Patent Publication Number: US-8118145-B1

Title: Convertible pushcart luggage

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/812,365 filed on Jun. 9, 2006. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of luggage, suitcases, and to pushcarts and carts, and particularly to wheeled luggage with handlebars to facilitate movement and, stacking of additional luggage or items. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many different types of luggage, garment bags, suitcases, and the like with wheels have been developed to facilitate transportation or movement without the need for additional equipment, carts, or wagons, or the services of additional personnel. For example, upright luggage having two wheels near a bottom edge and a pair of handles by which the luggage may be pulled are well-known to make it more convenient for a person, such as a passenger in an airport or using mass transportation to move or transport the luggage. These are sometimes informally referred to as “wheelie bags.” Also known are more traditional “flat” suitcases with four or more wheels at or near a bottom surface to facilitate movement and handling. 
     Further, carts for luggage, including pushcarts, have been developed and used for some time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,773 discloses a luggage cart upon which luggage may be placed with two wheels and a collapsible handlebar. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,892 discloses a four-wheeled pushcart for luggage. 
     However, a problem remains that often a person travels with more than one suitcase, bag, garment bag, duffel bag, accessories or the like, and therefore even in the unlikely event that they all have wheels and handlebars, it is difficult for one person to transport or lug them. 
     Often pushcarts may be rented for a fee at airports, for example, on which luggage may be stacked and moved. However, renting such pushcarts requires finding, paying for, and returning the cart, often in a place such as an unfamiliar airport where the passenger lacks change or local currency or does not speak the local language. Further finding and renting such a rentable pushcart may require that the person leave the heavy luggage or several piece of travel items in unfamiliar, unattended, or unsafe place in order to find, rent, and bring back the rentable pushcart. Also, such rentable pushcarts may be bulky or unwieldy, or may be larger than required for the luggage than the passenger needs to move. 
     A further problem with many upright suitcases with two wheels and a handlebar is that such suitcases are often designed to be pulled behind the passenger, rather than pushed. Such suitcases often are designed to be pulled such that the passenger holds the handlebar with one hand behind him or her and with the suitcase supported on the bottom on two wheels. Thus the user can not watch the suitcase being pulled or any items strapped to it to verify that the wheels do not get stuck and items strapped to it do not slide off. A related problem is that such suitcases are designed to be pulled using one hand, a potentially difficult situation if the passenger is frail, sick, or elderly, or if the surface upon which the luggage is being pulled is uneven or rough. 
     Accordingly, there is a long-felt need to provide a piece of luggage that is easily portable either by itself or with other pieces of luggage and which may be convertible from one mode of operation to another depending on the user&#39;s needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above and other problems are solved by the invention, which is a convertible pushcart suitcase. The inventive suitcase includes two or more pairs of wheels at a bottom surface of the suitcase and a handle to enable pushing of the suitcase as a pushcart. Preferably, at least one of the sets of wheels is retractable, so that the suitcase is convertible from two-wheeled “wheelie bag” to a four- (or more) wheeled pushcart. Additional luggage or travel items may be stacked onto the top of the suitcase to facilitate more convenient movement by one person of all necessary luggage and travel items. The handle may be pulled to an extended position and is selectively rotatable from 0° in the wheelie bag configuration to 90° in the pushcart configuration. In another embodiment, the inventive suitcase may be provided with an extendable handle that is free to pivot from 0° to 90° in any direction, thereby allowing for the suitcase to be pulled much like one would pull a wagon. Optionally, the main body or casing may be partially or fully removable from the frame to turn the device into an open pushcart for accommodating oversized loads. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a piece of pushcart luggage with the handle in a fully extended vertical position according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a fully extended position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a front side perspective view of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a substantially retracted position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is rear side perspective view of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a substantially retracted position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a fully extended vertical position and the top of the main body open, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of a top portion of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a substantially retracted position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of a wheel-well aperture of the luggage of  FIG. 1 , according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a top perspective of a portion of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a fully extended but horizontal position showing the retractable wheels, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of the luggage of  FIG. 1  with the handle in a fully extended vertical position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a top elevational view showing exemplary dimensions of an embodiment of a piece of pushcart luggage with the handle in a first extended position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is aside elevational view showing other exemplary dimensions of an embodiment of a piece of pushcart luggage, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a front elevational view showing exemplary dimensions of an embodiment of a piece of pushcart luggage, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of a frame of a piece of pushcart luggage with the handle in a fully extended vertical position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a showing the frame of  FIG. 13  with the handle in a fully extended position with respect to the frame, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the frame of  FIG. 13  with the handle in a fully extended vertical position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a showing a perspective view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-15  with the handle in a substantially retracted position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a side elevational view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-16  with the handle in a first extended position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a top elevational view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-16  with the handle in a substantially retracted position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-16  with the handle in a fully extended horizontal position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-16  with the handle in a fully extended vertical position, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a showing a close-up rear front view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-16  according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is an exploded perspective view of the frame of  FIGS. 13-16  according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of a c-clamp for coupling the handle about the lower cross bar of the pushcart luggage, according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective rear-side view of a pull-cart embodiment of the invention with the rear wheels in a recessed position. 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective rear-side view of a pull-cart embodiment of the invention with the rear wheels in a deployed position. 
         FIG. 26  is a perspective rear-side view of a pull-cart embodiment of the invention with the handle in a slightly extended position. 
         FIG. 27  is a perspective rear-side view of a pull-cart embodiment of the invention with the handle fully extended. 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective rear-side view of a pull-cart embodiment of the invention with the handle in a fully extended position and rotated upward through the means of a ball and socket joint. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the above-identified figures. However, the drawings and the description herein of the invention are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It will be understood that various modifications of the present description of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Also, features or steps described herein may be omitted, additional steps or features may be included, and/or features or steps described herein may be combined in a manner different from the specific combinations recited herein without departing from the spirit of the invention, all as understood by those of skill in the art. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pushcart suitcase  10  with the handle in a fully extended and vertical position, according to an aspect of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , handle  20  is extended approximately orthogonally to the main body  11  at the rear side of the pushcart suitcase  10 , fixed wheels  30  are disposed near a front edge of a bottom surface  10  of the main body  11  and are attached to axle  30 A towards the bottom of main body  11 . Also shown in  FIG. 1  is a bottom portion of one of a pair of slide-in wheel  32 , which is attached to the handle  20 . The main body  11  is also shown with main compartment zipper  12 , and top compartments  13 A and  13 B disposed on a top of the main body  11  to which access is provided via zippers  14  and  15 . Additionally, side compartments  17 A and  17 B may be accessed via zippers  16 A and  16 B. Also a small bumper  35  may be provided at a front side of the main body  11  to protect both the contents of suitcase  10  and whatever the suitcase is pushed into inadvertently. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the handle  20  in the fully extended position and substantially flush against main body  11  in recess  24 . Handle  20  has two telescoping, or side members  20 A connected by a crossbar  20 B. Note that “telescoping members” and “side members” are used interchangeably herein and refer to the side members of the handle irrespective of their ability to telescope or collapse. Each telescoping, or side member  20 A includes, for example, a lower section  21 , middle section  22 , and top section  23 . These sections of the handle  20  collapse or telescope into one another, such that the upper section  23  slides inside the middle section  22 , which in turn slides into the lower section  21 . However, it will be understood that the handle  20  may be designed with more than three or fewer than three such sections. Also, telescoping members  20 A may comprise a single piece instead of multiple sections, such that the handle  20  is retractable into the wheel-wells  41  at the wheel-well apertures  42 . The handle  20  may be made of metals and metal alloys, including aluminum, steel, titanium, or may be made of hard plastics, such as PVC or other synthetic materials, or some combination of the foregoing. For example, a top portion of the handle  20  may be wrapped in or coated with a softer material, such as textiles, synthetic fibers, nylon, mylar, plastic, leather or some combination of the foregoing. 
     Also shown in  FIG. 2  are the slide-in wheels  32  disposed near lower bar  40 . Wheels  32  are connected to the distal ends of handle members  20 A and are disposed not only to be rotatable about their respective centers (as wheels commonly are) but also to be pivotable about the axes of handle members  20 A. That is, as shown in  FIG. 8 , for example, wheels  32  are attached to the handle with casters  33  that enable the orientation of the wheels to change as the suitcase is pushed or turned, for example. Casters  33  may be free spinning, thereby allowing the wheels to pivot freely as the device is turned. In the alternative, casters  33  may be spring-biased so that wheels  32  have a default sideways orientation similar to that shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  8 , and  9 . Such spring biasing force is to be weak enough so that pushing the suitcase causes the wheels to pivot in the correct front-to-back orientation to allow for smoother pushing. 
     It will be noted that slide-in wheels  32  are shown as smaller than fixed wheels  30  to allow for a more secure coupling of the stacked items unto the main body  11  and handle  20  of the pushcart suitcase  10 . That is, the vector of force applied by the user in a forward direction when pushing the pushcart suitcase  10  may be less likely to cause the stacked items on top of the main body  11  to slide off if the main body  11  is disposed at a slight incline toward the handle. However, it will be understood that slide-in wheels  32  may be the same height or even larger than fixed wheels  30  without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 6 ,  8 , and  9  show how the user may convert suitcase  10  from the wheelie bag configuration (e.g.,  FIG. 3 ) to the pushcart configuration (e.g.,  FIGS. 1-2 ). When not in use, handle  20  is stored generally parallel to the bottom surface of the suitcase. In  FIG. 6 , handle  20  is shown protruding from the bottom portion of the main body  11  in a substantially retracted position, with the majority or entirety of members  20 A being hidden within wheel wells  41  or similar channel or opening for receiving members  20 A. In this configuration, suitcase  10  may be used as a wheelie bag. If the user is tall or desires a longer handle for another reason, handle  20  may be withdrawn from wheel wells  41  by pulling on crossbar  20 B in the direction of arrow A of  FIG. 6 . When handle  20  is pulled out to the fully extended position, as shown in  FIG. 8 , slide-in wheels  32  at the end of the handle  20  slide out of wheel-wells  41  through the wheel-well apertures  42 . The suitcase may still be used as a wheelie bag in this configuration. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the handle  20  may be pivoted about lower crossbar  40  in the direction of arrow B. This causes slide-in wheels to be pivoted away from wheel well apertures  42  and allows them to contact the ground if suitcase  10  is reoriented. Preferably, handle  20  is pivoted 90° about lower crossbar  40  until handle members  20 A are flush with main body  11  and sitting within recess  24  to attain the pushcart configuration of pushcart suitcase  10 . The fully extended vertical position of the handle  20  in recess  24  is shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     It will be understood by those skilled in the art, that handle  20  need not be housed in a wheel well or similar channel, but rather handle  20  can be positioned and stored on the outside surface of the suitcase yet be connected to the suitcase. 
     Optionally, the handle is provided with one or more spring-biased detent locking mechanisms which prevent the handle from accidentally moving or slipping from one position to the other. Thus, once the handle is extended, the various detent mechanisms lock the telescoping sections  21 - 23  in their extended configuration until and unless the user either pushes against the detent mechanisms to close them or else applies sufficient force to the top of handle crossbar  20 B to collapse telescoping members  20 A. Similarly, one or more detent mechanisms may be provided to lock handle  20  in one or more pivotable positions about lower crossbar  40 . Thus, handle  20  may be locked in either the horizontal (wheelie bag) position or the vertical (pushcart) position; one or more intermediate angled lockable positions may also be provided. 
       FIG. 6  shows handle button  50 , which may be included to open the handle  20  into the first and the fully extended position. The mechanism for how the pressing of such handle button  50  opens and/or closes the handle  20  is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Also, the handle button  50  may be dispensed with in favor of other controls for the handle collapsing mechanism. Similarly,  FIG. 7  shows one of the apertures  42  at the head of the internal wheel-wells. Lower bar  40  pivots up when the handle  20  is pulled open to a fully extended position, thereby rotating handle  22  into the vertical position to form the pushcart configuration. Thus, in an embodiment of the invention, the handle  20  as shown in  FIG. 7  is pulled through coupling ring  45  on the lower bar  40  to the extended positions. In this embodiment, when the handle  20  reaches the fully extended position, it may be pivoted up by rotating 90° coupling ring  45  together with lower bar  40  so that handle  20  aligns with a rear side of the main body  11  in the fully extended vertical position. It will be understood that lower bar  40  that rotating handle  20  can be achieved through any of various means. For example, in an embodiment, only the coupling rings  45  rotate with the lower bar  40  remaining stationary. Alternatively, handle  20  can be connected to main body  11  with hinges or the like. 
     During operation, the handle button  50  may be pressed once to extend the handle  20  to the first extended position, at which the handle  20  snaps into place. The handle  20  is pulled further to extend into a medium or a fully extended position. Alternatively, the handle button  50  may have the continually pressed, or pressed at the first extended position, for the handle  20  to be extended further. When the handle  20  reaches the fully extended position, the user may press the handle button  50  to tilt 90° the handle  20  to align with the main body  11 . Alternatively, a second handle button (not shown) may be provided to enable the pivoting of the handle  20 . One or more buttons  50  may be provided to control the various detent mechanisms described above, or the pushcart suitcase  10  may be designed such that the pivoting and/or extending of the handle  20  may be accomplished without pressing any buttons. 
       FIGS. 10-12  show exemplary dimensions for the pushcart suitcase  10 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. These dimensions are provided solely to provide illustrative relationships. 
     In operation, the invention works as follows.  FIG. 3  shows the pushcart suitcase  10  with the handle  20  in the substantially retracted position. In this way, the pushcart suitcase  10  may be used in a more conventional matter akin to traditional upright luggage pulled on two fixed wheels, i.e., a wheelie bag. Should it be desired to convert suitcase  10  from wheelie bag to pushcart, the user pulls on handle crossbar  20 B to extend telescoping members  20 A fully as shown by arrow A in  FIG. 6 . Button  50  may be required to be pressed to allow handle  20  to be fully extended. Once fully extended, slide-in wheels  32  emerge from wheel wells  41 . Handle  20  is then pivoted around lower crossbar  40  as shown by arrow B in  FIG. 8  placing slide-in wheels  32  in substantially the same plane as fixed wheels  30 . Suitcase  10  is now ready for use as a four-(or more) wheeled pushcart. 
     A person using pushcart suitcase  10  typically stands near the handle  20  with one or both hands on the handle  20  and faces toward the main body  10  to push pushcart suitcase  10 . Other pieces of luggage, suitcases, garment bags, briefcases, knapsacks, rucksacks, duffel bags, purses, strollers, pet transportation boxes, sports equipment or the like (not shown), or even small children, may be stacked onto the pushcart suitcase  10 . A strap, such as a strap with hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro®), or snaps at both ends, rope, bungee cord, or the like, may further be used to secure such stacked items to the handle  20  or to other portions of the main body  11  of pushcart suitcase  10 . 
     Accordingly, a user, such as a passenger at an airport or other terminal or station or at any other surface, would be able to handle several pieces of luggage without resort to the service of assistance personnel or the use of a separate luggage cart. Also, the user is able to see pushcart suitcase  10  and all of the articles stacked thereon to verify that they have not slid off during movement, since the pushcart suitcase  10  is pushed ahead of the user not pulled behind the user. Also, an elderly or frail user&#39;s gait may be steadied by pushing pushcart suitcase  10 , since both his/her hands may be on the handle  20 , and pushcart suitcase  10  may thus function as a wheeled-walker. Further, since the pushcart suitcase  10  is pushed using two hands, a more even force may be applied making it less likely that one or more of the wheels may pivot in or out. Thus the jerking of the pushcart suitcase  10  may be less likely because of pushing force exerted, and thus the sliding off of the items stacked on the pushcart suitcase  10  may be less likely. 
     The outer surfaces of pushcart suitcase  10  may be constructed of various materials, including plastics, mylar, PVC, fabrics, textiles, leather, synthetic leather, nylons, metals and combination of the foregoing. For example, an ABS or PP material may be used to obtain a “hard” surface for the main body  11  of the pushcart suitcase  10 . Alternatively, a “soft” surface for the main body  11  may be obtained. For such a “soft” body, a frame, such as steel or plastic frame may be used to provide this strength for the pushcart suitcase  10 , so that other items may be stacked on top. In addition, the outer shell or canvas of main body  11  shown in  FIGS. 1-12  may be made removable and re-attachable to the frame via zippers, snaps, Velcro®, or other conventional fastening mechanisms so that suitcase  10  is fully convertible into the frame-like open pushcart  100  shown in  FIGS. 13-23 . Indeed, all of the components of pushcart  100  may be and preferably are incorporated into suitcase  10 . 
       FIGS. 13-23  show various views of such a frame-like pushcart  100  wherein a three-dimensional rectangular shape is defined by rigid members, substantially conforming to the size and shape of a suitcase according to an embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 13-15  show the pushcart with the handle in the fully extended vertical position with respect to the frame.  FIGS. 16-18  show such a frame with the handle  120  in a substantially retracted position.  FIG. 19  shows the frame with the handle  120  in the fully extended horizontal position. To convert pushcart  100  to the pushcart configuration, handle  120  is pivoted about the longitudinal axis of lower bar  140  in the direction of arrow B so that it ends up in the configuration of  FIG. 20 . 
       FIG. 22  shows various parts of this frame, including fixed wheel axle  61 , fixed wheels  30 , slide-in wheels  32 , handle lower section  21 , handle upper section  23 , main body frame  60 , and coupling rings  45 . 
       FIG. 23  shows a c-clamp which may be used to snap the handle  20  into position aligned with the rear surface of the main body  11  when in the fully extended and vertical position. That is, pairs of such c-clamps may be disposed on the rear or surface of the main body for receiving the handle  20  when in the pushcart configuration. It will be understood that other means may be used to secure the handle  20  in the upright (or vertical) fully extended position in the pushcart configuration, that the lower bar  43  may itself snap into position when vertical up in the pushcart configuration thereby securing the handle  20 , and that alternatively, no specific securing mechanism may be necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
     It will be understood that slide-in wheels  32  could also be provided as a pair of fixed wheels disposed at or near a bottom all with the main body  11 . For example, such a pair of fixed wheels may be aligned with or maybe spaced closer to the center of the main body  11  then the fixed wheels  30 . Also additional pairs of fixed wheels may be provided at or near a middle section of the bottom of the main body  11 . When the slide-in wheels  32  are instead provided as fixed wheels, they would not be attached to the handle  20 , and thus smaller wheel-wells and wheel-well apertures  42  may be provided, since they would only have to accommodate the girth of the handle  20  but not the slide-in wheels  32 . 
     Further, the slide-in wheels  32  may be alternatively provided as foldout wheels (not shown) which when unused fold in via an elbow or hinge, such that the axis of the wheels aligns with the underside of the main body  11 . When the pushcart configuration of the pushcart suitcase  10  is desired, such fold-out wheels are snapped into place from their fold-in positions, by pivoting them 90° to substantially align with the fixed wheels  30 . Further, the fixed wheels  30  may be provided as foldout wheels. In such an embodiment, the slide-in wheels  32  may also be embodied as slide-in wheels, fold-in wheels, or fixed wheels. Preferably, wheels  32  are disposed on the bottom surface of the main body  11  substantially on the opposite side from wheels  30 . 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a pushcart handle is provided separate from the handle that is used to pull the pushcart luggage in a more conventional manner. That is, a pushcart handle as shown in  FIG. 2  may be provided, and a separate handle (as shown in  FIG. 6  for handle  20 ) may be provided for pulling the pushcart suitcase  10  or may be dispense with entirely. In this manner, the pushcart suitcase  10  may be used as a pushcart when the pushcart handle is extended and used to push the pushcart suitcase  10 , or the pushcart suitcase  10  may be pulled in a more conventional manner when the traditional handle is extended and used to pull leap the luggage  10 . In this way, a simpler mechanism is provided, since no tilting of a pushcart handle  20  is necessary. 
     Also, the pushcart handle and the separate traditional handle may be provided at the same end of the main body  11  or on opposite ends of the main body  11 . For example, the pushcart handle and the separate traditional handle on the opposite end of the main body  11  could be provided in a configuration in which the pushcart suitcase  10  is equipped with four fixed wheels on the bottom. 
     In another embodiment, a wheelie bag suitcase as described herein is adapted to be convertible into a “pull-cart” instead of a pushcart as described herein. In this embodiment, the suitcase is pulled by way of a handle that is free to pivot about an axis, similar to the way in which a child&#39;s wagon is pulled. 
       FIG. 24  shows an embodiment of the pull-cart embodiment, wherein a handle member  141  is disposed in a channel  142  that extends into a bottom portion of a suitcase. Upon converting the suitcase into a pull cart, retractable wheels  144  that are disposed in a recessed surface  146  of the suitcase bottom are deployed. In a preferred embodiment, a lever  148  or similar engaging mechanism, disposed on the outside surface of a suitcase is in communication with the retractable wheels  144  and is used to deploy and/or retract the retractable wheels  144 . Note that term “deployed” as pertaining to the retractable wheels herein means that the wheels are in a position such that they extend from the plane of the bottom surface of a suitcase, as shown in  FIG. 25 , and are as such free to contact the ground when the suitcase is placed bottom-down thereon. 
     It will be understood that deployed wheels  144  need not be capable of retracting into a recesses surface  146 , but rather they can be fixed to the bottom surface of the suitcase. Preferably, wheels  144  are provided with casters which allow wheels  144  to pivot freely as they are turned. 
     Referring to  FIG. 26 , in use, handle  141  is pulled out from within the channel  142  until it is fully extended as shown in  FIG. 27 . Once fully extended, a joint that connects handle  141  to the main body  11  of the suitcase is exposed. In a preferred embodiment, joint  150  is a ball and socket joint, which facilitates maximal rotation of handle  141 . For example,  FIG. 28  shows an embodiment of the invention wherein handle  141  is rotated upwardly as facilitated by the ball and socket joint. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that handle  141  can be attached to the main body  11  of the suitcase by any of various mechanical joints such as hinges, springs, ring couplings and the like. 
     Alternatively, handle  141  or portions thereof can be fashioned out of a thick bendable material such as thick leather, rubber, plastic, PVC or a synthetic material with similar properties. In this embodiment, handle  141  can be directly joined to main body  11  and will be free to move in a wide range of directions because of the bendable quality of its constituent material, even without a mechanical joint coupling. 
     In an embodiment, handle  141  is utilized as a handle for the suitcase when it is used as a traditional wheelie bag. In this embodiment, handle  141 , when not fully extended can be locked into position, for example by way of detent mechanisms which are well known in the art. 
     In another embodiment, the inventive suitcase is provided with a two separate handles. For example, a handle with a cross-bar  20  can be provided for use of the suitcase in its wheelie bag configuration, whereas a separate handle  141  can be provided for use of the suitcase in a pull-cart configuration. 
     Having described the invention with respect to specific embodiments and the exemplary attached drawings, it should be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention but merely serves as examples as how one of ordinary skill in the art can make or use the invention.