What Is Obvious?

#1

Post by AlbertCory » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 7:05 PM UTC

It's good to see "what is obvious?" is still one of those evergreen topics, like it's been for 150 years.

(Continuing a discussion about obviousness in patents from yesterday, which no one is seeing because it's not on the front page anymore)

Now I have an even better one for you, and I'll withhold my (undoubtedly correct) answer until later:

Wheels on luggage. Why were they so late in coming along? Was it not obvious?

We had aftermarket wheeled carriers for strapping your suitcase in, so people recognized the need. The arguments that "people hired porters or trolleys" and "railroad stations had cobblestone floors" do not hold up at all -- no, they didn't, and airports had hard floors.

You can find articles on this topic. I think they're all wrong. Go.

Re: What Is Obvious?

#2

Post by brezelgoring » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 7:34 PM UTC

>Wheels on luggage. Why were they so late in coming along? Was it not obvious?

Only in hindsight, in my opinion.

You needed the inconvenience of hauling it around to recognize there had to be a better way, just like all other forms of innovation it comes with experience and something to correct or smooth over.

Re: What Is Obvious?

#3

Post by Jtsummers » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 7:51 PM UTC

brezelgoring wrote: post #2

>Wheels on luggage. Why were they so late in coming along? Was it not obvious? Only in hindsight, in my opinion. You needed the inconvenience of hauling it around to recognize there had to be a better way, just like all other forms of innovation it comes with experience and something to correct or smooth over.

It's also most useful when you only have one or two pieces of luggage. When travel was often longer, people took more luggage with them. Faster (air) travel and shorter trips (or better access to reliable laundry services on longer trips) reduces the need to carry multiple large pieces of luggage.

If you're carrying multiple large pieces of luggage, wheels are, at best, unused, and at worse a nuisance (they stick out and make stacking harder). Retractable wheels would be even more of a nuisance as they reduce the carrying capacity of the luggage.

It's also worth noting trends in how people dressed. Even in the 1960s my great-grandfather was wearing a suit to work. He worked in a mechanics shop as a mechanic. That's what people wore to work, now consider what they wore on trips. It was going to be at least as nice as that, and not the sweatpants and yoga pants that you see today. This greatly increases the amount of things (by bulk or quantity) that you need to carry.

Re: What Is Obvious?

#4

Post by ffhhj » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 7:57 PM UTC

brezelgoring wrote: post #2

>Wheels on luggage. Why were they so late in coming along? Was it not obvious? Only in hindsight, in my opinion. You needed the inconvenience of hauling it around to recognize there had to be a better way, just like all other forms of innovation it comes with experience and something to correct or smooth over.

Autonomous self-navigating luggage, that's obvious, why do I need to haul it?

Re: What Is Obvious?

#5

Post by hmessing » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 8:30 PM UTC

Maybe because there used to be porters and servants to carry the bags

Re: What Is Obvious?

#6

Post by powerbroker » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 8:37 PM UTC

Retired patent attorney here. It boils down to a) sufficient pain; and b) cheap-enough way to make that pain go away that people will actually pay for it.

Lots of reasons not to have wheels on luggage:

  1. they stick out, making them tricky to put into overhead compartments;
  2. they need a certain degree of durability, while rolling;
  3. they need a certain degree of durability, when getting smushed together in a trunk, compartment, or baggage-handling carousel;
  4. they can't be too expensive/complicated, or part 'b' isn't satisfied.

Consider, also, that its only been the last 10-25 years or so that virtually all parts of grocery carts could be made 100% from durable plastic, and still hold up (and I'm still uncertain that no metal is present in the axels/bearings).

Further, there are lots of weight restrictions, which heavier bags (the 'shell' if you will), necessarily impinge upon.

Re: What Is Obvious?

#7

Post by hcta » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 8:42 PM UTC

Pushing it around on wheels makes you look wimpy when no one else is doing it?

Re: What Is Obvious?

#8

Post by AlbertCory » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 9:51 PM UTC

ffhhj wrote: post #4

brezelgoring wrote: post #2

>Wheels on luggage. Why were they so late in coming along? Was it not obvious? Only in hindsight, in my opinion. You needed the inconvenience of hauling it around to recognize there had to be a better way, just like all other forms of innovation it comes with experience and something to correct or smooth over.

Autonomous self-navigating luggage, that's obvious, why do I need to haul it?

still not available, AFAIK!

Now that one really IS dependent on computers being small enough, and on there being high-quality indoor maps available. Also, sensors to keep it from running into things & people.

Re: What Is Obvious?

#9

Post by AlbertCory » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 9:52 PM UTC

hmessing wrote: post #5

Maybe because there used to be porters and servants to carry the bags

Nope. I flew in the 70s. There were not porters around in airports, at least not that most people used. Airports were pretty much the same as now.

Re: What Is Obvious?

#10

Post by throwaway889900 » Tue, Oct 19, 2021, 9:55 PM UTC

Probably that luggage in general was a luxury item as it wasn't used that often by most people and wheels made it moreso. Eventually prices came down.