Patent ID: 9700110
Date: 2017-07-11
CPC Classifications: A45C

Claim:
1. A wheeled luggage case, comprising: a luggage receptacle, the receptacle having first and second opposing major walls, front and rear end walls, and first and second side walls, all forming a luggage compartment, wherein the major walls are the largest of the major walls, end walls and side walls, wherein the first major wall of the receptacle is adapted to serve as a bottom wall that closely faces the ground during a wheeled mode of travel of the luggage case; a plurality of unidirectional and non-retractable rear support wheels located at a rear end of the bottom wall; a retractable front steering wheel assembly, mounted to the bottom wall, distanced, in use, from the support wheels, toward a front end of the bottom wall, said steering wheel assembly having at least one wheel and being moveable between an active position at which the steering wheel assembly extends below the bottom wall of the luggage receptacle and an inactive position at which the at least one wheel is retracted above the bottom wall; and a handle located toward the front end of the luggage receptacle for steering and pulling purposes; wherein the luggage case is configured to be deployable in a mode of wheeled travel with the retractable steering wheel assembly and support wheels in ground engagement whereby the said bottom wall is facing the ground, the handle comprising an angularly mobile linkage, by means of which the luggage case may be pulled along in said mode of travel; wherein, the front steering wheel assembly, in its active position, is configured to extend further from the bottom wall than the fixed rear support wheels to hold the bottom wall at an incline to the ground when all wheels are located on substantially flat ground, such that a lesser portion of the forces acting on the luggage receptacle will act through the front steering wheel assembly than if the bottom wall was parallel to the substantially flat ground, so as to improve maneuverability of the luggage case.