Patent ID: 8939301
Filing Date: 2015-01-27
Classification: B65D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A combination locking storage container comprising: (a) a tray; (b) a cover; (c) a plurality of locking tumblers; and (d) a retaining cap; said tray having a planar base wall of nominal thickness and with outer perimeter and suitable for placement of items thereon, said tray having structural means for supporting a cylindrical post at an uppermost position, post being vertically oriented and located on central vertical axis and above said tray, the post having a linear array of tabs projecting from its outside diameter surface and extending vertically downward from top end of the post, the tabs having discreet spacing or gaps between each other, where said cylindrical post and tabs together define a key post; said cover being generally hollow and having uniform wall thickness, having a vertically oriented side wall, an upper wall, and fully open at the bottom, open bottom end suitably sized for a close circumferential fit around base wall of said tray, said upper wall further having a flat horizontal surface formed and defining a tumbler seat, extending vertically from said tumbler seat is a cylindrical shaft portion, the shaft being closed at its top end, said cover having a vertical longitudinal cut penetrating through said tumbler seat and partially through wall of the shaft creating a key slot, width of said key slot being sized for clearance with tabs of said key post, where inside diameter of the shaft and key slot are sized to permit insertion and extraction of key post, the top end of cover shaft further having means for attachment and alignment of said retaining cap, whereby said cover may be fully assembled over said tray, where said key post may nest inside of the cover shaft and provide vertical support to said cover, where the key post tabs project through key slot and beyond the outside diameter of the cover shaft, and where assembled cover fully sheaths said tray; said locking tumblers being annularly shaped and having a short cylindrical outer wall, axis of which is vertically oriented, tumbler further having a planar horizontal wall or annular locking rib centered with respect to the tumbler's height and extending inwardly from inside surface of the cylindrical wall, the locking rib terminating at a circular opening at the center of the tumbler thus defining an inside diameter of the tumbler, the locking rib having a notch or portion of its wall section removed thereby creating a keyway opening, where profile of the keyway is sized for clearance with the tabs of said key post, where the inside tumbler diameter is just greater than outside diameter of cover shaft, where the thickness of the locking rib wall is just less than gap or spacing between tabs of said key post, said locking tumbler having means for acceptance of programmable indicia onto the outer diameter surface, wherein assigned indicia may be aligned with and positioned in front of the keyway, where assigned indicia represents characters of an unlocking combination code used with the device, whereby with unlocking code selected and indicia assigned to all tumblers, the set of tumblers may be inserted on to the cover shaft and stacked above said tumbler seat, wherein resulting elevation of stacked tumblers places each locking rib in direct vertical alignment and centered with respect to corresponding gap between tabs in said key post, said retaining cap having uniform wall thickness with a circular perimeter, the diameter of the peripheral edge being equal to or greater than the outside diameter of the tumblers, the cap having features providing means for alignment with and attachment to the top end of the cover shaft, whereby the attached cap captures and retains the stack of assembled tumblers, said retaining cap further having a marker visible on it top surface, whereby said marker is in direct alignment with cover's key slot, and wherein cover, set of tumblers and retaining cap assembled together comprise a combination locking cover assembly; whereby an unlocked condition is defined as all tumblers positioned with assigned indicia and unlocking code beneath said marker on the cap, thus resulting in all tumbler keyways being in alignment with said key slot and tabs of key post, and where cover assembly may be freely inserted onto or extracted from said key post and tray, and where a locked condition is defined by rotation of one or more tumblers where locking ribs engage gaps between tabs of said key post, whereby in said locked condition, the cover can not be removed from the tray and any contents held within are secured.