Abstract:
A wheeled carrier equipped with a handle assembly and wheels has both top and side doors covering openings for accessing the same compartment in the body of the carrier. A strap having an opening defined in the strap for receiving a handle assembly is provided to attach a carrier to a wheeled carrier in order for the carrier to be supported by the wheeled carrier.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This non-provisional application claims benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/657,884, filed on Jun. 10, 2012 and titled “WHEELED CARRIER AND STRAP,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The field of the invention generally is that of wheeled carriers for articles and straps for carriers. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    People want carriers that enable them to transport articles without excessive effort. Pieces of rolling luggage commonly have wheeled receivers with an interior compartment for containing articles. The wheels support the weight of the luggage and its contents. The user pulls a handle attached to the receiver in order to move the piece of rolling luggage while the wheels support its weight. The handle usually is part of a telescoping handle assembly that can be retracted into the receiver. An opening on one side or other of the receiver provides access to the interior compartment. The opening is closed by a door or panel, usually by a zipper but sometimes buckles by or clasps. 
         [0004]    The receivers of existing pieces of rolling luggage lack adequate access to the interior compartment. In addition, the interior compartment should be as large as possible in order to accommodate large articles when the size of the receiver is limited, such as by the need to satisfy carry-on luggage size requirements. 
         [0005]    A person often will travel with two carriers, bags, or pieces of luggage, at least one of them being a piece of rolling luggage. In that case the person will want to be able to use the at least one piece of rolling luggage to carry the other carrier, bag or piece of luggage so the user may pull both pieces by one handle. Various expedients have been used to attach a bag, carrier, or piece of luggage to the piece of rolling luggage, such as using elastic cord or by wrapping a shoulder strap around the handle of the piece of rolling luggage, but the attachments are often insecure or require additional equipment that has no other purpose. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to the invention, the problem of providing more access to the same interior compartment is solved by providing a carrier that has a receiver with wheels and a handle in which the receiver has both a top and a side opening in order to provide access to an interior compartment in the receiver. Such a carrier will allow the user to obtain access to the interior compartment through the top opening to reach articles that are needed immediately without the user having to put the receiver on its side. Alternatively, the user can reach articles stored in the interior compartment through the side opening. In a further aspect of the invention, the handle assembly is attached to an exterior wall of the receiver and therefore is not contained inside the receiver. 
         [0007]    The problem of providing a more secure attachment of a carrier, bag, or piece of luggage to a piece of rolling luggage having a handle is solved by providing a strap for connection to the carrier, bag, or piece of luggage and having an opening between its point of connection to the carrier, bag, or piece of luggage through which the handle of the piece of rolling luggage is inserted. In an aspect of the invention, the strap is a shoulder strap that is bifurcated in at least a part of the shoulder strap to form an opening to receive the handle of the piece of rolling luggage in order to attach the carrier, bag, or piece of luggage to the piece of rolling luggage. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view from the right and front side of an embodiment of a wheeled carrier according to the invention with the top and front doors or panels zipped to the receiver of the carrier and the handle assembly is retracted to a closed configuration. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the right and front side of the embodiment of a wheeled carrier shown in  FIG. 1  wherein the handle assembly is deployed in an extended configuration and the top and front doors or panels are unzipped from the receiver or body of the carrier and rotated away from the top and front openings to the interior compartment formed in the receiver of the carrier; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view from the rear and right side of the embodiment of a carrier shown in  FIG. 1  with the handle assembly deployed in the extended configuration and the top door or panel unzipped and rotated away from the top opening to the compartment of the receiver of the carrier; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view from the right and front side of the embodiment of the carrier shown in  FIG. 1  supported on another wheeled carrier by its shoulder strap engaging the handle of the other rolling luggage. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a wheeled carrier according to the invention is indicated generally by reference numeral  1 . The wheeled carrier shown in the drawings is in the form of a pilot&#39;s bag, also known as a flight bag or aviator bag, and is provided with wheels and a telescoping or slidingly extending handle assembly. The size and shape of the wheeled carrier, however, could be varied and still be within the scope of the invention. 
         [0014]    The piece of rolling luggage  1  comprises three components: a receiver  10 , a handle assembly  100 , and a shoulder strap  200 , as described in more detail below. 
         [0015]    The receiver  10  has a front wall  20 , a back wall  30 , a right side wall  40 , a left side wall  50 , a top wall  60 , and a bottom wall  70  generally joined at their edges to define a generally rectangular parallelepiped-shaped interior compartment  12 . The front wall  20 , the back wall  30 , the right side all  40 , and the left side wall  50  may generally be referred to as the “side walls” of the receiver  10  because they join the top wall  60  to the bottom wall  70 . The back wall  30  is the wall that is adjacent to the handle assembly  100  and preferably is attached to the handle assembly  100 . The front wall  20  is the wall spaced from and parallel to the back wall  30 . 
         [0016]    The walls  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60 , and  70  are preferably made of a strong and abrasion resistant fabric, such as polyester oxford cloth, coated on an interior side for water resistance, and further provided with padding or similar stiffening elements in order to give shape to the receiver  10 . Padding would provide some protection to the contents of the receiver  10  from dropping and other blows. 
         [0017]    The receiver  10  is provided with two wheel assemblies  80 . Each wheel assembly  80  comprises a wheel  82  mounted on an axle attached to a wheel housing  84 . The wheel assemblies  80  are each attached to the exterior of the bottom wall  70 , the back wall  30 , and one of the right side wall  40  and the left side wall  50  so that the wheels  82  generally share a common axis. The wheel housings  84  each comprise an interior portion and an exterior portion mounted on either side of the bottom wall  70 , the back wall  30 , and one of the right side wall  40  and the left side wall  50 . 
         [0018]    The wheels  82  and the foot  90  will support the receiver  10  in an upright position as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
         [0019]    The interior portions of the wheel housings  84  also are mounted over a sheet (not shown) that is positioned against the interior of the back wall  30  and the bottom wall  70 . The sheet is preferably made of polyethylene and provides rigidity and shape to the receiver  10 . As discussed below, it will connect to the handle assembly  100 . 
         [0020]    Rivets and/or screws join the interior and exterior portions of the wheel housings  84  through the bottom wall  70 , the back wall  30 , the polyethylene sheet, and one of the right side wall  40  and the left side wall  50 . Rivets or screws also join the foot  90  through the bottom wall  70  to the polyethylene sheet. 
         [0021]    The receiver  10  has two openings  21  and  61  that each permit access to the same interior compartment  12 , as is shown in  FIG. 2 . A front opening  21  accesses the compartment  12  through the front wall  20 . A front door or panel  22  closes the front opening  21  when the zipper halves  23   a  and  23   b  of the zipper  23  are joined by moving the zipper sliders  23   c.  The front door  22  is attached to the bottom wall  70  by a hinge  22   a  so that the front door  22  may rotate away and down from the front wall  20  to expose the opening  21 . The retainer straps  24  hold the door  22  partly open but may be disconnected from the door  22  by unfastening the buckles  26 . 
         [0022]    A top opening  61  accesses the compartment  12  through the top wall  60 . A top door  62  closes the top opening  61  when the zipper halves  63   a  and  63   b  of the zipper  63  are joined by moving the zipper sliders  63   c.  The top door  62  is attached to the back wall  30  by a hinge  62   a  so that the top door  62  may rotate away and down from the top wall  60  to expose the opening  61 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the top door  62  essentially is the same as the top wall  60  but this is not required. 
         [0023]    As an example of the usefulness of having top and side openings in the same wheeled carrier, consider the benefit to a photographer of being able to reach into the top opening  61  of the wheeled carrier  1  while that wheeled carrier  1  is positioned upright as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . The photographer may have a camera stored in an upper part of the compartment  12 , just below the top door  62 , where she can easily reach it if needed to take a picture quickly. Alternatively, gear may be stored in a lower part of the compartment  12  that does not need to be available so quickly. The photographer then will have the time to turn the receiver  10  so that its front wall  20  is uppermost and thus gain access to the front door  22  and the front opening  21  without the worry of articles falling out of the interior compartment  12 . 
         [0024]    A padded tub insert  14  preferably is provided to give more protection to the contents of the compartment from shocks and jostling. It is sized and shaped to fit against the back wall  30 , the bottom wall  70 , and the right and left side walls  40  and  50   b.  Openings are defined in the padded tub insert  14  that align with and correspond to the openings  21  and  61  defined in the receiver  10 . 
         [0025]    The padded tub insert  14  preferably is made of foam padding contained in a fabric envelope. The fabric envelope preferably is made of a knitted fabric, at least on the side that faces the interior of the compartment  12 , in order to permit the attachment of the optional movable dividers  16  by means of hook strips attached to the ends and sides of the dividers  16 . Providing the dividers  16  is useful, for example, to position and contain articles useful for photographers within the interior compartment  12 . 
         [0026]    The padded tub insert  14  is removable and therefore may be replaced. It is connected to the side walls  40  and  50  and the bottom wall  70  by hook and loop strips (not shown) and is fastened to the right and left side walls  40  and  50   b  and the back wall  30  by a zipper (not shown) running under the edge of the opening  61 . 
         [0027]    A removable padded tub insert for a wheeled luggage is described in the present inventors&#39; U.S. Pat. No. 8,123,007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference for all purposes permitted by law and regulation, at column 8, line 65 to column 9, line 37. The padded tub insert  14  used in the receiver  10  of the wheeled carrier  1  of this specification, however, does not separate the interior compartment  12  into two subcompartments. 
         [0028]    The receiver  10  contains a handle assembly  100 . It comprises two telescoping arms  110  joined by a handle  120 . The telescoping arms  110  comprise three tubes with rectangular cross-sections of varying size that permit the larger to overlap the smaller to allow the tubes to slide back and forth with respect to each other. The handle  120  has a button that the user may depress to unlock the telescoping arms  110  in order to collapse them from the extended configuration shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , in which the arms  110  extend above the top wall  60 , to the contracted configuration shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , in which the arms  110  do not extend above the top wall  60 . 
         [0029]    The telescoping arms  110  also are held together by the cross bars  130 , one of which is shown in  FIG. 3 . The cross arms  130  are connected to the outer side of the back wall  30  by rivets or bolts that join the cross arms  130 , the back wall  30 , and the frame sheet on the other side of the back wall  30 . 
         [0030]    Being placed on the outer side of the back wall  30  rather than the inner side permits fuller use of the compartment  12  for storing various items because the handle assembly  100  will not be inside the receiver  10 . The handle assembly  100  also is exposed on the exterior of the receiver  10  where it is liable to wear and damage. A shield  140  is provided in the form of a molded sheet, preferably made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The shield  140  is adhered or sewn to the back wall  30 . Preferably, the shield  140  will cover and protect the handle assembly  100  when it is in the contracted configuration shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . 
         [0031]    The rolling luggage  1  is provided with a shoulder strap  200  (shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 ) that permits it to be suspended from the shoulder of the user. For that purpose it comprises a central section  210  that is padded for comfort. The central portion comprises two portions  210   a  and  210   b  that are sewn to each other only at their respective ends so that the portions  210   a  and  210   b  may be separated from each other at the points where they are not attached. As shown in  FIG. 4  and described in more detail below, an object may be inserted between the portions  210   a  and  210   b.  The portion  210   b  is more thickly padded and should be the portion that comes in direct contact with the shoulder of the user. The portion  210   a  need not be padded as much as the portion  210   b  or at all. 
         [0032]    The central section  210  is attached by sewn loops to the ladder lock buckles  212 . The ladder lock buckles  212  receive the straps  214 , which are preferably made of webbing, and are fitted through two apertures in the corresponding ladder lock buckle  212 . One end of each strap  214  is attached to a snap hook  216  by folding a portion around the ring of the snap hook  216  and sewing the end of that portion to the strap. The snap hooks  216  connect the shoulder strap  200  to the receiver  10  by being attached to the D rings  42  and  52  on straps sewn on the right and left side walls  40  and  50 , respectively. The shoulder strap  200  may be detached from the receiver  10  by opening the snap hooks  216  in order to disconnect them from the D-rings  42  and  52 . 
         [0033]    The length of portion of each of the straps  214  may be adjusted by sliding the strap  214  through the ladder lock buckle  212  to the degree desired by the user. A keeper ring  218  secures the loose end of the strap  214 . The keeper ring  218  is made of a piece of an elastic fabric and is sewn to itself. It fits around the strap  214  and is free to move along the strap  214  as desired by the user. 
         [0034]    A traveler often will have more than one carrier to transport. If one of the pieces is a wheeled carrier, it may be used to support the other carrier so that the traveler can tow both pieces at once with one hand. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  shows how the shoulder strap  200  may be used to connect the wheeled carrier  1  to another wheeled carrier, designated as “R” in  FIG. 4 . The user may connect the shoulder strap  200  to the handle “H” of the wheeled carrier R by sliding the handle H between the portions  210   a  and  210   b.  The length of the straps  214  between the slider buckles  212  and the snap rings  216  may need to be adjusted to have the wheeled carrier  1  fit next to the front wall “F” of the rolling luggage R or on the top wall “T” of the rolling luggage R (not shown). The shoulder strap  200  permits an easy and secure attachment of the wheeled carrier  1  to the wheeled carrier R and will replace a variety of expedients currently used for attaching one carrier to another. 
         [0036]    While the invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to this embodiment or its particular manner of construction, materials or components. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.