Patent ID: 7748508

Claim:
A wheeled luggage case having a luggage receptacle, the receptacle having two opposing major walls and having end walls forming a luggage compartment, the luggage receptacle having a front end and a rear end and having a length and width which both exceed its height, whereof a major wall of the receptacle is adapted to serve as a bottom wall that closely faces the ground during use of the wheels whereby the case may be wheeled along on the bottom wall like a trolley, wherein said luggage case further comprises: (i) a plurality of unidirectional support wheels located at the rear end of the bottom wall; (ii) a retractable steering wheel assembly, located on the bottom wall, distanced from the support wheels, said steering wheel assembly having at least one multidirectional wheel and being moveable between an active position at which the wheel assembly extends below the bottom wall of the luggage receptacle or an inactive position at which the wheel assembly is substantially within the profile of the luggage receptacle; and (iii) a handle means that can be moved between an active position at which it extends outwards from the luggage receptacle and can be engaged by a user and an inactive position at which the handle is contained substantially within the luggage, the handle being located at one end of the luggage receptacle for steering, pushing, pulling and lifting purposes wherein the handle is located at the same end of the luggage receptacle as the support wheels when the handle is in the active position, such that, when the steering wheel assembly is in the active position, in use, the steering wheel assembly and support wheels are in contact with the ground and wherein when the luggage receptacle is being pushed along by the handle, the steering wheel assembly leads, wherein the steering wheel assembly and support wheels are configured such that with the steering wheel assembly in its active position, the steering wheel assembly extends further from the bottom wall than the support wheels such that the bottom wall is at an incline with respect to the ground, the bottom wall being inclined upwardly away from the support wheels, such that a greater portion of the forces acting on the luggage receptacle will act through the support wheels than through the steering wheel assembly, wherein the support wheels are non-retractable wheels.