LUGGAGE COVER

Abstract

A cover for a luggage container useable as a suitcase. The cover includes a body formed of a flexible, durable material that is constructed to fully enclose the luggage container. The body includes a main opening that allows access to an interior of the body, and first and second sets of closeable openings that allow passage of wheels and handles of the luggage container when positioned within the body. The cover further includes one or more handles on an exterior surface, and optional zippered pockets and attachment points for straps useful for carrying the cover. The cover provides a secure interior that may be used as a travel case when each of the main opening and the first and second sets of closeable openings are closed.

Claims

1. A cover for a luggage container, the cover comprising: a body formed of a flexible, durable material, and configured to fully enclose the luggage container, the body comprising: a main opening that is openable to allow access to an interior of the body, the main opening comprising a fastening apparatus, a first set of closeable openings on a bottom side of the cover configured to allow passage of wheels of the luggage container when positioned within the body, and a second set of closeable openings on a first, second, or top side of the cover, or any combination thereof, configured to allow passage of handles of the luggage container when positioned within the body; and one or more handles on an exterior of the body positioned on the first side, the second side, the top side, or any combination thereof, wherein the cover provides a secure interior configured as a travel case when each of the main opening, the first set of closeable openings, and the second set of closeable openings are closed.

2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the body comprises front and back panels, top and bottom panels, and first and second side panels, wherein the body main opening is positioned on (i) a perimeter of the front panel, or (ii) a midpoint of the top, bottom, and first and second side panels.

3. The cover of claim 2, wherein the fastening apparatus is an expandable zipper positioned along a perimeter of the front panel.

4. The cover of claim 1, comprising: at least one second fastening apparatus configured to allow expansion of the body of the cover, wherein the second fastening apparatus is an expandable zipper.

5. The cover of claim 2, comprising: at least one second fastening apparatus configured to allow expansion of the body of the cover, wherein the at least one second fastening apparatus is positioned along (i) a perimeter of the front panel, (ii) a perimeter formed by top edges of the top, bottom, and first and second side panels, (iii) a midpoint of the top, bottom, and first and second side panels, and/or (vi) a perimeter of an external pouch or pocket, and wherein the second fastening apparatus is an expandable zipper.

6. The cover of claim 1, wherein the first set of closeable openings comprise two to four zippered openings on the bottom side of the body.

7. The cover of claim 6, wherein each of the two to four zippered openings comprise a fastener on an inner surface thereof configured for attachment to a mated fastener on an inner surface of the body.

8. The cover of claim 1, wherein the second set of closeable openings comprise a zippered opening on one or more of a first side panel, a second side panel, and a top side panel.

9. The cover of claim 8, wherein each of the second set of closeable openings comprise a fastener on an inner or outer surface thereof configured for attachment to a mated fastener on an inner or outer surface, respectively, of the body.

10. A cover for a luggage container, the cover comprising: a body formed of a flexible, durable material, and configured to fully enclose the luggage container, the body comprising: front and back panels, top and bottom panels, and first and second side panels, wherein the front panel is openable via a fastening apparatus to allow access to an interior of the body, a first set of closeable openings on the bottom panel configured to allow passage of wheels of the luggage container when positioned within the body, and a second set of closeable openings on the first side panel, the second side panel, the top panel, or any combination thereof configured to allow passage of handles of the luggage container when positioned within the body; and one or more handles on an exterior of the body positioned on the first side panel, the second side panel, the top panel, or any combination thereof, wherein the cover provides a secure interior configured as a travel case when each of the main opening, the first set of closeable openings, and the second set of closeable openings are closed.

11. The cover of claim 10, wherein each of the first and second side panels and the top and bottom panels are securely connected to the back panel along a perimeter thereof forming a rectangular container.

12. The cover of claim 10, wherein the top panel is securely connected to at least a portion of a top perimeter of one of the first side panel or the second side panel, and is releasably connected to the top perimeter of the other of the first side panel or the second side panel, and a top perimeter of the top and bottom panels via the fastening apparatus.

13. The cover of claim 10, wherein the fastening apparatus is a zipper positioned along a perimeter of the front panel.

14. The cover of claim 10, wherein the fastening apparatus is an expandable zipper positioned along a perimeter of the front panel.

15. The cover of claim 10, comprising: at least one second fastening apparatus configured to allow expansion of the body of the cover, wherein the second fastening apparatus is an expandable zipper.

16. The cover of claim 10, comprising: at least one second fastening apparatus configured to allow expansion of the body of the cover, wherein the at least one second fastening apparatus is positioned along (i) a perimeter of the front panel, (ii) a perimeter formed by top edges of the top, bottom, and first and second side panels, (iii) a midpoint of the top, bottom, and first and second side panels, and/or (vi) a perimeter of an external pouch or pocket, and wherein the second fastening apparatus is an expandable zipper.

17. The cover of claim 10, wherein the first set of closeable openings comprise two to four zippered openings on the bottom panel of the body.

18. The cover of claim 17, wherein each of the two to four zippered openings comprise a fastener on an inner surface thereof configured for attachment to a matching fastener on an inner surface of the body.

19. The cover of claim 10, wherein each of the second set of closeable openings comprise a fastener on an inner or outer surface thereof configured for attachment to a mated fastener on an inner or outer surface, respectively, of the body.

20. The cover of claim 10, wherein the front, back, top, bottom, and first and second side panels are separate portions of material that are connected together by stitching to form the body of the cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Aspects, features, benefits and advantages of the embodiments herein will be apparent with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. In the following figures, like numerals represent like features in the various views. It is to be noted that features and components in these drawings, illustrating the views of embodiments of the present invention, unless stated to be otherwise, are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0022] FIG. 1A illustrates a top perspective view of a luggage cover in an open state according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 1B illustrates the luggage cover of FIG. 1A with handle and wheel openings zippered open.

[0024] FIG. 2A illustrates a side view of a luggage cover according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the luggage cover of FIG. 2A with an expandable zipper opened.

[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of the luggage cover of FIG. 2A.

[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the luggage cover of FIG. 2A.

[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates a top perspective view the luggage cover of FIG. 1A with a main opening in an open state and a luggage container positioned therein (shown in dotted outline).

[0029] FIG. 6 illustrates a top perspective view the luggage cover of FIG. 1A with the main opening in a closed state and a luggage container positioned therein (shown in dotted outline).

[0030] FIG. 7 illustrates a top perspective of a luggage cover in a closed state according to aspects of the present disclosure, having a luggage container positioned therein (shown in dotted outline).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In the following description, the present invention is set forth in the context of various alternative embodiments and implementations involving luggage covers or cases for luggage. The embodiments disclosed herein will provide durable covers for luggage of various sizes and configurations that may be useable as luggage when absent the luggage container.

[0032] Various aspects of the luggage covers may be illustrated by describing components that are coupled, attached, and/or joined together. As used herein, the terms coupled, attached, and/or joined are interchangeably used to indicate either a direct connection between two components or, where appropriate, an indirect connection to one another through intervening or intermediate components. In contrast, when a component is referred to as being directly coupled, directly attached, and/or directly joined to another component, there are no intervening elements shown in said examples.

[0033] Various aspects of the systems, methods, and luggage covers disclosed herein may be illustrated with reference to one or more exemplary implementations. As used herein, the term exemplary means serving as an example, instance, or illustration, and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other variations of the systems or methods disclosed herein. Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not.

[0034] Furthermore, throughout the specification, reference to one embodiment, an embodiment, or some embodiments means that a particular described feature, structure, or characteristic is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases in one embodiment, in an embodiment, or in some embodiments in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or not described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

[0035] Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words lower, upper, bottom, top, front, back, left, right and sides designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made but are not limiting with respect to the orientation in which the various parts of the needle or any assembly of them may be used.

[0036] It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms a, an, and the include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a zipper, an opening, or the cover, is a reference to one or more of each and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0037] The term luggage is used broadly herein to refer to any travel case, suitcase, baggage, or other container useable to transport personal goods or items when traveling. For ease of understanding, throughout the remainder of this detailed description, the luggage cover disclosed herein may be referred to simply as the cover, and the luggage container which the cover is configured to cover may be referred to simply as the luggage.

[0038] With reference to FIGS. 1A-7, a cover 10 according to the present disclosure is illustrated. The cover comprises a body formed by a front panel 12, a back panel 14, a top panel 20, a bottom panel 22, and first and second side panels (16 and 18, respectively). Each of the first and second side panels (16 and 18, respectively) and the top and bottom panels (20 and 22, respectively) may be securely connected to the back panel 14 along a perimeter thereof forming a rectangular container. The top panel 12 may be securely connected, i.e., non-releasably connected, to at least a portion of a top perimeter of one of the first side panel 16 or the second side panel 18 and may be releasably connected to the top perimeter of the other of the first side panel or the second side panel, and a top perimeter of the top and bottom panels via the fastening apparatus. That is, the cover 10 generally includes at least one openable side or panel, such as the front panel 12 shown in the figures, that may provide access to an interior of the cover.

[0039] Each of the panels may be separate sections attached via stitching to adjacent panels to form the cover. Alternatively, the cover may be created from a continuous portion of material that may be attached along respective edges to form the cover. For example, the front 12, first side 16, back 14, and second side 18 panel portions may be continuous and the region of the first or second side panel may include extensions that form the top and bottom panels (e.g., 20 and 22, respectively) when connected to the back 14 and side panel (16 or 18, depending on the configuration), such as via stitching.

[0040] When the openable side of the cover 10 is on the front panel 12, such as shown in the figures, the font panel 12 may include a fastening apparatus 24 positioned along a perimeter, such as along edges of three of the four sides of the front panel 12 shown in the figures. The fastening apparatus 24 may extend along a portion of a fourth side 13 of the front panel 12 to allow full opening and easy access to an interior of the cover. A remainder of the fourth side may be non-releasably attached to the main body, e.g., along all or a portion of a side panel 16. The fastening means may be any known in the art, but most preferable is a durable zipper.

[0041] According to aspects, the cover 10 can be configured to have one or more expandable portions 26 (e.g., fabric expansion gusset), which can be utilized to expand at least the main body of the cover. For example, the fastening apparatus 24 may be an expandable zipper (24), as shown in FIG. 2B, which includes a second zipper apparatus or track that allows expansion of a region of the cover, such as along a perimeter of the front panel 12 and/or along perimeters of the top 20, bottom 22, and side panels (16, 18). Alternatively, the cover may include a second fastening apparatus 24 for the expandable portion that is separate from the fastening apparatus 24, e.g., the second fastening apparatus 24 may be an expandable zipper.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2A, the expandable region may be kept in an unexpanded state when the fastening apparatus 24 or second fastening apparatus 24 is kept in a closed state. As example, the second fastening apparatus may comprise a zipper mechanism for coupling together two zipper tracks with a zipper slider. Alternatively, or additionally, other suitable fasteners such as snaps, hook and loop fasteners, VELCRO, or the like may be utilized to keep the expandable portion 26 in an unexpanded state. As shown in FIG. 2B, when additional room is needed in the cover, such as when the luggage that the cover is enclosing is expanded, a user may unfasten the fastening apparatus of the expandable portion to expand the expandable material of the luggage cover, e.g., may pull a slider of an expansion zipper of the second fastening apparatus 24.

[0043] While the expandable region is shown as positioned along a perimeter of the front panel 12, it could also be positioned along the top 20, side 18, and bottom 22 panels, such as midway between the front 12 and back 14 panels. Moreover, more than one expandable region may be included in the cover, such as (i) along a perimeter of the front panel 12, (ii) along perimeters of the top 20, bottom 22, and side panels (16, 18), (iii) along the top 20, side 18, and bottom 22 panels, and/or (vi) along a perimeter of an external pouch or pocket (e.g., pocket 42 of FIG. 7).

[0044] With reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3, the cover may include a first set of openings (30a-30d) on a bottom panel (22) that provide exit of wheels (31) of the luggage when positioned within an interior of the body of the cover. As shown, the first set of openings may include four (4) zippered openings (30a-30d). Alternatively, and depending on the design of the luggage, the first set of openings may include only two (2) openings configured for wheels (e.g., openings 30a and 30b, or 30a and 30c, or 30c and 30d, or 30b and 30d). In this latter case, the cover may include no additional openings on the bottom panel or may include additional openings configured for passage of portions of the luggage used for stability (i.e., feet or support bars).

[0045] When opened, the first set of openings will leave two to four flaps of fabric that may be pushed toward the inner cavity of the cover so that they do not obstruct movement of wheels of the luggage positioned within the cover 10. According to certain aspects, the first set of openings may each include an attachment means (32a in FIG. 1A; only one is shown) on an inner surface thereof that may provide for connection to a mated attachment means (32b in FIG. 1A; only one is shown) on an inner side surface of the cover (e.g., inner surface of the first and second side panels, 16 and 18, respectively). These mated attachment means may allow the first set of openings, when opened, to remain securely attached to the inner surface. Exemplary attachment means include snaps, hook and loop closures, VELCRO, and the like.

[0046] With reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, the cover may also include a second set of openings configured to allow passage of handles of the luggage positioned within the inner cavity of the cover. For example, the second set of openings may include a single opening 34 in a top panel (e.g., 20) of the cover and/or on a first or second side panel (16 or 18, respectively) of the cover. The second set of openings may include a single zippered opening. When opened, the second set of openings will leave flap(s) of fabric that may be pushed toward the inner cavity of the body so that they do not obstruct access to the handle(s) (36) of the luggage. According to certain aspects, the second set of openings may include an attachment means on an inner surface thereof that may provide for connection to a mated attachment means on an inner side surface of the cover (e.g., inner front or back panel, 12 or 14, respectively). These mated attachment means may allow the second set of openings, when opened, to remain securely attached to the inner surface. Exemplary attachment means include snaps, hook and loop closures, VELCRO, and the like.

[0047] Alternatively, or additionally, the second set of openings will leave flap(s) of fabric that may be folded outward toward the outer surface of the body so that they do not obstruct access to the handle(s) (36) of the luggage. According to certain aspects, the second set of openings may include an attachment means on an outer surface thereof that may provide for connection to a mated attachment means on an outer side surface of the cover (e.g., outer portion of the front or back panel, 12 or 14, respectively, or outer portion of one of the side or top panels). These mated attachment means may allow the second set of openings, when opened, to remain securely attached to the outer surface. Exemplary attachment means include snaps, hook and loop closures, VELCRO, and the like.

[0048] As shown in each of FIGS. 1-7, the cover may also include one or more handles 38 on an exterior side, such as on an outer surface of the top panel 20 and/or on an outer surface of a first and/or second side panels (16 and/or 18, respectively). Additionally, attachment points 40 such as D-rings may be included on each of these surfaces allowing attachment of a strap or additional handle.

[0049] The cover may further include pockets 42 on an outer surface, such as the zipper pocket shown on the back panel 14 of the cover in FIG. 7. Such pockets may also or alternatively be positioned on a front panel 12, or either of the side panels (16 and/or 18, respectively).

[0050] When not used to cover a piece of luggage, the cover may be used as a piece of luggage in its own right. In this case, each of the first and second sets of openings (e.g., 30a-d, 34) would be zippered closed to provide a secure inner compartment having a closeable front panel. The zipper slides for each of the first and second sets of openings may be positioned on an inner surface of the cover 10 so they are not exposed to wear and tear and/or so they are more secure (i.e., offer a more secure closure that is not easily opened when the cover is left unattended). Additional security means may be included for each of the first and second sets of openings, such as attachment points for the zippers (i.e., closeable hooks on which the zipper slides may attach when in the closed state, and the like).

[0051] Accordingly, the presently disclosed invention provides a cover for a piece of luggage that may be used as a piece of luggage when absent the luggage. Should a traveler need additional storage space during a trip, each of the first and second set of openings may be closed to provide a secured interior space closeable by a zippered cover. The interior space of the cover may be expanded to provide additional space within the cover when used as a piece of luggage, or to accommodate a piece of luggage in the expanded state.

[0052] While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternations and applications could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements, systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention.