US3335828A - Protective carrying device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1967 P. w. SIMMS 3,335,828

PROTECTIVE CARRYING DEVICE Filed June 2, .1966

INVENTOR PHIL/P W. SIMMS' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,335,828 PROTECTIVE CARRYING DEVICE Philip W. Simms, 450 W. 24th St., New York, N.Y. 10011 Filed June 2, 1966, Ser. No. 554,889 Claims. (Cl. 190-57) This invention relates to handle and carrying devices and particularly to such devices adapted to be permanently or temporarily aifixed to luggage, merchandise, packages, and the like.

When an article such as one of the above-mentioned having conventional hand gripping means is carried on a public conveyance or in a public place, it is readily set aside and then, unless given special attention, is just as readily forgotten and left behind, usually without hope of retrieval. A traveler, perhaps loosely gripping luggage not habitually carried, and diverted by other matters, is particularly prone to such loss. Constant attention to ones belongings is usually impossible; yet an ever present reminder of a handbag, briefcase, or other items, would frequently prevent serious and permanent loss. In addition, if such a reminder could be so adjusted as to render impossible the separation of the bearer and his accompanying property, complete peace of mind regarding its safe keeping would be assured.

One arrangement for achieving such assurance is of course, Well known. The simple expedient of leashing the carried article, say, to the wrist, positively insures against any loss. This arrangement, however, is inconvenient, not readily disengaged, and may hardly be worth the effort,

particularly when the item carried is of relatively low cost. In any case, the necessity of making a conscious effort to secure such an arrangement would in many cases discourage its use.

An object of this invention is a new and improved carrying handle for luggage, merchandise, packages, and the like, which provides a constant reminder to the bearer of the presence of a carried article.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a simple, readily fabricated carrying handle which insures a constant and positive grip thereon by the bearer.

Another object of this invention is an economical and dispensable carrying handle which provides a constant firm grip and at the same time permits instant disengagement.

Still another object of this invention is an improved carrying handle for luggage, bundles, and the like, which prevents the inadvertent disengagement of the bearers handgrip thereon.

The foregoing and other objects of this invention are realized in one specific embodiment thereof comprising as one of its elements, a handgrip of more or less conventional design in that it is adapted to be seized and gripped by the clasped hand of the bearer carrying the item to which the handgrip is attached. The carried item such as a handbag, for example, is suspended beneath,,

and connected to, the handgrip by a pair of end supports, also in a known fashion. In accordance with one feature of this invention, a spring-mounted pressure plate or platform is arranged between the two end supports and beneath the handgrip, which plate is adapted to apply a continuous pressure against the finger backs of the hand grasping the handgrip. The spring pressure is normally insuflicient to prevent ready insertion or withdrawal of the hand yet provides a constant physical reminder of the presence of the carried property.

Another feature of this invention provides for the adjustment of the pressure plate after the hand has clasped the handgrip so that it cannot be withdrawn, or optionally, can be withdrawn only with effort. Positive assurance against loss of the carried property is thus achieved. A novel and highly useful movement is presented by the handgrip of this invention, one which may be realized in a permanent construction integral with an item of luggage, for example, or in a dispensable handle readily affixed to a package or bundle. In the latter case, a handle according to this invention takes the form of the familiar wire-mounted handgrip furnished by many shops and department stores to be aflixed to the bindings of a package. In accordance with this invention a second handgrip is arranged beneath the first and rotatably mounted on extensions of the wire mounting. As the hand clasps the uppermost handgrip, the lower grip applies a constant pressure against the finger backs.

The handle arrangement of this invention together with its objects and features will be better understood from a consideration of the detailed descriptions of specific embodiments thereof which follow when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a three-quarter view of one illustrative handle arrangement according to the principles of this invention depicting one specific means for providing spring bias, portions of the elements being broken away to show their relationships, the handle further being shown detached from the luggage or other property with which it is contemplated for use;

FIG. 2 is a sketch representing the manner in which the arrangement of either FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 may be used to safeguard against loss, an illustrative handbag to which it is indicated as affixed;

FIG. 3 is a three-quarter view of another illustrative handle arrangement of this invention depicting an alternate means for providing spring bias, the handle also being shown alone and with broken-away portions for clarity; and

FIG. 4 depicts still another illustrative handle arrangement according to this invention which may be readily affixed to bundles, packages, and the like, and which, after use, may be discarded.

One specific handle arrangement of this invention is depicted inFIG. 1 and comprises a handgrip 10 formed in a conventional inverted U shape to provide at the ends a pair of supports 11, only one of which is visible in FIG. 1. The end supports 11 are bent outwardly to present at each end a mounting lug 12 having holes 13 to facilitate afiixing the handle to the object, such as an item of luggage, to be carried. The entire element so far described may conveniently be enclosed in a padded casing 14 of a suitable material aifording a positive and comfortable handgrip, such as plastic, leather and like, and so far the handle arrangement of FIG. 1 coincides well with known prior art. The casing =14 is partially broken away to disclose construction details and is also understood to enclose one of the lugs 12 not visible in the drawing.

In accordance with this invention, the end supports 11 each has opened therein a slot 15 through which are passed extensions 16 of a pressure plate 17. The plate 17 and the slots 15 are dimensioned relative to each other so that the extensions 16 are freely movable up and down.

3 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the plate 17 is shown as having affixed to the upper surface thereof in any suitable manner a cushion 18 which may also be of a material and/ or padding not uncomfortable or abrasive to the human hand. Alternately, the plate 17 may simply be convexly formed, and it, or the alternate cushion 18, may be fluted to assure a positive contact with the human hand in the manner to be described. The plate 17 and its cushion 18 is shown as broken away in a portion thereof to reveal other details of the handle assembly beneath.

The plate 17 extensions 16, after passing at each end of the handle arrangement through the slots are supported by coil springs 19 on the lugs 12. One of the springs 19 is again hidden by the casing 14. The springs.

19 may be afiixed to the extensions 16 and lugs 12 in any convenient manner and advantageously may include guide means not shown, to control the lateral travel of the pressure plate 17. The handle arrangement of this invention thus described may at this point be placed in service to realize a number of its advantages. Thus, assuming the handle arrangement of FIG. 1 is afiixed to a handbag 20 as suggested in FIG. 2, the fingers of the bearers hand 21, depicted in broken-line representation, are passed between the handgrip '10 (or if the grip 10 is provided with a casing 14, then the latter) and the cushion 18 of the pressure plate 17. The springs 19 and the dimensions of the slots 15 are adjusted to compensate for variations in the size of the human hand so that the cushion 18 maintains a constant and positive pressure against the backs of the fingers of the person carrying the bag 20. The compression of the springs 19 may be adjusted during the fabrication of the handle of FIG. 1 so that the finger pressure is gentle or, in the other extreme, so that the fingers must be forced through the opening defined by the handgrip 1t and pressure plate cushion 18. In the latter case the fingers may not be readily withdrawn without effort. It will be appreciated that the amount of pressure exerted by the springs 19 will depend upon the degree of assurance demanded by the bearer of the item to which the handle is affixed.

It is evident from the above description of one specific embodiment of this invention that the pressure plate 17, in urging its cushion 18 against the finger backs of the bearer, provides a constant reminder of the presence of the handbag. In due course, this finger-back pressure, in any degree determined during the handle construction, will become familiar and habitual, and its absence will constitute an instant signal to alert the bearer that the hand no longer grips the handbag. Should the handbag or other luggage be only infrequently carried, the reminder generating facility of the novel pressure plate is the same. Its absence again will be instantly noted, its unfamiliarity this time inviting the bearers constant attention. This invention manifestly provides a highly useful and novel safeguard for luggage, packages, and the like, yet .at the same time is conveniently readily disengaged, and always present.

Another feature of this invention makes possible an adjustment of the pressure plate 17 and its cushion 18, in one extreme, to the point where the bearers fingers can not be withdrawn. A threaded stud is centrally afiixed on a base plate 26 in any suitable manner to extend upward toward the underside of the pressure plate 17 Mounted on the threaded stud 25 is a knurled finger-wheel 27, the upper surface of which may be turned into contact with the underside of the pressure plate 17. With the bearers fingers inserted between the latter plate and the handgrip 10, the finger-wheel 27 may be turned upward on the stud 25 bearing against the plate 17, until the fingers are tightly clamped. This operation may be accomplished at the option of the bearer when the security of the carried item must be absolutely insured. Disengagement of the fingers then requires the conscious and positive action of retracting the finger wheel 27 from the pressure plate 17 to relieve the pressure. It will be understood that the pIOVlSlOIl of Cir the base plate 26 is only intended to comprise a possible construction. The stud 25 could, for example, be affixed directly to the luggage or handbag. If the base plate 2.6 is provided, it may also be provided with holes to coincide with the holes 13 of the lugs 12 to facilitate the mounting of the handle. Such holes are indicated in FIG. 1 on the base plate 26 which is shown in a slightly exploded view with the body of the handle.

Although a handle arrangement according to this invention provides a constant reminder to the bearer, occasions may arise in which its advantages are not required or must be dispensed with. For such occasions, provision is made to latch the pressure plate 17 clear of the bearers fingers against the springs 19. A male snap plug 28 is centrally affixed to the underside of the pressure plate 17 and extending downwardly therefrom. The plug 28 is adapted, in a well-known manner, to engage a drilled female member 29 which may conveniently comprise the end of the stud 25, or the female member 29 may be affixed to, or may be integral with, the upper surface of the luggage, or other item with which the handle arrangement is associated. With the pressure plate 17 latched clear by the seating of the snap plug 28, the handle of this invention is employed conventionally without the slightest disadvantage or inconvenience as compared to known handle arrangements.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the mechanical means for achieving the upward biasing of the pressure plate 17 and its lateral guidance relative to the end supports 11 may take other forms than those illustrated in FIG. 1 within the scope of this invention. FIG. 3 shows an alternate arrangement for achieving the spring bias for the pressure plate 17 also partially broken away to disclose its details. The embodiment of FIG. 3 is identical in every respect to the handle of FIG. 1 with the exception of the spring arrangement. Accordingly the same reference characters are employed Where convenlent to indicate identical elements. Instead of coil springs supporting the extensions 16 of the plate 17, the embodiment of FIG. 3 employs a single leaf spring 30. The spring 30 is centrally affixed to the underside of the plate 17 in any suitable fashion such as by riveting not shown in the drawing. The leaf spring 30 is symmetrically curved downward from its central mounting point to flare again upward at each end to form a pair of skids 31. The spring skids 31 bear on the upper surface of the base plate 26 and, as the pressure plate 17 is depressed by the insertion of the bearers fingers, are adapted to slide outwardly thereon in the direction of the end supports 11 on each side.

The use of the spring means 30 instead of the coil springs 19 in the handle arrangement of this invention dispenses with the protrusion beyond the end supports 11 of the pressure plate extensions 16. The latter need now only extend far enough to provide guidance in the slots 15 for the free movement of the pressure plate 17. An arrangement can, in fact, be envisioned in which the extensions 16 are dispensed with altogether in the embodiment of FIG. 3. By providing vertical guide rails on the inner surfaces of the end supports 11 the shortened ends of the plate 17 are readily limited in their lateral travel. Such guide rail means could be realized, for example, by a vertical creasing of the end supports 11 and a corresponding adaptation to this cross section of the ends of the plate 17. Other guide means and spring bias arrangement will present themselves to one skilled in the art within the scope of this invention.

Another and particularly useful embodiment of this invention is depicted in FIG. 4. A universally recognized convenience generally offered without charge to a shop per by shops and department stores is the wire mounted dispensable carrying handle. These handles are adapted to be readily engaged with the twine or other binding of a shoppers package by hooks formed in the wire handle ends. After use these handles, because of their low cost and availability, are discarded. Notwithstanding their utility and convenience, these handles in their known forms offer the bearer of the package no more assurance against inadvertent loss than the more expensive and permanent conventional handles. This assurance is advantageously made available in the specific embodiment of this invention depicted in FIG. 4. The handle arrange ment there depicted comprises a continuous wire means 40 formed initially into an inverted U shape to present a grip portion 40a and two end support portions 40b and 400. The wire means 40, after the support portions at each end, is doubled and turned upwardly to form a pair of hooks 41. The ends of the wire means 40 then continue and separate from the end portions 40b and 40c, finally being bent to form two opposing spindles 42a and 42b extending substantially parallel to the grip portion 40a.

The wire means 40 may be fabricated of any suitable metal or other material which provides sufiicient sitfiness and some spring flexibility to operate in the manner to be described. Loosely mounted to permit free rotation on the grip portion 40a is a roller 43 of a character well known in the art for affording a comfortable handgrip. A second roller 44, which may be identical to the roller 43, is also freely and rotatably mounted on the spindles 42a and 42b. The rollers 43 and 44 may be fabricated of any convenient, inexpensive material such as wood, plastic, paper, and the like. In the use of the handle arrangement of FIG. 4, it is convenient that the end support portions 40b and 40c are maintained in the same plane as the spindles 42a and 42b. To assure this alignment the doubled wire means 40 may be spot welded or glued at the points 45 beyond the hooks 41. The opening between the rollers 43 and 44 may bedetermined just narrower than the thickness of the average human hand so that as the hand is inserted between the rollers, the lower roller 44 is depressed against the spring pressure provided by the spindles 42a and 42b and their extensions to the juncture points 45.

The handle arrangement of FIG. 4 is adapted in the well-known fashion to be engaged by means of the hooks 41 to the binding of the package or bundle to be carried. The fingers of the bearers hand are readily inserted between the rollers 43 and 44 as the wire means 40 gives way at the spindles 42a and 42b, the rollers 43 and 44 rotating as the fingers are admitted. The spindles 42a and 42b and their connecting portions of the wire means 40 may be slightly curved to facilitate their entry further into the roller 44 as the latter is depressed rather than the straight and angled configuration shown in the drawing. The spring pressure of the spindles 42a and 42b urges the lower roller 44 against the backs of the bearers fingers thereby providing a constant reminder of the carried package. The rotatable rollers 43 and 44 also permit ready withdrawal of the fingers. The extremely low cost at which the handle arrangement of FIG. 4 may be fabricated, also permits it to be discarded after use. Since discardable handles are frequently employed as advertising media, the additional roller provides added space for sales messages at little extra cost of manufacture.

A novel and highly useful handle arrangement which provides an effective protection against loss of a carried item, is presented by this invention. Although what have been described are considered to be illustrative embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that various and numerous other arrangements and modifications may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The handle arrangement of this invention may also find other applications and may be practiced in contexts other than those specifically mentioned hereinbefore. For example, this invention may also comprise a useful safeguard against the loss or inadvertent misplacement of umbrellas, fishing tackle, canes, and the like. The structure in practice incorporating the principles of this invention to such items are readily envisioned by one skilled in the art. In any application a simple embodiment of this invention may also provide a clamping pressure for less than all of the fingers of the hand clasping the handle. A one finger arrangement in certain carrying contexts could prove advantageous.

What is claimed is:

1. A handle device comprising a handgrip, a pressure plate disposed substantially parallel to said handgrip, and spring means biasing said pressure plate toward said hand grip.

2. A handle device as claimed in claim 1 also comprising an end support for each end of said handgrip, each of said supports having a slot therein, said pressure plate having extensions at each end through said slots and being freely movable therein, said spring means comprising a coil spring urging against each of said extensions.

3. A handle device as claimed in claim 1 also comprising a base plate, said spring means comprising a substantially semi-elliptic fiat spring affixed to said pressure plate and adapted slidably to engage said base plate.

4. A handle device comprising a pair of substantially parallel members, a first of said members adapted to be clasped by hand, the other of said members adapted to engage the back of said hand, and spring means for biasing said other member toward said first member.

5. A handle device comprising a pair of substantially parallel members, a first of said members adapted to be clasped by hand, the other of said members adapted to engage the back of at least one finger of said hand, and means for urging said other member against said fingerback.

6. A handle arrangement adapted to be affixed to luggage, containers, packages, and the like, comprising a handgrip, end supports for said handgrip, pressure plate means adapted to be freely movable between said end supports, and means for biasing said pressure plate means toward said handgrip.

7. A handle arrangement adapted to be affixed to luggage, containers, packages, and the like, comprising a pair of substantially parallel members, said members being spaced apart to define therebetween an aperture smaller than the thickness of a hand, and spring means supporting one of said members adapted to give way sufiiciently to increase said aperture to admit said hand.

8. A handle device comprising a continuous support means formed to present a handgrip section, a pair of end sections, a pair of hook sections, and a pair of opposing terminal sections substantially parallel to said handgrip section, and a first and a second roller means rotatably mounted on said handgrip section and said opposing terminal sections, respectively, said first and second roller means defining therebetween an aperture smaller than the thickness of a hand, said continuous support means being flexible to permit enlargement of said aperture.

9. A handle device adapted to be aifixed to a carried item comprising a handgrip, a pressure plate means substantially parallel to said handgrip, spring means for biasing said pressure plate means toward said handgrip, base means, and latching means for latching said pressure plate to said base means.

10. A handle device as claimed in claim 9 in which said base means comprises the upper surface of said item to be carried.

11. A handle device as claimed in claim 9 in which said latching means comprises a. male plug means affixed to said pressure plate and a female receptacle means adapted to engage and retain said plug means.

12. A handle device comprising a pair of substantially parallel members, a first of said members adapted to be clasped by hand, the other of said members adapted to engage at least the back of one finger of said hand, spring means for biasing said other member toward said first member, and adjustable clamping means operable against said other of said members to clamp said finger.

15. A handle device as claimed in claim 14 in Whichsaid latching means comprises a male plug means aflixed to said other of said member and a female receptacle means formed in the end of said stud means adapted to engage and retain said plug means.

No references cited.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A HANDLE DEVICE COMPRISING A HANDGRIP, A PRESSURE PLATE DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID HANDGRIP, AND SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID PRESSURE PLATE TOWARD SAID HAND GRIP.

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