Case with two sides and interlocking latch

• US 7,367,449 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Curtis L. Anderson, Scott T. Kaminski
• Original Assignee: Curtis L. Anderson, Scott T. Kaminski
• Inventors: Anderson, Curtis L., Kaminski, Scott T.
• Primary Examiner(s): FIDEI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US10/760,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20040154935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 701/59, 701/60, 701/61, 701/62, 206/1.5, 206/6.1, 206/523, 206/566, 206/315.11, 220/324, 220/327, 220/839, 220/504
• US Class Current: 206/6.1
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/16 Jewel boxes
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/02 Interior fittings; Means, e.g. inserts, for holding and packing articles
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/10 Arrangement of fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 33/22 Containers with lids or covers at the top and the bottom

Abstract

A case for carrying and storing flexible objects including elongated and small objects in a manner which prevents or reduces the objects from becoming tangled. The case is a two sided case with a central plate or base with each side having an openable lid. The lids are hinged at one side of the case and the lids and base include a latching mechanism for each lid. The exterior of the lids are rigid while the interior of the base and the lids include flexible materials that secure the objects within the case when the lids are closed and provide ease of access to objects when the a lid is open. The latching mechanism includes cooperating elements that permit opening one lid only when that lid is above the base and prevent opening a lid when another lid is open. A locking system secures the lids in closed position.

Claims

1. A case for carrying and storing objects comprising:

a) a hinge;

b) a first cover and a second cover, said first cover rotatable attached to said second cover via said hinge, said first and second cover further comprising a catch;

c) a body, said body having a hinge side at a back of said body, a latch side at a front of said body, a first and second storage side for accommodating said objects, said first storage side opposite said second storage side of said body, and said body rotatable attached to said hinge between said covers;

d) a latch attached to said latch side of said body, said latch capable of securing both said covers at once, and further capable of latching one said cover while unlatching the other said cover.

2. The case of claim 1, wherein at least one of said storage sides comprises flexible prongs, said prongs extending from a base of said storage side toward one of said covers, said prongs being spaced within said storage side to accommodate stored objects.

3. The case of claim 1, wherein at least one storage side of said body includes flexible compressible material and an adjacent cover includes flexible interior surfaces cooperating with said flexible compressible material of said storage side to securely engage stored objects with respect to said body.

4. The case of claim 1 wherein said latch further comprises a first release component to unlatch said latch from said first cover and a second release component to unlatch said latch from said second cover.

5. The case of claim 4, wherein said latch includes mechanical interlocking structures that prevents simultaneous release of both of said release components.

6. The case of claim 4 wherein said hinge provides controlled movement of a cover away from the body upon activation of a latch release component.

7. The case as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one storage side includes a short wall between at least two of said flexible prongs.

8. The case of claim 1 wherein

at least one said storage sides includes flexible compartments for accommodating and separating individual objects from other objects and for accommodating elongated items attached to some individual object.

11. The case of claim 3 wherein said flexible compressible material within said body and said flexible interior surface of said adjacent cover are cooperating undulating surfaces that resemble “

egg crates.”

13. The case of claim 1 wherein said hinge is a damped biasing hinge.

9. A case for carrying and storing objects comprising:

a) a hinge;

b) a first cover and a second cover, said first cover rotatably attached to said second cover via said hinge;

c) a body, said body having a hinge side at a back of said body, a latch side at a front of said body, at least one storage side for accommodating said objects, said body rotatably attached to said hinge between said covers;

d) a latch at said latch side of said body;

said latch mechanism capable of securing said first and second covers;

wherein said at least one storage side includes at least two first walls extending upward from the base of the storage side, said first walls creating a space interior thereto, and configured to mate with at least two second walls when said covers are closed.

10. The case as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of said first or second walls comprises partially raised portions along said wall.

12. A case for carrying and storing objects comprising:

a) a hinge;

b) a first cover and a second cover, said first cover rotatable attached to said second cover via said hinge;

c) a body, said body having a hinge side at a back of said body, a latch side at a front of said body, at least one storage side for accommodating said objects, said body rotatable attached to said hinge between said covers;

d) a latch at said latch side of said body, said latch mechanism capable of securing said first and second covers;

e) said at least one storage side comprising at least two flexible prongs, said prongs extending from a base of said storage side toward one of said covers, said prongs being spaced within said storage side to accommodate objects;

f) said at least two flexible prongs further connected by a short wall structure for facilitating finger access to stored objects.