Tray assembly in combination with a wheeled luggage bag having a pair handle struts

• US 9,474,346 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David F. Simon
• Original Assignee: David F. Simon
• Inventors: Simon, David F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V
• Application Number:
  US14/807,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20160022032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 108/42, 108/47, 108/48, 108/152, 108/108, 190/17, 190/13, 190/13.H, 190/15.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/28 Combinations of handles with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2200/0525 Personal portable computing devices, e.g. laptop, tablet, netbook, game boy, navigation system, calculator

Abstract

A tray assembly able to be quickly installed and removed from the handle struts of a wheeled luggage bag by a mounting engaging the struts and a tray included in the tray assembly flipped down from the mounting to provide a horizontal support for various articles such as small electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, at a selected level above the top of the luggage bag. The tray is flipped back up to minimize the size of the tray assembly for convenient storage in the luggage back itself.

Claims

1. A tray assembly in combination with a luggage bag having a pair of spaced apart handle struts, of which pair of struts may be moved from a retracted position within said luggage bag to an extended position above a top of said wheeled luggage bag, said tray assembly located between said handle struts and including:

a tray defining a flat surface for placing items thereon;

a mounting arrangement connected to said tray and including a pair of engagement elements spaced apart a greater distance than a space between said handle struts and extending away from each other, said mounting arrangement further including an upright intermediate central structure attached to one side of said tray, said tray extending generally normally from said intermediate structure, said engagement elements having outer ends manually movable by a user towards each other to reduce the spacing between said outer ends thereof so as to be able to be fit between said handle struts;

a resilient resistance force generating arrangement creating a restoration force urging said outer ends of said engagement elements to move outwardly away from each other so as to cause said outer ends to frictionally engage an inner surface of a respective one of said handle struts when said outer ends are released after being manually moved together, to thereby frictionally engage an inner surface of a respective one of said struts;

said tray thereby supported on said luggage bag handle struts at a selected level thereon above the top of said luggage bag.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said engagement elements each comprise an elongated swing arm, each swing arm including an inner end and an outer end, each of said inner ends pivotally attached to said central structure, each of said outer ends normally located spaced away from a respective side of said central structure and extending outwardly therefrom, said swing arms each pivotable about an associated inner end thereof, said force generated by said resilient resistance force generating arrangement resisting manual movement of said swing arm outer ends together and comprising a restoring force generated when said swing arms are pivoted towards each other, whereby after said swing arms are pivoted inwardly to be located between said handle struts and thereafter released, said restoring force causes said swing arm outer ends to swing out to bring said outer ends into frictional engagement with said inside surface of a respective handle strut, said frictional engagement creating a frictional retention of said tray assembly in a position along said struts sufficient to hold said tray in a vertical position on said struts.

3. The tray assembly according to claim 2 wherein said inner end of each of said swing arms being pivotally connected to said central structure to enable said inward and outward swinging motion of said swing arms thereon and further including a pair of springs included in said resilient resisting force generating arrangement, each spring acting on a respective swing arm to to resist said pivoting movement of said swing arms together and thereby generating said restoring force generated by said resisting force generating arrangement when said swing arms are pivoted towards each other.

4. The tray assembly according to claim 1 wherein said central structure is pivoted at a lower end to one side of said tray to be able to be manually pivoted to a position extending up from said tray to a position folded down over said tray for convenient storage of said tray assembly.

5. The tray assembly according to claim 1 further including a hanger piece connected to an upper end of said central structure and hooked to an upper bag handle cross piece extending between upper ends of said handle struts and connected thereto to prevent said tray assembly from sliding down said handle struts.