Claims:
I claim
1. A frame for a portable case containing a main storage compartment adjacent to the hinged side of the case and a pair of smaller compartments on the opposite side of the case with a gap between the latter for mounting a handle for the case within said gap, said frame comprising
2. A frame as set forth in claim 1, including a substantially rigid plate of sheet material joined to the periphery of said bands at one edge thereof to form the transverse wall of said storage compartment with the opposite edge of said bands being free.
3. A frame as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fourth auxiliary wall extends at an obtuse angle relative to said third auxiliary wall to form a small compartment of trapezoidal shape.
4. A frame as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fourth auxiliary wall extends perpendicularly from said third auxiliary wall to form a small compartment of rectangular shape.
5. A frame as set forth in claim 1, wherein the peripheral portions of the free edges of said bands are offset for forming a weather-proof seal thereat.
6. A frame for a portable case as set forth in claim 1, to form the main portion of the case and a congruously-shaped frame formed from continuous bands of material of lesser width to constitute a cover for said main frame hinged together at said first-mentioned side of the case.
7. A frame as set forth in claim 1, including a layer of lining material on the inner surface of said frame and a layer of wear-resistant flexible sheet material on the outer surface of said frame.
8. A frame as set forth in claim 1, wherein both of said smaller compartments are formed from said second continuous band of sheet material by the continuation of said band at said gap into allochirally bent relation identical to said first small compartment and adjacent to the other main lateral wall.
9. A frame as set forth in claim 8, wherein said continuous bands of sheet material are formed of sheet metal and the juxtaposed walls of the main and smaller compartments defined thereby are integrated with welded joints therebetween.
10. A frame as set forth in claim 1, wherein the outer perimeters of said bands of sheet material which define the outer boundaries of said main storage compartment and two smaller compartments define a substantially rectangular outline.
11. A portable case comprising
12. A portable case as set forth in claim 11, wherein the lateral edges of said main storage and cover sections extend substantially perpendicularly relative to said juxtaposed edge thereof, to outline the outer lateral walls of said main storage section and smaller compartments adjacent thereto in said last-mentioned section, the corresponding lateral edges in the cover section also extending substantially perpendicularly relative to said juxtaposed edge thereof, and co-planar outer edges on said main storage and cover sections extending inwardly from said lateral edges thereon as far as said gap and merging with the reentrant walls of the latter.
13. A portable case as set forth in claim 12, wherein said last-mentioned co-planar outer edges and reentrant walls are disposed substantially perpendicularly to each other.
14. A portable case as set forth in claim 12, wherein said last-mentioned co-planar outer edges and reentrant walls extend at an obtuse angle relative to each other at said gap.
15. A portable case comprising
16. A portable case as set forth in claim 15, wherein the lateral edges of said main storage and cover sections extend substantially perpendicularly relative to said juxtaposed edges, to outline the outer lateral walls of said large and small chambers, with the outer edges of said small chambers opposite the hinged side extending inwardly substantially in a common plane to define the outermost walls of said small chambers adjacent to said gap.
Description:
This invention relates to a compartmented portable case, and more particularly to one providing both large and small compartments for the segregation of differently sized items.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a portable case of rugged and economical construction and which may assume different forms and sizes so that it may be adapted to the fabrication of attache cases and luggage units serving many different functional purposes.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable case which is provided with a main storage compartment and a pair of symmetrically disposed smaller compartments adjacent thereto with a gap between the latter for the reception of a handle for the case within said gap. The handle may be grasped comfortably at a point of balance of the case and is disposed at such a level that it does not protrude beyond the boundaries of the case, so that the latter may be stacked or transported without possibility of injury to the handle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable case in which the compartments are framed from sheet material, the components of which may be integrated easily to reenforce and brace the entire assembly, which results in a portable case of light weight and good strength.
Other objects and purposes will appear from the detailed description of the invention following hereinafter, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the portable case in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 3b is an enlarged view of the portion indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3 and designated 3b;
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are enlarged views of the portions circled in FIG. 4 and designated, respectively, 4a, 4b and 4c;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the case with a variant outline of the gap from that shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 with a handle of different shape mounted within the central gap;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view corresponding to the upper portion of FIG. 2 with a different embodiment of handle mounted within the gap; and
FIG. 10 is a plan view of FIG. 9.
In the drawings are shown different embodiments of portable cases and mounting handles therefor, all of which have the common characteristic that compartments of different sizes are provided in each of the cases. The carrying handle is mounted in a gap disposed between a pair of small symmetrical compartments disposed on each side of the gap so that the handle never protrudes beyond the outer boundaries of the portable case and is thereby protected against damage and injury while permitting the case to be stacked, stored or transported without interference from any handle protruding therefrom. The small compartments constituting part of the interior of the portable case, complement the main storage compartment so that large items may be packed in the large compartment, leaving the small compartments for the storage and segregation of smaller items, so that they may be easily located for use.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the main storage compartment S in its simplest form, is formed of a band of sheet material which may be of metal, plastic sheeting, plywood or the like, which is shaped into a rectangular form by the hinged wall 1, from which extends the lateral walls 2 and 3 to define the length of the case. Wall 4 is bent inwardly from lateral wall 2, and wall 5 is bent inwardly from lateral wall 3, to complete the rectangular outline and to fix the width of the storage compartment, with a break-joint at the point 6.
The smaller compartments may be fabricated from a second auxiliary band of sheet material which is comprised of auxiliary wall portion 11 in juxtaposition with wall 4, with the second auxiliary wall portion 12 extending transversely thereto in a plane constituting an extension of the lateral wall 2, wherefrom it is bent transversely into a third auxiliary wall portion 13 up to the gap G wherefrom is bent in a re-entrant direction, at an obtuse angle α into a fourth auxiliary wall portion 14, and thereafter to portion 15 in juxtaposition with the innermost portions of walls 4 and 5 wherefrom it extends into walls 16, 17, 18 and 19 in allochiral relation to wall portions 14, 13, 12 and 11, respectively.
The wall portions of the main storage compartments 4 and 5 may be integrated to the wall portions 11 and 19 and medial portion 15 of the auxiliary band, in any desired manner by gluing, bolting, or if the bands forming the chambers are constituted by metal, by resistance welding. Thus, if the case is fabricated from steel or aluminum sheeting, a pair of spaced welds at each of said portions are very effective.
The resultant assembly provides the symmetrical compartments C and C' on each side of the gap G in balanced relation to the central median of the storage compartment. The handle H may be disposed in this gap so that the same does not protrude beyond the walls 13 and 17 of the smaller compartments which are opposite the wall 1 whereat pintle hinges P are provided for the purpose of affixing a cover or lid L to the main storage compartment.
The area bounded by the outer peripheral portions of the main and storage compartment may be closed by a rigid plate 20 of the same or different material and are fastened to the peripheral bands of the storage compartment by corner angle or trihedral fasteners or stays F. Alternatively, the production of the frame of the portable case in the manner described above, lends itself to the application of soft walls of plastic, leather or the like sheeting to the outer face of the portable case or luggage item, as is well known in the art.
The cover or lid L may be of identical congruous construction as the main storage compartment S, and may be constituted by wall 1' which is hinged to the wall 1 by hinges P, and from which extends the lateral walls 2' and 3' as well as the inwardly extending portions 4' and 5'.
The auxiliary band for forming the auxiliary compartments may also be assembled and joined to the band defining the main storage compartment in the same manner as described in connection with the latter, to define outer walls 13' and 17' disposed in the same plane as outer walls 13 and 17 with the gap 15' therebetween.
Transverse wall 30 of the lid L may be connected to the outer edges of the auxiliary band of sheet material and the opposite free edges of the band are offset, as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to provide a weather-proof seal at the meeting edges of the main and cover sections.
As is well known in the art, the interior of the frame in both the main storage section and the lid L may be lined with any suitable material, and the outer surface thereof may be covered with any ornamental sheet material of plastic, fabric or the like.
Variations may be made in the construction of the portable case by varying the contours of the band forming the auxiliary compartments. Thus, in FIGS. 5 to 8, the outer walls 13 and 17 are bent at right angles to the adjoining walls 34 and 36, respectively, which merge with the wall 35 in juxtaposition with the external surface of the band defining the main storage compartment. The handle 40 extends between the vertical walls 34 and 36, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and in FIGS. 7 and 8, a yoke-shaped handle 42 may be mounted for pivotal movement on brackets 43 affixed to the horizontal base wall 35 within the gap.
In FIGS. 9 and 10, the compartments are of trapezoidal contour, similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, but in this case, a curved handle 49 extends between brackets 44 mounted on walls 14 and 15 to provide a convenient hand-hold for the portable case. However, in all instances, the handle, whatever form it assumes, is disposed in the gap G without protruding beyond the outer boundaries of the portable case, and the symmetrical compartments on each side of the gap result in a well-balanced assembly.
The advantages of the invention may be realized by varying the outlines of the portable case from the rectangular contours shown in the drawings. For example, the lateral walls 2 and 3 may be curved convexly, or the reverse, to obtain special esthetic outlines. The same is true of the outer walls 13 and 17 which need not be parallel to the walls 1 and 1' of the side of the case which are hinged together.
While the drawings show a case in which the lid L is fabricated in the same manner as the main body of the case, to provide compartments therein, the advantages of the invention may be realized if the compartments are provided only in the main body of the case and the lid is without such, being merely coextensive with the peripheral boundaries of the main portion of the case.
While it is advantageous for the auxiliary band for forming the compartments C and C' to be of a unitary strip of material, departures from this construction may be made without sacrificing the benefits of the invention. Thus, the auxiliary band may be fabricated in two parts, one for forming the walls 11, 12 and 13, 14 and part of wall 15, and the other for forming the remaining part of wall 15 and walls 16, 17, 18 and 19. Preferably, the interruption in the wall portion 15 is staggered with respect to the break-joint 6 between wall portions 4 and 5 of the main storage compartment.
Other structural changes may be made within the purview of the invention as defined in the following claims.