Abstract:
A horizontally retractable handle of wheeled luggage is introduced. The handle is retracted to the top of the luggage when it is not in use. When the handle is in use, the user simply pulls out the handle horizontally, transits the handle from its horizontal position to a vertical position, locks the handle in the vertical position, and then pulls the handle out to its maximum length. When the handle is not in use, the user pushes the handle down and rotates the handle in a reverse direction to transit it from the vertical position to a horizontal position; thereby, pushing the handle horizontally into its preserving recess on the top of the luggage body.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a luggage handle and more particularly to a horizontally retractable luggage handle of wheeled luggage.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    Conventionally, a retractable handle is disposed vertically inside the rear portion of a luggage piece and can be retracted into the bezel provided on the top of the luggage so that only the top portion of the handle grip is revealed to the user. However, by using such a design, the available storage space inside the rear portion of the luggage is relatively reduced. By complying with the Warsaw Convention, i.e., to maintain the safety of air transportation and air travel, the exterior of luggage has to be smooth and nonprotruded; therefore a luggage&#39;s handle assembly has to be concealed inside the luggage body. Since an internal concealment space for the luggage handle is indispensable, the corresponding sacrifice for precious available storage space in the luggage also becomes inevitable, if the retractable handle mechanism is to be retracted and concealed vertically inside the luggage. Thus, there is a need for a new horizontally retractable luggage handle design.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    An object of the present invention is to provide a horizontally retractable handle for wheeled luggage such that when the handle is not in use, it can be retracted into and stored in a top chamber inside the luggage so that the luggage&#39;s loading capacity can be increased by sparing more upright storage space for the user.  
           [0006]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a horizontally retractable handle for the wheeled luggage such that the new design can provide the advantages of component simplicity, convenience, practicality, and durability.  
       
    
    
       [0007]    The above and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIGS. 1A to  1 E show a plurality of schematic views of a horizontally retractable handle of a wheeled luggage according to the main concept of the invention, which demonstrates the maneuverability of the horizontally retractable handle;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is an environmental side view schematically showing the use of the horizontally retractable handle of the wheeled luggage, according to the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3A is a side cross-sectional view of the retracted horizontally retractable handle showing one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3B is a top cross-sectional view of the retracted horizontally retractable handle of FIG. 3A;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3C is a perspective exploded view of the horizontally retractable handle&#39;s locking device;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3D is a perspective view of the casement of the horizontally retractable handle&#39;s locking device;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4A is a side cross-sectional view of the handle of FIG. 3A, which is being pulled out;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4B is a top cross-sectional view of the handle of FIG. 4A;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the handle of FIG. 4A transited from a horizontal position to a vertical position;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the handle of FIG. 4A in its erected vertical position;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6, showing the pulling-out and pushing-in of the inner sliding tube; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing the retraction of the handle.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    The main concept of the present invention, as mentioned above, is to provide a horizontally retractable handle device of wheeled luggage provided on a top chamber of the luggage. This horizontally retractable handle device enables the user to operate the luggage handle by directing it from a horizontally retractable position to a vertical position. FIGS. 1A to  1 E are a plurality of schematic views of a horizontally retractable handle of a wheeled luggage according to the main concept of the invention, which also demonstrate the maneuverability of the horizontally retractable handle in accordance with the present invention. The important feature of the present invention is to provide a horizontally retractable handle device of wheeled luggage on a top chamber of the luggage, wherein the handle is slidable along two horizontal grooves extending from the rear top to the front top of the luggage. The retractable handle device comprises a handle grip; a pair of sliding tubes, which are slidable along the two horizontal grooves on the top of the luggage, wherein the front ends of the sliding tubes are connected to the handle grip; and a pair of locking devices provided at the front portion of the two horizontal grooves.  
         [0021]    With all these composing members stored in place, the user first pulls out the luggage handle horizontally to the front-most position, then, with one move, rotates the rear end of each of the said pair of sliding tubes and causes the locking device to move downward. Accordingly, the luggage handle changes its orientation from a horizontal position to a vertical position. Upon changing the orientation of the luggage handle at a predetermined position, the pair of locking devices would lock the pair of sliding tubes in place, thereby securing the luggage handle into a position readied for the user&#39;s towing operation.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1A shows the handle  50  retracted into the top chamber of the luggage  10 . The user may pull the handle  50  out and change the orientation thereof when the handle is in use (FIGS. 1B to  1 E). FIG. 2 shows the fully extended handle  50  being carried by a person. It is noted that the locking device and the locations of the associated locking holes (i.e., the locking mechanism provided in the outer sliding tubes and the inner sliding tubes) are a prior art, therefore a detailed description related to the subject is omitted here for the sake of brevity.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 3 a  to  8  show the preferred embodiment of the luggage handle  50  comprised of an outer sliding tube  51 , an inner sliding tube  52 , a sleeve  54 , and a handle grip  53  on the top of the handle  50 . Note that one side of handle  50  is a mirror of the other side thereof, so that the description of one side of the handle  50  serves to describe the whole handle  50 .  
         [0024]    The horizontally retractable handle assembly of luggage comprises a handle  50 , a sleeving member  20  sleeved on handle  50 , a groove  11  for allowing handle  50  to slide therein, a handle locking device  40 , and an arcuate guide groove  13  for controlling the orientation of the handle  50  when it is retracted. An enlargement  510  is provided on the bottom end of the outer sliding tube  51 . The enlargement  510  is slidable along the groove  11 . The sleeving member  20  is disposed between the groove  11  and the outer sliding tube  51 . The sleeving member  20  is sleeved on the handle  50  and has a smaller front end  24  and a larger rear end  25 , so that the enlargement  510  may move through the larger end  25  until it is stopped at the smaller end  24  (FIG. 4A). A pivotal block  23  and a center block  22  are provided on the external surface of the sleeving member  20 . The pivotal block  23  and the center block  22  are moveable in the guide groove  12  on the top of the luggage. The guide groove  12  has a straight rear portion. An arcuate guide groove  13  is at the front of the guide groove  12  to allow the pivotal block  23  to rotate therein. A dent  131  is provided at the rear end of the guide groove  13 . A dent  121  is provided beneath the dent  131 , and an arcuate recess  122  is provided opposite to the dent  121  for permitting the center block  22  to rotate therein.  
         [0025]    The horizontally retractable handle&#39;s locking device  40  is designed partly to let the handle  50  rotate from a horizontal position to a vertical position and lock the handle  50  in the vertical position. The handle&#39;s locking device  40  is located at the front portion of the top chamber of the luggage handle  50  and is just below the recess  122  when handle  50  is fully retracted into its horizontal casement at the top of the luggage. As shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, the handle&#39;s locking device  40  comprises a solid locking block  411  in the center, a spring  410  biased against the bottom of the solid locking block  411 , a hollow locking block  42  surrounding the solid locking block  411 , two springs  420  biased against the bottom of the hollow locking block  42 , two springs  420 , which are sleeved one on each of the two pedestals  421  extended down from the two sides of the top portion of the hollow locking block  42 , and a casement  43  (see FIG. 3D). The casement  43  has a wide notch  432 , a narrow notch  4321 , a concave slope  431 , and two hollow cylinders  433  extended down from the lower portion of the casement  43 . The two pedestals  421 , which extend down from the two shoulders of the main block of the hollow locking block  42 , serve to assure a smooth descent of the block  42  itself. Each of the pedestals  421  is equipped with three-sectioned flanges  4212  and three slits  4211  evenly deployed amongst the three flanges  4212 . These arrangements are provided to make way for the two pedestals  421  to insert themselves into the fixing holes  434  within the two cylinders  433  of the casement  43  (see FIG. 3D) so as to facilitate the manufacturing and assembling of the part. The solid locking block  411  consists of two portions on two opposite sides of the part. The first portion, which is at the front face, includes a large bulk with a trapezoidal side profile. This portion is provided for interacting with the enlargement  510 . The second portion, which is on the back side of the locking block  411 , includes a smaller block with a trapezoidal side profile and two vertically allocated board-like pieces provided at the two vertical edges, respectively, of the locking block  411 . The piece with a trapezoidal side profile is located at the center-top of the back face, and it serves to interact with the hollow locking block  42 . The other two vertically allocated board-like pieces serve as the sliding tracks for the locking block  411 . The hollow locking block  42  contains three portions, which are mutually separate on top and connected together at the bottom. While the two side shoulders are responsible for wrapping up the two stretched-down pedestals  421 , the one central piece between them interacts with the solid locking block  411 .  
         [0026]    As shown in FIGS. 3A to  3 D, the left part of the solid locking block  411  extends into the hollow locking block  42  such that the hollow locking block  42  may move downward as the solid locking block  411  moves downward. But the hollow locking block  42  cannot move downward if it is the only member which is pushed down, because the compression force will be neutralized by the little notch located to the left of the hollow locking block  42  upon the locking device&#39;s  40  casement  43  (see FIGS. 3A, 3C, and  3 D). When handle  50  is pulled out from its recess position (a first position, as shown in FIG. 3A) to its horizontal active position (a second position, as shown in FIG. 4A), the sleeving member  20  first contacts the blunt tip of the solid locking block  411 , which in turn causes the locking device;s  40  two acting elements, the solid locking block  411  and the hollow locking block  42 , to move downward. The sleeving member  20  moves to its front most position when the outer sliding tube  51  is fully extended. At this instant, the pivotal block  23  and the center block  22  are located at the bottom of the arcuate guide groove  13  and the bottom of dent  121 , respectively (see FIG. 4A). Handle  50  is further pushed to move from its horizontal position toward its vertical position (as shown in FIGS.  4  to  6 ), wherein the pivotal block  23  and the center block  22  are rotated along the guide grooves  12  and  13  (FIG. 5) until they reach their positions shown in FIG. 6. At this instant, the handle  50  is held at its vertical position when the pivotal block  23  and the center block  22  are being received into the dents  131  and  121 , respectively (FIGS. 6 and 7). The user may further pull the inner sliding tube  52  out by pressing the button  531  on the handle grip  53  until the inner sliding tube  52  is fully extended. This time the handle  50  is protracted to its maximum length (FIG. 7), and consequently the user may pull the luggage along the ground.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 shows an erectly retracted handle  50 . The following narrative will describe the retractable handle&#39;s operating procedure and discuss how exactly the handle locking device  40  works when the user tries to convert the retractable handle from its vertical position to a horizontal position and push it into its horizontal recess on the top of the luggage. The user can push it back into its horizontal recess by first pressing the handle grip  53  down. The handle&#39;s inner sliding tube  52  will then be pushed downward, as shown in FIG. 8, and the bottom of the enlargement  510  at the bottom end of the outer sliding tube  51  will contact the solid locking block&#39;s  411  blunt tip. At this moment, the block&#39;s  411  blunt tip is at its highest position. Due to the action of the solid locking block&#39;s  411  allocating spring  410 , the solid locking block  411  will descend. Please refer to FIGS. 3C and 3D, specifically. Before the solid locking block  411  is pushed down, as shown in FIG. 7, the hollow locking block  42  is caught on the wide notch  432  provided at the lower edge center of the concave slope  431  inside the handle&#39;s locking device  40 , having no way to maneuver. When the tip of the solid locking block  411  is pushed down and descends to almost the same height as the hollow locking block  42 &#39;s top platform, the hollow locking block&#39;s  42  major reacting element (the little piece at the top-center), being compressed and temporarily deformed by the pressure from the bottom of the enlargement  510 , moves toward the solid locking block  411  and relieves itself from the narrow notch  4321  located at the lower edge center of the concave slope  431  on casement  43 . Concurrently, the two springs  420 , which are curled around the hollow locking block&#39;s  42  two pedestals  421 , will be compressed to allow block  42  to descend. Thus, both the solid locking block  411  and the hollow locking block  42  are able to descend. At that time, the pivotal block  23  and the center block  22  are also released from their respective dents  131  and  121 , and thereafter the enlargement  510  and the sleeving member  20  both move counterclockwise (see FIG. 5) from their original vertical active positions to the horizontal inactive positions. The handle  50  is further pushed in until it is fully retracted into its horizontal storage space on the top of the luggage (see FIGS. 4A, 3B, and  3 A).  
         [0028]    It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in another embodiment, the sleeving member  20 , the pivotal block  23 , the center block  22 , and the guide grooves  12 ,  13  may be omitted, wherein a spring biased guiding member and an L-shaped guide groove (not shown) are installed instead. The spring biased guiding member is provided on the outer side portion of the rear end of the outer sliding tube at the position of the center block  22  (instead of the center block  22  and the pivotal block  23 ) and the L-shaped guide groove is provided along the inner wall of the groove  11  and extended from the rear to the front portion of the groove  11 . Whenever the user tries to pull the horizontally retractable handle out to its operating position (i.e., to change the handle&#39;s orientation from its original inactive horizontal position to its active vertical position), the spring-biased member will be protruded along the L-shaped guide groove and be further protruded and locked in a locking device when the handle is pull out in its vertical position. When the user tries to deactivate the retractable handle from its vertical position and put it back to its horizontal storage space, the user pushes a button on the handle grip and the spring-biased guiding member will be retracted and be pushed down accordingly. By following a reverse procedure, the handle will be retracted.  
         [0029]    While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.