Frame Structure for Soft-Shelled Luggage

The present invention relates generally to a frame structure for soft-shelled luggage and more particularly to a reinforcing frame structure which enables the soft-shelled luggage to experience substantial deformation and resume its original configuration. The invention comprises mainly a plurality of steel wires held parallel by a novel spacer and riveted to the inner wall of the shell through grooved fastening means.

The so called soft-shelled luggage having the luggage casing made of flexible sheet material such as a suitable fabric, plastic, or the like has been favored because of its light weight and low cost. In order to keep the dimensional stability and shape retainability, the soft-shelled luggage is generally supported by a metal framework. However, such luggage is subjected to rough handling and the abovesaid metal-framed soft-shelled luggage often fails to withstand impacts, crushings and the like. Many improvements have been disclosed, yet most of them increase substantially the overall weight of the luggage in concern.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a frame structure for soft-shelled luggage which is capable of withstanding impacts, crushing forces and the like and resuming its initial configuration when the forces which tends to distort the luggage are removed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frame structure for soft-shelled luggage which is not only capable of maintaining the advantages of light weight and low cost, but also being easily manufactured.

According to the present invention, as least two steel wires disposed at a desired spacing serve for the main part of the construction. Spacers of various types are proposed for use, each having its constructional feature and feasible for practice, and fastening means having grooves to retain wires is adopted to attach the wires to the wall of luggage.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a basic constructive embodiment showing the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another embodiment showing perspectively a form of spacing member with tubular passage on a plate;

FIG. 3 is still another embodiment showing perspectively a modification of tubular passage of the reinforcing members disposed in discontinuous sections;

FIG. 4 depicts perspectively a section of a reinforcing member having rectangular cross section with steel wires inlaid and pre-moulded to the spacer.

Now referring to FIG. 1, the soft-shelled casing of the luggage in concern is outlined by the dashdotted line. Principly, the basic components of the frame structure comprise a plurality of steel wires 10 which should be at least two in number, and disposed parallely at a desired spacing with each other. The whole length of each wire extends continuously along the inner top wall surface T (wire section 12), both end walls E--E (wire sections 13, 13) and for a distance inwardly of the end walls E--E on to the bottom wall B (wire sections 11, 11), with reinforcing members 4' of whatever type to be detailed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 giving predetermined spacing between wires. Spacers 21 and 22 both have grooves 221 therein for maintaining the predetermined spacing. The grooves in spacers 21 extend half way through the spacer to retain the end of wire sections 11, 11. Spacers 21, 22 are riveted to the inner wall of the luggage casing by rivets 222. A reinforcing plate 3 is provided at the position where the handle of the luggage is to be located. In FIG. 1, reinforcing member 4' is only shown in dotted line because in practice it may be omitted, since the spacers 21, 22 also adequately serve to space the wires a spacer. Although it seems that the frame structure is most simple this way, in working it is very difficult to place the wires one by one. It can be appreciated that the reinforcing members 4' are virtually indispensible.

In FIGS. 1 thru 3, it can be seen that the reinforcing member 4' (4, 5) may extend lengthwise and having a width to equal the transverse of the luggage width (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) or narrower (FIG. 2). Of course, in the former case the reinforcing member 4 (4') would help to protect the luggage in a better way than the member 5 would.

In FIG. 2, the passages 51 of reinforcing member 5 for passing through the wires are of tubular shape extruded integrally and continuously with a base plate thereunder, yet in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the passages 41 are disposed in discontinuous sections and punch out from the sheet of said base plate of the reinforcing member 4.

The material adopted here for the reinforcing member is preferrably plastic, since it is of a lighter weight than a metal, and the plastics also being bendable and settable to a desired form such as a corner of the luggage. Accordingly, the spacers and reinforcing members are flexible to allow deflection when the luggage is deformed.

In FIG. 4, another embodiment of reinforcing member 6 is shown, the member having a rectangular cross section 61 with steel wires prelaid and moulded to form through at least part of its length of extension. The member 6 is also shown bent here.

In either of the abovesaid embodiments of the reinforcing members, each may extend continuously to indefinite length and cut for use at any desired length. In such a case, the member itself may be riveted to the wall of the casing without fasteners.

The above embodiments are given for illustration purpose only and not by way of limitation, and modification will become evident to those skilled in the art which will fall within the scope of attached claims.