GB2192614A - Container for tape cassettes - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for use in carrying a selection of tape cassettes about the person includes a body part 10 provided with a clip for fitting over a waist-belt, and a lid part 18 hinged to the body part. Fasteners 40 allow the lid 18 to be held in a closed position and can be released to allow the lid to swing down into an open position for access to the tape cassettes. Trays 30, 32 pivotally mounted within the body part serve to separate the tape cassettes within the container and to support the cassettes so as to allow easy access when the lid is opened. Rings at the upper end of the body part 10 may allow the container to be attached to a chain and a formation 50 may be releasable engageable with a further container for spare tape player batteries. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Container for tape cassettes THIS INVENTION relates to a container for tape cassettes intended to allow a person to carry a small selection of tape cassettes about his or her person. In recent times there have come into popularity highly compact, portable tape cassette players which can readily be carried in a jacket pocket or the like, sound reproduction being by correspondingly compact and lightweight headphones worn by the wearer and connected with the tape cassette player by way of a light flexible electrical lead.

Such cassette players are thus able to be carried about by a person, and operated, and the reproduced sound listened to by the person, as he or she goes about his or her normal business or leisure.

It is an object of the# present invention to provide a-container or carrier by means of which a small selection of tape cassettes may likewise be carried about the person, equally conveniently and without significant weight penalty, whereby the user of such a portable cassette player may have at his or her disposal a choice of cassettes, to hand.

According to one aspect of-the present in vention there is provided a container for tape cassettes comprising a body part and a lid hingedly connected adjacent their lower ends, one of said body part and lid having, adjacent its upper end, attachment means for attachment to a belt or other article of clothing, fastening means being provided for holding the lid closed on the body part, said fastening means being operable manually whilst the container is still attached to such a belt or article of clothing, said container having means therein for supporting a plurality of tape cassettes in such a way that, with the container fastened to a belt and article of clothing, and with the lid opened fully, the tape cassettes are still located reliably therein whilst being readily accessible for manual removal from and replacement in the container.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a container for tape cassettes, comprising a body part having, adjacent its upper end, attachment means for attachment to a belt or other article of clothing, with an open side of said body part facing outwardly from the body of the wearer, and including tape-cassette-supporting means comprising a plurality of trays each pivotally mounted adjacent a lower end thereof in said body part and each having associated stop means to limit outward pivoting# of the respective tray from said body part, the arrangement being such that when said trays are swung outwardly from said body part to the extent permitted by the respective stop means, they fan out in angularly divergent fashion from their attachments to the body part, to facilitate manual access to the tape cassettes carried thereby, whereas in a fully closed condition of the container, the trays, and the cassettes carried thereby, are closely juxtaposed in parallel relationship.

An embodiment of the invention is described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container embodying the invention in a closed position, the view being from above and one side, FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, from below and the other side, of the same container, still in the closed condition, FIGURE 3 is a front perspective view, showing the container of Figures 1 and 2 in an open condition, and FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view of the container in the closed condition.

Referring to Figure 3, the container shown comprises a body part 10 comprising a vertical rear wall 12, an inclined bottom wall 14, and side walls 16 of generally triangular form.

A lid 18 is pivotally connected with the body 10 for pivoting about an axis parallel with and closely adjacent the lower edge of the body part 10, corresponding substantially with the lower edge of the inclined wall 14. The lid 18 comprises a base wall 20, side walls 22, a bottom wall 24 and a top wall 26. The pivotal connection of the lid 18 with the body 10 is effected by means of pivot pins 28 passing through the side walls 22 and the side walls 16. In the closed condition of the container, the side walls 22 engage in rebates formed along the free edges of the wall 16, the outer surfaces of the walls 22 and 16, in the closed condition of the container, being flush with one another.Outward pivoting of the lid 18, in opening the container, is limited by engagement of the side walls 22 and adjacent portions of the base wall 20, at the lower end of the lid, with the lower parts of the side walls 16, this limiting position being that shown in Figure 3. In this position, the major portion of the base wall 20 extends substantially horizontally, i.e. perpendicular to the wall 12.

Pivotally mounted within the body part 10 are two trays 30, 32, each mounted between the side walls 16 for pivoting about a respective axis parallel with the pivotal axis of the lid 18 relative to the body 10. Each tray 30, 32, is adapted to receive and locate on its upper surface a standard tape cassette, (which is, of course, a generally rectangular body) and to this end each tray 30 has low side walls, adjoining the respective walls 16, for engagement with the opposite ends of a tape cassette and a lower or rear wall for engagement with the back edge of a tape cassette. The tray 30 has, on its underside, two fins 34 for engagement in the centres of the tape spools of a tape cassette lying on the tray 32 when the container is closed.The rear wall 12 has two similar fins for engagement in the centres of the tape spools of a tape cassette lying on tray 30 when the container is closed, whilst the inner (upper in Figure 3) surface of the base wall 20 has two similar fins 36 projecting therefrom for engagement in the centres of the tape spools of a tape cassette lying on the inner surface of the base wall 20, such a cassette having its rear edge located by the bottom wall 24.

The trays 30, 32, have associated stop means, in the form of projections 38 extending inwardly from the side walls 16, which limit outward pivotal movement, away from the wall 12, into the open positions shown in Figure 3, the arrangement being such that, in the open positions, the trays 30, 32 and lid 18 fan out from one another and from the rear wall 12, that is to say the tray 30 is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the wall 12, the tray 32 is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the tray 30 and the lid 18 is inclined outwardly from the tray 32. This feature makes it easy for the user to grasp the selected cassette, which may be on tray 30, on tray 32 or on the inside of the lid, without being in any way obstructed by the other cassettes or the tray supporting the latter.Furthermore, this fanning out of the trays 30, 32 and the lid 20 ensure that the fins 34 and the corresponding fins on the wall 12 are disengaged from the spool centres of the respective cassettes.

In the closed position of the container, the walls 20, 12 and trays 32, 30 are substantially parallel with one another or are even, as shown, upwardly convergent towards one another from their pivotal attachments with the body. It will be appreciated that the pivotal axes of the lid 20, tray 32 and tray 30 are progressively higher and progressively closer to the rear wall 12.

In the closed condition, the upper edge of the lid 18 is secured to the upper edge of the wall 12 by a fastening arrangement comprising two catches 40 which are captive on but slidably horizontally along formations provided on the top wall 26 adjacent the ends thereof, the catches 40 having respective flanges 42 for engagement behind respective tabs 44 upstanding from the upper edge of the wall 12 to hold the container closed.

Secured to the rear of the wall 12, adjacent the other end thereof, (as best shown in Figures 2 and 4), is the upper end of a resilient clip 46 adapted to be fitted over a belt around the waist of the user, or over the edge of a pocket of an article of clothing.

Rings 48 carried at the upper end of the clip 46 allow a chain or band to be connected to the container by which the container may be hung around the wearer's neck, for example.

As shown in Figure 1, a container 52 for spare batteries for the tape player may be mounted on the side of the cassette carrier by means of a formation 50 formed integrally on the outside of one side wall 16 and taking the form of a short cylindrical stub with an enlarged. circular head and adapted for releasable engagement in a keyhole-slot (not shown) formed in one side wall of the battery container 52. The container 52 is shown in broken lines in Figure 1. The container 52 may be formed as an integral plastics moulding comprising a bottom part 54 and a lid 56 connected with the bottom part by way of an integral flex-hinge 58, the overall form of the container, when the lid 56 is closed, being, for example, rectangular.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the cassette carrier illustrated, for example, the trays may be mounted in the lid rather than in the body part or the lid may be adapted to be secured to the person of the user with the body part being adapted to be pivoted outwardly therefrom.

Claims (7)

1. A container for tape cassettes comprising a body part and a lid hingedly connected adjacent their lower ends, one of said body part and lid having, adjacent its upper end, attachment means for attachment to a belt or other article of clothing, fastening means being provided for holding the lid closed on the body part, said fastening means being operable manually whilst the container is still attached to such a belt or article of clothing, said container having means therein for supporting a plurality of tape cassettes in such a way that, with the container fastened to a belt and article of clothing, and with the lid opened fully, the tape cassettes are still located reliably therein whilst being readily accessible for manual removal from and replacement in the container.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said body part is provided with said attachment means and wherein said means for supporting tape cassettes includes at least one tray adapted to receive a tape cassette and pivotally mounted adjacent its lower end in said body, whereby, when the lid is opened, said tray may swing outwardly from said body to improve access to the cassette supported by said tray, stop means being provided to limit outward swinging of said tray.

3. A container according to claim 2 wherein said body part is provided with a plurality of such trays each pivotally mounted adjacent its lower end for outward swinging movement from said body whereby, when the lid is opened, each said tray may-swing outwardly from said body, each said tray having respective stop means to limit outward swinging of the tray, the arrangement being such that when the container is opened, and the trays are swung outwardly to the limits determined by the respective stop means, the trays fan outwardly from the container body.

4. A container for tape cassettes, comprising a body part having, adjacent its upper end, attachment means for attachment to a belt or other article of clothing, with an open side of said body part facing outwardly from the body of the wearer, and including tapecassette-supporting means comprising a plurality of trays each pivotally mounted adjacent a lower end thereof in said body part and each having associated stop means to limit outward pivoting of the respective tray from said body part, the arrangement being such that when ssid trays are swung outwardly from said body part to the extent permitted by the respective stop means, they fan out in angularly divergent fashion from their attachments to the body part, to facilitate manual access to the tape cassettes carried thereby, whereas in a fully closed condition of the container, the trays, and the cassettes carried thereby, are closely juxtaposed in parallel relationship.

5. A container according to claim 4 wherein the outermost said tray has the form of a lid for said container body part and fastening means is provided for securing the upper end of said lid to the upper end of said body part in the closed condition of the container, said fastening means being manually operable with the container still secured to the wearer's belt or other article of clothing.

6. A container for tape cassettes, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

7. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.