Trunks and hand-carried luggage – Supporting devices – Wheeled
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-07-03
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Trunks and hand-carried luggage
Supporting devices
Wheeled
C301S111040, C301S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253891
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel unit for an article of luggage, and, more particularly, to a wheel unit which includes a wheel housing, a wheel support releasably connectable thereto, and a wheel rotatably connected to the wheel support. The wheel support and wheel may be quickly and easily disconnected from the wheel housing to permit replacement of the wheel when damaged.
2. Background Art
It is common for luggage manufacturers to provide articles of luggage with wheel units to facilitate translation of the luggage along the ground. In the event of damage to the wheel unit, it may become necessary to replace only the actual wheel. Often times, however, due to the structure of the luggage article, removal and replacement of the wheel is a complex, tedious, and expensive task, which requires the use of special tools and can involve having to remove the entire wheel unit or dismantle the article of luggage.
Currently, most wheel assemblies used for rolling luggage are integrally attached to the frame or superstructure of the luggage article. Inevitably, some amount of wheel failure occurs, either due to a defect inherent in the wheel itself, misuse, or both. Due to the nature of the attachment of the wheel to the luggage, repair of the problem requires partial disassembly of the luggage article, which may (and usually does) include removing at least a portion of the interior lining to gain access to the back of the wheel housing, removing riveted parts and other time-consuming, costly and unnecessarily destructive steps.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to be able to replace the wheel without removing the entire wheel housing or dismantling or entering the luggage article.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the wheel unit of the present invention includes a wheel housing attached to or integrally formed with a suitcase, which preferably defines an inner wheel well which is at least partially recessed within the article of luggage, a wheel support member defining a corresponding outer wheel well adapted to fit within the inner wheel well, and a wheel and axle suspended on the wheel support.
The wheel support attaches to the wheel housing plate by a screw or other removable fastener passed through the rear wall of the wheel housing and a tongue and slot arrangement defined by the wheel housing and wheel support, respectively. Alternatively, the slot may be defined by the wheel housing and the tongue defined by the wheel support.
If the wheel becomes damaged or otherwise needs replacing, it can be removed by removing the fastener using a simple screwdriver in the case where the fastener is a screw, disengaging the tongue from the slot, removing the wheel support completely from the wheel housing, and either replacing the wheel in the existing wheel support or replacing the wheel support and wheel/axle assembly entirely.
It is, therefore, a principle object of this invention to provide a luggage wheel assembly structure which permits the easy, rapid and efficient replacement of a damaged wheel on an article of luggage.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a wheel assembly for an article of luggage which has enhanced strength yet is easy to repair or replace.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4995487 (1991-02-01), Plath
patent: 5323886 (1994-06-01), Chen
patent: 5499702 (1996-03-01), Wang
patent: 5524737 (1996-06-01), Wang
patent: 5575361 (1996-11-01), Chou
patent: 5590748 (1997-01-01), Chang
patent: 5873145 (1999-02-01), Chou
patent: 5918710 (1999-07-01), Sher
Bellinger Jason R.
Morano S. Joseph
Senterfitt Akerman
Travelpro International, Inc.
LandOfFree
Removable wheel system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Removable wheel system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Removable wheel system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2481762