초록 ▼

A wheeled luggage case that is tilted for towing is provided with a retractable and, optionally, telescoping handle (4) assembly that is withdrawn from the interior of the case to an extended vertical position at the intersection of the top and rear walls, from which it is angularly rotated by the u

A wheeled luggage case that is tilted for towing is provided with a retractable and, optionally, telescoping handle (4) assembly that is withdrawn from the interior of the case to an extended vertical position at the intersection of the top and rear walls, from which it is angularly rotated by the user to a position that minimizes the vertical force that is required to support the hand grip to comfortably tow the luggage. Preferred angular displacements for a wide range of users and loads positioned in and on the luggage case have been found to be at about 17째 and 35째 from the vertical position.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A towable wheeled luggage case having an extendable handle assembly rotatable about a pivot axis within a limited angular range to minimize the downward vertical force on the handle assembly experienced by users of different heights when the wheeled luggage is tilted for towing, said wh

I claim: 1. A towable wheeled luggage case having an extendable handle assembly rotatable about a pivot axis within a limited angular range to minimize the downward vertical force on the handle assembly experienced by users of different heights when the wheeled luggage is tilted for towing, said wheeled luggage case having a generally rectilinear bottom wall and top wall and four elongated side walls extending between the top and bottom walls; said handle assembly extendable from a position proximate the top wall; the bottom wall being provided with at least one pair of supporting wheels mounted proximate the bottom wall and positioned adjacent a rear side wall in the direction from which the extendable handle projects; the extendable handle assembly comprising at least one rigid leg joined at one end to a transverse hand grip, the at least one leg being movable between a first retracted storage position inside the case and a second extended position projecting from the case, the hand grip being maintained on the exterior of the case proximate the intersection of the top wall and rear side wall in the first position; the handle assembly being angularly adjustable in the second extended position to intersect the rear wall at an angle that is different than the angle formed with the rear wall when the handle assembly is in the first storage position, the axis of rotation of the handle assembly being proximate to the intersection of the top wall and rear wall of the case; angular retaining means secured to the case and in contact with the handle assembly to releasably secure the at least one extended leg in at least one fixed angular position with respect to the plane of the rear wall of the case the angular displacement being in the range of 15째 to 38째 from the vertical to thereby to minimize the effective downward vertical force on the hand grip during towing when the extended handle is in the operable towing position; and release means cooperatively engaged with the retaining means and responsive a predetermined external impact force applied to the handle assembly in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the rear wall, whereby actuation of the release means allows the handle to move in response to the predetermined impact force to a position which is generally parallel to the surface of the rear wall of the case. 2. The case of claim 1 in which the at least one leg of the handle in the first retracted position is parallel to the rear side wall. 3. The case of claim 1 in which the at least one leg of the handle in the first retracted position is parallel to the top wall. 4. The case of claim 1, wherein the handle assembly in the second extended position is movable between a plurality of angular positions with respect to the rear side wall. 5. The case of claim 4, wherein the handle assembly is movable to a predetermined number of positions whose angular relation to the rear side wall are fixed. 6. The case of claim 5, wherein each of the predetermined positions is associated with one of at least two unique position indicators. 7. The case of claim 6, wherein the position indicator is selected from the group consisting of letters, numbers and alphanumeric characters. 8. The case of claim 7, which further comprises at least one position gauge that is responsive to the angular displacement of the rear side wall of the case from vertical. 9. The case of claim 7, wherein the position gauge is selected from the group consisting of bubble gauges and pendulum gauges. 10. The case of claim 9, wherein the position gauge is a bubble gauge and the bubble gauge is secured to the top wall or a side wall adjoining the rear side wall. 11. The case of claim 8, wherein the position gauge includes a number of indicators corresponding to the at least two unique position indicators proximate the at least one handle leg. 12. The case of the claim 5, wherein the handle assembly is movable to a first fixed position that is displaced from about 15째 to about 20째 from the vertical, and to a second fixed position that is displaced from about 32째 to about 38째 from the vertical. 13. The case of claim 12, wherein the first position is displaced about 17째 from the vertical and the second position is displaced about 35째 from the vertical. 14. The case of claim 5, wherein at least one fixed position is within the range of 15째 to 20째 from the vertical. 15. The case of claim 5, wherein at least one fixed position is within the range of 32째 to 38째 from the vertical. 16. The case of claim 5, wherein the handle is moveable to one fixed position that is in the range of 15째 to 20째 and to a second fixed position in the range of 32째 to 38째 from the vertical. 17. The case of claim 16 in which one position is 17째 and the second position is 35째. 18. The case of claim 1, wherein the handle grip comprises movable release means for cooperatively engaging the angular retaining means, whereby the activation of the release means facilitates the change of angular position of the at least one handle leg. 19. The case of claim 1, wherein the release means comprise biasing spring means in contact with a slidable plate that forms a part of the retaining member, the biasing force of the spring means extending in a direction normal to the rear side wall of the case. 20. The case of claim 1, wherein the angular retaining member is adjustable. 21. The case of claim 20, wherein the adjustable retaining member comprises a circular ratchet assembly that engages proximal ends of the arms whereby the arms are movable between a plurality of fixed angular positions. 22. The case of claim 20, wherein the angular retaining member is a spring-biased clutch assembly that engages proximal ends of the legs of the handle assembly, the clutch having a pre-determined range of angular rotation, whereby the at lease one leg is movable between an infinite number of angular positions within the predetermined range. 23. The case of claim 20, wherein the adjustable retaining member comprises a manually actuated movable slide plate, the slide plate provided with an engagement member, and a receiving plate provided with a plurality of stops for cooperatively receiving the engagement member of the slide plate in a selected position, whereby the angular position of the at least one leg is determined by the position of the slide plate relative to the fixed receiving plate.