Carrying case

Feb. 22, 1966

F. BROD A ETAL

CARRYING CASE

3,236,366

Filed Dec. 23, 1963

Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3236366A_D0001.tif" />

Feb. 22, 1966

3,236,366

F. BRODA ETAL

CARRYING CASE

Filed Dec. 23, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3236366A_D0002.tif" />

AARON S. JACOBSON

BY ®* MJU. A TTd/RNEYS

United States Patent Office

3,236,366

Patented Feb. 22, 1966

3,236,366 CARRYING CASE

Frank Broda and Aaron S. Jacobson, Chicago, III., assignor to S. I. Jacobson Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois

Filed Dec. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 332,381 8 Claims. (Cl. 206—17)

This invention relates to a carrying case for articles and, in particular, relates to a flexible carrying case for articles of the type commonly purchased as a set, the individual pieces of the set each having essentially the same function, but being graduated in size or dimensions to satisfy a specific limited utilitarian need.

Carrying cases, packaging and holders for the purposes referred to above conventionally are made in a variety of shapes and sizes. In certain instances, these take the form of an envelope having an attached snap-on cover flap, the articles carried by the case simply being retained in the body of the envelope in a random, haphazard manner requiring the user to remove all, or at least a portion of all of the articles in the envelope body before the desired article is located. A further and more significant difficulty encountered with carrying cases of this type is the ease with which the articles can be displaced from the envelope body, and lost, when the cover flap is left open, or is inadvertently unsnapped. In other instances, such conventionally constructed carrying cases, packaging or holders have a series of pocket-like compartments, each of which receives and encases all or a portion only of an article comprising the set to be carried. While the pocket-like compartments satisfactorily segregate the articles of the set and thus facilitate selection of the. desired one of the set, they only loosely hold the article and provide minimal resistance to forces tending to dislodge an article from its compartment. This inability to adequately prevent inadvertent displacement of the articles from their compartments results, as pointed out in the discussion regarding the envelope type carrying case or holder, in the loss of relatively expensive, and sometimes individually irreplaceable, articles from the case.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carrying. case for articles having means for effectively overcoming the hereinabove mentioned shortcomings of conventional carrying cases, packaging or holders.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a flexible carrying case for articles which is compact and. attractive in appearance, and which can be fabricated of lightweight inexpensive material utilizing readily available equipment.

In a preferred construction of the present invention, the carrying case comprises a cover portion having front, rear and side walls which, when folded in a manner to place the front wall in opposed relation with respect to the rear wall, form a compact, unitary box-like structure. Releasable fastening means are provided for the cover portion to retain the walls thereof in a substantially fixed, integrated position. The carrying case further comprises an article holding portion having flexible, outwardly extending article retaining wall portions in spaced, substantially opposed relation thereon. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the article holding portion of the carrying case is formed of a separate piece of flexible material which is carried on the rear wall of the cover portion of the case and is folded outwardly upon itself to provide spaced, opposed article retaining wall portions joined along their outermost edge by a crease or fold line. The wall portions of the fold desirably are each provided with a series of spaced openings for receiving and snugly engaging a limited peripheral area of articles to be carried by the case, the openings in one of the wall portions being of the same size and substantially axially aligned with the openings in the other wall portion. The area of the wall portions of the fold in the article holding 5 portion adjacent the openings therein is pliable, permitting the size of each of the openings to be effectively varied in response to a force applied to an article engaged in the openings tending to displace the article from its engagement with the wall portions of the fold thereby enabling jq the article to be held more firmly in the openings and to prevent inadvertent dislodgement of the article therefrom. To impart added desirable structural characteristics to the carrying case, and to provide advantageous stabilizing effects to articles carried by the case, the article 15 holding portion desirably is provided with a base portion which, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is conveniently and advantageously formed by folding the lower regions of the article holding portion outwardly in a manner to provide a generally rectan20 gularly shaped enclosed area at the bottom thereof. The thus formed base portion is provided with openings corresponding in size and number to, and in axial alignment with, the openings in the wall portions of the fold. The openings in the base portion receive in snug frictional en25 gagement a different limited peripheral area of the articles positioned in the openings in the fold and, like those openings, are variable in size. The lower wall of the base serves as the lower wall of the case when the cover portion is closed about the article holding portion of the case.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an embodiment of the 35 carrying case of the present invention with a portion thereof broken away to illustrate specific details of its construction;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the carrying case shown in FIG. 1 taken substantially along 40 line 2—2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front view in elevation of the carrying case illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 4—4 of FIG. 3; and ⁴⁵ FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary front view in elevation of the article holding portion of the carrying case shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG.

1, the illustrative embodiment of the carrying case of the ⁵⁰ present invention there shown as having utility as a carrying case for drill bits comprises a cover portion 10 and an article holding portion 12. The portions 10 and 12 advantageously are fabricated of flexible, heat sealable, plastic sheet material, for instance a flexible vinyl plastic, ⁵⁰ or the like, and desirably constitute separate components of the case. The cover portion 10 is formed of an outer wall portion 14 and an inner wall portion 16 which are held in fixed, superimposed relation by heat sealing the outer side and bottom margins thereof together. The ⁶⁰ outer wall portion 14 and the inner wall portion 16 are further heat sealed together along spaced, transverse, parallel crease or fold lines 18, 20, 22 and 24 which demarcate and define in the cover portion 10 an open-top double-walled front wall 26 joined along crease or fold ^b5 line 18 to an open-top double-walled side wall 28 which, in turn, is joined along crease or fold line 20 to an opentop double-walled rear wall 30. Joined to the other side of the rear wall 30 along crease or fold line 22 is an openίθΡ double-walled side wall 32 having a closure flap 34 ‘° joined thereto along crease or fold line 24. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the closure flap 34 :,236,366 carries the female element 36 of a snap fastener while the front wall 26 carries the male element 38 thereof.

The open-top double-walled construction of the front wall 26 of the cover portion 1® provides a convenient storage space or pocket 40 for items other than the arti- 5 cles, such as drill bits 42, carried by the case. The portion of the outer wall portion 14 forming the front wall 26 has a cover flap 44 joined thereto along crease or fold line 46. The cover flap 44 is provided with a further crease or fold line 48, spaced from and parallel to crease jq or fold line 46. The cover flap 44, when folded inwardly over the open top of the space 40, functions to prevent items carried in the space 4® from falling out when the carrying case is closed. The portion of the outer wall portion 14 forming the rear wall 3® likewise has a cover 15 flap 50 joined thereto along crease or fold line 52. As with the cover flap 44, the cover flap 50 further is provided with a crease or fold line 54, spaced from and parallel to crease or fold line 52. The cover flap 50, when folded inwardly over the article holding portion 12, pro- 20 vides further protection from loss or damage to the articles, such as drill bits 42, carried thereby when the carrying case is closed.

The open-top double-walled side walls 28 and 32 of the cover portion 10 each desirably carry a strip 60 of a rigid 25 or semi-rigid material such as cardboard in the respective spaces 62 and 64 formed therein by the heat sealed, superimposed outer and inner wall portions 14 and 16. The strips 60 provide desired structural characteristics to the side walls 28 and 32 and serve to maintain the front and 30 rear walls 26 and 30 in spaced opposed relation when the carrying case is closed.

Turning now to a description of the article holding portion 12 of the preferred embodiment of the carrying case of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, 35 the portion 12, like the cover portion 10, advantageously is of a unitary, double-walled construction, and is formed by heat sealing superimposed strips of plastic sheet material together in preselected areas. The front wall 70 of the article holding portion 12 desirably is formed of a ⁴⁰single strip of plastic sheet material. To the back of this single strip, comprising the front wall 70, is secured, as by heat sealing, along its side margins only, an upper rear wall portion 72. Thusly secured to the front wall 70, the portion 72 forms an open top and bottom sleeve 74, the 45 function of which will become clear as the description proceeds. Below and spaced from the upper rear wall portion 72, there is secured, as by heat sealing, along all four of its margins, to the front wall 70, a narrow strip to form with the wall 70' a double-walled, intermediate foldable 50 wall portion 76. The portion 76 advantageously is further heat sealed to front wall 70 along a median crease or fold line 78 to thereby form the portion 76 into an upper, article retaining double-walled portion 80 and a lower, article retaining double-walled portion 82. In the 55 embodiment of the invention illustrated, the doublewalled portions 80 and 82 of the intermediate foldable wall portion 76 are provided with a series of spaced, aligned openings or holes 84, graduated in size to accommodate drill bits 42 of varying diameter. The article 60 holding portion 12 is completed by securing to the wall 70 in the manner hereinabove described, along its side and bottom margins only, a lower rear wall portion 86. The portion 86 advantageously is further secured to the front wall 70 by a plurality of spaced, parallel crease or 65 fold lines 90, 92, 94 and 96 which demarcate and define, with the front wall 70, an inner downwardly extending double-walled rear wall 100, a double-walled upper wall 102, an upwardly extending double-walled front wall 104, and a double-walled bottom wall 106 which together form 70 an outwardly extending article stabilizing base 110 on the article holding portion 12. The upper wall of the base 110 desirably is provided with a series of spaced openings or holes 112 corresponding in number, size and alignment with the openings or holes 84 in the double-walled por- 75 tions 80 and 82 of the portion 76. The upper margin of the portion 86 is not secured to the front wall 70 and thereby forms a pocket 114, the function of which will be made clear as the description of the invention proceeds.

The article holding portion 12 of the carrying case of the present invention illustrated in the drawings advantageously is engaged with the cover portion 10 by means of a retaining member in the form of an insert or backing member 120 fabricated of a rigid or semi-rigid material such as cardboard. The insert 120 desirably is slit transversely to provide a crease or fold line 122 to enable it to be folded upon itself. The insert 120 desirably is of slightly lesser width than the width of the article holding portion 12 and is of sufficient length to enable a portion of it to extend through the sleeve 74 into the bottom of the pocket 114, as demarcated by crease or fold line 96, and another portion of it to extend well into a pocket 124 in the rear wall 30 of the cover portion 10.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings, when the insert 120 is properly engaged with the article holding portion 12, the intermediate foldable wall portion 76 thereof is caused to fold outwardly upon itself to place the upper and lower double-walled portions 80 and 82 thereof in substantially opposed relation, and to define with respect to the insert 120 an acute angle. The frictional engagement of the areas of the article holding portion 12 in contact with the insert 120 is sufficient in magnitude normally to maintain the portions 80 and 82 in this position. Thusly folded upon itself, the openings or holes 84 in the portions 80 and 82 of the portion 76 are in substantial axial alignment, and can receive and snugly engage a limited peripheral area of an article such as drill bit 42. The bit advantageously is pushed through the openings or holes 84 until the lower portion thereof engages a corresponding opening or hole 112 in the base 110. In this position, the bit 42 is firmly held on the article holding portion 12.

The character of the material of which the article holding portion 12 and, therefore, the portions 80 and 82 thereof, are fabricated is such that pliable areas of the material surround the openings or holes 84. This pliability enables the size of each of the openings or holes to be varied effectively in response to axially directed forces tending to displace an article from its engagement with the portions 80 and 82. Thus, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 5, an upward pull on the smaller of the bits 42 there shown, causes the material surrounding the openings or holes 84 in engagement with spaced, limited peripheral areas of the bit to flex upwardly in response to the pull on the bit. This upward flexing action effectively brings about a slight, but significant, reduction in the size of the openings or holes, thereby causing the already snug frictional engagement between the article and the portions 80 and 82 to be increased. The firmer hold on the article thus achieved serves to prevent inadvertent dislodgement of the article from the portions 80 and 82. If it is desired to remove an article from the article holding portion 12 of the case, this can be most easily accomplished by gripping with one’s fingers the area of the portions 80 and 82, adjacent the article to be removed, to prevent the flexing action herein described, and then removing the article by pulling on it with the fingers of the free hand. Easy insertion of articles into the openings or holes in the portions 80 and 82 can be attained by following the same practice. The double-walled construction of the portions 80 and 82 provides a plurality of article-gripping surfaces, and thereby appreciably enhances the article holding capabilities of the portions 80 and 82. Engagement of the article with the openings or holes 112 in the base 110 of the article holding portion 12 tends to resist laterally directed forces applied to the article and thus complements the action of the portions 80 and 82 in maintaining the article in an upright position.

While the carrying case of the present invention has been described with reference to its utility in connection

3,236,363 ⁵ with drill bits, it should be understood that it can be used for other tools or tool accessories including certain types of wrenches and gauges, and the like. It should further be understood that numerous modifications can be made in the preferred form of the invention above described without deviating from the broader aspects of the invention.