Trunks and hand-carried luggage – Supporting devices – Wheeled
Patent
1997-01-10
1999-07-20
Garbe, Stephen P.
Trunks and hand-carried luggage
Supporting devices
Wheeled
190109, 190115, 190121, A45C 514, A45C 1330
Patent
active
059245336
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to luggage cases and is particularly concerned with luggage cases moulded from plastics material.
A conventional luggage case of plastics material comprises two shells, each having a peripheral side wall, the side walls forming the front, back and end walls of the case. The two shells are hinged together at the back walls and have latches for releasably fastening the edges of the cases together when the case is closed.
Usually, such cases have a protruding lip running around the edge of each shell at the place where the shells meet to provide stiffness to the otherwise flexible shell. A metal frame may be included around part or all of the frame to provide additional stiffness.
In many designs of case, the projecting lip also provides the means for gripping the lid of the case to open the case when the shells are released. The need to provide a lip for this purpose places a constraint on the designer of luggage cases.
According to the present invention in a first aspect, a luggage case comprising a base shell and a lid shell, each shell having a peripheral side wall, the side walls forming the front, back and end walls of the case, the two shells being hinged together at the back wall and having at least one latch for releasably fastening the shells together when the case is closed, at least a portion the latch being mounted on the lid shell and being arranged to project away from the peripheral side wall when the latch is released so as to provide means for gripping and raising the lid shell to open the case.
With this arrangement, it is no longer necessary to provide the lid shell with a projecting lip for gripping when opening the case. In a preferred construction of the case, the edge of the lid shell fits into a channel in the edge of the base shell. This enables a case with a rounded contour to be constructed.
Preferably the latches are of a toggle construction designed to pull the two shells together as they are closed. Preferably the latches fit into a recess in the peripheral wall of the shell so as not to project substantially when fastened.
Two latches may be mounted on the end walls of the case near the front of the case. Two such latches may be provided, one at each end. With this arrangement the latches are easy to grip for opening the case.
The present invention is also concerned with the problem of handling heavy cases. It is know to provide cases with wheels or castors for transporting the case when heavily filled. In one construction a pair of wheels is located at the corner of the case between the back wall and one of the end walls. Such cases are intended to be tilted at an angle to run on the wheels and a steering handle may be provided near the front of the opposite end wall. Another type of case has four castors on the back wall of the case. The case rests on the castors with the front wall uppermost and is pulled along on the ground by a strap or handle.
According to the present invention, a luggage case comprising a base shell and a lid shell, each shell having a peripheral side wall, the side walls forming the front, back and end walls of the case, a carrying handle on the front wall of the case, the case having two coaxial wheels mounted at the corner of the case between the back wall and one of the end walls and two castors mounted on the back wall, and including at least one additional handle for pulling the case on the wheels and the castors, or for steering the case when tilted onto the two wheels. With this arrangement of case the traveller can wheel the case either on two wheels or four according to preference and to suit the circumstance.
The case may include a steering handle at or near the corner of the case diagonally opposite the wheels. In addition or alternatively, it may include a pulling handle in the same region.
Cases of known construction are usually joined together at their back walls by a single hinge pin which passes through holes in hinge knuckles. Thieves have found it possible to gain access to such cases even when locked by p
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Cnockaert Dirk
Ferris Ian
Van Hoye Willy
Garbe Stephen P.
O'Connor Gregory W.
Samsonite Corporation
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