Suitcase

Abstract

To provide a suitcase that does not generate noise when opening the lid and can greatly reduce the risk of pinching fingers and getting injured when closing the lid. 【Solution means】The suitcase includes a box-shaped main body 1 for storing articles through an opening 11, a lid 3 covering the opening 11 via a hinge 2 attached between the main body 1, and at least one selected from a gas damper, an oil damper, a friction damper, a rotary damper, and an electromagnetic damper, and includes a damper 4 connecting an edge 12 of the opening 11 and the lid 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a suitcase used for storing and carrying various articles.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped suitcase having a box-shaped main body for storing articles and a lid portion that covers the opening of the main body via a hinge has been widely known.

[0003] And, there is also widely known a suitcase called a carry case, which is attached with wheels, a handle, etc. to the suitcase so that more articles can be easily carried. In recent years, the distinction between a suitcase and a carry case has become ambiguous, and those equipped with wheels and a handle are also called suitcases.

[0004] For example, in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped suitcase having a box-shaped main body for storing articles and a lid portion that covers the opening of the main body via a hinge, and a structure in which the main body and the lid portion can be opened and closed by attaching and detaching a fastener is also disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the suitcase disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the box-shaped main body and the lid that covers the opening of the main body are connected only via hinges, when opening the lid, the lid that is opened forcefully hits the floor or the ground, generating noise. Also, when closing the lid, there is a risk that the user's finger may be pinched and injured due to the momentum.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a suitcase that does not generate noise when opening the lid and can greatly reduce the risk of pinching and injuring a finger when closing the lid.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] 〔1〕That is, the present invention includes a box-shaped main body (1) for storing articles through an opening (11), and a lid (3) that covers the opening (11) via a hinge (2) attached between the main body (1). It is characterized by comprising at least one selected from a gas damper, an oil damper, a friction damper, a rotary damper, and an electromagnetic damper, and a damper (4) that connects an edge (12) of the opening (11) and the lid (3).

[0009] 〔2〕The damper (4) is a gas damper characterized by comprising a hollow cylindrical portion (41), a piston (42) that divides an internal space (S) of the cylindrical portion (41) and reciprocates in the space (S), and a rod-shaped portion (44) having one end fixed to the piston (42) and the other end exposed from the cylindrical portion (41).

[0010] 〔3〕In the damper (4), a communication hole (421) that communicates spaces (S1, S2) divided by the piston (42) is formed, elastic members (43) are included in the divided spaces (S1, S2), and a vent hole (411) that communicates the inside and the outside is formed in the cylindrical portion (41).

[0011] 〔4〕And in the damper (4), among the spaces (S1, S2) divided by the piston (42), oil (O) is enclosed in one space (S1), and compressed gas is enclosed in the other space (S2), and the suitcase according to 〔2〕 above is characterized by this.

[0012] 〔5〕And the damper (4) is disposed in a pair on the edge (12) so as to face each other through the opening (1), and the suitcase according to 〔1〕 or 〔2〕 above is characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0013] With the suitcase of the present invention, when opening the lid, no noise is generated, and when closing the lid, the risk of pinching a finger and getting injured can be greatly reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiments described below are preferred specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are imposed. However, the present invention is not limited to this form unless it is specifically stated in the following description that the invention is limited.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the suitcase of the present invention has a structure comprising a box-shaped main body 1 for storing items, a lid 3 connected to the main body 1 via a hinge 2, and a damper 4 connecting a part of the main body 1 to the lid 2.

[0017] The main body 1 is a box-shaped member that stores items through the opening 11. Since the main body 1 is box-shaped with a bottom and an opening 11, a user can store various items that he or she wants to carry, such as clothes, underwear, medicines, first aid kits, cosmetics, toiletries, folding umbrellas, charging cables, mobile batteries, transformers, eco bags, documents, and writing utensils, through the opening 11. In this embodiment, the inside of the main body 1 is simply hollow, but in other embodiments, a partition plate that divides the hollow may be provided. In addition, if necessary, a plate-shaped or membrane-shaped lid that covers the opening 11 in an openable and closable manner may be provided separately from the lid 3 so that the stored items do not fall out when the lid 3 is opened or are difficult to be seen by a third party.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the outer shape of the main body 1 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners, but in other embodiments, it can be various shapes such as a polygonal shape such as a square, pentagon, or hexagon when viewed in a plane, or a circle, ellipse, or oval when viewed in a plane.

[0019] The hinge 2 is attached to the main body 1 and the cover 3 to enable the main body 1 and the cover 3 to be opened and closed. In this embodiment, the hinge 2 is a flat hinge as shown in Fig. 2, but in other embodiments, it may be a flag hinge, a recessed hinge, or the like. Also, in this embodiment, two hinges 2 are used at a predetermined interval as shown in Fig. 2, but in other embodiments, one or three or more hinges may be used.

[0020] The lid portion 3 is a member that covers the opening 11 of the main body portion 1 via a hinge 2 attached between the main body portion 1 and the lid portion 3. In this embodiment, the lid portion 3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape similar to that of the main body portion 1, and has a box-shaped shape that is shallower in depth than the main body portion 1. However, in other embodiments, as long as it can cover the opening 11 and is approximately the same as the outer shape of the main body portion 1, it may be plate-shaped or the like. Further, when the lid portion 3 has a box-shaped shape as in this embodiment, in order to further store small items, one or more pockets may be provided inside the lid portion 3, or a plate-shaped or film-shaped lid body that covers the opening of the lid portion so that such small items do not fall off may be provided.

[0021] As the materials for the main body portion 1 and the lid portion 3, resins such as ABS resin, polycarbonate, polypropylene, or composite resins blended with a plurality of these, metals such as aluminum alloy, or woods such as oak, maple, walnut, paulownia, and cedar are preferably used. And from the viewpoints of weight reduction and durability, among the above-described materials, resin is more preferable.

[0022] The damper 4 is at least one selected from a gas damper, an oil damper, a friction damper, a rotary damper, and an electromagnetic damper, and is a member that connects the edge 12 of the opening 11 and the lid 3. By providing the damper 4, when the lid 3 is opened, no noise is generated, and when the lid 3 is closed, the risk of pinching a finger and getting injured can be greatly reduced. Specifically, when the lid 3 is opened, since the damper 4 connects the main body 1 and the lid 3, the main body 1 and the lid 3 do not separate by more than the length of the damper 4, so the lid 3 does not hit the floor or the ground to generate noise, or due to the function of controlling the speed of the damper 4, the lid 3 opens more gently or smoothly than a structure without the damper 4, so no noise is generated due to the main body 1 and the lid 3 coming into contact abruptly, and the lid 3 can be opened quietly. Also, when the lid 3 is closed, due to the function of controlling the speed of the damper 4, the lid 3 closes more gently or smoothly than a structure without the damper 4, so the risk of pinching a finger and getting injured between the main body 1 and the lid 3 can be greatly reduced. And as the damper 4, it is selected from a gas damper having a function of controlling the speed by the inflow and outflow, compression, and expansion of air inside, an oil damper having a function of controlling the speed by the resistance when the internal oil passes through a small hole, a friction damper having a function of controlling the speed by the frictional force generated inside, a rotary damper having a function of controlling the speed by generating a damping force using rotational motion, and an electromagnetic damper having a function of controlling the speed by generating a damping force using electromagnetic force.

[0023] Among these dampers 4, since the structure is relatively simple and the size is small, it is preferably a gas damper including a cylindrical and hollow cylindrical portion 41, a disc-shaped piston 42 that divides the internal space S of the cylindrical portion 41 and reciprocates in the space S, and a linear rod-shaped portion 44 with one end fixed to the piston 42 and the other end exposed from the cylindrical portion 41.

[0024] In this embodiment, the damper 4 is a gas damper shown in FIG. 3. A communication hole 421, also called an orifice, which connects the spaces S1 and S2 divided by the piston 42, is formed. A coil spring, which is an elastic member 43, is encapsulated in the divided spaces S1 and S2, and a vent hole 411 for communicating the inside and the outside is formed in the cylindrical portion 41. By configuring the gas damper, which is the damper 4, in this way, it has a function of controlling speed as described below. First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the lid portion 3 is closed with respect to the main body portion 1 in the suitcase of the present invention, the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed into the cylindrical portion 41, so that air flows from the outside into the inside through the vent hole 411 communicating with the upper space S1, and the piston 42 interlocked with the rod-shaped portion 41 moves downward in the figure. At this time, the coil spring, which is the elastic member 4 disposed in the lower space S2, and the air in the lower space S2 thereof are compressed, so that the speed at which the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed into the cylindrical portion 41 gradually slows down. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when the lid portion 3 is opened with respect to the main body portion 1 in the suitcase of the present invention, the force that compresses the coil spring, which is the elastic member 4 disposed in the lower space S2, is released, so that the piston 42 moves upward in the figure and the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed out of the cylindrical portion 41. At this time, although the air in the upper space S1 flows out from the inside to the outside through the vent hole 411, it cannot flow out all at once, so the speed at which the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed out of the cylindrical portion 41 is limited. Note that air flows into the lower space S2 from the upper space S1 through the communication hole 421 formed in the piston 42.

[0025] In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the damper 4 can be a gas damper in which oil O is enclosed in one of the upper spaces S1 of the spaces S1 and S2 divided by the piston 42, and compressed gas is enclosed in the other lower space S2. By configuring the gas damper, which is the damper 4, in this way, it will have the function of controlling the speed as shown below. First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), when the lid 3 is closed with respect to the main body 1 in the suitcase of the present invention, the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed into the cylindrical portion 41, so that the piston 42 interlocked with the rod-shaped portion 41 moves downward in the figure. At this time, the compressed gas enclosed in the lower space S2 is further compressed, so that the compressed gas acts like a spring and the speed at which the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed into the cylindrical portion 41 gradually slows down. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when the lid 3 is opened with respect to the main body 1 in the suitcase of the present invention, the compressed gas enclosed in the lower space S2 presses the piston 42, causing the piston 42 to move upward in the figure and the rod-shaped portion 44 to be pushed out of the cylindrical portion 41. At this time, the force with which the compressed gas enclosed in the lower space S2 presses the piston 42 gradually weakens, and since the oil O or air enclosed in the upper space S1 is compressed, the speed at which the rod-shaped portion 44 is pushed out of the cylindrical portion 41 is limited. An annular seal portion 45 is provided at the upper end of the upper space S1 to prevent the oil O from leaking from the inside to the outside due to the reciprocating movement of the rod-shaped portion 44.

[0026] By providing the damper 4 in the suitcase of the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, it is possible to take out and store the items stored without opening and closing the main body 1 or the lid 3 at an angle of 180 degrees. For example, even in a narrow space such as on a hotel luggage stand, it is easy to open and close the lid 3 and to take in and out the items, and it is difficult to visually recognize the items stored at an airport where there are a large number of unspecified people. By adopting a structure in which the depth of the main body 1 is relatively deep and the depth of the lid 3 is relatively shallow, it is also possible to easily store the items that protrude from the main body 1.

[0027] The wheel 5 is a member disposed on the side surfaces of the main body portion 1 and the lid portion 3. A relatively large and heavy suitcase that is difficult to lift by hand can be transported by rolling it on the floor or ground via the wheels 5. In the present embodiment, the wheels 5 are disposed on the side surfaces of the main body portion 1 and the lid portion 3, but in other embodiments, they may be disposed only on the main body portion 1 or only on the lid portion 3. Note that in the present embodiment, two wheels 5 are disposed on the main body portion 1 and two wheels 5 are disposed on the lid portion 3.

[0028] The gripping portion 6 is a member disposed on at least one of the other side surfaces of the main body portion 1 that do not have the wheels 5. The suitcase can also be lifted and carried by hand using the gripping portion 6. In the present embodiment, the gripping portion 6 is formed with a substantially U-shaped cross section, and one is disposed on the top surface side opposite to the bottom surface side where the wheels 5 are disposed, and one is disposed on the side surface side. However, in other embodiments, it can have other shapes as long as the user can lift and carry it by hand, and it can be disposed with only one on the top surface side or only one on the side surface side.

[0029] The locking portion 7 is a member disposed on either the side surface of the main body portion 1 or the side surface of the lid portion 3. By locking the locking portion 7 with a locked portion disposed corresponding to the locking portion 7 on either the side surface of the main body portion 1 or the side surface of the lid portion 3, the lid portion 3 can be fixed to the main body portion 1. In the present embodiment, the locking portion 7 is two hooks, but in other embodiments, it can be a wire fastener locked via a slider or an electromagnetic member.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] 1 ··· Main body portion 11 ··· Opening 12 ··· Edge 2 ··· Hinge 3 ··· Lid portion 4 ··· Damper 41 ··· Cylindrical portion 411 ··· Vent hole 42 ··· Piston 421 ··· Communication hole 43 ··· Elastic member 44 ··· Rod-shaped part 45 ··· Seal part 5 ··· Wheel 6 ··· Gripping part 7 ··· Locking part S ··· Space S1 ··· First space S2 ··· Second space O ··· Oil

Claims

1. A box-shaped main body that stores items through an opening; a lid portion that covers the opening via a hinge attached between the lid portion and the main body portion; The damper is at least one type selected from a gas damper, an oil damper, a friction damper, a rotary damper, and an electromagnetic damper, and is provided to connect the edge of the opening and the lid. A suitcase characterized by the above.

2. The damper is A hollow cylindrical portion; A piston that divides an internal space of the cylindrical portion and reciprocates within the space; The piston has one end fixed to the piston, and the other end is exposed from the cylindrical portion.

2. The suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a gas damper.

3. The suitcase according to claim 2, characterized in that the damper is provided with a communication hole connecting the spaces divided by the piston, an elastic member is contained in the divided space, and an air hole is provided in the cylindrical portion connecting the inside and the outside.

4. 3. The suitcase according to claim 2, wherein in the damper, one of the spaces divided by the piston is filled with oil, and the other space is filled with compressed gas.

5. 3. The suitcase according to claim 1, wherein a pair of said front dampers are disposed on the edge of the suitcase so as to face each other across said opening.

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