PASSIVELY MOBILE LUGGAGE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001 ] The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application

Serial No. 61 /993995, titled APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING PASSIVELY MOBILE LUGGAGE, filed May 15, 2014, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

[0002] The present disclosure relates to luggage and containers, and, more particularly, to an apparatus, system and method of providing passively mobile luggage and containers.

Background of the Disclosure

[0003] It is well established that one of the most difficult aspects of traveling is maneuvering one's luggage. For example, when traveling alone or in a small party, it may difficult to maneuver multiple bags, as each such bag may require the grasping of a handle and, needless to say, each traveler has only two hands. Consequently, maneuvering more than two bags, or more than one bag if one hand is otherwise occupied holding a child, a coffee, etc., can be of great difficulty. Moreover, when traveling in larger party, such as in a family unit, multiple bags may need to be carried for multiple members of the party by fewer members of the traveling party. For example, two parents may need to maneuver luggage not only for the two parents, but additionally for several children. Maneuvering luggage in the foregoing and other instances can prove difficult, at least for the reasons stated above.

[0004] Further, maneuvering luggage in general can be difficult, such as due to the weight of certain luggage, or luggage type, or luggage size. For example, a large piece of luggage filled with heavy materials, such as clothing and souvenirs, can be exceedingly difficult to maneuver through, for example, an airport, particularly when additional items of luggage must be carried by the same person.

[0005] Therefore, the need exists for an improved apparatus, system, and method of transporting luggage.

SUMMARY

[0006] The present invention is and includes at least a passively mobile luggage system and method. The disclosed system and method may include a first electromagnet suitable for physical association with the luggage; a second electromagnet suitable for association with a traveler; and a correspondence between said first electromagnet and said second electromagnet, wherein said correspondence uniquely pairs at least said first electromagnet to second electromagnet to indicate that the luggage physically associated with said first electromagnet passively follow the traveler associated with the second electromagnet.

[0007] Thus, the present invention provides at least an improved apparatus, system, and method of transporting luggage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0008] The disclosure will be described in conjunction with the following figures, in which like numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the features of an exemplary embodiment of passively mobile luggage according to the instant invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The figures and descriptions provided herein may be simplified to illustrate aspects of the described embodiments that are relevant for a clear understanding of the herein disclosed processes, machines, manufactures, and/or compositions of matter, while eliminating for the purpose of clarity other aspects that may be found in similar devices, systems, and methods. Those of ordinary skill may thus recognize that other elements and/or steps may be desirable or necessary to implement the devices, systems, and methods described herein. Because such elements and steps are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the disclosed embodiments, a discussion of such elements and steps may not be provided herein. However, the present disclosure is deemed to inherently include all such elements, variations, and modifications to the described aspects that would be known to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.

[001 1 ] The present invention is and includes a simplified system, apparatus, and method for passively mobile luggage. As used herein, luggage may include suitcases, strollers, wheelchairs, and the like. As illustrated in Figure 1 , the present invention may include at least an item of luggage 1 10 (or any other container type known to those skilled in the pertinent arts), which luggage item 1 10 may be specialized in accordance with the present invention, or which may be fit or retro fit for operation in the present invention. The luggage 1 1 0 in the present invention may be corresponded to the transporter of the luggage, as discussed herein throughout. For example, an electromagnetic pairing maybe performed between the luggage, such as using an implanted electromagnet 1 1 2 or an inserted electromagnet 1 12, and a paired item 1 14 on the person of the traveler. For example, the traveler may possess an electromagnet 1 14 corresponded to the luggage electromagnet 1 1 2 in the form of a belt buckle, purse buckle, electromagnet suitable for placement or clipping in or to a pocket, a purse, a carried item of luggage, or the like.

Further, the correspondence between the matched pairs of electromagnets may occur via a mobile device 120 directive, such as may be indicated via Bluetooth, NFC, radio frequency, infrared, or the like. Additionally and alternatively, the mobile device may provide the attractive pairing to an electromagnet in the suitcase. The mobile device may correspond the electro magnet on the person of the traveler with the electromagnet in the luggage using the aforementioned infrared, Bluetooth, near field communication, cellular communication, or the like, through one or more "apps" on the mobile device with which the traveler may interact. Alternatively, the mobile device may itself form a link to the luggage via one or more of these same methodologies, such as through the use of an embedded electromagnetic system in the mobile device, or the like, and such as based on directives from the traveler to the one or more apps on the mobile device.

[0013] Simply put, an electromagnet 1 12, or other magnet suitable for unique correspondence, may be matched as between an associated item of luggage 1 10 and a matched pair magnet 1 14 on the person of a traveler, such that the item of luggage may "follow" the traveler within a predetermined distance, among other factors that may be indicated to the aforementioned app, as the traveler moves about within, for example, an airport. This correspondence between traveler and luggage may include unique pairings as may be performed generally in the known art, such as for mobile devices. For example, Walsh coding via CDMA, FDMA, TDMA, or the like may be employed in order to match a magnet pair, such as using a directive from a mobile device, which thereby allows a large number of matched magnet sets to operate on the same frequency and in a confined space without items of luggage "following" the wrong traveler.

[0014] As mentioned above, luggage may be specialized for use in the present invention to include a magnet or electromagnet, or luggage may be fitted or retro-fitted to operate with the present invention. For example, a card electromagnet or the like may be inserted into a bag, such as within an exterior pocket of the bag, or may be associated with a bag tag of a bag, or the like. Moreover, it will be understood in light of the disclosure herein that multiple luggage electromagnets may be match paired to a single electromagnet on the person of a traveler.

[0015] Additionally, and as referenced above, Bluetooth, NFC, infrared, RF, and the like may be employed to provide unique links that allow a unique pairing as between the traveler and luggage. Accordingly, a mobile device that provides such linkage may additionally provide the aforementioned app to allow for "manual" adjustments to the link between the traveler and the luggage. For example, a manual adjustment to the distance allowed between the traveler and the luggage may be performed using the aforementioned app that uniquely links the traveler to the luggage, or other user functionality may be manually adjustable, such as but not limited to actions when encountering escalators, steps, people-moving walkways, or the like.

[0016] As such, one luggage piece or several luggage pieces may uniquely follow the traveler through the airport, and the luggage may accordingly include features that allow this following to seamlessly occur. Thereby, luggage may have a one to one or many to one correspondence to a paired traveler device. Moreover, switching between paired devices per unit(s) of luggage may be enabled in the present invention. For example, a device paired to luggage may be enabled to instruct a manual switch, whereby the paired luggage may be simultaneously paired to the initial and a different device, or whereby the paired luggage may be de-paired from the original device and then paired to the different device. In such a circumstance, for example, a mother having a device paired to luggage, but who needs to take a child to a restroom, may manually switch the luggage pairing to a father's device so that the luggage does not follow the mother to the restroom.

[0017] For example, and to further provide for seamless following, the luggage may preferably include wheels as is known in the art, and/or may comprise "hovercraft"-type features, such an air-pin cushion, that allow the luggage to move seamlessly over surfaces of varying heights, and further to mount escalators, steps, or the like. Likewise, the luggage may include a passive or motorized set of tri-wheels, such as on the outermost lower portions of the luggage, which may allow the luggage to "step" up or down steps or escalators while following the traveler. That is, the tri-wheel may be robotic, or may simply operate using the electromagnetic attraction to the traveler. Yet further, features such as the disclosed air pin cushion or a tri-wheel may be provided in a cart that may be uniquely associated with the traveler using the electromagnetic pairing discussed herein, and onto which cart the traveler may place his/her luggage. Such a cart may, for example, be provided at a point of travel, such as for rental or free use, and as such may enabled serial pairings for use by one user, and then use by a different user upon return to a dispenser for the cart. In this and other exemplary embodiments, the cart may be motorized, and accordingly may include, for example, battery, solar, or like power sources.

[0018] Further, the luggage may include a capability to de-activate a pairing when a user device comes within a certain distance, i.e., when a user steps closer to the luggage and/or grabs the luggage's handle. Thus, the user may be able to hold a handle to go up steps and/or ride an escalator, and/or may be able to enter a proximity zone, such as to simply touch a handle, to "park" luggage on, for example, an escalator or a moving walkway. Likewise, in a cart embodiment, the cart may be equipped with a handle, such that the cart may be treated like a wheeled/handled luggage piece, and such that the cart may enable a "parking" of the luggage on the cart on an escalator or walkway.

[0019] Additionally, it may be necessary to ensure that the luggage used in the present invention does not tip or otherwise become impeded as to its motion. For such purposes, the cart mentioned above may be employed rather than electromagnetically corresponding the luggage to the user. Further, the cart may be weighted in such a manner so as not to allow for tipping, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Additionally, luggage may be weighted for use with the present invention and in the same manner as the aforementioned cart, and/or the electromagnet may include therewith weighting sufficient to avoid tipping of the luggage when the electromagnet is suitably placed in association with the luggage.

[0020] Finally, the unique pairing between a traveler and a suitcase, such as using unique the aforementioned or alternative coding systems via FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, or the like, may allow for the provision of additional features in association with the present invention. For example, luggage may "follow along" behind an airplane, a car, a train, or the like, via predetermined distance, rather than traveling in a cargo bay or a trunk of any of the foregoing as is presently typical.

[0021 ] Although the invention has been described and illustrated in exemplary forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is noted that the description and illustrations have been made by way of example only. Numerous changes in the details of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and steps may be made. Accordingly, such changes are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure, the protected scope of which is defined by the claims.