Patent Application
20090139880
This invention relates to a multi-chamber container and more particularly to a polygonal shaped multi-chamber container with upper and lower chambers for stationery supplies.
Multi-chamber containers are well known and have been frequently used for pills, candy, screws, bolts and other hardware supplies, tools and at least in one instance as a rack for stationery supplies. For example, an early patent of Karoff, U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,518 discloses a multi-compartment dish with contacting covers and a cover actuating rod. The dish can be used for serving candy, relishes or similar articles and also for containing jewelry or other small articles. The dish is in the form of a receptacle having a plurality of individual compartments which in turn are equipped with operable covers. As disclosed, the dish is equipped with a central handle together with means on the handle for simultaneously opening and closing the covers.
A capsule or pill dispenser is disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,335 that includes upper and lower pill storage tiers each having twelve radial pill storage compartments. As shown each tier is covered by a rotatable dial cover having a generally horizontal opening for a pill insertion and a vertical for pill discharges. A somewhat similar pill container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,359 of McAllister et al. As described, the container includes a plurality of compartments and a lid such that when the lid is in the closed position, compartments cannot be opened. As disclosed, the container includes a plurality of trapezoidal shaped compartments disposed around a circular opening to form a polygonal shaped contour. The trapezoidal shaped covers each have an trapezoidal shaped lid that opens outwardly.
Further a detachable stationary case rack is disclosed in U.S. Patent of Huang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,696. As shown, the case rack has a polygonal bottom case divided into several compartments forming a hollow central shaft. The base of the rack has a packing set therein which packing includes several round balls to permit rotation of the whole assembly against the base. Through series connections, the number of stationery receiving cases maybe flexibly arranged according to requirements.
Notwithstanding the above it is presently believed that there may be a commercial market for an improved multi-chamber container with upper and lower chambers for pencils, pens and other stationery supplies. It is believed that there is a potential market because such multi-chamber containers have sufficient chambers to store stationery supplies in various sizes. For example, there are containers for large and small paper clips, for different sizes of post-its and compartments for ten to sixteen items. Further, such containers can be manufactured and sold at a competitive price, are portable, easy to use, rotatable, xxxx
In essence, the invention contemplates a multi-chamber container for statutory supplies comprising a polygon shaped base member having a cross-sectional shape of a pentagon, hexagon, heptagon or octagon and wherein each of the outer sides are essentially equal. The polygon shaped base member is rotatable mounted on a support member for positioning a container on a flat surface such as a desk, table, countertop etc. The base member includes an outer wall, an inner wall and plurality of radially extending divider or side wall extending between the inner wall and the outer wall to form a plurality of trapezoidal shaped adjacent lower chambers surrounding the inner chamber.
The multi-chamber container also includes a plurality of adjacent trapezoidal shaped upper chambers surrounding the inner chamber and having essentially the same and shape of the adjacent trapezoidal shaped lower chamber. The upper chamber each includes a solid bottom, an upper inner wall, an upper outer wall and two radially extending upper walls connecting the upper inner wall and the upper outer wall.
The outer walls of each of the trapezoidal shaped upper chambers are hingedly connected to the outer wall of a corresponding trapezoidal shaped lower chamber. Therefore the outer walls of each of the trapezoidal shaped upper chamber are hingely connected to the outer wall of a corresponding trapezoid shaped lower chamber. In this way, the trapezoidal shaped upper chamber can be folded over to a superposed inverted position on top of a corresponding trapezoidal shaped lower chamber or open outwardly to provide a flower (with open pedals) like arrangement.
The multi-chamber container also includes a plurality of trapezoidal shaped closure panels or lids having a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of a lower chamber. One of the lids forms a closure for a trapezoidal shaped upper chamber and a trapezoidal shaped lower chamber. Each of the trapezoidal shaped lids is hingely connected.
The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals have been used to indicate like parts.
A dual tier multi-chamber container 20 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention will not be described in connection with
As illustrated, the dual tier multi-chamber container 20 is designed for pencils, pens and other stationery supplies, but can be used for many other purposes whatever is so desired to maintain a plurality of different small items such as screws and nuts and readily accessible separate chambers.
The container 20 includes an octagon shaped base member 22 that is divided into a plurality of trapezoidal shaped lower chambers 24. As shown, there are eight lower chambers defined by an inner wall 26, and outer wall 28 and a plurality of dividers or side walls 30. As shown in
The dual tier multi-chamber container 20 also includes a second or upper tier that includes a plurality of trapezoidal shaped upper chambers 34. As shown, multi-chamber container 20 includes seven trapezoidal upper chambers 34 which are the same size and shape as the trapezoidal shaped lower chambers 24.
The upper chambers 34 are attached to the lower chamber 24 by hinges 31 along the longer of the parallel sides of the trapezoidal shaped chamber and are adapted to open or unfold outwardly away from the center chamber 32. As shown in
An important aspect of the present invention resides in the use of a plurality of trapezoidal shaped dual function covers or lids 36. The lids 36 have the same shape i.e. the same length and width dimensions as the lower and upper chambers 24 and 34 respectfully. The lids 36 are connected to the outer sides 37 of the upper chambers 34 by hinges 35 along the shorter of the parallel sides of the trapezoidal shaped upper chambers 34. Therefore, the lids 36 are foldable inwardly over the upper chamber 34 and serves as a closure or closures for the upper chambers 34. Then when the covered upper chambers 34 are folded over onto the lower chambers 24, the lids 36 together with the upper chamber 34 act as covers for the lower chambers 24. It should also be recognized that each of the chambers 24 and 34 may be divided by an inner wall 39 or 40 to form smaller chambers. The use of inner walls 39 and 40 may be used to separate different sizes of paper clips or the like.
The center chamber 32 may include an upwardly extending inner wall 41 as shown in
While the invention has been disclosed in connection with its preferred embodiments it should be recognized that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the claims.
