Trunks and hand-carried luggage – Hand luggage – With means to fasten the hand luggage in closed condition
Patent
1990-05-29
1992-05-12
Weaver, Sue A.
Trunks and hand-carried luggage
Hand luggage
With means to fasten the hand luggage in closed condition
190 28, 190 37, 190100, 190127, A45C 502, A45C 1310
Patent
active
051119200
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a luggage case of the type that comprises two shells, 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 latches for releasably fastening the edges of the case together when the case is closed.
In the conventional luggage case two latches are provided on the front wall of the case. However with cases of this type which do not have a metal frame running all the way round the case, there is a tendency for the case to gape along the end edges when the case is overfilled or when a heavy load is placed in the centre of the lid of the case, for example when someone sits on the case. This is undesirable not only because small items of luggage may fall out of the case but also because it is impossible to provide an effective seal between the shells to keep out dirt and water.
On some known cases auxiliary latches are provided halfway along the end walls of the case to prevent gaping. However such latches are difficult to reach from the front of the case for fastening and unfastening particularly on large cases and therefore are inconvenient to use.
We have found that a surprising improvement in resistance to gaping over the known case with two latches on the front wall can be achieved if latches are located at the front of the end walls of the case or at the corners between the front and end walls of the case.
Thus according to the present invention there is provided a luggage case comprising two shells, 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 latches for releasably fastening the edges of the shells together when the case is closed, characterised in that two latches are located at the front of the end walls or at the corners between the front and end walls of the case.
By locating the latches in this position gaping of the end walls is avoided but the latches are easily accessible from the front of the case and therefore convenient to use.
The two latches may be the only latches on the case but preferably a third latch is provided on the front wall of the case for additional security and to avoid gaping of the front wall. For convenience the third latch may be the only latch provided with a key-operated or combination lock, the other two latches being secured by manually-operated bolts.
We have found that the invention is particularly effective in avoiding gaping if a reinforcing strip, for example of metal, is secured to one of the shells along the front wall. In the case where three latches are provided, the third latch may be fixed to the reinforcing strip. A carrying handle may also be fixed to the reinforcing strip. The reinforcing strip may extend along substantially the entire length of the front wall of the case, but terminate short of the said two latches.
A strip of elastomeric material may be provided along the edge of one of the shells so as to be clamped between the shells when the shells are closed to form a seal. By locating the latches where they will prevent gaping a seal around the entire edge of the case can be achieved. Preferably the seal is dust and water resistant so that when, for example, the case is placed on a roof rack on top of a car, water will not penetrate the case when the car is driven through rain.
Preferably the side wall of the shell that forms the base of the case is deeper along the back and end walls than along the front wall. In this way the contents of the case are less likely to fall out at the ends and back of the case when packing. The two shells may meet approximately along the centre-line of the front wall so that a carrying handle attached to the edge of the base shell may lie centrally on the front wall. The two latches may then be located in the region where the depth of the wall increases between the front and end walls.
The front portion of the end walls of the case preferably slo
REFERENCES:
patent: D225590 (1972-12-01), Valaguzza
patent: D286705 (1986-11-01), Miles
patent: D310450 (1990-09-01), Castelli et al.
patent: 1667014 (1928-04-01), Snell
patent: 1767143 (1930-06-01), La Duke
patent: 1827542 (1931-10-01), Ritter, Jr.
patent: 1984934 (1934-12-01), La Duke
patent: 2415220 (1947-02-01), Ritter
patent: 2510643 (1950-06-01), Long
patent: 2604961 (1952-07-01), Koch
patent: 3292749 (1966-12-01), Reading
patent: 3592314 (1971-07-01), Jacobson
patent: 3605961 (1971-09-01), Marrion
patent: 3847423 (1974-11-01), Gley
patent: 3891070 (1975-06-01), Montanari
patent: 3967708 (1976-07-01), Gregg et al.
patent: 4094392 (1978-06-01), Gregg et al.
patent: 4344646 (1982-08-01), Michel
patent: 4509622 (1985-04-01), Morszeck
Castelli Renato
Green Stephen T.
Miles Richard
van Hoye Willibald
O'Connor Gregory W.
Samsonite Corporation
Weaver Sue A.
LandOfFree
Luggage case with recessed latches does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Luggage case with recessed latches, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Luggage case with recessed latches will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2423726