Rigid side arm device forming a guiding handle for suitcase

Handle device for suitcase of shell type or rigid structure type, equipped with one or more casters or rollers or indeed one or more pairs of casters or rollers, the device being composed in known manner of a fixed component, attached to the transverse side of the suitcase, and of another, opening component, that is to say an element capable of moving away from the perimeter of the suitcase and forming the handle proper, these two components being pivotally mounted with respect to each other, the first and second component are basically constituted of a straight member of channel section (U-section), the first, fixed component having a length considerably less than that of the second, opening component and the member constituting the first component being of a smaller sectional dimension than the member constituting the basic portion of the second component in such a manner as to be capable of being seated therein when the opening component is folded back, the two components being integrally connected to each other, on the one hand the one component being connected inside the other at their ends in a pivoting manner and on the other hand by a tension member forming a brace when the handle is opened, the tension member being mounted and pivotally fixed at the one end to the first component and being free at the other end but constrained to slide and held between the sides of the U-section of the second component, said tension member being forced, both before its maximum angle and before its minimum angle relative to the first, fixed component, to continue its pivoting action relative to the latter component under the effect of a spring strip which is doubly curved in such a manner as to force the opening component or handle to fold down or to maintain the open position beyond a certain minimum angle or maximum angle respectively.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a device forming a guiding handle for a suitcase. 
Suitcases comprising a shell or rigid structure are now increasingly being 
fitted with one or more casters or rollers or one or more pairs of casters 
or rollers; to enable suitcases equipped in this manner to be easily moved 
and manoeuvred, it has been proposed to place at the side opposite to (or 
corner opposite to) said rollers, a folding arm that can be used as a 
guiding handle and which, moreover, where there is only one roller or one 
pair of rollers mounted on one corner of the suitcase, will also serve for 
partially lifting these suitcases. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Handles of the type at present known exhibit the following disadvantages: 
they are not automatically held both in the open position (position of 
use) and in the closed position (folded position); to do this, one of 
these must be latched; moreover, the handlers are generally smooth members 
which can easily slide in the hand when the roller or rollers encounter an 
obstacle. 
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
The handle according to the present invention overcomes these 
disadvantages, it is automatically blocked both in the open position and 
in the closed position beyond a certain position, it is designed in such a 
way as to prevent it sliding in the hand, and moreoever its dimensions are 
designed for easy moving of the suitcase and, in the folded position, it 
fits perfectly within the contour of the suitcase. 
For this purpose, the device forming a handle for a shell-type or rigid 
structure suitcase, according to this invention, is composed in known 
manner of a fixed component attached to the transverse side of the 
suitcase, and of another, opening component, that is to say an element 
capable of moving away from the periphery of the suitcase and constituting 
the handle proper, these two components being mounted to pivot with 
respect to each other, is characterized in that the first and also the 
second component are constituted essentially of a channel section 
(U-section), the first, fixed component being considerably shorter than 
the second, opening component and the section constituting the first 
component being of smaller dimensions than the section consisting the 
basic part of the second component in such a manner that it can nest 
within it when the opening component is folded down; the two components 
being integrally connected to each other, firstly by one component 
pivoting inside the other at one of their ends and secondly by a tension 
member forming a brace or strut when the handle is opened, this tension 
member being mounted and pivotally fixed at one end to the first component 
and free at the other end but compelled to slide and held within the sides 
of the channel section of the second, opening component, said tension 
member being forced, both just before its minimum angle and just before 
its maximum angle with respect to the first, fixed component to continue 
its pivoting movement with respect to the component under the effect of a 
double-bent spring strip, in such a manner as to force the opening 
component, that is the handle, beyond a certain minimum or maximum angle, 
to fold down or to remain in the open position. 
Preferably, in addition, near to the free end of the second, opening 
component of the handle, there is provided on the inner face a lug capable 
of springing up under the effect of a spring when the handle opens; in 
addition, on the inner face, the handle comprises on the near side of this 
lug an imprint of four fingers in such a manner as to obtain a perfect 
grip on the handle.

Referring to these various figures, reference 1 denotes the first component 
forming a fixed member, having a channel section, and attached for example 
by screws to the side of a suitcase 2 (shown diagrammatically and in part 
only), reference 3 denotes the second, opening component, that is the 
handle proper, composed of a channel section 4 within which there is 
positioned and fixed another element 5 of shorter length than the member 4 
in such a manner as to leave a free space 6 sufficiently large to permit 
the fixed member 1 to become seated in the opening member 4, reference 7 
denotes a tension member forming a brace when the opening handle 3 is 
separated from the fixed member and constraining the opening and closing 
of the opening member 3 by means of the spring strip 8, and refeence 9 
denotes a pivot axis forming the connection between the opening member 3 
and the fixed member 1. 
A detailed description of each of these elements will now be given below: 
The fixed member 1, the first component (FIG. 10 and 11) having a straight 
U-section with four apertures 10 permitting the passage of screws (not 
illustrated) or other means for fixing the member 1 to the suitcase 2; an 
aperture 11 being provided to permit the fixing of the spring strip 8 for 
example by means of a hollow rivet (not illustrated), or indeed, as shown, 
by folding over the internal edges 12 (FIG. 11) of the aperture 11 after 
having positioned the strip spring 8 thereon. The fixed member 1 comprises 
also a median slit 13 which, on the outside, is equipped on either side of 
its longitudinal edges towards the end situated nearest to the free end of 
the fixed member, with a lug 14 perforated by a hole 15 for the fitting of 
the pivot axis 16 of the brace 7, the end of this brace passing through 
the slit 13. 
The opening member or handle 3, the second component, is composed of two 
elements, a member 4 of straight channel section and another element 5 
situated thereon and of shorter length, so as to leave a free space 6 to 
permit the fixed member 1 to become situated also therein when the handle 
is folded down. 
The member 4 (FIGS. 2 and 4) comprises in known manner bent tongues 17 
which lock the element 5 in position, which element is preferably formed 
by moulding whereas all the other components are of metal and which 
internally covers the member 4; this element 5 (FIGS. 6 and 7) exhibits 
the following characteristics: seen from above (FIG. 6 from the outside) a 
slit 18 for the passage and guidance of the brace 7, various small 
recesses 19 into which the tongues 17 will be bent down, and also four 
undulations, imprints 20 for the fingers which enable the handle to be 
firmly held by the hand; there is also, at the end, a slit 21 for the 
passage of a lug 22 thrust by a spring 23 (FIG. 4) which prevents the hand 
from sliding; seen from the rear (FIG. 7 from the inside) portions 24, 25, 
26, 27 forming a positioning base for the element 5 in the channel member 
4, the end 28 of the element 27 forming a stop for the brace 7 in the 
bracing position and thus limiting the angle of opening of the handle. 
Referring more particularly to FIGS. 12 and 13, it can be seen that the 
brace 7, an essentially straight bar except for its two ends 29 and 30, 
the one widened-out end 29 forming a small plate which returns slightly 
towards the horizontal (when the brace 7 is positioned in the opening 
member 3, the latter being separated from the fixed member 1) and which, 
when it has once been introduced through the slot 18 (by bringing it in on 
its side) of element 5, is subsequently held by this element while at the 
same time retaining the facility for sliding as far as stop 28 when the 
opening member is separated, and in addition this end, the plate 29, 
cannot separate from the opening member 3 since it is prevented from doing 
so by the element 5; the other thinned-out end 30 comprises a small fin 31 
disposed laterally relative to the general axis of the bar, this fin 31 
has an aperture 32 for the passage of a pivot axis 16 for the brace 7 to 
pivot on the fixed member 1, the pivot axis of the brace 7 being therefore 
to one side of its central axis, while on this end 30 of the brace 7 there 
has also been provided, on each of the longitudinal sides, a small stub 
33, 34, against which there bears the spring strip 8 which serves for 
forcing the opening and closing of the opening member 3 relative to the 
fixed member 1. This spring strip 8, as can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, 
comprises a flat non-active portion 35 serving for fixing the strip to the 
fixed member 1 and equipped with apertures 36 opposite to two of the 
apertures 10 of the fixed member 1 and an aperture 37 opposite to the 
aperture 11 for fixing this strip to the fixed member 1. The non-active 
portion 35 is then continued by an active portion 38, initially flat, then 
curved downwards and finally curved upwards at the end, while in this 
portion 38 there is provided an open longitudinal slit 39 forming two 
tongues 40 on either side thereof; the body of the brace 7 being capable 
of moving in the slit 39, while each of the tongues 40 and their end 
portions 41 bear against the stub 33, 34 of the brace 7. 
When the spring strip 8 is positioned in the fixed member 1 as in FIGS. 4 
and 5, it can be seen that the double curvature of the active portion 38, 
on one side of the curve (FIG. 5) forces the brace 7 into the bracing 
position and the opening member 3 into the position of maximum open angle, 
the brace 7 being limited in movement by the stop 28 and the base of the 
slit 39, whereas on the other side the curve (FIG. 4) forces the brace 7 
into a horizontal position relative to the fixed member 1 and the opening 
member 3, the end regions 41 definitively blocking the brace 7 in this 
position, so that the opening member 3 can no longer be separated from the 
fixed member 1 except by force. 
Although not illustrated here, it can be readily imagined that the opening 
handle 3 will fold down against the transverse side of the suitcase 2 and 
the lug 22 will retract; the device will preferably be positioned on the 
central portion of the lateral face of a suitcase, generally recessed, in 
such a manner as to fit within the framework of the latter, while the 
rounded end 42 enables a finger to be inserted beneath the element 5, thus 
enabling the handle 3 to be opened out. 
It would not constitute a departure from the scope of the present invention 
to apply modifications thereto, notably in the dimensions of the 
constituent elements, although one characteristic of the invention is the 
length for the opening handle 3 of approximately 28 cm and the portion 
intended for receiving the hand of approximately 10 cm, these dimensions 
being especially favourable for the intended use of the device.