in the art.
[0021] The suitcase 10 may also have one or more fixed handles 32
on its top end wall 18 or 32' on its front side wall 14 (see, e.g.,
FIG. 2).
[0022] The suitcase 10 or 10' of the present invention is modified
and improved from, respectively, a typical two-wheeled tilt and
rolling type suitcase or a four wheeled spinner type suitcase. As
most clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the suitcase 10 includes at
least three (preferably four as shown in this embodiment) sockets
34 installed in spaced relation (adjacent the four corners in the
embodiment shown) in the major bottom wall 12 of the suitcase base
and open to an outside of the suitcase 10. At least three
(preferably four in this embodiment) stem casters 36 are also
provided. The stem casters 36 can be stored in any convenient
location when not in use, including but not limited to in the
suitcase 10 itself or in, e.g., a pocket 38 shown in cut-away view
in the lid 24. As more clearly shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, each stem
caster 36 has a wheel 40 rotatable in a housing 42 and a stem 44
attached to the housing 42, each stem 44 being configured to be
removably secured in one of the at least three (preferably four)
sockets 34 as is known in the caster and housing art. For example
and without limitation, as is known in the caster and housing art,
the caster stem 44 can be removably secured in the socket 34 of the
socket mount by use of an expanding adapter, a friction ring, a
grip neck or by being threaded in the socket 34.
[0023] When the at least three (preferably four) stem casters 36
are secured in the at least three (preferably four) sockets 34 and
the bottom wall of the suitcase base is arranged facing the ground
4 with the wheels 40 of the at least three stem (preferably four)
casters 36 touching the ground, the suitcase is useable as a
luggage cart by piling at least one further suitcase 1, 2, 3 over
the suitcase lid 24 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The further
suitcases may be any type of suitcase, i.e., possibly, but not
necessarily a suitcase of the present invention. One, two, three or
four, by way of example, further suitcases may be stacked on the
suitcase 10 or 10' of the present invention in its position as a
luggage cart.
[0024] An adjustable length strap 46 may be provided to secure the
further suitcases 1, 2, 3 over the suitcase lid 24 of the suitcase
of the present invention. The strap 46 can be made of any material
having sufficient strength to secure the further suitcases and can
be a bungee-type strap or a canvas-type strap, the length of which
can be adjusted with adjustment clips 48 as shown in the figures.
When not in use, the strap 46 can be stored in the suitcase 10,
e.g., in a pocket 50 provided on the suitcase 10 external to the
luggage compartment. In the embodiment shown, the suitcase includes
connectors 52 attached to opposing sides of the suitcase configured
to connect, e.g., by male and female clips, to ends of the
adjustable length strap 46.
[0025] In one embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a flexible strap 54 may
be provided and may be connectable to at least one of the top end
and the bottom end of the suitcase e.g., to ring 56. The flexible
strap 54 is configured to be used to pull the suitcase 10 or 10'
when it is being used as a luggage cart.
[0026] It is also possible to use the handle, e.g., a retractable
handle 30' of one of the further suitcases 1, 2, 3, as shown in
FIG. 5, to push or pull the stacked suitcases.
[0027] The bottom 12 of the suitcase is strengthened to receive the
sockets 34 and casters 36 and to support the further suitcase(s) 1,
2, 3 that will be stacked on the suitcase 10 or 10' in the luggage
cart position. For example, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 8,
which is a partially cut-away top plan view of an inside of the
luggage compartment 22 of the present invention, two rigid or
semi-rigid reinforcement pieces 58, 60 can be installed to receive
and support the sockets 34. Different size casters and sockets may
be used and, if desired, the opposing front side and rear side
walls and opposing top and bottom end walls may be strengthened to
support heavier stacked further suitcases.
[0028] The number of suitcases that can be stacked on the suitcase
of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the
suitcase of the present invention is strengthened as noted above to
support heavier stacked further suitcases. In the embodiments shown
in FIGS. 5 and 6, three additional suitcases are shown stacked on
the suitcase of the present invention. With three suitcases stacked
on the suitcase of the present invention, one can still see over
the top of the stack if pushing the suitcases. Of course, more
suitcases can be stacked on the suitcase of the present invention,
especially if pulling the suitcases, and of course less than three
additional suitcases, i.e., one or two could also be stacked on the
suitcase of the present invention.
[0029] Thus, the suitcase of the present invention, when not being
used as a luggage cart, is still operational in its basically
upright position as a two-wheeled tilt and rolling type suitcase or
a four-wheeled spinner type suitcase. However, by including a kit
comprising at least three casters, the suitcase of the present
invention can be converted to a luggage cart. The kit may but does
not necessarily also include an adjustable strap for securing
further suitcases on the suitcase of the present invention in its
luggage cart position and/or a flexible strap connectable to at
least one of the top end and the bottom end of the suitcase and
configured to be used to pull the suitcase when it is being used as
a luggage cart.
* * * * *