Abstract:
A portable hand held device for weighing and measuring the size of a luggage item includes a handle designed to provide support yet comfort with respect to the use of the weighing device and further includes a mechanism which enables recordal of the weight of luggage placed upon a suspension hook of the device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   In a principal aspect, the present invention relates to a portable hand held device for measuring the size of and weighing luggage items. 
   With the advent of numerous restrictions relating to travel, and in particular, the items which a traveler can carry on airlines, it is necessary to not only be cautious about items which are being packed for purposes of travel, but also the size and weight of luggage items. Airline carriers have imposed numerous restrictions which are enforced with increasing rigor. Failure to adhere to such restrictions often leads to additional service charges and other penalties. 
   As a consequence, most airline check in facilities include apparatus for weighing luggage and measuring luggage. The airline consumer or customer, however, does not have the benefit of necessarily knowing the weight or size of a particular item of luggage prior to arrival at an airport. Thus, the customer or consumer is at somewhat of a disadvantage in efforts to comply with travel restrictions. 
   In an effort to resolve this difficulty, various devices have been proposed for the purpose of measuring the size of and weighing luggage items. A device for weighing and measuring a luggage item has been available, comprising a mechanism which will allow suspension of the luggage from a hook that is mechanically connected to a read out mechanism or dial indicating the weight of the luggage. A tape measure is also attached to such the device and may be utilized to measure the length, width and height of the various luggage items that are capable of being weighed by the same device. 
   While such a prior art device has been very useful, difficulties remain associated with such a device. In particular, the prior art device did not include a handle design which would facilitate ease of use. Additionally, such a prior art device required the user of the device to engage in some form of contortion in order to view not only the weight sensed by the device, while at the same time attempting to suspend or hold an item of luggage by means of the hook of the weight measuring device. Thus, the construction of such prior art devices, though useful, does not necessarily meet all the needs of the traveling consumer. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Briefly, the present invention comprises a portable hand held device for measuring the size and weighing of luggage items. The device is an improvement to prior art constructions which included a dial associated with a mechanical linkage that caused the dial to rotate in response to placement of a load on a hook suspended at the lower end or beneath the device. Also positioned at the lower end of the device beneath the dial face is a tape housing with a tape measure therein. A hook is thus suspended from the device and is designed to engage a handle or some other portion of a luggage item to enable weighing of the item. 
   The invention relates specifically to the handle support of the measuring and weight determination device and to a weight sensing and recordal feature of the device. That is, a handle with a generally polymeric grip section is incorporated on the mid section of a wire rod that connects to a housing for the device. The handle is sized and configured to enhance comfort during use while at the same time providing a means to secure a proper orientation of the device when in use. 
   As an additional improved feature, the dial face incorporates a second dial or pointer, which may be engaged by the main pointer or indicator that moves in response to weight. The second pointer or dial element is rotatable in conjunction with the first dial element or pointer and has an associated detent feature which retains the second pointer at a position indicating the measured weight of an item suspended on the hook. In this manner, a person using the weight measurement device may easily support the luggage item on the hook, knowing that there will be a “read out” or remaining indication of the weight of the luggage item after that item has been removed from the device. The detent mechanism retains the second or read out dial in the position caused by rotation of the first read out dial or pointer. The second pointer or dial may then be rotated from the detent position back to the original zero set position by engaging a manual button positioned axially on the read out faceplate or dial. 
   Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved portable hand held device for weighing and measuring the size of luggage items, and in particular, a device which provides various improvements to enhance the ability to grip and support the device and to provide a way to read out or record the weight measured by the device after luggage has been weighed and removed from the device. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a compact yet rugged and user friendly weighing and measuring device for luggage items. 
   These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     In the detailed description that follows, reference will be made to the drawing comprised of the following figures: 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevation of an embodiment of the weighing and measuring device; 
       FIG. 2  is a rear elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a side elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an opposite side elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 7  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a back side elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  depicting the mechanism for weighing wherein the back plate of the device has been removed; 
       FIG. 9  is a front elevation of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  wherein the measuring device and the weighing mechanism associated therewith is exposed inasmuch as the facing plate for the measuring device has been removed; 
       FIG. 10  is an exploded isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a partially exploded isometric view of the tape measure feature of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a partial, exploded, isometric view of the tape measure feature of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a front elevation of the face and dials associated with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 14  is an isometric view depicting the construction of the dials associated with the dial face of  FIG. 13 ; 
       FIG. 15  is an isometric view illustrating the method of use of the device; and 
       FIG. 16  is an isometric view further illustrating the method of use of an embodiment of the invention to weigh a luggage item. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to the figures, the hand held device for weighing and measuring the size of luggage items includes a housing  20  which may be molded from a polymeric material. The housing  20  includes a generally upper end  22 , a back side plate  24  that may be removed from the generally rectangular parallelepiped housing  20  and a lower end  26 . A dial face  30  and dial face housing  28  are molded and incorporated with the housing  20 . The transparent dial face  30  is positioned over the dial face housing  28 . A luggage support hook  32  is suspended beneath the lower end  26  of the housing  20 . A manual handle  34  is affixed to the housing  20  as described in greater detail below. A tape measure housing  36  is affixed to the lower end  26  of the housing  20 . 
     FIGS. 8–16  illustrate in greater detail the specific construction of the component parts of the device. Referring to those figures and in particular,  FIG. 8 , there is illustrated the basic parallelepiped housing  20  with a compressible spring  40  mounted therein and attached to a rack  42 . A mechanical linkage joins the hook  32  by means of a connector link  34  to a rod  36  that passes through the center of the spring  40  and effects compression of the spring  40  upon placement of weight upon the hook  32 . The rod  36  fits through a bracket  46  that in turn includes a projecting tab  48  fitted into the rack  42 . As the rack  42  is moved downwardly in response to weight placed on the hook  32 , a pinion  50  mounted in a plate  52 , will rotate, thereby rotating a first dial or pointer  54 . The entire mechanism is retained in housing  20  by means of cover  24 . 
   As shown in greater detail in  FIG. 8 , the device is supportable by means of a handle  34 . The handle  34  includes a first leg  60  and a spaced second leg  62 . Leg  60  includes a gripping end section  64 . Similarly, the second leg  62  includes a gripping section  66 . The sections  64  and  66  fit through slots  70  and  72 , respectively, in the side of the housing  20 . The handle  34  is retained within the slots  70 ,  72  by means of the cover  24 . The handle  34  is fashioned from a rod material, preferably a steel rod material, which is configured so that the handle  34  will include a generally straight rod, mid or central section  70  having the diameter of the rod legs  60  and  62  with a molded polymeric grip  72  fitted thereon. Preferably, the diameter of the rod  34  is one third that of the polymeric grip  72 . Thus, the polymeric grip  72  is generally cylindrical in shape for ease of gripping and comfort and has a diameter of at least about three times greater than that of the support rod or handle  34 . It is to be noted that the rod  34  is generally cylindrical and fitted into the slots  70  and  72  as described so that the handle  34  may be pivoted relative to the housing  20  in order to more easily engage, grip and hold luggage items having various configurations and weights. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the tape housing  36  includes a tape measure  80 . The tape housing  36  is positioned in a shaped molded recessed region  82  on the front face of the housing  20 . Note that the tape housing  36  may be replaced in the event that there is a failure in the mechanism associated with the tape. 
     FIGS. 13 and 14  represent an important feature of the invention. Referring to those figures, the first dial  54  which is driven by means of the rack and pinion mechanism previously described is movable about an axis  90 . Coaxial with the first dial  54  is a second dial  55  also mounted for rotation about axis  90 . The second dial or second pointer,  55 , includes a downwardly depending tab  57 . That is, the second dial or pointer  55  is mounted on a rotatable annular ring member  59  which includes an outwardly extending manual knob  61  that projects outwardly from the faceplate  30  or through a central opening in the faceplate  30 . Thus, the pointers, or dial members  54  and  55  are each rotable about the axis  90 . 
   The faceplate  30  includes a downwardly depending detent tooth arrangement  92  which engages with detent slots  94  in the annular ring  59 . Thus, as the pointer  55  is rotated about the axis  90 , the engagement of the detent  92  with the slots  94  will tend to hold the pointer  55  in a fixed position. The first pointer  54  will thus rotate for example, in the direction of the arrow in  FIG. 14 , thereby engaging the depending tab or projection  57  and causing the pointers  54  and  55  to rotate simultaneously about the axis  90 . The pointer  54  is rotated in response to placement of weight on the hook  32 . Thus, upon release of the weight on the hook  32 , the pointer  54  will return to its zero set position as depicted in  FIG. 13 , whereas the second pointer or second member  55  will remain in a detent position, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . The second dial or pointer  55  may however, be manually rotated to again engage or be positioned to engage the first pointer  54  by engagement of the manual collate or projecting member  61 . Thus, the position of the second dial or pointer  55  may be re-set so that the weight of the luggage on the hook can again be recorded upon placement of an additional luggage item on the hook. 
   In sum therefore, the use of dual pointers  54  and  55  in combination with a reset mechanism enables the effective recording of the weight placed on the hook, even after the luggage item or weight on that hook has been removed. It also enables resetting of the dial to weigh an additional device. 
     FIGS. 15 and 16  illustrate the manner of use of the device. As shown in  FIG. 15 , the tape is used to measure the dimensions of a luggage item  100 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , the luggage item  100  may be supported on the hook  32  and the weight indicated on the dial  54  with a second dial  55  retained in position, even after the luggage item  100  has been removed. This enables the user of such a device to avoid holding the luggage item in a very uncomfortable manner in order to read the dial while at the same time attempting to lift the luggage and obtain a reading indicating the weight of the item. 
   While there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.