Abstract:
The present invention provides an apparatus that comprises multiple cases capable of storing power tool accessories and a carousel. The carousel may comprise support plates with grooves on it and retaining covers. The accessory cases are pivotal with respect to the support plates. Each accessory case can be dismounted when the accessory case pivots to align with the grooves. In accordance with the invention, the use of accessory cases become very convenient. An accessory case can be straightforwardly dismounted from the apparatus and be carried by the user without the need for the whole apparatus to be carried.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 200420054806.0, filed Dec. 27, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for storing accessory cases. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many types of apparatus for storage or transportation of tools or accessories are commercially available. The apparatus may be made of metal or plastic. Certain apparatus are provided with multiple independent accessory cases which can be ordered in any sequence. Other apparatus are provided with multiple independent accessory cases which are pivotal with respect to each other. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,502 discloses an assembly of multiple tool cases which are connected to each other by an axle or inserting rod so that they are pivotal with respect to the axle or inserting rod such that the tool case can be selectively opened. In this way, the assembly of tool cases forms a compact construction. However these tool cases are inconvenient and difficult to disassemble (for example when a case is broken and needs to be repaired). In addition, the assembly cannot be conveniently disassembled for carriage or transport. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to overcome the foregoing disadvantages, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus that is assembled easily. 
     In an embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatus that comprises multiple cases capable of storing power tool accessories and a carousel. The carousel may comprise support plates with grooves on it and retaining covers. The accessory cases are pivotal with respect to the support plates. Each accessory case can be dismounted when the accessory case pivots to align with the grooves. In accordance with the invention, the use of accessory cases become very convenient. An accessory case can be straightforwardly dismounted from the apparatus and be carried by the user without the need for the whole apparatus to be carried. 
     In an embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatus for storing a plurality of accessory cases comprising: 
     a carousel; and 
     a plurality of accessory cases for storing power tool accessories mounted substantially radially on the carousel, wherein each of the plurality of accessory cases is selectively dismountable radially from the carousel only at one or more rotationally selected positions. 
     Typically the carousel is horizontally disposed. 
     Preferably each accessory case is selectively dismountable from the carousel only at a single rotationally selected position. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the carousel comprises: 
     a rotary connection shaft for rotating the plurality of accessory cases; and 
     at least one support plate joined to an end of the rotary connection shaft, wherein the at least one support plate supports each of the plurality of accessory cases in a substantially radial position; and 
     a pair of retaining covers mounted adjacent to the ends of the connection shaft to retain each of the plurality of accessory cases in the substantially radial position, wherein each of the plurality of accessory cases is selectively dismountable from the carousel only at one or more positions of the at least one support plate relative to the pair of retaining covers selected by rotation of the at least one support plate. 
     Each retaining cover is typically cup-shaped (e.g. with a concave inner face). The at least one support plate may be mounted at the rear face of the retaining cover (e.g. on support ribs upstanding from the concave inner face). 
     Preferably each retaining cover comprises a retaining collar or retaining flange for retaining the plurality of accessory cases in the substantially radial position, wherein each retaining collar or retaining flange has a groove and wherein the grooves of each retaining collar or retaining flange are in axial alignment so as to permit one of the plurality of accessory cases when rotationally aligned with the grooves to be dismounted radially. The retaining collar or retaining flange is typically an extension of the concave inner face. 
     Preferably the at least one support plate is a pair of support plates joined to opposite ends of the rotary connection shaft and supported at the rear face of the retaining covers. 
     Preferably each accessory case comprises a pair of lateral sliding members slidable through the grooves into a rear volume of the retaining cover. 
     Particularly each support plate comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart radial guide slots through each of which the lateral sliding member is slidable into the rear volume of the retaining cover. 
     Preferably each retaining cover comprises a retaining collar extending axially to a lateral edge of the plurality of accessory cases to confine the lateral sliding member in the rear volume of the retaining cover to retain the plurality of accessory cases in the substantially radial position. 
     Preferably each accessory case further comprises a guide block adjacent to each sliding member, wherein each radial guide slot comprises a first slot portion and a second slot portion communicating with the first slot portion, wherein the guide block is slidable into the first slot portion and the width of the second slot portion is greater than the width of the first slot portion so that the lateral sliding member is slidable through and out of the second slot portion into the rear volume of the retaining cover. 
     Preferably each support plate further comprises a plurality of axially projecting guide walls surrounding each radial guide slot to slidingly receive the lateral edge of the accessory cases. 
     Preferably the at least one support plate is a single support plate joined to an end of the rotary connection shaft and supported at the rear face of one of the retaining covers. 
     Preferably the support plate comprises a plate body supported at the rear face of one of the retaining covers and multiple pairs of radial guide arms extending axially from the plate body. 
     Preferably each retaining cover comprises a retaining flange extending axially beyond a peripheral edge of the plurality of accessory cases to retain the plurality of accessory cases in the substantially radial position. 
     Preferably the at least one support plate comprises: 
     a plurality of substantially equidistantly spaced apart apertures, 
     and wherein the retaining cover comprises: 
     a biasing member; and 
     a positioning cam connected to the biasing member, wherein the positioning cam is urged into an aperture via the action of the biasing member when the support plate pivots to a certain angle with respect to the retaining cover so that the retaining cover and the support plate can be fixed firmly together. 
     Preferably the number of apertures, the number of radial guide slots and the number of accessory cases is equal. 
     Preferably the apparatus further comprises: 
     a manually operable knob mounted on an outer face of the retaining cover and connected to the support plate. 
     Preferably the apparatus further comprises: 
     a locating member arranged between the knob and a first retaining cover. 
     Particularly preferably the rotary connection shaft comprises: 
     a union body extending from an interior of the knob, 
     a connection piece connected to a second retaining cover and 
     a coupling rod mounted between the union body and connection piece, wherein the union body passes through the first retaining cover and is connected to a first support plate and the coupling rod and wherein the connection piece passes through the second retaining cover and is connected to a second support plate and the coupling rod. 
     The union body may pass through the central aperture of the first retaining cover and the hub hole of the support plate. The union body may have a radial projection inserted into a slot of the support plate. An end of the coupling rod may be sleeved on the union body and may have a slot in which is inserted the radial projection. The connection piece may pass through the central aperture of the retaining cover and an end of the coupling rod may be sleeved on the connection piece. 
     Preferably the apparatus further comprises: 
     a clamping bolt passing through and fixing the knob, the union body, the coupling rod and the connection piece. 
     Preferably the rotary connection shaft is positioned between the retaining covers and is connected to the rotary support plates, wherein the rotary connection shaft comprises: 
     a union body inserted in each of the retaining covers, a connection piece and a 
     coupling rod connected between the union body and connection piece, wherein the union body is fixed to the support plate and coupling rod simultaneously and the connection piece is fixed to the support plate and the coupling rod simultaneously. 
     Preferably the carousel further comprises: 
     one or more supporting brackets for supporting the accessory cases, wherein the brackets are connected in divergent fashion to the pair of axially spaced apart retaining covers. For this purpose, the retaining covers may comprise one or more stirrups connectable to an end of the bracket. 
     Preferably each supporting bracket comprises: a fixing member for fixing the apparatus to a fixed surface. The supporting bracket is typically substantially U-shaped. 
     In a further embodiment the present invention provides an apparatus for storing accessory cases characterized in that it comprises: 
     multiple accessory cases for storing accessories of power tools; and 
     joint plates which are associated with the accessory cases for locating; and support elements having grooves, 
     wherein the accessory cases are capable of rotating with respect to the support elements and the accessory cases can be extracted when rotating to align with the groove. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will now be described in a non-limited sense with reference to the accompanying Figures in which common reference numerals represent corresponding parts throughout: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective side view of an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a left view of the apparatus in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a right view of the apparatus in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view according to the A-A line in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view according to the B-B line in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view according to the C-C line in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view according to the F-F line in  FIG. 5  (accessory cases removed); 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view according to the G-G line in  FIG. 5  (accessory cases removed); 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view according to the D-D line in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view according to the E-E line in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a left view of the apparatus in  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view according to the J-J line in  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view according to the H-H line in  FIG. 15 ; and 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view according to the I-I line in  FIG. 15 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention comprises multiple accessory cases  2  supported radially in a horizontally disposed carousel  8 . The carousel comprises a pair of support plates  4  fixed to opposite ends of a rotary connection shaft  6 . Each support plate  4  is made of plastic and is substantially circular. Referring in particular to  FIGS. 2 to 4  and  7 , the carousel  8  further comprises a pair of substantially U-shaped support brackets  82   a,b  which are connected in divergent fashion to a pair of axially spaced apart retaining covers  84   a,b . Each retaining cover  84   a,b  is substantially cup-shaped with a central aperture  840  and a concave inner face  86  extending into an axial retaining collar  88   a . Each support plate  4  is supported at the rear face of one of the retaining covers  84   a,b  on support ribs upstanding from the concave inner face  86 . 
     The multiple accessory cases  2  may be used to store different accessories of various kinds of power tool (not shown) such as screw and drill bits. Each accessory case  2  comprises a base body  21  and a transparent cover  23 . Various compartments are disposed in the base body  21  for receiving accessories. On each lateral edge of the accessory case  2  is disposed a sliding member  27  and an adjacent guide block  29 . The sliding member  27  is substantially cylindrical and the guide block  29  is substantially cuboidal. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , each of a plurality of stirrups  83  are disposed radially on the concave inner face  86  of the retaining cover  84   a,b  to receive an end of the bracket  82   a,b . The brackets  82   a,b  are made of a metal such as aluminium and the retaining covers  84   a,b  are made of plastic. Each bracket  82   a,b  is provided with a fixing plate  820  so as to fix the apparatus (if desired) to the ground or a wall with screws. 
     A groove  88  is disposed in the retaining collar  88   a  and the grooves  88  in the pair of retaining covers  84   a,b  are in axial alignment. The diameter of the concave inner face  86  is a little greater than the diameter of the sliding member  27  such that the sliding member  27  is capable of sliding into the concavity. An annular support rib  81  is disposed on the concave inner face  86  to support the periphery of the sliding member  27 . The axial retaining collar  88   a  extends axially to a lateral edge of the plurality of accessory cases  2  to confine the lateral sliding member  27  in the concavity. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  8  and  9 , a plurality of radial guide slots  42  are equidistantly spaced circumferentially on each support plate  4 . The number of radial slots  42  matches the maximum number of accessory cases  2 . Each radial guide slot  42  comprises a first slot portion  44  and a second slot portion  46 . The width of the first slot portion  44  is substantially equal to the width of the guide block  29  and the width of the second slot portion  46  is greater than the first slot portion  44 . An aperture  43  is located in the support plate  4  between each radial guide slot  42  and the apertures  43  are substantially equidistantly spaced apart. Each support plate  4  also contains a hub hole  41  and a third slot  48  communicating with the hub hole  41 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 11 , a positioning hole  85  is arranged on one of the retaining covers  84   a . A part of a positioning cam  89  fixed to a spring  87  extends out of the positioning hole  85 . The positioning cam  89  is urged into an aperture  43  via the action of the spring  87  when the support plate  4  pivots to a certain angle with respect to the retaining cover  84   a  so that the retaining cover  84   a  and the support plate  4  can be fixed together firmly. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the apparatus further comprises a knob  5  for manually rotating the accessory cases  2 . The knob  5  is disposed on the outer convex face of one of the retaining covers  84   a . A locating member  9  is positioned between the knob  5  and the retaining cover  84   a . The rotary connection shaft  6  includes a union body  62  passing through the central aperture  840  of the retaining cover  84   a  and the hub hole  41  of the support plate  4 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , the union body  62  has a radial projection  64  inserted into the third slot  48  of the support plate  4 . The rotary connection shaft  6  also comprises a coupling rod  66 , a connection piece  68  and a clamping bolt  61  which is inserted in the knob  5  to fix the components firmly together. Referring to  FIG. 9 , one end of the coupling rod  66  is sleeved on the union body  62  and has a fourth slot  63  in which is inserted the radial projection  64 . The connection piece  68  passes through the central aperture  840  of the retaining cover  84   a  and an end of the coupling rod  66  is sleeved on the connection piece  68 . The connection (not shown) between the connection piece  68  and support plate  4  is the same as the connection between the union body  62  and the coupling rod  66  (see  FIG. 9 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , to assemble the first embodiment of the invention, the brackets  82   a,b  are firstly inserted into the retaining covers  84   a,b  by fixing them firmly in the stirrups  83 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , the support plates  4  are positioned at the rear faces of corresponding retaining covers  84   a,b  such that one of the radial guide slots  42  aligns with the grooves  88  and the position cam  89  is inserted into a corresponding opening  43  of the support plate  4 . The coupling rod  66  with the hollow interior is inserted into the support plates  4  and is aligned with the hub holes  41 . The locating member  9  is sleeved on the union body  62 . The knob  5  is inserted into the central aperture  840  of the corresponding retaining cover  84  and hub hole  41  of the support plate  4 . The projection  64  of the union body  62  is inserted into the third slot  48  of the support plate  4  and the fourth slot  63  of the coupling rod  66 . The connection piece  68  is then connected to the coupling rod  66 . The clamping bolt  61  is inserted in the knob  5 , union body  62 , coupling rod  66  and connection piece  68  to fasten them together. Referring to  FIG. 10 , the sliding members  27  are inserted into corresponding grooves  88  of the retaining covers  84   a,b  so that the two guide blocks  29  insert into the first slot portions  44 . The two sliding members  27  pass through the second slot portion  46  and are received in the concavity. The knob  5  is rotated until the positioning cam  89  is urged into the aperture  43  of the support plate  4 . Further radial guide slots  42  of support plates  4  may be selectively rotated to align with the grooves for other accessory cases to be added in the same fashion. To disassemble the apparatus, an accessory case  2  is rotated (directly or using the knob  5 ) into alignment with the grooves  88 . The accessory case  2  can then be dismounted from the apparatus conveniently. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 12 to 14 , there is illustrated a second embodiment of the invention. The construction is similar to the first embodiment and so reference numerals are shared and the detailed description will be brief. Each accessory case  2 ′ is provided with a pair of cylindrical sliding members  27 ′ but no guide blocks ( 29  in the first embodiment). Each sliding member  27 ′ is inserted into a groove  88 ′ of the retaining cover  84 ′ a,b , passes through the radial guide slot  43 ′ and is received in the concavity of the retaining cover  84   a,b  defined by the concave inner surface  86 &#39;. Each support plate  4 ′ further comprises a plurality of projecting guide walls  45  surrounding each radial guide slot  43  to slidingly receive the lateral edge of the accessory cases  2 &#39;. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 15 and 17 , there is illustrated a third embodiment of the invention. The construction is similar to the first and second embodiments and so reference numerals are shared and the detailed description will be brief. The apparatus is provided with a support plate  50  supported between the retaining cover  84 ″ a  and an edge of the multiple accessory cases  2 ″. Multiple pairs of radial guide arms  52  extend axially away from the support plate  50 . Each accessory case  2 ″ can be inserted between a pair of radial guide arms  52 . Each retaining cover  84 ″ a,b  extends axially inwardly into an annular retaining flange  844  covering the peripheral end of the accessory cases  2 ″ so as to retain the accessory cases  2 ″ in the support plates  50 . When the accessory case  2 ″ rotates to align with the groove  88 ″, it can be removed. 
     The foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the invention and the invention is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art that have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.