Abstract:
A compartmented multiple-item carrying case ( 10 ) adapted for construction of configurable dividers ( 60, 62, 64, 66, 68 ) is formed with matable building elements ( 82, 84, 86 ) arranged by a user to provide interior compartments ( 40, 42, 44, 46 ) of customized shapes and sizes. User configurable interior compartments enable efficient item placement and storage because the items a user desires to carry at a given time can differ in size and shape.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates to a compartmented multiple-item carrying case and, in particular, to a carrying case having configurable container-part dividers that can be constructed with user-arranged matable building elements to form interior compartments of customized shapes and sizes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    A compartmented multiple-item carrying case is adapted for construction of configurable dividers formed with matable building elements arranged by a user to provide interior compartments of customized shapes and sizes. User configurable interior compartments enable efficient item placement and storage because the items a user desires to carry at a given time can differ in size and shape. The configurable compartmented carrying case comprises a container part having an interior space defined by a base surface and side surfaces. The base surface includes a patterned surface portion configured to support a set of container-part building elements that are configurable for mating to the patterned surface portion of the base surface and to one another. This enables a user to build configurable dividers arranged to form configurable compartments in the interior space of the container part. In a preferred embodiment, a cover part of the carrying case is sized to cover the interior space of the container part. The cover part has an interior surface including a patterned surface portion configured to support a set of cover-portion building elements that are configurable for mating to the patterned surface of the interior surface of the cover part to enable a user to build on the interior surface a configurable storage compartment. 
         [0003]    For each of the container and cover parts, a set of building elements includes a subset of the building elements having first and second matable features that are matable to each other so that the building elements in the subset are configurable for mated joining to one another for assembly in a stacked relationship. 
         [0004]    Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a compartmented carrying case constructed with user-configured dividers that provide customized interior compartments sized for a hand-held video game system and its accessories. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the compartmented carrying case of  FIG. 1  shown with a USB connector cable set in a reconfigured compartment and a user-configured memory stick storage compartment formed on the interior surface of a hinged cover part of the carrying case. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a compartmented carrying case of  FIG. 2  with the video game system and its accessories removed to show the arrangement of the mated building elements that form the customized interior compartments. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a partly exploded view of the compartmented carrying case of  FIG. 3  showing the building elements configured to mate to patterned surfaces of container and cover parts of the carrying case and to one another to form a compartment in each of the container and cover parts. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0010]      FIGS. 1-5  show a preferred embodiment of a compartmented carrying case  10  that includes a container part  12  and a cover part  14  connected together by a hinge  16 . Container part  12  has a shallow, rectangular interior space  20  with an open top. Interior space  20  is defined by a patterned inner surface  22  of a base member  24  and inner surfaces  26  of four side members  28  that extend upwardly from the side margins of base member  24  and have joined together side margins of next adjacent side members  28 . The height of side members  28  establishes the depth of interior space  20  of container part  12 . Cover part  14  is sized to cover the open top of interior space  20  when a user rotates cover part  14  about hinge  16  to close carrying case  10 . 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  shows in container part  12  interior compartments  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46 , in which, respectively, a portable hand-held video game system  50 , an AC adapter  52 , a game system multi-media cartridge holder  54 , and a spare arbitrary building element  56  are stored. The sizes and shapes of compartments  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  are defined by the placement of configurable dividers  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 , and  68  in interior space  20 .  FIG. 2  shows configurable divider  68  removed to combine compartments  44  and  46  to accommodate multi-media cartridge holder  54  and a USB cable  58  in a single, larger compartment  48 .  FIG. 2  also shows cover part  14  having on its inner surface  70  a storage compartment  72  configured to hold a memory stick  74 . The construction and placement of configurable dividers  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 , and  68  and configurable storage compartment  72  are described below with reference to  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5 . 
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows container part  12  with its contents removed dividers  60 ,  62 ,  64 , and  66  in the arrangement that forms customized interior compartments  40 ,  42 , and  48 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  show patterned inner surface  22  of base member  24  in the form of an array of mutually spaced-apart cylindrical mating features or bosses  80 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  also show divider  60  built from three nominally structurally identical matable building elements  82  assembled in a stack and mated with a building element  84  having a finished top surface. 
         [0013]    A floor panel element  86  has a bottom surface on which is formed a recess  90 ′ ( FIG. 5 ) that is sized to mate with spatially corresponding bosses  80  so that floor panel element  86  can be affixed to and thereby cover part of patterned inner surface  22 .  FIGS. 3 and 4  show that the floor panel elements can be of different sizes, and  FIGS. 4 and 5  show that the floor panel elements are placed to leave openings that allow the lowermost building element  82  in the stack access to mate with bosses  80  on patterned inner surface  22 . 
         [0014]    Patterned inner surface  22  is configured to receive matable building elements  82  and floor panel elements  86 . Building elements  82  in this embodiment are preferably small molded plastic components that are stackable upon one another, like small bricks, to create a divider wall. (Building elements  84 , which are intended to provide a finished surface, typically do not have top surface mating features that would enable stacking of another layer of building elements  82 .) Building elements  82 ,  84 , and  86  can be of different colors. Suitable building elements  82 ,  84 , and  86  include LEGO toy bricks, available from Interlego AG, Zug, Switzerland. 
         [0015]    A preferred building element  82  has on its bottom side recesses  90  that are sized to mate with spatially corresponding bosses  80  so that building element  82  can be affixed to and thereby cover part of the patterned inner surface  22 . Skilled persons will appreciate that a building element  82  having multiple recesses  90  on its bottom side is configured so that adjacent recesses  90  are separated by the same distance as that separating corresponding adjacent bosses in patterned inner surface  22 . The spaced-apart bottom side recesses  90  of building element  82  that are sized to mate with spatially corresponding bosses  80  of patterned inner surface  22  define a recess feature pattern that is complementary to patterned inner surface  22 .  FIG. 5  shows floor panel element  86  that has an open rectangular bottom side recess  90 ′ that is sized to fit over and against lateral arcuate peripheral portions of seven adjacent bosses  80  to mate with them in an operational manner. Floor panel element  86  defines a surface feature that is matable to bosses  80  in, but is not complementary to, patterned inner surface  22 . Building element  82  has on its top side the presence of a matable feature. Building element  84  and floor panel element  86  have smooth top surfaces that can be of a color or that contribute to a finished decorative pattern selected by a user. 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  shows with memory stick  74  removed storage compartment  72  in the form of a pocket on inner surface  70  of cover part  14 .  FIGS. 1-5  show inner surface  70  of cover part  14  having a patterned surface in the form of an array of mutually spaced-apart bosses  80 . For simplicity, bosses  80  in patterned inner surfaces  20  and  70  are of the same size and in the same configuration.  FIGS. 4 and 5  also show storage compartment  72  built from two matable building elements  102  mated with three building elements  104  having finished top surfaces. Building elements  102  and a fourth building element  104  are mated with bosses  80  on inner surface  70  to form the sides and bottom of storage compartment  72  in the form of a pocket structure. The matable features of building elements  102  and  104  correspond to those of, respectively, building elements  82 ,  84 , and  86 . The descriptions presented above with reference to building elements  82 ,  84 , and  86  apply also to building elements  102  and  104 . 
         [0017]    For purposes of simplicity and uniformity, a user preferably constructs a divider or a storage compartment with a set of stackable building elements in which the bottom side feature and the top side feature mate with and operationally match, respectively, the features in a patterned surface of the container or cover part. Operationally match is defined to mean that a top side feature is matable to the bottom side feature of the same building element. 
         [0018]    Skilled persons will appreciate that building elements  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  102 , and  104  are examples of matable building elements that can be assembled. These building elements can be of different sizes and shapes to create, for example, dividers of different heights, contours, and colors. 
         [0019]    Patterned inner surfaces  22  and  70  can be replicated on one or both of the outer surfaces of container part  12  and cover part  14  of carrying case  10 . The matable building elements can be arranged to form a three-dimensional customized presentation of a textual message, decorative image, or other user-configurable pattern for display. 
         [0020]    It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.