Patent Publication Number: US-2009236250-A1

Title: Tool Box with a Tool Locking Function

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an accessory for hand tools such as spanners, screwdrivers, etc, and more particularly to a tool box with a tool locking function, which can fix the tools by moving two components thereof to clamp the ends of the tools. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In order to take out, sort, identify, carry and display tools conveniently, such as sockets, bits, cutting tools, etc, tool boxes are used to store them. 
     A conventional vertical type tool box is generally defined with plural vertical holding holes for insertion of the corresponding tools, thus facilitating storage of different tools while facilitating taking out the tools during maintenance and assembly process. However, such holding holes in the tool box can only hold the tools, but cannot fix them due to lack of engaging structures, so that when the tool box is moved, the tools are likely to drop out of the holding holes, thus causing much inconvenience and loss of the tools. 
     Hence, another conventional vertical type tool box with engaging structures in holding holes was developed on the market. Due to the engaging structures in the holding holes, after the tools are placed into the holding holes, the tools will be fixed by the engaging structures, thus preventing the tools from dropping out of the tool box during carrying process of the tool box. Nevertheless, such a tool box with engaging structures is complicated in structure, inconvenient to assemble, and too expensive. In addition, the engaging structures still tightly engage the tools while the tools are taken out of the holding holes, thus increasing the difficulty in taking the tool out of the tool box. 
     The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The technical problems to be solved: 
     The existing vertical type tool boxes normally are defined with plural holding holes for insertion of the tools without any fixing means, so that the tools cannot be fixed assuredly, thus causing loss and drop of the tools, in addition, although another convention tool box which is provided with engaging structures in the holding holes can fix the tools assuredly, it increases the difficulty in taking out the tools due to too tight engagement. 
     The technical features to solve the above technical problems: 
     The present invention is to provide a tool box with a tool locking function which comprises a base and a movable member for holding and storing tools. The base is provided with plural vertical engaging portions. The movable member is disposed on the base and defined with plural holding holes cooperating with the engaging portions of the base. The tools are inserted between the holding holes and the engaging portions, so that the movable member can move relative to the base to clamp and unclamp the tools. 
     As compared to the conventional vertical type tool boxes, the present invention has the following advantages: 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tool box with a tool locking function, which utilize a relative movement of a base and a movable member to make the holding holes of the movable member and the engaging portions of the base to clamp and unclamp the tools when the tools are inserted between the base and the movable member, so as to fix the tools assuredly and facilitate taking out the tools. Therefore, the tool box in accordance with the present invention can be operated according to the requirements of the user, in other words, when the tools are to be used, the tool box can unclamp the tools for facilitating taking out the tools, and when the tools are not used, the tool box can clamp the tools for avoiding the dropping and loss of the tools. 
     The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a tool box with a tool locking function, which can facilitate displaying of the tools by utilizing a hanger provided on a bottom of the base to hang up the tool box. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial cross sectional view of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention which holds tools; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention which holds tools; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention, showing how the tools are clamped; 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention, showing how the tools are clamped; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view, showing how the hanger of the tool box with a tool locking function in accordance with the present invention is used to hang up the tool box. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , a tool box with a tool locking function comprises a base  10 , a movable member  20  and an outer cover  30  for holding and storing plural tools  40 . The base  10  is groove-shaped and provided with plural engaging portions  11 . The base  10  is defined with at least one engaging groove  12  in a periphery thereof, and at least one positioning flange  13  on an outer periphery thereof. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the base  10  is further provided with a rotatable hanger  14  on a bottom thereof. The hanger  14  is pivotally arranged, so that it can be pivoted up to a use position for allowing the base  10  to be suspended, or pivoted down to a non-use position in which the hanger  14  flatly abuts against the bottom of the base  10 . The movable member  20  is disc-shaped and defined with plural through holding holes  21  cooperating with the engaging portions  11  on the base  10 . The holding holes  21  are shaped correspondingly to the tools  40 , and each of the holding holes  21  is provided on a lower edge thereof with at least one reinforcing rib  22 . The reinforcing rib  22  can save material and improve the strength of the movable member  20  if the movable member  20  is disc-shaped. The movable member  20  is provided with plural tooth-shaped anti-slip portions  23  on a periphery thereof, and at least one engaging leg  24  on a bottom thereof to cooperate with the at least one engaging groove  12  in the base  10 . The width of the engaging groove  12  of the base  10  is greater than that of the engaging leg  24  of the movable member  20 . The outer cover  30  is covered on the base  10  and sized according to the length of the tools  40 . The outer cover  30  is provided in a bottom of an inner surface thereof with at least one positioning groove  31  for cooperating with the at least one positioning flange  13  of the base  10 , and on the inner surface of the outer cover  30  is further provided with plural tooth-shaped positioning portions  32  having a predetermined height for cooperating with the tooth-shaped anti-slip portions  23 . 
     The base  10  is further provided with plural limiting portions  15  opposite the respective engaging portions  11 . The limiting portions  15  can provide a limit function for avoiding an excessive displacement of the movable member  20  when the movable member  20  is moved to unclamp the tools  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the movable member  20  is disposed above the base  10  and engaged to the engaging groove  12  by the engaging leg  24 . Since the width of the engaging groove  12  of the base  10  is greater than that of the engaging leg  24  of the movable member  20 , the base  10  and the movable member  20  can move relative to each other after being combined. The tools  40  are inserted in the holding holes  21  of the movable member  20 . The outer cover  30  is covered on the base  10  and the movable member  20 . The positioning groove  31  of the outer cover  30  is engaged with the positioning flange  13  of the base  10 . The tooth-shaped positioning portions  32  of the outer cover  30  are mated with the tooth-shaped anti-slip portions  23  of the movable member  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4-5 , when the outer cover  30  is taken down from the base  10 , the tools  40  will be inserted through the holding holes  21  of the movable member  20 , and the ends of the tools  40  will be located against the respective engaging portions  11  of the base  10 . When being moved in a direction where the engaging portions  11  are disposed, as shown in  FIGS. 6-7 , the movable member  20  will drive the tools  40  to rotate, at this moment, the base  10  is located on a forward rotation path of the tools  40 , so that the tools  40  can be clamped by the base  10  and the movable member  20  to be fixed therebetween. After that, the outer cover  30  will be covered on the base  10 . When the tools  40  are to be used, the movable member  20  will be moved in a reverse direction to increase the distance between the engaging portions  11  and the respective holding holes  21  to unclamp the tools  40 , at this movement, since the outer cover  30  is still covered on the movable member  20  with the tooth-shaped positioning portions  32  mating with the tooth-shaped anti-slip portions  23 , the movable member  20  can be moved to clamp or unclamp the tools  40  by directly rotating the outer cover  30 . 
     The respective engaging portions  11  of the base are designed to be an arc-shaped surface or an inclined surface, so that when the holding holes  21  of the movable member  20  push the tools  40  to move, the arc-shaped or inclined surfaces of the engaging portions  11  can generate a gradually-increased clamping force relative to the respective holding holes  21 . 
     After the tools  40  are placed in the base  10  and the movable member  20  and fixed therebetween, the tool box of the present invention can be hung up through the hanger  14  of the base  10  for displaying the tools  40 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     As known from the above embodiment, the present invention has the following advantages: 
     1. The base  10  and the movable member  20  can move relative to each other, so that when the tools  40  are inserted between the holding holes  21  of the movable member  20  and the engaging portions  11  of the base  10  through the holding holes  21  of the movable member  20 , the movable member  20  will be moved in one direction to make the engaging portions  11  of the base  10  and the holding holes  21  apply a clamping force on the respective tools  40  to fix the tools  40  stably and assuredly, thus preventing the tools  40  from dropping out of the tool box when carrying the tool box, in addition, when the tools  40  are to be used, the movable member  20  will be moved in a reverse direction to unclamp the tools  40 , facilitating taking out the tools  40 . 
     2. After the base  10  and the movable member  20  hold the tools  40 , the hanger  14  on the bottom of the base  10  can be used to hang the tool box up to display the tools  40 . 
     While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.