Wheeled carrier incorporating ski travel

1 . An item carrier, comprising:

a container configured to store at least one item;

a set of wheels rotatably attached to the container;

a pair of skis comprising a left-side ski and a right-side ski; and

a ski support assembly securing the pair of skis to the container and operable to selectively reposition the pair of skis with respect to the container; wherein

the item carrier is configured to selectively adopt, by operating the ski support assembly:

a first configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective stowed positions and do not provide ski-travel ability to the container, and further in which the set of wheels provides rolling mobility to the container, and

a second configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective deployed positions at which the pair of skis provides ski-travel mobility to the container,

wherein the container comprises at least one ski-receiving recess, and further wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the left-side ski and the right-side ski are received within said at least one ski-receiving recess and are flush with the container, and

wherein the left-side and right-side skis comprise a respective main ski body and a respective tip, and further wherein the at least one ski-receiving recess comprises a main recess portion extending along a front-to-back, longitudinal side of the container and a tip-receiving recess portion extending along a left-to-right, transverse side of the container, and further wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the main ski bodies and the tips are received, within the main recess portion and the tip-receiving portion of the at least one ski-receiving recess, respectively.

2 . The item carrier of claim 1 , wherein each wheel of the set of wheels is rotatably attached to the container at a respective, fixed position.

3 . The item carrier of claim 1 , wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the set of wheels protrudes partially downward from the pair of skis.

4 . The item carrier of claim 1 , wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the set of wheels is positioned within indentations formed in the left-side ski and the right-side ski.

5 . The item carrier of claim 4 , wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the set of wheels protrudes partially downward from the indentations and from a respective bottom side of the left-side ski and the right-side ski.

6 . The item carrier of claim 1 , further comprising an actuator, hand-operable by a user to operate the ski support assembly to selectively reposition the pair of skis with respect to the container.

7 . The item earner of claim 6 , further comprising a spring-loaded latch mechanism operatively connected to the actuator and configured to selectively engage or disengage the ski support assembly responsively to operation of the actuator to respectively prevent or allow a repositioning of the pair of skis with respect to the container by the ski support assembly.

8 . The item carrier of claim 1 , wherein the set of wheels comprises at least one left-side wheel and at least one right-side wheel arranged closer to a left side and a right side of the container, respectively, wherein a space is defined between the at least one left-side wheel and the at least one right-side wheel, and further wherein the left-side and right-side skis are repositionable between the respective stowed positions and the respective deployed positions within said space.

9 . The item carrier of claim 8 , wherein the left-side and right-side skis in the respective stowed positions are positioned at a bottom side of the container.

10 . The item carrier of claim 9 , wherein the left-side and right-side skis are arranged in a same orientation in the respective stowed positions and the respective deployed positions.

11 . The item carrier of claim 8 , wherein the left-side and right-side skis in the respective deployed positions are positioned adjacent to an inner side of the at least one left-side wheel and an inner side of the at least one right-side wheel, respectively, the inner sides facing one another.

12 . The item carrier of claim 11 , wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the at least one left-side wheel and the at least one right-side wheel are positioned within respective indentations formed in an outer side of the left-side ski and an outer side of the right-side ski, the outer sides facing away from one another.

13 . The item carrier of claim 1 , wherein the set of wheels is arranged between the left-side ski and the right-side ski such that the left-side ski and the right-side ski are repositionable with respect to the container between the respective stowed positions and the respective deployed positions externally of the set of wheels.

14 . The item carrier of claim 13 , wherein the left-side and right-side skis in the respective stowed positions are positioned at a left side and a right side of the container, respectively.

15 . The item carrier of claim 13 , wherein the left-side and right-side skis in the respective deployed positions are positioned adjacent to an outer side of the at least one left-side wheel and an outer side of the at least one right-side wheel, respectively, the outer sides facing away from one another.

16 . The item carrier of claim 15 , wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the at least one left-side wheel and the at least one right-side wheel are positioned within respective indentations formed in an inner side of the left-side ski and an inner side of the right-side ski, the inner sides facing one another.

17 . An item carrier, comprising:

a container configured to store at least one item;

a set of wheels rotatably attached to the container;

a pair of skis comprising a left-side ski and a right-side ski; and

a ski support assembly securing the pair of skis to the container and operable to selectively reposition the pair of skis with respect to the container; wherein

the item carrier is configured to selectively adopt, by operating the ski support assembly:

a first configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective stowed positions and do not provide ski-travel ability to the container, and further in which the set of wheels provides rolling mobility to the container, and

a second configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective deployed positions at which the pair of skis provides ski-travel mobility to the container;

wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the set of wheels is positioned within indentations formed in the left-side ski and the right-side ski.

18 . An item carrier, comprising:

a container configured to store at least one item;

a set of wheels rotatably attached to the container;

a pair of skis comprising a left-side ski and a right-side ski; and

a ski support assembly securing the pair of skis to the container and operable to selectively reposition the pair of skis with respect to the container; wherein

the item carrier is configured to selectively adopt, by operating the ski support assembly:

a first configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective stowed positions and do not provide ski-travel ability to the container, and further in which the set of wheels provides rolling mobility to the container, and

a second configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective deployed positions at which the pair of skis provides ski-travel mobility to the container;

wherein the set of wheels comprises at least one left-side wheel and at least one right-side wheel arranged closer to a left side and a right side of the container, respectively, wherein a space is defined between the at least one left-side wheel and the at least one right-side wheel, and further wherein the left-side and right-side skis are repositionable between the respective stowed positions and the respective deployed positions within said space;

wherein the left-side and right-side skis in the respective deployed positions are positioned adjacent to an inner side of the at least one left-side wheel and an inner side of the at least one right-side wheel, respectively, the inner sides facing one another; and

wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the at least one left-side wheel and the at least one right-side wheel are positioned within respective indentations formed in an outer side of the left-side ski and an outer side of the right-side ski, the outer sides facing away from one another.

19 . An item carrier, comprising:

a container configured to store at least one item;

a set of wheels rotatably attached to the container;

a pair of skis comprising a left-side ski and a right-side ski; and

a ski support assembly securing the pair of skis to the container and operable to selectively reposition the pair of skis with respect to the container; wherein

the item carrier is configured to selectively adopt, by operating the ski support assembly:

a first configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective stowed positions and do not provide ski-travel ability to the container, and further in which the set of wheels provides rolling mobility to the container, and

a second configuration, in which the left-side and right-side skis are positioned in respective deployed positions at which the pair of skis provides ski-travel mobility to the container;

wherein the set of wheels is arranged between the left-side ski and the right-side ski such that the left-side ski and the right-side ski are repositionable with respect to the container between the respective stowed positions and the respective deployed positions externally of the set of wheels;

wherein the left-side and right-side skis in the respective deployed positions are positioned adjacent to an outer side of the at least one left-side wheel and an outer side of the at least one right-side wheel, respectively, the outer sides facing away from one another; and

wherein, when the item carrier is arranged in the second configuration, the at least one left-side wheel and the at least one right-side wheel are positioned within respective indentations formed in an inner side of the left-side ski and an inner side of the right-side ski, the inner sides facing one another.