Patent Publication Number: US-9848681-B1

Title: Travel luggage with push and pull functions

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to luggage and more particularly to a travel luggage with push and pull functions, which has the retractable handle pivotally connected in the junction between the top and bottom panels of the luggage body and selectively set between two operation mode positions so that the luggage body can be supported and moved on the floor selectively in horizontal or vertical. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In a long travel or business trip, people generally will carry a large quantity of clothing and daily necessities. Apart from receiving the clothing and daily necessities in the travel luggage, people will carry extra containers such as backpacks to accommodate other articles that cannot be accommodated in the travel luggage. Thus, while pulling the travel luggage, the user needs to carry the backpacks or other extra containers on the back or with the hands. In addition to giving a physical burden to the user, this manner can also increase the inconvenience to the user&#39;s action and cause the articles easy to fall or to be lost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a travel luggage with push and pull functions, which has the retractable handle pivotally connected in the juction between the top and bottom panels of the luggage body and selectively set between two operation mode positions so that the luggage body can be supported and moved on the floor selectively in horizontal or vertical. 
     To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a travel luggage comprises a luggage body and direction-changeable retractable handle assembly. The luggage body comprises a bottom panel and a back panel connected at right angles, two adjustable luggage wheels bilaterally and pivotally mounted in the junction between the bottom panel and the back panel and selectively set between a vertical position suspending outside the bottom panel and a horizontal position suspending outside the back panel, two bottom luggage wheels bilaterally mounted at said bottom panel remote from said adjustable luggage wheels, two hidden luggage wheels bilaterally pivotally mounted in the back panel remote from the adjustable luggage wheels and selectively set between an extended position where the hidden luggage wheels are disposed outside the back panel and a received position where the hidden luggage wheels are received inside the back panel, at least one first handle groove located on the bottom panel, and at least one second handle groove located on the back panel and longitudinally connected to the at least one first handle groove. The direction-changeable retractable handle assembly comprises a retractable handle and at least one pivot mounted in the luggage body to pivotally connect the retractable handle to the luggage body for enabling the retractable handle to be selectively set in a first operation mode position where the retractable handle is positioned in the at least one first handle groove and a second operation mode position where the retractable handle is positioned in the at least one second handle groove. 
     Preferably, the luggage body further comprises two wheel chambers bilaterally located in the back panel remote from the adjustable luggage wheels. Further, the hidden luggage wheels are respectively pivotally mounted in the wheel chambers and biasable relative to the luggage body between the extended position and the received position. 
     Preferably, the luggage body further comprises two angled grooves bilaterally located in the junction between the bottom panel and the back panel, and two recessed holes located in each angled groove at two opposite sides. Further, each adjustable luggage wheel of the luggage body comprises a pivot block having two opposite ends thereof respectively pivotally mounted in the recessed holes in one respective angled groove, a wheel bracket affixed to the pivot block, and a wheel rotatably mounted in the wheel bracket. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an oblique front elevational view of a travel luggage in a first operation mode position in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an oblique rear elevational view of the travel luggage in the first operation mode position in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic back side view of the present invention, illustrating the retractable handle positioned in the second handle grooves and the inner tubes moved with the grip in and out of the respective outer tubes. 
         FIG. 4  is an oblique elevational view of the present invention, illustrating the retractable handle set in the second operation mode position. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing of the present invention, illustrating the retractable handle moved relative to the luggage body between the first operation mode position and the second operation mode position. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic side view of the present invention, illustrating the adjustable luggage wheels and the hidden luggage wheels respectively set between two opposite positions relative to the luggage body. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic sectional view, in an enlarged scale, of a part of the present invention, illustrating the adjustable luggage wheel positioned in the respective angled groove. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3  and  FIG. 7 , a travel luggage with push and pull functions in accordance with the present invention is shown. The travel luggage comprises a luggage body  1  and a direction-changeable retractable handle assembly  2 . 
     The luggage body  1  comprises a bottom panel  11  and a back panel  12  connected at right angles, two angled grooves  16  bilaterally located in the junction between the bottom panel  11  and the back panel  12 , two adjustable luggage wheels  13  respectively and pivotally mounted in the angled grooves  16 , two bottom luggage wheels  14  bilaterally and fixedly mounted at the bottom panel  11  remote from the adjustable luggage wheels  13 , and two hidden luggage wheels  15  bilaterally mounted in the back panel  12  remote from the adjustable luggage wheels  13 . Further, each adjustable luggage wheel  13  comprises a pivot block  131  pivotally mounted in the respective angled groove  16 , a wheel bracket  133  affixed to the pivot block  131 , and a wheel  132  rotatably mounted in the wheel bracket  133 . The luggage body  1  comprises two recessed holes  161  located in each angled groove  16  at two opposite sides. The pivot block  131  of each adjustable luggage wheel  13  has two opposite ends thereof respectively pivotally mounted in the two recessed holes  161  in the respective angled groove  16 . 
     The luggage body  1  further comprises two first handle grooves  111  located on the bottom panel  11  in a parallel manner, two second handle grooves  121  located on the back panel  12  in a parallel manner and respectively longitudinally connected to the first handle grooves  111 , first and second retaining devices (not shown) respectively mounted in the first handle grooves  111  and the second handle groove  121 , and two wheel chambers  122  bilaterally located on the back panel  12  remote from the angled groove  16 . The hidden luggage wheels  15  are respectively pivotally mounted in the wheel chambers  122 . 
     The direction-changeable retractable handle assembly  2  comprises a retractable handle  21  and two pivots  22 . The retractable handle  21  comprises two outer tubes  211  arranged in parallel, two inner tubes  212  respectively mounted in the outer tubes  211 , and a grip  213  transversely connected between respective one ends of the inner tubes  212  outside the outer tubes  211  and operable to move the inner tubes  212  in and out of the respective outer tubes  211  between an extended position and a received position to adjust the length of the retractable handle  21 . The two pivots  22  are respectively pivotally inserted through respective one ends of the outer tubes  211  remote from the grip  213  and respectively mounted in the junction between the bottom panel  11  and back panel  12  of the luggage body  1  within the respective connection areas between the first handle grooves  111  and the second handle grooves  121  to pivotally connect the retractable handle  21  to the luggage body  1 . 
     The travel luggage can be selectively set between a first operation mode (see  FIG. 1 ) and a second operation mode (see  FIG. 4 ). When the travel luggage is set in the first operation mode, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  again, the outer tubes  211  of the retractable handle  21  are respectively received in the second handle grooves  121  at the back panel  12  of the luggage body  1  and secured in the second handle grooves  121  by the aforesaid second retaining devices (not shown); the adjustable luggage wheels  13  of the luggage body  1  are suspended below the bottom panel  11 ; the hidden luggage wheels  15  are respectively received in the respective wheel chambers  122  inside the back panel  12 . At this time, the user can use the adjustable luggage wheels  13  and the bottom luggage wheel  14  to support the luggage body  1  on the floor, and operate the grip  213  of the retractable handle  21  to carry the luggage body  1  on the floor. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3-7 , when switching the travel luggage from the first operation mode to the second operation mode, turn the retractable handle  21  about the pivots  22  relative to the luggage body  1  to move the outer tubes  211  of the retractable handle  21  out of the respective second handle grooves  121  and then to set the outer tubes  211  of the retractable handle  21  into the respective first handle grooves  111  in the bottom panel  11 , enabling the outer tubes  211  of the retractable handle  21  to be secured to the respective first handle grooves  111  by the aforesaid first retaining devices (not shown). At this time, the pivot blocks  131  of the adjustable luggage wheels  13  are turned in the angled grooves  16  in the respective recessed holes  161  and shifted from the position suspending outside the bottom panel  11  of the luggage body  1  to the position suspending outside the back panel  12 ; the hidden luggage wheels  15  are respectively extended out of the respective wheel chambers  122  outside the back panel  12  of the luggage body  1 . At this time, the user can use the adjustable luggage wheels  13  and the hidden luggage wheels  15  to support the luggage body  1  on the floor and carry other articles on the luggage body  1 , and then operate the grip  213  of the retractable handle  21  to push the luggage body  1  on the floor. 
     In conclusion, the invention is characterized in that: using the pivots  22  to pivotally connect the retractable handle  21  to the luggage body  1 , enabling the retractable handle  21  to be selectively shifted between the first operation mode position where the outer tubes  211  of the retractable handle  21  are respectively received in the second handle grooves  121  at the back panel  12  of the luggage body  1  and the adjustable luggage wheels  13  and the bottom luggage wheel  14  support the luggage body  1  on the floor in vertical and a second operation mode position where the outer tubes  211  of the retractable handle  21  are respectively received in the first handle grooves  111  at the bottom panel  11  of the luggage body  1  and the adjustable luggage wheels  13  and the hidden luggage wheels  15  support the luggage body  1  on the floor in horizontal for allowing carrying other articles on the horizontally extended luggage body  1 .