Patent Publication Number: US-2006006037-A1

Title: Retractable handle device for bag

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a bag such as a carrier bag, a school bag, a back bag, a wheeled bag, etc. and more specifically to a retractable handle device for the bag.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show a retractable handle device used in a bag according to the prior art. This design of the retractable handle device is comprised of a mounting unit  10 , two retractable handlebars  20 , and a grip  30 . The mounting unit  10  is comprised of a top bracket  11  and a bottom bracket  12 . The retractable handlebars  20  each are comprised of an outer tube  21  and an inner tube  22 . The top bracket  11  and the bottom bracket  12  are fixedly fastened to the back panel of the bag to hold the outer tubes  21  of the retractable handlebars  20  in parallel. The inner tubes  22  are respectively inserted into the outer tubes  21 . The grip  30  is connected between the top ends of the inner tubes  22  outside the outer tubes  21  for pulling by hand to move the inner tubes  22  in and out of the outer tubes  21 . The two retractable handlebars  20  are kept from each other at a distance so that the retractable handlebars  20  do not give a stress to the user&#39;s spine when the user carrying the bag on the back. However, a child may insert the head into the gap P between the retractable handlebars  20  accidentally, thereby causing a jamming accident. In order to eliminate this problem, the distance between the retractable handlebars  20  may be shortened. However, if a child carrying the bag on the back in which the retractable handlebars  20  are arranged close to each other, the retractable handlebars  20  will give a stress to the child&#39;s spine, thereby causing a pain.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a retractable handle device, which is safe in use, preventing occurrence of an accident when a child playing with the retractable handle device for fun.  
      To achieve this objective of the present invention, the retractable handle device for a bag comprises a mounting unit provided at a side of the bag, two retractable handlebars, and a flexible grip. The retractable handlebars each have an outer tube and an inner tube slidably inserted into the outer tube. The inner tubes each have a top end. The flexible grip has two ends connected respectively to the top ends of the inner tubes. The retractable handlebars are slantly mounted on the mounting unit and extended upwardly in direction toward each other such that longitudinal extending lines from the retractable handlebars meet above the mounting unit and define a contained angle. Therefore, when the inner tubes are pushed into or pulled out of the outer tubes, the flexible grip is relatively deformed to fit the change of the transverse distance between the top ends of the inner tubes. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a retractable handle device installed in a bag according to the prior art.  
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the retractable handle device according to the prior art.  
       FIG. 3  is a front view showing a preferred embodiment of the retractable handle device installed in a bag according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a side view of  FIG. 3 .  
       FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the retractable handle device according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  is an assembly view of  FIG. 5 .  
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view in an enlarged scale taking along the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 .  
       FIG. 8  is a schematic drawing showing the inner tubes moved between the first position and the second position according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3-8 , a retractable handle device is shown comprised of a mounting unit  40 , two retractable handlebars  50 , and a flexible grip  60 .  
      The mounting unit  40  is mounted at one side of the bag, comprised of a top bracket  41  and a bottom bracket  42 . The top bracket  41  comprises two through holes slantly extended through the top and bottom sides thereof and defining therebetween a contained angle. Each through hole of the top bracket  41  is a stepped hole having a first insertion portion  411  with a relatively greater diameter at a bottom thereof, a second insertion portion  413  with a relatively smaller diameter at a top thereof and a stop portion  412  at the connection between the first insertion portion  411  and the second insertion portion  413 . The bottom bracket  42  comprises two insertion holes  421  slantly upwardly extended from the inside thereof to the top thereof near the two distal ends and defining a contained angle equal to the contained angle defined by the through holes of the top bracket  41 . However, the transverse distance between the insertion holes  421  of the bottom bracket  42  is greater than the transverse distance between the through holes of the top bracket  41 .  
      The retractable handlebars  50  are each comprised of an outer tube  51  and an inner tube  52 . The outer tubes  51  of the retractable handlebars  50  each have two ends respectively inserted into the first insertion portion  411  of the through hole of the top bracket  41  and the insertion hole  421  of the bottom bracket  42  such that the top bracket  41  and the bottom bracket  42  are connected to each other. The inner tubes  52  of the retractable handlebars  50  are respectively slidably inserted into the outer tubes  51  and each have an end, i.e. the top end, extending through the second insertion portion  413  of the through hole of the top bracket  41 , and the other end, i.e. the bottom end, provided with a protruded stop portion  521  for stopping against the stop portions  412  of the through hole of the top bracket  41  to control sliding movement of the inner tubes  52  relative to the outer tubes  51  between a first position P 1  where the stop portions  521  of the inner tubes  52  are respectively stopped at the bottom ends of the outer tubes  51 , and a second position P 2  where the stop portions  521  of the inner tubes  52  are respectively stopped at the stop portions  412  of the through hole of the top bracket  41 .  
      The flexible grip  60  is made by an accordion tube, having two distal ends respectively fastened to the top ends of the inner tubes  52 . The outer tubes  51 , the top bracket  41  and the bottom bracket  42  form a rigid frame structure to support the flexible bag body of the bag.  
      As indicated above, longitudinal extending lines from the retractable handlebars  50  meet above the top bracket  41 , thereby defining a contained angle. When moving the inner tubes  52  from the first position P 1  to the second position P 2 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , the transverse distance between the top ends of the inner tubes  52  is gradually reducing, and the flexible grip  60  is gradually deformed to fit the variation of the transverse distance between the top ends of the inner tubes  52 . Further, the two inner tubes  52 , the grip  60  and the top bracket  41  surround a substantially triangular open space  70 . The maximum width of the triangular open space  70  is approximately equal to the length of the top bracket  41 . Therefore, the length of the top bracket  41  can be set not to allow the head of a child to pass through the triangular open space  70 , preventing a jamming accident on the head of a child who plays the retractable handle device for fun.  
      As indicated above, the invention has the two retractable handlebars extended in an oblique manner, not in parallel, to define a contained angle. This design prevents a jamming accident on the head of a child. Further, when the user carries the bag on the back, the slantly extended handlebars do not give a stress on the user&#39;s spine because a sufficient distance is still maintained between the two handlebars at between the top and bottom brackets. Further, the flexible grip  60  is relatively shorter than the conventional designs, pulling the flexible grip  60  to carry the bag on the floor does not cause a twisting injury to the hand.  
      Instead of an accordion tube, the flexible grip  60  can be made of rubber tube or any of a variety of flexible material. Further, the invention uses the stop portions  412  and  521  to control positioning of the retractable handles  50  between the first position P 1  and the second position P 2  and to prevent the disengagement of the inner tube  52  from the outer tube  51 . Alternatively, lock screws may be used to lock the inner tubes  52  to the outer tubes  51  between the first position P 1  and the second position P 2 , or steel balls may be mounted in the inner tubes  52  and supported on spring means inside the inner tubes  52  for engaging recessed portions in the mounting unit  40  or the outer tubes  51  to selectively lock the inner tubes  52  to the outer tubes  51  between the first position P 1  and the second position P 2 .