Abstract:
An organizer (20, 60, 90) for personal accessories which is mountable on a wall and comprises a container box (21, 61, 93) with structural members (29, 30, 69, 70) configured to provide shelves and trays and having a plurality of item retention devices including screw hooks (50-52, 75,76) and pockets (55, 83,97 which are affixed thereto for accommodating the assembly, storage and retention of personal accessories in a single convenient location.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to organizers and more particularly to an organizer for personal accessories which is mountable on a wall, such as the wall of a closet, and is adapted for the storage and retention of a variety of accessories. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     For the storage of personal items, it is usually necessary to employ a number and variety of devices, most of which are specifically designed to accommodate a specific personal item. Included in this category are such devices as jewelry boxes, necktie racks, and receptacles for specific items such as coins, collar stays, business cards, keyrings, shoe horns and the like. Because of their various and unique designs and purposes most such contemporary devices are incompatible for location in a single place. Some are intended for placement in a drawer or on a counter top, others such as a necktie rack, for location in a closet or a dressing room. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is an organizer for personal accessories which is mountable on a wall structure such as a closet wall, and is adapted for the storage and retention of personal accessories. The organizer comprises a container box having two side wall members, front wall and back wall members, and top and bottom members which are slidably and removably mounted on the container box. The top and bottom members are each slidably mounted for movement between a first position which closes the box and a second position which opens the box. A screw hook with a threaded shank through a side wall of the container box is adapted to be screwed into an end edge of the top member when in its closed position to thereby lock the top member in the closed position. A similar screw hook in the front wall of the box is adapted to be screwed into an edge of the bottom member when in its closed position to thereby lock the bottom member in the closed position. Both screw hooks are retractable to release the top and bottom members. A pocket means of flexible material fixed to at least one of the wall members of the container box provides a pocket for receiving miscellaneous accessories. In addition, a plurality of screw hooks fixed to the exterior of the container box and its top and bottom members in a selective spacing provide hooks from which a variety of accessories may be suspended. Screw hooks in the ends of the top and bottom members provide handle means for effecting sliding movement. 
     In a modified form of the organizer designed for storage of a tailor&#39;s accessories, one side wall of the container box is provided with an elongate slot with a length sufficient to accommodate back and forth movement of a tailor&#39;s chalk when placed therein. A chalk sharpener blade is mounted in the container box with its blade edge extending into the slot whereby a tailor&#39;s chalk can be sharpened by back and forth movement of the chalk when placed in the slot. A lining of elastic material along the inner edges of the slot provides a chalk dust retention means. In addition, a pin cushion is fixed to the top surface of the top member and the top and bottom members are each provided with an extension having handle means provided thereon and suitable for use as a shelf or tray, the extensions being of substantially equal length and extending from opposite sides of the box. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an organizer for personal accessories constructed in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the organizer in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the organizer in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the organizer in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a front, partially exploded view of the organizer of FIG. 1, wherein the top and bottom members of the container box of the organizer have been slidably removed therefrom; 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of the organizer shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a plain view of two sheets of flexible material which are bonded to the exterior wall members of the container box of the organizer of FIG. 1 to provide pocket means for receiving personal accessories; 
     FIG. 8 is a top view of the sheets of flexible material in FIG. 7 showing their attachment locations to one another to provide a plurality of pockets which are secured to the sides and front of the container box of the organizer; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of the organizer of the invention which is specifically adapted for the storage and retention of a tailor&#39;s accessories,; 
     FIG. 10 is a top view of the container box of the organizer of FIG. 9 and wherein the top and bottom members of the box have been removed to show details; 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of the container box of the organizer of FIG. 9 where the front wall and top and bottom members of the box have been removed to show details; 
     FIG. 12 is a right side view of the organizer of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 13 is a left side view of the organizer of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 14 is a front partially exploded, view of the organizer of FIG. 9 wherein the slidable top and bottom members of the container box of the organizer are removed therefrom; 
     FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the top member of the container box of the organizer of FIG. 9; and 
     FIG. 16 is a front exploded view of another modification of the organizer of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1, an organizer 20 which represents a preferred embodiment of the invention. The organizer 20 includes a container box constructed with side wall members 22 and 24, a front wall member 26, a back wall member 28 and top and bottom members 29 and 30, respectively. The container box is of rectangular shape and cross section and the wall members thereof are preferably attached to one another by brass nails for decorative purposes. 
     The top member 29 of the box is adapted for sliding movement thereon. For this purpose, the inner surfaces of the members 26, 28 which face towards one another, are each provided with an elongate groove 31 near its top edge. The grooves 31, extend horizontally in parallel relation from corresponding edges 26a, 28a of the front wall and back wall members. Each of the grooves 31 opens at the edge of the wall member in which it is formed just above the top edge of the side wall member 24 and extends to the side wall 22. The grooves together are adapted to receive the opposite edge portions of the top member 29. 
     The top member 29 is slidably moveable in the grooves 31 to a position which completely closes the container box, as shown in FIG. 1, or which leaves it partially open. It may also be removed completely from the box. To facilitate movement, the top member 29 is provided with a handle in the form of a screw hook 33. The screw hook 33 has a shank portion 33a threaded into an end edge 34 of the member 29 and a hook portion 33b extending perpendicularly to the shank and oriented such that the screw hook 33 can serve as a hook from which a personal accessory may be suspended. 
     Another screw hook 36 similar to screw hook 33 serves as a means for locking the top member 29. The screw hook 36, which is provided with a threaded shank portion 36a and hook portion 36b, is mounted on the side member 22 in a location such that it is adapted to be screwed with axial movement of the shank through the side member 22 into an edge of the top member 29 when the top member is in the closed position, thereby locking the top member 29 in the closed position. The screw hook 36 is also oriented with its hook portion extending upwardly. To release the top member 29, the screw hook 36 may be retracted by unscrewing. 
     The bottom member 30 of the container box is also adapted for sliding movement on the box 21. For this purpose, the inner surfaces of the front and back wall members 26, 28 are each provided with a second elongate groove 38, as shown in FIG. 4 which extends horizontally thereacross and opens at each side edge thereof just below the side wall members 22, 24. The grooves 38 receive the front edge and rear edge portions of the bottom member 30 which, as best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, is provided with a central portion 30a of a size and configuration which completely closes the bottom of the container box when positioned directly beneath the side wall members 22, 24. The bottom 30 is also provided with end portions 30b, 30c which extend beyond the sides of the box 21 when in its box closing position. The end portion 30b is of greater length than the end portion 30c and is particularly useful as a shelf. 
     The organizer 20 is also provided with a means for locking the bottom member 30 in its closed position. For this purpose, it is provided with a screw hook 41 having a threaded shank 41a and a hook portion 41b which extends perpendicularly therefrom. The shank portion 41a is threaded into the front member 26 near the bottom end thereof which accommodates the slidable bottom member 30. The screw hook 41 is adapted to be screwed with axial movement of its shank through the front member 26 into the front edge 30d of the bottom member 30 and thereby lock the bottom member 30 when in its box closing position. The hook portion 41b is oriented upward so that the screw hook 41 is adapted to serve as a hook from which to suspend a personal accessory. It is also retractable by unscrewing to release the bottom member 30 which can be removed from the box if desired. 
     The end portion 30c of bottom member 30 has a top surface which is formed with a depression 44 of relatively shallow depth and with a flat bottom so as to be suitable as a coin collection tray. A similar but narrower and longer depression 45 is formed in the top surface of the end portion 30b of the bottom member 30 and thereby provides a tray as well as a retaining wall for the bottom edge of an item, such as a book which may be supported edge-wise on the end portion 30b. 
     It is also to be noted that a plurality of screw hooks 48, similar to the screw hooks 33 and 36, are fastened in uniformly spaced array to the front edge of end portion 30b of the bottom member 30. The screw hooks 48 are oriented such that each is adapted to serve as a hook from which a personal accessory may be suspended. 
     A second plurality of screw hooks 50, each having a threaded shank and a curved hook are attached in uniformly spaced array to the underside of end portion 30b of bottom member 30 as shown in FIG. 5. A single screw hook 51 with threaded shank and curved hook is fastened to the underside of the bottom member 30 near the end edge of the end portion 50c. A screw hook 52 with a straight hook portion 52b formed by a right angle bend with the shank 52a is threaded in the left end edge of the bottom member 30. All of the hooks 50, 51, 52 are oriented with their hooks adapted to support an accessory item which may be suspended therefrom. 
     The organizer 20 is particularly intended for mounting on the wall of a closet and for this purpose the back wall member 28 is made longer then the front 26, being provided with a top extension 28c and a bottom extension 28d, which project beyond the top and bottom members 29, 30 and also beyond the top and bottom edges of the front member 26. To facilitate attachment of the organizer 20 to a wall structure, each of the extensions 28c, 28d is provided with a hole 54 located along its centerline through each of which a fastener nail or screw may be inserted. Also, on the bottom extension 28d, a pair of screw hooks 53 are symmetrically located on opposite sides of the hole 54 as shown in FIG. 2. 
     It will also be seen that a plurality of pockets 55 are provided on the exterior of the container box on each of the wall members 22, 24 and the front member 26. The pockets are preferably of a flexible material such as a textile material or leather and may be formed from a pair of rectangular sheets 56, 57. One of the sheets 56 is bonded flush to the wall members 22, 24, 26 and the other sheet 57 is sewn to the sheet 56 along its bottom edge and its end edges. It is also sewn along a plurality of vertical lines 58 so as to provide a plurality of pockets 55 which are particularly suited for storing small personal accessories, such as collar stays, business cards and the like. 
     It is preferred that the various wall members which make up the container box, including the top and bottom members, be of wood such as oak, fir, cedar, cherry or mahogany. It is also preferred that the screw hooks which are fastened to the exterior surfaces of the organizer 20 be of brass as also the nails which couple the container walls to one another. In addition, it is generally desirable that a brass name plate, which may be appropriately engraved, be bonded on the front of the organizer on the front member 26. 
     It is therefore to be seen that a unique organizer is disclosed herein which is particularly suited for the storage of a variety of personal accessories, all at one location rather than at a number of different places. It is also adapted for mounting on a wall, such particularly as a closet wall and in instances where one might have no need for a container box, the organizer can be constructed with permanently fixed top and bottom members. 
     A modified form of organizer designed for use by a tailor for the storage and retention of a tailor&#39;s accessories is shown in FIG. 9. It will be seen in FIG. 9 that the organizer 60, like the organizer 20, comprises a container box 61 having side walls 62, 63, a front wall 66, a back wall 68 and slidably mounted top and bottom members 69, 70 respectively. However, the side wall 62 is designed shorter than the side wall 63 and does not extend to the bottom member 70 for purposes to hereinafter described. The top member 69 is slidably received in a pair of elongate grooves 71 formed on the interior surfaces of the front and back wall members 66, 68 in similar manner to the grooves 31 in the organizer 20. For slidably accommodating the bottom member 70, a second pair of grooves 71a are formed on the inner surfaces of the members 66, 68 near their bottom edges in a manner similar to the grooves 38 in the organizer 20. A lock screw hook 64, similar to screw hook 36, is threaded through the wall 62 and is adapted to releaseably lock the top 69 when in its closed position. 
     Also, similar to organizer 20, the back wall 68 is longer than the front wall 66, being provided with a top extension 68c and bottom extension 68d which project beyond the top and bottom of the box 61. Extensions 68c, 68d are each provided with a hole 70, located along the centerline of the back wall 68, and of a size suitable for receiving a fastener nail or screw whereby the organizer 60 may be readily attached to a wall structure. 
     The top member 69 of the organizer 60 differs from the top member 29 of organizer 20 in that it is provided with an extension 69a which projects beyond the right side 63 of the box and serves as a handle which facilitates manipulation of the top 69 to the closed position as shown in FIG. 9 or to facilitate its removal from the box 61. A pair of holes 73, 74 are also provided through the extension 69a and are of a size adapted to receive a tailor&#39;s fingers therethrough to permit a better grasp of the handle. 
     Mounted atop the slidable top member 69 is a pin cushion 72 which seats directly atop the container box 61 when the top member 69 is in its closed position. The pin cushion substantially covers the top of the box 61 and is adapted to receive a very large number of a tailor&#39;s pins. It is bonded to the member 69 by a suitable adhesive although the pin cushion might be detachably mounted on the top member 69 by other means such as by provision of VELCRO type fastener patches, one of which is bonded to member 69 and the other of which is bonded to the underside of the pin cushion. 
     The bottom member 70 of the container box 61 comprises a first portion 70a which extends from its right edge 70b and completely closes the bottom of the container box when its right edge 70b is disposed co-planar with the outer surface of the wall member 63. The bottom 70 also comprises an extension 70c which projects beyond the side wall member 62 when it is in its closed position. The extension 70c of bottom member 70 is of the same length as the handle extension 69a of the top member 69. 
     The organizer 60 is also provided with screw hooks 75, the threaded shanks of which are screwed into the front exterior of the front wall 66 of box 61 with their hook portions oriented upwardly. As seen in FIG. 9 there is an upper pair and a lower pair of the screws 75, the members of each pair being symmetrically located on opposite sides of the vertical centerline of the front member 66. The screw hooks 75 are also of the type wherein the hook portion is formed by a right-angle bend with the shank portion. A similar pair of screw hooks 75a are fixed to bottom extension 68d. 
     Also affixed to the underside of the bottom member 70 are a pair of screw hooks 76 located at opposite ends of the member 70. The screw hooks 76 include curved hook portions which are oriented so as to accommodate the suspension of a tailor&#39;s accessory therefrom. 
     Another feature of the organizer 60 is the provision of an elongate vertically oriented slot 77 in the side wall member 63. The slot 77 is located along the vertical centerline of the side wall 63 and is of a length which is sufficient to accommodate the up-and-down movement of a tailor&#39;s chalk when placed therein. 
     The organizer 60 is also provided with a chalk sharpener 78 which is mounted inside the box 61. The sharpener 78 includes a body portion 78a in the form of a metallic sheet which is mounted with opposite edge portions seated in vertical grooves 79 formed in the inner surfaces of the front wall and back wall members of the box 61. The sharpener includes a blade portion 78b which projects from the body portion 78a and has a blade edge 80 which extends into the elongate slot 77. The blade edge is oriented such that a tailor&#39;s chalk can be sharpened thereon by up-and-down movement of the chalk when in the slot 77 and in engagement with the blade edge. 
     To prevent the escape of chalk dust from the container box as produced by a chalk sharpening action, a chalk dust retention means 82 is provided. The retention means 82 is a lining of elastic material which is bonded to the inner edges of the elongate slot 77. As a chalk is withdrawn from the slot 77, the elastic brushes the sides of the chalk and collects the chalk dust therefrom thereby preventing its escape into the surrounding air. 
     In addition, a pocket 83 for accessories is fitted to the exterior of the side wall 62. The pocket is formed from two sheets of flexible material, preferably leather, in a manner similar to the pockets 55 of the organizer 20, with one of the sheets bonded flush to the side wall 62. 
     It will thus be seen that the organizer 60 is a very useful device for a tailor. The size of the container box is such that it can be used for the storage of tailor&#39;s chalk. Since the container box 61 has a sharpener 78 mounted therein, it is desirable that a vertical divider wall 85 be installed in the box between the side wall 62 and the sharpener 78 to provide an isolated chalk compartment 88. The chalk is loaded into the compartment 88 through the top of the box 61 when the top member 69 is retracted to the open position. It is removed from the box as needed, through an opening 90 in the side of the box formed by the short side wall 62 which does not reach to the bottom 70. As seen in FIG. 9, it is apparent that the organizer 60 can be used for locating such items as trimming scissors, seam rippers, measuring tapes, rulers, a shoe horn, pins and needles and various other items that a tailor employs in his profession. 
     For tailors who do not desire or do not have need for a chalk sharpener, a modified version of the tailor&#39;s organizer is shown in FIG. 16 by the organizer 92. The organizer 92 is similar to the organizer 60 but does not have a sharpener mounted in its container box 93 or a slot in its right side wall 94. Instead a pin cushion 95 is bonded by a suitable adhesive to the wall 94. The organizer 92 includes a second pin cushion 96 mounted to the top 99 of the container box and a pocket 97 secured to the left wall 98 in similar fashion to the pin cushion 72 and pocket 83 of the organizer 60. A hook screw 100 through wall 93 releaseably retains the bottom member 101. 
     It is to be understood that the foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and explanation and is not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. For example, the materials used in fabrication may be different than herein disclosed and the container box might have other than rectangular wall members. Also, means might be used other than screw hooks through the walls for releasably locking the top member and the bottom member in closed position, such as, for example, cam locking devices, latches and the like. It is to be appreciated therefore that various structural changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention.