Patent Abstract:
A towing arrangement includes a pivotal handle which allows a user to position the handle more comfortably that would otherwise be possible with a conventional towing arrangement. The relative motion of the handle can also increase the maneuverability of a piece of luggage by eliminating the need for a person to reposition his or her hand on the handle when attempting to redirect the piece of luggage.

Full Description:
PRIORITY AND RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/829,412 filed Nov. 5, 2004 for “Pivotable Towing Arrangement,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to towable travel luggage, and more particularly to a towing arrangement with a pivotal handle which allows a user to position the handle more comfortably than would otherwise be possible with a conventional towing arrangement.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0003]     Many varieties of luggage today come equipped with wheels from the manufacturer to enable a user to roll rather than carry or drag his or her luggage when traveling. Typically, such bags come equipped with a towing arrangement, which is sometimes simply a strap attached to the bag but is more often a handle attached to an extendable tubular member which is extended when the luggage is being towed. When the luggage is not being towed, the extendable tubular member is generally left in the retracted position, and thus generally does not affect the outer dimensions of the bag. The length of the tubular member is typically such that it prevents the luggage from coming into contact with the user&#39;s legs and feet while it is extended and the luggage is being towed.  
         [0004]     The typical conventional towing arrangement is depicted in  FIG. 1 . A piece of luggage  110  includes two telescoping poles  116 , connected by a towing handle  118 , which slide into receptacles attached to the piece of luggage  110 . This type of luggage generally also has a receptacle for the towing handle such that the towing handle lies flush with an exterior surface of the piece of luggage when the towing arrangement is retracted.  
         [0005]     Extendable towing arrangements generally include a mechanism for locking the towing arrangement in the extended and in the retracted positions. Such mechanisms can include spring loaded detents, cam locks, and other interference locks and interference fits. Some mechanisms require manual operation of the release mechanism to extend and/or retract the tubular member. Some mechanisms are automatically released by a sufficient amount of force to extend and/or retract the tubular member.  
         [0006]     Conventional towing arrangements have some drawbacks despite their convenience over simply carrying the piece of luggage. The positioning and shape of the towing handle of most towing arrangements can make towing a piece of luggage awkward and uncomfortable. This is primarily because the person towing the bag must tow the bag with his or her wrist turned to its extreme in either one direction or the other when gripping the towing handle. Thus, maneuverability of the luggage becomes limited by the person&#39;s ability to further twist his or her wrist.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     One approach to overcoming the shortcomings of the prior art is disclosed in commonly assigned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/392,522 filed on Mar. 20, 2003, entitled “Selectively Rotatable Handle Assembly for Towable Luggage,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned problems and deficiencies and to provide further improvements to the invention disclosed in application Ser. No. 10/392,522.  
         [0008]     For example, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a towing arrangement in which the handle can be pivotally connected to the tubular member. The relative motion between the handle and the tubular member can allow a person to tow the piece of luggage in a more comfortable position than in the prior art. This is because the person can grasp the handle with his or her wrist facing his or her waist, rather than facing the ground or the ceiling as with conventional towing arrangements. The relative motion can also increase the maneuverability of a piece of luggage by eliminating the need for a person to reposition his or her hand on the handle when attempting to redirect the piece of luggage. The relative motion that can allow the handle to be oriented so that a person gripping it has his or her wrist facing his or her waist, also can permit the handle to be rotated approximately 90 degrees from that direction when the towing arrangement is retracted for storage. This orientation may be preferred for the retracted position, because towing arrangements are generally placed immediately adjacent to an exterior surface of the luggage. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of a conventional towing arrangement.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  shows an isometric view of a first exemplary embodiment of a towing arrangement according to the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  shows a more detailed isometric view of the towing arrangement of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of certain components of the towing arrangement of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  shows a more detailed view an isometric view of of certain components of the towing arrangement of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  shows an isometric view of the collar assembly that may be used with the towing arrangement of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
       [0015]     Throughout the figures, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components or portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures, it is done so in connection with the illustrative embodiments.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]      FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention. A towing arrangement  12  may include a handle  14 , a tubular member  16 , and a handle mechanism  18 . The towing arrangement  12  may be attached to a wheeled piece of luggage  20 . The handle mechanism  18  may permit the handle to be rotated with the respect to the tubular member  16 , and may also permit the tubular member  16  to retract into the luggage  20 . The handle  14  may be of a generally oval shape. All of the individual components of the towing arrangement  12  may be fabricated from a material to provide sufficient strength, for example steel or aluminum. Optionally, the towing arrangement  12  may be attached to a cart used to transport a piece of luggage.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  depicts a magnified and more detailed view than  FIG. 2 . A button  50  may be used to actuate a locking member  52  which may be in the passageway of the handle  14 . The locking member  52  may include one or more first protrusions  54   a ,  54   b  which may communicate with second protrusions  56  of support locking member  58 . In a preferred embodiment, only one first protrusion  54   a  is provided. The first protrusions  54  may pass through a coverback member  60 . The coverback member  60  may be attached to the handle  14  via screws  62 . A joint lock  64  may be used to permit rotation between the coverback member  60  and a joint member  66 , while also preventing complete separation of the coverback member  60  and the joint member  66  in the direction of the axis of the joint member. The joint member  66  may be attached to the tubular member  16  by a press fit or via a pin connection. The joint member  66  also has a raised portion  110  which results in depressed end portions  110   a  and  110   b.    
         [0018]     Thus, because the coverback member  60  may be attached to the handle  14 , and because the joint member  66  may be attached to the tubular member  16 , the joint lock  64  may permit rotation of the handle  14  with respect to the tubular member  16  while also preventing complete separation of the handle  14  and the tubular member  16  in the direction of the axis of the joint member.  
         [0019]     As depicted in  FIG. 4 , the towing arrangement  12  may be assembled using the following steps. The joint lock  64  may be passed through a through-hole  70  of the coverback member  60 . The first protrusion  54   a  of the locking member  52  may be placed in one of corresponding holes  72  in the coverback member  60 . The coverback member  60  may be placed into one end of the handle  14  and may be attached thereto via screws (not shown) through holes  98 . A button  50  may be placed into another end of the handle  14  and may be attached to the locking member  52  via a screw (not shown).  
         [0020]     A torsional locking member  100  may be placed over the coverback member  60  with two springs  102 ,  104  and a strengthening member  103  therebetween. The springs  102 ,  104  may rest on protrusions  106 ,  108  on internal ledges  116  and  118  of the base of the torsional locking member  100 , as further depicted in  FIG. 5 . Referring back to  FIG. 4 , the handle  14  may include notches  112 ,  114  to provide clearance for the ledges  116  and  118  of the base of the torsional locking member  100  when the torsional locking member  100  is in a first position.  
         [0021]     A wear plate  71  may be placed over the joint lock  64 . The joint lock  64  may be placed in a through hole  74  of the joint member  66 . The torsional locking member  100 , especially the ledges  116  and  118 , may cooperate with the raised portion  110  and the depressed portions  110   a  and  110   b  of the joint member  66  in order to permit or prevent rotation of the handle  14  relative to the tubular member  16 . A pin  76  may be assembled though hole  78  in joint member  66  and pressed fit into hole  80  of joint lock  64 . The pin  76  may prevent relative motion between the joint lock  64  and the joint member  66 . The second protrusions  56  of the support locking member  58  may be passed through corresponding holes  82  in the joint member  66 . The joint member  66  may be placed into one end of the tubular member  16  and may be attached thereto via a press fit or via pins. Other components related to the release mechanism are not shown and may be assembled in the tubular member  16  prior to the assembling of the joint member  66  thereto.  
         [0022]     The release mechanism (not shown) may keep the support locking member  58  as far as it will fit into the joint member  66  in the direction of the handle  14  because of a spring force, for example, exerted in the release mechanism and will not extend into the coverback member  60 . Thus, supporting locking member  58  does not prevent rotation of handle  14  relative to tubular member  16 . The locking member  52  may be kept as far as it will fit into the handle  14  in the direction toward the button  50  by a spring, for example (not shown). Except when button  50  is depressed, no part of locking member  52  extends into joint member  66 .  
         [0023]     A latching member  90  may be slidably attached to the exterior of the tubular member  16  and may be used to fill a gap between the tubular member and the corresponding receptacle  22  in the piece of luggage the tubular member retracts into. The latching member  90  may include a hook feature  92  that keeps the latching member  90  near the top of the receptacle  22 .  
         [0024]     In operation, when the button  50  is activated, the force therefrom is transferred to the first protrusion  54   a  of the locking member  52 , which may communicate with one of the second protrusions  56  of the support locking member  58 . These protrusions  54   a ,  56  do not make contact through the axis of the joint lock  64 . The support locking member  58  may communicate with another release mechanism (not shown) to permit extension or retraction of the tubular member  16  from the wheeled piece of luggage  20 .  
         [0025]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the torsional locking member  100  may be used to prevent the towing arrangement from rotating, thus allowing ease of storage when the towing arrangement is placed in the retracted position. The torsional locking member  100  is slidably mounted on the coverback member  60  between a first position, at which a user slides the torsional locking member  100  against the force of the springs  102 ,  104  to move the torsional locking member  100  away from the raised portion  110  of the joint member  66  and thus permit rotation of the handle  14  relative to the tubular member  16 , and a second position, at which the springs  102 ,  104  force the torsional locking member  100  to overlap the raised portion  110  of the joint member  66  and thus prevent rotation of the handle  14  relative to the tubular member  16 . The strengthening member  103  may cooperate with the torsional locking member  100  during rotation of the handle  14 , by adding rigidity to the the torsional locking member  100 . When the handle  14  is “aligned” with the tubular member  16  in either of two angular orientations (180 degrees apart from each other), the torsional locking member  100  (and thus the handle  14  and the tubular member  16 ) may automatically lock in place due to the force exerted by the springs  102 ,  104  in conjunction with the shape of the ledges  116 ,  118  of the base of the torsional locking member  100  and the raised portion  110  and depressed portions  110   a  and  110   b  of the joint member  66 .  
         [0026]     The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems and methods which, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0