US20070089954A1

US20070089954A1 - Suitcase with drawers

Info

Publication number: US20070089954A1
Application number: US11/363,470
Authority: US
Inventors: Bradi Eardley; Robert Eardley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-10-07
Filing date: 2006-02-27
Publication date: 2007-04-26

Abstract

A suitcase having four sides, a back and a front that create an internal cavity for carrying objects. The front side is attached to one of the four sides by a hinge mechanism and includes mesh pockets located on the inside. The front closes by way of a zipper which is attached on the three sides that do not have a hinge mechanism. The inside of the suitcase has an attached frame having dividers which function to hold drawers. One or more drawers containing moveable dividers slide into the suitcase and function to hold the contents of the suitcase. Each drawer is equipped with a moveable divider which is held in place by a hook and loop material. The bottom of the suitcase has two castors that allow the suitcase to roll.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to the provisional application filed on Oct. 7, 2005 having Ser. No. 60/725,105.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

A suitcase with removable drawers for separating your clothes when packing.

BACKGROUND

Suitcases have been around for years and are used for a variety of tasks. The most common use is to carry clothes from one place to another. The suitcase has evolved over the years. They have been designed in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials. For a long time, suitcases were comprised of hard sides and opened to allow clothes to be placed on one side. They eventually added a divider to allow clothes to be divided and placed on two sides. Elastic straps have also been added in order to hold the clothes in a particular place. This is especially useful if the suitcase is not full when it is closed. Now the more common suitcase is comprised of a soft side, which comprises wheels and a handle for pulling the suitcase. Additionally, there are soft side suitcases that are collapsable when not in use. An example of such a suitcase would be a duffle bag. Duffle bags are typically comprised of one main compartment and several smaller zipper type pockets. There are a number of different types of suitcases that have been patented and a lot of variations of suitcases on the market.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,230 describes a collapsible soft side suitcase. This particular configuration is a duffle type comprising six sides. Most of its sides are comprised of a stiffened batten material and is capable of being fold or collapse making it easy to store.
Another example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,155. The particular patent discloses the use of a drawer wherein one side of the drawer forms a side of the suitcase. It is further equipped detents that allow for stacking a number of suitcases to form a cabinet. When the suitcase is use for traveling, the drawer is pulled out from the internal recess and filled. Once it is filled the drawer is pushed back into the recess area and one side of the drawer functions to form a side of the suitcase.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,673 is another example of a suitcase. This configuration is designed to let the suitcase extend providing for greater internal storage space. The sides of the suitcase are comprised of a pleated expandable/contractable material. Releaseable fasteners are located on the inner side of the wall which function to hold the sides in either an expanded or collapsed position.
Another example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,340. This suitcase comprises two compartments for hanging clothes that are divided by another section comprising drawers which are covered by overlapping closure flaps. The center divided section forms a recess between the two sides when in the closed position.
There are a number of other types and styles of suitcases are on the market. The individual needs of the user determines the type of suitcase they purchase and the size. Most people have more than one suitcase and more than one style of suitcase.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one embodiment the suitcase comprises four sides connected by a back.
In another embodiment the suitcase comprises a front side.
In yet another embodiment the suitcase comprises a hinge mechanism.
In still another embodiment the front side is connected to one of the side pieces by a hinge mechanism.
In another embodiment the suitcase comprises a zipper attached to the front side.
In still another embodiment the zipper functions to close the front side by zipping to the three sides not connected by the hinge mechanism.
In yet another embodiment the suitcase comprises one or more rails.
In still another embodiment the rails are located on the inside of the suitcase.
In another embodiment the rails are operable to hold drawers.
In yet another embodiment the suitcase comprises one or more drawers.
In still another embodiment the drawers are operable to slide on the rails.
In another embodiment the drawers comprise a moveable divider.
In yet another embodiment the moveable divider is attached to the drawer by a hook and loop material.
In still another embodiment the drawers comprise a handle for sliding the drawers in and out.
In another embodiment the inside of the front side comprises one or more mesh pockets.
In yet another embodiment the suitcase comprises a telescopic handle.
In still another embodiment the telescopic handle is located on the back of the suitcase.
In another embodiment the suitcase comprises a set of two castors.
In yet another embodiment three sides of the suitcase comprise a carrying handle.
In another embodiment the suitcase comprises a frame which is attached to the inside for said four sides having dividers for housing the drawers.
Still other advantages of various embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention simply for the purposes of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different aspects and embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the advantages, drawings, and descriptions are illustrative in nature and not restrictive in nature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suitcase comprising drawers.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drawer of the suitcase depicted in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a back view of the suitcase depicted in FIG. 1 illustrating the telescopic handle.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the suitcase illustrating the frame for holding the drawers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawing which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiment may be utilized and that logical, mechanical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled to the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
FIG. 1 illustrates a suitcase 10 in an open position thereby showing the use of drawers 20 on the inside. Additionally, the mesh pockets 30 located on the internally on the front side 40. The mesh pockets 30 are capable of storing smaller items such as toiletries. By storing these types of items in the mesh pockets 30, they are separated from the clothes that may be contained in the suitcase and prevent leakage from soiling the clothes. However, this is not the only use of the mesh pockets 30. The mesh pockets 30 can be used to store any number of items.
The suitcase 10 is designed with four sides and a back side 50 which are connected to form a box type enclosure when the front side 40 is attached by a hinge mechanism 60. In the present embodiment, the internal cavity comprises a set of drawers 20 which function to hold the contents of the suitcase 10. The drawers 20 each contain a handle 70 which operates to move the drawers 20 inward and outward. The drawers 20 of the suitcase 10 include a hook and loop material 120 like VELCRO® to hold a divider 80 in place. The divider 80 of the drawers 20 is moveable and allows the user to control the division of the space within the drawers 20. The back side 50 of the suitcase 10 comprises a telescopic handle 90 which allows the user adjust the height for purposes of pulling the suitcase 10. Since the suitcase 10 comprises at least two castors 100, pulling the suitcase 10 is very easy when using the telescopic handle 90. Additionally, the three sides of the suitcase 10 that do not have castors 100 are equipped with a carrying handle 110 which allows the suitcase 10 to be easily picked up or carried from any side.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drawer 20 which provides more detail of the. divider 80 and its attachment to the drawer 20. In this illustration, the hook and loop material 120 is more evident and clearly shows the ability to move the divider 80 in order to section the drawer 20 to the satisfy the needs of the desired user.
FIG. 3 illustrates a back view of the suitcase 10 showing the telescopic handle 90 and how it recesses down into the back side of the suitcase 10. The castors 100 are connected on the bottom of the suitcase 10 near the back corners. This allows for the suitcase 10 to be tilted backwards by use of the telescopic handle 90 and pulled with relative ease.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the suitcase 10 in an open position. In this particular view the drawers 20 are removed from the suitcase 10 allowing the frame 130 to be exposed. The frame 130 is connected to the inside of the suitcase 10 and functions to hold the drawers 20 in their respective positions. The frame 30 includes rails 140 which operate to hold the drawers 20 and allows them to slide inward and outward. Additionally, the rails 1.40 function to separate the drawers 20 allowing each of the drawers 20 to function independently of each other. FIG. 4 also demonstrates the zipper 150 located on the front side 40 of the suitcase 10. The zipper 150 operates in conjunction with the three sides that do not contain a hinge mechanism 60 causing the suitcase 10 to close and contain the contents which the suitcase 10.
Although an embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described in detail herein, along with certain variants thereof, many other varied embodiments that incorporate the teachings of the invention may be easily constructed by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonable included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A suitcase comprising:

four sides;

a back connected to said four sides;

a front connected to one of said four sides by way of a hinge mechanism;

a zipper connected to said top operable to close said top by zipping said top to the three sides not connected by said hinge mechanism;

one or more sets of rails located on the inside operable to hold drawers; and

one or more drawers operable to slide in and out of said rails.

2. The suitcase of claim 1, further comprising one or more dividers for separating said drawers.

3. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein said drawers comprise a moveable divider attached to said drawer by a hook and loop material.

4. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein said drawers comprise a handle for sliding the drawers in and out.

5. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein said front comprises one or more mesh pockets.

6. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein said back comprises a built-in telescopic handle.

7. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein one of said sides comprises a set of two castors.

8. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein three sides comprise a carrying handle.

9. The suitcase of claim 1, further comprising a frame attached to the inside of said four sides having dividers for housing said drawers.

10. A suitcase system comprising:

four sides;

a back connected to said four sides and a front connected by a hinge mechanism to one of said four sides opposite the back;

a zipper connected to said top operable to close said top by zipping said top to the remaining three sides;

one or more sets of rails located on the inside operable to hold drawers; and

one or more drawers operable to slide in and out of said rails,

wherein said drawers each comprise a handle for sliding said drawers in and out; and

wherein said drawers comprise a moveable divider attached to said drawers by a hook and loop material;

carrying handles located on three of the sides;

a set of two castors attached to one side;

a built-in telescopic handle attached to said back; and

one or more mesh pockets located on the inside of said front.