Easy carrying equipment
A carrying set for the easy and comfortable carrying of goods, comprising a connecting handle and some accessories able to connect to the handle a plurality of objects. A removable padding is provided for the handle, shown in different embodiments. Accessories comprise a cable set shown in different embodiments able keep tight a plurality of not hookable objects, and to permit their connection to the handle in a proper position. Also ski, package and and bottle set carrying is permitted. The handle is also built so as to permit a fast, easy and lasting printing for advertising, and it can therefore be considered a useful gadget. All parts of the device are shaped so as to permit their manufacture in plastic material, and this generates a new fastening and carrying method.
This is a Continuation-in-part Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/470,586 that was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/947,701, now abandoned, which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/729,374, now abandoned, which was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/973,350, now abandoned. This patent application claims priority of International Application No. PCT/IT96/00115, filed Nov. 27, 1995, which is in turn claimed priority of Italian Patent Application No. NA95A000055 filed Nov. 27, 1995, which in turn claimed priority of Italian Patent Application No. NA95A000029 filed Jun. 5, 1995.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThis is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/470,586, filed on Oct. 10, 2003, now abandoned. This patent application claims priority of International Application No. PCT/IT96/00115 filed Jun. 4, 1996, which, in turn claimed priority of Italian Patent Application No. NA95A000055 filed Nov. 27, 1995, which in turn claimed priority of Italian Patent Application No. NA95A000029 filed Jun. 5, 1995.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
REFERENCE TO “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”Not Applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a carrying set for carrying objects by use of a hooking handle and its accessories.
In general goods are carried by means of containers, some of which are encumbering and troublesome to handle and this may be tiring for people.
Moreover, for some objects a suitable carrier is often difficult to find. For this reason people going shopping carry bags, sacks, and boxes. Unfortunately, the handles of plastic bags and the strings of packages often “cut” the hands.
This is an improvement patent over Stoft (WO091111368), and contains a carrying set comprising an improved carrying handle which can work in cooperation with some accessories as retaining cable sets, special padding, a bottle carrier
BACKGROUND ARTSome hand carrying tools are known having a central handle and a connecting apparatus at each end for carrying plastic shopping containers.
In some of these carrying tools the handles are made lighter by means of lateral longitudinal recesses. The longitudinal recesses create empty zones, which are not comfortable for the hands.
Such a tool is disclosed in Stoft (WO9111 1368), of which the present application is an improvement. In Stoft a surface 60 is described as “writing surface” which can be attached either on the flat inner surface of a longitudinal recess, either on the external surface of an other embodiment of said handle, having no recess. Pointing attention upon the embodiment without recesses, if said “writing surface” should be a surface supported by a thick body, if attached to such a handle without recesses, should cause serious trouble to the hand of a user. That means that said “writing surface” is an attached surface supported by a very thin body as a sheet, useful only to being written upon. The same “writing surface”, if attached to the embodiment having recesses, should keep the same features, and cannot be intended as a stopper filling said recess so as to eliminate the empty zones, which are not comfortable for the hands. Said writing surface has no mechanical resistance for performing the further feature of keeping in place a padding, (which instead is a feature of the present invention). Further, the connecting apparatus of Sotft is based on the existence of an enclosing segment that contours a rigid stepped down protrusion and does not provide accessories to obtain a carrying set.
Handles having generally hook-shaped connecting apparatus at each end are also known, and are provided with thin passages which prevent the shopping containers from being disengaged when put down.
This means that:
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- The user must pay attention to place the shopping container handles in the thin passage.
- At the moment of disconnection the user must extract the shopping container handles from the thin passage using both hands. In this cases the user, if in a hurry, can lose time in connecting or disconnecting.
- said handles can carry only objects having a very thin hookable portion, as plastic shoppers.
In some known handles (Clark, GB2218901A) there is a recess at each end which opens upwardly, provided with only one horizontal resilient retainer which, when removed, leaves only a thin passage. This has the drawback that the unraveling of thin strings cannot be prevented by this type of hooking apparatus.
In some other cases the thin passage is completely closed (Ducruox, FR 201950561 A), but a two-hands maneuver is necessary for disengaging the load.
In some other handles mechanical parts are present which require a double “two-hands” maneuver.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, it is an object: of the present invention to provide a carrying set using a handle for carrying objects which is comfortable, in which the engagement and disengagement with the objects is easy and able to connect also some accessories able to connect particular objects.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a handle for carrying objects in which padding can be easily added, replaced or removed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a handle for carrying objects in which a removable surface is provided, which can be written or printed on.
These and further objects are achieved by the handle according to the attached claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGSFurther characteristics and advantages of the equipment according to the present invention will be made clearer in the description which follows of one of its possible embodiments, given as an example, but not limitative, with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIGS. 27,28,29 show the carrying of a bottle set by the use of a carrying handle in cooperation with a strap shaped accessory.
The present invention broadly comprises carrying set with an accessorized handle for carrying objects (or connecting handle or carrying handle or hooking handle) which is operatively arranged to be connectable to objects by connecting apparatuses at each end of the handle, as shown in the embodiments 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D of FIGS. 1,5,9,22,6.
In the preferred embodiment 1B (shown in FIGS. 5,10,11,14) the handle has at is ends two connecting apparatuses, one being the mirror image of the other one. Each connecting apparatus is able to
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- 1) hook and hold the weight of a load (carrying feature)
- 2) retaining the hooked parts of a hooked object also when abandoned (closure feature)
The two features are performed by different members;
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- 1) carrying feature is performed by a hook shaped member internal to the apparatus (internal hook shaped protrusion 29,)
- 2) closure feature is performed by the cooperation of two elastic opposite elements that work as adjacent elastic doors (flexible tongue 4 and lower elastic protrusion 15a).
This double elastic closure has two effects:
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- a) It permits to keep close the two sides of the closure
- b) It permits a relevant opening space of said closure when opened, in which can be introduced wide objects, such as ropes, (
FIG. 23 ). - c) It gives a very easy maneuver for insertion of the parts of objects to be hooked and carried: it can be done by simply pulling upwards the handle against the part to be inserted (
FIG. 10 ). - d) It gives a very easy maneuver for the extraction of the hooked parts of the carried objects: simply pulling away the handle in the releasing direction (
FIG. 11 ) can do it.
The handle is made padding able (FIGS. 6,7,12,13) by the existence of a front and rear longitudinal recess 56, in which a complementary-shaped element or elongated lateral element or stopper 19 can be forced. The stopper 19 keeps flat padding 28 in place, it can be printed for advertising or have an additional writing surface attached.
Another kind of padding disclosed is the tubular padding of
The performances of the connecting handle can be powered by the use of accessories.
A hookable sliding cable set 32, shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 16,17,18,19, 21-25, which permits the handle to connecting:
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- a) Objects having no hooking zone.
- b) A plurality of objects.
- c) A ski pair.
Further accessory is a strap shaped element useful for the carrying of a bottle set, shown FIGS. 27,28,29, while in
Adverting now to the drawings:
The handle has a central portion 1 having two sides and two ends 17,18, having a face 17c having a lower part 17a and an upper part 17b, having a hooking apparatus 2 which is formed by two opposite ends of two protrusions (Upper protrusion or flexible tongue 4, lower protrusion 13)
The hooking apparatus 2 has a closure that works thanks to the cooperation of two opposite flexible members
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- a) elongated flexible tongue 4 protruding from upper part 17b and having a tongue end 4a, slightly curved downwards for helping insertions.
- b) A lower protrusion 13 composed by a substantially horizontal corbel 10 protruding from lower part 17a and curving upwardly in a flexible element 15 having a thin portion 25 and an upper thickened ending 12, having a downwards inclined surface,6 standing close and opposite to tongue end 4a.
Therefore, when a hookable part of an object, (such as the straps 51 of a shopper 50, as shown in
The carrying feature is performed by lower protrusion 13.
Lower zone 7 of central portion 1 is hand-shaped; central zone 16 is a zone formed between parts 7, 14, so as to form, at each front/rear side, a longitudinal recess 56 in which an elongated lateral element or stopper 19 is forced in a position that locates its external surface or external side or external face 5 substantially at the same level of the edges 26 and 27 of lower zone 7 and of upper zone 14. A writing surface 60 can be attached on the external surface 5 of stopper 19.
Front outline 5a of external surface 5 of stopper 19 protrudes rearly to form rear perimeter 22 and generates lateral part 9 of stopper 19
Obviously this type of joint is an example, as any known type of joint could be used to hold the stopper in place.
This permits to give to flexible element 15a a longer and thinner thin portion 25a than in precedent case (thin portion 25 of
Therefore the hooking feature is performed by hook shaped protrusion 29, while closure feature is performed by the cooperation between flexible tongue 4 and flexible element 15a.
A distance 23 permits free flexing of element 15a
Lower zone 7 of the handle is hand shaped. In the figure stopper 19 has not been shown for better show the position of protrusions 24.
That movement produces the opening in the closure as shown
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- a) An upper loop 37, above stopper 35, useful to be connected to the handle.
- b) A lower loop 33, under stopper 35, which can give way to a sliding loop 34 if the end 33a of lower loop 33 (or sliding end 33) is inserted into the beginning 33b of loop 33, beginning that is the portion immediately under stopper 35.
Stopper 35 works as an obstacle against the sliding of end 33a in a loosing direction. This generates a method for easily wrapping objects and keep them tight, having the possibility of hooking them.
By wrapping the inserted load 62 in sliding loop 34, the user can keep it tight by pushing stopper 35 against end 33a. This action makes larger the upper loop 37, which can be hooked by a hooking tool.
This is possible because friction element 70 is a tubular element threading a loop shaped cable 72 coming out from first end 71a in shape of a loop and engaging beginning 33b, and coming out from second end 71b of friction element 70 connected to a knot 73 (or to an equivalent obstacle to the sliding inwards to the tubular element).
It so is possible to keep a ski pair blocked in said sliding set 32c thanks to the fact that the friction element 70 is compressed and blocked between skis when said skis 92,93 tightened by said sliding set. This prevents the sliding of cable set 32c in length direction, which is the problem of any ski holder.
Strap shaped element 63 has two ends 67,67a and a ring shaped element 66,66a at each end.
It so is possible to include said strap shaped element 63 in the space 68 between bottle set 64 and its handle 65 and then to connect each of ring shaped elements 66,66a to each of ends 3,3a of carrying handle 1B. Bottle set 64 is so connected to carrying handle 1B thanks to strap shaped element 63.
All elements of the carrying set disclosed can be built in plastic material, such as Nylon and the like, permitting the production of very inexpensive carrying tools having great utility.
Having described the invention and its advantages, one can see that it is based on the use of several parts and that each part can have different embodiments and be used in different combinations. This gives to this new carrying equipment a great extent of uses, of which the devices described in the figures are only some examples. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not only by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Claims
1. A carrying set comprising a handle for carrying objects or carrying handle, having a central portion having two sides and two ends, said central portion having at each of said ends a face having means for retaining said objects, said face having a lower part and an upper part characterized in that said means for retaining objects have a closure which works thanks to the cooperation of two opposite flexible members said means comprising:
- a) an elongated flexible tongue protruding from said upper part and having a tongue end, said flexible tongue being slightly curved downwards for helping insertions
- b) A substantially horizontal corbel protruding from said s lower part and curving upwardly in a flexible element having an upper thickened ending, said ending having a downwards inclined surface, said inclined surface standing close and opposite to said tongue end of said flexible tongue.
2. The carrying set of claim 1, further comprising a hook shaped protrusion extending upwards from said corbel, said hook shaped protrusion having an ending in a position lower than said inclined surface whereby said corbel has the shape of a double-ended corbel.
3. The carrying set of claim 1 further comprising a tubular padding 28b including said central part and excluding said flexible tongue.
4. The carrying set of claim 1 further comprising at least one sliding cable set consisting of:
- a) one sliding obstacle or cord lock, which can slide and be blocked on a cable,
- b) a loop shaped cable threaded through said cord lock as to obtain: b1) an upper loop, for connection with a connector and b2) a lower loop 33 having: x) a lower loop beginning, in proximity of said sliding cord lock, y) a lower loop end or sliding end at the opposite side; whereby it is possible to maneuver said sliding cable set so as to form a sliding loop by passing said lower loop end around to said lower loop beginning under said cord lock, said cord lock working such as a tightening element which can slide and be pressed against said sliding end and then blocked, so as to prevent the sliding of said end in loosing direction, whereby it is possible to tighten and keep tight said loop shaped cable around a load.
5. The carrying set of claim 4 further comprising at least one connector threading said cable in said upper loop.
6. The carrying set of claim 5 further comprising at least one elongated friction blocking element having two ends and first of said two ends having means for connection to said beginning of said lower loop whereby it is possible to keep a ski pair blocked in said sliding set thanks to the fact that said friction element is blocked between skis when said skis tightened in said sliding set, to prevent any reciprocal movement between said skis and said cable set.
7. The carrying set of claim 6 further comprising an elongated handy element having two ends, first end connected to said loop-shaped element, second end laying freely for hand maneuver of said friction element whereby a user can use said handy element to maneuver said friction element to easily introduce it between a couple of skis.
8. The carrying set of claim 1 wherein there are:
- a longitudinal recess in each of said sides, each of said longitudinal recess having a bottom inner surface, a lateral inner surface and at least one bottom protrusion protruding from said bottom surface, said bottom protrusion 24 useful for connecting purposes,
- two stoppers, each of said two stoppers fitting into each of said longitudinal recesses, substantially fills the recess and has a complementary-shape therewith, said stopper has an external substantially flat surface having a front outline a rear surface having at least one rear protrusion useful for connecting purposes to said bottom protrusion and complementary shaped to said bottom protrusion a lateral part rearly protruding from said front outline to fit into said recess and ending in a rear perimeter
- each of said two stoppers having a thickness and a resistance able to keep in place padding
- whereby a user can use said stoppers to remove or to add and to keep forced in place, if desired, a padding covering a part of the central portion and being secured in place by the stoppers in said longitudinal recesses,
- whereby it is possible to add a writing surface attached on said external surface of said stopper.
9. The handle of claim 8 wherein said rear perimeter lays in a plane parallel to said external surface and wherein a plane containing said external side of said stopper and a plane containing a surface of said lateral part of said stopper form an oblique angle whereby a plurality of stoppers can be grouped and printed together when lying on a plane surface rendering easy the printing of advertising indicia before than said stoppers mounted on said handles.
10. The carrying set of claim 8 wherein said lateral inner surface 48 has a stepped down lower surface;
- whereby it is possible to dimension said stepped down surface so as to increase the space between said lower internal face of said recess and said lateral surface of said stopper, and therefore to increase the thickness of a padding to be forced in said recess.
11. The handle of claim 8 further comprising a padding having holes for connection to said bottom protrusions.
12. A carrying set comprising
- a) a handle for carrying objects or carrying handle, having a central portion having two sides and two ends, said central portion having at each of said ends a ring shaped connector
- b) at least a retaining set for the retaining of objects, said retaining set having hooking means to be hooked to said ring shaped connector.
13. The carrying set of claim 12 wherein:
- a) said carrying handle has a longitudinal recess in each of said sides, each of said longitudinal recess having a bottom inner surface, a lateral inner surface and at least one bottom protrusion protruding from said bottom surface, said bottom protrusion useful for connecting purposes,
- there are two stoppers, each of said two stoppers fitting into each of said longitudinal recesses, substantially fills the, recess and has a complementary-shape therewith, said stopper has an external substantially flat surface having a front outline a rear surface having at least one rear protrusion useful for connecting purposes to said bottom protrusion and complementary shaped to said bottom protrusion a lateral part rearly protruding from said front outline to fit into said recess and ending in a rear perimeter
- each of said two stoppers having a thickness and a resistance able to keep in place padding.
14. The carrying set of claim 12 further comprising at least one sliding cable set comprising:
- a) one sliding obstacle or cord lock, which can slide and be blocked on a cable,
- b) a loop shaped cable threaded through said cord lock as to obtain: b1) an upper loop, for connection with a connector and b2) a lower loop having: x) a lower loop beginning, in proximity of said sliding cord lock, y) a lower loop end or sliding end at the opposite side;
- c) a snap hook having a threading part threading said loop shaped cable in correspondence of said upper loop
- d) one elongated friction-blocking element having two ends and first of said two ends having means for connection to said beginning of said lower loop
- whereby it is possible to keep a ski pair blocked in said sliding set thanks to the fact that said friction element is compressed and blocked between said skis when said skis tightened in said sliding set, to prevent any reciprocal movement between said skis and said cable set
15. The carrying set of claim 14 further comprising a elongated handy element connected to said blocking element for the maneuver of said blocking element.
16. A method for the carrying of a package comprising:
- a) two ring shaped elements connected to said package threaded through said flexible element
- c) a carrying handle having a central portion having two ends and a hook shaped element located at each end, said hook shaped element having a hook closure working by the cooperation of two opposite elastic members.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising an elongated flexible element wrapped around said package, threading said two ring shape elements.
18. A closure method for a hooking member comprising
- a) a substantially vertical face having an upper part and a lower part
- b) an elongated flexible tongue protruding outwardly from said upper part and curving downwardly and having a tongue end
- c) A substantially horizontal corbel protruding outwardly from said lower part and curving upwardly in a flexible element having an ending, positioned close and opposite to said tongue end of said flexible tongue;
- d) a hook shaped protrusion extending upwardly from said corbel, said hook protrusion having an end in a position lower than said ending.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 21, 2005
Publication Date: Feb 2, 2006
Inventor: Giancarlo Caputi (Napoli)
Application Number: 11/230,558
International Classification: A45F 5/00 (20060101);