Abstract:
A tool pouch for securing articles therein having a pivotally attached rotatable cover. The tool pouch allows a user to insert tools and accessories within a cavity, or pocket, of the tool pouch and secure the tools and accessories therein with a cover. In a closed position, flexible portions of the cover bend around the top of the side panels to hold the cover secure. When the cover is moved to an opened position, the flexible portions of the cover negotiate over the corners allowing the cover to be moved. In the second position, the flexible portions of the cover bend around the sides of the front panel and hold the cover secure. The cover may be readily operable and, in some implementations, can reside in the opened and/or closed position even if the tool pouch is radically reoriented. The cover also may allow easy access to the stored items when in the opened position.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This original non-provisional application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/837,850, filed Jun. 21, 2013, and entitled “Secure Tool Pouch,” and is a continuation in part of and claims priority to U.S. non-provisional, design patent application serial no. 29/494,263, filed Jun. 18, 2014, and entitled “Tool Pouch With Rotatable Cover,” which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    None. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The present invention relates generally to tool pouches, and in particular, to tool pouches having a pivotally attached cover for securing articles therein. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0006]    Tool pouches (e.g., bags and belts) are used every day by a variety of construction workers (e.g., carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc. . . . ). Designing the proper pockets, hangers, and the like for tool pouches is difficult, however, because every trade requires a different set of tools (e.g., hammers, tape measures, screwdrivers, squares, levels, drills, wrenches, etc. . . . ) and accessories (e.g., nails, screws, nuts, grommets, brackets, caulk, etc. . . . ), and not every job even in the same trade requires the same tools and accessories. Moreover, the needed availability of each tool and accessory may vary from job to job. 
         [0007]    Unfortunately, various tools and accessories are relatively small and may, thus, easily fall out of a tool pouch if the worker is in the non-vertical position (e.g., when working in a crawlspace or a low-pitched attic). Several solutions exist for preventing these and other items from falling out of a tool pouch. For example, some tool pouches include a zippered cover over one or more of their pockets. When items are to be secured, the zipper is closed, and when items are to be accessed, the zipper is unzipped. As another example, some tool pouches include a drawstring bag for one or more of their pockets. The drawstring may be drawn when items are to be secured and expand when items are to be accessed. However, even when opened, zippered covers and drawstring bags can cause interference with accessing the items. For example, a zippered cover can easily fall back down over the opening of the cavity. The user may tuck the cover in the pocket to prevent this, but then the cover is where the items of interest are located. 
         [0008]    The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art. In the present invention, various tools and accessories to be carried by a worker are stored within a tool pouch having a rotating cover. The cover is pivotally attached at each end to the sides of the tool pouch. The cover rotates between a first, or closed, position and a second, or opened, position. The cover remains secure in either position, and, thus, does not interfere with the user&#39;s access of a desired item from within the tool pouch when, for example, the cover is in the opened position. Accordingly, there is a need for a tool pouch having a pivotally attached rotatable cover for securing articles therein. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention is a tool pouch having a pivotally attached rotatable cover for securing articles therein. The tool pouch of the present invention allows a user to insert tools and accessories within the cavity, or pocket, of the tool pouch and secure the tools and accessories with a cover. Thus, the inserted articles may be retained and secured in the cavity. This is especially useful when the user must assume non-standing positions (e.g., when working in a crawl space or low-sloped attic). Moreover, the cover may be readily operable and, in some implementations, can reside in the opened and/or closed position even if the tool pouch is radically reoriented. The cover also may allow easy access to the stored items when in the opened position. 
         [0010]    The tool pouch of the present invention is comprised of a front panel, a back panel, and two side panels. The front panel, the front surface of the back panel, and the side panels are attached together to form a cavity or pocket. The cavity or pocket may be used for storing tools and/or accessories. The tool pouch may be made of natural or synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, leather, or polyolefin. The front panel, the back panel, and the side panels are fastened together by stitching, however, other fastening techniques, such as adhesion, riveting or the like, may be used. Reinforcement material may be added to increase the durability of the tool pouch. The reinforcement material may be made of a natural or synthetic material such as polyester, nylon, leather, or polyolefin or a high strength woven stretchable material such as elastic or the like. 
         [0011]    The tool pouch further includes a rotatable cover. Portions of the cover consist of a flexible material. The cover has a top, two sides extending from opposing ends of the top and flexible strips therebetween. The top is substantially the same size as the opening for the cavity or pocket. Fasteners, such as rivets, may be used to pivotally attach the sides of the cover to the side panels. The sides may be reinforced at the location of the fasteners. Though rivets can be used to pivotally attach the sides of the cover to the side panel, other similar fasteners, such as snaps, buttons or the like, may be utilized. 
         [0012]    The rotatable cover may be formed of a single piece of material, such as leather. Alternatively, each of the top, the flexible strips and the sides of the cover may also be formed of different pieces of materials. For example, the top and sides may be made up of one type of material, e.g., leather, while the flexible strips may be made of a high strength woven stretchable material such as elastic, and may be in either an unstretched or stretched configuration. The top, flexible strips, and sides of the rotatable cover may be attached to each other by stitching or other fastening techniques, such as adhesion, riveting or the like. 
         [0013]    The tool pouch may also contain eyelets and a strap on the top of the cover. The strap can be of any stretchable material, such as bungee material or the like. The ends of the strap can be anchored to the top of the cover by, for example, placing the ends of the straps through the eyelets and knotting the ends of the strap on the opposite side of the top of the cover to secure the strap to the main portion of the cover. 
         [0014]    The main portion of the cover may be reinforced. Reinforcement may, for example, include an extra layer of material on the top and/or adding a stiffener inside the top. The stiffener may be a sheet of polyethylene plastic or other similar material. 
         [0015]    A first strip can be attached to the back surface of the back panel by stitching or other fastening techniques, such as adhesion, riveting or the like. The strip may be attached such that it forms a loop capable of receiving the user&#39;s belt therethrough for attaching the tool pouch to the user. A second strip may be attached to the outer surface of the first strip by stitching or other fastening techniques and forming a pocket therebetween. A clip may be attached with a portion of the clip inserted between the strips and secured with one or more fasteners, such as rivets or other similar fasteners, such as snaps, buttons or the like. 
         [0016]    In an alternative embodiment, the fasteners on the back of the tool pouch are comprised of a single rivet or like fastener which allows the clip of the tool pouch to rotate about the rivet to allow the tool pouch to remain in an upright position even when the user is in a non-standing position. When the user is in a standing position, the tool pouch is oriented such that its position is upright with respect to the ground or surface. When the user bends down to crawl on hands and knees (e.g., when needing to enter into a crawl space), the clip of the tool pouch rotates about the single rivet so that instead of changing to a position that is parallel to the ground or surface as a result of the user changing to a crawling position, the position of the tool pouch instead remains upright with respect to the ground or surface. In doing so, the contents within the tool pouch have not shifted (or have shifted slightly) and the tool pouch may be opened without the contents spilling out. This is especially beneficial when the user is in an area with little or no light and the contents are sharpened items (e.g., small nails or other sharpened items) that could otherwise cause injury to the user if they were to spill out while the user is on hands and knees and the user happened across the spilled contents in such a confined area. 
         [0017]    In operation, when the cover is in a closed position (i.e., the cavity is closed), the flexible strips of the cover bend around the top edges of each side panel. In the closed position, the flexible strips of the cover may be in an unstretched or stretched configuration and hold the cover secure. 
         [0018]    When the cover is moved from the first, or closed, position to the second, or opened, position, the flexible strips of the cover necessarily stretch to negotiate over the corners where the top edge of the front and the top edges of each, and side panel intersect and allow the cover to be rotated. In transition, after the cover has moved from its first, or closed, position but before the cover reaches the second, or opened, position, the cover is in state where the cavity is partially exposed. 
         [0019]    As the flexible strips of the cover pass over the corners, the points of contact between the corners and the flexible strips cause the flexible strips (and the area within the flexible strips immediately surrounding the points of contact) to stretch (i.e., stretched configuration). The location of where the corners contact the flexible portions of the cover moves as the cover rotates and moves over the corners and toward the second, or opened, position. For example, with reference to just one side of the cover (as both sides are identical), as the flexible strip continues to cross over the corner, the stretched area of the flexible strip “moves” from the front end of the flexible strip towards the back end of the flexible strip until the flexible portion has cleared the corner and the cover is in the second, or opened, position. When the cover reaches the opened position, the flexible strip of the cover bends around the sides of the front panel and holds the cover secure. 
         [0020]    The user may expose the cavity or pocket of the tool pouch (i.e., open the tool pouch) by physically rotating the cover, e.g., as with the user&#39;s hand, about the fasteners attaching the end portions of the cover to the side panels. Alternatively, the user may also expose the cavity or pocket of the tool pouch by rotating the cover in a similar fashion but now by pulling on the strap attached to the cover in a direction away from the back panel and toward the front panel. To close the tool pouch, the user would pull on the strap on the cover in a direction away from the front panel and toward the back panel. 
         [0021]    In either the closed or the opened position, the flexible material of the flexible strip secures the cover in that position so that absent the user moving the cover, the cover stays in place. Fasteners, such as rivets, secure the cover in place yet allow the cover to rotate about the fastener between a first position and a second position. In addition, the tool pouch can be coupled to various devices, such as a belt or utility belt, through coupling devices, such as a loop or clip. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a left side frontal perspective view of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a right side rear perspective view of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a left side elevated view of the present invention with the cover in a closed position. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is a left side elevated view of the present invention with the cover in a partially open position. 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is a left side elevated view of the present invention with the cover in an opened position. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is a left side frontal perspective view of the present invention with the cover in an opened position. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  is a right side rear perspective environmental view of the present invention coupled to a user&#39;s belt. 
           [0029]      FIG. 8  is a right side rear perspective environmental view of the present invention coupled to a utility belt. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]      FIG. 1  depicts the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Tool pouch  10  is comprised of a front panel  12 , a back panel  14 , and two side panels  16 . Front panel  12 , front surface  34  of back panel  14 , and side panels  16  are attached together to form a cavity  18  (see  FIGS. 4-6 ) which may be used for storing tools and/or accessories. Tool pouch  10  may be made of a natural or synthetic material such as polyester, nylon, leather, or polyolefin. Preferably, front panel  12 , back panel  14 , and side panels  16  are fastened together by stitching  46 , however, other fastening techniques, such as adhesion, riveting or the like, may be used. Strips of reinforcement material  48  may be added to increase the durability of tool pouch  10 . Reinforcement material  48  may be made of a natural or synthetic material such as polyester, nylon, leather, polyolefin, or a high strength woven stretchable material such as elastic or the like. 
         [0031]    Tool pouch  10  further includes a cover  20 . Cover  20  has a top  22 , two sides  26  extending from opposing ends of the top  22  and flexible strips  24  therebetween. Top  22  is substantially the same size as the opening for cavity  18 . Rivets  30  (only one of which is viewable) attach each of sides  26  of cover  20  to side panels  16 . Sides  26  may be reinforced at the location of rivets  30 . Though rivets are disclosed in this embodiment, other similar fasteners, such as snaps, buttons or the like, may be utilized. 
         [0032]    Cover  20  may be formed of a single piece of material, such as leather. Alternatively, each of top  22 , flexible strips  24  and sides  26  of cover  20  may also be formed of different pieces of materials. For example, top  22  and sides  26  may be made up of one type of material, e.g., leather, and flexible strips  24  may be made of a high strength woven stretchable material such as elastic or the like, and may be in either an unstretched or stretched configuration. Top  22 , flexible strips  24  and sides  26  of cover  20  may be attached to each other by stitching  46 , however, other fastening techniques, such as adhesion, riveting or the like, may be used. 
         [0033]    Tool pouch  10  may also contain eyelets  50  and strap  28  on main portion  22  of cover  20 . Strap  28  can be of any stretchable material, such as bungee material or the like. The ends of strap  28  (not shown) can be anchored to top  22  of cover  20  by, for example, placing the ends of straps  28  through eyelets  50  and knotting the ends of strap  28  on the opposite side of top  22  of cover  20  to secure strap  28  to top  22  of cover  20 . Eyelets  50  may be reinforced with metal or other similar resilient material to prevent tearing of main portion  22  of cover  20 . 
         [0034]    Top  22  may be reinforced. Reinforcement may, for example, include an extra layer of material (not shown) on main portion  22  and/or adding a stiffener inside main portion  22  (not shown). The stiffener may be a sheet of polyethylene plastic or other similar material. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , first strip  38  is attached to back surface  36  of back panel  14  by stitching  46 , however, other fastening techniques, such as adhesion, riveting or the like, may be used. First strip  38  is attached such that it forms a loop capable of receiving the user&#39;s belt therethrough for coupling or attaching tool pouch  10  to the user. A second strip  40  may be attached to the outer surface  41  of the first strip  38  by stitching or other fastening techniques and forming a pocket (not shown) therebetween. Clip  42  is attached with a portion of the clip  42  inserted in the pocket between strip  38  and strip  40  and secured with rivets  44 . Though rivets are disclosed in this embodiment, other similar fasteners, such as snaps, buttons or the like, may be utilized. 
         [0036]    In the embodiment disclosed in  FIG. 2 , first strip  38  and second strip  40  are separate pieces. However, it is anticipated that first strip  38  and second strip  40  may be formed of a single strip of material which is folded over and stitched to form the pocket (not shown). 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3-5 , the present invention is shown in operation with cover  20  in a first or closed position ( FIG. 3 ), transitioning into a partially opened configuration ( FIG. 4 ), then to a second fully opened position ( FIG. 5 ) by rotating about rivet  30 . Referring now to  FIG. 3 , cover  20  is in a first position wherein cover  20  is closed over and covers cavity  18 . Flexible strips  24  allow cover  20  to bend around top edge  54  (shown in  FIGS. 3-5 ) of side panels  16  when cover  20  is in the first position covering cavity  18 . In this configuration, flexible strips  24  remain sufficiently taut over top edge  54  to secure and hold cover  20  in place. Corners  32  (only one of which is shown) act as additional barriers to prevent cover  20  from moving from the first position. In this first position, contents placed within the cavity  18  of tool pouch  10  stay put. Cover  20  can reside in the closed position even if tool pouch  10  is radically reoriented, such as by the user moving from a standing vertical position to a kneeling primarily horizontal position. 
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , cover  20  is rotated about rivets  30  (only one of which is shown) away from front surface  34  of back panel  14  from the first position toward the second, or opened, position ( FIG. 5 ). Flexible strips  24  of cover  20  necessarily stretch to negotiate over corners  32  positioned at the intersection of the top edges of front panel  12  and side panels  16 . Flexible strips  24  stretch and bulge at the point of contact and the immediately surrounding area within flexible strips  24  where corners  32  contact the flexible strips  24  as they traverse over corners  32 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . After cover  20  has moved from the first (closed) position ( FIG. 3 ) but before cover  20  is placed in the second (opened) position ( FIG. 5 ), cover  20  is in a position where cavity  18  is partially exposed, as show in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , cover  20  is shown in a second position at approximately 90° relative to the position of cover  20  in the first position. When cover  20  is in the second position exposing cavity  18 , flexible strips  24  allow cover  20  to bend around side edges  56  (see  FIG. 6 ) of front panel  12 . In this position, flexible strips  24  still remain sufficiently taut so as to secure and hold cover  20  in place in the second position. 
         [0040]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , corners  32  act as additional barriers to prevent cover  20  from moving from the second position. In this second position, contents placed within cavity  18  of tool pouch  10  may be accessed by the user. Cover  20  can reside in the opened position even if tool pouch  10  is radically reoriented, such as by the user moving from a standing vertical position to a kneeling primarily horizontal position. 
         [0041]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , tool pouch  10  may be removably attached or coupled to the user. For example, the loop formed by the attachment of strip  38  is suitable for accepting belt  58  therethrough. The user may slip belt  58  through the loop formed by the attachment of strip  38 , thereby securing the tool pouch to the user until the user removes belt  58  from the loop. 
         [0042]    In an alternative method of attachment, it is common for construction workers (e.g., carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc. . . . ) to use a utility belt for carrying various pouches, tools and accessories on their person when doing a job.  FIG. 8  shows an alternative form of attachment of tool pouch  10  to the user. For example, the user may be using a thicker utility belt  60  to accommodate various types of pouches, tools and accessories and can thus couple tool pouch  10  as an additional attachment to the utility belt  60 . The user can attach tool pouch  10  to utility belt  60  by clipping clip  42  of tool pouch  10  to a portion of utility belt  60  that readily accepts such attachment, e.g., over the top edge of the utility belt or where a measuring tape can be attached or coupled through similar clipping. 
         [0043]    Although a loop or clip  42  are used to couple tool pouch  10  to another device, such as belt  58  or utility belt  60 , other types of couplers, such as molly fasteners and the like, may be used. 
         [0044]    FIGS.  2  and  7 - 8  depict the use of at least two rivets  44  to attach or couple clip  42  to back surface  36  of back panel  14 . In an alternative embodiment, clip  42  may be attached on top of strip  40  or attached directly to the back panel  14 , rather than between strips  38  and  40 . In this embodiment, a single rivet or like fastener, such as a snap, button or the like, can be used. A single rivet or like fastener allows clip  42  of tool pouch  10  to rotate about the single rivet or fastener to allow tool pouch  10  to remain in an upright position normal to the ground or surface even when the user is in a non-standing position. 
         [0045]    When the user is in a standing position, tool pouch  10  is oriented such that its position is upright with respect to the ground or surface. When the user bends down to crawl on hands and knees (e.g., when needing to enter into a crawl space), clip  42  of tool pouch  10  rotates about the single rivet or other similar fastener so that, instead of changing to a position that is parallel to the ground or surface as a result of the user changing to a crawling position, the position of tool pouch  10  remains upright with respect to the ground or surface. In doing so, the contents within tool pouch  10  have not shifted (or have shifted slightly) and tool pouch  10  may be opened, as described above, without the contents spilling out. This is especially beneficial when the user is in an area with little or no light and the contents are sharpened items (e.g., small nails or other sharpened items) that could otherwise cause injury to the user if they were to spill out while the user is on hands and knees and the user happened across the spilled contents in such a confined and possibly unlit or dimly lit area. 
         [0046]    The user may store tool pouch  10  when tool pouch  10  is not being used. To store tool pouch  10 , the user may, for example, hang tool pouch  10  on a peg on a wall (not shown) using eyelet  52  (see  FIGS. 1-2 ,  6 - 8 ) reinforced with metal or other like material to prevent tearing of tool pouch  10 . 
         [0047]    In still another alternative embodiment, tool pouch  10  may be a part of a larger tool pouch (e.g., a tool bag or a tool belt) and can also include one or more pockets on front panel  12  and side panels  16  which may be integrally formed with tool pouch  10  during the manufacturing process and/or added later. Additional pockets may be secured to tool pouch  10  by stitching, rivets, hooks, adhesion, hook-and-loop fasteners, and/or any other appropriate technique. 
         [0048]    The present invention is described above in terms of a preferred illustrative embodiment of a specifically described tool pouch for securing articles therein, as well as alternative embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative constructions and implementations of such tool pouch including different sizes and/or arrangement of components can be used in carrying out the present invention. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings, along with the appended claims.