Example embodiments generally relate to hand tools and, in particular, relate to a removable and rotatable bit/driver rails for tool cases.
Drivable components such as drill bits, drivers and/or the like, have long been sold in sets that include different shapes and sizes. These sets would typically be sold in, or otherwise be capable of storage in cases that were made large enough to handle the entire set. Before the advent of standard-sized hex shanks, the diameter of straight drill bit shanks might vary with the diameter of the bit itself. Thus, the case would have a plurality of slots, each sized to hold a corresponding diameter of drill bit when the bit was secured in its respective slot. Case structures and layouts were therefore strictly dictated by the manufacturer of the cases. Although case structures were defined for numerous combinations and numbers of bits and/or drivers, the structures tended (regardless of how complex) to be relatively inflexible in relation to any ability to rearrange the locations of bits and/or drivers within the case.
However, with hex shanks becoming common, not only can many different sizes (and types) of drill bits all have a common shank size and shape, but many different sizes and types of drivers can also share the common shank size and shape. In particular, a quarter inch hex shank is fairly standard for use with bits and drivers of all types, shapes and sizes. Thus, the same receptacle can be used to hold each and every bit and driver within a case. This may enable the user to mix and match locations of the individual bits and drivers to any desirable set of selected locations within a case that is configured to include a plurality of hex shaped receptacles.
Yet, even with the ability to have any particular drivable component fit into each and every hex-shaped receptacle, the inner structures and arrangements of storage cases have often not been flexible enough to enable users to rearrange storage paradigms. Moreover, users have also not typically been able to shift the storage receptacles to discrete different positions associated with use and storage while also being having full freedom to rearrange storage paradigms.
Thus, it may be desirable to provide a new design for cases and/or the bit/driver receptacles therein.
In an example embodiment, a case for storing drivable components may be provided. The case may include a first half shell and a second half shell operably coupled to each other via a hinge, a frame member included in at least one of the first half shell or the second half shell, and a rail including a plurality of receptacles configured to receive respective ones of the drivable components. The frame member may include rail holding slots disposed in lateral sides of the frame member. The rail may be configured to be removable from the rail holding slots and rotatable in the rail holding slots between selected ones of a plurality of predetermined rail positions.
In another example embodiment, a case for storing drivable components may be provided. The case may include a first half shell and a second half shell operably coupled to each other via a hinge, a frame member included in at least one of the first half shell or the second half shell, and a rail comprising a plurality of receptacles configured to receive respective ones of the drivable components. The frame member may include rail holding slots disposed in lateral sides of the frame member, where each rail holding slot includes an alignment protrusion. The rail may include a body in which each of the receptacles is formed, and a retention boss at each opposing end of the body. The retention boss may extend away from an end face of the body and further include an alignment slot formed therein. The rail may be removable from or insertable into the rail holding slots based on alignment of the alignment slot and the alignment protrusion, and the rail may be rotatable when retained in the rail holding slots.
In another example embodiment, a rail for holding drivable components within a case is provided. The rail may include a body in which a plurality of receptacles configured to receive respective ones of the drivable components are formed, and a retention boss at each opposing end of the body. The retention boss may extend away from an end face of the body. The retention boss further includes an alignment slot formed therein. The rail is removable from or insertable into the case, and is rotatable relative to the case, based on alignment of the alignment slot with retention features formed in the case.
Having thus described some example embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and pictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, operable coupling should be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enables functional interconnection of components that are operably coupled to each other.
As indicated above, some example embodiments may relate to the provision of a fully reconfigurable drivable component case. The frame inside the case may be configured for receiving one or more rails that have a series of drivable component receptacles provided therein. The rails may each be removable from the frame, but also be rotatable to various fixable positions when operably coupled to the frame. The case, the frame and the rails in accordance with an example embodiment will now be described in reference to
The container portion of each of the first and second half shells 102 and 104 may be configured to include a frame member 110 (or simply “frame”). The frame members 110 of each of the first and second half shells 102 and 104 may be configured to snap fit or otherwise be affixed inside the container portion of their respective one of the first and second half shells 102 and 104. However, in some cases, the frame member 110 of each of the first and second half shells 102 and 104 may be an integral portion of the first and second half shells 102 and 104, respectively. In an example embodiment, the frame members 110 may be configured to engage or otherwise be a portion of the sidewalls of the first and second half shells 102 and 104, and may extend from the base portion along the sidewalls to be flush with distal ends of the sidewalls. When formed separately (i.e., not integrally formed), an outer periphery of the frame members 110 may lie adjacent to an inner periphery defined by the sidewalls of the first and second half shells 102 and 104. Meanwhile, an inner periphery of each of the frame members 110 may be formed to include a plurality of rail holding slots 120. In this regard, an equal number of rail holding slots 120 may be positioned on each opposing lateral side of the frame members 110 to correspond to each other. In other words, the rail holding slots 120 may be disposed in pairs on opposing lateral sides of each of the frame members 110. In the example of
As shown in
In an example embodiment, the drivable components 140 may include bits, sockets, drive heads, etc., of various shapes, sizes and/or types. In this example, each of the drivable components 140 may include a hex shaft (e.g., a quarter-inch hex shaft). Thus, spacing between the rails 130 may be selected such that when the rails 130 are retained in the storage position, a distance between adjacent rails 130 is at least longer than a length of any one of the drivable components 140 retained in one of the adjacent rails 130. However, it should be appreciated that, in some example embodiments, other accessories (e.g., light bar 150) may also be retained by the frame members 110. In this regard, for example, such accessories may also include instances of the retention bosses 132 to interface with a selected pair of the rail holding slots 120 to allow retention, removal and rotation of the accessories in similar fashion to the performance of the same functions relative to the rails 130.
Referring primarily to
As shown best in
Each of the retention bosses 132 may include an alignment slot 220 that extends through and forms a groove in a distal end of the retention boss 132. In this regard, the alignment slot 220 may extend substantially perpendicular to the axis 202. As best seen in
In an example embodiment, a plurality of locking slots may be formed in the end face 230. Each of the locking slots may have a predetermined orientation relative to the alignment slot 220 and each other. In this regard, a first locking slot 240 may extend radially inwardly from a peripheral edge of the end face 230 toward the axis 202. The first locking slot 240 may be substantially aligned with the alignment slot 220. A second locking slot 242 may be offset from the first locking slot 240 by about 45 degrees. The second locking slot 242 may therefore be substantially aligned with an axis of the driving components 140 when inserted into the receptacles 200 (and therefore the direction of insertion of driving components 140 into the receptacles 200). Thus, as can be appreciated from the description above, the alignment slot 220 may extend across the distal end of the retention boss 132 in a direction that is offset from the direction of insertion of driving components 140 into the receptacles 200 by about 45 degrees. The second locking slot 242 may also extend radially inwardly from a peripheral edge of the end face 230 toward the axis 202.
Meanwhile, a third locking slot 244 may be disposed in the end face 230 to extend radially inwardly from a peripheral edge of the end face 230 toward the axis 202. The second locking slot 242 may be offset from the first locking slot 240 by about 135 degrees and offset from the second locking slot 242 by about 90 degrees. The third locking slot 244 may therefore be substantially perpendicular to the axis of the driving components 140 when inserted into the receptacles 200 (and therefore the direction of insertion of driving components 140 into the receptacles 200).
Each opposing end face 230 may include a corresponding set of the first, second, and third locking slots 240, 242 and 244 that mirror each other. Similarly, each opposing end of the rail 130 may include a retention boss 132 having its own respective instance of the alignment slot 220 formed therein. The retention bosses 132 and alignment slots 220 formed therein may also mirror each other.
Referring primarily to
Locking of the retention boss 132 may be accomplished using a locking protrusion 260 disposed adjacent to the collar portion 250. In this regard, the locking protrusion 260 may protrude toward a center of the frame member 110 from an inner portion of the lateral side 112 next to each respective collar portion 250. A longitudinal length of the locking protrusion 260 may extend substantially perpendicular to a direction of longitudinal extension of the lateral side 112, and may terminate at or proximate to an apex of the collar portion 250. The locking protrusion 260 may have a width and depth that is substantially similar to a width and depth of the first, second and third locking slots 240, 242 and 244. As will be described in greater detail below, the lock protrusion 260 may be aligned with and inserted into a respective one of the first, second and third locking slots 240, 242 and 244 in order to lock the rail 130 at a particular orientation within the case 100.
Each instance of the rail holding slot 120 may also include an alignment protrusion 270 that extends in a direction parallel to the direction of extension of the locking protrusion 260. The alignment protrusion 270 may have a width and depth (and perhaps also length) that is substantially similar to a width and depth (and length) of the alignment slot 220. The length of the rails 130 from end to end of the retention bosses 132 may be such that the rail 130 cannot be inserted into the rail holding slot 120 unless the alignment protrusion 270 is aligned with the alignment slot 220. However, when the alignments slots 220 on each of the retention bosses 132 are aligned with each other, the rail 130 may be slid downward (in the direction of arrow 280) until the retention bosses 132 clear the bottom of the alignment protrusion 270 entirely and the retention bosses 132 are disposed in a receiving orifice 290 formed between the collar portion 250 and the alignment protrusion 270. The receiving orifice 290 may be larger than a diameter of the retention boss 132 to allow the retention boss 132 to be rotatable therein, whether or not the locking protrusion 260 is engaged with one of the first, second and third locking slots 240, 242 and 244.
Accordingly, as shown in
From the position shown in
As shown in
When the retention boss 132 is in the positions shown in
Accordingly, some example embodiments may provide a case for storing drivable components. The case may include a first half shell and a second half shell operably coupled to each other via a hinge, a frame member included in at least one of the first half shell or the second half shell, and a rail including a plurality of receptacles configured to receive respective ones of the drivable components. The frame member may include rail holding slots disposed in lateral sides of the frame member. The rail may be configured to be removable from the rail holding slots and rotatable in the rail holding slots between selected ones of a plurality of predetermined rail positions.
The case and/or the rail described above may be augmented or modified by altering individual features mentioned above or adding optional features. The augmentations or modifications may be performed in any combination and in any order. For example, in some cases, the rail may include a body in which each of the receptacles is formed, and a retention boss at each opposing end of the body. The retention boss may be configured to be received in the rail holding slots in a selected one of locked state or a rotatable state. The locked state (or retained state) may fix the rail relative to the frame member in a selected one of the predetermined rail positions. The rotatable state enables the rail to rotate about an axis of the rail between each of the predetermined rail positions. The body may have a length less than a distance between a pair of the rail holding slots positioned opposite each other in the lateral sides of the frame member. In an example embodiment, the drivable components may each include a quarter-inch hex shaft. In some cases, one of the predetermined rail positions may include a use position in which the rail is fixed in an orientation in which the drivable components extend substantially perpendicularly away from a base portion forming an outer wall of the case. In an example embodiment, one of the predetermined rail positions may include a storage position in which the rail is fixed in an orientation in which the drivable components extend substantially parallel to a base portion forming an outer wall of the case. In some cases, one of the predetermined rail positions may include an install/remove position in which the rail is fixed in an orientation in which the drivable components extend about 45 degrees away from a base portion forming an outer wall of the case. In an example embodiment, the rail may be configured to be removable from the rail holding slots from one of the predetermined rail positions, and may also be insertable into the rail holding slots in the same one of the predetermined rail positions. In an example embodiment, the end face may include a plurality of locking slots extending radially outwardly from the retention boss. In some cases, the frame member may further include a locking protrusion. The locking protrusion may be alignable with a selected one of the locking slots to insert the locking protrusion into the selected one of the locking slots to fix the rail relative to the frame member. In an example embodiment, the rail holding slots may each further include a collar portion disposed proximate to a locking protrusion and defining a receiving orifice, where the locking protrusion and alignment protrusion are disposed on opposite sides of the receiving orifice. The retention boss may be rotatable within the receiving orifice when neither the alignment slot nor any one of the locking slots engages a respective one of the alignment protrusion and the locking protrusion. In some cases, a first locking slot may be substantially aligned with the alignment slot, and the locking protrusion may be aligned with the alignment protrusion such that the rail is positionable to align both the first locking slot with the locking protrusion and the alignment slot with the alignment protrusion to enable installation and fixing of the rail relative to the frame member. In an example embodiment, a second locking slot may be disposed about 45 degrees away from the first locking slot in the end face, and the second locking slot may be engageable with the locking protrusion to define a use position in which the rail is fixed in an orientation in which the drivable components extend substantially perpendicularly away from a base portion forming an outer wall of the case. In some cases, a third locking slot may be disposed about 135 degrees away from the first locking slot in the end face, and the third locking slot may be engageable with the locking protrusion to define a storage position in which the rail is fixed in an orientation in which the drivable components extend substantially parallel to a base portion forming an outer wall of the case.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be appreciated that such advantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any advantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thought of as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or to that which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application claims priority to U.S. application No. 62/782,416 filed Dec. 20, 2018, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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PCT/US2019/061924 | 11/18/2019 | WO |
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WO2020/131269 | 6/25/2020 | WO | A |
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