GB2320240A

GB2320240A - Tool box assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2320240A
Application number: GB9726152A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henri Axel Tengvall
Original assignee: TEAMVISE Ltd
Current assignee: TEAMVISE Ltd
Priority date: 1996-12-11
Filing date: 1997-12-10
Publication date: 1998-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2017-12-10
Also published as: GB2320240B; GB9726152D0

Abstract

A tool box assembly comprises a body (20) including an open upper portion and including a peripheral wall (21) having an upper portion, an insert (22) inserted into said body (20) via said open upper portion of said body (20), said insert (22) including at least one depression (24) for receiving a tool (23) and including an upper portion having a peripheral shoulder (25), a frame (30) including a peripheral recess (31) for engaging with said upper portion of said peripheral wall (21), said frame (30) including a peripheral flange (39) extending radially inwards and lying in the path of movement of said peripheral shoulder (25) of said insert (22) for retaining said insert (22) in said body (20), a lid (40) pivotally mounted with respect to said frame (30) and said body (20), and means for latching said lid (40) with respect to said frame and said body.

Description

TOOL BOX ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a box, and more particularly to a tool box assembly.

Typical tool boxes comprise a housing including a number of cavities formed therein for receiving tools. One type of tool box is made of a plastics material by a blowmoulding method and is disclosed in US-A-4,662,515.

However, after the moulding process, the outer surface of the tool box needs to be ground in order to remove unwanted projections and form a smooth outer surface. In addition, the peripheral wall of the tool box may be such that some portions in the outer surface are weaker than others.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional tool boxes.

According to the present invention, a tool box assembly comprises: a body including an open upper portion and including a peripheral wall having an upper portion, an insert inserted into said body via said open upper portion of said body, said insert including at least one depression for receiving a tool and including an upper portion having a peripheral shoulder, a frame including a peripheral recess for engaging with said upper portion of said peripheral wall, said frame including a peripheral flange extending radially inwards and lying in the path of movement of said peripheral shoulder of said insert for retaining said insert in said body, a lid pivotally mounted with respect to said frame and said body, and means for latching said lid with respect to said frame and said body.

The body, the insert, the frame and the lid may each be easily and separately formed of a plastics material e.g.

by an injection-moulding process such that they may each be of a uniform thickness.

The plastics materials may be of the same or different compositions.

In addition, the body, the insert, the frame and the lid may be made of plastics materials of different colours so as to be more aesthetically attractive.

The body may include a front and a panel extended upwards from a bottom portion of the front so as to define a channel, with the frame including a pair of plates extending downwards for engaging with the panel.

The frame may include a rear portion having a hinge groove, with the lid including a pivot axle provided at the rear portion for rotatably engaging in the hinge groove of the frame and for thereby allowing the lid to be pivotally coupled to the frame and the body.

Preferably, an inner cover is provided between said insert and said lid.

The inner cover may be formed of a transparent or at least translucent plastics material and may be held by being sandwiched around at least a major part of its periphery between the insert and the frame.

Indeed, preferably, the inner cover includes a peripheral shoulder which is sandwiched between the peripheral shoulder of the insert and the peripheral flange of the frame, is formed of a clear plastics material and is weakened at one or more positions around its periphery.

Also preferably, the frame is a snap fit with the body, and the lid is a snap fit with a pair of hinges each of which is a snap fit with the frame, with the frame including a movable handle and a pair of pivotable latches.

It is realised that, in such an arrangement, the peripheral flange of the frame no longer directly engages the peripheral shoulder of the insert, but the frame still lies in the path of movement of the insert and thus still acts to retain the insert within the body.

In use, the tool(s) in the insert are displayed to potential customers by opening the lid.

However, the tool(s) are protected from accidentally falling out, from becoming dirty or damaged, and from being casually stolen because the inner cover acts as a seethrough barrier to prevent easy access to the tool(s), and the inner cover may even need to be destroyed to gain access to the tool(s).

Two tool box assemblies, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described in greater detail, and by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first tool box assembly in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front view of the first tool box assembly; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second tool box assembly in accordance with the present invention; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a front view of Figure 4; and Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner detail of the second tool box assembly.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3, a tool box assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises a body 20 including a peripheral wall 21 having an open upper portion for insertion of an insert 22. The insert 22 includes one or more depressions 24 formed therein for receiving one or more tools 23 (shown in phantom). The insert 22 also includes a peripheral shoulder 25 formed in the upper portion thereof. The body 20 includes a front portion having a panel 26 extended upwards from the bottom portion thereof so as to form a channel 27 between the panel 26 and the body 20.

A peripheral frame 30 includes a peripheral recess 301 formed therein for engaging with the upper portion of the peripheral wall 21 and includes a pair of plates 32, 33 dependent downwards for engaging with the panel 26 and for allowing the frame 30 to be stably secured to the body 20.

The body 20 and the frame 30 are preferably made of plastics material by an injection-moulding process such that the body 20 and the frame 30 may further be secured together by for example an ultrasonic welding process after the body 20 and the frame 30 have been made separately. The plate 33 is engaged in the channel 27 of the body 20. The frame 30 includes a peripheral flange 35 extending radially inwards for engaging with the peripheral shoulder 25 of the insert 22 and for retaining the insert 22 in place. The frame 30 includes a hinge groove 31 formed in its rear portion and includes a cavity 37 formed in its front portion. A lid 40 includes a pivot axle 41 rotatably engaged in the hinge groove 31 for allowing the lid 40 to be pivotally coupled to the frame 30 and the body 20. The lid 40 also includes a latch 42 provided in the front portion thereof for engaging with the cavity 37 of the frame 30 and for allowing the lid 40 to be releasably secured to the frame 30 and the body 20.

Alternatively, the lid 40 may be coupled to the frame 30 and the body 20 by metal hinges or by one or more integral hinges.

The plate 32 may, if desired, form part of a movable handle assembly.

It is to be noted that the body 20 and the frame 30 and the insert 22 and the lid 40 can be easily made by an injection-moulding process separately such that they may each be of a uniform thickness. In addition, no further grinding process is required after they have been moulded.

Furthermore, they may be made of plastics materials of different colours and particularly, the body and the cover may be made in different colours to form a fashion tool box assembly.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 7, a preferred tool box assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention still comprises a body 20, an insert 22, a frame 30 and a lid 40, but now additionally comprises an inner cover 50.

As in the first embodiment, the body 20 includes a peripheral wall 21 having an open upper portion for insertion of the insert 22. The insert 22 receives one or more tools 23 (shown in phantom) in one or more depressions 24. The insert 22 also includes a peripheral shoulder 25 formed in an upper portion thereof. A bottom portion of the body 20 has strengthening ribs 26, a rubber foot 27 near each corner and an upstanding resiliently deflectable tab 28 near each corner. Each of the tabs 28 has an inwardly projecting locking tongue 29.

The frame 30 includes a peripheral recess 31 formed therein for engaging with the upper portion of the peripheral wall 21 of the body 20.

A pair of latching members 32,33 are pivotally mounted to the frame 30 by respective pivot pins 34. A movable handle assembly 35 is mounted to the frame 30 in a conventional manner and can either lie flat against the frame 30 or be lifted away from the frame 30. An inner wall of the frame 30 is formed with four locking slits 36 for snap engagement with respective ones of the locking tongues 29 formed on the body 20. An upper edge of the frame 30 is formed with a groove 37, and respective hinges 38 are provided near the two rear corners of the groove 37.

The hinges 38 may be formed integrally with the frame 30, or may be formed separately therefrom and snap engaged therewith by locking tongues similar to the locking tongues 29 on the body 20.

Finally, the frame 30 includes a peripheral flange 39 which extends radially inwards for retaining the insert 22 in the manner to be discussed hereinafter.

The lid 40 is attached to each of the hinges 38 and is thus pivotable relative to the frame 30. The attachment may again make use of locking tongues similar to the locking tongues 29 on the body 20 to provide a snap engagement. The lid 40 is formed with strengthening ribs 41, and is also formed with an enlarged rim 42 for location within the groove 37 presented by the upper edge of the frame 30. Respective latching plates extend outwardly near the two front corners of the lid 40, the latching plates being engagable by the latching members 32,33 to allow the lid 40 to be releasably secured in a closed position relatively to the frame 30.

The inner cover 50, formed of a clear plastics material, has a lower portion formed with a peripheral shoulder 51 which, in use, is sandwiched between the peripheral shoulder 25 of the insert 22 and the peripheral flange 39 of the frame 30. If desired, the lower portion of the inner cover 50 below the peripheral shoulder 51 could be omitted, and the peripheral shoulder 51 of the inner cover 50 could extend generally parallel to the peripheral flange 39 of the frame 30.

A preferred sequence of assembly is to take the body 20, put the insert 22 into the body 20, put the tools 23 into the insert 22 and then put the inner cover 50 over the insert 22. If it is not already attached, the lid 40 should now be attached to the frame 30. The frame 30 is then pushed down onto the body 20 so that the upper portion of the peripheral wall 21 of the body 20 enters the peripheral recess 31 of the frame 30. Pushing is continued until the locking tongues 29 of the body 20 engage in the locking slits 36 of the frame 30. It is now found that the inner cover 50 cannot be easily removed from the body 20 because of the obstruction caused by the peripheral flange 39 of the frame 30. The insert 22 and the tools 23 are thus also safely retained within the body 20.

To assist in removal of the inner cover 50, but not assist in subsequent replacement, the inner cover 50 may be weakened at one or more positions around its periphery.

Claims

1. A tool box assembly comprising: a body including an open upper portion and including a peripheral wall having an upper portion, an insert inserted into said body via said open upper portion of said body, said insert including at least one depression for receiving a tool and including an upper portion having a peripheral shoulder, a frame including a peripheral recess for engaging with said upper portion of said peripheral wall, said frame including a peripheral flange extending radially inwards and lying in the path of movement of said peripheral shoulder of said insert for retaining said insert in said body, a lid pivotally mounted with respect to said frame and said body, and means for latching said lid with respect to said frame and said body.

2. A tool box assembly according to claim 1, wherein said body includes a front and a panel extended upwards from a bottom portion of said front so as to define a channel, with said frame including a pair of plates extending downwards for engaging with said panel.

3. A tool box assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said frame includes a rear portion having a hinge groove, with said lid including a pivot axle provided at said rear portion for rotatably engaging in said hinge groove of said frame and for thereby allowing said lid to be pivotally coupled to said frame and said body.

4. A tool box assembly according to claim 1, wherein an inner cover is provided between said insert and said lid.

5. A tool box assembly according to claim 4, wherein said inner cover includes a peripheral shoulder which is sandwiched between said peripheral shoulder of said insert and said peripheral flange of said frame.

6. A tool box assembly according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said inner cover is formed of a clear plastics material.

7. A tool box assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein said inner cover is weakened at one or more positions around its periphery.

8. A tool box assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein said frame is a snap fit with said body.

9. A tool box assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein said lid is a snap fit with a pair of hinges each of which is a snap fit with said frame.

10. A tool box assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein said frame includes a movable handle and a pair of pivotable latches.

11. A tool box assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein each of said body, insert, frame and lid is separately formed of a plastics material.

12. A tool box assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.