Abstract:
A container with a cover for concealing an extendable handle and shoulder straps attached to the container is provided. The container is configured to be wheeled on a set of wheels by way of the extendable handle in a first transport mode and carried on a person&#39;s back using the shoulder straps in a second transport mode. The container has a front compartment for storing items, and a rear compartment for housing the extendable handle and the shoulder straps that are attached to and used for carrying the container. The shoulder straps and the extendable handle are both deployable from a covered opening in the rear compartment proximate to the container&#39;s top. The container further comprises a cover for covering at least a portion of the set of wheels in a second transport mode.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to generally to luggage containers. More specifically, this invention is directed to convertible luggage that can be used as a wheeled suitcase and backpack. 
   2. Discussion of the Related Art 
   A challenge to traveling has always been carrying one&#39;s belongings in the most efficient and easy manner. However, depending on the circumstances, one bag is often not the best for all situations. Depending on pavement conditions, the number of stairs, etc., a backpack can be best fitted for situations where the bag must be carried. At other times, a wheeled suitcase is best to transport heavier baggage through airports and roads. A problem arises when a traveler is confronted with more than one type of terrain during a single trip or the traveler is preparing to travel to an unknown destination. To meet this challenge, convertible luggage designs have appeared in the prior art to convert from a wheeled suitcase to a backpack, and vice versa. Such designs, however, have straps that interfere with the wheeled suitcase, and at the same time the wheels interfere with the user while wearing the suitcase as a backpack. That is, the wheels rub against the back of the wearer of the backpack. In addition, some prior art designs have an extendable handle that cannot be hidden from view, further affecting the aesthetics and comfort of the backpack. 
   Although various attempts have been made to solve the above problems, an improved design is needed as convertible suitcases become increasingly popular. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to an improved container with a cover for concealing the carrying means attached to the container. 
   To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a container for carrying one more items comprises a front compartment for storing one or more items and a rear compartment for housing carrying means used to carry the container and attached to the container. The carrying means can be at least partially concealed from view in a first or second transport mode. The front and the rear compartments may also share a common wall. 
   According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the container may further comprise a set of wheels attached approximately to a lower portion of the container, so that the container can be wheeled in the first transport mode. According to another aspect, the carrying means may comprise one or more handles attached approximately to an upper portion of the container that can be deployed from the rear compartment so that the container can be wheeled in the first and carried in the second transport mode. Further, one of the one or more handles may be an extendable handle that can be deployed to facilitate wheeling the container in the first transport mode. 
   According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the carrying means may comprise one or more handles attached approximately to an upper portion of the container, wherein the one or more handles can be deployed from the rear compartment so that the container can be carried in the first or the second transport mode. Also, one of the one or more handles may be a strap that can be deployed from the rear compartment to facilitate carrying the container on a person&#39;s back in the second transport mode. 
   According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the container may include a frame structure comprising a base having an upper and lower portions, (wherein the upper portion is attached to a lower portion of the container), a set of wheels attached to the bottom portion of the base, and an elongated telescopic handle approximately perpendicularly attached to the base. The elongated telescopic handle is in operational relationship with the second compartment to support the container to stand in an upright position, such that in the first transport mode a person can use the telescopic handle to wheel the container, and in the second transport mode the elongated telescopic handle provides a support structure for a person to carry the container on his back using a set of shoulder straps secured to the container. 
   According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the carrying means of the container may comprise a set of wheels attached approximately to a lower portion of the container, a set of shoulder straps and at least one extendable handle deployable from the rear compartment. The container may further comprise a cover for covering at least a portion of the set of wheels in a second transport mode. The container is configured to be wheeled on the set of wheels by way of the extendable handle and first and carried on a person&#39;s back using said set of shoulder straps in the first and second transport modes, respectively. The rear compartment may comprise an opening proximate to the container&#39;s top from which the set of shoulder straps may be deployed, and a cover for covering said opening for fully concealing the carrying means from view in a closed position. The cover may be fastened by way of a fastener, such as a zipper, to the outer surface of the second compartment to cover the opening. 
   Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide a further explanation of the invention as claimed. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a rear view of the convertible backpack in stowage configuration in accordance with the one of the embodiments of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the convertible backpack in stowage configuration in accordance with one of the embodiments of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear view of the convertible backpack in wheeled suitcase configuration in accordance with one of the embodiments of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the convertible backpack in backpack configuration in accordance with one of the embodiments of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is bottom perspective view of the convertible backpack in backpack configuration in accordance with one of the embodiments of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with respect to the preferred embodiment illustrated in the annexed drawings. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , in accordance with one embodiment, a convertible backpack  10  has at least a front compartment  100 , to store a user&#39;s belongings, and a rear compartment  200  sharing a common wall with the first compartment  100  for housing the backpack&#39;s carrying means, such as shoulder straps  65  and  75 , and handle  60 . 
   In one embodiment, a cover  30  defines the outer surface of the rear compartment  200 . The cover  30  is preferably padded for user comfort since the cover  30  is the portion of the backpack  10  that will be in contact with the user&#39;s back when the backpack  10  is being carried. The bottom edge of the cover  30  is not attached to the backside of the rear compartment  200  in some embodiments to allow for installation of a carrying cart with a set of wheels and an extendable handle, for example. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the carrying means of the backpack  10  are configured for stowage within the second compartment  200 . As shown, the extendable handle  60  and shoulder straps  65  and  75  are accessible preferably via a zipper  20  attached to a flap  15 , which encloses the top portion of the second compartment  200  by fastening to the cover  30 . Alternatively, any suitable fastener known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such as snaps, hook and loop fasteners or the like, can be used to fasten the flap  15  to cover  30 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , the base  12  preferably is made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), metal, or other suitable material known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The base  12  is preferably attached permanently to the backpack  10  by rivets although other suitable means of attachment known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such as stitching or adhesives, can be used. In this embodiment, the base  12  comprises front and rear elongated members  121  and  122 , respectively, which span substantially the bottom width of the backpack  10  and are connected by two cross-bars  123  and  124 . Wheels  45  and  55  are preferably attached to the rear elongated member  121  at laterally opposite ends to provide maximum lateral stability when the backpack  10  is transported in wheeled suitcase mode. The front elongated member preferably comprises two legs,  125  and  126 , situated at laterally opposite ends. The legs  125  and  126  are substantially the same length as the sum of the diameter of the wheels  45  and  55  and the clearance width between the wheels  45  and  55  and the base  12 . Consequently, the backpack  10  is level and vertically stable with respect to a flat surface when it is not being transported and is resting upright. 
   The backpack  10  can be formed of any durable material, such as canvas, fabric, nylon, leather, plastic (e.g. vinyl), etc. The backpack  10  has an external rigid base  12  to which wheels  45  and  55  are preferably attached. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the wheels  45  and  55  are dual wheels (two wheels on each side) to provide stability and easy transport. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the extendable handle  60  can extend upwardly from the open end of the rear compartment  200  via two telescoping members  61  and  62 . The base of the shafts that contain the two telescoping members  61  and  62  are also preferably attached to the rigid base  12  for additional stability. Preferably, the base of the shafts that contain the two telescoping members  61  and  62  are connected to the rear elongated member  121  for comfort and stability when wheeling the backpack  10 . The members  61  and  62  are further attached to each other near the upper edge of the second compartment  200 , in one embodiment, via a cross bar  90  for further stability. The cross bar  90  is preferably flat and enclosed within a pocket or covering affixed to the backpack  10  for additional stability and aesthetics. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the backpack  10  may comprise a flap  80  that can be unfolded or extracted to cover the wheels  45  and  55  when a user is carrying the backpack  10  on his back to provide added cushioning and comfort. Flap  80  is attached to the lower end of the rear backpack  10 , in proximity of wheels  45  and  55  so that, in an unfolded or extracted position, the flap  80  can fully or at least partially cover the wheels  45  and  55 . In certain embodiments, a fastening means, such as snaps, hook and loop fasteners, or the like may be used to detachably fasten the distal end of the flap  80  to the bottom portion of the backpack  10  so that the flap  80  can wrap around the wheels  45  and  55  to protect the user&#39;s back from discomfort that may result from pressure from the wheels  45  and  55  placed on his back. The flap  80  of certain length is extracted from the bottom edge of the backpack  10  to provide a barrier between the wheels  45  and  55  and the user&#39;s back in order to also protect it from debris accumulated on the wheels  45  and  55  when rolled along an unclean surface. The flap  80  may be affixed to the cover  30  by stitching or other suitable means known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Alternatively, the flap can be affixed to the backside of the front compartment  100  or the backside rear compartment  200 . 
   When the backpack  10  is in wheeled suitcase configuration, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the flap  80  is folded up between the backside of the front compartment  100  and the cover  30 . This prevents the wheels  45  and  55  from marring the flap  80  while the backpack  10  is being rolled. In other embodiments as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the flap  80  can be extracted from a pocket  150  located on the lower, rear side of the backpack  10 . The pocket  150  may be created by attaching the cover  30 , by stitching or other means well known in the art, to the rear side of the first compartment  100  a certain distance from the bottom edge of the backpack  10  so as to accommodate the flap  80  when it is inserted into the pocket  150 . Additionally, the pocket  150  prevents the second ends of the shoulder straps  65  and  75 , as described below, from exposure at the bottom edge of the backpack  10 . 
   The shoulder straps  65  and  75  are comprised of standard extendable, cushioned shoulder pads used with existing backpacks and well known in the art. The first ends of the shoulder straps  65  and  75  are permanently affixed to the backpack  10  by stitching or other suitable fasteners known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Preferably, the first ends of the shoulder straps  65  and  75  are affixed within and at the upper edge of the rear compartment  200 . The second ends of the shoulder straps  65  and  75  are provided with latches  85  and  95 , respectively. The latches  85  and  95  are extracted from within the rear compartment  200  to fasten the shoulder straps  65  and  75  to corresponding attaching means on the outer surface of the backpack  10 , such as rings  25  and  35 , respectively. The rings  25  and  35  are preferably located on the lower, rear side edges of the backpack  10 . Alternatively, any suitable fastening means known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such as male-female fasteners, pressure-release fasteners, clasps or the like, can be used to fasten the shoulder straps  65  and  75  to the lower, rear side edges of the backpack  10 . Attaching the second ends of the shoulder straps  65  and  75  allows them to be worn over the user&#39;s shoulders such that the backpack  10  is carried snug across the user&#39;s back. 
   Those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative embodiments exists from the description of the preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Preferred embodiments were shown in the context of a standard backpack. However, in alternative embodiments, a backpack with additional compartments can be substituted for the preferred backpack. For example, a third compartment can be affixed to the front side of the first compartment, where the third compartment is optionally removable as a day pack. Further, the features disclosed here may have application for use with any type of luggage or carrying container. 
   In the described embodiments, the shoulder straps were described as standard extendable cushioned shoulder straps. In alternative embodiments, the shoulder straps can take any known mechanism allowing the user to hold the luggage on the user&#39;s back. For example, the shoulder straps can comprise a single strap to place over one shoulder and body of the user while the user wears the luggage in the backpack mode. 
   Therefore, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Other embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.