Abstract:
An article of towable luggage has ground engagable wheels mounted on the major front or rear wall, to permit towing of said article of luggage over a ground surface with the selected wall in proximity to and presented to the ground surface, the article of towable luggage being towable by a towing strap attached to said article of towable luggage, or by a handle having telescopic legs pivotally attached to the article of luggage, the telescopic legs of the handle in the alternative being telescopically received within the body of the article of luggage, the respective legs including hinges permitting the handle to be raised and lowered relative to the article of luggage.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 09/015,571, filed on Jan. 30, 1998, which is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 09/005,313, filed on Jan. 9, 1998, which is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 08/871,472, filed on Jun. 9, 1997. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to articles of luggage in the form of suitcases or carrying cases, as commonly used by airlines&#39; passengers or other travelers for the transportation of clothing and personal effects. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Commonly known wheeled carrying cases include a substantially rigid frame providing side walls of the case, and front and rear major walls that are supported by the frame, at least one of the major walls including a zippered attachment to adjacent ones of the side walls. 
     Wheeled carrying cases are also well known in the art that include a handle that can be telescopically extended, or retracted into, the body of the case at one of the side walls thereof, and, wheels provided at the opposite side wall of the case that can roll over a ground surface, such as the floor of an airport terminal, or, a passenger aisle of an aircraft. 
     While this arrangement is admirable for relatively small articles of luggage, it poses a problem in the event that a large and heavily loaded article of luggage is involved. 
     While such large and heavy articles of luggage easily can be stored in the luggage compartment of an automobile or other form of conveyance, when it is necessary to transport the article of luggage to some other location, a problem arises in providing adequate stability for the article of luggage when being wheeled on a ground surface, this being due to the fact that during wheeling of the article of luggage, the article of luggage must be held in an inclined position. In that position, the center of gravity of the case is displaced laterally of the ground engaging wheels, is located between the handle and the ground engaging wheels. 
     This can constitute a source of discomfort to the person towing the article of luggage, who is then required to exert sufficient force to support the handle, which at the time the article of luggage is positioned in the inclined position relative to the vertical for towing, can exert a considerable downwards force on the handle, that downwards force being resisted by the grasp of the user&#39;s hand. 
     Further, depending on the physical height of the person towing the article of luggage, the condition exists that a relatively shorter person will be subjected to a much greater force, due to the greater inclination relative to the vertical of the article of luggage and the fixed position of the handle relative to the article of luggage, than would be a taller person, who conveniently can hold the article of luggage at a lesser angle of inclination relative to the vertical during towing of the article of luggage. 
     As will be appreciated, the wheels on which the article of luggage is towed act as a fulcrum about which the article of luggage angles relative to the vertical when moved from the vertical position to the inclined towing position. Further, the greater the angle of inclination relative to the vertical, the greater becomes the spacing of the center of gravity relative to the towing wheels providing the fulcrum, the center of gravity then being displaced laterally of the vertical and laterally of the axis of the ground engaging wheels. 
     One manner of reducing this problem would be for the user to have packaged all heavy articles at the bottom of the article of luggage and in proximity to the towing wheels, the remainder of the case being occupied by relatively light weight articles. This, however, does not normally occur during the packaging of the article of luggage by the user. If relatively heavy articles are packaged in that end of the article of the luggage remote from the towing wheels, then, the center of gravity of the packaged article of luggage becomes even more displaced relative to the vertical plane including the axes of the towing wheels. 
     If the handle of the case should slip out of the grasp of the user&#39;s hand, then, the only possible situation is that the article of luggage, and its contained articles will crash downwardly onto the supporting ground surface, this resulting in possible damage to the articles stored within the article of luggage. 
     Another problem often encountered by travelers is having to deal with multiple articles of luggage. Even if both have wheels, it is very cumbersome to attempt to tow (or push) more than one article of luggage at a time. As well, the ability to stack one article of luggage upon another article of luggage is restricted and also adds significant weight along the extent of the inclined handle of the towed article of luggage. 
     For this reason, despite the generally recognized advantages of wheeled luggage, there are significant unresolved problems in use which the simple addition of wheels and a handle do not solve. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention proceeds from the known wheeled article of luggage of the type including a handle extendable, or some other towing implement, from one side wall of the article of luggage and towing wheels provided at an opposite side wall of the article of luggage, and overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing wheels on one of the major front or back walls of the article of luggage that will permit the article of luggage to be towed over a ground engaging surface with the wheeled major wall of the article of luggage in proximity to the ground surface, thus to relieve the user of any forces exerted on the user&#39;s hands due to angling of the article of luggage relative to the vertical as is common in prior art constructions. In addition, the article of luggage can readily service as a platform upon which additional articles of luggage or other items can be stacked and conveniently and easily towed. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the article of luggage is provided with ground engaging wheels on a major wall of the article of luggage, and an extendable handle of the article of luggage, which instead of being arranged in fixed telescoping relation with the article of luggage and extendable or retractable parallel to the plane of the major walls of the article of luggage, comprises a towing member that is attached to the article of luggage, and which can be extended therefrom into a position convenient for use in towing of the article of luggage. 
     For example, the towing member can be a flexible strap that can be readily stored within a pocket located on the outer surface of the article of luggage, and which can be withdrawn from that pocket and employed in the manner of a leash for towing the article of luggage at the time the article of luggage has been laid on its wheeled major wall. 
     In the alternative, a telescoping handle with a gripping handlebar can be hinged to the article of luggage at the end remote from the handlebar, and which is preferably releasably secured to the article of luggage in the vicinity of the handlebar of the telescoping handle. In this instance, prior to placing the article of luggage on its wheeled major wall, the handle is first released from its attachment to the article of luggage in the vicinity of the handlebar, the telescopic handle is then swung angularly about its pivot at the end of the handle remote from the handlebar, such that it extends beyond the end of the article of luggage. The article of luggage can then be laid on its wheeled major wall. If desired a side mounted carrying handle can be included which permits customary carrying and as well conveniently can be employed for luggage to its operative towing orientation. 
     Yet another alternative is the inclusion of the telescoping handle which can be extended from the article of luggage a distance sufficient to expose hinges in the telescoping handle, those hinges, when exposed, permitting the handle to be raised and lowered relative to the article of luggage, and thus permit towing of the article of luggage with comfort by a person of any height. 
     The telescoping handle in this alternative may be lockable at various degrees of extension from the case to accommodate different persons of varying heights. At less than full extension of the telescoping handle, however, the case is only towable in an inclined attitude relative to the ground surface as was previously described with respect to the towing of the case on the towing wheels  16 . In addition, the hinge may be of a socket type restricting rotation of the handle substantially within two planes, one plane being substantially perpendicular to the wheeled major wall of the article of luggage when the article of luggage is laid on its major wall and the other plane having an inclination to the horizontal substantially the same as the inclination of the handle to the horizontal. Alternatively, the hinge may be of a socket type restricting rotation substantially within the single plane substantially perpendicular to the wheeled major wall of the article of luggage. 
     Preferably the wheeled major wall of the article of luggage is provided with one pair of towing wheels that are rotatable about a common fixed axis, and at least one caster wheel that can rotate randomly about a first axis extending perpendicular to the backwall of the article of luggage, and a second axis extending parallel to the backwall of the article of luggage. Preferably two such caster wheels are provided, one at each corner of the substantially rectangular major wall of the article of luggage. 
     The provision of four wheels to support the article of luggage on its major wall is adequate in the event that the major wall of the article of luggage is substantially rigid. If, however, and as is often the case, the major wall of the article of luggage includes a sheet of a flexible material, such as leather, synthetic leather, or a coated woven fabric, there could then be a tendency of the major wall of the article of luggage to bulge outwardly, particularly when the major wall of the article of luggage is moved into proximity with the supporting ground surface. This can result in abrasion or other damage at the center of the major wall. 
     To overcome this problem in what is generally referred to as soft-sided luggage, a roller ball type caster is preferably located at the center of the major wall of the article of luggage that is operative to support the center of the major wall spaced from the engaged ground surface. 
     The ground-engaging roller ball can be supported within the article of luggage by a suitable frame member that extends parallel to the major wall of the article of luggage, and which, preferably, for lightness in weight, is in the form of an X-frame that provides a support for the roller ball at the intersection of the arms of the X-frame, and which also provides supports at the ends of the arms of the X-frame for the roller wheels or casters. 
     Access to the interior of the article of luggage can be provided at that wall of the article of luggage that is opposite to the wheeled major wall, or, the wheeled major wall can be detachably attached to the side walls of the case. 
     At least some of the wheels on the major wall of the article of luggage may be designed such that they retract beneath the surface of the major wall for ease of storage of the luggage when not being transported. 
     In addition, not only can the article of luggage be placed on a ground surface with the wheeled major wall of the article of luggage presented to the ground surface in preparation for towing of the article of luggage across the ground engaging surface, but also, the article of luggage, which is already loaded with its contents, can be employed as a wheeled pallet usable in the transportation of further articles of luggage, such as carry-on cases, hand baggage, carrier bags, or any other items needing transport by the user. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described with respect to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and, in which; 
     FIG. 1 is a frontal perspective view of the wheeled carrying case of the present invention, when in a vertical position in which it is supported on a ground surface; 
     FIG. 1A is a view of FIG. 1 taken along section lines  1 A— 1 A. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the wheeled carrying case of FIG. 1, in which a handle structure of the carrying case has been hinged relative to a major wall of the carrying case, and, the carrying case has been laid on the ground engageable surface ready for towing of the carrying case; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of an alternative form of the wheeled carrying case of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a frontal perspective view corresponding with FIG. 2, and showing the wheeled carrying case of FIG. 3 in a position ready for towing of the case over a supporting ground surface; and, 
     FIG. 5 is a frontal perspective view corresponding with FIG. 4, and showing the carrying case of FIG. 4 when employed for transporting auxiliary articles of luggage, the carrying case then acting as a pallet to which the articles of auxiliary luggage can be detachably attached. 
     FIG. 6 is a frontal perspective view of a wheeled carrying case with a hinged extendible handle similar to that shown in FIG. 4, the handle being in a fully retracted position, except that the hinged handle is a linear member and is lockably adjustable in its desired extension. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along section lines  7 — 7 . 
     FIG. 7A is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along section lines  7 A— 7 A. 
     FIG. 7B is an enlarged detail of the area indicated in FIG.  7 A. 
     FIG. 7C is an enlarged detail of the area indicated in FIG.  7 A. 
     FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 7 taken along section lines  8 — 8  in FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 7 showing the condition when a first button is pressed. 
     FIG. 10 corresponds to FIG. 6, except that a first telescoping section of the handle has been fully extended. 
     FIG. 11 is a partial cross-section of FIG. 10 taken along section lines  11 — 11  in FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 11A shows an enlarged detail of the portion of FIG. 11 indicated therein. 
     FIG. 11B is an alternative detail of the area shown in FIG.  11 A. 
     FIG. 12 corresponds to FIG. 6 except that the handle has been fully extended and the case is lying on its back wheeled wall. 
     FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial cross-section of FIG. 12 taken along section lines  13 — 13  in FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 14 corresponds to FIG. 12 except that the hinge of the handle is different from that shown in FIG.  12  and is similiar to that shown in FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial cross-section of FIG. 14 taken along section lines  15 — 15  in FIG.  14 . 
     FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the wheeled carrying case of the present invention, being similar to FIG. 3 except that some of the wheels of the carrying case are retractable below the surface of the major wall of the carrying case. 
     FIG. 17 is an enlarged partial cross-section of FIG. 16 taken along section lines  17 — 17  in FIG.  16 . 
     FIG. 18 corresponds to FIG. 16, except that FIG. 18 shows the retractable wheels in an extended operating position, while FIG. 16 shows the retractable wheels in a retracted position. 
     FIG. 19 is an enlarged partial cross-section of FIG. 18 taken along section lines  19 — 19  in FIG.  18 . 
     FIG. 20 is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view of an alternate arrangement for the retractable wheels which were shown in cross-section in FIGS. 17 and 19. 
     FIG. 21 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG.  20 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In each of the embodiments now to be described, it is assumed that in its novel usage described herein the carrying case will be supported on a ground surface  10 , such as a side walk, lobby floor, or main hall of an aircraft terminal building or the like. 
     In FIG. 1, the carrying case of the present invention is shown in a vertical position in which ground-engaging feet  12  of the carrying case  14  are resting on the ground surface  10 . If desirable, additional support for the carrying case  14  can be provided by towing wheels  16 , as shown in FIG. 3, that are rotatable about a fixed axis, that axis lying in or closely parallel to a plane that includes a major wall of the carrying case, and also the direction of sliding of a handle bar  18  of a telescopic handle having telescopically retractable and extendable legs  20 . 
     As so far described, the carrying case includes those elements that are commonly known in conventional wheeled carrying cases. The user firstly extends the handle bar  18  from the body of the carrying case, and then employs the handle to angle the carrying case from its initial vertical orientation into an inclined position in which it is supported for towing over the ground surface on ground engaging towing wheels  16  as illustrated in FIG.  3 . 
     When the case is fulcrumed about the towing wheels  16  into an inclined attitude relative to the ground surface, the center of gravity of the case moves relative to the axis of the ground wheels, and, depending upon the amount of inclination of the case relative to the vertical, will position itself on the opposite side of a vertical plane that includes the common axis of the ground engaging wheels  16 . 
     It is impossible to predict exactly where the actual center of gravity of the carrying case will be positioned, as this will be entirely dependent upon the weight of the contents of the carrying case and the positioning of the contents within the carrying case. Depending upon the extent to which the carrying case is angled relative to the vertical, the center of gravity of the carrying case will have passed over a vertical plane including the axis of rotation of the ground engaging towing wheels  16 , and, dependent on the amount of inclination of the carrying case relative to the vertical will be spaced from the vertical plane including the axis of rotation of the respective towing wheels  16 . 
     A taller person will have the tendency to move the carrying case to a relatively small inclination relative to the said vertical plane, while a person of lesser height will have angled the carrying case at a greater angle to the said vertical plane, in which event the center of gravity will have moved further away from the said vertical plane, and, the downwards force exerted on the handlebar  18  will have been considerably increased. 
     If the user at that time loses or releases his or her grasp on the handlebar  18 , then, the carrying case will crash onto the ground engagable surface, with possible damage to the stored contents of the carrying case. 
     Where size, weight and the need for transporting additional items are issues, the present invention teaches the addition or substitution of additional ground-engagable wheels  22  and  24  mounted on one of the walls of the carrying case. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wheels  22  and  24  are mounted on a front wall  26  of the case. As well, the handlebar  18  and its supporting telescopic legs  20  are mounted externally of the carrying case on the opposed back wall  28  of the case, with the legs  20  hinged in any convenient manner such as shown at  30 , such that the entire handlebar and telescopic leg assembly is swingable, as illustrated in FIG. 2, relative to the body of the carrying case  14  from a position in which it overlies the back wall  28 , to a position in which it extends at an angle to the back wall  28 . Conveniently, the hinged attachment  30  of the handlebar and telescopic leg assembly  20  can be located adjacent an end wall  32  of the carrying case and the back wall  28  can be provided with a removable zippered closure  34 , to enable loading of the articles to be carried within the carrying case. 
     Conveniently, the carrying case can be provided with a side handle  36 , that in addition to being employed for hand carrying or manipulation of the case, also can be employed for reorienting the carrying case into a position in which the wheels  22  and  24  are engaged with the supporting ground surface. 
     Referring again to the embodiment of FIG. 1, when the handlebar  18  and its supporting telescopic legs  20  are in the retracted position, one or multiple of handle  36  can then be employed to tilt the carrying case on to the ground engaging feet  12  to lower the front wall  26  into engagement with the supporting ground surface  10 . Thereafter, a release button  38  associated with the handlebar  18  and its supporting telescopic legs  20  is actuated to release the handlebar  18  from its releasable engagement with the end wall  40  of the carrying case. As shown in FIG. 2, the handle  18  is then swung upwardly and over the then upwardly presented back wall  28  of the carrying case, in order to position the handlebar in an orientation ready for towing of the carrying case over the ground surface  10 , as is accommodated by the ground engaging wheels  22  and  24 . 
     Conveniently, the front wall  26  of the carrying case  40  can be made of a flexible material, such as is common in the art, or alternatively, the entire back wall can be made of a structurally rigid material such as molded plastic, metal or a plywood substrate can be used to support the flexible outer covering material. If a flexible material is used for the formation of the back wall  26 , then a probability exists that the back wall will bulge outwardly at the time the case is positioned horizontally for towing. 
     If the outward bowing of the front wall  26  is sufficient to cause the center of the front wall to contact the ground surface  10 , the center of the front wall  26  might be abraded or otherwise damaged during towing. To avoid this from happening, a center caster  40  may be employed, preferably, in the form of an omni-directionally rotatable ball which is mounted on the front wall  26  at the center of the front wall  26 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1A, the center caster  40  is of lesser height than the height of the ground engaging wheels  22  and  24  as shown by vertical line  43 . At maximum height, a center caster  41  (shown in dotted lines) can be of equal height to the height of the ground engaging wheels  22  and  24 . 
     Further, if the front wall  26  is formed of a flexible material, it is also preferably that a frame be incorporated into the luggage, with the frame providing a support for the ground engaging wheels  22  and  24 , and also for the center caster  40 . 
     Conveniently, and to reduce the weight of the carrying case, the frame supporting the wheels  22  and  24  and also the center caster  40  can be in the form of an X-frame, as indicated in dotted lines  42  in FIG. 1 of the drawings. 
     In the event that one of the sets of ground engaging wheels  22  and  24 , for example wheels  22 , are rotatable about fixed axes, then, the other wheels  24  can be in the form of casters, that can angle relative to the wheels  22 . The combination of wheels rotatable about a fixed axis and caster wheels will allow for omni-directional movement of the carrying case over the ground surface  10  under the control of the handlebar and its supporting telescopic legs  20 . 
     In lieu of telescoping legs  20 , the legs  20  can be tubes of fixed length that are hinged at their ends opposite the handlebar  18  to the end wall  32  of the case by the hinges  30 . 
     The structure described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 results in the handlebar  18  and its supporting legs  20  being positioned exteriorly of the carrying case  14 . While this has the advantage of providing the maximum internal capacity of the carrying case, internal mounting is also possible, such as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     In FIGS. 3 and 4, the handlebar  18  and its associated telescopic legs, instead of being positioned adjacent the front wall  26  of the carrying case are positioned internally of the carrying case and adjacent the back wall  28 . Also as illustrated, the rigid handlebar and leg arrangement can be supplemented, or indeed eliminated and replaced by a towing strap  44  which can be stored when not needed in a pocket  46  secured to a side wall of the carrying case. 
     The positioning of the telescopically extendable legs  20  for them to be guided within the case and adjacent the back wall  28  of the case carries with it the requirement that the legs  20 , when retracted, can only extend parallel to the back wall  28  of the case in the manner of the conventional carrying case. To permit upwards orientation of the handlebar relative to the ground surface  10 , the respective legs  20  can be hingedly connected at  48  to the leg portions  50  that are slidable within the body of the case, and, which are held captive within the body of the case at the time the main handlebar  18  and its supporting legs  20  are extended from the case. 
     In FIGS. 6 to  13 , the handlebar  18  and its supporting legs  20  are replaced by a linear member  52  comprised of a plurality of telescoping sections  54 ,  56  and a handgrip  58 . The handle  60  shown in FIGS. 6 to  12  is shown in its fully retracted position within the carrying case  14  in FIG. 6, and the linear member  52  and its associated end section  50  are contained within a tubular member  62  located within the carrying case  14  and attached to the back wall  28 . In this fully retracted position, the handle  60  is locked in place by a latch  64  pinned to the handgrip  58  at one end and seated in a groove  66  in a boss  68  which is integral with the tubular member  62  and is fixedly attached to the carrying case  14 . The latch  64  is held firmly in groove  66  by the spring  74  which biases a first button  72  and by a spring  67  loaded second button  69  pinned to a lever arm  73  fitting between and contacting the boss  68  and the underside  75  of the handgrip  58 . The linear member  52  passes through an aperture  70  in the boss  68 . Pressing down  71  on the first button  72 , which is located on the top of the handgrip  58  over the linear member  52 , releases  77  the latch  64  from the groove  66 , allowing a first telescoping section  56  to be extended to its full length. 
     Further extension of the linear member  52  is prevented by the lever arm  73  which extends far enough to obstruct the top of a wall of a second telescoping section  54  from extension, but not far enough to contact the first telescoping section  56 . In this position where only the first telescoping section  56  is extended, the case  14  can only be carried in an attitude inclined from the vertical with respect to the supporting surface on its towing wheels  16 . 
     To extend the second telescoping section  54 , the second button  69  is depressed  76  with the result that the lever arm  73  is lifted  78 . FIG. 11A shows an exemplary detail of an arrangement whereby the lever arm  73  can be lifted  78  when the second button  69  is depressed  76 . When the second button  69  is depressed  76 , the lever arm  73  is lifted  78  by the corner  65  of the boss  68 . When the second button  69  is released, a torsion spring  67  surrounding the pin  79  connecting the second button  69  and the lever arm  73  acts to restore the lever arm  73  to a horizontal position. 
     FIG. 11B shows another exemplary detail of an arrangement whereby the lever arm  73  can be lifted  78  when the second button  69  is depressed  76 . FIG. 11B shows the pin  79 , which attaches the lever arm  73  to the second button  69 , and the hole  81  in the second button  69  and the lever arm  73 , through which hole  81  the pin  79  passes. The cams  83 ,  85  on the pin  79  and the hole  81 , respectively, convert the downward motion of the second button  69  when depressed into rotational motion of the pin  79  counterclockwise, raising the lever arm  73  mounted on the pin  79 , and convert the upward motion of the second button  69  when it is released after depression into clockwise rotation of the pin  79 , lowering the lever arm  73  mounted on the pin  79 . The pin  79  is fixed with respect to the lever arm  73  by a second pin  87  or other fixing means. 
     An alternative arrangement to that using the latch  64  is shown in FIG. 7A. A rod  78  is connected to the spring  74  beneath the first button  72 . The rod  78  travels vertically down and up within the first telescoping section  56  as the first button  72  is depressed and released. The rod  78  is adapted to contact a tube  82  mounted in first telescoping section  56  near the free end of the rod  78 . The tube  82  is loaded with a spring biased ball bearing  84 . When the first button  72  is not depressed, the ball bearing  84  is seated in an aperture  86  in the second telescoping section  54  by the contact of the rod  78  with the tube  82 , thus locking the first telescoping section  56  against vertical movement. When the first button  72  is depressed, the ball bearing  84  can be moved out of the aperture  86  since the rod  78  no longer contacts the tube  82 , allowing vertical extension of the first telescoping section  56 . A multiplicity of apertures  86  may be located in the second telescoping section  54  to allow multiple “locking points” for the first telescoping section  56  as it extends since the ball bearing  84 , by virtue of its spring biasing, will become seated in each of the apertures  86  as the rod  78  contacting the tube  82  moves vertically upward along with the first telescoping section  56  in which the rod  78  is mounted. By depressing the first button  72  on each such occasion of locking, the ball bearing  84  will become unseated from the aperture  86  in which it is seated, allowing further extension of the first telescoping section  56 . An alternative structure to that which is described in this paragraph is disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 09/005,313, filed on Jan. 9, 1998, which is incorporated by reference in this application, especially on page  18 , line  17  through page  19 , line  20  and in FIGS. 7A,  7 B, and  7 D of that copending application. 
     The structure of the second button  69  is the same as shown in FIG.  7  and as described with reference thereto except for the elbow and rod arrangement  88  attached to the bottom flange  90  of the second button  69 . The elbow and rod arrangement  88  carry a tube  92  loaded with a spring biased ball bearing  94 . The rod  96  travels vertically down or up between the tubular member  62  and the second telescoping section  54  when the second button  69  is depressed or released, respectively. When the second telescoping section  54  is unextended, the ball bearing  94  is seated in one of the apertures  86  in the second telescoping section  54 , adding its locking effect to that of the lever arm  73  previously described. Pressing the second button  69  after the first telescoping section  56  is fully extended will raise the lever arm  73  as previously described and will also unseat the ball bearing  94  from the aperture  86  in which it was located, thus allowing extension of the second telescoping section  54 . Analogously to the possibility outlined above for the first telescoping section  56  in FIG. 7A, multiple “locking points” can be introduced at different lengths of extension of the second telescoping section  54  by a multiplicity of apertures  86  in and along the length of the second telescoping section  54 . If such a multiplicity of apertures  86  is introduced in the second telescoping section  54 , the ball bearing  94  will become seated in each of the apertures  86  as the second telescoping section  54  is extended, locking the section repeatedly. By depressing the second button  69  on each such occasion of locking, the ball bearing  94  will become unseated from the aperture  86  in which it is seated, allowing further extension of the second telescoping section  54 . An alternative structure for producing multiple “locking points” at different lengths of extension of the second telescoping section  54  is disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 09/005,313, filed on Jan. 9, 1998, especially in FIGS. 7A,  7 C, and  7 E of that copending application. 
     As can be deduced from the above description and the drawings, the same apertures  86  in the second telescoping section  54  can be used to seat both ball bearings  84 ,  94  and thus to serve as multiple “locking points” for both the first telescoping section  56  and the second telescoping section  54 . The arrangement shown in FIGS. 7A to  7 C allows as many degrees of lockable extension of the handle  60  as the number of apertures  86  which are provided in contradistinction to the arrangement shown in FIG. 7 which only allows one degree of lockable extension, namely, the condition existing when the first telescoping section  56  is fully extended, and the second telescoping section  54  is still unextended. 
     For either the arrangement of FIG. 7 or that of FIGS. 7A to  7 C, when the second telescoping section  54  is fully extended, the associated end section  50  will be partially exposed on the outside of the case  14 . 
     FIG. 13 shows the end section  50  connected to the second telescoping section  54  by a socket type hinge  98  restricting rotation  100 ,  102  of the handle to a plane substantially perpendicular to the back wall  28  of the carrying case  14  when the case  14  is laid on its back wall  28  on a supporting surface, and to a plane of substantially the same inclination to the horizontal as the inclination of the handle  60  also when the case  14  is laid on its back wall  28 . The hinge  98 , thus, allows extensive maneuverability of the handle  60  when the case  14  is laid on its back wall  28 , without allowing rotation of the handle  60  about its longitudinal axis  104 . This extensive maneuverablity of the handle  60  allows a person to guide the case  14  in substantially any direction including around curved paths of varying radii of curvature. 
     Alternatively, FIG. 15 shows the end section  50  connected to the second telescoping section  54  by socket type hinge  104  restricting rotation  100  of the handle  60  to a plane substantially perpendicular to the back wall  28  of the carrying case  14  when the case  14  is laid on its back wall  28  on a supporting surface. 
     At least one of the wheels  106  on the major wall  108  of the article of luggage  1   10  may be designed so that it retracts below the surface  112  of the major wall  108  of the luggage  110  from which it otherwise protrudes upon the desire of a user, (see FIGS.  16  and  17 ). 
     In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the at least one wheel  106  is held in a retracted position so that a bottom surface  114  of a housing  116  in which each wheel  106  is mounted is level with the surface  112  of the major wall  108  of the luggage  110  when an extendible handle  118  of the luggage  110  is in a fully retracted position. Each wheel  106  is held in a retracted position by a bar  120  with a tongue  122 , the tongue  122  fitting into an aperture  124  in the housing  116 . The tongue  122  and the aperture  124  restrain the housing  116  and the wheel  106  from being rotated outwardly from the luggage  110  by a spring-loaded hinge  126  which tends to rotate the attached housing  116  and mounted wheel  106  out of a well  128  in the luggage  110  into which the housing  116  and wheel  106  fit when retracted. 
     Each bar  120  is biased toward the aperture  124  by a spring  130  surrounding and extending along a portion of the length of the bar  120 , the spring  130  being held in place by protrusions  132 , 133  from the major wall  108  of the luggage  112  and from the well  128 , respectively, and by a flange  135  on the bar  120 . A cable  134  is attached at a first end to each bar  130 , the cable  134  extending through a guide tube  137  to an attachment at a second end to a U-shaped member  136 . The U-shaped member  136  is in turn attached through a cable  139  to a pull ring  141  located within the luggage  10  in a position such that the grip  143  of the extendible handle  118  covers the pull ring  141  when the extendible handle  118  is fully retracted and, thus, makes the pull ring  141  inaccessible to a user. However, as soon as the extendible handle  118  is at least partially extended, the user can manually exert a tensile force  138  on the pull ring  141 . 
     The tensile force  138  acts through the system of the cable  139 , the U-shaped member  136 , and the cables  134 , to retract each bar  120  against each biasing spring  130  such that the tongue  122  no longer lies within the aperture  124 . This retraction of the bar  120  and the tongue  122  sets the housing  116  and the attached wheel  106  free to rotate  140  under the impetus of the spring-biased hinge  126  until the housing  116  impacts and is held against the surface  112  of the major wall  108  of the luggage  10 . In this position, the wheel  106  is available to contact a supporting surface to allow the luggage  110  to be propelled by the handle  118  such that its major wall  108  is parallel to the supporting surface. In contrast, the retracted position of the wheels  106  previously discussed allows more convenient storage of the luggage  110  because the flat surface  112  of the major wall  108  is not interrupted by the projection of the housings  116  and wheels  106  in the operating position. 
     The retraction of the wheels  106  and the housings  116  from the operating position must be done manually by the user. The user must rotate each housing  116  and wheel  106  against the biasing force exerted by the spring-biased hinge  126  back into their respective wells  128  in the luggage  10 . Each housing  116  and wheel  106  will be “snap-locked” into place by the tongue  122  when the housing  116  and wheel  106  reach their retracted position in their well  128 . 
     This “snap-locking” effect occurs as follows. The tongue  122  protrudes from an aperture  142  in the well  128  when the interior  141  of the well  128  is not filled by the housing  116  and the wheel  106 . This protrusion of the tongue  122  into the interior  141  of the well  128  occurs due to the spring  130  biasing the bar  120  toward the well  128  when no tensile force  138  is acting on the cable  134 . The flange  135  serves to limit the biasing of the bar  120  toward the well  128  by contacting the well  128 , as well as serving to hold the spring  130  as previously mentioned. When the housing  116  is rotated into the well  128 , the outer surface  145  of the housing  116  contacts the tongue  122  forcing it temporarily inward toward the well  128  against the biasing force of the spring  130 . When the tongue  122 , however, reaches the aperture  124  in the housing  116  due to the rotation of the housing  116  into the well  128 , the tongue  122  will be snapped into the aperture  124  by the biasing force of the spring  130 , thus locking the housing  116  and attached wheel  106  into place. 
     FIGS. 20 and 21 detail an alternative arrangement for the retractable wheel assemblies  144 . The major difference from the previously described arrangement is the alteration of the member restraining the wheel  147  and the housing  149  in a retracted position from the bar  120  previously described to a pivotable member  146 . The pivotable member  146  restrains the wheel  147  and the housing  149  by a tongue  148  fitting through an aperture  150  in the well  152  and an aperture  154  in the housing  149 , similarly to the previous description. 
     However, the pivotable member  146  is of a generally cross shape in plan and is pivotably attached  156  to the luggage  158 . The pivotable attachment is located on one arm  160  of the pivotable member  146  transverse to the tongue  148  of the pivotable member  146 , while a second arm  162  of the pivotable member  146  is attached through a spring  164  to the luggage  158 . 
     Upon the pulling of a cable  166 , attached to an end  168  of the pivotable member  156  opposite the tongue  148 , by a process similar to that previously described, the pivotable member  146  pivots about the pivotable attachment  156  such that the tongue  148  no longer passes through the aperture  154 , (see dotted line shape  170  in FIG. 20 representing the pivoted position of the pivotable member  146 ). When a pulling force is no longer exerted on the cable  166 , the spring  164  acts to cause the pivotable member  146  to pivot in the opposite direction from the direction of pivoting of the pivotable member  146  when the cable  166  was pulled, such pivoting producing the result that the tongue  148  is again in a position to pass through the aperture  154 . Similarly to the previously described wheel arrangement, the interior  172  of the well  152  must be empty to allow the tongue  148  to be pivoted back by the spring  164  to a position to pass through the aperture  154 . This position of the tongue  148  protruding from the well  152  into the empty interior  172  of the well  152  will insure a “snap lock” of the housing  149  and the wheel  147  into the retracted position when the housing  149  and the wheel  147  are subsequently manually retracted, the “snap lock” occurring by a process similar to that described for the previous wheel arrangement. 
     It should be noted that the wheel shown in the center of the major wall for the retractable wheel arrangements is exemplary only and may easily be replaced by the roller ball shown in other of the drawings appended hereto. 
     Furthermore, the arrangements disclosed for retaining the retractable wheels in a retracted position and releasing them from that position are exemplary only, and persons with ordinary skill in the art can easily conceive of alternative arrangements which are within the scope of the appended claims. 
     Optionally, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the front wall  26  can also be detachably attached to the body of the carrying case  14  by a zippered connection therewith as indicated at  34  in FIG.  1 . This will permit the front wall  26  with its attached ground engagable wheels  22  and  24  and the center caster  40  to be entirely removed from the carrying case in the event that it is not deemed needed for a particular use or if replacement, repair, or cleaning of the surface is desired. If desired, access to the interior of the carrying case can be provided by a zippered closure located underneath the front wall  26 . Alternatively, the zippered closure can be provided on the back face  28  of the carrying case, in which event the handle  18  and its legs  20  can also be made removable from the body of the carrying case. 
     Numerous alternative modifications will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art, and are included within the scope of the appended claims.