Expandable luggage with locking expansion mechanism

Abstract

An item of expandable luggage having a main body and an expandable member. A locking expansion means connects the main body to the expandable member, and includes at least one fixed plate and corresponding slidable plate slidably coupled together. Each fixed plate is fixedly mounted to the main body and includes a plurality of locking apertures. Each slidable plate is fixedly mounted to the expandable member and includes an expansion control mechanism for controlling displacement of the slidable plate with respect to its corresponding fixed plate. Each expansion control mechanism includes an actuator for engaging a first end of a rotatable crank. A locking element includes opposing first and second ends. The second end of the locking element engages the second end of the crank. The first end of the locking element slidably engages with one of the apertures of the first fixed plate in response to the actuator engaging the corresponding crank.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 456,171, filed Jun. 5, 2003, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 092,764, filed Mar. 6, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,272, issued Jun. 10, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this application.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to expandable luggage, and particularly to expandable luggage having a zipperless expansion gusset with an easily accessible adjustable locking expansion mechanism. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The needs of travelers for luggage space can vary considerably depending on the duration of a trip, types of clothing and other gear required, and the climate of the destination, to name a few. One way travelers accommodate these needs is by using expandable luggage that have heretofore been provided. Expandable luggage also offers the travel...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide an expandable item of luggage, suitcase, bag or the like having an intermediately located zipperless expandable portion or gusset with a multi-positional

Problems solved by technology

However, these designs have some disadvantages.

The zippers can become stuck and/or damaged due to wear and tear from the environment a typical piece of luggage encounters, or simply due to use over an extended period of time.

Another disadvantage pertains to the location of the various locking mechanisms for maintaining the luggage in an expanded state.

For example, in '411, the locking mechanism is located near the lower portion of the bridge plate at the bottom of the luggage, making the locking mechanism difficult to rea

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