Abstract:
A container with a pivotable top and a bottom form an enclosure which contains a book, such as a guidebook. The container may also contain a flat structure defining an inside sleeve for maps and an opening for a pull-out drawer which can be used to store a number of small articles. The container can be designed to have the size and appearance of a conventional brick.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional application S. No. 60/285,723 filed Apr. 23, 2001. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to a souvenir type of container that can be used to store and carry various memorabilia. The container is box-shaped and opens up to reveal a drawer and book advantageously attached to sleeve for the drawer.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Tourists visiting a new site typically must carry with them a guide book, a map, brochures, booklets and other literature descriptive of the site, its surrounding and other information that makes such a visit a useful and rewarding experience. These materials generally provide the tourists with assistance as to where to go (tourist spots), how to get there (transportation services), where to eat (famous restaurants), etc. Also, tourists from different countries carry currency and may also purchase small souvenirs at a variety of stores.  
           [0006]    Moreover, at virtually every site, tourists are physically assaulted by numerous vendors of trinkets and other paraphernalia. These items are frequently bought as a souvenir, gifts for others and so on. By the end of the day, it is not unusual to see a tourist dragging his feet toward his, hotel, trailing behind him guide books and other articles, that he had with im in the morning, augmented by other articles bought during the day.  
           [0007]    It would be convenient for a person to have all this information in a convenient small portable container that is easy to carry and can be accessed quickly and efficiently.  
           [0008]    Moreover, such a container could also serve as a means of saving the various memorabilia saved during the trip.  
         OBJECTIVES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    In view of the above, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a box-shaped container that can be used to store and carry small items, including maps, books, etc.  
           [0010]    A further objective is to provide a container that is decorated with various indicia associating the container with a particular physical location, company, product, etc.  
           [0011]    A further objective is to provide a container with internal storage means, such as a drawer that could be used for smaller articles.  
           [0012]    Other objectives and advantages of the invention shall become apparent from the following description.  
           [0013]    Briefly, a container constructed in accordance with this invention a top portion and a bottom, the top portion being pivotally separable from said bottom, and cooperating with the bottom to form an enclosure; and an inside component disposed in said enclosure and attached to one of said top and bottom. The top portion includes a top face disposed in parallel and opposite the bottom when said container is closed and a plurality of side faces are disposed between said top face and said bottom. The top portion is pivotably attached to said bottom.  
           [0014]    In another aspect of the invention, the container further includes a panel having one side attached to the top face and an opposed edge attached to the bottom to allow the top portion to pivot with respect to the bottom and to close over the inner component. The inner component comprises a book, a sleeve sized to accept a thin article and/or an opening with a drawer disposed in the opening. The top portion and the bottom have outer surfaces with texture and are sized and to resemble, when closed, a conventional brick.  
           [0015]    In another aspect of the invention, a souvenir container disclosed with a top portion having a top face and at least three side faces; a bottom attached to said top portion and pivotable with respect to the top portion between an open position, and a closed position. In the closed position, the bottom and top portion define an enclosure. An inner component is attached to the bottom portion, which is completely disposed in said enclosure. The inner component may include a structure and a book, said structure being shaped to hold articles. The structure may be shaped to form a sleeve. The structure may also be constructed and arranged to accept a selectively removable drawer.  
           [0016]    The top portion may further comprise a panel having a first fold line by which the panel is pivotably connected to top face and a second fold line by which the panel is pivotably connected to the bottom. The panel is arranged and constructed to allow the top portion to rotate toward and away from the bottom between the first and second positions without interference with said inner component.  
           [0017]    In another aspect of the invention, a souvenir container includes a bottom formed of a substantially flat rectangular member, a top portion formed of a top face, four side members, at least one of which side members is pivotably connected to the bottom to allow the top portion to rotate with respect to said bottom between an open and closed position; and an inner component attached to the bottom. The inner component includes a structure adapted to hold articles. The inner component further including a book attached to the structure.  
           [0018]    The structure includes a first section and a second section, the first section defining a sleeve for holding flat articles and the second section defining a lateral opening. A drawer is provided that may be selectively inserted and removed through said lateral opening.  
           [0019]    The top portion and bottom have a stylized or treated texture, and/or are designed to have the appearance of a conventional brick. Lettering is added to the top face to customize the container for a particular site, geographic area, etc. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a front view of a container constructed in accordance with the invention, the container being in a closed position;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a front view of the container of FIG. 1 with the top portion removed;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container is in a closed position;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a side view of the container in an open position; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the container is an open position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]    Although the disclosure hereof is detailed to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention therefore the invention may be embodied in other specific types of structures as well.  
         [0026]    Referring to FIG. 1, a front view of a container  11  is shown in a closed position, the container having a top portion  13  that is closed over a bottom  15 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 2 shows a front view of the container  11  in an open position, i.e., with the top portion  13  removed. As seen in this Figure, the container includes an integral inside component  12 . In a preferred embodiment, the inside component  12  includes a book  17 , and a generally flat structure  14  having one section defining a middle sleeve  19 , and a second section defining an opening  16 . The flat structure is glued or otherwise affixed to the bottom  15 . The book  17  is preferably glued or otherwise secured to the top surface of flat structure. A pull-out drawer  19  is sized and shaped to fit into the opening  16  as shown. The flat structure may be made of plastic, and the other elements of the container, including the top portion and the bottom, may be made from cardboard, plastic or other materials.  
         [0028]    The book  17  comprises one or more pivotally turnable pages. As discussed above, preferably. the book  17  os a guide book with directions, history of the location, popular stories/myths or any other relevant information. Such a guide would be extremely valuable to tourists. More specifically, the guidebook  17  may contain additional information such as famous restaurants to eat at and their locations, hours, type of food, ratings, etc. It can provide information about tourist spots such as about ferries to the Statue of Liberty and their running times, information about the Empire State Building and the visiting hours of the top deck. It can provide information about tickets and times to different Broadway shows and respective telephone numbers. Such information would provide the tourist with plenty of relevant information about the city and save them a trip to the location to get such information. Also, the information can be printed in different languages, so that a tourist from France, for example, may get a container with all the information in the book in French.  
         [0029]    The book  17  may be detachable, or separate pages may be detachable. The pages of the book  11  turn pivotally, to allow a user to read the book. The book is sized and shaped to fit within the container and not interfere with the pivoting of the top portion  13 .  
         [0030]    Preferably the sleeve  19  is located between the book  17  and pull-out drawer  21 , but also may be located on top of the book, bottom of the opening  16 , and other locations. The opening  16  for pull-out drawer  21  is preferably located on the bottom, and is sized and shaped to allow the drawer to slide in and out easily.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the container  11  in a closed position, where the top portion  13  is positioned to cover the bottom  15  and the elements attached thereto, thereby forming a closed unit. FIG. 4 depicts a side view of the container  11  in an open position, where the top portion  13  is open, as it disposed vertically with respect to the bottom  15 .  
         [0032]    As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the top portion  13  includes a top face  18 , four lateral elements including three lateral side faces  20 ,  22  and  24  and a connecting panel  28 . When container  11  is closed, the connecting panel  28  forms a fourth side face for the top portion  13 . When the container is opened, the folding lines  30 ,  32  allow the top portion  13  to pivot with respect to the bottom portion  15 , as indicated by the arrow T.  
         [0033]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container  11  is sized, shaped and constructed to resemble a standard brick used for in the construction field. To further enhance these characteristics, the side faces are embossed on the outside with pits and grooves, as at  40  and all the outer surfaces are colored a dark red or other similar color suggesting a brick. Moreover, the outer surface of top face  24  may be indented slightly to resemble the indentations of standard bricks. On this outer surface text may be used to customize the container for a specific content.  
         [0034]    One important use for the container  11  is a souvenir container for a specific locality. In this case, the outer surface of top face  24  bears letters identifying a specific locality, such as New York. The inside surfaces of the side and top walls can be used to show drawings or pictures associated with the specific locality.  
         [0035]    The sleeve  19  can be used to store maps and other similar articles, including guides and other literature. These articles may be slipped in and out of the slot as indicated by the arrow X. The user may also store photos, postcards, or other such memorabilia here.  
         [0036]    Small souvenirs such as keychains or postcards bought in Times Square can be stored in the pull-out drawer  21 . The book is also detachable or removable, if the tourist just wants to view the information and doesn&#39;t want to open the whole container in case there are valuable items stored in the pull-out drawer  21 .  
         [0037]    Alternatively, the container may be used to provide promotional literature, reports and other materials regarding a certain company, industry, market, and so on. Top face then bears a logo identifying the contents of the container. In this embodiment, only book  17  need to be provided as the inside portion  12 .  
         [0038]    The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.