Abstract:
A tool pouch having a pocket with an opening to receive certain items. The pocket includes a magnetic member near the top of the pocket for holding items received in the pocket. The magnetic member assists in arranging items in the pocket.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to tool pouches, and more particularly to a tool pouch with a magnetic member to position items in the pouch. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is generally known in the art to produce tool pouches which are designed to suspend from a work belt and include pockets to hold items. The items generally are small tools and fasteners. Such items generally include sharp portions in addition to being small and relatively indistinguishable from one another. 
     Conventional tool pouch pockets include simple open areas into which small tools and fasteners are dropped. Therefore, to retrieve an item, the user of the tool pouch must place a hand into a pocket for the desired item. This haphazard retrieval may produce detrimental effects. For example, the user must look or search for the item which is desired, especially if more than one of a particular type of fastener or tool is in the pocket. This wastes time and effort. 
     Thus, it would be advantageous to have a system from which small tools and fasteners may be removed with minimal effort. In this way, the user would not be required to search around in the pocket in the attempt to find the item. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an apparatus and method for removing small fasteners and tools from the pockets of tool pouches while not requiring the user to search within the pocket. In particular, a magnetic member is disposed adjacent the top of a pocket of the tool pouch. Fasteners in the pocket are attracted and affixed to the magnetic member in the tool pouch. In addition, the pouch itself may be periodically jostled so that a small portion of the items located in the pocket reach the magnetic member and adhere thereto. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the tool pouch including areas for the insertion of the magnetic portion; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tool pouch including a magnetic insert according to the first embodiment; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of a magnetic member insert according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of a third embodiment of the magnetic insert according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the third embodiment of the magnetic insert including a material portion to affix the magnetic insert to a pouch according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the magnetic insert including a material portion to affix the magnetic insert to a pouch according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a bag including a magnetic member according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but also including exemplary fasteners. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to FIG. 1, a tool pouch  10  is illustrated including a belt loop  12  for receiving a belt worn about the waist of a worker, a first pocket  14 , and a second pocket  16 . However, it is to be understood this is merely exemplary and a tool pouch may offer only one pocket or multiple pockets of a number greater than two. Tool pouch  10  also includes other fixtures  18   a ,  18   b  designed to accept tools and devices. Small items, such as fasteners (See FIG. 8) are generally placed within the pockets  14 ,  16  and fall from the top of the pockets  14   a ,  16   a  towards the bottom of the pockets  14   b ,  16   b  due to gravity. 
     A magnetic member  20  is placed into as many or as few pockets of the tool pouch  10  as desired by the manufacturer or user. The magnetic member  20  may be affixed to either the back or front of the pocket or both. Preferably, the magnetic member  20  is affixed adjacent the tops  14   a ,  16   a  of the respective pockets  14 ,  16 , regardless of whether the magnetic member  20  is affixed to the back or front of the pocket  14 ,  16 . Thus, the magnetic member  20  is preferably affixed in the areas outlined by dashed portions  22 ,  24 . 
     Preferably, the magnetic member  20  does not extend to the bottom  14   b ,  16   b  of the pockets  14 ,  16 . Rather the dimensions of the tops  14   a ,  16   a  of the pockets  14 ,  16  dictate the outer dimensions of the magnetic member  20 . Thus, fasteners are not held near the bottom of the pockets  14   b ,  16   b  by the magnetic member  20 . As an example, if a pocket of a tool pouch is approximately 16 cm in depth, the preferred magnetic member would be approximately 3 cm deep. Furthermore, the magnetic member  20  generally resides entirely within the pocket  14 ,  16  and does not extend a great distance above the pocket. Thus, the fasteners remain in the pocket  14 ,  16  even if dislodged from the magnetic member  20 . The general dimensions of the magnetic member  20  may differ and this is exemplary only. It will be understood also that the exact placement of the magnetic member  20  may vary although preferably it is contiguous to the top portion of the pocket. 
     With reference to FIG. 2, a second illustrative tool pouch  40  is shown. This second tool pouch  40  includes a single pocket  42  with an upper region  42   a  and a lower region  42   b . It may also be seen that a single piece of material forms the belt loop  44  of the tool pouch  40  where the material is looped upon itself and affixed in place with a rivet  46  or other suitable means. 
     The magnetic member  20  is affixed in place with a portion of material  48  that extends around and is affixed to the top of the pocket  42   a  with stitching  50  or other acceptable devices. In this way, the magnetic member  20  remains adjacent to the top of the pocket  42   a  and is held there for use. 
     Using a portion of material  48  according to this first embodiment is particularly useful when the magnetic member  20  is stiff. However, the material  48  must be both durable enough to hold the magnetic member  20  in place during usage, but also thin enough to allow the magnetic field of the magnetic member  20  to be effective. 
     With reference to FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the magnetic member  60 , includes a plurality of bores  62  formed through the magnetic member  60 . In the second embodiment, the magnetic member  60  is preferably formed of a flexible material that creates a magnetic field. However, it is also possible to form the bores  62  through a rigid magnetic material and still achieve a similar effect. 
     According to the second embodiment, stitching or other fastening means are passed through the bores  62  to affix the magnetic member  60  to the tool pouch. Furthermore, the flexible nature of the preferred material of the magnetic member  60  allows it to conform to the wearer or the stiffened portion of the tool pouch  10 ,  40 . In this way, comfort of use is increased as opposed to placing a stiff magnetic member at the upper ends of the pocket. 
     With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a third embodiment of the magnetic member  70  is shown. In the third embodiment, the magnetic member  70  includes a main body portion  72  and a flange region  74  surrounding the main body portion  72 . A material portion  76 , including an opening  78 , overlays the magnetic member  70  and includes a collar region  80  for stitching or otherwise affixing the material portion  76  to a pouch  10 ,  40 . The opening  78  allows the exposure of the main body portion  72  of the magnetic member  70 , while the flange region  74  is trapped under the collar region  80 . Items may be affixed to the magnetic member  70  by placing them near the main body portion  72  which is affixed by material portion  76 . The third embodiment may include either a flexible magnetic member or a stiff magnetic member. Preferably, a flexible magnetic member would still be used to allow the magnetic member to form to the body of the user or to the shape of the tool pouch  10 ,  40 . 
     With reference to FIG. 6, a fourth embodiment of the invention is shown. The magnetic members  90  of the fourth embodiment are similar to the magnetic member  70  of the third embodiment in FIGS. 4 and 5. For example, the magnetic members  90  includes a main body  92  and a flange  94  which is covered by a material portion  96  including a collar  98  for allowing it to be affixed to a tool pouch  10 ,  40 . The magnetic members  90  are smaller than the magnetic members  70 , discussed above, and a plurality of magnetic members  90  are spaced apart in a single pocket. Therefore, even though an individual magnetic member  90  may be formed of a rigid or stiff material, the entire magnetic portion flexes between the individual magnetic members  90  which allows it to form to either the user&#39;s body or the tool pouch itself. Further, the main body portion  92  of each magnetic member  90  is still exposed to receive any items that may be affixed to it. 
     With reference to FIG. 7, a tool bag  100  is shown. A magnetic member  60 , like that disclosed in the second embodiment (in FIG.  3 ), is shown affixed to the tool bag  100 . Here, the tool pouch  102  of the tool bag  100  includes an upper portion  102   a  and a lower portion  102   b . The magnetic member  60  includes bores  62  therethrough. Stitching  104  affixes the magnetic member  60  to the upper portion  102   a  of the pocket  102 . 
     In this embodiment, though the tool bag  100  is not worn on the body of a user, a magnetic member  60  still assists in the removal and placement of items. The magnetic member  60  is preferably formed of a flexible material so as to conform to the contours of the upper portion of  102   a  of the pocket  102 . This is particularly useful if the bag happens to include rounded edges or curved sides so that the magnetic member  60  may remain continuous along the upper edges  102   a  of the pocket  102 . 
     With reference to FIGS. 2 and 8, and with particular reference to FIG. 8, where like numerals indicate like elements, an example of the use of the present invention is shown. The magnetic member  20  is affixed to the back of the pocket  42  adjacent the top  42   a  of the pocket  42 . Fasteners  110  filling a portion of the pocket  42  are shown. A second set of fasteners  112  are affixed to the magnetic member  20 . Therefore, the user only need reach far enough into the pocket to reach the second set of fasteners  112  adjacent the top  42   a  of the pocket as opposed to the user reaching into the bottom  42   b  of the pocket  42  where the first set of fasteners  110  are simply laying about. 
     The second set of fasteners  112  affixed to the magnetic member  20  of the tool pouch  40  may become adhered to the magnetic member  20  through several means. For example, a user of the tool pouch may jostle the pouch  40  when fasteners  110  are simply lying in the bottom  42   b  of the pocket  42 . If the pouch  40  is jostled enough, fasteners  110  will come in range of the magnetic field produced by the magnetic member  20 . Once this occurs, the fasteners  110  will adhere to the magnetic member  20  such as the second set of fasteners  112 . Second, a user may simply place fasteners next to the magnetic member  20  thereby affixing them to the magnetic member  20 . In either case, fasteners are then held at the top  42   a  of the pocket  42  where the user may easily see and reach them. This reduces frustration during the use of a tool pouch  40  and increases efficiency. 
     The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.