The present invention relates to a tool container assembly, and, more particularly to a tool container assembly with a slidable closure member that is slidably movable between a first position in which it substantially covers a front opening and a second position in which it exposes the front opening.
Numerous tool container assemblies are known in the art. However, there is a constant need in the industry to improve upon existing tool container assemblies by making them more efficient, mobile, and/or multi-functional.
One aspect of the invention relates to a tool container assembly. The tool container assembly includes an upper container, a lower container, rollers, a handle and a slidable closure member. The upper container includes an upper storage space therein and the lower container includes a lower storage space therein. The lower container also includes a rear wall, opposing side walls, a bottom wall, a lower front wall, and a front opening above the lower front wall. The front opening generally lies along a plane that extends away from the rear wall as it extends downwardly. The rollers are constructed and arranged to enable rolling transport of the tool container assembly. The handle is operatively connected to the tool container assembly to facilitate tilted rolling transport of the tool container assembly. The slidable closure member is slidably movable between a first position wherein it substantially covers the front opening and a second position wherein it exposes the front opening. The closure member moves to a position wherein it generally lies between the plane and the lower front wall, and at an angle with respect to the plane, when it is moved to the second position.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a tool container assembly. The tool container assembly includes a container, rollers, a handle and a slidable closure member. The container includes a storage space therein. The container also includes a rear wall, opposing side walls, a bottom wall, a lower front wall, and a front opening above the lower front wall. The front opening generally lies along a plane that extends away from the rear wall as it extends downwardly. The rollers are constructed and arranged to enable rolling transport of the tool container assembly. The handle is operatively connected to the tool container assembly to facilitate tilted rolling transport of the tool container assembly. The slidable closure member is slidably movable between a first position wherein it substantially covers the front opening and a second position wherein it exposes the front opening. The closure member moves to a position wherein it generally lies between the plane and the lower front wall, and at an angle with respect to the plane, when it is moved to the second position.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a tool container assembly. The tool container assembly includes an upper container, a lower container, rollers, and a handle. The upper container includes an upper storage space therein and the lower container includes a lower storage space therein. The lower container also includes a rear wall, opposing side walls, a bottom wall, a lower front wall, and a front opening above the lower front wall. The front opening generally lies along a plane that extends away from the rear wall as it extends downwardly. The rollers are constructed and arranged to enable rolling transport of the tool container assembly. The handle is operatively connected to the tool container assembly to facilitate tilted rolling transport of the tool container assembly.
These and other aspects of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
In one embodiment (not shown), it is contemplated that the tool container assembly 10 may only include the lower container 14 having storage space 24 therein, and without the upper container 12 described earlier.
In one embodiment, as shown in
As noted above, the upper container 12 includes the upper storage space 22 therein, which is configured to store tools or articles therein. In one embodiment, the upper container 12 comprises an upwardly facing opening into the upper storage space 22. The cover 42 is constructed and arranged to be pivotally connected the upper container 12 and movable between a closed position wherein it substantially covers the upwardly facing opening and an open position wherein it exposes the upwardly facing opening. In one embodiment, the cover 42 may be connected to the rear wall 38 of the upper container 12 using one or more hinge members or pins (not shown). The cover 42 may be secured in the closed position, as shown in
Specifically cover 42 may include a recess 58 located on a top surface 60. The recess 58 is constructed and arranged to receive a pivotable version of handle 18, when the handle 18 is in a flat, storage or fold-down position, as will be clear from the discussions later. In one embodiment, the cover 42 may include a gripping tab 62 that allows a user to move the cover 42 between the closed position and the open position. In one embodiment, the gripping tab 62 is located on a front edge of the cover 42.
As noted above, the lower container 14 may generally include the rear wall 26, opposing side walls 28, the lower front wall 32, a bottom wall 55 and the front opening 34 above the lower front wall 32. The front opening 34 generally lies along a plane ABCD that extends away from the rear wall 26 as it extends downwardly. In one embodiment, the plane ABCD may generally be at the angle α with respect to the lower front wall 32. In one embodiment, lower portion of the lower front wall 32 may generally define a recess 66 toward a central lower portion thereof. The recess 66 may be formed by a rearwardly and downwardly sloped portion of lower front wall 32 as shown. A recess 68 formed in the lower rear portions of the side walls 28 and the rear wall 26 of the lower container 14 is constructed and arranged to accommodate the rollers 16 therein. In one embodiment, the recess 68 may generally be in the form of an arcuate cut-out.
As noted earlier, the closure member 20 generally lies within or parallel to the plane ABCD when in the first position (as shown in
In one embodiment, the rollers 16 may be in the form of wheels and may facilitate rolling transport of the tool container assembly 10. The rollers 16 are mounted in proximity to a lower region of the lower container 14 so that the tool container assembly 10 may be tilted and pushed along the ground by the user holding the handle 18. The rollers 16, in one embodiment, may optionally be locked against rolling motion by lock members (not shown) to provide a stationary configuration.
Preferably the each wheel 16 is a molded structure reinforced by a plurality of wheel ribs 70 and each wheel 16 is mounted on an end of an elongated axle 72 by two hubs 74 or other appropriate structure. The axle 72 may be an elongated cylindrical metal shaft that is snap fit into rotational engagement with a receiving structure of the lower container 14 in conventional fashion. Alternatively, the axle 72 can be mounted to the tool container assembly 10 through a pair of axially aligned through-holes (not shown) formed in the rear wall 26 of the lower container 14.
In one embodiment, the handle 18 is movable between a storage position (not shown) and an extended position (as shown in
In one embodiment, the handle 18 is constructed and arranged to fold down into a flat, storage position from the extended position. In the flat, storage position, the handle 18 is constructed and arranged to be received into the handle recess 58 formed in the upper surface 60 of the cover 42. In one embodiment, a pair of manually releasable lock members 124 may be selectively released to permit movement of the handle 18 between the flat, storage position. The handle 18 can be releasably lockable in either the folded storage or extended positions. In an alternative embodiment, rather than being foldable, the handle 18 may be constructed and arranged to be linearly movable vertically between a lowered position and an extended position, and optionally locked in either position. The tool container assembly 10 may include a pair of hollow, support legs (not shown) that are configured to telescopically receive legs 78 of the handle 18 to enable such lowering and extension. In one embodiment, the tool container assembly 10 may include a release mechanism (not shown) to lock and release the legs 78 or handle 18 from a locking mechanism. To move the handle 18 up or down, a user may operate the release mechanism to release the legs 78 from the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism may be any suitable mechanism known in the art to restrict movement of a telescopically received tube or rod, such as a tension grip, notch and catch, etc.
The tool container assembly 10 includes the wall 56 (as shown in
A guide 80 is disposed generally along the opposite sides of the front of the lower container 14. The guide 80 includes a first (upper) portion 82 and a second (lower) portion 84. The first portion 82 of the guide 80 comprises a pair of guide portions or tracks disposed generally along the opposite sides of the container, specifically on opposite sides of the front opening 34, and generally lies within or parallel to the plane ABCD. The second portion 84 of the guide 80 comprises a pair of guide portions or tracks disposed generally along the opposite sides of the container, specifically on opposite sides of the lower front wall 32, and generally lies in a plane that is parallel to the lower front wall 32. In one embodiment, the guide 80 may generally include a C-shaped or U-shaped cross-sectional configuration. The guide 80 and aforementioned portions thereof generally bound or define the front opening 34.
As shown in
As the closure member 20 is move from the first position in the direction of the arrow A (e.g., generally within or parallel to plane ABCD), the closure member 20 eventually reaches a position, as shown in
The operation of the slidable closure member 20 as the closure member 20 slides from the second position to the first position is now explained. As the closure member 20 moves upwards from the second position, the closure member 20 reaches a position, where the pair of pins 86 of the closure member 20 is located at the intersection I between the plane ABCD and the plane along, alongside, or adjacent to the lower front wall 32. When the closure member 20 is at this position, the closure member 20 begins to pivot about a pivot axis as the closure member 20 slides from the second position to the first position. In one embodiment, forward pair of the pins 88 acts as the pivot axis after the pins 86 pass beyond intersection I, as the closure member 20 slides toward the first position. In one embodiment, the closure member 20 begins to pivot about the pivot axis after the rearward pair of the pins 86 passes the intersection I between the plane ABCD and the lower front wall 32 and engages with first portion 82 of the guide 80.
When the closure member 20 is at a position where the closure member 20 generally lies between the plane ABCD and the lower front wall 32, the closure member 20 pivots about the forward pair of the pins 88 as the closure member 20 slides toward the first position. The closure member 20 continues to slidably move and pivot about the forward pair of pins 88 until the forward pair of pins 88 reaches the intersection I between the plane ABCD and that alongside the lower front wall 32. After the forward pair of pins 88 passes the intersection I between the plane ABCD and the lower front wall 32, the closure member 20 slidably moves along the pins 86 and 88 on the first portion 82 of the guide 80. Once the closure member 20 substantially covers the front opening 34, the latch member 52 is engaged with the latch receiver 56 (as shown in
The latch member 52 includes a connector member 96, a manually engageable member 98, and an attachment member 100. The connector member 96 is constructed and arranged to connect the latch member 52 to the slidable closure member 20. In one embodiment, the connector member 96 is connected to the handle 90 of the slidable closure member 20. In one embodiment, the connector member 96 of the latch member 52 is attached to the slidable closure member 20 by any of several well known attachment mechanisms such as riveting, welding, bolting or any other fastening mechanism as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art. In another embodiment, the connector member 96 of the latch member 52 may be integrally formed with the slidable closure member 20 (e.g., they may be formed from a molded plastic material). In one embodiment, the connector operates as a spring to retain the latch member 52 in a latched configuration. For this purpose, the connector member 96 may be formed from a resilient plastic or form a spring metal, such as spring steel. The manually engageable member 98 of the latch member 52 allows the user to move the latch member 52 from a lock position to an unlock position. The manually engageable member 98 may also allow the user to move the latch member 52 from the unlock position to the lock position, although in another embodiment the latch member 52 automatically locks when the closure 20 reaches the closed position. The attachment member 100 includes a manually engageable cantilever lever 102 and a protrusion 104 that deflects so that the protrusion 104 engages with or snaps into a groove or a recess 106 in the latch receiver 54 optionally under the force of spring 96.
The latch receiver 54 includes the aforementioned groove or recess 106, and a connector member 112. The connector member 112 is constructed and arranged to connect the latch receiver 54 to the tool container assembly 10. In one embodiment, the connector member 112 is attached to the upper front wall 44 of the tool container assembly 10. In another embodiment, the connector member 112 is attached to the wall 56 of the tool container assembly 10. In one embodiment, the connector member 112 may include a protrusion 114 that is constructed and arranged to connect with a groove or recess 116 formed in the upper front wall 44 or the wall 56 of the tool container assembly 10. The protrusion 114 and the groove or recess 116 engage with one another to secure the latch receiver 54 to the tool container assembly 10. In one embodiment, the connector member 112 of the latch receiver 54 is attached to the tool container assembly 10 by any of several well known attachment mechanisms such as welding, bolting, riveting, or any other fastening mechanism as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art. In another embodiment, the connector member 112 of the latch receiver 54 may be integrally formed with the tool container assembly 10. The groove or recess 106 is constructed and arranged to receive the protrusion 104 of the latch member 52 to lock the slidable closure member 20. In one embodiment, the latch receiver 54 includes an engaging member 118 that is located below the groove or recess 106.
In another embodiment, rather than employing a closure 20 that slides and pivots as described, it is contemplated that a strictly pivoting closure or other type closure can be used. Thus, the orientation of the opening 34, irrespective of the closure used therefore, is another independent aspect of the invention.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.