Abstract:
Whether constructed of square or rectangular configuration with handles for lifting and carrying about, and with internal shelves or braces to receive and hold compartmentalized partitioned layers to accept the various tools of various trades, the container of the invention, when of a composition to support the weight of studs and boards placed upon them, provides a crate which cannot only carry the tools of the trade, but can serve as a workbench in performing needed work at a jobsite location, as well as to support the weight of a workman standing upon included boards and studs as a “step” to reach elevated heights in the doing of a required job.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    NONE 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to tool holding containers, and more particularly to tool carrying buckets or crates usable in the commercial or residential construction industries. 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    Carpenters, electricians, plumbers and work crews in general, when employed on commercial construction jobs commonly bring their tools to the jobsite at the beginning of the workday, and then take them home with them when their shift ends. Rarely, if ever, do they leave their tools overnight for fear that the tools would not be there when they return the next day. Because these commercial construction workers employ many different tools in their jobs, and because several of the tools may be cumbersome to carry, such performance of their jobs often entails their having to make several trips each day back and forth to their trucks to get, and then return, those types of tools they need to complete the tasks at hand. This is both tedious to do and an undo waste of time. 
       OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is an object of the present invention, to provide a utility container for the easy transporting of such tools as are needed by carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and construction work crews, compartmentalizing and separating the tools one from another in so doing. 
         [0009]    It is an object of the invention, also, to provide such a utility container as can be easily stackable one atop another for storage, and can be joined side by side and turned over for forming a step on which to stand in reaching raised places where a job at hand is to be performed, or for forming a type of workbench where construction tasks are to be carried out. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an overall single design for the utility container so that it can be used by each such craftsman simply by the inclusion of suitable compartments to fit each worker&#39;s own individual construction needs. 
         [0011]    It is a further object of the invention to provide such a utility container design for use as well by an individual carpenter, electrician, or plumber working by himself/herself in residential construction where they might go from job-to-job during any given workday, instead of just returning to the same worksite to continue their project on following days. 
         [0012]    It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide this utility container design for use by others besides carpenters, electricians and plumbers—such as those involved in arts and craft hobby and countless other usages where individualized compartmentalization and separation are advantageous in operation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    As will become clear from the following description, the stackable utility container of the invention incorporates a preferably squared or rectangular crate with handles for lifting and carrying the crate about, with internal shelves or braces to receive and hold template configured layer inclusions to accept the various tools of the work trade, and of a composition to support the weight of studs and boards placed upon them in forming workbench substitutes as a replacement for costly sawhorses, and to support the weight of a workman standing upon them as “steps” to reach elevated heights to do a job. 
         [0014]    As will also be seen, such utility containers for use by carpenters, electricians and plumbers are preferably color-coded so that individual members of a work-crew can easily identify that container called for by the crew chief in the then doing of any work-in-progress task. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a front view of the stackable container of the invention, with a pair of layer inserts as might be employed in the construction of a carpenter&#39;s crate; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a front view of the stackable container of the invention, with three layer inserts as might be employed in the construction of an electrician&#39;s crate; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of a front view of the stackable container of the invention, with three layer inserts as might be employed in the construction of a plumber&#39;s crate; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of a front view of the stackable container of the invention, with three layer inserts as might be employed in the construction of a multipurpose utility crate; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7  are front, side and top views, respectively of a utility crate embodying the invention helpful in an understanding as to how one such crate may be fitted and stacked within another for purposes of storage or in forming, either by themselves or with other stackable containers “steps” to work at higher elevations at a construction site, or arranged in forming a work-type bench. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a pictorial view helpful in understanding the stacking of the utility crate of the invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a pictorial view helpful in understanding a side-by-side alignment of the utility crates in forming a workbench. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    While the teachings of the invention apply equally as well to utility crates and containers that are formed of a rectangular or square configuration, the following description specifically relates to a preferred version, of a “square-shaped” container. The apertures, their locations and their wing extensions will be understood to be at the corresponding location on the “rectangular-shaped” container although not shown as such. 
         [0024]    Thus, in  FIG. 1A , a front view of a carpenter&#39;s crate or container  10  is shown as including first and second opposing surfaces  12  and  14  (front and back), a pair of opposing side surfaces  16  and  18 , a supporting bottom  20  and an open top  22 . Such a crate, like the other&#39;s shown in the following description, may each be composed of a heavy duty plastic fabrication, and of color indicia coding as one being “red”, as one being “blue”, as one being “green”, and as one being “yellow”, for example. This is to differentiate one from another as far as their utilization as a carpenter&#39;s crate, an electrician&#39;s crate, a plumber&#39;s crate and a multipurpose utility crate is concerned, as the case and needs may be. Each crate and container is preferably of a heavy duty plastic fabrication. 
         [0025]    A first compartmentalized partitioned layer  24  is shown in  FIG. 1A  extending inwardly of the container between its first and second opposing surfaces  12  and  14 , and between its third and fourth opposing surfaces  16 ,  18  adjacent the open top  22 . A second such layer  26  is likewise included between the first and second opposing surfaces  12  and  14 , and between the third and fourth surfaces  16 ,  18 , adjacent its supporting bottom  20 . As shown in the  FIG. 1B  top view of the layer  24 , a plurality of apertures  30  and  32  are included for the insertion of various tools as might be employed by a carpenter, with the  FIG. 1C  top view of the layer  26  in  FIG. 1C , showing a punch-out  35  for a sawzall tool commonly employed by most carpenters. Although only a single handle section  34  is shown in the  FIG. 1A  front view (and on the surface  12 ), it will be understood that a similar such handle is included at the opposing surface  14  of the crate as a back view of the carpenter&#39;s crate  10  is just a mirror image of the front view of  FIG. 1A . A series of braces or shelf supports  36  are shown at constructed on the inside of the container on its four opposing surfaces, to support the layer section  24  and the layer section  26 . Each of the layers  24  and  26  may be installed as inserts within the crate or container, and of a predetermined compartmentalized construction to receive the tools of the trade, the compartments being illustrated, for example, at  38 ,  40 . The handles  34  may be in the form of cut-outs for easy hand grasping in moving the carpenter&#39;s crate about. 
         [0026]    In accordance with the invention, furthermore, a substrate base  42  is included, provided beneath the supporting bottom  20 , and of a same configuration as the bottom  20 , but of lesser cross-sectional area. Within the substrate base of  FIG. 1A  are a pair of spaced apertures  44 ,  45  which will also be understood as being included on the three other surfaces of the substrate base, again being spaced apart on each side. Lastly, a pair of wing sections  46  are included on the crate or container  10 , individually extending along the lengths of the third and fourth opposing surfaces  16 ,  18  running from front to back. Each of the wing sections  46  also include a pair of spaced apertures  50 ,  52  on each side, and another such pair is included adjacent the open top of the container, as at  54 ,  56 . 
         [0027]    The front view of the electrician&#39;s crate of the invention shown in  FIG. 2A  is of corresponding construction as that of the front view of the carpenter&#39;s crate of  FIG. 1A , but with a different configuration of layers inwardly extending between the four surfaces of the crate. In  FIGS. 2B ,  2 C and  2 D, three such layers are shown as  60 ,  62 ,  64 , with their own compartments as  63 ,  64 ,  65 ,  67 ,  68 , etc., to receive, once again, the tools and accessories usually employed by an electrician in his/her work. The same wing section  46  is shown as in  FIG. 1A , along with the same substrate base  42 . The same arrangement of spaced apertures  44 ,  45  and  54 ,  56  as in  FIG. 1A  are shown in FIG.  2 A—understanding that the substrate apertures  44 ,  45  would be included on all sides of the substrate base  42  as in the electrician&#39;s crate. The wing section apertures  50 ,  52  are also replicated in the front view of  FIG. 2A , a rear view of the electrician&#39;s crate of  FIG. 2A  again being a mirror image of its front view. Similarly, a side view of the electrician&#39;s crate would appear the same as for the carpenter&#39;s crate. 
         [0028]    With this in mind, the front view of the plumber&#39;s crate of  FIG. 3A  would be a repeat of the corresponding views of FIGS.  1 A and  2 A—but, again, with its own set of layers  70 ,  71 , and  72  as supported by the sleeves or braces  36  of FIGS.  1 B and  2 B—illustrated as  FIGS. 3B ,  3 C and  3 D. A different set of apertures for receiving needed tools is shown at  73 , with the individual compartments being shown for example at  74 ,  75 ,  76 ,  77 ,  78 . 
         [0029]    Likewise, with  FIG. 4A , a view corresponding to that of  FIG. 1A  is shown, for a multipurpose crate container, the only difference essentially being that the multipurpose utility crate of  FIG. 4  is shown with three layer inserts  80 ,  81 ,  82  inwardly extending on shelves or braces between the four opposing sides while that of  FIG. 1  shows a two layer insert version container. Again, the open-top apertures  54 ,  56  are shown in  FIG. 4A , as are the apertures  44 ,  45  of the substrate  42  base, on both its first and second opposing surfaces  12 ,  14 . The layers of the multipurpose utility crate present their own set of compartments  83 ,  84 ,  85  etc., and their corresponding wing-section apertures  50 ,  52 . 
         [0030]      FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7  are front, right side and top views of the container or crate of the invention. With a left side view of the container being a mirror image of the right side view, one or more additional apertures  88  are illustrated within the wing sections  46  to facilitate a side-by-side stacking of the containers (as described below with respect to  FIG. 9 ) through the use of appropriate locking mechanisms. 
         [0031]      FIG. 8  is helpful in an understanding as to how one crate of the invention may be fitted into a second for stacking purposes. That is, a top crate  90  fits into a bottom crate  91 , by the substrate base  92  of the top one being of a comparable configuration as, but of a lesser cross-section, than the open top  93  of the lower crate  91 . As the spaced apertures  44 ,  45  in the substrate  42  of the top crate is made to align vertically with the apertures  54 ,  56  in the lower crate, the one crate fits inside the other crate, and the two can be secured by locking pins, bolts or screws through the apertures, as shown at  94 . Such stacking of crates allows for the easy storage of them. In the rear of a pickup truck for example, they can be made to join up with a like pair on an opposite side of the truck bed so that various picks, shovels, and other larger tools can be temporarily housed beneath a piece of plywood placed upon the stacks to be protected from rain or snow. As  FIG. 8  illustrates, wing sections can be employed having only a single aperture  95 , instead of spaced apertures  50 ,  52  one above the other, as in  FIGS. 1A ,  2 A,  3 A,  4 A and  5 A. 
         [0032]      FIG. 9 , on the other hand, shows a configuration where two such containers could be laid side by side, or 2 stackings of containers  100  side-by-side, with a length of wood or other material  102  over them in forming a workbench. The wing sections  46  are arranged with a closed bottom and an open top to receive, for example, a length of 2×4″ in extending above the open top  22  of the crate or container. The length of wood rests on the 2×4&#39;s, while appropriate locking pins, bolts or screws are inserted through the facing apertures to join the two crates together, as at  103 . And, with appropriate thicknesses selected for the overlying material  100 , this side-by-side construction of the crates of the invention could itself serve as a type of step to reach higher areas of work without having to stack one crate upon the other, as in the view of  FIG. 8 . 
         [0033]    And, as previously mentioned, a construction crew chief could just advise a member of his crew as to what type of crate is required for a job—just by asking for the “blue” crate, the “red” crate, the “green” crate, or the “yellow” crate, each of which is identified for use for a carpenter, an electrician, or a plumber. 
         [0034]    While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein—such as for usages other than as previously set out. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.