US20080230338A1

US20080230338A1 - Travel case formable into a wardrobe when opened

Info

Publication number: US20080230338A1
Application number: US11/723,494
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph Liang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-03-20
Filing date: 2007-03-20
Publication date: 2008-09-25

Abstract

A travel case formable into a wardrobe when opened includes a case body, and a pull rod. The case body has a set of rollers attached to a bottom end of the case body, a cover connected pivotally to the case body, and a hanger holder provided on the cover. The cover is movable between covering and opening positions. The pull rod is connected to the case body. The cover can be pivoted to the pull rod in the opening position. A retainer is provided for retaining the cover on the pull rod when the cover is pivoted to the pull rod.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a travel case, more particularly to a travel case that is formable into a wardrobe when opened.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a currently available travel case that is formable into a wardrobe when opened includes a main body 1, a set of rollers 2 installed on a bottom portion of the main body 1, a cover 3 connected to the main body 1, a retaining unit 4 provided on an end of the cover 3, and a hanging unit 5 provided on an inner side of the cover 3 and having a plurality of hanging portions 501. The main body 1 defines a receiving space 101 with an opening 102 that extends from a top side to a front side of the main body 1. The cover 3 is connected openably to the main body 1 through a zipper 6 so as to close the opening 102. The retaining unit 4 has a pull strap 401 sewn fixedly to an outer side of the cover 3, and a chain 402 having one end fastened to the pull strap 401 and another end provided with a hook 403.
When the cover 3 is pivoted from the main body 1 to an opening position, the cover 3 can be hung on a top end of a door panel or on a hanging bar (not shown) through the hook 403 to form the wardrobe. Clothes can then be hung on the hanging portions 501.
Although this kind of travel case can prevent the clothes from being creased, in actual use, it has the following drawbacks:
1. When the cover 3 is pivoted to the opening position to form the wardrobe, the retaining unit 4 must rely on an opened door panel or a hanging bar to hang and position the cover 3. In places where the door panels are unavailable for such use or where hanging bars are not provided, this kind of travel case is rendered useless.
2. An outer side of the cover 3 must be provided with a pouch or a space to store the pull strap 401 and the chain 402 of the retaining unit 4, so that the number of components and the manufacturing cost of the entire travel case are increased.
Referring to FIG. 2, another currently available travel case that is formable into a wardrobe when opened includes a main body 7, a hanging unit 8 fixed to an inner bottom side of the main body 7 and having a plurality of hanging portions 801, a fastening ring 9′ fixed to an outer bottom side of the main body 7, and a chain 9 fastened to the fastening ring 9′ and having an end provided with a hook 901. This kind of travel case has the following drawbacks:
When the travel case is opened to form the wardrobe, the hook 901 of the chain 9 must rely on an opened door panel or a hanging bar to hang and position the travel case. Further, the main body 7 must be invertedly hung when the travel case is opened, so that articles inside the travel case must be removed first. This results in a considerable waste of time since the articles must be removed from and then placed back into the main body 7. The articles may also become lost during this process. Additionally, the chain 9 must be detached from the fastening ring 9′ when not in use so that it is also easily misplaced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a travel case that utilizes its own components to form a wardrobe, that has simple components, and that can be easily operated.
According to this invention, a travel case formable into a wardrobe when opened comprises a case body, a pull rod, and a retainer. The case body has a set of rollers attached to a bottom end of the case body, a cover connected pivotally to the case body, and a hanger holder provided on the cover. The cover is movable between a covering position and an opening position. The pull rod is connected to the case body. The cover can be pivoted to the pull rod in the opening position. The retainer is provided for retaining the cover on the pull rod when the cover is pivoted to the pull rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a currently available travel case in a state of use as a wardrobe;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another currently available travel case in a state of use as a wardrobe;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment of a travel case according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment in a state of use as a wardrobe; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in a state of use as a wardrobe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the preferred embodiment of a travel case 10 according to the present invention is shown to include a case body 11 and a pull rod 20.
The case body 11 defines a receiving space 117 with an opening 117′, and has a set of rollers 12 attached fixedly to a bottom end of the case body 11, a cover 13, and a hanger holder 15. The case body 11 has front and rear sides 111, 112, left and right sides 113, 114, and top and bottom sides 116, 115.
The cover 13 extends from the top side 116 to the front side 111 of the case body 11, and has one edge connected pivotally to a juncture of the rear side 112 and the top side 116, and three other edges connected to the main body 11 through a zipper 16. The cover 13 is movable between a covering position and an opening position by operating the zipper 16. In the covering position, the cover 13 covers the opening 117′ of the receiving space 117. In the opening position, the cover 13 is pivoted away from the opening 117′ so as to expose the receiving space 117. The cover 13 further has inner and outer sides 131, 132.
A retainer 14 is provided on the outer side 132 of the cover 13, and is formed as a pouch 141 having a single opening. When the cover 13 is in the covering position, the opening of the pouch 141 opens upwardly.
The hanger holder 15 is fixed to the inner side 131 of the cover 13, and has a plurality of annular holder elements 151 for hanging clothes.
The pull rod 20 is connected telescopically to the case body 11, and is operable between a retracted position, where the pull rod 20 is concealed within the rear side 112 of the case body 11, as best shown in FIG. 3, and an extended position, where the pull rod 20 is pulled upwardly out of the rear side 112 of the case body 11, as best shown in FIG. 5. The pull rod 20 includes two telescopic tube portions 21, and a handle 22 connected to top ends of the tube portions 21. When the pull rod 20 is at the retracted position, the handle 22 is proximate to the case body 11, and when the pull rod 20 is at the extended position, the handle 22 is distal from the case body 11.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, in a normal state of use of the travel case 10, the clothes are stored in the receiving space 117 of the case body 11, and the travel case 10 is towed through the pull rod 20 and the set of rollers 12.
With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, when it is necessary to open the travel case 10 for use as a wardrobe, the pull rod 20 is first moved to the extended position. Next, the zipper 16 is unzipped, and the cover 13 is subsequently pivoted from the covering position to the opening position so as to expose the receiving space 117. Afterwards, the handle 22 is inserted into the pouch 141 of the retainer 14 so as to retain the cover 13 on the pull rod 20. Hence, the travel case 10 is formed into a wardrobe. In this state, clothes can be hung conveniently on the holder elements 151.
To restore the travel case 10 to the normal state of use, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the clothes are simply removed from the holder elements 151, and are then put back into the receiving space 117, after which the pouch 141 is detached from the handle 22, and the cover 13 is pivoted from the opening position to the covering position. Finally, the zipper 16 is operated so as to reattach the cover 13 to the case body 11 and thereby securely close the opening 117′ of the receiving space 117.
The advantages of the travel case 10 of the present invention can be summarized as follows:
1. Through the presence of the pull rod 20, the cover 13 of the travel case 10 can be supported and positioned on the pull rod 20 when the cover 13 is pivoted to the opening position so as to attain a wardrobe function of the travel case 10. Hence, the travel case 10 can be used as a wardrobe at any location without having to depend on an opened door panel or a hanging bar.
2. The structure of the retainer 14 is simple. Since the retainer 14 is fixed to the outer side 132 of the cover 13, the retainer 14 will not get lost, and does not need any storing. As such, the number of components of the travel case 10 is reduced, ultimately minimizing the manufacturing cost of the travel case 10.
3. Since the cover 13 of the case body 11 can be pivoted to form the wardrobe directly from the normal, upright state of use of the travel case 10, there is no need to remove the clothes and articles from inside the receiving space 117 prior to conversion into the wardrobe. Hence, the carried articles and clothes are not likely to get lost, and the time required to put things in order can be reduced.
In an alternative embodiment, the retainer 14 may be a fastening strap (not shown) that is fixed to the outer side 132 of the cover 13 and that has a fastening means, such as Velcro fasteners, snap-fit fasteners, etc. The fastening strap can be wrapped around the handle 22 of the pull rod 20. On the other hand, the retainer 14 may be any fastening means that is fixed to the cover 13 and that can fasten the cover 13 to the pull rod 20 when the cover 13 is in the opening position.
It should be noted that the travel cases available in the market today have different kinds of pull rods, which may be stored in different ways. However, the present invention may be embodied in any travel case as long as the travel case has a pull rod that can be extended uprightly from its case body.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A travel case formable into a wardrobe when opened, comprising:

a case body having a set of rollers attached to a bottom end of said case body, a cover connected pivotally to said case body, and a hanger holder provided on said cover, said cover being movable between a covering position and an opening position;

a pull rod connected to said case body, wherein said cover can be pivoted to said pull rod in said opening position; and

a retainer for retaining said cover on said pull rod when said cover is pivoted to said pull rod.

2. The travel case of claim 1, wherein said retainer is provided on said cover.

3. The travel case of claim 2, wherein said retainer is provided on an outer side of said cover.

4. The travel case of claim 3, wherein said pull rod has a handle, said retainer being formed as a pouch, said handle being inserted into said pouch so as to retain said cover on said pull rod.

5. The travel case of claim 3, wherein said hanger holder is fixed to an inner side of said cover.

6. The travel case of claim 5, wherein said hanger holder includes a plurality of holder elements.