Patent Publication Number: US-8534434-B2

Title: Single axis telescoping handle

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application relates generally to a handle assembly for baggage or a tool box. More particularly, the present application relates to a single axis telescoping handle that is slideably received in a receiving portion integrally located within a housing. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional baggage or containers can be carried in a variety of ways. Many bagagges or other types of luggage include wheels disposed on the bottom of the baggage that allow the user to roll the bag on the ground rather than having to lift the bag and carry it in mid-air. Wheeled baggage can also include four wheels to allow the user to push or pull the baggage when upright, or can include two wheels so that the user can push or pull the baggage when carried at an angle to the ground plane. 
     Collapsible or telescopic handles are commonly used with wheeled baggage  620  so that a user can walk upright and pull the baggage behind them. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the conventional handle assembly  600  typically includes two sets of first poles  605  and two sets of second poles  610  that can be telescopically collapsed into a receiving portion  615  of the baggage. To collapse the first poles  605  into the second poles  610 , the user must typically press a release button  625  to release spring-loaded balls  630  or other detent mechanisms that are biased into a locking condition. By pressing the release button  625 , the user can then push the first poles into the second poles  610 , and further push the entire handle assembly  600  into the receiving portion  615  of the baggage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application discloses a handle assembly that includes two sets of handle members that are vertically engageable with one another and where at least one of the sets of handle members extends substantially across a width of the receiving portion in the baggage that is adapted to telescopically receive the handle. Also, the receiving portion can be integral with the housing such that no additional receiving portion needs to be produced during the manufacturing process, resulting in a less complex and expensive manufacturing operation. The handle can further include a detent mechanism that is adapted to detain the handle in an extended position, and further release the handle to allow the handle to telescopically collapse into the housing without the need for a separate button and lock mechanism. 
     In particular, the present application discloses a handle assembly that is telescopically collapsible into a receiving portion of a housing, the handle assembly including a first handle member extending in a substantially vertical direction and telescopically receivable by the receiving portion, a second handle member telescopically receivable by the first handle member in the vertical direction, the first and second handle members extending substantially across a width of the receiving portion, the width being a direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction, wherein the first handle member and the second handle member are frictionally engageable with one another to maintain the first and second handle members in a partially vertically outstretched position. 
     In addition, the present application discloses a case including a housing that has a receiving portion integrally provided with rails, a handle assembly including a first handle member extending in a substantially vertical direction and slidably receivable by the rails, and a second handle member slidably receivable by the first handle member in the vertical direction, the first and second handle members extending substantially across a width of the receiving portion, the width being a direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. 
     The present application further discloses a method of collapsing a handle into a housing including providing a handle including a first handle member and a second handle member frictionally engageable with the first handle member; applying a collapsing force to overcome the frictional engagement of the first handle member and the second handle member to thereby collapse the handle; and continuing the collapsing force until the first handle member and the second handle member are substantially concealed by the housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawing embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a baggage incorporating an embodiment of the handle and housing assembly of the present application with the handle in the outstretched position. 
         FIG. 1A  is a sectional view of an embodiment of the handle according to the present application. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of an embodiment of the handle and housing assembly of the present application. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the baggage incorporating an embodiment of the handle and housing assembly of  FIG. 1 , where the handle is retracted slightly into the housing. 
         FIG. 3A  is a sectional view of the handle as retracted in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the baggage incorporating an embodiment of the handle and housing assembly of  FIG. 1 , where the handle is substantially retracted into the housing. 
         FIG. 4A  is a sectional view of the handle as retracted in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the baggage incorporating an embodiment of the handle and housing assembly of  FIG. 1 , where the handle is almost completely retracted into the housing. 
         FIG. 5A  is a sectional view of the handle as retracted in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 6  is a plan elevation view of a prior art handle and housing assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While the present invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated. 
     The present application discloses a handle assembly that includes two sets of handle members that are vertically engageable with one another and where at least one of the sets of handle members extends substantially across a width of the receiving portion in the luggage that receives the handle, making the handle more structurally stable and capable of receiving a heavy load. Also, the receiving portion can be integral with the housing such that no additional receiving portion needs to be produced during the manufacturing process, resulting in a less complex and expensive manufacturing operation. The handle can further include a detent mechanism or other frictional engagement system to allow the handle to telescopically collapse into the housing without the need for a lock release, as with conventional handles. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the baggage  100 , such as a tool case, includes a housing  105  and a handle  110  slidably received within the housing  105 . The housing  105  includes a base  115  and a lid  120  enclosing the base  115 , and further includes a receiving portion  125  that is adapted to slidably receive the handle  110  when the handle  110  is collapsed and inserted into the housing  105 . In an embodiment, the handle  110  includes a first handle member  130  vertically receiving a second handle member  135  and an extension portion  140  extending above the first  130  and second  135  handle members and vertically received within the second handle member  135 . The extension portion  140  includes a grip member  145  that is adapted to receive an external force from, for example, a user. A first shelf  150  is provided on the first handle member  130  to impede further upward movement of the extension portion  140 . Similarly, a second shelf  155  is provided on the second handle member  135  to impede motion of the extension portion  140 . 
     The housing  105  can be any container, luggage, bag or enclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. For example, the housing  105  can be a wheeled baggage device where the user can pull the housing  105  using the handle  110 . In an embodiment, the housing  105  is a tool container. 
     The lid  120  of the housing  105  is coupled to the base  115  to enclose the base  115  in a well known manner. For example, lid  120  can be coupled to the base  115  by hinges, screws, a friction fit, or the lid  120  can simply rest on top of the base  115  without any structural attachment to the lid  120 . 
     In an embodiment, the receiving portion  125  of the housing  105  includes structure that is adapted to receive the handle  110  when the handle  110  is collapsed to conceal a substantial portion of the first handle member  130  and the second handle member  135 . In an embodiment, the receiving portion  125  includes a structure that is integral with the housing  105  and that receives the handle  110 . For example, the receiving portion  125  can be injection molded together with the base  115  of the housing  105  so that the receiving portion  125  can be homogenously constructed of the same material as the housing  105 . 
     The first handle member  130  and the second handle member  135  are adapted to slide within the receiving portion  125  of the housing  105  in a vertical direction relative thereto. In an embodiment, the first handle member  130  is constructed of a pair of brackets that are joined together by a first shelf  150 , and the second handle member  135  is similarly constructed of a pair of brackets that are joined together by a second shelf  155 . The extension member  140  is adapted to be slidably received in a vertical direction inside the second handle member  135  and the second handle member  135  is adapted to be slidably received in a vertical direction inside the first handle member  130 . In an embodiment, the first handle member  130 , the second handle member  135 , and the extension portion  140  are each made of extruded aluminum to obtain a structurally stable configuration while maintaining a minimal weight of material. Alternately, the extension portion  140  can be constructed of other light weight materials, such as plastic, titanium or other materials to reduce the overall weight of the case  100 . 
     In an embodiment, a grip member  145  can be disposed at an end of the extension portion and can include a structure that is adapted to allow a user to grip the handle  110 , such as when pulling the baggage, and to apply a collapsing force or a lifting force, or any other type of force, to the handle  110 . As shown, the grip member  145  includes a portion adapted to receive a hand of a user, including structure that receives the user&#39;s fingers to provide a more comfortable gripping area. However, the grip member  145  is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and can include any structure that allows a user to grip and apply a force to the handle  110 , for example, a ball, ring, T-shaped structure, or any other similar structure. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the handle  110  extends substantially across a width W of the receiving portion. Accordingly, the handle  110  of the present application includes a first handle member  130  and a second handle member  135  that substantially extend a width W in order to increase structural stability and ease of use of the handle  110 . In an embodiment, the first handle member  130  is adapted to engage rails or other receiving structure provided in the receiving portion  125  at the far width-wise ends of the first handle member  130 . This configuration allows the first handle member  130  to substantially extend the width W of the receiving portion  125  and grip onto the structure within the receiving portion  125  with the opposing brackets of the first handle member  130 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of the handle according to the present application. As shown, the handle  110  includes various detents and indents that allow the handle  110  to temporarily remain in different vertical positions. In an embodiment, the handle  110  can include the first handle member  130 , second handle member  135  and the extension portion  140  that telescopically collapse upon one another with the aid of detents and indents. In an embodiment, the handle members  130 ,  135  can be collapsed to form a  42 -inch handle position (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) or a 35-inch handle position (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), although it will be appreciated that other positions can be obtained without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the extension portion  140  includes a first detent  160  disposed on an external surface of the extension portion  140  and adapted to matingly engage a first indent  165  that is disposed on an internal surface of the second handle member  135 . Similarly, the second handle member  135  includes a second detent  170  disposed on an external surface of the second handle member  135  and matingly engageable with a second indent  175  disposed on an internal surface of the first handle member  130 . In an embodiment, the extension portion  140  includes two first detents  160 , one on each opposing side of the extension portion  140 , to allow a more symmetric engagement with two of the first indents  165  disposed on the second handle member  135 . Moreover, two second detents  170  and two second indents  175  can be provided in the same manner. It will be appreciated that any number of first detents  160 , first indents  165 , second detents  170  and second indents  175  can be incorporated into the handle without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. In addition, the indents and detents can be any shape or size, and can be located anywhere on the handle  110 . 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the extension portion  140 , the first handle member  130  and the second handle member  135  respectively include a first ledge  180 , a second ledge  185 , and a third ledge  190 . The first ledge  185  and the second ledge  190  abut against a bottom surface of the first shelf  150  and the second shelf  155 , respectively. The third ledge  190  abuts a top surface of the receiving portion  125 . The ledges prevent the components of the handle  110  from disconnecting from one another when the handle  110  is pulled outwardly. For example, if a user pulls the handle  110  outwardly, the second ledge  185  will abut a bottom surface of the second shelf  155  and prevent the second handle member  135  from being completely withdrawn from the first handle member  130  and the extension portion  140 . 
     In an embodiment, the first handle member  130 , second handle member  135  and extension portion  140  can further include vents  195  that allow air to flow through the handle  110  components to help prevent a vacuum from forming at the interface between the components. As shown, the vents  195  are oval shaped, but it can be appreciated that the vents  195  can be any size and shape, and any number of vents  195  can be provided on the first handle member  130 , second handle member  135  and extension portion  140 , without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the receiving portion  125  can include rails  200  that extend downwardly along the receiving portion  125  and is adapted to receive the two brackets of, for example, the second handle member  135 . The two brackets of the second handle member  135  are each adapted to grip the rails  200  and slide within the rails  200 . However, any other configuration in which the receiving portion  125  slidably receives the handle  110  can be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. For example, the receiving portion  125  can include a ball bearing design that allows the handle  110  to move within the receiving portion with minimal friction. Alternately, the receiving portion  125  can define an indented track and protrusions from the handle  110  can insert into the track. In an embodiment, the receiving portion  125  is integral with the base  115  of the housing  105  or is homogenously constructed of the same material as the base  115 . 
     In an embodiment, the receiving portion  125  can include internal detents  205  that engage indents on an external surface of the first handle member  130  to maintain the handle in an outstretched position, similar to the discussion above with the first and second detents  165 ,  170  and the first and second indents  175 ,  180 . Similar to the first shelf  150  and the second shelf  155 , the receiving portion  125  can include a shelf  215  that sufficiently impedes the movement of the first handle member  130  when the first handle member  130  extends outwardly and the third ledge  190  of the first handle member  130  abuts the shelf  215 . 
     A method of operating the case  100  will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the handle  110  is in an outstretched position where the extension member  140  stretches above the second handle member  135 , and with the detent mechanisms described above, maintains in place. The user can then push down on the grip member  145  of the handle  110  and push the extension portion into the second handle member  135  against the frictional forces between the first detent  160  and first indent  165 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Thereafter, the user can continue pushing on the grip member  145  against the friction forces of the second detent  170  and second indent  175 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The user can continue pushing on the grip member  145  until the handle  110  is substantially concealed by the receiving portion  125 , where only the grip member  145  is substantially visible, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     The manner set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings and examples, is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. More particular embodiments have been shown and described, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of Applicant&#39;s contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper prospective based on the prior art.