Abstract:
A nested wheeled luggage assembly comprises an inner core luggage member and an outer, wraparound garment carrier hingeable about a central horizontal axis. The inner core luggage member includes two open storage shells hinged on the axis and also about their peripheries, and at least one pair of support wheels, and a retractable-extendable handle mounted on one shell whereby the core luggage member may be independently transported. An outer, wraparound garment carrier is foldable about a central horizontal axis and includes at least one pair of spaced support wheels and a telescopically retractable pull handle. The outer carrier is of equal width but substantially longer than the core luggage member, whereby the outer carrier may be folded over the core carrier in closely engaging relation. Locking straps are deployed at the periphery of the outer carrier to secure the outer carrier in a folded relation over the core carrier in a manner enabling the outer and inner carriers to be transported as a single unit.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Appl. No. 60/399,238, filed Jul. 29, 2002. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to wheelable luggage in general and a combined luggage assembly including an inner core luggage member having two clamshell members which may be zipped together to form a compact piece of luggage which includes a telescopic pull handle and wheels as well as an outer foldable garment carrier also having a telescopic handle and wheels which may be deployed over the inner luggage core member and affixed thereto in a manner whereby the assembly may be handled as a unitary piece of luggage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the two components of the luggage assembly, namely an inner clamshell core member and the outer foldable garment carrying member, may be used independently of one another, that is to say each may be carried and used as a separate piece of luggage or they may be combined and used as a unitary piece of luggage for transport. Upon arrival at a destination the two combined pieces may be separated and hung in a closet, as will be explained hereinafter. 
   The inner core member comprises two luggage portions which are hinged along a common horizontal axis for opening and deployment by hanging in a closet. For transport the two clamshell members are folded along their common hinge and zipped together by an appropriate slide fastener such as a zipper or, alternatively, they may be fastened together by mechanical means including mating Velcro strips (hook and loop fastening tapes) or other mechanical hasps or fasteners. In accordance with a more specific aspect of the invention, each of the clam shell luggage portions has a pair of foldable shelves therein, which fold out to form horizontal shelves when the luggage is opened and deployed for either packing of garments or retrieval of garments. 
   The outer garment carrier, in accordance with the invention, is substantially longer in its open deployed position than the length of the core luggage member when it is unfolded and hung. The outer garment carrier therefore may be folded about and secured to the inner luggage member so that the two pieces, which may be used independently, may be transported as a single unit. Of course it is to be understood that each of the units forming a component of the luggage assembly may be used independently of the other. 
   For a more complete understanding of the construction of the luggage assembly of the present invention and for a better appreciation of the attendant benefits of the present invention, reference should be made to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the combination outer garment carrier and inner core luggage member attached to one another for transportation as a single unit; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the outer garment carrier folded for use independently of the inner member; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the inner luggage member folded and attached to form a single luggage unit, which may be used and transported independently of the outer garment carrier; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the inner luggage member with the two clamshell halves hinged upon one another to fully open the luggage member; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the inner core member of  FIG. 4  with the foldable shelves deployed into their horizontal position for either packing or unpacking of the unit; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the unfolded garment carrier of  FIG. 2  showing attached removable compartments on the outer wall thereof; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the garment carrier with the outer compartments shown in  FIG. 6  opened and hinged into a horizontal shelf-forming position; and 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the outer garment carrier showing the zippered closure panel with integral pockets; 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the combined luggage assembly of the present invention includes an inner core luggage member  20  surrounded by a wraparound outer folded garment carrier  40 . The outer garment carrier  40  includes a plurality of adjustable fastening straps  41 ,  42  attached to side edges of the garment carrier, which include male locking tongues  43 ,  44  which are adapted to engage mating female locking members  45 ,  46  respectively of straps  47 ,  48  as shown for example in  FIG. 6 . The straps  41 ,  42 ,  47 ,  48  may be adjusted so that the garment, carrier is tightly clamped about the core luggage member  20  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The ends of the wraparound garment carrier  40  are tightly fastened against the lower portion of the luggage by fastening straps  49 ,  50  which are connected to straps  51 ,  52  along the bottom of the luggage assembly as will be understood. Thus six straps tightly secure the wrapped-around outer luggage carrier  40  to the inner luggage member, two straps on each end of the inner core luggage member and two at the bottom. 
   In accordance with the invention, the straps  41 ,  42  and  49 ,  50  may be effectively shortened and they may be fastened one to the other with the garment carrier folded as shown in  FIG. 2  in a manner excluding the inner luggage member  20  so that the garment carrier may be used independently as a single piece of luggage. 
   Similarly, the inner luggage core member  20  as shown in  FIG. 3  may be used independently of the outer garment carrier  40 . 
   To the end of making each of the inner luggage member  20  and the outer garment carrier  40  independently and readily transportable in accordance with the principles of the invention, each is provided with an appropriate telescoping handle member and associated wheels. More specifically, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the outer luggage carrier includes a pair of spaced wheels  55  supported in bearing brackets  56 . A retractable telescoping pull handle  57  is supported in tubes (not shown) adhered or fastened directly to an outer surface of the garment carrier  40  in known fashion. Thus the garment carrier, when being used independently as shown in  FIG. 2 , may be wheeled along a walkway by deploying the pull handle  57  and pulling the luggage on the wheels  55 . When the core member  20  is connected directly to the carrier  40  as shown in  FIG. 1 , both the core member and the luggage carrier may be similarly wheeled along the wheels  55  by deployment of the handle  57 . Hence when the inner core member  20  is itself being used independently it may be wheeled along wheels  25  attached to one of the clamshell members of the inner core member by a bearing bracket  26 . A deployable retractable handle  27 , similar in construction to the handle  57  is supported in tubes  28  secured to the outer wall of the core member  20  by mechanical fasteners (not shown). 
   Thus it is to be understood that a fundamental aspect of the present invention provides independently usable wheeled luggage pieces which may be quickly and conveniently fastened together to form a single toteable, wheelable luggage unit. 
   Specifically, the inner core luggage member  20  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  comprises an upper clamshell portion  61  and a lower clamshell portion  62  which are hinged together by a fabric hinge  63  extending across the full width of the clamshells  61  and  62 . More specifically the clamshell member  61  is five-sided, as is the clamshell member  62 . The member  61  includes an outer wall panel  64  and a top panel  65  and a bottom panel  66  which are connected together by side panels  67 ,  68 . The clamshell member  62  similarly to the member  61  has an outer wall  74 , a top wall  75 , a bottom wall  76 , and side walls  77 ,  78 . The five walls comprising each of the clamshells  61 ,  62  may be made from conventional soft luggage fabric, including nylon, canvas, leather, or any other treated plastic material which may be stitched or welded into a generally box-like or parallelepiped form such as shown in  FIG. 4 , in accordance with standard luggage making techniques. The fabric hinge  63 , as shown in  FIG. 3  in phantom, extends for the full width of the luggage member  20  and hinges the top walls  65 ,  75  of the clamshells  61 ,  62 . 
   The remaining sides of the clamshells  61  and  62  in accordance with the principles of the invention include zipper or slide fastener tracks  81 ,  82  extending around the periphery of each of the clamshells from the edge of the hinge on one side to the edge of the hinge on the other side. A slide fastener  83  is adapted to connect, by slide fastening or zipping, the tracks  81  and  82  when the clamshells are closed and abutted in a luggage closing position shown in  FIG. 3 . The core member  20  in addition to the pull handle  27  also includes a simple handle  90  which may be suitably fastened to the panel  65  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Advantageously, the handle  90  is a flexible, recessed strap member which may be flattened into the outer profile of the core member so as not to take up undue space when the core member  20  is surrounded by the outer garment carrier  40  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   The clamshell  61  also includes a metal ring or suspension bracket  91  secured to the wall  66  as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   Thus the luggage member  20  may be opened for hanging in the nature of a garment carrier, for example, by unzipping the zipper tracks  81  and  82  by the slide fastener  83  and hinging the clamshells  61  and  62  about the fabric hinge  63  to deploy the clamshell  61  immediately above the clamshell  62  and in line therewith in a manner whereby the hardware  91  which may include a hook (not shown) may be hung over a closet rod. 
   In accordance with the invention, the clamshells  61  and  62  contain two full-width shelves which are formed therein and which may be closed after the luggage is packed with clothing and then opened when the luggage is suspended in a closet. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , the clamshells  61  and  62  have full-width shelving members  101 ,  102  hinged to the clamshell walls  65  and  76  by full-width fabric hinges  103 ,  104 . The shelf members  101 ,  102  thus may be hinged into and out of clamshell closing positions parallel with the outer clamshell walls  64  and  74  as will be understood. Flexible cords  105  and  106  extending between the shelf members  101  and  102  and the side walls of the clamshells support the shelves in their deployed horizontal positions as shown in  FIG. 5  and accommodate the folding of the shelves into clamshell closing positions as described hereinabove. With the shelves folded into a closed position, the shelves may be maintained in the closed position by Velcro locking strips  107 ,  108 , which adhere to the inner side walls of the clamshells as shown in  FIG. 5  and which engage mating Velcro strips on the exposed surfaces of the shelves  101  and  102  in a clamshell closing position, as will be understood. The shelves  101  and  102  further include flexible elastic hold-down straps  111  and  112  in known fashion. As will be understood, the shelves  101  and  102  when deployed in an open position are in the planes of the panels  65  and  76  and cooperate therewith to form a single planar support surface for items&#39; to be packed. Similar shelves, but shorter in length than the shelves  101  and  102  are deployed above each of the shelves  101  and  102  as shown. These shelves  113  and  115  cooperate with full-width shelf members  114  and  116  to which they are fastened by fabric hinges  117 ,  118 . These shorter shelves are similarly supported in horizontal planes in the manner of the shelves  101 ,  102  by nylon cords  119 ,  120  extending between the shelves  113  and  115  and the clamshell sidewalls, as shown best in  FIG. 5 . The shorter shelves, in a closed position, may be secured parallel to the outer clamshell walls by locking Velcro strip  121  as will be understood. Flexible hold-down straps  122  are included with the shorter shelves for the purpose of securing packed clothing thereagainst. 
   Thus it will be understood that to fill the inner core member  20  with clothing it may be hung up in a closet in the open position shown in  FIG. 205  with the four shelves deployed as shown. Items to be stored may be placed on each of the four shelves as shown, under the straps to hold the clothing in place. Thereafter the four shelves may be hinged upwardly along their fabric hinges into a clamshell closing position in which each of the Velcro straps may be deployed to fasten the shelves in a clamshell closing position. The packed clamshells may be hinged about the fabric hinge  63  to place the zipper tracks  81 ,  82  in proximity to one another, whereafter the slide  83  may be tracked or zippered about the circumference to lock the clamshells closed one to the other. The fully packed luggage member then may be moved independently by deploying handle  27  and rolling it along rollers  25 . 
   In accordance with the principles of the invention, the inner core member may be assembled with the outer wraparound garment carrier. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the garment carrier  40  is of generally conventional garment carrier configuration and assembly, namely having opposed side walls  150 ,  151 . The side walls  151 ,  150  are interconnected, by a bottom wall  152  extending therebetween and a top wall  153 . 
   In accordance with the invention, the length of the top wall  153  is sufficient to permit the luggage carrier  40  to wrap around the closed inner core luggage member  20  in the manner shown in  FIG. 1 . A second bottom wall  153 , shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , is included. The outer wall of the luggage carrier includes the central portion  153  as well as portions  155  and  156 . On the opposite side of the walls  153 ,  155 ,  156  there is a conventional garment carrier closure wall  157  which has a D-shaped zipper closure  210  extending across the top and bottom and for the substantial full length of the carrier wall  157  for access to the interior body portion of the garment carrier  40 . This construction is well known to the luggage art. Advantageously integral zippered pouches  190 ,  191  or pockets are included in the panel wall  157 . 
   As a specific advantageous feature of the present invention, the wraparound luggage carrier  40  includes a pair of outer hingeable parallelepiped carrier members  170 ,  180  which are adapted to be removable from the carrier body itself by totally circumscribing zip fasteners  205 ,  206  as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . More specifically, the compartment  170  may be hingedly connected along a horizontal axis zipper formed by a pair of slide fastener track portions  171 ,  172  which are connected by a slide  173 . Track portion  172  is sewn onto the wall  155  of the carrier. Thus the hinge axis formed by the cooperation of the slide track portions  171 ,  172  may be disrupted and the compartment  170  may be removed in its entirety from the luggage carrier. Alternatively, when it is hinged to the carrier by the tracks  171 ,  172 , it may be closed by connection of the remaining track portions  174 ,  175  which along with positions  171 ,  172  entirely circumscribe the compartment  170 . The compartment  170  is separately closed by a panel  200  hinged thereto beneath the track  171 . The panel  200  is attached by zipper  201  to the remaining three walls of compartment  170  by a zipper slide  177 . 
   The compartment  170 , in accordance with the invention, may be deployed in a shelf-like fashion from the garment carrier by cords  178  extending between loops  179  fastened to the wall  155  and loops  180  fastened within the compartment  170  as shown. The lower compartment  180  is identical in all respects to the compartment  170 , having similar circumscribing zip-fastening closures and nylon rope support of the compartment  180  when in an open position. In accordance with the invention the compartments  170 ,  180  may be completely removed from the garment carrier by completely unzipping the circumscribing slide fasteners  205 ,  206 . Each compartment may be used independently (by way of handles  202  and/or shoulder straps (not shown) attached to loops  203  attached to the compartments  170 ,  180 . Alternatively and as a further aspect of the invention, the circumscribing zipper tracks sewn on each of the removable compartments are mateable so that the removed compartments  170 ,  180  may be fastened together along their peripheral edges to form a single piece of luggage. 
   It will be understood that the garment carrier  40  may be suspended in a closet in its open position for packing and/or removing of clothing in known fashion. To that end, a hanger hook  190  is included on the garment wall  152 . The items to be stored or retrieved in the compartments  170 ,  180  are simply packed therein and the compartments are hinged about the zippered axis  171 ,  172  and closed securely by then closing the circumscribing zipper tracks  174 ,  175 . To retrieve the clothing and open the compartments in a shelf-like fashion, the process is simply reversed. 
   When the garment carrier  40  is fully packed, it may then be wrapped around the packed inner core member  20  and fastened thereto by the connection of the straps  41 ,  42 ,  43 ,  44 ,  45 ,  46 , and  49 ,  50  in the manner described hereinabove. 
   In lieu of the removable compartments  170 ,  180 , permanent pouches  190 ,  191  with zippered closures  192 , such as shown in  FIG. 8  may be substituted. 
   The new luggage assembly may be made in various sizes as will be understood. However, for beneficial and optimized usage, the dimensions shown on the drawings have been established to be highly advantageous for the two luggage components making up the assembly. The proportions and relationships disclosed are enabling of the practice of the principles of the invention. 
   Although the foregoing description has been given by way of a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other forms of the invention falling within the ambit of the following claims is contemplated. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention.