Abstract:
A locking system for a storage compartment of a storage container is provided, the locking system including a latching mechanism and a locking mechanism. When the locking mechanism is in a locked position, the latching mechanism is prevented from unlatching and opening the compartment. When the locking mechanism is in its unlocked position, the latching mechanism is allowed to be unlatched and the compartment to be moved to its open position. The key code used with the locking mechanism may be the same or different than the key code used with the locking system of another storage compartment of the storage container.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Application 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a jobsite storage container, and more particularly to a locking system for securing a storage compartment of a jobsite storage container. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Jobsite storage containers such as tool boxes and storage cabinets are used at construction job sites and similar locations for storing items such as tools and materials. The contents stored in these storage containers typically are protected from theft by means of locks. The containers generally have a single storage compartment for storing items. With a single storage compartment, it is oftentimes difficult to locate smaller items that may have made their way past larger, bulker items to the bottom of the compartment. On occasion, a user may need to secure some of the contents of the compartment while having free access to other contents of the compartment. Understandably, that is challenging to accomplish when the storage container has a single compartment. 
         [0005]    Thus, there is a need for a storage container that provides a number of storage compartments, each with its own locking system, for securely storing tools and materials. With such a storage container having more than one storage compartment, there is a further need to provide the user with the freedom to use either the same key code or a different key code for the locking systems of the different storage compartments. 
         [0006]    These as well as other aspects and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this summary and elsewhere are intended to illustrate the invention by way of example only. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a locking system for use in a storage container is provided. The storage container has a body including a storage compartment for securely storing items. The locking system comprises a locking mechanism provided on the storage compartment of the storage container, the locking mechanism movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking system further comprises a latching mechanism provided adjacent to the locking mechanism on the storage compartment, the latching mechanism movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latching mechanism includes a latch that engages the body of the storage container for preventing the storage compartment from being opened. The latching mechanism further includes a latch rod that interacts with the locking mechanism to prevent the latching mechanism from moving to its unlatched position. The latching mechanism further includes a handle for rotating the latch between the latched position and the unlatched position. When the locking mechanism is in its locked position, the latching mechanism is prevented from being moved to its unlatched position, thereby preventing the storage compartment from being opened. When the locking mechanism is in its unlocked position, the latching mechanism may be moved to its unlatched position, thereby allowing the storage compartment to be opened. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a storage container for securely storing items is provided. The storage container comprises a body including a first storage compartment with a locking system and a second storage compartment with a locking system and a key code. The locking system of the first compartment comprises a locking mechanism provided on the first compartment of the storage container, the locking mechanism having a locked position, an unlocked position, and a key code. The locking system further comprises a latching mechanism provided adjacent to the locking mechanism on the first compartment, the latching mechanism having a latched position and an unlatched position. The latching mechanism includes a latch that engages the body of the storage container to prevent the first compartment from being unlatched. The latching mechanism further includes a latch rod that interacts with the locking mechanism to prevent it from moving to its unlatched position. The latching mechanism further includes a handle for rotating the latch between the latched position and the unlatched position. When the locking mechanism is in its locked position, the latching mechanism is prevented from being moved to its unlatched position and the first compartment is prevented from being opened. When the locking mechanism is in its unlocked position, the latching mechanism can be moved to its unlatched position and the first compartment can be opened. 
         [0009]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a locking system for use in a storage container is provided. The storage container has a body defining a storage compartment, the compartment having an open position that allows access to contents of the compartment and a closed position that prevents access to contents of the compartment. The locking system comprises a lock box for holding a lock inside the compartment. The locking system further comprises a latching mechanism provided on a surface of the compartment, the latching mechanism including a latch, a latch rod, and a rotatable handle. The latch is rotatably mounted on the surface of the compartment and is movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch in the latched position prevents the compartment from moving from its closed position to its open position, and the latch in the unlatched position allows the compartment to move from its closed position to its open position. The latch rod is operatively coupled with the latch. The latch rod in the latched position is blocked from movement by the lock and in the unlatched position is allowed to move past the lock. The handle is rotatably mounted on the surface of the compartment and operatively coupled to the latch and the latch rod. The handle rotates the latch between the latched and unlatched positions and causes the latch rod to be moved in a linear direction between the latched and unlatched positions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention will now be explained in relation to the accompanying drawings. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a storage container embodying a locking system of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of the storage container of  FIG. 1 , showing the locking system in the locked position and the drawer in the closed, latched position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3(   a ) illustrates an alternate perspective view of the storage container of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3(   b ) illustrates an exploded perspective view of the locking system used with the container of  FIG. 3(   a ), the locking system shown in the locked position. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the locking system of  FIG. 3(   b ). 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of the locking system of  FIG. 3(   b ), the locking system shown in the unlocked position. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates the locking system of  FIG. 5  with the biasing spring. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings that do not limit the scope and ambit of the invention. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration, and in no way limits the scope thereof. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  depicts a storage container  10  with which the locking system  12  of the present invention may be used. The storage container  10  includes a body  14  comprising a front wall  16 , a back wall  18 , two side walls  20 ,  22  extending between the front and back walls, a top cover or lid  24  pivotably mounted to the back wall  18  by suitable hinge means  25 , and a compartment bottom wall  26 , together defining an upper level storage compartment  28 . In order to secure its contents, the upper compartment  28  is provided with a locking system  30 , specifically Knaack LLC&#39;s WATCHMAN® IV lock system, which is the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,613, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The locking system  30  for the upper compartment  28  utilizes a padlock (not shown) with a key code chosen by the user. For purposes of this application, the term “key code” denotes the key required to unlock a particular lock. The container  10  further is provided with handles  38  on each side wall for facilitating its movement and foot pads  40  on a container bottom wall  42  for supporting the container upon a surface. 
         [0020]    The storage container  10  further includes a lower level storage compartment  44 , which may take the form of a drawer. The drawer  44  includes a front wall  46 , a back wall (not shown), two side walls  48 ,  50  extending between the front and back walls, and a bottom wall  52 . The side walls  48 ,  50  are each provided with a slide  54  along an exterior surface. The slides  54  mate with channels (not shown) provided on a lower interior surface of the side walls  20 ,  22  of the storage container. The slides and channels enable the drawer to slide between an open position (shown in  FIG. 1 ) and a closed position (shown in  FIG. 2 ). Alternatively, any other suitable opening or sliding mechanism may be used. The drawer  44  is provided with the locking system  12  of the present invention, which will be described in detail below. 
         [0021]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a front view of the locking system  12  of the present invention is shown. The system  12  includes a latching mechanism  58  and a locking mechanism  66 . The latching mechanism  58  is mounted on the front wall  46  of the drawer  44  and includes a handle body  59 . The handle body  59  may take the form of a stamping. The latch mechanism  58  is further provided with a rotatable handle  60  positioned in a recess  61  on the front face of the handle body  59 . The handle  60  is used to move or rotate the mechanism between a latched position and an unlatched position. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the handle  60  is of the type referred to as a D handle. It should be understood that other suitable rotatable latch mechanisms may be used. 
         [0022]    Adjacent to the latching mechanism  58  on the front wall  46  of the drawer  44 , an opening  62  is provided, behind which is mounted the locking mechanism  66 . The locking mechanism  66  includes a lock box  68  for housing a lock  70  and supporting the same within the drawer. In  FIG. 2 , the lock system  12  is shown in the locked position as indicated by the lock  70  being withdrawn within the lock box  68 . As can be seen best in  FIGS. 3(   b ) and  5 , the lock  70  comprises a padlock having a shackle  71 , a padlock body  72 , and a key insertion surface  73 . The lock  70  also has a key code that is chosen by the user. It should be understood that other suitable locks may be used. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3(   a ) and ( b ),  FIG. 3(   a ) illustrates a perspective view of the storage container  10  while  FIG. 3(   b ) illustrates an exploded perspective view of the locking system  12  used with the container of  FIG. 3(   a ). In  FIG. 3(   b ), the locking system  12  is shown in the locked position. 
         [0024]    The latching mechanism  58  is mounted to the front wall  46  of the drawer  44  by any appropriate fasteners  74 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3(   b ), rivets are used to fasten the mechanism  58  to the front wall  46 . It should be understood that other appropriate fasteners may be used. 
         [0025]    The latching mechanism  58  further includes a latch plate  76  and a latch  78 . The latch plate  76  is positioned at the center of the handle body  59 , with the latch  78  extending from the latch plate  76 . The handle  60  is operatively coupled to the latch plate  76 . Specifically, the handle  60  and the latch plate  76  are coupled together on either side of the handle body  59  by appropriate fasteners. Thus, rotation of the handle  60  causes corresponding rotation of the latch plate  76 , which in turn causes corresponding rotation of the latch  78 . The handle  60  is used to move or rotate the latch  78  between the latched position shown in  FIG. 3(   b ), where the latch is upright, and the unlatched position shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0026]    The latching mechanism  58  further includes a latch rod  80  having a proximal end  86  and a distal end  88 , and a stud  84 . The stud  84  is mounted off center on the latch plate  76 . The proximal end  86  of the latch rod  80  is flattened and pivotably held on the stud  84  by means of a cotter pin  90 . The distal end  88  of the latch rod  80  is free to slide inside a guide bush  92 , which is mounted over a hole  94  provided on the lock box  68 . 
         [0027]    The lock box  68  is secured adjacent to the opening  62  on the interior surface of the front wall  46  of the drawer  44  by any appropriate method such as welding or the like. A bracket  96  is mounted on the interior surface of the front wall  46  of the drawer to provide additional security and stiffness to the lock box  68 . A lock tab  98  is provided at the closed end  100  of the lock box  68  and is preferably coupled to the lock box by means of any suitable fasteners. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3(   b ) and  5 , the fasteners comprise a nut  102  and a carriage bolt  104 . The lock tab  98  is further provided with at least one opening  106  through which the shackle  71  of the padlock  70  may extend. When the lock  70  is placed inside the lock box  68  with the shackle  71  inserted through the opening  106  in the lock tab  98 , the padlock body  72  may be pushed against the lock tab  98  to place the lock in its locked position. As can be seen in  FIG. 3(   b ), when the lock  70  is in its locked position, the body  72  of the lock  70  prevents linear movement of the distal end  88  of the latch rod  80  toward the lock  70 . This in turn prevents the latch  78  from moving out of the latched position of  FIG. 3(   b ) to the unlatched position (shown in  FIG. 5) . 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the drawer  44  of the storage container is depicted in its closed position, the latching mechanism  58  is in the latched position, and the padlock  70  is locked in the lock box  68 . The latch  78  of the latching mechanism engages a catch  110  that is carried on the body of the storage container, preferably on the bottom wall  26 . In the orientation shown in  FIG. 4 , the handle  60  of the latching mechanism cannot be rotated because the padlock body  72  in the lock box  68  blocks linear movement of the distal end  88  of the latch rod  80  toward the body  72 , which in turn prevents rotation of the latch plate  76 . This prevents the latch  78  from moving out of engagement with the catch  110 , thereby keeping the drawer  44  in the closed and latched position. 
         [0029]    To open the drawer  44 , the user must first unlock the padlock  70  housed in the lock box  68  using the appropriate key code. Since the shackle  71  is carried by the lock tab  98  and cannot move toward the lock tab, the unlocking of the padlock  70  results in the padlock body  72  moving away from the lock tab  98  toward the opening  62 . Once the padlock body moves toward the opening  62 , the padlock body  72  no longer blocks movement of the latch rod  80 . Thus, with the lock  70  unlocked, when the handle  60  is rotated, the latch plate  76  and the stud  84  also rotate. This rotation in turn results in the distal end  88  of the latch rod  80  moving in a linear direction through the guide bush  92  and passing through the loop  112  of the shackle  71 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The rotation of the handle  60  also causes rotation of the latch  78 , thereby moving the latch  78  out of engagement with the catch  110 . With the latch  78  out of engagement with the catch  110 , the mechanism  58  is unlatched, and the user can now open the drawer  44  by pulling on the handle  60 . 
         [0030]    To lock the drawer  44 , the handle  60  is rotated in order to move the latch from its upright position and the drawer is pushed back into the storage container to its closed position. Once the drawer is in the closed position, the handle is rotated to return the latch to its upright position. The body  72  then can be pushed against the lock tab  98  to place the lock in its locked position. In this orientation, the drawer  44  is locked in its closed position. 
         [0031]    The present invention further includes a safety feature for the benefit of the user. As seen in  FIG. 6 , the locking system  12  further includes a spring  114  having one end  116  coupled to the latch  78  and the other end  118  coupled to one of the fasteners  74 . The spring  114  biases the latch  78  of the latching mechanism  58  to the upright, latched position of  FIG. 3(   b ). When the latch  78  is in the latched position of  FIG. 3(   b ), the spring  114  is in its compressed state. When the latch  78  is in the unlatched position of  FIG. 6 , the spring  114  is in its extended state. Should the drawer  44  close unexpectedly, since the latch is biased to the upright position where it extends past a top edge of the drawer  44 , the latch  78  of the latching mechanism  58  would engage the front wall  16  of the storage container, thereby preventing the drawer  44  from closing completely and trapping a user&#39;s fingers therebetween. Thus, the biasing of the latch to the latched position affords a safety feature for the user. 
         [0032]    As can be appreciated, the upper and lower compartments of the storage container  10  provide the user with a number of options in storing tools and materials. For example, larger, bulkier items may be stored in the upper compartment while smaller, more delicate items may be stored in the lower compartment. Storing the smaller items in the drawer makes the items easier to locate and may protect them from damage. Alternately, more expensive items may be stored in the compartment that affords more security due to the type of lock used. 
         [0033]    Further, a user may decide to lock one of the compartments while leaving the other compartment unlocked. With the container of the present invention, a user can secure certain contents in one compartment while having free access to the contents in the other compartment. This is helpful to the user that wants to secure certain items while at the same time using others. Thus, the storage container of the present invention provides advantages over the storage containers of the prior art that have a single storage compartment. 
         [0034]    Further, the locking system provides the user with the option of having the same or a different key code for both upper level and lower level locking systems. Using the same key code for the upper level compartment as for the lower level compartment would reduce the number of keys a user must carry. Using different key codes for the two locking systems may increase the overall security afforded by the storage container. For example, using a less commonly available key code for one of the compartments would make that compartment more difficult to compromise. Further, using different key codes allows a user to manage access to the compartments of the container. 
         [0035]    In addition, the locking system addresses the ever present concern for safety on the jobsite by providing a feature that prevents the trapping of a user&#39;s fingers between the body of the storage container and the drawer. The biasing of the latch to the upright position prevents the inadvertent closing of the drawer. 
         [0036]    While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this invention, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other modifications in the nature of the invention or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.