Suitcase Having A Cooperating Wheel And Handle Assembly

Abstract

A suitcase adapted to be moved manually by a cooperating wheel and handle assembly; is provided with a pair of wheels on one angular corner of the lower base of the suitcase and a handle grip pivotally mounted on an upper corner of the suitcase diagonally opposite to the positions of the wheels. The grip is arranged so as to protrude outwardly with an upward inclination from the upper corner in an operative position when one side of the suitcase is lifted and thereby tilted to allow the wheels to contact the ground for travel thereon. In order not to distract from having the appearance of a conventional suitcase, a mechanism is provided for foldably storing the grip in the side wall of the suitcase.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

a. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a suitcase, particularly to a large size suitcase that is provided with a cooperating wheel and handle grip assemble. For maintaining the inherent appearance and function of a conventional suitcase, a pair of wheels are provided only at the lower angular corner portion of the suitcase, and a cooperating handle grip is protrudely provided on the upper angular corner diagonally opposite to the position of the wheels whereby the handle grip facilitates the operating manipulation of the suitcase when the suitcase is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane and the wheels contact the ground for travel thereon. The grip is provided with a mechanism that permits folding and storing the grip within the housing of the suitcase.

B. Description of the Invention

There have been various types of suitcases commercially available some of which are provided with small wheels and a handle for implementing the motion to the wheeled suitcase. However, such small wheel devices usually have only one wheel and such a one wheel device provides instability to a suitcase in motion. Some prior art suitcases are provided with two or four wheels, but without exception these wheels protrude from the outer surface of the suitcase and therefore such arrangements spoil the exterior appearance of a suitcase. Furthermore, the prior art handle for a manually movable wheeled suitcase is generally constructed as a separate handle unit identical or similar to the ordinary handle. Such a handle unit is insufficient functionally for implementing the motion to a suitcase. Therefore, not only is the position of the prior art handle arrangement improper but also the provision of two identical handles on one suitcase at separate locations obviously distracts from having the appearance of a conventional suitcase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a suitcase having a cooperating wheel and handle assemble. Heretofore, when a suitcase particularly a large size suitcase was to be manually carried, a large amount of labor was required, but the carrying of the suitcase is made simpler and easier by the utilization of a suitcase with wheels.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the self-propelled motion to the suitcase by providing means for grounding the angular corner of the base of the suitcase diagonally opposite to the wheels.

This means include the provision of mounting wheels only at one angular corner of the base of the suitcase and having such wheels inoperative when the suitcase is erect in a normal supporting position on the ground. The wheels are supported embedded in recesses in the housing of the suitcase and therefore do not distract from having the appearance of a conventional suitcase. By utilizing only two wheels at one corner, the number of wheels constitutes an effective minimum.

The cooperating wheel and handle assembly of the present invention makes the self-propelled motion of the suitcase extremely easy from the standpoint of function by providing the wheels only at one angular corner of the base of the suitcase and by providing the handle grip with an upward inclination from the angular corner of the upper end of the suitcase diagonally opposite to the wheels so as to protrude from the suitcase in the longitudinal direction. Thereby the suitcase can be manually moved by lifting and thus tilting one end of the suitcase by the handle grip and by having the wheels contact the ground for travel thereon.

A further object of the present invention is to stabilize the manual moving of the suitcase by providing two wheels at only one angular corner of the suitcase.

A still further object of the present invention is to prevent the handle grip from becoming an obstruction to the inherent use of the suitcase and to preserve the exterior appearance of the suitcase by providing a mechanism that permits folding and storing the handle grip within the suitcase.

In essence, the present invention relates to a suitcase that comprises a housing having top, bottom, side and end walls, the housing having opposed concave sections defining a compartment therein, the housing fixedly secured along the bottom wall thereof for pivotal movement and removably secured along the top wall thereof; a pair of recesses formed within the housing along the juncture of the bottom wall and one of the end walls; a pair of parallel arranged wheels respectively mounted within the pair of recesses to form a pair of corners having arcuate configurations on the housing, the wheels adapted to provide manual moving of the suitcase when said suitcase is tilted whereby said wheels contact the ground for travel thereon; and a handle grip means having a L-shaped configuration mounted on the peripheral edges of the concave sections along the juncture of the top wall and one of the end walls, the juncture being positioned diagonally opposite to the first-mentioned juncture, the L-shaped handle grip means being pivotally mounted on the top wall and having means for selectively placing the grip means in an open operative position and a closed storage position, the L-shaped handle grip means in the open operative position providing a handle and lever means for facilitating the manual moving of the suitcase, the L-shaped handle grip means in the closed storage position together with the mentioned top wall one of the end walls forming a corner having an arcuate configuration on the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the suitcase according to the present invention and is provided with a wheel and handle grip assembly, illustrating by a chain line the position of the grip in an open operative position;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line II -- II of FIG. 1 showing the caster units;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an essential part of the grip showing the grip foldably stored in a side wall of the suitcase;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an essential part of the grip showing the grip protruding outwardly in an open operative position;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line V -- V of FIG. 3; and FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along a line VI -- VI of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The suitcase of the present invention is indicated by the letter S throughout the drawings. The suitcase S comprises a pair of caster units C that are mounted only at the angular corners of one end of the lower part or base of the suitcase, and a handle grip G that is provided at one angular corner of the upper part of the suitcase and that is diagonally opposite to the position of the caster units C. The respective positions of the grip G and caster units C facilitate the manual moving of the suitcase.

The suitcase S, as shown in FIG. 1, is of a conventional structural type. The suitcase S includes a main body 1 and a cooperating lid 2 each having opposed concave sections. The body 1 and lid 2 are coupled by means of hinges (not shown in the drawing) and together define a compartment therein. The lid 2 is closed on the body 1 and is locked by a suitable lock (not shown in the drawing). The inner peripheral edges of both the body 1 and the lid 2 are fitted with reinforcing metal strips 3, 4 respectively. A conventional handle 5 for use in the carrying of the suitcase S is provided on the central portion of the upper side wall 6 of the body 1.

The caster units C are mounted only on the angular corners of one end of the lower portion of the suitcase S in order to prevent the self-travelling the suitcase S as shown in FIG. 1. The caster units C include two parallel arranged wheels 7, 7' as shown in FIG. 2. The wheels 7, 7' are provided with axle members 8, 8', respectively, for support thereof. Each of the wheels is positioned within a recess or concave portion 9 that is formed on the body 1 and the lid 2 respectively. Axle members 8, 8' are secured by rivets or screws in their respective positions on body 1 and lid 2. The embedding of the wheels 7, 7' in their respective recesses 9 and the formation of arcuate corners on the housing by the wheels themselves provide an exterior appearance of the suitcase which is similar to that of a conventional one.

The grip G is provided on the angular corner of the upper part of the right side of the suitcase S as shown in FIG. 1. And the grip G is structurally mounted on the side of the body 1. The grip G is constructed as a U-shaped channel lever-type member, and its outwardly extending tip is bent along the angular portion of the suitcase S to form a L-shaped member S. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a metal fixture 10 is rigidly secured by rivets or screws a small distance from the upper corner of the right side of body 1. The pivotal end of the grip G is supported on the metal fixture 10 by means of the pin 11 so as to be rotatably mounted as shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a guide plate 13 is fixed to the right side wall 12 of the body 1. This guide plate 13 is formed as of an elongate member having a predetermined thickness. An elongated aperture or hole 14 starting from the one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction is cut on the side wall of the elongate plate. A supporting arm lever 15, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, is journaled at the position 16 slightly lower than the curved portion of the grip G at its one end, and the other end is coupled to the guide plate 13 by means of a shaft 17 inserted slidably in the hole 14 of the guide plate 13. The supporting arm lever 15 is formed of a U-shaped channel member similar to the grip G. When the grip G is folded and stored in the right side wall 12 of the body 1, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the U-shaped channel supporting arm lever 15 fits within the guide plate 13, and at the same time the U-shaped channel lever of the grip G fits within the supporting arm lever 15 to form a compact unit in the closed storage position in the side wall of the housing.

Also, the supporting arm lever 15 is positioned at an upper position in the hole 14 of the guide plate 13 by means of the shaft 17 at its lower end and when the grip G is assembled, the grip G, as shown in FIG. 4 is provided so as to be protruded with little downward inclination in the longitudinal direction from the upper right corner of the suicase S.

When a person finds it difficult to carry the suitcase, according to the embodiment of the present invention, that is fully loaded with articles, he pulls the grip G outwardly towards the direction marked by an arrow as shown in FIG. 3. Then as he lifts the grip G upwardly the supporting arm lever 15 is extended as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 1 (namely, the shaft 17 reaches the upper position of the hole 14 of the guide plate 13). Thus, by the lifting of the one side of the suitcase S the wheels 7, 7' are grounded. He can carry the suitcase S by moving it with the wheels 7, 7' with a pushing or pulling operation of the grip G in its use as a handle member. Thereby one going on a journey can carry the suitcase S with extreme ease and reduce the exhaustion of the physical strength.

Also, when the grip G is not to be used, the shaft 17 provided at the lower end of the supporting arm lever 15 is slidably shifted to the lower part of the hole 14 of the guide plate 13, and the supporting arm lever 15 is fitted and overlapped in the guide plate 13. Then the grip G fits within the supporting arm lever 15 so as to be folded whereby the grip G is stored in a substantially compact condition in the side wall 12 of the body 1. Thereafter the suitcase may be lifted and carried as an ordinary suitcase using the conventional-type handle 5 thereon.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A suitcase comprising in combination:

a housing having top, bottom, side and end walls, said housing having opposed concave sections defining a compartment therein, said housing fixedly secured along the bottom wall thereof for pivotal movement and removable secured along the top wall thereof;

a pair of recesses formed within said housing along the juncture of said bottom wall and one of said end walls;

a pair of parallel arranged wheels mounted and embedded, respectively, within said pair of recesses to form a pair of corners having arcuate configurations on said housing, said wheels adapted to provide manual moving of said suitcase when said suitcase is tilted whereby said wheels contact the ground for travel thereon; and

a handle grip means having a L-shaped configuration mounted on the peripheral edges of said concave sections along the juncture of said top wall and one of said end walls, said juncture being positioned diagonally opposite to said first-mentioned juncture, one end of said L-shaped handle grip means being pivotally mounted on said top wall and having means for selectively placing said grip means in an open operative position and a closed storage position, said means for selectively placing said grip means in open or closed position including a supporting lever arm pivotally connected at one end thereof to said L-shaped means intermediate the ends of said L-shaped means, a slotted plate mounted on said one of said end walls for slidably receiving the other end of said lever arm whereby said lever arm slides and moves the L-shaped handle grip means between operative and storage positions, said L-shaped handle grip means in said open operative position providing a handle and lever means for facilitating the manual moving of said wheeled suitcase, said L-shaped handle grip means in said closed storage position together with said mentioned top wall and one of said end walls forming a corner having an arcuate configuration on said housing.

2. A suitcase according to claim 1, wherein each of said wheels is supported on said housing by an axle member.

3. A suitcase according to claim 1, wherein said means for selectively placing said grip means in an open operative position and a closed storage position includes a housing mechanism having a said plate formed with an elongated aperture means.

4. A suitcase according to claim 3, wherein said grip means and said supporting arm are U-shaped channel members whereby said grip means, said supporting arm lever and said guide plate in said closed storage position fit together as a compact unit within said mentioned side wall.