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38-409: A suitcase is a form of baggage . It is a rectangular container with a handle and is typically used to carry one's clothes and other belongings while traveling. The first suitcases appeared in the late 19th century due to the increased popularity of mass tourism at the time and were meant to hold dress suits. They were originally made using heavier materials such as leather or steel, but, beginning in

76-487: A Macy's buyer, a vice president from the company, Jerry Levy, called Sadow back in for a meeting. He instructed Schwartz to buy Sadow's suitcases, and Macy's began selling them in stores in October 1970, advertising them as "The Luggage That Glides" and showcasing them with mannequins; they rose in popularity soon thereafter. That same year, Sadow applied for a patent for "rolling luggage", which had rollers on its bottom wall and

114-486: A baggage claim or reclaim area is an area where arriving passengers claim checked-in baggage after disembarking from an airline flight. At most airports and many train stations, baggage is delivered to the passenger on a baggage carousel . Left luggage, also luggage storage or bag storage, is a place where one can temporarily store one's luggage so as to not have to carry it. Left luggage is not synonymous with lost luggage . Often at an airport or train station there may be

152-787: A lithium-ion battery . After a number of Li-ion batteries in smart suitcases exploded and caught fire in the cargo holds of planes, the International Air Transport Association classified the batteries as "dangerous goods". It published recommendations to its approximately 275 members, including United , JetBlue , and Virgin Atlantic , to put restrictions on smart suitcases with nonremovable batteries in May 2017. United States–based airlines including American , Alaska , Delta , and others banned smart luggage with nonremovable batteries from being checked in late 2017 and early 2018, while

190-560: A "macho thing" where "men would not accept suitcases with wheels". Others attribute the late invention to "the abundance of luggage porters with carts in the 1960s, the ease of curbside drop-offs at much smaller airports and the heavy iron casters then available." Passengers are allowed to carry a limited number of smaller bags with them in the vehicle, these are known as hand luggage (more commonly referred to as carry-on in North America ), and contain valuables and items needed during

228-453: A design for a "portable porter", a wheeled device that could be attached to a suitcase, was advertised in British newspapers in the 1940s. However, none of these designs originally caught on. During her second world tour in 1928, American artist Anita Willets-Burnham made the first recorded wheeled suitcase, which had two baby carriage wheels attached to it and a telescoping wooden handle. Until

266-550: A flat, rigid frame made of wood or steel with leather or brass caps on the corners and a handle on their long side, contrasting them with trunks, which had handles on their two shorter sides. They typically had a compartment for shirts and a hat box on the inside. Suitcases first started being manufactured alongside trunks by luggage companies such as the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company, which would later be renamed Samsonite . They were initially considered

304-472: A flexible transport strap attached near the top, and was granted it as patent number 3,653,474 in 1972. It stated that, due to airplanes replacing trains as the primary mode of long-distance travel, "Baggage-handling has become perhaps the biggest single difficulty encountered by an air passenger." Macy's competitors came together to break the patent about two years after it was granted to Sadow, allowing them to sell their own wheeled luggage, although Sadow's model

342-507: A lesser alternative to trunks, as evidenced by North American travel catalogs from the turn of the 20th century advertising trunks much more prominently than suitcases. Lightweight suitcases were mostly marketed at first toward women. In 1938, a weight limit of 40 pounds for checked bags was established in the United States, which led to the heavier leather model of suitcase being supplanted by lighter plastic and cardboard suitcases throughout

380-546: A staffed 'left luggage counter' or simply a coin-operated or automated locker system. While threats of terrorism all around the globe have caused this type of public storage to decrease over the past few decades, the sharing economy is causing a revival of the industry. Driven in part by the rapid growth of Airbnb and homestay traveling in general, a number of services offering short-term luggage storage by utilizing unused space at local businesses such as hotels, restaurants and retail shops have emerged. Baggage can also refer to

418-472: A status symbol to prove that they had become "cosmopolitan men". From the 1900s to the 1960s, hotels placed luggage labels on customers' suitcases to advertise themselves, with illustrations inspired by travel posters of the time. The supposedly feminine nature of the wheeled suitcase was mocked in the 1984 film Romancing the Stone , where Kathleen Turner 's character, Joan Wilder, brings her wheeled suitcase to

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456-486: A suitcase with a strap that allowed him to tow it behind him. Sadow spent months attempting to sell his wheeled suitcase to various New York City department stores, but was met with resistance. Most department stores, according to him, refused to sell his invention due to a "macho feeling" that men would consider rolling their luggage "wimpy" and that women who travelled would have their husbands around to carry their suitcases for them. After being turned away by Jack Schwartz,

494-682: A suitcase with an extendable handle in 1993. In 2004, Samsonite started selling the first "spinner-style" suitcase, which had four wheels and could be moved and spun in any direction. Durability testing for suitcases also became more rigorous around this time as they became lighter. Smart suitcases—suitcases with built-in technological features—became popular in the 2010s. These features include internal tracking , geolocation , fingerprint scanners , device charging, scales, GPS capabilities, touch switches , remote locking, and computer vision , among others. Companies such as Away, Arlo Skye, and Ovis mostly sell smart luggage. Most smart suitcases are powered by

532-495: A wheeled trunk in 1887, and a wheeled suitcase in 1945 – but these were not successfully commercialized. The first rolling suitcase was invented by a French engineer, Maurice Partiot, who was living in the USA at that time. The patent was registered n° 2 463 713, March 8, 1949. But the application was not pursued by its inventor and the patent lapsed in 1967. Bernard D. Sadow developed the first commercial rolling suitcase by applying for

570-540: Is baggage that has a built-in or a removable battery within. It often includes features designed to help with travel, including GPS tracking and USB ports to charge electronics. Some bags include a WiFi hotspot and electric wheels for personal transportation. Several smart luggage companies have shut down as a result of a ban which came into effect in January 2018 on smart luggage with non-removable batteries being carried as check-in luggage on flights. In airport terminals,

608-654: The Second World War smaller and more lightweight suitcases and bags that can be carried by an individual have become the main form of luggage. According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the word baggage comes from the Old French bagage (from baguer 'tie up') or from bagues 'bundles'. It may also be related to the word bag . Also according to the Oxford English Dictionary,

646-557: The 1920s, when they made appearances in books like the Hardy Boys series and in films like the silent film The Woman in the Suitcase . Daniel A. Gross of Smithsonian described suitcases at the time as "a literary symbol for both mobility and mystery—perhaps filled with gold, photographs, or simply a stranger's possessions". In the mid-20th century, Mexican laborers who worked in the United States would often return home with suitcases as

684-492: The 1930s and 1940s. German luggage company Rimowa built the first aluminum suitcase, which it started selling in 1950 with a grooved design inspired by the Junkers Ju 52 airplane. In Europe, porters were responsible for carrying train passengers' suitcases until around the middle of the 20th century, when they became less abundant. Early patents for a wheeled trunk and a wheeled suitcase came in 1887 and 1945, respectively, and

722-489: The 1930s, were constructed with more lightweight materials like plastic and cardboard. Before the 1970s, the idea of rolling luggage was shunned by the travel industry, who viewed it as much less masculine than traditional luggage. American entrepreneur Bernard Sadow pitched his version of the wheeled suitcase, for which he was granted a patent in 1972, to various department stores before it was picked up and sold at Macy's stores starting in 1970. It took several years to become

760-701: The 1970s, wheeled luggage was seen by the travel industry as a niche invention solely for women. In 1970, Bernard D. Sadow, the then-vice president of Massachusetts luggage company U.S. Luggage, was carrying two heavy 27-inch suitcases at an airport in Puerto Rico on his way back from a family vacation in Aruba when he noticed a worker rolling a heavy machine on a wheeled platform. After remarking to his wife that people needed wheels for their luggage, Sadow returned to his factory in Fall River, Massachusetts and attached casters to

798-432: The 2004 version of their signature Silhouette line. These are otherwise similar in design to two-wheel roll-aboards, with a vertical orientation and a retracting handle, but are designed to be pushed beside or in front of the traveler, rather than pulled behind them. These are often referred to as "spinner" luggage, since they can spin about their vertical axis . Sadow attributes the late invention of luggage on wheels to

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836-496: The 2010s, though explosions of their lithium ion batteries in cargo holds caused them to be banned from being checked by many major airlines in the late 2010s. During the Crusades , the first luggage—wheeled containers used to transport weaponry—was developed in 1153. The word " luggage ", derived from the verb " lug ", was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1596 to mean "denoting inconveniently heavy baggage". Luggage prior to

874-501: The Travelpro company, which marketing the suitcases under the trademark "Rollaboard". The terms rollaboard and roll-aboard are used generically, however. While initially designed for carry-on use (to navigate through a large terminal), as implied by the analogous name, similar designs are also used for checked baggage . More recently, four-wheeled luggage with casters has become popular, notably since their use by Samsonite in

912-527: The United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority recommended a similar ban in 2018. Smart suitcase companies such as Bluesmart shut down as a result of these bans. The first suitcases made of polycarbonate were made in 2000 by the German luggage maker Rimowa . Samsonite made a push toward using materials such as vulcanized fibre and polypropylene in suitcases. Suitcases became culturally significant around

950-477: The cheap flight, no other modern development has made travel easier". Baggage Baggage (not luggage), or baggage train , can also refer to the train of people and goods, both military and of a personal nature, which commonly followed pre-modern armies on campaign. Luggage has changed over time. Historically the most common types of luggage were chests or trunks made of wood or other heavy materials. These would be shipped by professional movers. Since

988-428: The following decades, as reflected in patents such as a 1948 US patent by Herbert Ernest Mingo, for a "device for the handling of trunks, suitcases, and the like". A US patent for a "luggage carriage" filed in 1949 (and published 1953), and another for a "luggage carriage harness", were both made by Kent R. Costikyan. However, the wheels were external to the suitcases. Patents had been published for wheeled luggage –

1026-498: The invention of the suitcase was mostly wood and leather trunks with an iron base, which were waterproofed using canvas or tree sap. Servants were often made to carry these trunks for their owners, such as for European elites during the Grand Tour in the 18th century, since travel was mostly exclusive to the wealthy. As mass tourism increased in popularity and travel became accessible to non-elites due to railways and cruise ships,

1064-420: The invention. Sadow's four-wheeled suitcases, pulled using a loose strap, were later surpassed in popularity by suitcases that feature two wheels and are pulled in an upright position using a long handle. These were invented in 1987 by US pilot Robert Plath, and initially sold to crew members. Plath later commercialized them, after travelers became interested after seeing them in use by crew members, and founded

1102-408: The journey. There is normally storage space provided for hand luggage, either under seating, or in overhead lockers. Trains often have luggage racks at the ends of the carriage near the doors, or above the seats if there are compartments. On aircraft, the size and weight of hand luggage is regulated, along with the number of bags. Some airlines charge for carry-on over a certain number. Smart luggage

1140-468: The jungle, which bothers Michael Douglas 's character, Jack T. Colton, who is attempting to fend off evil. Soo Youn of National Geographic included the suitcase, specifically the addition of wheels to it, on his list of inventions that changed travel forever, while SmarterTravel ' s Caroline Costello listed the wheeled suitcase as one of the best travel inventions of all time. Of the wheeled suitcase, Ian Jack wrote for The Guardian that "outside

1178-643: The luggage company Travelpro in Deerfield Beach, Florida , which initially only sold the product to other flight crews. He hired a team of sales representatives in 1992, and in the mid-1990s, Travelpro started selling Rollaboards commercially in retail stores, making it a competitor of Samsonite, then the largest American luggage manufacturer. Plath sold Travelpro in 1999. The Rollaboard was widely imitated by other luggage companies starting around 1993, causing Sadow's design to quickly be almost entirely replaced. Designer Don Ku from Flushing, Queens invented and patented

Suitcase - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-410: The need for more practical luggage increased. In the late 19th century, the first luggage known as "suit cases" or "suit-cases", which were meant to carry dress suits without wrinkling them, came about. The earliest models of suitcases were invented by British businessmen, who used them to carry goods and clothing. They were modeled after trunks and made by stretching leather, rubbery cloth, or wicker over

1254-496: The predominant form of suitcase, and Sadow's version was soon superseded by the Rollaboard, a type of wheeled suitcase that was upright rather than flat like Sadow's model and invented in 1987 by American pilot Robert Plath. The addition of wheels to the suitcase has since been called one of the most significant innovations in travel. Smart suitcases with enhanced capabilities such as GPS tracking and device charging were popularized in

1292-508: The prototype for the Rollaboard in his garage, screwing a hard-shell bag to a luggage trolley, and started to get ideas from other crew members while carrying it around. It marked a shift from Sadow's model, which rolled flat on four wheels. At first, Plath only sold the Rollaboard to fellow pilots and flight attendants, manufacturing and selling 100 of the bags to various crew members in December 1989. In 1991, Plath left Northwest Airlines to start

1330-414: The rolling luggage patent, which was officially known as; United States patent 3,653,474 for “Rolling Luggage”, in 1970. Two years later in 1972 Bernard D. Sadow was given the wheeled suitcases patent, which became successful. The patent application cited the increase in air travel, and "baggage handling [having] become perhaps the single biggest difficulty encountered by an air passenger", as background of

1368-456: The train of people and goods, both military and of a personal nature, which commonly followed pre-modern armies on campaign. The baggage was considered a strategic resource and guarded by a rear guard . Its loss was considered to weaken and demoralize an army, leading to rearguard attacks such as that at the Battle of Agincourt . Telescoping (mechanics) Telescoping in mechanics describes

1406-455: The word luggage originally meant inconveniently heavy baggage and comes from the verb lug and the suffix -age . Luggage carriers – light-weight wheeled carts on which luggage could be temporarily placed or that can be temporarily attached to luggage – date at least to the 1930s, such as in US patent 2,132,316 "Luggage carrier" by Anne W. Newton (filed 1937, published 1938). These were refined over

1444-568: Was often wobbly and difficult to maneuver. Sadow later died in 2011. The Rollaboard or roll-aboard (also referred to as a rollerboard, an eggcorn of the term) is an upright wheeled suitcase with two wheels on the bottom and a telescoping handle invented by Robert Plath, a Northwest Airlines 747 pilot, in 1987. He had the idea while at a hotel during a layover in Scandinavia as he watched passengers struggle to get their bags, which were attached by bungee cords, out of luggage trolleys . He designed

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