EP0124446B1 - Tool box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a case of a new type intended to contain tools.

In terms of transporting tools or tools of various types, numerous models of embodiment are already known.

For example, rigid boxes are known which can be metallic or wooden, the simplest model of which is a box with removable superimposed compartments. This type of box has the disadvantage of requiring the removal of all the compartments when it is desired to reach the tools stored in the bottom.

To overcome this drawback, boxes of the unfoldable type have been devised which usually consist of two adjacent stacks of racks which are joined together in each stack by deformable parallelograms. This allows all the compartments to be discovered simultaneously, but has various drawbacks, including in particular the bulk and instability of the open boxes, the risk of pinching the user, etc.

There are also known the kits usually produced in the form of a strip comprising adjacent pockets into which the tools are introduced, the strip then being wound on itself. These kits do not have lockers and do not allow the storage of screws, nails or other small parts.

Cases have also been produced specially adapted for sets of specialized tools for different professions, but these cases of conventional type do not allow, owing to their specialization, flexibility of storage or use for more diverse tools.

For example, US-A-3 878 939 and 3 310 905 both describe a portable case-type box comprising two half-shells hinged together around an axis located laterally on a side of the case which is adjacent and perpendicular to one side thereof intended to constitute the lower side of the case, each half-shell being provided with means for storing a composition of articles to be transported in this case.

Such a case has the advantage of being able to be placed easily and with good stability on the floor or on a work table in the open position, so that the user has convenient access to all the articles.

For the storage of tools, the case of US-A-3 878 939 includes staples and hooks specific to each tool so that this case lacks flexibility of use, its interior arrangement being determined once and for all for a composition of 'given tools.

The case of US-A-3 310 905 has, for its part, storage bins mounted in the half-shells and supported at their two ends in the manner of drawers, the two series of bins being insulated by a partition, which limits the size of the tanks to that of each half-shell. Such a case can therefore only be used for articles of small dimensions and weight.

We also know, from DE-A-3 104 292, a toolbox formed of two parts assembled permanently and together constituting a kind of suitcase. In this case, the large opposite side walls of the suitcase are articulated on the assembled parts to discover trays sliding in rails arranged in facing surfaces. The interior layout is determined at the time of manufacture because the drawer trays are retained in the grooves therefore irremovable and use is limited to articles of relatively small weight and size.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved tool carrying case with greater flexibility of use, allowing very many different types of interior arrangement, at the option of the user, while being suitable for specialized tools.

The subject of the invention is therefore a portable tool box of the case type comprising two half-shells hinged together around an axis situated laterally on a side of the case which is adjacent and perpendicular to a side intended to constitute the lower side of the case, each half-shell having on its two opposite sides opposite grooves or internal ribs which are contained in planes perpendicular to the axis of articulation of the case and which are in coincidence with those of the other half -shell when the case is closed, and means for storing a composition of tools to be transported comprising trays and / or trays, characterized in that the internal grooves or ribs of the two half-shells extend mainly around the periphery of each of them and thus extend continuously over the entire periphery of the case when the latter is closed and in that the storage means comprise at least one tray having u ne width greater than that of each half-shell and provided over its entire periphery with sliding retaining means which cooperate with the grooves of the two half-shells when the case is closed but with those of a single half-shell when the case is open so that the tank then projects between the half-shells but is held by the bottom and the lateral sides of one of these half-shells.

Thanks to these characteristics, the toolbox allows the user to choose at any time the number and dimensions of the trays and / or trays used, according to his needs, because having a set of these elements (in one number possibly larger than the box can contain), it can arrange at will the case with bins and or trays of different dimensions. It can indeed store there at will light and / or heavy articles, small and / or encom brant, which _'will be both transported safely in the closed case and firmly supported after the installation of the open case at point of use. It can also create space for very bulky objects (paint cans, etc.). Thus, the box according to the invention makes it possible to carry out both an arrangement suitable for a handyman and an adaptation to a category of tools specific to a particular profession, it being understood that the user can himself modify this arrangement according to the needs.

• la Fig. 1 est une vue en perspective d'une mallette à outils suivant l'invention en position fermée ;
• la Fig. 2 est une vue de la mallette à outils suivant l'invention en position ouverte, montrant un agencement de bacs intérieurs ;
• la Fig. 3 est une vue analogue à celle de la Fig. 2 montrant notamment comment les bacs sont disposés de façon amovible dans les demi-coquilles de la mallette ;
• la Fig. 4 est une vue analogue à celle de la Fig. 3 montrant un agencement différent comprenant des plateaux verticaux et des bacs ;
• la Fig. 5 est une vue en section transversale d'une mallette à outils suivant l'invention ;
• la Fig. 6 est une vue en section transversale d'un bac ;
• la Fig. 7A est une vue en bout d'un bac montrant un dispositif de verrouillage ;
• la Fig. 7B est une vue en coupe suivant la ligne 7B-7B de la Fig. 7A ;
• la Fig. 8A est une vue en perspective d'une extrémité d'un casier ou bac avec un dispositif de verrouillage différent ;
• la Fig. 8B est une vue en coupe horizontale de ce dispositif de verrouillage ;
• la Fig. 9 est une vue en perspective d'un plateau vertical ;
• les Fig. 10 et 11 sont deux vues schématiques en section transversale d'une mallette à outils suivant l'invention montrant deux exemples d'agencement intérieur.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tool case according to the invention in the closed position;
• Fig. 2 is a view of the tool case according to the invention in the open position, showing an arrangement of interior trays;
• Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 showing in particular how the tanks are removably arranged in the half-shells of the case;
• Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 showing a different arrangement comprising vertical plates and trays;
• Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a tool case according to the invention;
• Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a tank;
• Fig. 7A is an end view of a container showing a locking device;
• Fig. 7B is a sectional view along line 7B-7B of FIG. 7A;
• Fig. 8A is a perspective view of one end of a rack or tray with a different locking device;
• Fig. 8B is a horizontal sectional view of this locking device;
• Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a vertical plate;
• Figs. 10 and 11 are two schematic cross-sectional views of a tool case according to the invention showing two examples of interior arrangement.

Referring to the drawings, the tool case according to the invention externally has the shape of a conventional case designated as a whole by the reference 1 formed by two rigid half-shells 2 and 3 articulated one on the other, having as a whole a rectangular shape, which are advantageously made of a suitable molded plastic. each half-shell has a bottom 5 made in one piece with lateral sides 6,7, an upper side 8 and a lower side 9, as known per se.

The half-shell 2 has on its upper side 8 a gripping member constituted by a handle 10 of the conventional type used on the cases while the opposite half-shell 3 has two tabs 11 made of material by molding, each pierced with a hole in which is hooked a carabiner secured to one end of a strap 12, preferably adjustable, and for carrying the briefcase over the shoulder.

With particular reference to the sectional view of FIG. 5, it can be seen that each half-shell 2,3 has in its lower edge 9 rolling means which are constituted by rollers 15 arranged angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the case for a purpose which will appear later.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the half-shells 2,3 are articulated around an axis 4 which is located on one side of the half-shells which is adjacent and perpendicular to that carrying said rolling means 15, which are opposite to the handle 10.

Thanks to this arrangement, the case which is normally carried either by means of the handle 10 or by means of the strap 12 and is therefore normally placed vertically on the rolling means 15 can be opened vertically around the axis 4, which gives it, in the open position on the one hand, a stability all the greater as the angle formed by the half-shells 2 and 3 is close to 90 °, more or less and on the other hand largely releases access to the interior of the case.

Preferably, means are provided for limiting the opening angle, for example a compass 43, one branch of which is releasable so as to allow, if desired, total opening of the case.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, each half-shell 2,3 is made with a double wall so as to have an external wall 16 and an internal wall 17, which gives each half-shell high rigidity and resistance.

Preferably, as shown in the drawings, the lower side 9 of the half-shells has molded in its outer wall part of the bosses 19 in which the rollers 15 are rotatably mounted, thereby increasing the rigidity of the lower part of the briefcase.

The bosses 19 are provided so as to extend approximately transversely with respect to the junction plane of the two half-shells in the closed position of the case and delimit housings in which the rolling means formed are mounted, in this example by rollers 15 whose axes, contained in a horizontal plane, converge towards each other symmetrically with respect to the junction plane of the half-shells so that their extensions cross on that of axis 4.

Thanks to this arrangement, when the box is placed closed on the rollers 15, the half-shells 2.3 can deviate from one another by pivoting about the axis 4, this movement being facilitated by the rolling without sliding rollers 15 along the arc described by each half-shell.

According to the example of execution shown in drawings, the internal wall 17 of each half-shell has several grooves 18 for example of U-shaped cross section, extending continuously in the internal wall of the bottom 5 and lateral sides 6 and 7 defining planes perpendicular to the axis 4 of articulation.

The grooves 18 are identical and also spaced in the two half-shells and located so that their open ends on the lateral sides 6 and 7 coincide when the case is in its closed position.

The tool case according to the invention is completed by a series of tool storage elements which can, for example, be of two types, namely horizontal trays and vertical trays.

The tanks 20, 21, 22, 23 are for example made of plastic by molding and each have, in order to cooperate with the grooves 18, a peripheral rim 24 projecting outwards and whose section is complementary to that of the grooves 18 , each container having in plan a shape which corresponds either to the horizontal section of the closed case (containers 20, 21), or to the horizontal section of a single half-shell (containers 22 and 23).

The tanks can have different heights, this height being at least equal to the vertical distance between two grooves 18 and can be a multiple of this distance. According to the example shown in the drawings, the container 20 has a height which is equal to twice the distance between two grooves 18 and a width equal to twice the depth of a half-shell, the containers 21 having a height equal to the distance between two grooves 18 and a width equal to twice the depth of the half-shells while the tanks 22 and 23 have a height equal to the distance between two grooves 18 and a width equal only to the depth of a half shell.

In other words, the volume of each bin is a submultiple of the interior volume of the case.

It is understood that this arrangement makes it possible to arrange the tanks in the half-shells by introducing their peripheral rim into the grooves 18 and by sliding them therein. It is also understood that the tray 20 once housed in the grooves of the half-shell 2, the box can be closed, the corresponding groove of the half-shell 2 then coming to adjust on the peripheral rim 24 thus immobilizing completely this bac. It is also understood that two tanks such as 22 and 23 can be housed in the half-shells 2,3 in grooves 18 located at the same height, each tank being entirely contained in the half-shell in which it is housed and these two trays immobilizing each other when the case is closed.

To facilitate the extraction of a container when several of these are superimposed in a half-shell, it is advantageously provided on each container with gripping means as shown for example in FIG. 6 which is a cross-sectional view of a tank. As shown, the tray 22 has in the middle of its longitudinal wall an opening 25 which allows to introduce a finger to pull the tray outside. In order to prevent the contents of the container from escaping through the opening 25, in the case where it contains objects of small dimensions such as screws, nails, nuts or the like, an internal partition 25 is provided. delimiting a closed enclosure around the opening 25.

Means are also provided according to the invention for locking the tanks releasably in the grooves of the two half-shells. In the case of tanks 22 and 23, these means can be constituted as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B by a tongue 27 made in one piece and delimited in an end wall of the tank 22 by a U-shaped slot 28, the tongue 27 being connected to the rest of the wall of the tank by a weakened part 29 giving to the tongue 27 some elasticity. The end of the tongue 27 opposite the weakened part 29 has a partially spherical boss 30, and a cavity 31 of dimensions corresponding to those of the boss 30 is formed in the corresponding internal wall 17 of the half-shell and it is understood that the boss 30 protruding slightly from the end wall of the container comes to engage elastically in the cavity 31 when the container is pushed into a groove. The flexibility of the tongue 27 making it possible to extract the container by pulling it towards you through the opening 25 against the elastic resistance opposed by the tongue 27.

As shown in Figs. 8A and 8B, and in particular when the containers have in plan a shape corresponding to the horizontal section of the case (containers 20 and 21), the locking device can also have the shape indicated at 32 in these figures. In this case, the end walls of each container 20 or 21 each have a rectangular opening 33 arranged symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal axis of the container and intended to receive a hooking member 34. This member comprises a plate 35 the size of the rectangular opening 33 and provided with two latching lugs 35 intended to come into engagement with the short sides of the opening 33. At one end of the plate 35 came from the molding a tongue 37 which extends along the plate 35 and which carries at its free end a latching pin 38. This is intended to be positioned elastically in a complementary hole 39 formed in each half-shell at the corresponding height with respect to each set of grooves 18. These holes 39 are therefore spaced vertically from one another by the distance between two of these superimposed grooves and placed near the corresponding edges of the half-shells.

We understand that this locking device that is provided at each end of the trays, allows them to be removed from the case by a simple pressure on the tabs 37 making remove the pins 38 from their corresponding hole, the installation of a tray in the case being by simple snap-fastening.

The second type of tool storage element according to the invention, shown in FIG. 4 is constituted by a vertical plate 40, one embodiment of which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 9. The plate 40 is intended to carry tools arranged in loops 41 and is constituted by a plastic plate having two opposite lateral edges, each comprising retaining means made of material by molding constituted by transverse members 42 such as rods whose cross section is complementary to that of the grooves 18. It is understood that plates 40 can be introduced by means of their retaining members 42 in corresponding grooves 18 and thus held in the half-shells. The height of the plates must be a multiple of the distance between two grooves 18.

The length of the guide members 42 is such that several plates can be arranged parallel to each other in a single half-shell taking into account the thickness of the tools.

It is understood that an appropriate choice of the number and dimensions of the trays and / or the trays makes it possible to carry out both an appropriate arrangement suitable for a handyman and an adaptation to a category of tools specific to a particular profession.

It is also understood that the trays arranged one below the other are closed by overlapping and that consequently only the upper tray of an incomplete row or above which a tray is disposed may require a cover. Of course, if desired, each tray can have a cover, for example sliding or having conventional latching means.

There is shown in Figs. 10 and 11 two nonlimiting examples of interior arrangements of trays and trays among an infinity of other possible arrangements.

Following the example shown in FIG. 10, the half-shell 3 contains two vertical plates 40 and the half-shell 2 contains seven bins such as 22 superimposed and completely filling the volume of the half-shell 2.

The example shown in FIG. 11 comprises a container such as 20, two containers such as 21 and two containers such as 22, spaces remaining free could be completed by a third container 21 and two other containers 22 or 23.

The invention provides a case forming a toolbox whose entire interior volume can be used and which can be transported without changing position and without risk of spilling its contents. In the example of FIG. 10 each tray 22 closes the tray 22 located immediately below, the upper tray being in turn closed by the upper internal wall of the corresponding half-shell. In the open position of the toolbox the trays are not likely to escape from the half-shells thanks to the locking means 27 and 32 which however allow them to be easily removed.

The rollers allow easy opening of the box whatever the support on which it is placed. It is further understood that it can be easily carried either by hand by means of the handle 10, or as a shoulder strap by means of the strap 12. In addition, the construction of the double-walled box makes it possible to carry out on the periphery of the opening of the half-shells of the sealing means constituted by a rib and a complementary peripheral groove thus ensuring perfect retention of the two half-shells in the closed position of the box as well as excellent tightness with respect for example moisture or rain.

The external wall 16 may also include internal or external ribs improving its appearance and its rigidity.

The locks 13 make it possible to lock the case with a key, which constitutes insurance against theft. Finally, the tool case according to the invention, produced by molding in a suitable plastic material has no sharp angle and has an aesthetic appearance similar to that of a suitcase, the strap 12 can be unhooked and stored in a tray.

It is understood of course that the peripheral edges 24 of the tanks adapted to cooperate with the grooves 18 are only one example of the means for retaining the storage elements in the half-shells of equivalent means which can be used, for example two parallel ribs in protrusion could be provided on the internal wall 17 of each half-shell to define between them a groove for receiving the peripheral edge of the tanks.

Conversely, the means for retaining the trays and trays can be constituted by a groove or a groove cooperating with a protruding rail on the internal wall of the half-shells, or discontinuous protruding guide means.

It will also be noted that the means for retaining the plates can also include locking bosses.

Gripping means (not shown) can also be provided on the side of the case opposite the joint 4.

Claims (9)

1. A portable tool box of the case type, comprising two semi-shells (2, 3) interconnected to pivot about a pin (4) located laterally on a side of the case which is adjacent to and perpendicular to a side intended to constitute the lower side of the case, each semi-shell (2, 3) comprising on its two opposed sides facing inner grooves or ribs (18) which are contained in planes perpendicular to the pivot pin of the case and which are in coincidence with those of the other semi-shell when the case is closed, and stowing means (20 to 23, 40) for a composition of tools to be transported comprising trays and/or plates, characterized in that the inner grooves or ribs (18) of the two semi-shells (2, 3) extend throughout the periphery of each thereof and are thus extended in a continuous manner throughout the perimeter of the case when the latter is closed and the stowing means comprise at least one tray (20, 21) having a width which is larger than that of each semi-shell and provided on the whole of its periphery with slidable retaining means (24) which cooperate with the grooves (18) of the two semi-shells (2, 3) when the case is closed but with that of a single semi-shell (2 or 3) when the case is open, so that the tray then projects between the two semi-shells but is maintained by the bottom (15) and the lateral sides (6, 7) of one of these semi-shells.

2. A box according to claim 1, characterized in that the trays (20 to 23) comprise as slidable retaining element flanges (24) extending throughout their periphery and intended to be engaged in the grooves (18).

3. A box according to one of the claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the stowing means comprise also at least one plate (40) which is provided with retaining means in the form of rods (42) whose section is complementary to those of the grooves (18), oriented in a direction perpendicular to the plate on the edges of the latter, and whose height is a multiple of the distance between two grooves (18) of a semi-shell (2, 3).

4. A box according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the volume of each tray (20 to 23) is a sub-multiple of the interior volume of the case.

5. A box according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each tray (20 to 23) comprises holding means (25).

6. A box according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each tray (20 to 23) comprises for its locking in the case at its two ends elastic locking means (27, 37) provided with a projection (30, 38) and the projections are intended to elastically penetrate into corresponding openings provided in the semi-shells (2, 3).

7. A box according to claim 6 characterized in the trays have a shape in plan which corresponds to the horizontal section of the case, the locking means are mounted on each tray (20, 21) and include an elastic strip (37) whose projection (38) is intended to be disengaged from the corresponding opening by a pressure exerted with the finger.

8. A box according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it also comprises trays having a width equal to that of a semi-shell.

9. A box according to claim 8, characterized in that the locking means (27) are provided by a forming operation in the body of the tray (22, 23) and are releasable by a simple displacement of this tray.

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