Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Handle – handle component – or handle adjunct – Luggage-type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-28
2001-11-20
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Handle, handle component, or handle adjunct
Luggage-type
C016S113100, C016S406000, C016S411000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317924
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of ergonometrically designed detachable handles for wheeled containers, luggage and the like, where such handles are selectively rotatable by the user to a preferred comfort position which places minimal tension and rotative stress on the joints of the wrist, elbow and shoulder. The handle is designed to also provide an auxiliary lifting means for luggage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Luggage of the type which is designed primarily to be rolled either beside or behind the traveller presently has several inherent faults. Large luggage pieces must be rolled either by griping a flexible strap and pulling the pieces along behind or by gripping the conventional lifting handle and pushing the suitcase along at ones' side. More compact luggage pieces require the user to grip a rigid extendible handle attached to the suitcase and either pull or push the luggage. In the foregoing examples the traveller has no means of repositioning the gripping arm to realign the wrist, elbow and shoulder and to thereby relieve muscular or joint discomfort.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary handle which can be readily attached to a handle on rolling type transportable containers such as wheeled golf bag carriers or suitcases or the like which will permit ready selective rotation of the handle so as to reposition an arm of a user relative to the fixed handle of the container to achieve the most advantageous and comfortable position for transport of the container and thereby avoid the pain associated with joint and muscular stress. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a handle which once selectively positioned as desired by the user, will retain the position until selectively repositioned by the user.
In the prior art, applicant is specifically aware of U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,118 which issued Mar. 3, 1998 to Hansen et al for a Handle Conversion Apparatus. Hansen teaches converting the pre-existing handle of a wheeled object such as a suitcase by attaching to the handle of the suitcase a hand grip. The hand grip is rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to a grip member of the suitcase handle. What is neither taught nor suggested, and which it is an object of the present invention to provide, is a means for releasably locking such a grip into a rotational position about that axis which is comfortable and ergonomically beneficial to a user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The selectively rotatable handle of the present invention for wheeled luggage and the like includes a grip for gripping by a user. The grip comprises a shank of circular or elliptical cross section having at a first end thereof a cantilevered handle and at a second end thereof a butt. The butt generally extends at right angles to the handle and is spaced therefrom by an integrally formed intermediate curved portion of the shank. A longitudinal axis extending through the butt generally bisects the handle at a right angle.
The grip further includes a base for attaching the grip to luggage. In one embodiment the base is rigidly mounted to the luggage. In a further embodiment the base is releasably mountable onto the luggage, for example, to the luggage handle. The base may comprise an elongated grapple which may be releasably positioned over the luggage handle.
The base may have formed thereon an upper housing. The upper housing may have an annular collar defining a first cylindrical passage aligned with the longitudinal axis of the butt when the butt is mounted in the housing. Elongated shoulders of the base extend at right angles to the butt. A correspondingly elongated grapple arm depends therefrom along the full length of the shoulders and upper housing. In one preferred embodiment, the grapple arm and shoulders form, in cross section, a “C”-shape, the lower portion of the arm forming an upturned hook. A handle of a suitcase or the like may be releasably snugly mated within the “C”-shaped elongated grapple.
The first cylindrical passage is sized to accept the end of the butt journalled therein. A lower second cylindrical passage of larger diameter than the first cylindrical passage is formed adjacent and coaxial with the first cylindrical passage. A flared or enlarged end of the butt, or a swivel piece mounted to the butt, is journalled in the second cylindrical passage. The end of the butt or swivel has a first radial array of corrugations or teeth formed thereon. The corrugations or teeth extend radially outwardly from, in radially spaced array around, the longitudinal axis of the first and second cylindrical passages.
The first radial array of corrugations or teeth are in opposed facing mating relation to a second radial array of corrugations or teeth on an annular inner face on the shoulder between the first and second cylindrical passages.
An annular groove is formed in the wall around the second cylindrical passage and is spaced from the second radial array of corrugations or teeth. The groove is sized to accept a rigid planar end disk in mating engagement therein so as to form a rigid wall across the end of the second cylindrical passage. Resilient biasing means, for example, in the form of a resilient clover-leaf spring, coil spring or the like, is sandwiched between the end of the butt or swivel journalled in the second cylindrical passage and the end disk. The resilient biasing means urges the first and second arrays of corrugations or teeth against one another.
When the handle is tensioned, as by pulling of the luggage, the teeth or corrugations are interlockingly mated so as to resist rotation of the grip about the longitudinal axis of the first and second cylindrical passages. Pushing the grip against the return biasing force of the biasing means disengages the mating of the first and second radial arrays of corrugations or teeth allowing rotation of the grip.
Since the grip portion is bisected by the longitudinal axis of the butt, which is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the first and second cylindrical passages, the selectively rotatable handle may, firstly, be depressed against the biasing means to disengage the meshing corrugations or teeth with only minimal force and then, secondly, be selectively repositioned by rotation to a more ergonomically advantageous position relative to the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints of the user during use of the grip.
In summary, the selectively rotatable handle of the present invention comprises a grip and a base. The grip has a handle end and an opposite base end. The base is mountable to a piece of luggage. The base end is rotatably mounted to the base. By reference to “mountable”, it is intended this include that the base may be incorporated as part of the piece of luggage, e.g. suitcase or any other container, or may be detachable from the piece of luggage.
A first interlocking means on the base releasably engages a second interlocking means on the base end. The first and second interlocking means are in opposed facing relation. The first and second interlocking means are urged into interlocking engagement by a resilient biasing means.
Advantageously, the first and second interlocking means are opposed facing radially spaced first and second arrays of teeth radially spaced around a first axis generally perpendicular to the handle end. Further, the base may comprise a hollow housing, the base end swivel-mounted in the hollow housing so as to be rotatable about, and translatable along, the first axis. In this embodiment the first array of teeth are mounted to an inner surface of the housing and the second array of teeth are mounted to the base end.
The resilient biasing means, which may be a spring, is mounted within the housing so as to resiliently urge the base end along the first axis in a first direction so as to mesh the first and second arrays of teeth together. In one embodiment, the resilient biasing means may be mounted sandwiched in between the base end and an interior floor surface of the hollow housing.
In one aspect of the present invention
Edwards Antony C.
Knight Anthony
Williams Mark
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