US2937728A - Luggage - Google Patents

Description

y 1960 s. KOFFLER 2,937,728

LUGGAGE Filed May 20, 1958 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORI I SOL KOFFLER AUXS May 24, 1960 s. KOFFLER 2,937,728

LUGGAGE Filed May 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

SOL KOFFLER BY MW, Q% M ATT'YS United States Patent LUGGAGE Sol Kofller, 600 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI.

Filed May 20, 1958, Ser. No. 736,587

Claims. (Cl. 190-51) This invention, in general, relates to luggage, and more particularly the invention relates to luggage having a compartment partition or divider removably secured therein, said partition or divider having shoe receptacles thereon.

The luggage of this invention is constructed in a manner so that shoes may be carried in the luggage without soiling other articles carried therein. Also, the receptacles for the shoes are mounted upon a partition in the luggage, which partition is, in turn, hingedly secured to the luggage and preferably is also removably secured therein so that the partition with the shoe receptacles may be entirely removed from the luggage. By providing an eyelet, loop or the like on the partition, the partition, when removed from the luggage, may be hung on a hook in a closet to provide a convenient means for storing shoes.

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide luggage having shoe receptacles as an integral part thereof, which shoe receptacles are mounted upon a portion of the luggage which is removable from the main luggage shell.

Another object is to provide luggage having shoe receptacles on one side of a removable partition or divider member whereby the shoes carried in the luggage are separated from other articles carried therein and the partition may be taken out of the luggage shell to provide a storage receptacle for shoes separate from the luggage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide hand luggage so constructed as to completely separate shoes carried therein from other articles carried in the luggage.

Another object is to provide a novel structure for carrying shoes in luggage, for removing shoes from luggage and for carrying them or storing them in a component part of the luggage apart from the luggage but ready for re-insertion into the luggage when desired.

These and other objects, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, are achieved by the construction of luggage in accordance with the instant invention described hereinafter in conjunction with the drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration, the luggage is illustrated as being a large ladies hat box. It will be understood, however, that the invention is also applicable to other shapes, types, and sizes of luggage.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an article of luggage constituting one embodiment of the invention with the top or cover open and the divider or partition fastened at both ends within the confines of the top or cover;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the article of luggage of Fig. 1 with the divider or partition released from the cover at the top but still fastened near the bottom;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the side of the divider or partition of Fig. 1 having shoe receptacles thereon as it appears when completely detached from the luggage;

Fig. 4 is a perspective, partial view of the portions of the luggage shell and cover of Fig. 1 showing the hinged connection therebetween and means for attaching the partition or divider to the luggage;

2,937,728 Patented May 24, 1960 Fig. 5 is a perspective view, similar to Fig. 1, of a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view, similar to Fig. 2, of the article of luggage of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the side of the removable divider or partition of Fig. 5 having shoe receptacles thereon as it appears when completely detached from the luggage;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, partial, exploded, perspective view of the cover shell and the divider or partition of Figs. 5-7 illustrating the details of the removable, hinged connection between the cover shell and partition as well as the locking arrangement for keeping the partition in the cover shell when the luggage is opened.

The articles of luggage illustrated in the drawings are of generally cylindrical shape and may be used for carrying ladies hats and the like. Other shapes may be employed where the luggage is designed for a different function without departing from the spirit of the invention herein disclosed. The article of luggage illustrated in Figs. 14 comprises a shell designated generally at 10, having a cylindrical side wall 12 and a bottom wall 14. A peripheral metal band or frame 16 having a groove therein is secured around the upper edge of the cylindrical side wall 12. The groove is provided to seat the opposing edge of the cover therein when the luggage is closed. A band of raised, decorative stitching 18 is provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical side wall 12.

The interior of the main shell 10, as well as the interior of the cover 22, preferably has a cloth lining 20. The cover shell 22 is composed of a cylindrical side wall 24 and a top wall (not shown). The cover shell and the main shell are connected by a hinge 26 secured to flat portions 28, 30 of the side walls of the main shell 10 and cover shell 22, respectively. The male portions 32, 32 of a lower pair of snap fasteners are secured to the cover shell 22. These male portions are adapted to be in snapping engagement with the female portions 34, 24 mounted in tabs 36, 36 of a divider or partition mem- The divider or partition member 38 is a disc-like member having a fiat or straight lower edge and generally corresponding in size and shape to the interior of the cover shell 22. It can be made of a rigid material but is preferably constructed of a semirigid material so that it has sufficient flexibility to permit the divider or partition to be bent slightly in the event that the space normally existing between the divider or partition and the interior of the cover shell 22 is not suflicient to accommodate the shoes placed in the shoe receptacle 40.

The shoe receptacles 40 are formed by a continuous band of fabric which is stitched, riveted or the like at regular intervals at point 42 to the divider or partition member 38 to provide pockets 44 which may be open at both ends or may be open at one end and closed at the other end. The shape and arrangement of the shoe pockets may take other forms without departing from the invention. In the embodiment illustrated, the pockets 44 are opened at both ends. The shoes are retained in the receptacles by the provision of elastic bands 46 which are stitched into the long, narrow cloth band along both edges thereof.

In Fig. 3 is shown the rear, rivet side of male snap fasteners 48 mounted near the edge in the upper portion of the divider 38. These fasteners are adapted to be engaged by female portions of snap fasteners 50 secured in tabs 52, which, in turn, are secured in the cover shell 22. By snapping together the upper pair of snap fasten ers 4'8, 48 and 50, 50 the divider or partition is held firmly in the confines of the cover shell 22.

The divider or partition can be removed from the article of luggage by .unsnapping the snaps of both the upper pair of snap fasteners and the lower pair of snap fasteners. The divider, thus separated, can then be used as a separate shoe storage device to be placed in a closet or the like. For this purpose, means are provided on the divider shell for hanging the same on a hook or the like. Such means may be an eyelet grommet 54,,or, if desired, other means such as a cloth loop stitched or otherwise attached to the divider may be employed.

In order to provide a more pleasing appearance to the divider, stripes of decorative stitching 56 are provided upon the side opposite from the side carrying the shoe receptacles. A small auxiliary bag for carrying miscellaneous small articles may be included in the article of luggage. Such a small bag is shown at 58 and is secured to the article of luggage by a tab 6%) secured to the cover shell 22. The bag 58 has a marginal elastic band 62 to prevent the loss of articles carried therein.

In the loading position shown in Fig. 2, the upper snap fasteners are disengaged from one another whereby the tabs 36, 36 serve as hinges so that the bottom flat side of the divider or partition can pivot on the flat area 30 and make a substantially line-to-line contact therewith.

The completed article of luggage has a carrying handle 64 diametrically opposed from the flat portion of the shells. Suitable feet or supports (not shown) are provided on the outside of the bottom of the flat area 28. Interfitting locking members 66, 68 releasably keep the cover shell in closing engagement with the main shell 10.

The article of luggage illustrated in Figs. to 8 is of the same general construction as the article of luggage illustrated in Figs. 14, previously described. Accordingly, where applicable, like numerals have been used to designate like parts, and reference is made to the previous description for detailed explanation thereof. The article of luggage of Figs. 58 differs from the article of luggage of Figs. 1-4 in the means for removably securing the partition or divider in the luggage, the means for locking the partition or divider within the confines of the cover shell, and in the provision of a general utility pocket on the side of the partition or divider opposite from the side on which the shoe receptacles are mounted. Accordingly, these features are described in detail hereinafter.

On the side of the partition 70 opposite from the side upon which the shoe receptacles 40 are provided, there is a general utility pocket 78 consisting of a strip of puckered cloth having a lower elastic band 80 which is stitched along the length thereof to the partition 76. The upper edge of the pocket 78 is also provided with an elastic band which is stitched to the partition only at the ends thereofthereby forming a pocket which is normally closed.

Turning to Fig. 8, the tab 72 is secured to the partition by means of a segment 84 fastened to the partition and comprising an integral part of the tab 72. The line of division between the part 72 and 84 is flexible so that the tab 72 serves as a hinge for the pivotal movement of the partition 70. The tab 72 is removably secured in the cover shell 22 by means of a turn fastener designated generally at 86. The turn fastener 36 comprises a rectangular body portion fastened to the inner side of the cover shell side wall at the center of the flat portion of the cover shell. The remainder of the turn fastener 86 comprises a rotatable locking bar 90, which is pivotably mounted in the body portion 88 by a shaft 92. The partition 70 is secured in the cover shell 22 by turning the pivotable bar to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 8, placing the opening of the grommet 74 about the turn fastener 86, and rotating the pivotable bar 90 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. This locks the partition 70 within the cover shell in removable relationship therewith, and the partition '70 may be pivoted between various positions as shown in Fig. 6 by the hinge-like construction of the tab 72 and its integral part 84.

In order to secure the partition 70 within the confines of the cover shell and prevent it from falling out of said cover shell, there is an L-shaped bracket 94 mounted on the interior side of the side wall 24 of the cover shell 22 at a point diametrically opposite of the turn fastener 86. The L-shaped bracket 94 has a turn fastener 96 mounted thereon-the turn fastener 96 being similar to the turn fastener 86 previously described. The locking of the partition 70 within the cover shell 22 is accomplished by placing the opening of the grommet 76 about the turn fastener 96, and rotating the locking bar to its locking position.

It will be seen that the invention provides an article of luggage having a partition therein of substantial rigidity but preferably with some flexibility, provided with shoe pockets, and having quickly detaching connections some of which may be detached to permit pivoting of the partition or all of which may be detached to permit complete removal of the partition from the luggage. Also, the invention provides a novel arrangement of articles of luggage having shoe pockets positioned on a pivotable partition member in a manner so as to avoid soilage of the articles of clothing placed in the luggage by the shoes.

It will be recognized that the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawing and previously described constitute but two of a large number of types of articles of luggage within the true spirit of the invention herein disclosed.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. An article of luggage having a partition member therein provided with shoe receptacles, said partition member being detachably fastened by fastening means within said luggage in spaced relationship with the sides thereof sufficient to accommodate shoes carried in said shoe receptacles, said partition member comprising a lower straight side having at least one tab secured thereto and said tab having a quickly detaching connection adapted to be attached to and detached from a complementary connection secured to the interior of said luggage whereby said tab acts as a hinge and said partition member can pivot on said straight side and means on said partition adjacent the upper side thereof for hanging up said partition when it is detached from said article of luggage.

2. An article of luggage comprising a main shell, a cover shell hingedly secured to said main shell, a partition member mounted within said shells and connected by a flexible hinge piece which is removably connected with one of said shells by at least one quickly detaching connection on said hinge piece, a plurality of shoe receptacles on one side of said partition, and means for hanging up said partition when it is separated from said shells.

3. An article of luggage comprising a main shell, a cover shell hingedly secured to said main shell, a partition member hingedly mounted within said shells substantially at the juncture between them and connected with one of said shells by quickly detaching connections, a plurality of shoe receptacles on the cover shell side of said partition, and means associated with said partition for hanging up said partition when it is separated from said shells, said quickly detaching connections comprising tabs depending from one side of said partition, and snap fastener portions in said tabs for snapping engagement with snap fastener portions mounted in said cover shell.

4. An article of luggage comprising a main shell, a cover shell hingedly secured to said main shell, a partition member hingedly mounted within said shells substantially at the juncture between them and connected with one of said shells by a quickly detaching connection, a plurality of shoe receptacles on the cover shell side of said partition, and means associated with said partition for hanging up said partition when it is separated from said shells, said quickly detaching connection comprising a tab depending from one side of the partition, and a grommet in said partition having a slot adapted to be placed about the body'of a turn fastener mounted in said cover shell to provide a locking relationship therebetween when said turn fastener is in looking position.

5. A partition member adapted to be mounted within an article of luggage, said partition member comprising a plurality of shoe receptacles thereon, said partition member having a lower straight side having at least one flexible tab secured thereto, said tab having a quickly detaching connection adapted to be connected with and disconnected from a complementary connection secured to the interior of the luggage whereby said tab is adapted V to act as a hinge and said partition member can pivot on its lower straight side, and means on said partition adjacent the upper edge thereof for hanging up said partition when it is separated from the luggage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 193,523 Krick July 24, 1877 1,197,699 White Sept. 12, 1916 1,262,911 Bartlett Apr. 16, 1918 1,524,757 Sonin Feb. 3, 1925 1,908,178 Plotkin May 9, 1933 2,126,206 Plotkin Aug. 9, 1938 2,131,583 Crotty et al. Sept. 27, 1938

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