Tool packaging and displaying device

• US 6,401,923 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Chiro International Ltd. (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stanley Chiro International Ltd. (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): MOY, JOSEPH MAN
• Application Number:
  US09/986,999
• Time in Patent Office: 210 Days
• Field of Search: 206/376, 206/480, 206/372, 206/373, 206/486, 206/482
• US Class Current: 206/376
• CPC Class Codes: B25H 3/04 Racks

Abstract

A tool packaging and displaying device includes a mounting body with front and rear walls, and left and right mounting walls respectively formed with multiple cavities. Posts extend uprightly from each of the mounting walls, and a shoulder is formed between a respective one of the posts and a respective one of the cavities. Each of the posts is connected integrally to a transverse cantilever which is in turn connected integrally to a tongue that extends downwardly toward the respective cavity and that abuts against the shoulder when a grip portion of a hand tool is inserted into the respective cavity. A cover member has one end hingedly connected to the rear wall and a front end with a latch tongue firmly retained in a retaining slot in the front wall by virtue of a locking insert.

Claims

1. A tool packaging and displaying device for holding a plurality of hand tools, each of the hand tools having an elongated grip portion extending in a lengthwise direction, first and second clamped surfaces opposite to each other, and a seated wall surface that joins the first and second clamped surfaces, said tool packaging and displaying device comprising:

a bottom wall having outer and inner surfaces opposite to each other in a first transverse direction, said outer surface having left and right edges extending in a longitudinal direction and opposite to each other in a second transverse direction transverse to both the first transverse direction and the longitudinal direction;

left and right mounting wall portions extending respectively from said left and right edges in the first transverse direction and outwardly, and terminating respectively at left and right mounting surfaces which face outwardly, which are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction, and which cooperate with said bottom wall to confine a receiving space thereamong, each of said left and right mounting surfaces including a plurality of cavities displaced from one another in the longitudinal direction, each of said cavities extending inwardly and in the second direction to form a seat wall adapted to receive the seated wall surface of a respective one of the hand tools, and a proximate wall which forms an angle with said seat wall and which cooperates with a respective one of said left and right mounting surfaces to form a shoulder portion that borders on the respective one of said left and right mounting surfaces at a junction;

left and right sets of posts, each of said posts extending from said junction outwardly and in the first transverse direction to terminate at an outer end, and having a clamping surface and a non-abutting surface which is disposed opposite to said clamping surface in the longitudinal direction and proximate to said shoulder portion;

left and right sets of cantilevers, each of said cantilevers extending from said outer end of a respective one of said posts in the longitudinal direction and away from said clamping surface of the respective one of said posts to terminate at an end edge;

left and right sets of tongues, each of said tongues being disposed to extend inwardly from said end edge of a respective one of said cantilevers and being spaced apart from said non-abutting surface of a respective one of said posts in the longitudinal direction so as to be able to generate a biasing action, each of said tongues confronting and cooperating with said clamping surface of an adjacent one of said posts to confine an insertion slot therebetween for insertion of the grip portion of one of the hand tools thereinto such that the first clamped surface is biased to urge the second clamped surface to abut against said clamping surface of the adjacent one of said posts, each of said tongues further extending towards a respective one of said cavities and terminating at a friction end such that when the grip portion of said one of the hand tools is inserted through said insertion slot, the first clamped surface will force a respective one of said tongues to bring said friction end to abut against said shoulder portion against the biasing action, thereby ensuring firm clamping of the grip portion of said one of the hand tools between said clamping surface of the adjacent one of said posts and the respective one of said tongues.

2. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 1, wherein each of said cavities in said left mounting surface is aligned with a corresponding one of said cavities in said right mounting surface in the second transverse direction so as to be adapted to cooperatively hold the grip portion of the respective one of the hand tools.

3. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 1, wherein said outer surface of said bottom wall has front and rear edges extending in the second transverse direction and opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, said tool packaging and displaying device further including front and rear wall portions which are disposed respectively proximate to said front and rear edges, which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, and which respectively have front and rear anchored surfaces that face outwardly, said front and rear wall portions cooperating with said left and right mounting wall portions to further confine said receiving space;

and

a cover member having front and rear end portions opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, said rear end portion being hinged relative to said rear anchored surface so as to permit said cover member to turn about a hinge axis, said front end portion being configured to detachably engage said front anchored surface.

4. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 3, wherein said front wall portion further has a front retaining surface opposite to said front anchored surface in the first transverse direction, said front anchored surface having a retaining slot extending in the first transverse direction to communicate with said front retaining surface, said front retaining surface having left and right retaining edge segments that are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction, and a front retaining edge segment extending in the second transverse direction to join said left and right retaining edge segments, said left, right and front retaining edge segments cooperatively confining said retaining slot;

said cover member further including a latch tongue disposed on said front end portion, said latch tongue including a suspending section extending from said front end portion inwardly and in the first transverse direction and terminating at a turning end, and a tongue section extending from said turning end outwardly and in the first transverse direction, said tongue section being spaced apart from said suspending section in the longitudinal direction so as to generate a biasing action which urges said tongue section away from said suspending section, said tongue section having a front major surface distal to said suspending section, and a rear major surface opposite to said front major surface and proximate to said suspending section such that when said latch tongue is inserted into said retaining slot, said tongue section moves toward said suspending section against the biasing action.

5. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 4, wherein said latch tongue includes a hook unit disposed on said front major surface such that immediately after said hook unit is brought to extend beyond said front retaining surface in the course of insertion of said latch tongue into said retaining slot, said hook unit is biased to snap at said front retaining edge segment so as to be retained thereby.

6. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 5, wherein said cover member includes a locking insert insertable between said suspending section and said tongue section such that said locking insert is forced to be interposed therebetween against the biasing action of said tongue section.

7. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 6, wherein said locking insert has left and right hook ends disposed to be opposite to each other in the second transverse direction and configured to be urged by biasing actions to move leftward and rightward, respectively, and in the second transverse direction such that immediately after said left and right hook ends are brought to extend beyond said front retaining surface, said left and right hook ends are biased to snap at said left and right retaining edge segments, respectively, so as to be retained thereby, thus preventing said tongue section from being pressed toward said suspending section to discourage an attempt to release said latch tongue from said retaining slot.

8. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 3, wherein said outer surface of said bottom wall has a hook hole extending through said inner surface to form an inner peripheral area on said inner surface to confine said hook hole, said cover member including a hook stem extending toward said bottom wall and being configured such that when said front end portion engages said front anchored surface, said hook stem is retained in said hook hole.

9. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 8, wherein said hook stem includes an enlarged head such that when said hook stem is retained by press fitting in said hook hole, said enlarged head is disposed beneath and abuts against said inner peripheral area.

10. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 3, further comprising a handle member having two ends opposite to each other in the second transverse direction, and spaced apart from said front wall portion in the longitudinal direction, and left and right bars extending respectively from said ends of said handle member in the longitudinal direction to connect to said front wall portion at left and right junctions, respectively.

11. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 10, wherein said left and right junctions are configured to be foldable along a folding line in the second transverse direction so as to enable said handle member to be brought to a folded position where said handle member is close to said front wall portion.

12. A tool packaging and displaying device according to claim 11, further comprising a securing member disposed to secure said handle member in the folded position.

13. A tool packaging and displaying device for holding a plurality of hand tools, each of the hand tools having an elongated grip portion extending in a lengthwise direction, said tool packaging and displaying device comprising:

a mounting body including;

a bottom wall having outer and inner surfaces opposite to each other in a first transverse direction, said outer surface having left and right edges extending in a longitudinal direction and disposed to be opposite to each other in a second transverse direction transverse to the first transverse direction and the longitudinal direction, and front and rear edges extending in the second transverse direction and opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction,

left and right mounting walls extending respectively from said left and right edges in the second transverse direction and outwardly, each of said left and right mounting walls including a plurality of mounting units, said mounting units of said left mounting wall being aligned with said mounting units of said right mounting wall, respectively, for holding the grip portions of the hand tools, and

front and rear wall portions disposed proximate to said front and rear edges, respectively, and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, said front and rear wall portions, said bottom wall and said left and right mounting walls cooperatively defining a receiving space, said front and rear wall portions respectively having front and rear anchored surfaces which face outwardly, said front wall portion further having a front retaining surface opposite to said front anchored surface in the first transverse direction, said front anchored surface having a retaining slot extending in the first transverse direction to communicate with said front retaining surface, said front retaining surface having left and right retaining edge segments that are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction, and a front retaining edge segment extending in the second transverse direction and joining said left and right retaining edge segments, said left, right and front retaining edge segments cooperatively confining said retaining slot; and

a cover member having front and rear end portions opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, said rear end portion being hinged relative to said rear anchored surface so as to permit said cover member to turn about a hinge axis, said front end portion being configured to detachably engage said front anchored surface, said cover member including a latch tongue disposed on said front end portion, said latch tongue including a suspending section extending from said front end portion inwardly and in the first transverse direction and terminating at a turning end, and a tongue section extending from said turning end outwardly and in the first transverse direction, said tongue section being spaced apart from said suspending section in the longitudinal direction so as to generate a biasing action which urges said tongue section away from said suspending section, said tongue section having a front major surface distal to said suspending section, and a rear major surface opposite to said front major surface and proximate to said suspending section such that when said latch tongue is inserted into,said retaining slot, said tongue section moves toward said suspending section against the biasing action, said latch tongue including a hook unit disposed on said front major surface such that immediately after said hook unit is brought to extend beyond said front retaining surface in the course of insertion of said latch tongue into said retaining slot, said hook unit is biased to snap at said front retaining edge segment so as to be retained thereby, said cover member further including a locking insert insertable between said suspending section and said tongue section such that said locking insert is forced to be interposed therebetween against the biasing action of said tongue section.