American Tourister, Inc.

Wayne I Schmitt

David Bieber

Lester E Carpenter

Laurence Snell

John Pulichino

Harvey J Bomes

John J Migliore

Antone F Macedo, Jr

Jeremy S Waltzer

George L Andrade

Leonard R Bradley

Bradford J Natho

John M Wheaton

Donald W Stucke

Lonnie M Smith

A frame for luggage includes a plywood floor, a channel-shaped main frame attached to the ends of the floor and projecting therefrom, a pair of A-frame brackets capturing the ends of the floor at their bases and being attached at their apexes to the main frame, a pair of major wheels rotatably mounted on transverse axles fixed to the floor centered longitudinally between the ends of the floor, and a caster wheel mounted to said floor at the each end thereof. The luggage frame is strong, yet lightweight and is supported primarily on the major wheels which being on fixed axles maintain the luggage frame tracking in the direction in which it is pulled while the castered wheels provide low friction ground support for the ends of the floor.

Luggage frame with pull handle

A laundry valet which is foldable for storage and transport in a suitcase includes a triangular-shaped panel secured to one end along two legs of the triangle defining a pocket for receiving available coat hangers which may be slipped in with the hook portion of the coat hanger protruding out of the top at the vertex of the triangle thereby permitting the valet to be suspended in a closet or on a rack.

Laundry valet

Luggage has a generally rectangular container. A vertical sheath is fixed to the inside of the container along an end wall. A rigid handle is slidably mounted in the sheath and when extended is pivotable to a forwardly-inclined attitude for pulling the luggage. A spring attached to the lower end of the handle returns the handle to a vertical position when it is released. Major wheels are mounted on the luggage by fixed transverse axles adjacent the bottom wall and centered between the forward and rearward end walls. A castered wheel is mounted on the bottom wall adjacent each end wall.

Luggage with pull handle

A carrying case has a box and a lid. The box and lid are both compression-molded from a laminate of fabric-foam-fabric. The lid is hinged to the box along one edge. A slide fastener interconnects the remaining free edges of the box and lid to close the lid to the box.

Compression-molded carrying case

Luggage

A soft-sided piece of luggage comprises a container portion and a hinged cover including a lateral skirt. The skirt has a peripheral edge adapted for alignment with a peripheral edge of the container portion to accommodate the closure of cooperating zipper parts on the cover and container portion. Interior reinforcing means stiffens the luggage, and comprises a floor plate positioned along the inside of a rear wall of the container portion. The plate includes curved ends extending along rear corners of the container portion. The reinforcing plate projects beyond the peripheral edge of said container portion to shape respective rear and corner portions of the skirt when said cover is closed. A reinforcing U-bar extends along the inside of the container portion and is connected to the floor plate. A pair of curved stiffening plates are disposed at the inside of front corners of the container portion and are reinforced by the reinforcing bar. A pair of curved stiffening stays are removably mounted in pockets along the inside of front corners of the cover to reinforce the latter. Ground support wheels are mounted in recessed fashion to the floor plate and project outwardly from the rear wall of the container portion. A foldable pull strap is mounted on a front end wall of the luggage.

Reinforced soft-sided luggage having ground support wheels

Growing community of inventors

Coventry, RI, United States of America

Wayne I Schmitt