Container for tool accessories

A container for tool accessories forms an integral, rigid, upright body. The upper part of the upright body includes means to securely and individually store accessories having short coupling tubes. A front wall in a lower portion of the body has an access opening therein whereby a storage bin is formed by front, side, and back walls of the body. The lateral sidewalls of the body are adapted to securely and individually store accessories having long coupling tubes at the four corners of the container such that the container stores a plurality of accessory items which are individually secured and accessible within a minimized storage area.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to containers and storage units. 
More specifically, the invention relates to a portable container for tool 
accessories, and in a particular embodiment a portable container for 
vacuum cleaner accessories and attachments. 
PRIOR ART 
Numerous appliances such as vacuum cleaners typically are used along with a 
variety of accessories and attachments which have specific cleaning or 
working applications. For example, with vacuum cleaners, cleaning nozzles 
attached to the end of a primary hose can be shaped low and wide, thin, or 
long, and with or without brushes. The nozzles usually have a head portion 
carried on the end of a shank adapted to mate with a connection on the end 
of the flexible primary suction hose. The nozzle shanks are commonly short 
in length, on the order of a few inches, and tubular in section. 
In addition to cleaning nozzles, one or more extension tubes may be used to 
augment the effective length or reach of the primary hose. The extension 
tubes are elongated, rigid tubes, and may include bent portions to allow 
cleaning in hard-to-reach places and around obstacles. 
Other accessories include duster brush attachments and filters, which also 
are carried on one end of a short shank. Other sundry items include 
attachable handles, straps, cleaner fluid bottles, and disposable bags. 
While not exhaustive, the above-mentioned list of accessories indicates at 
least three broad categories. These are accessories or nozzles carried on 
the ends of short attachment or mating shanks, elongated tubular 
extensions, and miscellaneous items which are not necessarily attached to 
the primary appliance by a hose coupling. 
Such a numerous and wide variety of shapes, sizes and lengths poses a 
substantial storage, shipping, and handling problem, particularly for the 
consumer. More than a dozen attachments can be included with an appliance 
kit and the user often will find it necessary to use one or more of these 
attachments during a single cleaning of a home, office, or even within one 
room. For example, a low, flat nozzle may be needed to clean under a sofa, 
while a brush nozzle and extension tube may be needed to reach ceilings or 
drapery tops. 
Various receptacles and kits have been made which attempt to solve the 
aforementioned problems; however, such containers typically rely on hooks, 
clips, or fabric loops to hold the tubular shank portions of the 
attachments and do not provide individual storage areas for securing the 
various accessories. The use of straps or loops can be cumbersome with 
longer attachments, and the lack of individualized storage areas can lead 
to having to sort through various attachments to find the particular tool 
required for the job at hand. The lack of specialized areas for storing 
similar articles also results in an inefficient use of storage space. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a new and useful container for shipping, 
storing, and carrying tools such as vacuum cleaner accessories. According 
to one aspect of the invention, a container is provided which individually 
secures each attachment during shipping or handling and the accessories 
are individually accessible for use. 
According to another aspect of the invention, the container is fully 
portable and can be hung on a wall and the accessories stored therein are 
readily viewable. 
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a container is disclosed 
which is sturdy and reliable, yet economical to manufacture. 
Another aspect of the invention is a container which provides separate 
storage areas for similar attachments, including a storage bin area for 
bottles, straps, bags, and like articles. 
Still another aspect of the invention is a container which advantageously 
utilizes the shank portion of accessory nozzles to minimize the storage 
area required. 
These and other aspects and advantages of the invention will be more fully 
understood from the following description of the invention in view of the 
accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A portable container according to the concepts of the present invention 
forms an upright body generally indicated by the numeral 10 in FIGS. 1-5. 
The container is a rigid structure and includes an upright, pan-shaped 
back member 11 and a contoured front member 12. Back member 11 is 
integrally formed with sidewalls 13 which flare outwardly from the 
periphery of a wall 14 (FIG. 2). 
While the preferred embodiment is described with particularity as a 
container for vacuum cleaner accessories, such use should not be 
interpreted in a limiting sense. It is contemplated that the container 
described herein is useful for storing, transporting, carrying, and 
shipping many kinds of tool accessories which are of the generally 
described type. 
Front member 12 is integrally formed with a recessed upper portion 16 and a 
lower portion 17. A sidewall 18 extends laterally forward from a 
peripheral edge 19 of front member 12. Preferably, front member 12 is 
formed with the back members 11 as an integral, double wall, blow-molded 
unit. However, the front member 12 may also be formed as a separate piece 
to be joined to back member 11, along a common edge 20 such that front 
member 12 and back member 11 form an integral and rigid structure. At the 
bottom of the container 10, sidewalls 13 and 18 form a generally flat 
bottom wall 21 such that the container 10 is properly supported and stands 
in an upright position, as in FIG. 1, when the container is set on a level 
surface such as a floor. 
As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, upper portion 6 of front member 12 includes 
a rear panel 22 which is preferably recessed from upper sidewall 18a and 
is contoured to fit within an upper portion 23 of back member 11. Panel 22 
includes a plurality of bosses 24 extending laterally therefrom which are 
used to securely hold various attachments 26 (FIG. 2) having short shanks 
or coupling tubes 27. Bosses 24 have an outer diameter appropriately sized 
to slidably engage with an end portion of the inner surface of coupling 
tubes 27 for form a snug friction fit therwith. Thus, each attachment 26 
is securely and individually held in place by its respective boss 24 
transversely of the wall 14 and each attachment is separately removable 
from recessed upper portion 16. A particular advantage of recessing rear 
panel 22 from sidewall 18a is that attachments 26 are securely held 
substantially over bottom wall 21 so that container 10 is balanced and 
will not tip over. 
Recessed upper storage area 16 of front member 12 also provides a handle 25 
formed in part by the inner interior wall surface 50 along the top of 
container 10. Handle 25 provides a convenient means for grasping container 
10 without removing or accidentally loosening the accessories and thus the 
container is conveniently and completely portable. Hanger holes 35 are 
provided in the top portion of the wall 14 so that if desired the 
container with tools may be supported on hanger nails against a closet 
wall or the like for storage. 
Since many vacuum cleaner attachments include a relatively short coupling 
tube which is normally used to connect the attachment to the vacuum 
cleaner, the disclosed container advantageously uses this coupling tube 
feature to individually store and secure each attachment all within a 
relatively small recessed storage area. While a particular arrangement of 
the attachments is shown in the drawings, this is for exemplary purposes 
only. The actual arrangement of the accessories within upper portion 16 
can be altered to allow for the possible various shapes and sizes of the 
attachments. 
Referring to FIG. 2, certain vacuum cleaner attachments, such as a surface 
nozzle 26a and a utility brush nozzle 26b, can be larger and heavier than 
other attachments, such as a duster brush 26c or a filter screen 26d. To 
ensure that such larger nozzles are securely held, a double boss 
arrangement is provided, as best shown in FIG. 4. Rear panel 22 includes 
one or more bosses 24a recessed from the outer surface of rear panel 22. 
By recessing the boss 24a from panel 22, a narrow, annular space 29 
extending generally radially from boss 24a is formed in the rear panel 22. 
An annular portion 31 of the rear panel 22 is radially spaced from and 
generally concentric with the respective boss 24a. The annular space 29 is 
appropriately sized so that the annular surface 31 of panel 22 engages or 
nearly engages the outer perimeter of a coupling tube 27a on the larger 
surface nozzle 26a. This arrangement provides added support for the larger 
attachments and particularly prevents such attachments from twisting or 
bending off the respective boss. The panel 22 may be provided with a 
recessed portion 22a thereof to maintain the larger attachments 27 above 
the bottom wall 21. The preferred "stacking" arrangement shown in FIG. 2 
allows minimal use of storage space. 
In addition to attachments having relatively short coupling tubes, a vacuum 
cleaner accessory package typically includes one or more elongated tubular 
attachments, such as an extension wand 26e and a crevice tool 26f. Certain 
elongated attachments, such as extension tool 26g and swivel attachment 
26h, may have bent portions in order that the various nozzle and brush 
attachments can access difficult-to-reach areas. 
As best shown in FIG. 3, lateral sidewalls 13 and 18 are terraced and are 
provided with substantially radially horizontal apertures 32 therein which 
respectively and slidably receive one end of a respective elongated 
attachment. The elongated attachments are thus individually and securely 
held upright about the periphery of container 10, which makes the 
elongated attachments easily accessible and prevents the longer 
attachments from interfering with the access and storage of the shorter 
attachments. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of retaining ribs 33a and 33b extending 
upwardly from near the bottom wall 21 are provided on the inner surface of 
the wall 14 near apertures 32a and 32b, respectively, in back member 
sidewalls 13. The ribs 33 engage portions of the outer surface of the 
elongated attachments, such as extension wand 26e and tool 26g, with a 
camming type action as the attachment is inserted through their respective 
apertures 32. By abutting the tubes 26e and 26g up against ribs 33a and 
33b, respectively, the tubes are more securely held within the apertures. 
This prevents the longer tubes from rotating or twisting within the 
respective aperture 32, and also resists longitudinal movement of the 
attachment to prevent the attachment from falling out. 
A recessed area 34 is provided in the front member sidewall 18 behind the 
aperture 32c. The elongated swivel attachment 26h has a bend 36 therein 
for purposes described hereinbefore. The attachment 26h is inserted into 
aperture 32c and the recessed area 34 permits the attachment 26h to be 
rotated so that the bent end 36a is placed sideways and does not extend 
beyond the outer perimeter of the container 10. 
The lower portion 17 of the front member 12 includes a front wall 37 
opposite a lower portion 41 of the back member 11 and has an access 
opening 38 therein which slants gently backward. The access opening 38 is 
formed by simply cutting out a portion of the double wall unit, preferably 
a portion of the front member 12. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, front 
wall 37, bottom wall 21, lateral sidewalls 13 and 18, and lower portion 41 
of back member 11 form a storage bin area 42 below the recessed storage 
area 16 and accessible through the opening 38 in the front wall. This 
storage area can be used for holding various sundry items and accessories 
which are non-tubular or otherwise not attached to the vacuum cleaner, 
e.g., straps, handles, sprayer/dispenser heads, reservoir bottles, and 
disposable vacuum bags. Although not shown in the drawings, a particularly 
convenient feature of this arrangement is that the vacuum cleaner bags may 
be stored in the bin 42 so as to cover the opening 38 prior to use. The 
bags will prevent the items stored within the bin 42 from falling out or 
rattling around, which is a particularly desirable arrangement during 
shipment of the container. 
The preferred embodiment of the invention provides many advantages and 
conveniences over containers known heretofore. For example, according to 
the present invention, each attachment is individually secured and 
separately accessible without cumbersome interference from other 
attachments. All of the short coupling tube attachments are stored within 
one area and are easily viewable to locate the desired tool. The longer 
attachments are peripherally stored about the container in an upright 
manner to minimize the overall size of container 10. By locating the 
storage bin 42 under the recessed upper storage area used to store the 
short coupling tube accessories, the container 10 is more stable, since 
the weight of the items in the bin will help prevent the container 10 from 
being top-heavy. The use of specialized storage areas for similar 
attachments, as, for example, bin 42 and recessed storage area 16, is 
particularly convenient for immediately locating a particular attachment 
or item needed. 
To provide an economical yet durable container, front and back members 11 
and 12 are integral and preferably made with a blow-molded plastic such as 
high density polyethylene. This provides a strong, rigid structure which 
will easily support the various attachments and accessories. 
Though not shown in the accompanying drawings, other embodiments are within 
the scope of the present invention. For example, a single-piece container 
can be made from separate front and back members attached together along 
their respective perimeters rather than the integral blow-molded unit. 
Also, the wall 14 of the back member 11 can be provided with hanger means 
other than the holes 35 or, less preferably, the hanger means may be 
omitted. 
It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that 
various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details 
without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this 
disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details 
of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are 
necessarily so limited.