US20070068836A1

US20070068836A1 - Toolbox

Info

Publication number: US20070068836A1
Application number: US11/237,932
Authority: US
Inventors: Lin-Hung Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-09-29
Filing date: 2005-09-29
Publication date: 2007-03-29

Abstract

A toolbox, which includes a box body, a number of tool bit holders pivotally mounted inside the box body and linked to one another by links, and a top cover pivoted to the box body with two flat pivot bolts for forcing the tool bit holders from a horizontal position to a tilted position when it is opened from the box body.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to toolboxes and more particularly, to a durable and inexpensive toolbox.
2. Description of the Related Art:
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a toolbox according to the prior art. According to this design, the toolbox comprises a box body 1, a top cover 2, and a tool bit holder 10 pivotally connected with the top cover 2 to the box body 1 by a pivot bolt 15 to hold tool bits 3. The pivot bolt 15 has two raised portions 16 projecting from the periphery at two opposite sides. The tool bit holder 10 comprises a pivot hole 11 coupled to the pivot bolt 15, two notches 12 symmetrically disposed at two opposite sides, two deformable portion 13 corresponding to the notches 12, and two sliding grooves 14 bilaterally spaced from the pivot hole 11 at a distance. Two links 4 are coupled between the pivot bolt 15 and the sliding grooves 14. When opening the top cover 2 from the box body 1 as shown in FIG. 1B, the links 4 are forced to lift the tool bit holder 10 from the horizontal position shown in FIG. 1A to the tilted position shown in FIG. 1B for easy access to the tool bits 3 stored in the tool bit holder 10.
This design of toolbox has drawbacks as follows:

- 1. The use of the links 4 complicated the structure of the toolbox.
- 2. When opened the top cover 2, the top cover 2 and the tool bit holder 10 are held in position by means of forcing the raised portions 16 of the pivot bolt 15 against the deformable portions 13 of the tool bit holder 10. However, the thin deformable portions 13 tend to break during the use of the toolbox.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a toolbox, which has a simple structure. It is another object of the present invention to provide a toolbox, which is durable in use. To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the toolbox comprises a box body, the box body comprising two pivot holes aligned at two opposite lateral sides thereof near one end, and engagement teeth bilaterally formed in each of the two coupling holes of the box body; a top cover, the top cover comprising two mounting lugs respectively downwardly extending from two opposite lateral sidewalls thereof near one end, the mounting lugs each having an elongated coupling hole and a side notch; a first tool bit holder, the first tool bit holder comprising two opposite sidewalls, two dual sector-like coupling holes symmetrically disposed at the two opposite sidewalls, and two side pins respectively perpendicularly extending from the two opposite sidewalls corresponding to the side notches of the mounting lugs of the top cover; a plurality of second tool bit holders respectively pivotally mounted inside the box body; a plurality of links respectively coupled to the first tool bit holder and the second tool bit holders; and two flat pivot bolts respectively mounted in the coupling holes of the mounting lugs of the top cover, the coupling holes of the box body and the dual sector-like coupling holes of the first tool bit holder to pivotally secure the top cover and the first tool bit holder to the box body, the flat pivot bolts each having engagement teeth symmetrically disposed at two opposite sides.
When opening the top cover from the box body, the side notches of the mounting lugs of the top cover are forced into engagement with the side pins of the first tool bit holder to further force the first tool bit holder to a tilted position relative to the box body, and at the same time the links are forced to turn the second tool bit holders to a tilted position and the flat pivot bolts are turned with the top cover to force the engagement teeth thereof into engagement with the engagement teeth in the coupling holes of the box body to stop the first and second tool bit holders in the tilted position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows the closed status of a toolbox according to the prior art.
FIG. 1B shows the opened status of the prior art toolbox.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a toolbox according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an elevational assembly view of the toolbox according to the present invention.
FIG. 4A is a side view showing the opened status of the toolbox according to the present invention.
FIG. 4B is a side view showing the closed status of the toolbox according to the present invention.
FIG. 5A is a sectional view of a part of the present invention, showing the engagement teeth of the pivot bolts meshed with the engagement teeth in the coupling holes of the box body.
FIG. 5B is a sectional view of a part of the present invention, showing the engagement teeth of the pivot bolts spaced away from the engagement teeth in the coupling holes of the box body.
FIG. 6A is a sectional side view of the present invention, showing the top cover opened, the side notches of the mounting lugs of the top cover engaged with the side pins of the first tool bit holder.
FIG. 6B is a sectional side view showing the closed status of the toolbox according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2˜6, a toolbox in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised a box body 20, a top cover 30, a first tool bit holders 23, a plurality of second tool bit holders 24, and two pivot bolts 26.
The box body 20 comprises two coupling holes 21 aligned at two opposite lateral sides near one end, and engagement teeth 22 bilaterally formed in each of the two coupling holes 21.
The top cover 30 comprises two mounting lugs 31 respectively downwardly extending from two opposite lateral sidewalls thereof near one end. The mounting lugs 31 each have an elongated coupling hole 32 and a side notch 33.
The first tool bit holder 23 comprises two dual sector-like coupling holes 25 symmetrically disposed at two sides, and two side pins 230 respectively perpendicularly extending from the two opposite sidewalls. The second tool bit holders 24 each have two pivot rods 240 respectively pivoted to the two opposite sidewalls of the box body 20.
The pivot bolts 26 are flat bolts, each having engagement teeth 27 symmetrically disposed at two opposite sides.
The two pivot bolts 26 are respectively mounted in the coupling holes 32 of the mounting lugs 31 of the top cover 30, the coupling holes 21 of the box body 20 and the dual sector-like coupling holes 25 of the first tool bit holder 23 to pivotally secure the top cover 30 and the first tool bit holder 23 to the box body 20. Further, links 241 are respectively coupled to the tool bit holders 23 and 24 to join the tool bit holders 23 and 24.
Referring to FIGS. 4B and 5B, when closed the top cover 30, the tool bit holders 23 and 24 are kept in horizontal inside the box body 20, and the pivot bolts 26 are suspending in the coupling holes 21 of the box body 20 with the engagement teeth 27 spaced from the engagement teeth 22 in the respective coupling holes 21.
Referring to FIGS. 4A and 5A, when opening the top cover 30, the side notches 33 of the mounting lugs 31 of the top cover 30 are forced into engagement with the pins 230 of the first tool bit holder 23 to turn the first tool bit holder 23 from the horizontal position to a tilted position, and at the same time, the second tool bit holders 24 are turned from the horizontal position to the same tilted position by means of the effect of the links 241, and the pivot bolts 26 are turned with the top cover 30 relative to the coupling holes 21 of the box body 20 to force the engagement teeth 27 into engagement with the engagement teeth 22 in the respective coupling holes 21 of the box body 20, and therefore the tool bit holders 23 and 24 are held firmly in the tilted position.
Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, when opening the top cover 30 to turn the pivot bolts 26, the side notches 33 of the mounting lugs 31 are forced into engagement with the pins 230 to further move the first tool bit holder 23 from the horizontal position to the tilted position with less effort. This design allows the top cover 30 to be molded from plastics to reduce the manufacturing cost of the toolbox while maintaining high structural strength of the toolbox.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A toolbox comprising:

a box body, said box body comprising two coupling holes aligned at two opposite lateral sides thereof near one end, and engagement teeth bilaterally formed in each of the two coupling holes of said box body;

a top cover, said top cover comprising two mounting lugs respectively downwardly extending from two opposite lateral sidewalls thereof near one end, said mounting lugs each having an elongated coupling hole and a side notch;

a first tool bit holder, said first tool bit holder comprising two opposite sidewalls, two dual sector-like coupling holes symmetrically disposed at the two opposite sidewalls, and two side pins respectively perpendicularly extending from the two opposite sidewalls corresponding to the side notches of the mounting lugs of said top cover;

a plurality of second tool bit holders respectively pivotally mounted inside said box body;

a plurality of links respectively coupled to said first tool bit holder and said second tool bit holders; and

two flat pivot bolts respectively mounted in the coupling holes of the mounting lugs of said top cover, the coupling holes of said box body and the dual sector-like coupling holes of said first tool bit holder to pivotally secure said top cover and said first tool bit holder to said box body, said flat pivot bolts each having engagement teeth symmetrically disposed at two opposite sides.

Wherein when opening said top cover from said box body, the side notches of the mounting lugs of said top cover are forced into engagement with the side pins of said first tool bit holder to further force said first tool bit holder to a tilted position relative to said box body, and at the same time said links are forced to turn said second tool bit holders to a tilted position and said flat pivot bolts are turned with said top cover to force the engagement teeth thereof into engagement with the engagement teeth in the coupling holes of said box body to stop said first and second tool bit holders in the tilted position.