Wheeled luggage and base-and-frame assembly therefor

Abstract

The base-and-frame assembly for the wheeled luggage includes: a platform having a carriage surface for detachably carrying a separable bag thereon; and an extendable rod connected to the support tube in a self-standing manner and having a grip connected at an upper end, and being stopped by a stopper at an extended position. The platform is provided with a latitudinal reinforcement rib integrally formed below a planar carriage plate with its top face serving as the carriage surface. In a horizontal plane including such surface, the latitudinal reinforcement rib extends in a lateral direction orthogonal to the grip, protruding on a bottom face of the carriage plate. A reinforcement protrusion is integrally formed with the latitudinal reinforcement rib, protruding downwardly at an area below the support tube.

1 . Wheeled luggage comprising:
 a separable bag;   a base-and-frame assembly for carrying the separable bag thereon, wherein the base-and-frame assembly includes:   a platform having, on a top face thereof, a carriage surface for detachably carrying the separable bag thereon;   swivel casters fixed to a bottom face opposite to the carriage surface of the platform and allowing the base-and-frame assembly to travel in free directions;   a hollow support tube connected to one side of the carriage surface of the platform in a self-standing manner and protruding substantially vertically in an upward direction;   an extendable rod connected to the support tube in a self-standing manner, the rod being freely extendable and having a grip provided on one end of the support tube; and   a stopper for stopping the extendable rod at an extended position,   wherein the base-and-frame assembly has two support tubes on one side of the carriage surface, two extendable rods respectively connected to the two support tubes, and the grip connected on top ends of the two extendable rods;   the platform has a planar carriage plate with a top face thereof serving as the carriage surface; and   the platform has the support tube connected in a manner of extending substantially upwardly from one side of the carriage plate, wherein   the platform is provided, in a horizontal plane including the carriage surface, with a latitudinal reinforcement rib extending laterally in a direction orthogonal to the grip and protruding on a bottom face of the carriage plate, the latitudinal reinforcement rib being integrally formed with the carriage plate, and   the latitudinal reinforcement rib has a reinforcement protrusion positioned below the support tube and protruding downwardly, the reinforcement protrusion being integrally formed with the latitudinal reinforcement rib.   
   
   
       2 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the extendable rod, in a posture with the grip being lifted, is curved in a direction of being made eccentric toward a center portion from the one side of the carriage surface. 
   
   
       3 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the extendable rod, in a posture with the grip being lifted, is slanted toward the center portion from the one side of the carriage surface. 
   
   
       4 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the support tube is connected to the carriage plate so as to extend substantially upwardly from opposite ends of the one side of the carriage plate. 
   
   
       5 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the carriage plate has two rows of latitudinal reinforcement ribs in a circumference and on an inside thereof, the latitudinal reinforcement ribs being disposed below a connecting area of the support tube and the carriage plate, each of the latitudinal reinforcement ribs forming a reinforcement protrusion, the reinforcement protrusions being aligned substantially in parallel. 
   
   
       6 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the platform has one or more rows of bottom reinforcement ribs integrally formed between the two rows of latitudinal reinforcement ribs in a manner of protruding downwardly on the bottom face of the carriage plate. 
   
   
       7 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 5 , wherein, the two rows of latitudinal reinforcement ribs comprises: an inner latitudinal reinforcement rib provided inside of the carriage plate; and an outer latitudinal reinforcement rib provide in the circumference of the carriage plate. 
   
   
       8 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the latitudinal reinforcement rib is provided with the reinforcement protrusion formed in a shape of enlarging a protruding extent downwardly of the latitudinal reinforcement rib in an area adjacent to a portion where the support tube uprights from the carriage surface. 
   
   
       9 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the reinforcement protrusion is provided below the portion of connecting the carriage surface and the support tube, and a protruding extent is the largest below the junction point in the circumference of the junction face of the support tube and the carriage surface and where the carriage surface and the uprighted portion of the support tube join together substantially at a right angle as flat-viewed from the side face. 
   
   
       10 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 5 , wherein a lower end of the reinforcement protrusion is located above an upper end of a wheel in a swiveling area of the swivel caster. 
   
   
       11 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a reinforcement wall connecting the support tube and the carriage surface is provided at the uprighted portion of the support tube protruding from the carriage surface, and the reinforcement wall is in a plane parallel to the grip and is disposed at a side edge of the carriage surface. 
   
   
       12 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the reinforcement wall is disposed between the two pieces of support tubes. 
   
   
       13 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the support tube has a reinforcement base protruding in a thickness direction of the reinforcement wall. 
   
   
       14 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the caster is located substantially in a perpendicular direction from the support tube. 
   
   
       15 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the support tube is provided at a corner of the carriage surface. 
   
   
       16 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein
 the separable bag has an insertion belt opening in an extendable direction of the extendable rod and allowing the extendable rod to be inserted through, and   the separable bag is so structured as to be detachably mounted to the base-and-frame assembly by inserting the extendable rod through the insertion belt.   
   
   
       17 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a height from a bottom face of the caster to the grip is 60-100 cm in a state that the extendable rod is extended and the stopper allows the extendable rod to stop. 
   
   
       18 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the extendable rod comprises a guide tube fixed to the carriage surface in a vertically facing posture and an extraction rod inserted in the guide tube in an extendable and retractable manner, and the grip is fixed to a top end of the extraction rod. 
   
   
       19 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 18 , wherein two pieces of the guide tube are connected, at a top end thereof, to a connection rod. 
   
   
       20 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the connection rod has a connection piece protruding upwardly at a face opposite to the separable bag, the separable bag is provided with an insertion portion allowing the connection piece to be inserted for connection to the connection rod, the connection piece is inserted into the insertion portion, and the separable bag is connected to the connection rod. 
   
   
       21 . The wheeled luggage as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the extendable rod has the connection piece protruding upwardly at a face opposite to the separable bag, the separable bag is provided with an insertion portion allowing the connection piece to be inserted for connection to the extendable rod, the connection piece is inserted into the insertion portion, and the separable bag is connected to the extendable rod. 
   
   
       22 . A base-and-frame assembly which can carry a separable bag, the assembly comprising:
 a platform having, on a top face thereof, a carriage surface allowing the separable bag to be detachably carried on;   a swivel caster fixed to a bottom face opposite to the carriage surface of the platform and allowing the base-and-frame assembly to travel in free directions;   a hollow support tube connected to one side of the carriage surface of the platform in a self-standing manner and protruding substantially perpendicularly in an upward direction;   an extendable rod connected to the support tube in a self-standing manner, being freely extendable, and being provided with a grip at one end; and   a stopper allowing the extendable rod at an extended position, wherein   the base-and-frame assembly is provided with two pieces of support tubes at one side of the carriage surface, two pieces of extendable rods are connected to the two pieces of support tubes, and the grip is connected to top ends of the two pieces of extendable rod;   the platform has a planar carriage plate with a top face thereof serving as the carriage surface;   the support tube is connected so as to extend substantially upwardly from one side of the carriage plate;   the platform is provided, in a horizontal plane including the carriage surface, with a latitudinal reinforcement rib integrally formed with the carriage plate, the latitudinal reinforcement rib extending in a lateral direction orthogonal to the grip and protruding on a bottom face of the carriage plate; and   the latitudinal reinforcement rib is provided with a reinforcement protrusion protruding downwardly at an area situated below the support tube, the reinforcement protrusion being integrally formed with the latitudinal reinforcement rib.   
   
   
       23 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the extendable rod is curved, in a posture of lifting the grip, in a direction eccentric toward a center portion from the one side of the carriage surface. 
   
   
       24 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the extendable rod is slanted, in a posture of lifting the grip, toward a center portion from the one side of the carriage surface. 
   
   
       25 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the support tube is connected so as to extend substantially upwardly from opposite ends of the one side of the carriage plate, the carriage plate has two rows of latitudinal reinforcement ribs in a circumference and on an inside thereof, the latitudinal reinforcement ribs being disposed below a connecting area of the support tube and the carriage plate, each of the latitudinal reinforcement ribs forming a reinforcement protrusion, the reinforcement protrusions being aligned substantially in parallel 
   
   
       26 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the platform has one or more rows of bottom reinforcement ribs between the two rows of latitudinal reinforcement ribs, the one or more rows of bottom reinforcement ribs integrally formed so as to protrude downwardly of the bottom face of the carriage plate. 
   
   
       27 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the two rows of latitudinal reinforcement ribs comprises: an inner latitudinal reinforcement rib provided inside of the carriage plate; and an outer latitudinal reinforcement rib provide in the circumference of the carriage plate. 
   
   
       28 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the latitudinal reinforcement rib is provided with the reinforcement protrusion formed in a shape of enlarging a protruding extent downwardly of the latitudinal reinforcement rib in an area adjacent to the portion where the support tube uprights from the carriage surface. 
   
   
       29 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the reinforcement protrusion is provided below the portion of connecting the carriage surface and the support tube, and a protruding extent is the largest below the junction point in the circumference of the junction face of the support tube and the carriage surface and where the carriage surface and the uprighted portion of the support tube join together substantially at a right angle as flat-viewed from the side face. 
   
   
       30 . The base-and-frame assembly as recited in  claim 25  through, wherein a lower end of the reinforcement protrusion is located above an upper end of a wheel in a swiveling area of the swivel caster.