Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RETRACTABLE TARPAULIN COVER FOR
AIRCRAFT LUGGAGE CARRIERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to luggage
carriers of the types used in airports and, more
particularly, to a retractable cover for such
luggage carriers to protect luggage carried thereby
between the airport terminals and the aircrafts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Luggage carriers are used in airports to
carry luggage from the airport terminals to the
aircrafts. These luggage carriers normally resemble
a trailer hitched to an appropriate motor vehicle
and sometimes a series of such luggage carriers can
be successively connected one to the other, in a
train-like manner. Each luggage carrier normally
has the shape of an open-ended box mounted wheels
and adapted to be pulled by the motor vehicle. The
carrier is adapted to receive therein luggage,
normally in the form of a large number of suitcases,
which become subject to rain, snow, wind, etc., when
transported from the airport terminal to the
aircraft loading area. Furthermore, if the luggage
carrier is sufficiently filled with luggage, some
suitcases can fall off the luggage carrier during
the conveying of the luggage. To protect the
luggage, it is known to lay a plastic cover over the
carrier which can easily be blown away by the wind
as it is often not tied to the carrier. Also,
hooks are sometimes employed to hold down the
plastic cover, but these hooks are often inadequate
and allow the cover to release at least partly from
the carrier and the cover can get caught in the
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wheels of the carrier and tear; the cover can even
fly into the aircraft's engines and cause damage
thereto.
Accordingly, there is a need for a closure to
cover the open-ended box during the transport of the
luggage. For instance, United States Patent No.
3,383,133 issued to Dean on May 14, 1968 discloses a
cover for aircraft luggage carriers of the type
having a V-shaped bottom wall 11 and a pair of
parallel and rectangular end walls 13 and 14. A
reel 25 is longitudinally mounted atop the end walls
13 and 14 and a flexible cover 52 is mounted
thereto. The reel can be unwound to seemingly cover
the luggage carrier and can further be wound and
stored around a shaft 28 thereof.
United States Patent No. 4,563,034 issued to
Lamb on January 7, 1986 shows a retractable cover 10
for covering the bed of pick-up trucks wherein the
bed is shaped as a rectangular open-ended box such
that the retractable cover 10 must basically be able
to close a horizontal and rectangular opening with
the upper edges of the side walls of the open-ended
box all extending in a common horizontal plane. One
end of the cover 10 is fixed to a spring-loaded
roller or drum 22 which is rotatably mounted at the
front of the truck's bed and below the
aforementioned horizontal plane and thus below the
extended truck cover 10. The cover 10 includes
longitudinal beaded side edges 12 and 14 adapted to
be engaged in and to slide along C-shaped openings
defined at the inner upper ends of the longitudinal
sides 28 and 30 of the truck bed 32.
British Publication No. GB-2,118,115-8
published on October 26, 1983 in the name of Taylor
et al. discloses a flexible cover 11 for vehicles
which is rectangular in shape with opposed
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triangular side flaps lla,llb hanging from each of
its respective opposite longitudinal edges. The
cover is secured to a roller about which it can be
rolled and unrolled. A hood 27 is provided at the
distal end of the cover to secure the unrolled cover
to an end region of an object to be covered thereby.
The side flaps hang from the central region of the
cover to provide at least a partial protection for
each side of the covered object.
British Patent Specification No. 693,979
published on July 8, 1953 in the name of Cates
discloses a cover A attached at one end thereof to a
spring-loaded roller B with a rope line F being
provided at the distal end of the cover sheet A for
drawing the sheet over the body of the vehicle and
with cleats G being fitted at the rear of the
vehicle body to hold the rope line F for retaining
the sheet A in its extended position. Spring-loaded
hooks H are fitted along the upper longitudinal
sides of the vehicle body and are adapted to engage
in eyelets J provided along the longitudinal edges
of the sheet A in order to hold the same down when
extended over the vehicle body.
British Patent Publication No. GB-2,243,849-A
published on November 13, 1991 in the name of Green
discloses a retractable cover 26 mounted on a roller
with the cover 26 comprising a pair of optional side
panels 28 provided with securing means 30 at the
lower ends thereof.
West German Publication No. DE-27 49 560-Al
published on May 10, 1979 in the name of Seitz
discloses a luggage cover comprised of a spring-
loaded roller on which is wound a flexible cover.
The cover once extended can be attached to the side
of the vehicle by way of a support bar 20 provided
at the front edge of the cover and defining recessed
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catches 22 adapted to be engaged to hooks. The
roller is of the ratchet type.
United States Patent No. 4,968,085 issued on
November 6, 1990 to Stann teaches a truck bed cover
having a rectangular center section of a size
adapted to cover the truck bed, surrounded by four
outwardly extending panels or flaps which can be
secured to the truck body at various locations such
as to cover and protect loads of varying height.
United States Patent No. 5,423,588 issued on
June 13, 1995 to Eglinton discloses a cover for use
with a load-carrying area of a vehicle, wherein a
web retractably mounted on a spring-loaded roller
comprises a pair of folded-back wings which can be
pulled down to cover the sides of the load and then
tied in place once the web has been pulled out from
the housing in which the roller is located.
United States Patents No. 5,054,840 issued on
October 8, 1991 to Wilhite and No. 3,774,958 issued
on November 27, 1973 to Thorpe disclose further
retractable covers for open-ended truck beds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present
invention to provide an improved retractable
tarpaulin cover for aircraft luggage carriers.
It is also an aim of the present invention to
provide a retractable cover for aircraft luggage
carriers which comprises a substantially
horizontally extending section and a pair of
depending vertical side sections for closing the
side of the luggage carrier, specially in the case
of luggage carriers having longitudinal side walls
which are shorter than their end walls.
Therefore, in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a cover assembly for
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use on luggage carriers of the type having a floor
and side walls extending upwardly therefrom such as
to define an open-ended luggage receiving chamber,
the side walls including at least one shorter wall
and at least two higher walls, comprising roller
means adapted to be mounted to the luggage carrier
and retractable flexible cover means attached to
said roller means and adapted for displacement
between a retracted position which permits access to
the chamber for loading the luggage in the carrier
and for unloading the luggage therefrom, and an
extended position for substantially covering the
carrier and isolating the luggage contained therein
from the outside, said cover means comprising a
main panel and at least one dependent panel and
being adapted to be secured to the carrier in said
extended position with said main panel extending
substantially between upper ends of the higher walls
and said dependent panel extending from said main
panel downwardly to an upper end of the shorter wall
for substantially closing an opening defined between
the higher walls, said main panel and the shorter
wall.
Also in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a cover assembly in
combination with an aircraft luggage carrier of the
type having a floor mounted on ground engaging
wheels and walls extending upwardly from said floor
such as to define an open-ended luggage receiving
chamber, said walls including at least one shorter
wall and at least two higher walls, said cover
assembly comprising roller means adapted to be
mounted to said luggage carrier and retractable
flexible cover means attached to said roller means
and adapted for displacement between a retracted
position which permits access to said chamber for
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loading the luggage in said carrier and for
unloading the luggage therefrom, and an extended
position for substantially covering said carrier and
isolating the luggage contained therein from the
outside, said cover means comprising a main panel
and at least one dependent panel and being adapted
to be secured to said carrier in said extended
position with said main panel extending
substantially between upper ends of said higher
walls and said dependent panel extending from said
main panel downwardly to an upper end of said
shorter wall for substantially closing an opening
defined between said higher walls, said main panel
and said shorter wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature of
the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings showing by way of illustration
a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a retractable
tarpaulin cover for open-ended aircraft luggage
carriers in accordance with the present invention,
wherein the retractable cover is shown in a fully
retracted position thereof;
FIG. 2 is a perspective of the retractable
cover of Fig. 1 but shown in a partly extended
position thereof, i.e., in the midst of closing the
open-ended luggage carrier; and
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the
retractable cover of Fig. 1 but shown in an almost
completely extended position thereof for closing the
luggage carrier.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 illustrates an open-ended box-shaped
luggage carrier C which is provided on its underside
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with four wheel assemblies (not shown) to allow the
luggage carrier C to be displaced, when hitched to a
motor vehicle between airport terminals and aircraft
loading areas. More particularly, the luggage
carrier C comprises a bottom wall 10, a pair of
longitudinal side walls 12 extending vertically from
the bottom wall 10 in a spaced-apart and
substantially parallel relationship, and a pair of
parallel and vertical end walls, namely, a front end
wall 14 and a rear end wall 16. The wheel
assemblies are normally mounted on the underside of
the bottom wall 10. A hitch (not shown) is normally
provided on the outside surface of the front end
wall 14 to allow the luggage carrier C to be
connected to an appropriate motor vehicle.
The front and rear end walls 14 and 16 are
typically fixedly secured to the bottom wall 10 and
extend vertically in a parallel and spaced-apart
relationship. In contrast, at least one of the side
walls 12, and in the present embodiment both side
walls 12, are pivotally mounted to the bottom wall
for reasons which will become apparent
hereinafter. The side walls 12 and the front and
rear end walls 14 and 16 in concert with the bottom
wall 10 form an open-ended box-like container
defining therein a horizontally extending right
rectangular parallelepiped-shaped receptacle which
vertically terminates at the level of upper
longitudinal edges 18 of the side walls 12 as the
side walls 12 are vertically shorter than the front
and rear end walls 14 and 16. The receptacle is
aimed at receiving luggage to be carried by the
carrier C typically from the airport terminals to
the aircraft loading areas. In view of the
substantially large dimensions of the suitcases,
luggage can be accumulated in bulk in the luggage
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carrier C past the upper edges 18 obviously as long
as the luggage is substantially stable in the
aforementioned receptacle. The side walls 12 are
made pivotable with respect to the bottom wall 10 in
order to facilitate the discharge of the luggage
from the carrier C. Accordingly, each side wall 12
is connected to the bottom wall 10 by way of a pair
of hinge assemblies 20. Cooperating catch
assemblies 22 are provided on the side walls 12 and
on the front end wall 14 for retaining the side
walls 12 in the locked vertical position thereof
shown in the drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, the
carrier C is provided with a closure or cover
assembly M which comprises a roller mechanism 24
secured to the rear end wall 16 and a retractable
flexible tarpaulin cover 26 which is illustrated in
Fig. 1 in a rolled attitude around a rotatable drum
(not shown) of the roller mechanism 24. More
particularly, the retractable cover 26 is fixedly
secured at one end thereof to the rotatable drum
which is adapted to be rotated, either manually or
by way of an electric motor, such as to cause the
retractable cover 26 to wind around or unwind from
the drum. The retractable cover 26 can be made of a
variety of materials, e.g. fabric, rubber-based,
plastics, etc., which can have a number of
properties such an imperviousness to water (i.e.
rain), high resistance to tearing, etc.
At the longitudinal end of the retractable
^over 26 which is opposite its end secured to the
drum, there are provided a pair of handles 28 such
that, when pulled in the direction shown by arrows
30 in Fig. 2, they cause the retractable cover 26 to
rotatably unwind from the drum as per arrow 32 with
the unwound portion of the retractable cover 26
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displacing substantially horizontally and
translationally along arrow 34 above the receptacle
and towards the front end wall 14. The outer
surface of the front end wall 14 is provided with a
pair of fingers 36 which are adapted to engage V-
shaped hooks 38 provided in the handles 28, as seen
in Fig. 3.
Typically, the drum carrying the retractable
cover 26 is spring-loaded in the roller mechanism 24
whereby, to unwind the retractable cover 26 from the
roller mechanism 24 (see Fig. 2), one must pull on
the cover 26 while exerting a force greater than
that of the return spring force acting on the drum.
Once the hooks 28 have been engaged around the
fingers 36, the same return spring force ensures
that this connection remains secure. Upon release
of the hooks 38 from the fingers 36, the spring
force will cause the retractable cover 26 to wind
around the drum of the roller mechanism 24. Typical
spring-loaded roller assemblies can be used, such as
those disclosed in aforementioned United States
Patent No. 4,563,034 to Lamb and United States
Patent No. 5,423,588 to Eglinton.
As seen in Fig. 2, the retractable cover 26
comprises a main central section 40 which is
substantially rectangular and which extends
substantially horizontally between upper edges 42 of
the front and rear end walls 14 and 16. The
retractable cover 26 also comprises a pair of side
sections or flaps 44 which, when the retractable
cover 26 is at least partly rolled around the roller
mechanism 24, are folded atop the central section 40
and extend thereabove in a substantially parallel
and overlying relationship. As also seen in Fig. 2,
rectangular openings are defined between the upper
edges 18 of the side walls 12 and the central
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section 40 of the cover 26 and both end walls 14 and
16 due to the difference in height of the side walls
12 with respect to the end walls 14 and 16.
Therefore, once the retractable cover 26 has been
completely unwound from the roller mechanism 24, the
side flaps 44 are unfolded, that is, removed from
the central section 40 and allowed to drop outwardly
along the sides of the side walls 12 thereby closing
the aforementioned rectangular openings, as seen at
the right hand side of Fig. 3.
As seen in Fig. 2, the upper side of the side
flaps 44, when folded over the central section 40,
are each provided with a pair of female VelcroTM
sections 46 with cooperating male VelcroTM sections
48 being provided on the outer surfaces of the side
walls 12. Accordingly, when the side flaps 44 are
unfolded, such as in Fig. 3, they can be secured to
the side walls lZ by way of their cooperating Velcro
TM sectionS 46 and 48.
With the hooks 38 secured to the fingers 36
and with the side flaps 44 secured to the side walls
12, the luggage carrier C defines a closed chamber
extending between the front and rear end walls 14
and 16, the bottom wall 14 and the central section
40 of the retractable cover 26, and the opposite
composite side walls formed by the cooperating rigid
side walls 12 and the side flaps 44 of the
retractable cover 26. This closed compartment or
chamber protects the luggage provided therein and
carried by the luggage carrier C from being damaged
by various elements, e.g., wind, snow, rain, etc.,
and also substantially prevents the luggage from
falling off the luggage carrier C.
To discharge the luggage carrier C, the side
flaps 44 are first disengaged from the side walls 12
and folded above the central section 40 such as to
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be supported thereby in a horizontal manner, and
then the hooks 38 are disengaged from the fingers 36
thereby allowing the spring-loaded drum of the
roller mechanism 24 to gradually cause the
retractable cover 26 to wind therearound until it
reaches its retracted position shown in Fig. 1.
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