Luggage system

Abstract

A luggage system described herein includes a hard shell body and a soft shell body. The hard shell body includes first and second hard shell body portions. The soft shell body includes first and second soft shell body portions. The first hard shell body portion defines a first hard shell interior storage compartment. The second hard shell body portion defines a second hard shell interior storage compartment. The first soft shell body portion is sized and shaped to fit within and line the first hard shell interior storage compartment. The second soft shell body portion is sized and shaped to fit within and line the second hard shell interior storage compartment. The first and second soft shell body portions are removable, respectively, from the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments to thereby provide a soft shell luggage unit that can be used independent of the hard shell body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A luggage system, comprising:
 a hard shell body including first and second hard shell body portions;   a soft shell body including first and second soft shell body portions;   the first hard shell body portion defining a first hard shell interior storage compartment;   the second hard shell body portion defining a second hard shell interior storage compartment;   the first soft shell body portion sized and shaped to fit within and line the first hard shell interior storage compartment;   the second soft shell body portion sized and shaped to fit within and line the second hard shell interior storage compartment; and   the first and second soft shell body portions removable, respectively, from the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments to thereby provide a soft shell luggage unit while removed therefrom.   
     
     
         2 . The luggage system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first and second hard shell body portions are pivotable relative to one another to enable the hard shell body to be selectively opened and closed; and   the first and second soft shell body portions are pivotable relative to one another to enable the soft shell body to be selectively opened and closed.   
     
     
         3 . The luggage system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a first hinge that pivotably connects the first hard shell body portion to the second hard shell body portion to thereby enable the hard shell body to be selectively opened and closed; and   a second hinge that pivotably connects the first soft shell body portion to the second soft shell body portion to thereby enable the soft shell body to be selectively opened and closed;   wherein at least a portion of the second hinge is located adjacent to at least a portion of the first hinge while the first and second soft shell body portions are respectively within and line the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments.   
     
     
         4 . The luggage system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more fasteners configured to enable the first and second soft shell body portions to be selectively attached to and detached from the first and second hard shell body portions respectively.   
     
     
         5 . The luggage system of  claim 4 , wherein:
 at least some of, or a portion of, the same one or more fasteners, which is/are configured to enable the first and second soft shell body portions to be selectively attached to and detached from the first and second hard shell body portions respectively, is/are also configured to securely close the soft shell body while the first and second soft shell body portions are detached from the first and second hard shell body portions respectively.   
     
     
         6 . The luggage system of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more fasteners comprise:
 one or more snaps;   one or more buttons;   one or more segments of hook and loop material;   one or more zipper closures; or   one or more magnetic closures.   
     
     
         7 . The luggage system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 exteriors of the first and second hard shell body portions are made of a material selected from the group consisting of: polycarbonate; polypropylene; acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS); and aluminum; and   exteriors of the first and second soft shell body portions are made of a material selected from the group of: nylon; polyester; and canvas.   
     
     
         8 . The luggage system of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 at least one handle connected to at least one of the exteriors of the first or second softshell body portions;   the at least one handle configured to be grasped by a user to enable the user to pickup and maneuver the soft shell body while the soft shell body is being used as a soft shell luggage unit.   
     
     
         9 . The luggage system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 at least one of the first or second hard shell body portions is transparent and thereby enables at least one of a color or a pattern on an exterior of at least one of the first or second soft shell body portions to be visible while the first and second soft shell body portions are respectively within and line the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments.   
     
     
         10 . The luggage system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a further soft shell body including third and fourth soft shell body portions;   the third soft shell body portion sized and shaped to fit within and line the first hard shell interior storage compartment, while the first soft shell body portion is removed therefrom;   the fourth soft shell body portion sized and shaped to fit within and line the second hard shell interior storage compartment, while the second soft shell body portion is removed therefrom; and   wherein there is/are one or more aesthetic and/or functional differences between the further soft shell body, which includes the third and fourth soft shell body portions, and the soft shell body portion, which includes the first and second soft shell body portions; and   wherein the one or more aesthetic and/or functional differences comprise one or more of: an interior color, an exterior color, an interior pattern, an exterior pattern, a number of sub-compartments, a shape and location of sub-compartments, a number of pockets, a shape and location of pockets, a number of flaps, a shape and location of flaps, a number of straps, or a shape and location of straps.   
     
     
         11 . The luggage system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 at least one of an appearance or functionality of the luggage system differs depending upon whether the first and second soft shell body portions of the soft shell body, or the third and fourth soft shell body portions of the further soft shell body, are placed respectively within and line the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments.   
     
     
         12 . The luggage system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a carabiner type handle including a body and a gate;   the body of the carabiner type handle connected to one of the first or second hard shell body portions;   the gate of the carabiner type handle configured to pivoted open to enable at least one further item to be secured to the hard shell body; and   the carabiner type handle configured to be grasped by a user, while the gate is closed, to enable the user to pickup and maneuver the hard shell body.   
     
     
         13 . A luggage system, comprising:
 a hard shell body including first and second hard shell body portions that are pivotable relative to one another to enable the hard shell body to be selectively opened and closed;   a soft shell body including first and second soft shell body portions that are pivotable relative to one another to enable the soft shell body to be selectively opened and closed;   the first hard shell body portion having a first hard shell exterior and defining a first hard shell interior storage compartment;   the second hard shell body portion having a second hard shell exterior and defining a second hard shell interior storage compartment;   the first soft shell body portion configured to be selectively placed within and removed from the first hard shell interior storage compartment;   the second soft shell body portion configured to be selectively placed within and removed from the second hard shell interior storage compartment;   the first and second soft shell body portions providing liners respectively for the first and second hard shell body portions while the first and second soft shell body portions are respectively placed within the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments; and   the soft shell body providing a soft shell luggage unit while the first and second soft shell body portions are respectively removed from the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments.   
     
     
         14 . The luggage system of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a first hinge that pivotably connects the first hard shell body portion to the second hard shell body portion to thereby enable the hard shell body to be selectively opened and closed; and   a second hinge that pivotably connects the first soft shell body portion to the second soft shell body portion to thereby enable the soft shell body to be selectively opened and closed;   wherein at least a portion of the second hinge is located adjacent to and covers at least a portion of the first hinge while the first and second soft shell body portions are placed respectively within the first and second hard shell interior storage compartments and respectively provide liners for the first and second hard shell body portions.   
     
     
         15 . The luggage system of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a first zipper closure that attaches and detaches the first soft shell body portion to and from the first hard shell body portion; and   a second zipper closure that attaches and detaches the second soft shell body portion to and from the second hard shell body portion.   
     
     
         16 . The luggage system of  claim 15 , wherein:
 a portion of the first zipper closure and a portion of the second zipper closure can be used to securely close the soft shell body while the first and second soft shell body portions are detached from the first and second hard shell body portions respectively.   
     
     
         17 . The luggage system of  claim 13 , wherein:
 exteriors of the first and second hard shell body portions comprise a material made of at least one of polycarbonate, polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), or aluminum; and   exteriors of the first and second soft shell body portions comprise a material made of at least of nylon, polyester, or canvas.   
     
     
         18 . A luggage system, comprising:
 a hard shell body defining a hard shell interior storage compartment;   a first soft shell body sized and shaped to fit within and provide a first liner for the hard shell interior storage compartment while the first soft shell body is secured therein; and   a second soft shell body sized and shaped to fit within and provide a second liner for the hard shell interior storage compartment while the first soft shell body is secured therein;   wherein only one of the first or second soft shell bodies is securable within the hard shell interior storage compartment at a time;   wherein one or more aspects of the first and second soft shell bodies differ from one another; and   wherein each of the first and second soft shell bodies, while removed from the hard shell interior storage compartment of the hard shell body, provides a respective soft shell luggage unit that can be used to hold and carry items independent of the hard shell body.   
     
     
         19 . The luggage system of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the one or more aspects of the first and second soft shell bodies that differ from one comprise one or more of: a number of pockets, a shape and location of pockets, a number of sub-compartments, a shape and location of sub-compartments, a number of flaps, a shape and location of flaps, a number of straps, or a shape and location of straps.   
     
     
         20 . The luggage system of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the one or more aspects of the first and second soft shell bodies that differ from one another comprise an exterior of the second soft shell body having at least one of a different color or a different pattern than an exterior of the second soft shell body.   
     
     
         21 . The luggage system of  claim 20 , wherein:
 the hard shell body is transparent and thereby enables the exterior, of whichever one of the first or second soft shell bodies is secured within the hard shell interior storage compartment, to be visible to a user or other observer of the luggage system.