LUGGAGE PROTECTIVE DEVICE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates generally to the protection of objects inside an item of luggage such as a suitcase.

[0002] Pilferage of valuables from luggage during handling of the luggage in loading and transport operations is commonplace particularly at airports and other locations at which the luggage items are not in the direct possession of a user or owner.

[0003] A luggage item which is constructed to be theft-deterrent is, invariably, heavy and expensive. Inherent in this type of approach is the construction of an item of luggage, e.g. a suitcase, which is physically strong so that it is difficult for an unauthorised person to access the interior of the suitcase. Nonetheless if access is gained there is no further deterrent, and objects inside the suitcase can be removed at will.

[0004] It is an aim of the present invention to provide a protective device which, at least partly, addresses the aforementioned factors and which can be included as original equipment with an item of luggage or which can be retrofitted to an existing item of luggage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The invention provides a luggage protective device which includes a lockable enclosure which is formed from sheet material which incorporates at least one elongate

conductive element, a monitor which is connected to the conductive element and which generates an output signal upon detecting a variation in continuity of the element, and an alarm unit which, in response to the output signal, generates an alarm signal.

[0006] The variation in the continuity of the conductive element can be an open circuit e.g. caused by breakage of the element, or a change in its conductive characteristics caused, for example, by an attempt to bridge a portion of its length by a similar element. Thus once a steady state condition has been established in the element any abrupt variation in the steady state condition is taken to be an indicator of a fault condition.

[0007] The enclosure may include a base section with a mouth and a closure for closing the mouth. The closure may be in the form of a zip fastener or an equivalent mechanism. In one form of the invention the closure is in the form of a cover which may be detachably engageable with the base section.

[0008] Preferably the sheet material is flexible. The sheet material may be continuous e.g. in the form of plastic or other sheeting and, in this case, the conductive element may be incorporated in any appropriate way in the sheet material for example by being bonded thereto or by being bonded between two opposing sheets of the material.

[0009] In an alternative form of the invention the sheet material is a mesh and, preferably, the mesh is made from a plurality of the elongate conductive elements interconnected in a net or similar configuration.

[0010] The alarm unit may be of any appropriate kind depending on requirement. The alarm unit may include at least one of the following: an audible signal generator such

as a siren or noise generator, a visible signal generator such as one or more lights which are caused to flash or are otherwise energised upon the occurrence of the output signal, a radio transmitter which transmits a radio signal to one or more receivers which may be at any suitable location, a telephone which may be programmed to dial one or more predetermined numbers, and an SMS transmitter similar to a cell phone which, upon the occurrence of the output signal, sends a predetermined SMS (short message service) signal to one or more recipients.

[0011] The protective device may include at least one energy storage component such as a battery which supplies electrical energy to the monitor and the alarm unit.

[0012] The monitor may include a detector for detecting a variation in the continuity of the element and a processor which, in response to the detector, generates the output signal. In order to control the operation of the processor use may be made of at least one input device for inputting control information to the processor. The input device may be in the form of a keyboard, a radio receiver, an SMS receiver or the like. Any appropriate control technique can be used for controlling the operation of the processor.

[0013] The detector may detect an open circuit condition in a closed circuit formed, at least partly, by the elongate conductive element.

[0014] The protective device may be used in combination with a sensor which detects opening of the item of luggage and which then generates a first alarm signal, or enables the protective device.

[0015] The protective device may be included as original equipment in an item of luggage, for example by being attached to, or being integral with, a body of an item of luggage. Alternatively the protective device can be retrofitted to an item of luggage and, for this purpose, the protective device may include one or more fasteners for securing the protective device to an item of luggage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a luggage protective device in an exploded configuration,

Figure 2 illustrates how the protective device of Figure 1 is installed in an item of luggage such as a suitcase, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view, partly in cross section, of sheet material used in an alternative version of the protective device of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view, in an exploded configuration, of a protective device 10 according to the invention for use in an item of luggage 50 (see Figure 2).

[0018] The protective device includes a lockable enclosure 12 (see Figure 2) which includes a base section 14 and a closure or cover 16.

[0019] In this embodiment the enclosure is made from a flexible mesh material 18. The mesh, in turn, is made from a plurality of elongate conductive elements 20 which are woven or otherwise connected in a mesh configuration with relatively small mesh apertures 22. Each mesh aperture has a size which is sufficiently small to prevent passage of all objects which are larger than the mesh aperture size.

[0020] An insert drawing to Figure 1 illustrates in cross section the construction of a conductive element 20. The element includes a conductive core 24 e.g. of copper, aluminium, carbon fibre or the like and a protective sheath 26, which surrounds the core 24 and which is made from an insulating plastics material.

[0021] In making the mesh material 18 overlying lengths of the elongate element can be heat-welded to each other, by heating the plastic sheaths, or the elements can be knotted or otherwise joined to each other for example by means of an adhesive. An object in this respect is to construct mesh material 18 which is strong and which can only be effectively penetrated by cutting one or more of the elements.

[0022] The base section 14 has a base 28 and a surrounding wall 30 which has an upper rim 32. A number of eyelets 34 are fixed at regularly spaced intervals to the rim 32.

[0023] The cover 16 is made in a similar way to the base section and comprises a rectangular piece of mesh material of dimensions which are substantially the same as the dimensions of the base 28. Eyelets 36 are fixed to a periphery 38 of the cover at regularly spaced intervals.

[0024] An elongate flexible tie 40 is used, when required, to fix the cover to the base section 14 in a secure manner. This is done by threading the tie 40 to alternate eyelets 34 and 36 along the full length of the rim 32 and of the periphery 38. Ends 42 and 44 of the tie are physically locked together by means of a lock 46 or any other suitable locking device.

[0025] Figure 2 illustrates an item of luggage such as a suitcase 50 with which the lockable enclosure 12 is used. The lockable enclosure is positioned inside the suitcase with the base 28 resting on a floor 52 of the suitcase. The base can be fixed adhesively to the floor so that the protective device is securely engaged with the suitcase. Fasteners 53 of other types e.g. clips, ties or the like can also be used to fix the protective device to the suitcase. The cover 16 is accessible when a lid 54 of the suitcase is opened. The lock 46 can then be accessed and the tie 40 can be released to allow a user to pack valuables 56 into the base section 14. Once the base section is filled the cover is re-engaged with the base section and the tie and lock are used to secure the cover to the base section so that the valuables are confined in the lockable enclosure thereby formed.

[0026] An electronic circuit 60 is connected to the lockable enclosure 12. The circuit includes a power supply 62, a processor 64, an input device 66 which is connected to the processor, a monitor 68 and an alarm unit 70. The circuit, optionally, can include a display (not shown) to indicate the status of the circuit, the status of the power supply, whether the alarm unit has been triggered, or the like.

[0027] The power supply 62 is in the form of a long-life or rechargeable battery and is used to power the remaining components of the circuit 60. Each element has a start

point and an end. A plurality of leads 72 extend from the monitor. The leads are in pairs. One lead is connected to a start point of an element 20 and the other lead in the pair is connected to the end point of the conductive element. In this way a continuous electrical circuit is established between the start point and the end. This arrangement permits the integrity or continuity of each of the conductive elements to be monitored. Effectively a short circuit exists across the ends of the pair of leads in question. A small voltage is supplied by the processor 64 to each pair of leads and a small current then flows through the closed circuit constituted by the pair of leads and the conductive element in question. The voltage can be applied continuously, or intermittently. If either lead is broken or if the conductive element is severed then an open circuit condition arises and the current flow through the leads is reduced to zero. This occurrence is detected by the monitor 68 and an output signal is applied to the processor 64. The output signal indicates that one or more of the conductive elements 20 have been breached and this is equated to an alarm condition i.e. that an unauthorised person is attempting to gain access to the interior of the lockable enclosure 12. The alarm unit 70 is then energised and an alarm signal is generated.

[0028] The alarm signal can vary according to requirement and may include one or more of the following: a visual alarm e.g. in the form of a lamp such as an LED which is energised when an alarm condition exists, a siren or noise generator which, upon energisation, provides an audible signal to indicate the existence of an alarm condition, a radio transmitter which can transmit a continuous or intermittent signal to a suitable receiver, a telephone which can be pre-programmed to dial one or more predetermined numbers, and an SMS generator such as that employed in a cellular telephone which, upon actuation, automatically transmits a predetermined SMS message to one or more

recipient cell phones. Depending on the complexity of the arrangement a GPS module 74 can be included to indicate, by means of a transmitted and encoded signal, the geographical position of the luggage item. A plurality of the aforementioned devices can be used in unison. An objective in this regard is to alert a person e.g. the owner of the item of luggage or a security guard of the existence of the alarm condition and, simultaneously, to provide an indication of the whereabouts of the item of luggage. This objective is readily achieved by means of audible or visual signal generator physically attached to the suitcase.

[0029] In order to control the operation of the detection device the input device 66 is used. Typically this device includes a keyboard which when suitably actuated, arms the electronic circuit 60 by turning the processor on, or disarms the circuit by turning the processor off. ft is also possible for the device 66 to be a radio receiver which, in response to a coded signal sent from an authorised transmitter, turns the processor on or off according to requirement. A similar function can be achieved by using a cell phone or part thereof which is programmed to react to a coded SMS message which is used to turn the processor on or off according to requirement.

[0030] The lid of the structure, when opened, could actuate a sensor e.g. a switch which, optionally enables the electronic circuit, or generates an alarm signal. This adds to the security afforded by the protective device. With this modification, which is readily realised by using an electronic locking system 76 between the lid and the remainder of the suitcase, opening of the lid could be used to trigger a timer which times a preset interval. At the end of the interval an alarm is automatically generated e.g. by using the alarm unit 70, unless a user has reset the electronic monitoring circuit 60. This is in

place of, or in addition to, the possibility of controlling the circuit by means of a radio signal, SMS message or the like.

[0031] Figure 3 illustrates a portion of sheet material 80 which is made, for example, from flexible and planar sheets 82 and 84 of a suitable plastics material between which are sandwiched a plurality of conductive elements 20 each of the kind described in connection with Figure 1. The sheet material can be used inside the lockable enclosure

14 and can, if required, cover the base 28, the walls 30 and the cover 16. Alternatively the sheet material can cover the base 28 only. It is also possible to use the sheet material to form the enclosure in its entirety and, in this event, use is not made of the mesh material 18.

[0032] In the preceding description reference has been made to an electrical conductor 20. The conductor can be of any suitable electrically conductive material but, in an alternative form of the invention, the conductor could be a fibre optic cable. In this event an optical signal is sent by the monitor 60 through each closed circuit in the assembled lockable enclosure and receipt of the signal is taken as an indication that the integrity of the enclosure has not been compromised. It is preferred to make use of an optical arrangement for this is more difficult to bypass than a system which is based on the principles of electrical conduction.

[0033] Another possible variation is to use a zip-type fastener in the cover, which is permanently attached to, or integral with, the base section to open or close an access opening to the lockable enclosure.

[0034] The protective device can readily be fitted to an existing item of luggage or can be incorporated into a new item of luggage under factory conditions by forming a body

of the item of luggage integrally with the sheet material which embodies the conductive elements. As used herein "luggage" means a suitcase, bag, box or other container used for the transport or storage of goods.