Abstract:
A bin construction includes a series of vertical, pivotally mounted bins in a frame which include projecting mounting pans from each side of the bin that snap fit into slots of a frame. The bins are interconnected by means of an auxiliary bar which includes detent slots that engage and receive auxiliary pins associated with the sides of the bins to permit simultaneous opening and closing of the bins.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    In a principal aspect, the present invention relates to a storage bin construction and, more particularly, to a construction comprised of two or more storage bins which may be easily inserted into a frame assembly or cabinet so that the bins may be tilted either singly or in unison to reveal the contents of the bins.  
           [0002]    Craftsmen, hobbyists, mechanics and others typically use a storage chest or storage cabinet to store tools, component parts and other items. Most storage chests include a number of drawers, bins and other storage areas or receptacles in which to place such items. Desirable characteristics of such storage containers include the capability to be easily opened, to be easily replaced and accessible. A further feature often desired in containers or storage chests is a feature which will enable opening and closing a series of bins or drawers simultaneously. Yet another feature for inclusion in chests or storage cabinets is a design for bins which enable the utilization of storage bins having different sizes and shapes. These features among others have led to the development of the present invention.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Briefly the present invention comprises one or more molded plastic bins which are tiltably mounted in a cabinet frame or housing. Each bin includes lateral sides and a front side as well as a bottom side, back side and an open top. Projecting from each of the lateral sides are pivot mounting pins. The laterally projecting mounting pins fit into pockets defined in opposed sides of the cabinet frame or housing. The pockets are defined by generally semi-cylindrical slots for receipt of the axial mounting pins of the bins. The bins may then be slipped into or out of the housing by engagement of the axial pins with the semi-cylindrical pockets. The pins include radial or tangential projecting flanges which limit the degree of rotation of the pin in the associated pocket and thus limit the tilt or rotation of the bin mounted in the cabinet frame or housing.  
           [0004]    Also, one or more auxiliary pins is incorporated with each bin projecting from the lateral sides of the bin. Each of the auxiliary pins engage with a slot in a vertically movable, sliding bar and, more particularly, with a detent slot in the bar. The bar is slidably mounted in the housing so that bins mounted vertically above each other in the housing will move in unison. That is, rotation of one bin will cause an auxiliary pin associated with that bin to engage and translate the bar thereby effect movement of all of the bins having auxiliary pins engaging the vertical, slidable bar.  
           [0005]    Each of the bins may be removed from the housing by disengaging the pins, both auxiliary and mounting pins, from their respective pockets or slots. This is accomplished by withdrawing the bins from the cabinet frame or housing by movement radially from the mounting slots or pockets. Thus by appropriately aligning the pins in the slots it is possible to remove one or more bins by pulling them from the housing and, more particularly, from engagement with the slots. With the described construction it is also possible to eliminate the vertically slidable bar and thereby permit each of the bins to pivot independently. Thus with the described bin and cabinet frame construction, the bins may be interconnected to move simultaneously between an open tilt position and a closed position or move individually. Typically the bins are open on their top side. In a preferred embodiment the bins may be molded from a polypropylene plastic material.  
           [0006]    Thus it is an object of the invention to provide an improved removable storage bin drawer construction.  
           [0007]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a removable storage bin drawer construction comprised of multiple bins or drawers wherein pivotal movement or rotation of one bin or drawer between the open and closed positions will effect a similar movement of adjacent drawers.  
           [0008]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a removable storage bin or drawer construction comprised the bins accessible from the top and which are pivotal to move the top access opening from a storage position to a position of open access by virtue of tilting of the bin about a pivot axis through the lateral, opposite sides of the bin.  
           [0009]    Another object of the invention is to provide a removable storage bin drawer construction which enables easy removal of separate storage bins retained within a housing for the bins without significant disassembly of the housing.  
           [0010]    Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, durable, rugged, and easily assembled combination of storage bin drawers mounted in a single housing wherein the bins may be individually pivoted to reveal the contents thereof or pivoted as a group to reveal the contents of each and every bin without interference of access to adjacent bins.  
           [0011]    Another object of the invention is to provide a bin or drawer construction comprised of bins mounted one above the other in a housing wherein the bins are pivotal in the housing to reveal the contents thereof.  
           [0012]    These and another objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]    In the detailed description which follows, reference will be made to the drawing comprised of the following figures:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a four bin drawer construction made in accord with the invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a housing for the drawer bin construction of the invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a typical bin utilized in combination with the housing of FIG. 2;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a back side view of the bin of FIG. 3;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the vertically movable bar member utilized in combination with the bin of FIG. 3 and the housing of FIG. 2 to facilitate simultaneous movement of a series of bins depicted in FIG. 1; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a side section view of the construction of a bin as utilized in combination with a housing and a vertical bar member in the assembly of the drawer construction of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 depicts the bin or drawer construction of the invention in an assembled condition. The bin or drawer construction may be incorporated in a larger storage container such as a locker, cabinet or chest. The bin construction includes an outer housing and a series of four separate bin containers  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 . Though there are four bin containers  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  depicted in the embodiment, any number of bins may be utilized in the practice of the invention. In a preferred embodiment at least two bins are utilized inasmuch as the bins include a mechanism for their simultaneous rotational or pivotal movement. However, the invention is not limited to the utilization of two bins or more. Rather, a single bin may incorporate the invention in combination with a housing or frame.  
         [0021]    Each of the bins  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  has a substantially identical construction. Each one of the bins  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  may be slidably inserted into the housing  10  and will pivot between an open position as depicted in FIG. 1 and a closed position as depicted in FIG. 6. The bins  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  as well as the housing  10  are preferrably manufactured from a molded plastic material such as polypropylene. In the further description which follows, discussion of the construction of a single bin  12  will be set forth, but such discussion is applicable to the remaining bins  14 ,  16  and  18 .  
         [0022]    When assembling the bin construction, the bin  12  is inserted into the housing  10  with the bin  12  in the open or forward pivotal position as depicted in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 as well as FIG. 6, the bin  12  includes a front panel  20 , a first lateral side panel  22 , a second lateral side panel  24 , a back panel  26  and a bottom panel  28 . The back side panel  26  and the bottom side panel  28  are connected together by a radius wall  30 . The front side panel  20  is preferably planar and includes along its top edge a molded handle  32 . The particular configuration, shape and size of the molded handle  32  may be varied in accord with desires of the maker of the bin.  
         [0023]    The lateral sides  22  and  24  of the bin  12  include axially, outwardly projecting pins such as pin  34  and pin  36  in FIGS. 3 and 4. The pins  34  and  36  are axially aligned and define a pivot axis  38  for the bin  12 . In a preferred embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 4, the axial pin  36  is a generally cylindrical, molded member. It may include a flat surface  40  along its back side. It further includes a tangential or radial projecting flange  42  as more clearly shown in FIG. 6. Axial pins  34  and  36  have a substantially identical construction and extend outwardly, in opposite directions from the respective lateral side walls  22  and  24  along axis  38 .  
         [0024]    Each of the lateral side walls  22  and  24  or at least one of the lateral sides  22  and  24  includes an auxiliary pin  50  projecting generally parallel to and at outwardly from the lateral side  22  parallel to the pin  36  and defining an axis  52  which is generally parallel to the axis  38 . In the preferred embodiment only one auxiliary pin  50  is required. However such auxiliary pins may be provided with respect to each of the lateral walls  22  and  24 .  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 2 there is depicted the housing or frame  10 . The housing  10  includes spaced vertical side rails  60  and  62  connected together and spaced by crossmembers  64  and  66  to define a rectangular frame into which the bins  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18  are inserted. The inside of each side rail  60 ,  62  includes a pocket  68 ,  70  respectfully. The pockets  68 ,  70  for the sides  60  and  62  are axially aligned along axis  72 . When the bin  12  is inserted into the frame  10 , axis  72  is aligned with the axis  38  of the bin  12 . The pin projections  34  and  36  fit into the slots defined by the generally semi-cylindrical projections  68  and  70  in the frame members  60  and  62  respectively. The manner in which the component parts slide together is depicted in FIG. 6 which is a side section view of a bin  12  as inserted into a frame  10 .  
         [0026]    In the embodiment depicted, the frame  10  includes four sets of semi-cylindrical pocket members  68  and  70  which are opposed and aligned, each set adapted to receive pivot pins of a separate bin  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 . As depicted in FIG. 6, the pin  36  slides into the pocket  68  and the flange  42  will serve to limit the rotational movement of the pin  36  in the pocket  68 . Thus as the bin  12  is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as depicted in FIG. 6 the bin  12  will move to a fully closed position which is limited in movement by engagement of the flange  42  with top edge  80  of the slot projection  68 . Rotation of the bin  12  in the clockwise sense is also limited by virtue of the engagement of the flat side of the flange  42  with the projection  82  of the pocket or slot  68 . The bin  12  may be moved to the clockwise open position and removed from the frame merely by pulling outwardly. Thus with the construction as described, the amount of rotational movement of the bin  12  is controlled within the frame  10 .  
         [0027]    As another feature of the invention, a vertically movable bar member  90  as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be inserted in the frame  10  for movement vertically in response to interaction between the auxiliary pins  50  and detent slots  92  defined in planar projections  94  of the bar member  90 . Thus, bar member  90  includes end flanges  96  and  98  which may engage in slots defined in the frame  10  and, more particularly, in slot  100  of the bottom frame member  66  and in slot  102  of the top frame member  64 . The auxiliary pins  50  of each of the bins  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18  engage with the slots  92  of the vertically movable auxiliary bar member  90 . As a result upon rotation of one of the bins  12 , all of the bins  14 ,  16 ,  18  will be rotated to the open or closed position in unison. Thus the vertically movable bar member  90  provides for simultaneous movement and interaction of the bins  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 . The use of the vertically movable bar member  50  is optional. Note also that the slot  92  does not interfere with the removal and replacement of the bins such as bin  12 . That is as depicted by the arrow  110  in FIG. 6, the bin  12  may be easily moved in the direction of the arrow into or out of engagement with the frame  10 . In practice one auxiliary bar member  90  or two auxiliary bar members associated with each lateral side of the bins may be used.  
         [0028]    Various other optional features may be incorporated including the size and extent of the various lateral pins and the size and shape and extent of the slots  68 ,  70  associated with the frame  10 . The shape of the handle  32  and of the shape of the front panel  20  may be varied. The number of bins and associated pins and lockbar notches may also be varied. The auxiliary pin  50  maybe incorporated in a side or a back panel for cooperation with a bar member  90 . Thus the invention is to be limited by the claims and equivalents thereof.