Patent Publication Number: US-2011068032-A1

Title: Tool box with pivoting row sockets

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a tool box structure, and more particularly to a tool box with a slidable cover. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A conventional toolbox structure includes a plurality of sockets formed in a box body having a cover, and provided for inserting a plurality of screwdriver bits, and each socket is pivotally formed at the box body and coupled with a link arm, and the front-most socket is pivotally installed to the box body and pivotally coupled with an extension arm of an upper cover, such that the aforementioned structure can be used for closing the upper cover without a tool, each socket will descend to be received into the box body. When the upper cover is opened, each socket rises automatically and protrudes out from the box body for users to access the screwdriver bit thereon. 
     Although this type of toolboxes can use the extension arm of the upper cover to drive the frontmost socket to be turned over with respect to the box body, and use the link arm to drive the rest of sockets in the box body to be turned over with respect to the box body, and the screwdriver bits inserted into the sockets are turned over slantingly outward to facilitate users to access the screwdriver bits. However, such conventional toolbox requires a large number of components installed and linked with each other before the upper cover can be lifted while displaying the screwdriver bits and facilitating users to access the screwdriver bits. Obviously, the structure of the conventional toolbox is too complicated and unfavorable for the installation. 
     Furthermore, the sockets are linked with each other by a link arm, and its movement relies on the link arm installed onto the upper cover to drive the sockets to be turned over, and the sockets are driven directly or indirectly by the link arm to turn over other sockets. If the socket or the link arm is not operated with a correct alignment, then the sockets cannot be turned over outwardly when the upper cover is lifted, or the link arm may get stuck and cannot be turned, or may even fall off. 
     Since the present existing automatic displaying toolbox structure is too complicated and unfavorable for the installation, and it is difficult to assure the correct alignment or a proper link of the components in a practical application, therefore such displaying toolbox cannot maximize its utility. Obviously, the conventional toolbox structure requires improvements. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved tool box structure. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention provides a toolbox structure comprising: 
     a plurality of row sockets, each having a plurality of insert holes, for inserting a screwdriver bit, and a positioning gutter formed at the bottom of each row socket; 
     a box body, for pivotally connecting the row sockets, and having a plurality of positioning slots corresponding to the quantity of the row sockets in the box body, and each positioning slot being disposed opposite to a positioning gutter of each row socket, and an elastic element being installed between each positioning slot and each positioning gutter, and the positioning slot and the positioning gutter being abutted by both ends of each elastic element; 
     a cover body, installed to the box body, such that the cover body and the box body are slidable with respect to each other, and having a pressing surface formed on an internal wall at a top surface of the cover body and corresponding to the position of the row socket, and a plurality of openings formed at positions corresponding to the positions of the row sockets respectively with a quantity corresponding to the insert holes; 
     thereby, if the cover body is closed, each pressing surface will be in contact with the corresponding row socket, and the elastic element will be abutted and compressed by the row socket, and the screwdriver bit inserted into each row socket will be contained in the box body; and 
     if the cover body is slid open, each pressing surface will be withdrawn from the corresponding row socket, and the elastic element will be released from compressing and abutting the row socket to swing pivotally upward, and the screwdriver bit inserted into each row socket will swing pivotally with the row socket from the top of the cover body and protruded from an opening at the top of the cover body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a toolbox structure in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 1A  is an exploded view of row socket in another direction; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a closed cover body in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a sliding cover body in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  shows a vertical section of a sliding box cover in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The structure, assembly, technical characteristics and effects of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of preferred embodiment together with related drawings as follows: 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 5  for a toolbox structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a toolbox used for storing screwdriver bits is used for the illustration of the present invention. 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2  (wherein  FIG. 1A  is a bottom view of a row socket  1 ), the toolbox structure comprises: 
     three transversal row sockets  1 , each having a plurality of insert holes  10  disposed at the top of the row sockets  1 , and each insert hole being provided for inserting a screwdriver bit  4 , and each row socket  1  having a positioning gutter  11  formed at the bottom of the row socket  1 , and a lug  12  disposed separately on both left and right ends of the row socket; 
     a box body  2 , including a plurality of embedding holes  20  disposed on two longer sidewalls of the box body  2  and with a quantity corresponding to the quantity of the row sockets  1 , for embedding each row socket  1  into its respective embedding hole  20  by the lug  12  and transversally and pivotally coupled into the box body  2 , and a plurality of positioning slots  21  formed in the box body  2  and with a quantity corresponding to the quantity of the row sockets  1 , and each positioning slot  21  corresponding to the positioning gutter  11  of each row socket  1 , and having an elastic element  22  installed between each positioning slot  21  and each positioning gutter  11 , wherein both ends of the torque spring and elastic element  22  of this preferred embodiment are installed to the positioning slot  21  and the positioning gutter  11  respectively, and the box body  2  further includes a rod holder  23  for receiving a driver rod  5  used for installing and connecting a screwdriver bit  4 , and a slide rail  24  is disposed separately between two embedding holes  20  on two longer sidewalls, and a latch  25  is protruded from an end of each slide rail  24 , and a clip  26  is installed at the bottom of the box body  2  for clipping a belt, and a hanging opening  261  is formed at an end of the clip  26  for hanging the box body  2 ; 
     a cover body  3 , having an elastic arm  30  installed separately on two longer sidewalls of the cover body  3 , and corresponding to the slide rail  24  and the latch  25  of the box body  2  respectively, and moved on the slide rail  24  and slid with respect to the box body  2  by the elastic arm  30 , and latched with the latch  25  and fixed with the box body  2  by the elastic arm  30 , and an aslant protruding surface  31  being formed at a top side of the cover body  3  and extended to a position corresponding to the row socket  1 , and both ends of each aslant protruding surface  31  being extended from a lower part to a upper part, and the cover body  3  having a pressing surface  311  disposed on an internal wall of each aslant protruding surface  31  and being adjacent to the lower part of the aslant protruding surface  31  for corresponding to the row socket  1 , and an opening  312  defined in the cover body  3  and being adjacent to the lower part of the aslant protruding surface  31  for corresponding to the insert holes  10  for protruding a screwdriver bit  4  out from the opening  312 . 
     With the foregoing structure, the present invention pivotally installs the row socket  1  into the box body  2 , and provides an elastic element  22  installed between the row socket  1  and the box body and  2  having a pivotal force for clipping the row socket  1 , and also latches the cover body  3  onto box body  2  to form a containing space for accommodating the screwdriver bits  4  and the driver rod  5 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , if the cover body  3  is closed (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), then each pressing surface  311  will be in contact with the corresponding row socket  1 , and each row socket  1  is inverted in the box body  2  under the pressing of the pressing surface  311 , and the elastic element  22  is abutted by the positioning gutter  11  at the bottom of the row socket  1  to store a force for pivotally swing the row socket  1  upward, and the screwdriver bit  4  inserted into the insert hole  10  will lie horizontally in the box body  2  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
     If the cover body  3  is slid open (as shown in  FIG. 4 ), then each pressing surface  311  will withdraw from the corresponding row socket  1 , and each row socket  1  will not be pressed by the pressing surface  311  anymore, while the pressing of the elastic element  22  is being released, such that the elastic element  22  is changed from a compressed state to a release state to release the force and push the row socket  1  to pivotally swing upward, and each row socket  1  is abutted and lifted inside the box body  2 , and the screwdriver bit  4  inserted into each row socket  1  will be pivotally swung and lifted together with the row socket  1  and protruded out from the opening  312  at the top surface of the cover body  3  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), so as to achieve the effect of a display and a quick access of the screwdriver bits  4 . Since the screwdriver bits  4  are stopped by the aslant protruding surface  31 , they can be prevented from being separated improperly from the row sockets  1  in the box body  2  due to an instant pushing force of the released elastic element  22 . 
     In summation of the description above, the present invention has the following advantages: 
     In addition to the basic components including the box body  2 , the cover body  3  and the row sockets  1  of the toolbox, the overall structure simply needs to install an additional elastic element  22  between the row socket  1  and the box body  2 , such that the design of using the elastic element  22  clipped between the row socket  1  and the box body  2  to operate with the closing or sliding open the cover body  3 , a force for compressing the row socket  1  onto the elastic element  22  or a force for pivotally swinging the row socket  1  by the elastic element  22  can be controlled to achieve the effect of displaying or storing the screwdriver bits to facilitate a quick access of the screwdriver bits. The invention not just comes with simple components for an easy assembling only, but also maximizing the effect of automatically displaying the screwdriver bits effectively while the toolbox is being opened, due to the smooth alignment and link of the components. 
     In addition, the present invention uses the clip  26  for clipping a belt and latching a user&#39;s waist, such that if the cover body  3  is slid downward, the screwdriver bits will be protruded out from the opening  312  of the cover body  3  for providing a quick access of the screwdriver bits. If the cover body  3  is pushed back, then the pressing surface  311  on the internal wall at the front end of the aslant protruding surface  31  will be in contact with the row socket  1  to resume its inverted status and draw back the screwdriver bits. The present invention provides a convenient way of displaying and storing the screwdriver bits. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.