Samsonite IP Holdings S.a.r.l.

Kenzo Yoneno

Dirk Santy

George A Teixeira

Joris Smeuninx

William L King

Reinhard Meersschaert

Nobuo Maeda

Don Wilson

Luc Huyghe

Bart Proot

A piece of luggage () may include front, rear, top, bottom, right, and left sides or faces () that define an enclosed space. The enclosed space may be divided into one or more compartments. The luggage piece may further include at least one zipper () to access the enclosed space. The at least one zipper may include a zipper track (), at least one zipper slider (), and at least one zipper tab (). The luggage piece may further include a frame () that generally defines the shape of the luggage piece. The frame may include upper and lower bodies () that are joined together by elongated structural members (), such as pultrusions or closed wire loops. The upper bodies may substantially define the top side of the luggage piece, and the lower bodies may substantially define the bottom side of the luggage piece. The upper and lower bodies may be molded, hard bodies.

Luggage frame

Luggage cases of the soft-side construction are perceived to be lighter than hard-side cases. However, many rigidifying elements in soft-side cases tend to add to the weight of a soft-side luggage case. This reduces its weight advantage over molded shell luggage cases. Using a textile body in the luggage case to form both the grip of a carry handle and a portion of the outer surface of the luggage helps reduce the weight of the luggage. The textile body may be attached to a thin resilient wire hoop to resist distortion of the luggage case when is it lifted by the handle. This construction saves weight in comparison to conventional luggage case constructions.

Luggage panel with integrated carry handle for soft-side type luggage cases

Luggage

A remote cinching devicecomprising a resiliency mechanismand, a force-transferring device, and a cinching deviceenhances luggage, totes, briefs, and other transport and/or storage devices. The resiliency mechanism biases the luggage in an open condition, while the cinching device, located remotely from the areas undergoing the highest levels of expansion force (the top and bottom ends of an upright luggage case, for example), allows effective, easy, and visually pleasing compression of the case once it has been closed. The cinch is carried by force-transferring structures, by which the act of cinching is made even more efficient.

System for cinching a resilient luggage case

Spring loaded shock absorbing wheel

Growing community of inventors

Hong Kong, China

Kenzo Yoneno