Patent ID: 9560902
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: A45C

Claim:
1. An article of luggage comprising: a luggage main body having a bottom surface and a cavity formed to receive articles for packing; an expansion body having a perimeter defining a cavity; a foldable gusset joining the luggage main body to the expansion body, the foldable gusset allowing the expansion body to move away and towards the luggage main body to vary a size of a volume formed by the cavity of the luggage main body and the cavity of the expansion body; an openable cover attached to the expansion body; and an expansion and locking device disposed internally at opposite ends of the article of luggage, the expansion and locking device being configured to allow free movement of the expansion body in a compression direction towards the luggage main body and configured to allow locking movement of the expansion body in an expanding direction away from the luggage main body, wherein the expansion and locking device is a ratcheting assembly comprising: a sliding assembly having a set of parallel teeth, the sliding assembly affixed to one of the luggage main body and the expansion body; and a holding assembly main body affixed to the other of the luggage main body and the expansion body and affixed in line with the sliding member, wherein the holding assembly main body comprises: a receiving pocket into which the sliding assembly is insertable, a latch structure pivotably coupled to the distal wall of the receiving pocket by a biasing member, the latch structure having disposed on its underside a pawl, the latch structure having a planar surface,