Article of luggage

An article of luggage suitable for use as a seat has a resilient frame that defines top, bottom and side portions of the article, and a brace coupled to the frame and configured to resist displacement of the top portion of the article towards the bottom portion when the article rests on its bottom portion and a user sits on the top portion. Also a method of manufacturing such an article of luggage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an article of luggage suitable for use as a seat and to a method of manufacturing such an article.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Articles of luggage such as suitcases are typically designed to be as lightweight as possible, in order to maximize the weight of the contents of the articles of luggage that can be carried without exceeding weight limits imposed by airlines.

It has been observed that users of articles of luggage such as suitcases often use them as seats, which can cause premature failure of such articles of luggage.

There is thus a need for an article of luggage suitable for use as a seat, but which is not significantly heavier than existing articles of luggage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an article of luggage suitable for use as a seat and comprising a resilient frame that defines top, bottom and side portions of the article, and at least one brace coupled to the frame and configured to resist displacement of the top portion of the article towards the bottom portion when the article rests on its bottom portion and a user sits on the top portion.

The resilient frame is preferably rectangular and defines top, bottom and side surfaces of the article.

The resilient frame also defines front and rear openings bounded by the top, bottom and side portions of the article.

The at least one brace is preferably arranged across an opening defined by the frame. In this way, the maximum size of object that can be accommodated in the article for a given volume of the article is increased relative to that which could be accommodated if the at least one brace were arranged inside the frame.

The at least one brace may advantageously define a channel or be tubular, so as to provide rigidity of the at least one brace without significantly increasing the mass of the article.

Where the at least one brace defines a channel or is tubular, it may advantageously form a guide for a retractable towing handle assembly.

In preferred embodiments, the article comprises first and second braces arranged parallel to one another across an opening defined by the frame.

In one embodiment the resilient frame is moulded, preferably from plastics materials and preferably as an endless band.

In another embodiment the resilient frame is formed from a strip of material that is bent into shape and the ends of the strip joined to one another to form an endless band.

The strip of material may advantageously be provided by a row of tubes that are joined to one another along their sidewalls and run parallel to one another along the length of the strip of material. In this way the strip of material provides resilience but has a relatively low density.

The article may advantageously further comprise a reinforcing loop coupled to the resilient frame.

While it is envisaged that the reinforcing loop could run around an exterior or interior surface of the resilient frame, in one embodiment of the invention the reinforcing loop is arranged adjacent to an edge of the resilient frame and surrounds an opening defined by the resilient frame.

Where the at least one brace is arranged across an opening defined by the frame, the reinforcing loop preferably surrounds the other of front and rear openings defined by the frame.

The reinforcing loop may advantageously be moulded, preferably from plastics materials and preferably as an endless band.

Alternatively, or in addition, the reinforcing loop may be formed from metal.

In one embodiment the reinforcing loop is formed of a metal tube that is bent into shape and the ends of the tube joined to one another to form a closed figure.

In preferred embodiments the article further comprises a fabric cover that encloses the frame and the at least one brace and covers front and rear openings defined by the frame.

The reinforcing loop may advantageously be coupled to the resilient frame by attachment to a component to which the resilient frame is attached.

In preferred embodiments, the reinforcing loop is attached by a first fastener to a foot of the article, and the foot is attached by a second fastener to the resilient frame.

Where the article comprises the fabric cover, the reinforcing loop may alternatively or additionally be coupled to the resilient frame by means of fabric loops attached to portions of the fabric cover adjacent to the resilient frame, and/or by means of fabric loops attached to the resilient frame.

The article may advantageously further comprise a reinforcement board located adjacent to the resilient frame such that when the article rests on its bottom portion the reinforcement board underlies the resilient frame.

In one embodiment, the at least one brace is received in a flanged socket and the flanged socket is fastened to the reinforcement board.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an article of luggage suitable for use as a seat, the method comprising providing a resilient frame that that defines top, bottom and side portions of the article, and coupling at least one brace to the frame in a configuration that resists displacement of the top portion of the article towards the bottom portion when the article rests on its bottom portion and a user sits on the top portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The article of luggage ofFIG. 1is a so-called underseat suitcase10comprising a resilient frame in the form of an extruded polypropylene (PP) board12bent into a square closed figure, a brace in the form of a retractable towing handle assembly14and a reinforcing loop in the form of an aluminium tube16bent into a square closed figure. The suitcase10also comprises an extruded PP reinforcement board18that stiffens the underside of the suitcase.

The extruded PP board12consists of a row of parallel tubes with neighbouring tubes joined along their walls, for example, as schematically represented inFIG. 5. The board12is around 75 mm wide and has a length of around 1320 mm. It is bent into a square shape with rounded corners, each side of the square being around 330 mm in length and the ends of the board12meeting at a join34in the middle of one side of the square and being taped together.

The retractable towing handle assembly14is of conventional construction, comprising first and second aluminium tubes20and22held in upper and lower PP moulded brackets24and26, the first and second tubes20and22accommodating respective first and second telescopic bars28and30joined by a handle32. The upper and lower brackets24and26are flanged to enable them to be fastened by bolts or rivets to other components of the suitcase as described in more detail below.

The aluminium tube16is of circular cross section with a diameter of around 10 mm. It is bent into a square shape with rounded corners and is of the same dimensions as the square shape formed by the board12. The ends of the tube16meet at a join36in the middle of one side of the square and are taped together.

The extruded PP reinforcement board18is of similar construction to the extruded PP board12, having a row of parallel tubes with neighbouring tubes being joined along their walls. The reinforcement board18is around 290 mm long and around 170 mm wide, but with rectangular cutouts at the corners of one long side to accommodate the wheels (not shown) of the suitcase.

The suitcase10is assembled by placing the reinforcing loop16against a front opening formed by the bent extruded PP board12with the joins34and36between their ends adjacent to one another. The sides of the loop16and the board12that include the joins34and36form the bottom portion of the suitcase. The board12and loop16are coupled to one another by means of four bolts (not shown, but the holes for receiving the bolts are shown, denoted by reference numerals38,40,42and44), one at each end of the sides of the board12and loop16that include the joins34and36. The bolts pass through either the loop16or the board12and into one of first and second feet45and47, on which the suitcase10stands when it rests on its bottom portion. The reinforcement board18underlies the sides of the board12and loop16that include the joins34and36. While the reinforcement board18is not attached to the loop16and board12, it is kept in tight engagement with them by a fabric cover (not shown inFIGS. 1 and 2but shown inFIG. 3, denoted by reference numeral62) of the suitcase. The retractable towing handle assembly14is placed against a rear opening formed by the bent extruded PP board12. The lower moulded bracket26is fastened by rivets (not shown, but the holes for receiving the rivets are shown, denoted by reference numerals46,48,50and52) to the reinforcement board18. The upper moulded bracket24is fastened by rivets (not shown, but the holes for receiving the rivets are shown, denoted by reference numerals54,56,58and60) to the side of the board12opposite that side which includes the join34.

Turning toFIG. 3, this shows the fabric cover62placed over the parts shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. The fabric cover62is generally of conventional construction, having a hinged lid portion64with a zip fastener adjacent to the front opening of the board12to allow access to the interior of the suitcase10. The fabric cover62differs from conventional fabric covers in that it is provided with fabric loops (not shown) on its internal surface, the loops being located such that when the fabric cover62is placed over the parts shown inFIGS. 1 and 2a fabric loop is available for each side of the loop16except that side which includes the join36, the fabric loops serving to hold the loop16adjacent to the front opening of the board12.

Two further fabric loops (not shown) are fastened by rivets to the side of the board12opposite to that side which includes the join34. The two further fabric loops also serve to hold the loop16adjacent to the front opening of the board12.

FIG. 4also shows parts of a so-called underseat suitcase110but the resilient frame of this suitcase is constituted by an acrylonitrile butadiene stryrene (ABS) moulding112in the form of a square closed figure with rounded corners. The retractable towing handle assembly114and reinforcement board128are identical to those ofFIGS. 1 to 3but the reinforcing loop16is not present, the ABS moulding112in conjunction with the retractable towing handle assembly114being sufficiently resilient to support the weight of a user sitting on the suitcase110without significant displacement of the top portion of the ABS moulding112towards the bottom portion.

It will be apparent that the above description relates only to two embodiments of the invention and that the invention encompasses other embodiments as defined by the claims set out hereafter.