US20060006037A1

US20060006037A1 - Retractable handle device for bag

Info

Publication number: US20060006037A1
Application number: US10/885,601
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank Hsieh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-07-08
Filing date: 2004-07-08
Publication date: 2006-01-12

Abstract

A retractable handle device for a bag includes a mounting unit provided at a side of the bag, two retractable handlebars, and a flexible grip. The retractable handlebars each have an outer tube and an inner tube slidably inserted into the outer tube. The inner tubes each have a top end. The flexible grip has two ends connected respectively to the top ends of the inner tubes. The retractable handlebars are slantly mounted on the mounting unit and extended upwardly in direction toward each other such that longitudinal extending lines from the retractable handlebars meet above the mounting unit and define a contained angle. Therefore, when the inner tubes are pulled out of the outer tubes, the flexible grip is relatively deformed to fit the change of a distance between the top ends of the inner tubes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bag such as a carrier bag, a school bag, a back bag, a wheeled bag, etc. and more specifically to a retractable handle device for the bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a retractable handle device used in a bag according to the prior art. This design of the retractable handle device is comprised of a mounting unit 10, two retractable handlebars 20, and a grip 30. The mounting unit 10 is comprised of a top bracket 11 and a bottom bracket 12. The retractable handlebars 20 each are comprised of an outer tube 21 and an inner tube 22. The top bracket 11 and the bottom bracket 12 are fixedly fastened to the back panel of the bag to hold the outer tubes 21 of the retractable handlebars 20 in parallel. The inner tubes 22 are respectively inserted into the outer tubes 21. The grip 30 is connected between the top ends of the inner tubes 22 outside the outer tubes 21 for pulling by hand to move the inner tubes 22 in and out of the outer tubes 21. The two retractable handlebars 20 are kept from each other at a distance so that the retractable handlebars 20 do not give a stress to the user's spine when the user carrying the bag on the back. However, a child may insert the head into the gap P between the retractable handlebars 20 accidentally, thereby causing a jamming accident. In order to eliminate this problem, the distance between the retractable handlebars 20 may be shortened. However, if a child carrying the bag on the back in which the retractable handlebars 20 are arranged close to each other, the retractable handlebars 20 will give a stress to the child's spine, thereby causing a pain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a retractable handle device, which is safe in use, preventing occurrence of an accident when a child playing with the retractable handle device for fun.
To achieve this objective of the present invention, the retractable handle device for a bag comprises a mounting unit provided at a side of the bag, two retractable handlebars, and a flexible grip. The retractable handlebars each have an outer tube and an inner tube slidably inserted into the outer tube. The inner tubes each have a top end. The flexible grip has two ends connected respectively to the top ends of the inner tubes. The retractable handlebars are slantly mounted on the mounting unit and extended upwardly in direction toward each other such that longitudinal extending lines from the retractable handlebars meet above the mounting unit and define a contained angle. Therefore, when the inner tubes are pushed into or pulled out of the outer tubes, the flexible grip is relatively deformed to fit the change of the transverse distance between the top ends of the inner tubes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a retractable handle device installed in a bag according to the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the retractable handle device according to the prior art.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing a preferred embodiment of the retractable handle device installed in a bag according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the retractable handle device according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an assembly view of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view in an enlarged scale taking along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing showing the inner tubes moved between the first position and the second position according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 3-8, a retractable handle device is shown comprised of a mounting unit 40, two retractable handlebars 50, and a flexible grip 60.
The mounting unit 40 is mounted at one side of the bag, comprised of a top bracket 41 and a bottom bracket 42. The top bracket 41 comprises two through holes slantly extended through the top and bottom sides thereof and defining therebetween a contained angle. Each through hole of the top bracket 41 is a stepped hole having a first insertion portion 411 with a relatively greater diameter at a bottom thereof, a second insertion portion 413 with a relatively smaller diameter at a top thereof and a stop portion 412 at the connection between the first insertion portion 411 and the second insertion portion 413. The bottom bracket 42 comprises two insertion holes 421 slantly upwardly extended from the inside thereof to the top thereof near the two distal ends and defining a contained angle equal to the contained angle defined by the through holes of the top bracket 41. However, the transverse distance between the insertion holes 421 of the bottom bracket 42 is greater than the transverse distance between the through holes of the top bracket 41.
The retractable handlebars 50 are each comprised of an outer tube 51 and an inner tube 52. The outer tubes 51 of the retractable handlebars 50 each have two ends respectively inserted into the first insertion portion 411 of the through hole of the top bracket 41 and the insertion hole 421 of the bottom bracket 42 such that the top bracket 41 and the bottom bracket 42 are connected to each other. The inner tubes 52 of the retractable handlebars 50 are respectively slidably inserted into the outer tubes 51 and each have an end, i.e. the top end, extending through the second insertion portion 413 of the through hole of the top bracket 41, and the other end, i.e. the bottom end, provided with a protruded stop portion 521 for stopping against the stop portions 412 of the through hole of the top bracket 41 to control sliding movement of the inner tubes 52 relative to the outer tubes 51 between a first position P1 where the stop portions 521 of the inner tubes 52 are respectively stopped at the bottom ends of the outer tubes 51, and a second position P2 where the stop portions 521 of the inner tubes 52 are respectively stopped at the stop portions 412 of the through hole of the top bracket 41.
The flexible grip 60 is made by an accordion tube, having two distal ends respectively fastened to the top ends of the inner tubes 52. The outer tubes 51, the top bracket 41 and the bottom bracket 42 form a rigid frame structure to support the flexible bag body of the bag.
As indicated above, longitudinal extending lines from the retractable handlebars 50 meet above the top bracket 41, thereby defining a contained angle. When moving the inner tubes 52 from the first position P1 to the second position P2, as shown in FIG. 8, the transverse distance between the top ends of the inner tubes 52 is gradually reducing, and the flexible grip 60 is gradually deformed to fit the variation of the transverse distance between the top ends of the inner tubes 52. Further, the two inner tubes 52, the grip 60 and the top bracket 41 surround a substantially triangular open space 70. The maximum width of the triangular open space 70 is approximately equal to the length of the top bracket 41. Therefore, the length of the top bracket 41 can be set not to allow the head of a child to pass through the triangular open space 70, preventing a jamming accident on the head of a child who plays the retractable handle device for fun.
As indicated above, the invention has the two retractable handlebars extended in an oblique manner, not in parallel, to define a contained angle. This design prevents a jamming accident on the head of a child. Further, when the user carries the bag on the back, the slantly extended handlebars do not give a stress on the user's spine because a sufficient distance is still maintained between the two handlebars at between the top and bottom brackets. Further, the flexible grip 60 is relatively shorter than the conventional designs, pulling the flexible grip 60 to carry the bag on the floor does not cause a twisting injury to the hand.
Instead of an accordion tube, the flexible grip 60 can be made of rubber tube or any of a variety of flexible material. Further, the invention uses the stop portions 412 and 521 to control positioning of the retractable handles 50 between the first position P1 and the second position P2 and to prevent the disengagement of the inner tube 52 from the outer tube 51. Alternatively, lock screws may be used to lock the inner tubes 52 to the outer tubes 51 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, or steel balls may be mounted in the inner tubes 52 and supported on spring means inside the inner tubes 52 for engaging recessed portions in the mounting unit 40 or the outer tubes 51 to selectively lock the inner tubes 52 to the outer tubes 51 between the first position P1 and the second position P2.

Claims

1. A retractable handle device for a bag, said retractable device comprising:

a mounting unit;

two retractable handlebars mounted on said mounting unit and each having an outer tube and an inner tube slidably inserted into said outer tube, said inner tubes each having a top end; and

a flexible grip having two ends connected respectively to said top ends of said inner tubes;

wherein said retractable handlebars are slantly upwardly extended in direction toward each other such that longitudinal extending lines from said retractable handlebars meet above said mounting unit and define a contained angle.

2. The retractable handle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outer tubes each have a stop portion; said inner tubes each have a stop portion for stopping against the stop portion of said outer tube so as to prevent said inner tubes from escaping out of said outer tubes.

3. The retractable handle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting unit comprises a top bracket having two through holes each holding an end of said outer tube, and a bottom bracket having two insertion holes each holding the other end of said outer tube; wherein a transverse distance between said insertion holes of said bottom bracket is greater than that between said through holes of said top bracket.

4. The retractable handle device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said through holes of said top bracket each have a stop portion; said inner tubes each have a stop portion for stopping against the stop portion of said through hole so as to prevent said inner tubes from escaping out of said outer tubes.

5. The retractable handle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grip is formed of an accordion tube.

6. The retractable handle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said grip is formed of a rubber tube.