HARD-SHELL LUGGAGE SYSTEM HAVING A TELESCOPICALLY-EXTENDIBLE HANDLE AND RECHARGEABLE BATTERY SUPPLY ASSEMBLY, AND A COMPRESSION-PAD SUBSYSTEM AND A LAUNDRY BAG SUBSYSTEM

• US 20170127783A1
• Filed: 10/25/2016
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JRSK, Inc.
• Original Assignee: JRSK, Inc.
• Inventors: Recor, Bret, Murray, Seth, Korey, Stephanie, Rubio, Jennifer, Weber, Charles, Park, Ahyoung
• Granted Patent: US 10,729,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/02 Interior fittings; Means, e.g. inserts, for holding and packing articles
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/03 Means for holding garments
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/103 Arrangement of zip-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/18 Devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/262 for wheeled luggage
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 15/00 Purses, bags, luggage or other receptacles covered by groups A45C1/00 - A45C11/00, combined with other objects or articles A45C1/08, A45C3/14, A45C11/321, A45C13/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2005/037 with a hard shell, i.e. rigid shell as volume creating element
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2013/025 for holding portable computers or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2013/267 the handle being slidable, extractable and lockable in one or more positions
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 5/03 Suitcases
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 5/06 with outside compartments
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 5/14 with built-in rolling means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

Improvements in luggage systems that better address the ways in which many people like to travel, in a style they feel most comfortable, while enjoying an unprecedented level of convenience which they will naturally welcome, while overcoming the shortcomings and drawback of prior art luggage systems, methods and technologies. Such improvements include a telescopic-handle assembly that supports a rechargeable battery power module, a set of USB DC electrical power supply ports and a DC power recharging port configured with the rechargeable battery module, and also a compression pad subsystem and a laundry bag subsystem which cooperate to provide improved performance and reduced complexity.

Claims

1. :

A hard-shell luggage system, comprising;

a front hard-shell housing portion and a rear hard-shell housing portion, being hinged together to provide a hard-shell luggage housing assembly having at least four corners and sealed using two-part zipper subsystem;

a set of spinner wheels mounted in said at least four corners of said hard-shell luggage housing assembly;

a telescopically-extendable handle and rechargeable power supply assembly mounted in said rear housing portion, and having a handle structure connected to a pair of telescopically-extending rods substantially disposed in a common plane, and arrangeable in either a retracted configuration and a protracted configuration;

wherein said telescopically-extendable handle and rechargeable power supply assembly includes a base housing component supporting one or more USB-type DC electrical power supply ports and a USB-type DC power recharging port operably connected to a rechargeable battery storage module disposed substantially in the same plane as said pair of telescopically-extending rods;

a compression pad subsystem installed in said rear hard-shell housing portion and including a compression-pad structure fastened and strapped down to the interior volume of said rear hard-shell housing portion using a set of compression straps,

wherein said set of compression straps compress shirts, pants and other garments against the bottom surface of said rear hard-shell housing portion when said compression straps are configured and tightened to generate compression forces between said compression-pad structure and the bottom surface of said rear hard-shell housing portion; and

a laundry bag subsystem supported at the bottom surface of said rear hard-shell housing portion, and including

(i) a laundry bag component of expandable pouch-like geometry and having a capacity for storing soiled clothes, and

(ii) a laundry bag storage pouch for containing said laundry bag component when empty of soiled clothes and folded-up and stored in said laundry bag storage pouch;

wherein said laundry bag subsystem cooperates with said compression pad subsystem using said set of compression straps that are pulled taut to create a desired degree of compression so as to compress (i) said laundry bag rolled out onto the bottom surface of said rear hard-shell housing portion and containing, in a separated manner, soiled clothes stored therein, and also (ii) shirts, pants and/or other garments stacked or placed on top of the rolled-out laundry bag;

wherein when said handle structure is configured in said retracted configuration, said one or more USB-type DC electrical power supply ports and said USB-type DC power recharging port are not accessible for use in battery discharging and/or recharging operations; and

wherein when said handle structure is configured in said protracted configuration, said handle structure can be used to pull said luggage system around on said spinner wheels, and said one or more USB-type DC electrical power supply ports and said USB-type DC power recharging port are accessible for supplying DC electrical power to one or more electrical power consuming devices and also recharging said rechargeable battery storage module.

2. :

The hard-shell luggage system of claim 1, which further comprises;

a set of top and side handles for carrying said hard-shell luggage system in one of two possible configurations comprising an upright carrying configuration, and a side carrying configuration.

3. :

The hard-shell luggage system of claim 1, which further comprises;

a power port cover panel hinged to said base housing component and covering said set of USB-type DC power ports and said USB-type DC power recharging port formed in said base housing component.

4. :

The hard-shell luggage system of claim 1, wherein said telescopically-extendable handle and rechargeable power supply assembly comprises;

a battery recharging circuit operably connected to an AD/DC power adapter by way of a power cord; and

a power switching control circuit operably connected to said rechargeable battery power storage module, said battery recharging circuit and said AC/DC power adapter, and said one or more USB power output ports;

wherein said USB power output ports receive the USB plugs of electrically-powered devices and supplying electrical DC power to these devices in a regulated manner.

5. :

The hard-shell luggage system of claim 1, wherein said hard-shell rear housing portion comprises a pair of wheel wells molded in said rear hard-shell housing portion, and wherein said laundry bag subsystem is mounted inside said rear hard-shell housing portion between said pair of said wheel wells;

wherein when said laundry bag storage pouch is arranged in a first configuration, said laundry bag storage pouch is unzippered to reveal said releasable laundry bag and allow said releasable laundry bag to be pulled out from said laundry bag storage pouch and expanded and used for containing soiled laundry while traveling, and

wherein when said laundry bag storage pouch is arranged in a second configuration, said releasable laundry bag component is releasably removed from said laundry bag storage pouch to facilitate emptying said laundry bag component for laundry and/or dry-cleaning operations.

6. :

The hard-shell luggage system of claim 2, wherein said set of compression straps comprises two spaced-apart sets of male-female snap-together-type releasable buckle straps that pass through loops formed in said compression pad structure and are anchored to said rear hard-shell housing portion, while said laundry bag component is rolled out and filled with soiled clothes and compressed in volume using said compression-pad structure.

7. :

The hard-shell luggage system of claim 3, wherein said compression-pad structure further comprises a perimeter-extending projection extending about the underside of said compression-pad structure so as to maintain shirts, slacks and other stacked items from slipping around while tightening said compression straps.