Suitcase with compressible packing system

A suitcase is provided with a compressive liner encapsulating an air tight packing chamber and having a sealable opening to allow placement and removal of clothing and other articles within the packing chamber. In a relaxed state, the volume of the packing chamber is substantially greater than the volume of the suitcase interior, thereby enlarging the available packing space. When the liner is filled and sealed closed, air is withdrawn from the packing chamber by a motorized vacuum pump, causing the liner to collapse and compress the contents, thereby reducing the volume of the packing chamber to a size which fits within the closed suitcase. A one-way valve holds the vacuum within the chamber, maintaining the liner in the collapsed state until the opening is unsealed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to collapsible storage structures and, more 
particularly, to a suitcase having an air tight liner which collapses to 
compress bulky articles such as clothing, thereby increasing the storage 
capacity of the suitcase. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
When travelling, the transport of luggage can often be a burdensome ordeal. 
And, despite the difficulty and inconvenience of having to tote heavy 
suitcases throughout one's journey, many air travelers prefer to carry 
their luggage on the plane in order to avoid delays at their destination. 
In recent years, however, many airlines have implemented strict policies, 
limiting the size and number of pieces of luggage which can be carried on 
the plane. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to fit all of one's items 
in a small suitcase. Luggage pieces which do not meet the carry-on size 
limitations must be checked with the airline for storage in the plane's 
cargo compartments. In addition to delays encountered when waiting for 
checked luggage, as well as the possibility of loosing the luggage, an 
oversize suitcase is difficult to carry and transport, especially when 
travelling to more than one destination. 
In a desperate attempt to pack more clothing and articles in a smaller 
suitcase, virtually every traveler has encountered the inevitable battle 
of zipping closed an overstuffed suitcase. This is a particularly common 
dilemma for those travelling to colder climates, such as ski destinations, 
wherein the packed articles of clothing tend to be bulky, such as 
sweaters, jackets, ski suits, and the like. 
In the past, others have developed collapsible storage containers which 
typically include a flexible, air tight bag, and a fixture through which 
to evacuate excess air. When the air tight bag has been filled with one or 
more articles, air is evacuated through the fixture, causing the bag to 
collapse, thereby compressing the articles therein so that the storage 
container is easier to transport and store in a smaller space. 
One such storage container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,030 to 
Sweeney, et al. This patent discloses a reusable, evacuable enclosure 
comprising a bag with an opening in which to place compressible articles, 
such as clothing or linen, and a one-way valve in a surface of the bag. 
Excess air in the bag is removed by replacing a cylindrical attachment of 
a household vacuum cleaner over the one-way valve. Once the excess air is 
extracted, a cap is placed over the valve to ensure a permanent seal. 
Removal of the excess air reduces the size of the compressible article 
inhibits the growth of insects and bacteria, which may damage the contents 
of the bag. Generally, the enclosure structure of Sweeney, et al. is 
intended for storing clothing, linen, and other articles for an extended 
period of time in a manner which prevents damage from moisture, insects, 
bacteria and the like, while reducing the required storage space. 
Another compressible storage structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,540,500 to Tanaka. This patent discloses a compressive sealed bag for 
compressible articles such as clothing. The sealed bag includes a body of 
a plastic film having sealing fasteners formed at an opening portion of 
the bag body and a check valve formed with a flat pipe of a plastic film 
along any of the marginal portions of the bag body. According to the 
disclosure in Tanaka, the compressive sealed bag is filled with articles, 
such as clothing. Thereafter, the bag is sealed and air is evacuated by 
applying pressure to the entire bag body. Consequently, the compressible 
articles are compressed to a compact and thin condition while maintaining 
a sealed condition so that air cannot re-enter the bag. 
Notwithstanding the various structures in the related art, there still 
exists a need for a suitcase having a collapsible packing system therein 
to thereby increase the holding capacity of the suitcase. More 
specifically, there is a need for a suitcase having a compressible packing 
system including a collapsible liner which is sized and configured to the 
interior of the suitcase, and wherein the system further includes means to 
remove air from the liner to thereby collapse and compress the contents 
therein so that the suitcase can be easily closed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a suitcase having top and bottom 
portions which enclose an interior packing space, and a compressive liner 
fitted within the interior space. The liner is structured and disposed for 
containing clothing and other articles normally packed in a suitcase, and 
includes a sealable opening to enable placement and removal of the packed 
articles from within an air tight storage chamber. In a non-compressed, 
relaxed state, the volume of the storage chamber is substantially larger 
than the volume of the interior packing space of the suitcase, thereby 
increasing the holding capacity of the suitcase. After packing the storage 
chamber, the opening is sealed closed and air is removed from the storage 
chamber by a motorized vacuum pump, causing the liner to collapse and 
compress the packed articles to a volume which is less than the suitcase 
interior. The substantial reduction in size of the liner, when collapsed, 
enables the top and bottom portions of the suitcase to be easily closed. A 
one-way valve prevents entry of air into the storage chamber of the liner, 
maintaining the liner in the collapsed state, until the liner is opened 
when unpacking the suitcase.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of 
the drawings. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring initially to FIGS. 1-3, a first preferred embodiment of the 
suitcase of the present invention is shown and generally indicated as 10. 
The suitcase 10 includes a top portion 12 and a bottom portion 14 which 
close together to enclose an interior packing space. A zipper 16 or other 
closure means is provided to secure the top and bottom portions in the 
closed position, in the same general manner as a conventional suitcase. 
The suitcase 10 further includes a compressible packing system, generally 
indicated as 20, and including a liner 22 formed of a flexible, impervious 
film material such as plastic or vinyl. The liner 22 includes sides 24, a 
bottom 26, and a top 28. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the top may 
be reinforced with a substantially rigid plate 29 which may be of a 
transparent material. The top 26 opens relative to the remainder of the 
liner about the upper peripheral side and front edges 30 of the liner, so 
that the top may be folded back, as generally shown in FIG. 7, to permit 
access to an interior packing/storage chamber 40. To secure the top in air 
tight relation to a remainder of the liner, air tight seal means 36 are 
provided, as shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, the mating peripheral lips 32, 
34 of the edges 30 of the top and sides of the liner are provided with 
interlocking means, including a protruding ridge 37 on the peripheral lip 
32 of the top of the liner and a congruently configured channel 38 formed 
along the opposing peripheral lip 34 of the sides of the liner. The ridge 
37 is specifically structured and configured for interlocking, sealing 
engagement within the channel 38 to thereby provide an air tight seal 
about the mating peripheral edges so that when the top 38 of the liner 22 
is closed, the interior storage chamber 40 is air tight. 
In a relaxed state, the volume of the storage chamber 40 is substantially 
greater than the volume of the suitcase interior, as best seen in FIGS. 1 
and 2. In this manner, a greater packing capacity is provided, enabling 
the liner to contain a substantially greater quantity of articles 100 than 
could normally be packed in the interior of the suitcase. Once the storage 
chamber of the liner is filled with clothing and other compressible 
articles 100 which are to be packed in the suitcase, the top is sealed 
closed and a motorized vacuum pump 50 is actuated to remove air from the 
air tight storage chamber 40. In a preferred embodiment, the motorized 
vacuum pump 50 is fitted within the suitcase so that an intake 51 of the 
vacuum pump communicates with an air space 52 below a rigid floor 54. To 
permit air flow throughout the storage chamber to the intake, the rigid 
floor is provided with a plurality of air holes 56 in spaced array 
throughout the floor 54 and communicating between the storage chamber 40 
and the air space 52 below the floor, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. Ribs 58 or 
other upwardly projecting structure support the clothing and other 
articles 100 above the surface of the floor 54 to avoid blocking the air 
holes 56. An outlet 60 of the vacuum pump is directed through the side of 
the suitcase, in air flow communication with an exterior of the suitcase, 
so that air withdrawn from the interior storage chamber is exhausted to 
atmosphere. A one-way check valve 62 is provided to prevent re-entry of 
air from atmosphere into the storage chamber, thereby maintaining a 
negative pressure condition within the liner once air has been exhausted 
therefrom. 
As the air is withdrawn from the liner, the liner begins to collapse. To 
facilitate a more uniform, downward collapsing of the liner, telescoping 
leg members 70 may be provided at spaced intervals about the perimeter of 
the liner. Specifically, the telescoping leg members include a plurality 
of telescoping extensions 72, 73, 74 extending up from a bottom of the 
suitcase, with an uppermost one 74 of the telescoping extensions being 
fitted to the rigid plate 29 on the top 28 of the liner. In this manner, 
as the air is exhausted by the vacuum pump, the telescoping leg members 
retract, while guiding the rigid top plate downwardly in a substantially 
level, uniform manner, until the telescoping leg members reach the fully 
retracted position, with the top plate substantially level to permit 
closing of the suitcase, as seen in FIG. 3. In the fully collapsed 
position, as seen in FIG. 3, the volume of the storage chamber is 
substantially reduced, as compared to the relaxed position in FIG. 2, 
thereby compressing the articles contained therein. 
In another embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum motor 
pump 50 is fitted in a bottom of the suitcase 10, exterior of the liner 
22, with the intake 51 of the vacuum pump extending through the side wall 
24 of the liner and into the storage chamber 40. An air tight seal is 
provided on the wall of the liner surrounding the intake 51 to maintain 
the air tight integrity of the interior storage chamber. The end of the 
intake 51, within the storage chamber, is provided with a fitting 80 
having a plurality of prongs or spokes 82 extending outwardly in multiple 
directions, similar to a hairbrush. The ends of the prongs may be provided 
with enlarged heads 83 to prevent the prongs from snagging fabric, such as 
clothing. The fitting is further provided with a plurality of air intake 
openings 84 about its surface. The prongs 82 serve to maintain the 
articles 100 in spaced relation from the air intake openings 84, 
preventing obstruction of the air intake openings upon operation of the 
vacuum motor pump 50 to withdraw air from the interior storage chamber 40 
of the liner. The intake conduit 51 extending between the fitting 80 and 
the vacuum pump 50 may be provided with a one-way check valve 62, to 
prevent air from re-entering the interior storage chamber once exhausted 
therefrom. Similar to the embodiment described in FIGS. 1-3, the vacuum 
motor pump includes an outlet directed through the suitcase wall, and 
communicating with an exterior of the suitcase for exhausting air 
withdrawn from the liner to atmosphere. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 
and 7, the liner is provided with a flexible top 28, sides 24, and bottom 
26. When the liner is packed and the top is sealed closed, operation of 
the vacuum motor pump serves to collapse the liner to a reduced volume, 
similar to that as seen in FIG. 3, thereby enabling the suitcase to be 
closed. 
While this invention has been shown and described in connection with 
practical and preferred embodiments thereof, it is recognized that 
departures may be made from the instant disclosure which, therefore, 
should not be limited except within the spirit of the following claims as 
interpreted under the doctrine of equivalents.