Socket organizer
First Claim
1. An article holder comprising a housing having a wall, an opening in the wall, an article receiver of tubular form supported by the wall with said opening defining an open end of the receiver, the receiver being slit longitudinally to form a plurality of circumferentially spaced segments with the segments being radially expandable and contractable and resiliently resisting radial expansion whereby an article of suitable size inserted into the receiver may resiliently expand the receiver for retention therein by a resilient radial gripping force exerted by said receiver and peripheral contracting means exerting radial inward force on the segments of the receiver.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An organizer particularly for a set of wrench sockets has a series of socket receivers arranged in ascending/descending size order. Each receiver is of tubular form which is slit longitudinally to make it expandable and contractable. A resilient band encircles the receiver so that when a socket of suitable size is inserted therein, the resilient band provides a contracting force retaining the socket in the receiver. Also, the receivers have stops to limit the amount of insertion of a socket and the respective stops are arranged at different heights related to the height of the respective sockets so that each socket projects from its respective receiver to the same level above the top of the organizer. In one form of the invention, the stops are provided with respective ejector mechanisms for facilitating removal of the sockets.
82 Citations
14 Claims
- 1. An article holder comprising a housing having a wall, an opening in the wall, an article receiver of tubular form supported by the wall with said opening defining an open end of the receiver, the receiver being slit longitudinally to form a plurality of circumferentially spaced segments with the segments being radially expandable and contractable and resiliently resisting radial expansion whereby an article of suitable size inserted into the receiver may resiliently expand the receiver for retention therein by a resilient radial gripping force exerted by said receiver and peripheral contracting means exerting radial inward force on the segments of the receiver.
- 9. An organizer for a set of articles each of a different size and height, the organizer defining a plurality of article receiving depressions sized respectively to suit the sizes of the respective articles, and wherein the depressions are each of a different depth related to the height of the respective articles for retaining the articles therein with the articles each projecting from their respective depressions to substantially the same level, said organizer including a base wall, a top wall, a hollow space defined between the base wall and top wall, a plurality of openings in the top wall, a plurality of tubular article receivers in said hollow space each extending from one of said openings, and a plurality of stops extending into the respective receivers, such that each receiver, opening and top combination defines one of said depressions, each receiver being slit longitudinally making it radially expandable and contractable, and resilient means embracing each receiver for applying a resilient peripheral contraction force thereon.
Specification