Patent ID: 6857512

Claim:
A handle assembly for towable, wheeled luggage, comprising: a tubular member having an axis of elongation and being adapted to be connected at one end to a piece of luggage; a handgrip assembly having a handgrip portion and a base portion, said assembly being mounted on the other end of said tubular member for rotation relative thereto about said axis of elongation, said rotation occurring along a dividing line between said handgrip base portion and the axially adjacent portion of said tubular member; and a collar slidably mounted on said handgrip base portion in surrounding relation thereto for movement in the direction of said of axis of elongation between a first axial position, at which said collar is located on the handgrip assembly side of said dividing line and permits rotation of said handgrip assembly relative to said tubular member, and a second axial position, at which said collar axially overlies said dividing line and prevents rotation of said handgrip assembly relative to said tubular member; wherein: the base portion of said handle assembly and the axially adjacent portion of said tubular member have substantially the same external transverse cross section; said collar has an internal transverse cross section corresponding to the external transverse cross sections of said base portion and the axially adjacent portion of said tubular member; the external transverse cross sections of said base portion and the axially adjacent portion of said tubular member and the internal transverse cross section of said collar are substantially elliptical; and the major dimensions of the elliptical transverse cross sections of the axially adjacent portion said of tubular member and said collar extend substantially perpendicular to the towing direction of the luggage.