Patent Publication Number: US-9833052-B2

Title: Suitcase and method of manufacture thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national stage entry under 35 USC §371(b) of PCT International Application No. PCT/GB2014/051045, filed Apr. 3, 2014, and claims the benefit of United Kingdom Patent Application No. 1305980.3, filed on Apr. 3, 2013, both of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to a suitcase and a method of manufacture thereof, in particular, but not exclusively wherein the contents of the suitcase are protected from wear and tear. 
     The term luggage refers to any number of bags, suitcases and/or containers which hold a traveler&#39;s articles during transit. Luggage has changed over time. Historically, the most common types of luggage were chests or trunks. In more recent times, smaller and more lightweight suitcases and bags that can be carried by an individual have become the main forms of luggage. 
     A suitcase is a general item that may be wheeled or non-wheeled luggage, as well as soft or hard sided baggage. A suitcase is often a somewhat flat, generally rectangular shaped item with rounded or square corners and is made from materials that more or less keep their intended shape. Many modern suitcases have a built in set or sets of wheels enabling them to be pulled along flat hard surfaces, most commonly by an extendable telescopic towing handle. The extendable towing handle is conveniently moveable between a retracted stowage position and an extended user towing position. 
     It is a convenient and commercially conventional practice to define a ‘hard’ suitcase as one in which the walls, top and bottom of the suitcase cannot easily be penetrated by a needle or blade, whereas a ‘soft’ suitcase is one than can be readily so penetrated. 
     Suitcases are often used by travelers on airlines. As is well known airlines impose a weight limit that each passenger may check in without attracting a surcharge. As such, whether in relation to hard or soft suitcases, it is a commercial imperative to ensure that as much as possible of this weight allowance is borne by the contents of the suitcase and is not due to the suitcase itself. 
     It is a related requirement that as large a portion of the volume of a suitcase should be free for the use of the traveler as possible. However, a common means of construction of the telescopic towing handle is to mount a pair of receiving tubes within the body of the suitcase, secured by way of a base panel of the suitcase, and extending to or through an upper panel of the suitcase, and to slidably locate a pair of tubes, which make up the side limbs of a U-shaped handle assembly forming the extendable towing handle, within the receiving tubes. In practice, while providing for a robust construction, the presence of these tubes adds considerably to the overall weight of the suitcase and reduces the interior volume of the suitcase available for use by a user of the suitcase. 
     Accordingly, there is need for a towing handle that has the advantages provided by allowing for towing of a wheeled suitcase, while eliminating or at least mitigating the disadvantages of telescopic towing handle arrangements. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides a suitcase and a manner of manufacture of such a suitcase that addresses these problems. Other advantages of the present invention will also be apparent from the following description. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, a suitcase comprises a first load container section defining at least a first part of a volume for receiving a load and a second container section for cooperation with the base load container section to enclose the volume wherein the suitcase comprises a base region provided with one or more wheel assemblies, in which the suitcase further comprises an upper region at or on which is provided a towing handle adapted to be moved about a single point of contact between a stowed position and a deployed position. 
     Preferably, the towing handle is connected at one end to the single point of contact. 
     Preferably an end of the towing handle remote from the single point of contact is provided with a grip portion. 
     Preferably the towing handle may be secured in either the stowed position or the deployed position. 
     Preferably, in the stowed position the towing handle is received within a recess provided in one of the first or second container sections. 
     More preferably, the towing handle is substantially L-shaped. More preferably the recess is substantially L-shaped. 
     Alternatively, in the stowed position the grip portion of the towing handle rests or is disposed against the upper section of the suitcase. Alternatively, in the stowed position the grip portion of the towing handle is disposed substantially orthogonally to an upper surface of the suitcase. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention, a method of manufacture of a suitcase comprises forming a first load container section defining at least a first part of a volume for receiving a load, forming a second container section for cooperation with the base load container section to enclose the volume, securing one or more wheel assemblies to a base region of the volume, and further providing at or on an upper region of the volume a towing handle adapted to be moved about a single point of contact between a stowed position and a deployed position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a suitcase in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention with a towing handle in a stowed position; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the suitcase of  FIG. 1  with the towing handle in a deployed position; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a suitcase in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention with a towing handle in a stowed position; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the suitcase of  FIG. 3  with the towing handle in a deployed position; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a suitcase in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention with a towing handle in a stowed position; 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of the suitcase of  FIG. 5  with the towing handle in a deployed position; 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of a suitcase in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention with a towing handle in a stowed position; and 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the suitcase of  FIG. 7  with the towing handle in a deployed position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring first to  FIG. 1  there is shown a schematic view of a suitcase  2  in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The suitcase  2  comprises a first load container section  4  defining at least a first part of a volume for receiving a load and a second container section  6  for cooperation with the base load section to enclose the volume. The first container section  4  can be seen to comprise a main face  8 , a lower face (not shown), side walls  10  and an upper face  12 . The second container section  6  can similarly be seen to comprise a main face (not shown), a lower face (not shown), side walls  14  and an upper face  16 . The first and second container sections  4 , 6  are preferably moulded from a plastics material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and include smooth curved transitional surfaces between the connecting surfaces. 
     The first and second container sections  4 , 6  are intended to connect one with the other when the suitcase is closed, as is shown in the Figures, and the first and second container sections  4 , 6  are each formed with complementary profiled stiffening ribs  18 , 20 . The first and second container sections  4 , 6  are hindgedly connected at one edge to one another by a suitable hinge arrangement (not shown) and releasably held in a closed condition by a suitable zip fastener arrangement  22  in a manner known to those skilled in the art. 
     It can be seen that the lower faces of the first and second container sections  4 , 6  together provide for a base region of the suitcase  2 . The base region is provided in any suitable manner with four wheel assemblies  22 , one at each lower corner of the suitcase  2 . 
     The upper faces  12 , 16  of the first and second container sections  4 , 6  provide for an upper region of the suitcase  2 . A towing handle  30  is provided at an upper surface of the upper region. The towing handle  30  is adapted to be moved about a single point of contact  32  between a stowed position ( FIG. 1 ) and a deployed position ( FIG. 2 ). A lifting or carrying handle  40  may also be provided on the upper surface. The towing handle  30  may be secured to the single point of contact  32  in any suitable manner to allow movement of the towing handle  30  between each of the stowed position and the deployed position, for example by a hinge or by a ball joint. 
     It can be seen that the single point of contact  32  is located centrally at the rear of the upper face  12 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the towing handle  30  comprises a substantially L-shaped member, a first limb  34  of which is hingedly or pivotally connected at one end to the first container section and a second limb  36  of which is provided with a grip portion. Preferably, the grip portion is provided with a shaped portion by which a user may conveniently grasp the towing handle when towing the suitcase, as well as manoeuvre the towing handle  30  between each of the stowed position and the deployed position. 
     The first limb  34  and the second limb  36  are provided at a fixed angle to one another. Conveniently this is achieved by forming the towing handle  30  of unitary construction. 
     The first limb  34  and the second limb  36  are each rigid or substantially rigid. Conveniently this may be achieved by forming the towing handle  30  from a plastics or other suitable material. 
     In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the first limb  34  may be formed of nested tubes allowing the first limb  34  to be telescopic in nature. 
     The towing handle  30  may be provided with suitable releasable securing means to secure the towing handle  30  in one or both of the stowed position and the deployed position. Conveniently the releasable securing means may be actuated by a button  38  on or adjacent to the grip portion. Alternatively, the releasable securing means may comprise a clip or other moulding provided on the suitcase to releasably retain the towing handle  30  in the stowed position. 
     In this embodiment, it can be seen that in the stowed position the towing handle  30  sits in a suitably shaped recess  42 , either flush with the surfaces of the first container section or alternatively set back therefrom, such that when stowed the towing handle  30  is protected from damage, and in particular the single point of contact between the towing handle  30  and the suitcase  2  is protected from impact. It can be seen that a flat substantially vertical surface of the recess  42  also serves to prevent the towing handle  30  from moving other than in a single plane between the stowed position and the deployed position. 
     In comparison to known constructions having a telescopic towing assembly including receiving tubes extending with a load receiving volume, the present invention provides weight savings—as the need to provide the tubes to provide a telescopic towing handle assembly is eliminated—and provides additional interior volume available for use within the suitcase by a user—as the tubes of a telescopic handle assembly are no longer present within the suitcase. The embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2  still has the relatively minor disadvantage that the recess  42  formed on the first container section comes at the cost of space within the first container section being used by the moulding forming the recess  42 . This is addressed in the following embodiments. 
     A second embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like features. In this embodiment the suitcase  102  is not formed from moulded shells, but comprises a series of panels stitched together to form the suitcase. The suitcase may be provided with a framework within the suitcase to support the panels. Typically the suitcase comprises a first load container or base section  104  defining at least a first part of a volume for receiving a load and a second section or lid  106  for cooperation with the base load section to enclose the volume. The first and second container sections  104 , 106  are hindgedly connected at one edge to one another by a suitable hinge arrangement (not shown) and releasably held in a closed condition by a suitable zip fastener arrangement in a manner known to those skilled in the art. 
     The first container section  104  can be seen to comprise a main face  108 , a lower face (not shown), side walls  110  and an upper face  112 . It can be seen that the lower face of the first container section provides for a base region to which two wheel assemblies  124  have been attached in any suitable manner to provide means to pivot the suitcase about a lower edge to enable towing of the suitcase. Further wheel assemblies or feet (not shown) to support the suitcase when not being towed may be provided at other corners of the base region. 
     The upper region of the first container section  104  provides for an upper surface of the suitcase. A towing handle  130  is provided at the upper surface. The towing handle  130  is adapted to be moved about a single point of contact between a stowed position ( FIG. 3 ) and a deployed position ( FIG. 4 ). A lifting or carrying handle  140  may also be provided on the upper surface. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the towing handle  130  comprises a substantially L-shaped member, a first limb  134  of which is hingedly or pivotally connected at one end to the first container section  104  and a second limb  136  of which is provided with a grip portion. Preferably, the grip portion is provided with a shaped portion by which a user may conveniently grasp the towing handle when towing the suitcase. 
     The towing handle  130  may be provided with releasable securing means to secure the towing handle  130  in one or both of the stowed position and deployed position. Conveniently the releasable securing means may be actuated by a button  138  on or adjacent to the grip portion. 
     In this embodiment, it can be seen that an internal surface following the limbs  134 , 136  of the towing handle  130  fits around external dimensions of the suitcase  102 , such that in the stowed position the grip portion of the towing handle  130  follows and sits adjacent the side wall  110  of the first container section  104 . 
     A third embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like features. The suitcase of  FIGS. 5 and 6  is a moulded suitcase  202  similar to that of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this embodiment, the towing handle  230  sits upon an upper region of the suitcase  202  such that in the stowed position the towing handle  230  lies flat within a footprint defined by the upper surface of the suitcase  202 . In particular in the stowed position a second limb  236  of the towing handle  230  lies flat on the upper face  212  of the first container section  204 . 
     A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like features. The suitcase  302  of  FIGS. 7 and 8  is, like the embodiment of  FIGS. 3 and 4  not formed from moulded shells. In this embodiment, a towing handle  330  also sits upon the upper surface of the suitcase  302  such that in the stowed position the towing handle  330  lies flat within a footprint defined by the upper surface of the suitcase. In particular, in the stowed position a second limb  336  of the towing handle  230  lies flat on the upper face  212  of the first container section  204 .