Patent ID: 7392901

Claim:
A carrying case for transporting sporting equipment including hockey sticks having elongated, rectangular cross-section handle shafts, and associated accessory items including hockey pucks, said case comprising; a. a body which has first and second longitudinally disposed sides, b. a first, stick compartment lid which has an inner side and an outer side, c. a first releasable attachment structure for releasably attaching said first lid to a first side of said body with said inner side of said lid adjacent to said first side of said body, d. at least a first longitudinally disposed, flat-bottom lid trough formed in an inner side of said lid, said lid-trough having a transversely disposed opening which is closable to form a closed channel by attachment of said lid to said body, e. at least a first longitudinally disposed, flat-bottom body-trough formed in said body, said body trough having a transversely disposed opening which confronts said opening of said lid trough when said lid is attached to said body to thereby form said closed channel, f. a resilient cushioning pad disposed longitudinally within at least one of said lid trough and said body trough, said width of the pad being of an appropriate width to span said closed channel, g. whereby with said case in an opened position, either said lid or said body may be supported in a horizontally disposed orientation with a bottom surface of said respective lid-trough or body-trough in a horizontally disposed orientation, with said transversely disposed opening thereof oriented in an upwardly facing orientation adapted to receiving and supporting at least one flat handle shaft whereupon the other of said lid or said body is movable downwardly relative to said handle shaft to close said channel and secure said shaft therewithin, said closed channel being sufficiently deep to enable a stack of at least two handle shafts to be retained within said channel with said lid attached to said body, and h. a spacer block removably placeable in said closed channel to thereby reduce width of said closed channel to a value appropriate to conform to a width of a single hockey stick.