1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to storage and dispenser devices and, more specifically, to a single hand-operated dispenser for drill and driver bits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In various storage containers have been used for storing drill and driver bits. Depending on how many drill and/or driver bits are stored such storage containers can be relatively small or quite large. Typically, the storage containers have a cover or lid that must be opened to obtain access to the bits. Normally, this requires that the container be held in one hand while the cover or lid is opened with the other hand. This requires, therefore, that a user must free both hands for this operation and laying down any other tools or work, frequently interrupting the normal flow of work. Additionally, once the cover or lid is opened, all of the bits within the container become exposed and may inadvertently fall out of the container. Replacement of such displaced bits can be tedious and time-consuming as such drill and/or driver bits should be replaced in a specific order to facilitate future use. Also, drill and driver but containers are frequently in the shape of rectangular housings which are difficult to grasp with one hand, particularly by those individuals that have smaller hands, this further aggravating the handling of such containers.
The present invention relates to a single hand-operated dispenser for drill and driver bits. The dispenser housing is generally cylindrical to facilitate a user to hold it in one hand. A cover or lid is pivotally mounted at one end of the housing which is a spring-loaded or otherwise biased to normally move the cover lid to a close position, thereby ensuring that the housing is normally closed and that bits cannot inadvertently fall out. A finger tab or button extends from the cover or lid and is ergonomically positioned to be proximate to the position of the user's thumb when the fingers of the hand holding the container are wrapped around the container as the container is held during normal use. When a bit needs to be removed or replaced into the container the finger tab or button may be actuated by the thumb to pivotably move the cover or lid to an open position thereby exposing the interior of the container for dispensing the bits at the open axial end thereof.
These and other objects will become apparent when the drawings of the present invention are considered in detail along with the specification, taken with the drawings as follows:
Referring now more specifically to the figures, in which the identical or similar parts will be designated by the same reference numerals throughout, and first referring to
The dispenser 10 includes a generally cylindrical barrel or housing 12 having a top end 14 and a bottom end 16. The opening at the top end 14 is normally covered and closed by a cover or lid 20, which may be at least partially transparent, as at 22. The cover 20 is secured to the housing 12 by means of a connecting portion 24 which includes an outwardly projecting finger tab or button 26 and is pivotally mounted about a pin or rivet 28. When the cylindrical housing barrel 12 is formed of two cylindrical shells these may be secured or attached to each other by means of screws 30. The cover 12 is preferably spring-loaded or otherwise biased to normally move the cover 20 to the closed position shown in
At the bottom end 16 a pin, rivet or other fastener 32 is used to pivotally mount a cover 34 which is likewise preferably spring-loaded or otherwise biased to move the cover 34 to the position shown in
In
It will be appreciated that the storage container and dispenser 10 is capable of single handed operation, for opening the covers at either axial end to thereby free the other hand to select and remove a desired drill and/or driver bit.
The specific material used for wall 12 of the storage and dispenser unit 10 is not critical and is preferably made from welded plastic material. As suggested, any locking and releasing mechanisms may be used for either the upper cover 20 or the lower cover 34, as long as in these covers can be selectively opened and closed with a single hand while the container or dispenser is being held. The single hand-operated dispenser for drill and driver bits in accordance with the invention is, therefore, simple and convenient to use while it allows drill and driver bits to be safely stored and organized in a way that allows for their easy access.
While the preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that the there is no intention to limit the invention by such disclosure, but rather, it is the intention to cover all modifications and alternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.