Cushioning Pad for Luggage Handles

The present invention is directed to a pad for use in helping to relieve the stress and strain from carrying luggage and the like by providing a separate and removably attachable cushioned pad to the handle of the luggage. It is known that when carrying heavy luggage by the handle thereof for any length of time, excessive strain is imposed upon the muscles of the forearm, as well as excessive stress on the joints of the hand, which joints are typically curved around the handle of the luggage in order to hold onto the luggage. Depending upon the weight of the luggage itself, the forearm muscles and joints of the hand become overexerted when carrying the luggage for a period of time. Also, in the case of overly-large shoulder luggage where a strap is looped over the shoulder and the shoulder is carrying the weight of the luggage, the surface juncture between the strap and shoulder area often becomes unduly strained after prolonged carrying. The cushioning pad of the invention is, also, ideally suited for use in shoulder-carried luggage. The invention has special use for arthritis sufferers who, more than others, feel the pain and discomfort from prolonged carrying of hand and shoulder luggage.

It is, therefore, the main objective of the present invention to provide a cushioning pad for use with either the handle of hand-carried luggage, or with the shoulder strap of shoulder-carried luggage, in order to cushion the portion of the person's body in contact with the piece of luggage.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide such a cushioning pad that will evenly distribute the weight of the luggage over the entire area of the body portion bearing the brunt of weight of the luggage.

It is still another objective of the present invention to allow for the same cushioning pad to be used either on the handle of hand-carried luggage or on the strap of should-carried luggage.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to allow for the same cushioning pad to be used for various sizes and shapes of luggage, such that the cushioning pad may be attached to that portion of luggage by which it is carried, will readily adapt to the size or shape of that portion of the luggage, and will allow for the cushioning pad to be extended to fit the size of the handle or strap of the luggage.

Toward these and other ends, the cushioning pad of the present invention is made of a foam, such as MLC "ENSOLITE," to which is attached a pair of stretchable. elastic attaching bands, with each band having two free ends by which the elastic bands and, therefore, the attached foam pad may be secured to the handle of hand-carried luggage or to the strap portion of shoulder-carried luggage. The elastic bands allow for the variable extension of the foam pad relative to the anchoring portions to which it is attached, in order that the foam pad may be stretched to suit the particular size and shape of the handle or strap with which it is associated, so that it may be properly positioned between the handle, or strap, and the hand, or shoulder, of the person carrying the luggage. The elastic bands may also be used for tying together more than one piece of luggage, so that the handles or shoulder straps may be tied together, with the the same foam pad used to carry a plurality of luggage pieces. The elastic bands are also used to tie together the hook portions of hangers used in a garment bag or the like, which hooks protrude outwardly from the opening in the garment bag, with the cushioning pad used to cushion the plurality of hooks.

The invention will be more readily understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cushioning pad with the attached stretchable bands of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the cushioning pad with attached stretchable bands thereof secured to a handle of a piece of hand-carried luggage for cushioning the handle as well as reducing the stress and strain on the hand and forearm;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the cushioning pad secured to the handle of the hand-carried luggage without the hand gripping the handle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cushioning pad of the invention secured to a portion of a shoulder strap of shoulder-carried luggage for cushioning the shoulder blade area upon which is borne the weight of the shoulder-carried luggage;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the use of the cushioning pad of the invention with a plurality of hangers of a garment bag for carrying the garment bag;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view showing the cushioning pad of the invention being used with a pair of suitcases, or the like, arranged side-by-side; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the cushioning pad of the invention is indicated generally by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The pad 10 is preferably rectangular in cross section, and is preferably made of a foam such as Uniroyal's MLC "ENSOLITE," which is a polyvinyl chloride in compound with nitrile rubber, oils, plasticizers and cellogen. Alternatively, the foam may be made of MFC "ENSOLITE," which is also manufactured by Uniroyal, Inc. MLC "ENSOLITE" has a density of 3 to 4.5 pounds per cubic feet, in a 25% compression resistance between 1.5 and 3.0 psi with a tensile strength of 30 psi, minimal elongation of 200%, and has a 15% loss of height for a 50% compression ratio over a 24-hour recovery period. In the preferred embodiment, the cushioning pad 10 is coated with colored vinyl, by well-known methods. The cushioning pad 10 is provided with through holes 12 through which is threaded stretchable elastic bands or cords 14 each having two free ends 16 and 18 that are used for tying and attaching the cushioning pad 10 to a handle 20 of a piece of hand-carried luggage, or to a portion of a shoulder strap 24 of a piece of shoulder-carried luggage, as clearly shown in FIG. 4. In attaching the elastic bands 14 to the handle 20, the free ends of one of the pair of elastic bands are first attached to one of the short projecting parts 22 by a slip knot, so that the pad 10 may be pulled away from portion 22 a desired distance to position it under the main portion 20' of the handle at a desired location best suited to the size of the handle 20, as well as to the size of the hand and grip of the person carrying the luggage. After attaching the cushioning pad 10 to the handle 20, the second one of the pair of elastic bands 14 is attached to the other of the short projection parts 22 of the handle, so that the cushioning pad 10 is secured between the two angularly-extending parts 22 of the handle. The elastic bands 14 allow for the same cushioning pad 10 to be used for any sized luggage and various sizes of handles 20, since the elastic bands 14 can be stretched to position the cushioning pad 10 to accommodate any gripping portion 20'. Thus, the same cushioning pad 10 may be used on any piece of luggage. As shown in FIG. 4, the same cushioning pad 10 may also be used on a shoulder strap for a shoulder-carried piece of luggage by attaching each of the pair of elastic bands 14 via the ends 16 and 18 to the portion of the shoulder strap 24 that comes in contact with the carrier's shoulder. The cushioning pad 10, as clearly shown in FIG. 4, is positioned between the shoulder blade and the strap itself in order to cushion and evenly distribute the force of the weight of the shoulder-carried luggage over the entire shoulder area, and to prevent rubbing of the shoulder by the frictional force between the strap 14 and the shoulder. The elastic bands 14 are preferably made of natural rubber, with a covering or coating of filament nylon, and in the preferred embodiment have an elongation of at least 180% without any recognizable or permanent deformation thereof. Preferably, the length of each of the elastic bands 14 is 5 inches, while the cushioning pad 10 is 4 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 3/4 of an inch thick.

FIG. 6 discloses the use of the same cushioning pad 10 for cushioning and tying together a plurality of hangers carrying clothing within a garment bag. One or both of the pair of elastic bands 14 are first tied around all of the hanger hooks to thereby tie them together, with the cushioning pad 10 thereafter being placed at an appropriate position relative to the plurality of hooks by which a person's hand may grip the hooks and carry the garment bag in a safer, less tiring and more comfortable manner, as hitherto possible.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous changes and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the scope, spirit and intent of the invention, as set out in the appended claims.