Trunks and hand-carried luggage – Supporting devices – Wheeled
Patent
1991-10-15
1994-09-06
Weaver, Sue A.
Trunks and hand-carried luggage
Supporting devices
Wheeled
190115, 280 37, 280 4726, 188 5, A45C 514, A45C 1322, B62B 504, B62B 3302
Patent
active
053439880
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a national phase of PCT/EP91/00152 filed Jan. 26, 1991 and based, in turn, upon German national application G 90 00 882.0 filed Jan 26, 1990 under the International Convention.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a suitcase or a similar container according to the introductory part of claim 1.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Suitcases or similar containers are known which have more than two wheels, rollers or the like, by means of which they can be drawn over a support surface with only little effort. Traditionally, such suitcases or containers are provided with a guide handle, so that they can be easily handled while moving and also afford a comfortable point of application for the hand of the user.
In such suitcases or similar containers, the wheels are supported freely movable on the corresponding bottom side of the suitcase. Therefore, these suitcases can start rolling by themselves in an undesired manner, whenever they are deposited on an inclined surface, e.g. an inclined conveyor belt. During such motion, the suitcase can reach speeds which at an impact or the like can result in damage to the suitcase itself, its contents, or to other pieces of luggage or equipment; under particularly unfavorable circumstances such impact can lead to personal injury.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to provide a suitcase or a similar container which eliminates the danger of the above-described damages or injuries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, this object is attained by providing blocking means which are capable of blocking at least one roller, wheel or the like of the suitcase or container. Due to the blocking means proposed by the invention, which act like a quasibraking device, unintended motions of the suitcase or similar container can be reliably prevented.
The blocking of the wheels of the suitcase or similar container can be achieved safely and inexpensively when the blocking means has a pin which can engage at least one roller, wheel or the like for the purpose of blocking it. The roller, wheel or the like can have a recess formed thereon, the pin being slidable into this recess.
Advantageously, the blocking of the wheels is combined with the actuation of the handle mechanism used for guiding the suitcase, so that the suitcase is released only when the handle is set by the user into its operational position. As long as the handle mechanism is in its rest position, the wheels are reliably blocked. In this embodiment, any additional handling for the actuation of the blocking means is eliminated. This is achieved by connecting the handle via a coupling device with the blocking means so that in the rest position of the handle the blocking means blocks at least one roller, wheel or the like and in the operational position of the handle releases the roller, wheel or the like.
The coupling device can have a slider and an element, whereby during resetting of the handle from its rest into its operational position, the slider via the element resets the blocking means for the release of the roller, wheel or the like.
The connection between the handle mechanism and the blocking means is thus achieved in a manner which is particularly simple from the point of view of construction and particularly reliable from the point of view of functional safety.
Advantageously a first spring mechanism acts upon the blocking means so that the blocking means is prestressed in the direction in which it blocks the roller, wheel or the like. A second spring mechanism acts upon the slider prestressing it in the direction wherein it pulls the blocking means via the aforementioned element to release the roller, wheel or the like. The second spring mechanism is designed to be stronger than the first spring mechanism so that the blocking means in the operational position of the handle is always set into a position wherein it releases the roller, wheel or the like.
By means of this spring arrangement, a reliable operat
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Bartsch Georg
Rasch Ulf
Spiekermann Michael
Dubno Herbert
Kateshov Yuri
Sudhaus Schloss - Und Beschlagtechnik Gmbh & Co.
Weaver Sue A.
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