Patent ID: 8214972

Claim:
A retractable handle assembly, comprising two outer tubes affixed to the frame structure of a travel bag in a parallel manner, two inner tubes respectively slidably inserted into said outer tubes, two links inserted through said inner tubes, and a control handle transversely connected between said inner tubes outside said travel bag and controllable to move said links axially relative to said inner tubes between a locking position where said inner tubes are locked to said outer tubes and an unlocking position where said inner tubes are unlocked from said outer tubes, wherein said control handle comprises: a base member, said base member comprising a plurality of pivot holders and a plurality of elongated slots; a top cover covering said base member, said top cover comprising two openings respectively located on two distal ends thereof; a grip surrounding said base member and said top cover and formed of a top rotatable semicircular shell and a bottom rotatable semicircular shell forming a sleeve around said base member and said top cover; said grip being rotatable relative to said base member and said top cover; two control rods pivotally supported on said pivot holders inside said base member and coupled together; two control buttons respectively affixed to one end of each of said control rods and respectively supported on said links in the openings of said top cover for operation by a user to move said links between said locking position and said unlocking position; two compression springs mounted inside said base member and stopped against said control rods and adapted to support said control rods and said control buttons in said locking position; and two torsional springs mounted in said base member, each said torsional spring having a distal end extended out of said base member through each of said elongated slots respectively and connected to said bottom rotatable semicircular shell of said grip.