Collapsible Luggage Handle and Frame Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing luggage bags with retractable handles and wheels are unstable during turns and cannot collapse to a smaller size due to rigid frames and hub-based wheel connections, limiting portability and storage options.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible luggage bag system with slideably interconnected stays and hubless wheels, where the handle can disconnect and fold with the stays into a common plane, allowing the frame to collapse and store within the bag, enhancing maneuverability and reducing weight by eliminating axles and hubs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid frame is used to provide structural support, then the luggage bag maintains its shape and stability, but the bag cannot collapse to a smaller size for storage
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid frame is segmented into multiple telescopic members that can extend and retract independently. Each member is divided into nested sections that slide within one another, allowing the frame to transition from an extended stable configuration to a collapsed compact configuration for storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic telescopic structure. The telescopic members can extend to provide structural support during use and retract to reduce volume for storage, making the frame adaptable to different operational states.
2Reliability
If wheels are connected via axles and hubs, then the wheels are securely attached to the frame, but the connection adds weight and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional axle and hub components are completely removed from the wheel assembly. Instead, the wheel is directly mounted to the telescopic frame member through a simplified attachment mechanism that integrates the wheel mounting function into the frame structure itself, eliminating unnecessary intermediate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel attachment function is merged with the telescopic frame member. The frame member itself serves as both the structural support and the wheel mounting interface, combining multiple functions into a single integrated component that reduces overall complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the handle is permanently extended, then the user can easily tow the luggage bag, but the bag becomes cumbersome to store
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is made dynamic through telescopic members that allow it to extend to a comfortable towing length during use and retract to a compact size for storage. The handle length adjusts based on operational requirements, transitioning between extended and retracted states.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle components are nested within one another when retracted. The telescopic members contain nested sections that slide within one another, allowing the handle to collapse into a compact configuration that fits within or alongside the luggage bag during storage.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
The invention relates to a collapsible luggage bag that improves maneuverability of the bag when a user is towing the bag and collapses to a reduced size to improve portability. In particular, the invention relates to a handle that is slideably interconnected to one or more stays such that the upper ends of the stays change position along the length of the handle as the handle retracts into the luggage. Further, the handle disconnects from one or more of the stays such that the handle, stays, and other frame components collapse and lie in a common plane. This collapsibility improves the portability of the luggage bag when the internal volume of the luggage bag is not used to store items.