Tiltable handle for bags and the like

Abstract

 A handle for bags, cases and the like (10), wherein the handle (11) can be tilted down on one side of bag (10) along an axis parallel to the upper edge of the bag (10) and wherein the handle (11) has an annular shape comprising a fixing portion (12) and a C-shaped gripping portion (13) hinged to the fixing portion (12); the facing ends of the said fixing and gripping portions (12, 13) of the handle (11) comprise pivoting means (14, 17) provided with engageable retaining means (18, 20).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a tiltable handle which can he used separately or in combination with another similar handle, for carrying bags, cases and the like.

[0002] As is known, during manufacturing of cases and bags made of plastic, leather, fabric or other material, the bag is provided with one or two handles located opposite each other, intended for carrying and transportation purposes.

[0003] Generally the handles are rigidly fixed or hinged to the upper edge of the bag such that they can be partially tilted down on one side along an axis parallel to the edge of the bag itself.

[0004] Generally the hinging of the handle to the bag is provided by brackets or separate ring members which are fixed by relatively complex assembling operations and which cannot be easily replaced without calling upon the services of specialized personnel or returning the case to the factory for repair.

[0005] Furthermore, in the case of known hinging systems currently in use, the handles tend to protrude outwardly at the top or on the sides of the bag, thus resulting in excessive cumbersome space consumption which it would he desiderable to reduce if not eliminate entirely.

[0006] The scope of the present invention is to provide a tiltable handle which can be entirely made in moulded plastic material and designed to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks.

[0007] More particularly the scope of present invention is to provide a tiltable handle for bags and the like, in which the gripping portion of the handle is shaped and hinged to be suitably tilted down along a side of a bag and in which the same gripping portion of the handle may be assembled and removed in a simple manner.

[0008] The above referred scopes may he achieved by a tiltable handle for bags and the like having the features of independent claim 1.

[0009] The characteristic features of the handle according to present invention will emerge from the description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1

is a view of a general type of case provided with two opposite handles in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2

is an enlarged front view, partially sectioned, of a handle of Figure 1;

Fig. 3

is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Fig. 4

is an exploded view showing the means for snap-coupling and hinging the handle.

Fig. 5

is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of figure 4.

[0010] In Figure 1 a general type of case or bag 10 is shown, provided with a pair of handles 11 hinged to the upper edge of the case 10 such that it can be tilted from an upright position or position for carrying the bag, shown in continuous lines in Figure 1, to a down position where it is tilted or turned on one side and occupies a minimum amount of space, indicated by 11a in the same figure.

[0011] The handle, as shown in figure 1 and in the enlarged detail in Figure 2, has substantially an arc bent and quadrangular or, more generally, annular shaped configuration comprising a linear fixing portion 12 for fixing the handle to the case 10, as well as a C-shaped or gripping portion 13 hinged to the fixing portion 12 to rotate along an axis parallel to the upper edge of the case 10.

[0012] In particular, as shown in the Figures of the accompanying drawings, hinging of the gripping portion 13 to the fixing portion 12 is effected so as to allow a large angular rotation such that the gripping portion 13 of the handle can be tilted down near or against the bag 10. Hinging between the gripping portion 13 and the fixing portion 12 is achieved by coupling and retaining means which can be snap-engaged and disengaged with respect to each other so as to allow rapid assembling of the handle and possible removal of the gripping portion 13 without having to call upon specialized personnel or use special tools, hint by simply disengaging and removing the gripping portion 13 overcoming the elastic force of the abovementioned retaining and engaging means.

[0013] The handle according to the present invention is therefore suitable for being made entirely of plastic material which is sufficiently strong, but also able to allow engagement and disengagement of the hinging means, as a result of the partial elastic yielding of the said plastic material.

[0014] Therefore, as shown in the Figures, the hinging means at the opposite ends of the two handle portions 12 and 13, in the example shown, comprises a cavity 14 at each end of the fixing portion 12, which opens at 20 on the bottom and front sides of said portion 13; the cavity 14 at the front side facing the end of the gripping portion 13 is provided with an annular end wall 15 having a central hole 16 for receiving a hinging pin member 17 intended to be disposed coaxially inside the said cavity 14; an annular shoulder 18 is provided at an intermediate position of the pin member 17; more precisely, the annular shoulder 18 is spaced apart from the end face 13' of the gripping portion 13, by an axially extending neck portion 17' having a cut flat face 17'' on a side; the length of the neck portion 17' is such that the shoulder 18 is arranged inside the cavity 14 against the internal face of the abovementioned end wall 15. The annular shoulder 18 has a peripheral diameter greater than that of the hole 16 in the wall 15.

[0015] So as to allow insertion and removal of the pivoting pin 17 and shoulder 18 from one side, the cavity 14 is provided with a wide lateral opening 14' which merges with a restricted aperture 20 on the end wall 15 opened towards the central hole 16 to allow the passage of the neck portion 17' of the pivoting pin 17.

[0016] This restricted aperture 20 generaly has a cross-sectional dimension less than the diameter of the pin 17 so as to allow the latter to pass through by means of elastic deformation of the plastic material and by overcoming the reaction force of the latter.

[0017] More precisely, as shown in the enlarged details in Figures 3 and 4, the restricted aperture 20 is delimited on one side by a flat surface 21 which is tangentially arranged to the hole 16, as well as by a slanted surface 22 on the opposite side forming an elastically yielding retaining tooth 23. A corresponding flat surface 17'' is provided on corresponding side of neck portion 17'.

[0018] The handle according to the present invention is moreover provided with means for fixing the linear portion 12 to the upper edge of bag; the fixing means comprise first and second studs 24 provided at their ends with an elastically deformable head 25 joined by a narrow portion 26. The fixing means comprise moreover a plate 28 which is arranged on the opposite side, inside the bag; the plate has through-holes in the region of the studs 24, with which the heads 25 snap-engage, being forced elastically through the holes.

[0019] The assembling of a handle according to the present invention, on a bag, case or the like, is briefly described as follows: first the portion 12 of the handle is fixed by passing the two studs 24 through suitable openings provided in the bag 10, thus forcing the heads 25 of the studs trough holes in the plate 28; this operation may be carried out by simply pressing, simultaneously against each other, the plate 28 and the portion 12 of the handle on the opposite sides of the edge of the bag 10.

[0020] Once the portion 12 has been fixed in the manner described above, it is possible to apply the gripping portion 13 by simply inserting the two pivoting pins 17 and shoulders 18 inside the two cavities 14 at the corresponding ends of the portion 12 as a result of the elastic deformability of the plastic material. To do this, it is sufficient to press the side of the pin 17 so as to force it through aperture 20 and into the cavity 14, thereby overcoming the elastic reaction of the retaining tooth 23 at the end closing wall 15.

[0021] The handle thus assembled can therefore he tilted down completely against the external surface of the bag, so as to occupy a minimum amount of space; furthermore, should the handle have to be removed and replaced with another one, for example because the old handle is worn or is broken, the case or bag does not have to he sent to the factory for repair, but one merely needs to obtain a new handle part to replace the old one.

[0022] In this connection, the old handle is simply removed by disengaging it from the fixing portion 12 of the handle and then the new gripping portion fitted by means of an operation identical to the one described above.

[0023] From the above description and accompanying drawings it is thus clear that a tiltable handle for bags, cases or the like has been provided, which has an extremely economical design, not only in that it can be made entirely in moulded plastic material, but also on account of the ease with which it can be assembled and fixed to a bag. Furthermore, the use of snap-action coupling and hinging means which can be engaged and disengaged as a result of elastic yielding of the material, enables the gripping portion of the handle to be replaced without having to call upon the assistance of specialized personnel, but by simply disengaging the hinging pins manually.

Claims

1. Tiltable handle for bags, cases and the like, wherein the handle (11) is hinged along an axis parallel to an upper edge of the bag (10), characterized in that the handle comprises a fixing portion (12) for fixing to the bag (10) and a C-shaped gripping portion (13) hinged to the abovementioned fixing portion (12), and in that the facing ends of said fixing portion (12) and said C-shaped gripping portion (13) of the handle comprise snap-action coupling and pivoting means (14, 17, 20) coaxially arranged to said fixing portion (12).

2. Handle according to Claim 1, characterized in that it comprises snap-action fastening means for fixing the handle to the peripheral edge of the bag, said snap-action fastening means comprising pins (26) provided with an elastically deformable head portion (25) which can he snap-engaged in a corresponding hole of a fixing plate (24).

3. Handle according to Claim 1, characterized in that said means for hinging the fixing portion (12) and the gripping portion (13) of the handle comprise an open cavity (14) on fixing portion (12) and a hinging pin (17) protruding into said cavity (14), shoulder and retaining means (18, 21, 23) being provided on said pin (17) and an annular end wall (15) of said open cavity (14) to prevent axial and lateral removal of the same pin (17) from said cavity (14).

4. Handle according to Claim 3, characterized in that said end wall (15) of said cavity (14) comprises restricted aperture (20) for the lateral insertion of the hinging pin (17) and an elastically deformable retaining tooth (23) on one side of said aperture (20).

5. Handle according to Claim 4, characterized in that said annular wall (15) on the side of said restricted aperture (20) for wich the hinging pin (17) passes, which is opposite to the retaining tooth (23) as well as said pin (17) are provided with opposite flat guiding surfaces (17'', 21).

6. Handle according to Claim 1, characterized in that said gripping portion (13) has a curved shape which matches the shape of the bag (10).

7. A handle for bags, cases and the like (10) comprising a C-shaped gripping member (13) which is tiltable downwardly on one side of the bag (10), and hinge means (14-17) for hingedly connecting said gripping member (13) to an upper edge of the bag (10) characterised in that said hinge means comprise a fastening member (12) having cavity (14) laterally and axially opening at each end of said fastening member (12); a pivot pin (17) at a corresponding end of said gripping member (13), said pivot pin (17) having an intermediate annular shoulder (18) interacting with corresponding annular wall portion (15) at one end in said cavity (14) to prevent axial withdrawal of said pivot pin (17), and elastically yielding detent means (23) on said wall portion (15) to pivotally retain said pin (17) in the cavity (14).

Drawing