An inclinable compartmented storage container including a flat, generally trapezoidally-shaped bottom portion having two parallel peripheral edges of non-equal length, and two non-parallel peripheral edges of equal length. The parallel edges are relatively disposed such that a line segment drawn between the respective midpoints associated with each parallel edge perpendicularly intersects each parallel edge. Upstanding sidewall portions extend upwards from, and in a substantially perpendicular manner, each of the non-parallel edges. Also, upstanding endwall portions extend generally obliquely upwards from each of the parallel edges. A means for inclining the container above a top surface of a work table is attached to the bottom portion and is disposed adjacent to one of the parallel but non-equal edges. Two longitudinal dividers are disposed within the container and divide the interior of the container into three columnar sections. The longitudinal dividers are attached to each of the endwall portions and extend perpendicularly upwards from the bottom portion. A plurality of transverse dividers are attached between each of the longitudinal dividers, or between a longitudinal divider and an adjacent sidewall portion thereby dividing each columnar section into a plurality of non-rectangular quadrilaterally-shaped compartments of unequal volumes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to compartmented containers, and more 
particularly to an inclinable generally trapezoidally-shaped compartmented 
storage container. 
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
There are many applications which require the storage of a wide number of 
items such as granular powders and the like in a single tray or 
compartmented storage container. Furthermore, in many of these 
applications, a craftsman or technician is required to repeatedly access 
and retrieve substances stored within the various compartments of the 
container. For example, in the art of making dental appliances such as 
crowns and bridges etc., a large number of dry porcelain powders are 
available to make a single appliance. Each powder is contained in a 
compartment formed in the container, and several powders (i.e. 
compartments) must be accessed and retrieved during the manufacture of a 
single appliance. It will be appreciated that the faster the access and 
retrieval time the faster the overall productivity of the craftsman. 
Therefore, in order to increase productivity the stored substances, i.e. 
the compartments, must be within convenient reach of the user. 
There are several prior art devices disclosed that can be adapted to 
contain substances such as dry porcelain powders. For example, U.S. Pat. 
No. 5,203,450 (issued to Benetti) discloses a combination display and 
packaging container which includes a plurality of spaced-apart depressions 
that can be adapted to hold the powder-like substances. Other devices, 
e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,524 issued to Ackerman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,367 
issued to Uslar and U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,790 issued to Wilkinson et al., 
disclose compartmented trays or containers wherein the compartments may be 
adapted for storing and dispensing powder-like materials. 
Other prior art devices, for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,696 issued to 
Effgen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,368 issued to Knotscher, and U.S. Pat. No. 
4,180,159 issued to Tanaka all disclose trays wherein a powder-like 
material may be wetted, or, in the case of Effgen (U.S. Pat. No. 
2,944,696) an item is immersed in a fluid and the fluid is subsequently 
drained away. Thus, these devices are not suitable for storing and/or 
dispensing dry powder-like material. 
Although the prior art discloses compartmented storage containers, there 
are numerous shortcomings associated width these disclosed containers that 
makes them unsuitable for manufacturing applications demanding quick 
access to large numbers of powder-like substances, i.e. large numbers of 
storage compartments. 
For example, all of the containers or trays disclosed above are generally 
rectangular in shape, i.e. opposing sides of the trays are equal in length 
and disposed in parallel spaced-apart relationship to one another. When 
large numbers of substances, i.e. compartments, must be accessed, a single 
rectangularly-shaped container must be large enough to accommodate all the 
stored substances. Thus, some compartments of the container will be 
inconvenient and difficult to reach, and the productivity of the user will 
consequently be reduced. As an alternative, a plurality of compartmented 
rectangularly-shaped containers could be used. However, because of their 
rectangular shape, the plurality of containers cannot be arranged in a 
convenient and efficient configuration around a centrally disposed user. 
As with the single container situation, the user will not have quick and 
equal access to all compartments of every storage container. 
Furthermore, the storage containers disclosed in the prior art are disposed 
in a flat or non-inclined manner atop the top surface of a work table. It 
will be appreciated that if the storage container includes a large number 
of storage compartments then some compartments will be relatively farther 
away from the user than other compartments. In a large system having a 
large number of compartments, the productivity of the user will be 
severely reduced if equal access to all compartments of all storage 
containers is not provided. 
Thus, there is a need to provide a compartmented container for containing 
substances that does not possess the shortcomings of the containers used 
in the prior art. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
compartmented storage container for containing powder-like substances and 
the like. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved 
compartmented storage container that is inclinable so as to be disposed at 
an angle relative to the top surface of a work table. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an inclinable 
compartmented storage container that is generally trapezoidally-shaped. 
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an 
inclinable trapezoidally-shaped compartmented storage container that can 
be adjoined to another like storage container so as to form an adjoined 
inclinable compartmented container. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a plurality 
of adjoined inclinable compartmented containers that can be arranged in a 
generally semi-circular fashion around a technician or craftsman. 
Briefly, an inclinable compartmented storage container includes a flat, 
generally trapezoidally-shaped bottom portion having two parallel 
peripheral edges of non-equal length, and two non-parallel peripheral 
edges of equal length. The parallel edges are relatively disposed such 
that a line segment drawn between the respective midpoints associated with 
each parallel edge perpendicularly intersects each parallel edge. 
Upstanding sidewall portions extend upwards from, and in a substantially 
perpendicular manner, each of the non-parallel edges. Also, upstanding 
endwall portions extend generally obliquely upwards from each of the 
parallel edges. A means for inclining the container above a top surface of 
a work table is attached to the bottom portion and is disposed adjacent to 
one of the parallel but non-equal edges. 
Two longitudinal dividers are disposed within the container and divide the 
interior of the container into three columnar sections. The longitudinal 
dividers are attached to each of the endwall portions and extend 
perpendicularly upwards from the bottom portion. 
A plurality of transverse dividers are attached between each of the 
longitudinal dividers, or between a longitudinal divider and an adjacent 
sidewall portion thereby dividing each columnar section into a plurality 
of non-rectangular quadrilaterally-shaped compartments of unequal volumes. 
Among the advantages of the present invention are that the storage 
container is inclinable, thereby reducing the distance from the user to 
the rear-most compartments and, thus, providing greater user access to all 
compartments of the container. 
Another advantage of the present invention is that the storage container is 
generally trapezoidally-shaped thereby allowing a plurality of like 
containers to be efficiently arranged, in a semi-circular manner, about a 
user; thus, the user is provided with more efficient access to all 
compartments of all containers thereby increasing productivity. 
A further advantage of the present invention is that because of the 
generally trapezoidal shape of the storage container, the individual 
compartments have unequal storage volumes, and, thus, more readily 
required substances can be stored in larger volume compartments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an inclinable compartmented 
storage container 2 disposed atop a surface 4 of a work table (not shown). 
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the container 2 taken along a line 
2--2 of FIG. 1. Viewing FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 together, the storage container 
2 includes a compartmented tray 6, a rotatable lid 8 for covering the tray 
6, and an inclining means or rotatable support member 10. When the 
inclining means or support member 10 is rotated to a downwardly extending 
position from the tray 6, as illustrated, the tray 6 is inclined by an 
angle .0. relative to (i.e. "above") the surface 4. The typical value for 
.0. is from 10 to 20 degrees. 
The tray 6 includes a flat bottom portion 12 that is generally 
trapezoidally-shaped. The portion 12 has two parallel peripheral edges of 
non-equal length (indicated by dashed lines 16a and 20a), and two 
non-parallel peripheral edges 14a, 18a of equal length. The parallel edges 
16a, 20a are relatively disposed such that a line segment 17 drawn between 
the respective midpoints 16b, 20b associated with each parallel edge 16a, 
20a perpendicularly intersects each parallel edge 16a, 20a. 
Four upstanding portions 14, 16, 18 and 20 vertically extend from the outer 
edges 14a, 16a, 18a, 20a of the portion 12. For purposes of definition, 
the portion 16 is disposed at the "front" of the tray 6, the portion 20 is 
disposed at the "rear," and the portions 14 and 18 are disposed at the 
"sides" of the tray 6. The upstanding portions 14, 16, 18, 20 are 
elongated, and substantially flat. The portions 14 and 18 are generally 
parallelogram shaped and have generally equal lengths but are disposed in 
a non-parallel relation; in contrast, the portions 16 and 20 are generally 
rectangularly shaped, unequal in length, and are disposed in a parallel 
relationship. The portions 16 and 20, as can best be seen in FIG. 2, 
extend obliquely upwards from the portion 12, by an angle .0.. That is, 
when the tray 6 is disposed flush atop the surface 4, the portions 16 and 
20 are canted by the angle .0. from the vertical. Note further, that when 
the tray 6 is inclined, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the portion 16, 20 are 
disposed perpendicularly to the surface 4. The portions 14 and 18 are 
disposed perpendicularly to the surface 4, whether or not the tray 6 is 
inclined. 
A plurality of longitudinal dividers 22 and 24 are disposed in the tray 6 
and divide it into three columnar sections or compartments. The dividers 
22, 24 are elongated flat, and substantially parallelogram shaped plates 
and are each attached at one end to the portion 20 and at the other end to 
the upstanding portion 16. Also, the dividers 22, 24 are shorter in length 
than the portions 14, 18. The dividers 22, 24 are equal in length but are 
disposed in a non-parallel relation, such that the tray 6 gradually tapers 
in width from the rear to the front because of the relative orientation of 
the portions 14, 18, and the dividers 22, 24. 
A plurality of transverse dividers further divide the tray 6 into a 
plurality of quadrilaterally shaped compartments 26-43. It will be noted, 
that the individual compartments 26-43 have unequal volumes because of the 
non-parallel relationship between the portions 14 and 18, and the dividers 
22 and 24. Also each compartment may have a compartment label or 
identifying means 58 affixed to an upstanding wall thereof to identify the 
substance stored therein. 
The following discussion describes a single compartment and its constituent 
members. However, it will be appreciated that the description of one 
compartment is applicable to the other compartments. Each compartment 
includes a compartment base member, an inclined transverse front divider, 
and an inclined transverse rear divider. For example, with respect to a 
compartment 36, there is an inclined transverse rear divider or wall 
portion 36r, an inclined transverse front divider or wall portion 36f, and 
a compartment base member 36b. Similarly, a compartment 39 (FIG. 2) 
includes a rear divider or wal portion 39r, a front divider or wall 
portion 39f, and a base member 39b. 
In the preferred embodiment, the tray 6, and its constituent upstanding 
portions 14, 16, 18, 20, and longitudinal and transverse dividers are cast 
or molded as one integral piece. In this manner, the dividers 36f, 36r, 
and the base member 36b are joined together such that they form, in 
cross-section, a generally U-shape (FIG. 2). It should be noted that the 
front divider of a compartment is attached to the rear divider of the 
immediately forward compartment such that the two dividers form an 
inverted "V". For example, the divider 39f of compartment 39 is attached 
to the divider 36r of the compartment immediately forward of compartment 
39, i.e. compartment 36, to form an inverted "V" shape. 
When the tray 6 is flush atop the surface 4, the respective base members of 
each of the compartments, e.g. 36b, 39b, 42b, are inclined by the angle 
.0. from the surface 4. However, when the tray 6 is inclined above the 
surface 4, the base members are disposed substantially parallel to the 
surface 4. 
When the tray 6 is inclined with respect to the surface 4, the rear 
dividers of each compartment, e.g. 33r, 36r, 39r, 42r, are inclined by an 
angle .0. with respect to a line perpendicular to the surface 4. In this 
manner, when the tray 6 is inclined, a craftsman or technician may easily 
observe the compartment label 58 that may be affixed to the rear divider 
of a compartment to readily identify the substance stored therein. When 
the tray 6 is disposed flat atop the surface 4, the inclined members are 
tilted back by an angle 2.0. from vertical. 
In the preferred embodiment, the tray 6, and its constituent upstanding 
portions 14, 16, 18, 20, longitudinal dividers 22, 24, and transverse 
dividers, e.g. 36f, 36r, and base member 36b are cast or molded as one 
integral piece. 
In the alternative, the portion 12, the upstanding portions 14-20, the 
longitudinal dividers 22, 24, and the transverse dividers, e.g. 36f, 36r, 
and base member 36b could be individual pieces and attached to each other 
by gluing or by other methods known in the art. It should be noted that if 
individual pieces are joined together to form the transverse dividers, a 
caulking type material should be used at the joints between the dividers 
to provide a contoured surface that facilitates the removal of powders or 
other fine granular substances from a compartment. It will be appreciated 
that a variety of configurations could be utilized to the form the joints 
between adjacent pieces, e.g. butt-joints, overlapping joints, or 
tongue-in-groove style joints. 
Referring now to FIG. 3 which is a side elevation view of the container 2 
having the inclining means or rotatable support member 10 and the lid 8. 
The lid 8 includes a tray covering portion 59, a dogleg portion 60, and a 
hinge 62 attached to the outer surface 23 of the upstanding portion 20. As 
shown, in dashed lines 59' and 60' the lid 8 can be rotated in the 
direction of an arrow A so as to uncover the tray 6 and the compartments 
therein. The hinge 62 is of a design common in the art. In the preferred 
embodiment, the hinge 62 is formed integral to the surface 23 of the 
portion 12. In an alternate embodiment, the hinge 62 may be an individual 
piece, and attached to the surface 23 in any manner well-known in the art. 
The tray covering portion 59 (as can be partially seen in FIG. 1) is 
shaped so as to generally correspond to the shade of the bottom portion 
12, and thereby cover the tray 6 with minimum overhang. A protruding 
member 68 extending downwardly from the tip of the lid covering portion 59 
contacts the top edge 15 of the portion 16. The dogleg portion 60 allows 
the hinge 62 to be offset by a distance 46 from a top surface 21 of the 
portion 20. 
In alternate embodiments, the hinge 62 could be located adjacent the top 
surface 21 and the dogleg portion 60 could be eliminated from the tray 
covering portion 59. Also, the protruding member 68 could be eliminated, 
and the covering portion 59 could be engaged in flush contact atop the 
tray. 
The inclining means or foldable support member 10 includes a vertical 
member 64, a hinge joint 66, and a stop 57. The hinge 66 is of a design 
known in the art, and is either integral with the portion 12 or is an 
individual piece that is attached to the portion 12 in any manner known in 
the art. The vertical member 64 is an elongated generally 
rectangular-shaped flat plate that generally extends along the entire 
width of the portion 12. The hinge 66 is disposed on the bottom of the 
portion 12 and the member 64 is sized such that when the member 64 is 
downwardly extended, as illustrated, the tray 6 is inclined at an angle 
.0. from the surface 4. The value of the angle .0. ranges from 10-20 
degrees. As shown in dashed lines 64' the vertical member 64 can be 
rotated in the direction of an arrow B such that the container 2 can be 
disposed generally flush onto the surface 4. The stop 67 is attached to 
the portion 12 and disposed relative to the member 64 so as to prevent the 
member 64 from rotating beyond the vertical. 
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a portion of a 
compartment 37 of the tray 6. More specifically, the figure illustrates 
details of the identifying means or compartment label 58 which is affixed 
to an inclined rear transverse divider 37r of the compartment 37. The 
compartment label 58 includes a base member 70 and a label means or 
identification marker 72. The base member 70 is attached to the rear 
divider 37r of the compartment 37 by gluing or some other method known in 
the art. The member 70 includes a notch 74 for receiving the label means 
or identification marker 72. The notch 74 is shaped so as to receive the 
correspondingly shaped marker 72 that is slidably wedged therein. That is, 
the notch 74 includes inclined surfaces 74a, 74c, and a horizontal surface 
74b. The marker 72 includes two inclined surfaces 82 and 80, and two 
horizontal surfaces 78 and 76. In this manner, the identification marker 
72 may be moved vertically downward and slidably wedged into the notch 74. 
It will be appreciated that although an identifying means or compartment 
label 58 for compartment 37 is shown, a similar identifying means could be 
disposed in any other compartments. The label means or marker 72 can be a 
color sample to identify the color of the substance stored within the 
compartment, or it may carry some other description of the contents of the 
compartment, etc. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 show alternate embodiments of the inclinable compartmented 
storage container of the present invention. In this embodiment, an 
individual inclinable compartmented storage container 86 generally of the 
type similar to the container 2 (FIGS. 1-4) is joined to a like container 
88 to form an adjoined inclinable storage container 84. The containers 86 
and 88 may be attached together by gluing or by any other method 
well-known in the art. As illustrated in FIG. 6, adjoined inclinable 
storage containers 84a-84d may be stacked one upon the other to compactly 
store or more efficiently transport the containers. 
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing adjoined inclinable storage containers 
84a-84d arranged, in a semi-circular fashion, around a user 90. In this 
embodiment, the containers 84a-84d form a container system 92 that 
provides a multitude of storage compartments within easy access of the 
user. It is envisioned that the production efficiency and speed of the 
user 90 will be greatly increased thereby increasing the user's 90 overall 
throughput. 
Although the present invention has been described in terms of a specific 
embodiment and two alternate embodiments, it is anticipated that 
alterations and modifications thereof will no doubt become apparent to 
those skilled in the art. It is therefor intended that the following 
claims be interpreted as covering all such alterations and modifications 
as filed in the true spirit and scope of the invention.