Illumination – With container – Bag – purse or trunk
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2001-07-31
Tso, Laura K. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With container
Bag, purse or trunk
C362S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267484
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a portable lighted storage boxes or containers. More specifically, this invention is related to a lighted tackle box, tool box, first aid container, or other similar container or box having a light for illuminating the box, its contents and the surrounding area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many applications in which the contents of a portable storage box are to be used at night or in relatively low light conditions. In many such applications, the user can easily use a flashlight or other source of portable illumination. However, the use of a flashlight either requires the user to use one hand to hold the flashlight, leaving only one hand free or requires two people to perform an activity that would require only one if there were adequate light. For example a fisherman would typically need both hands to change lures which can be difficult when fishing at night. Of perhaps more significance is the need of an emergency worker to have both hands free to apply first aid to an injury.
A number of prior art light portable boxes have been proposed, but these boxes typically have poor illumination which not only fail to adequately illuminate the contents of the box, but also fail to illuminate the immediate surrounding area. U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,132 discloses one such illuminated fishing tackle box that has a small light to illuminate the interior of the box, but also has an external light mounted on one end of the box to serve as a flashlight as the fisherman walks about during the night. This box uses only a single point source of light which fails to provide sufficient illumination.
In many applications, the portable box also includes fold out trays which open to expose the remainder of the storage area of the base of the box. U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,308 discloses one such box in which a light source is mounted on top of the fold out trays to illuminate the trays. The light source is however located so that it will adequately illuminate only the trays with the larger storage area in the box remaining in the dark.
Prior art boxes with folding trays typically employ a configuration in which the fold out trays rotate to the deployed configuration in the same direction as the lid or cover. U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,470 discloses a light tackle box in which the trays cover the ope lid. In a configuration of this type the deployed trays would block any light source located in the lid preventing adequate illumination of both the tray contents and the contents of the base storage area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,170 discloses a version in which a flexible light wand is located on one of the folding trays in a fishing tackle box. This point source of light would illuminate only a small part of the contents of the box at any one time, and although it could illuminate most parts of the box, one at a time, it provides no means for illuminating the entire box, including the trays, but also the immediate area surrounding the box, where the user would most likely perform any tasks that would either require or be greatly facilitated by the presence of adequate light.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,379 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,408 are other examples of lighted fishing tackle boxes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A portable storage box according to the preferred embodiment includes a base having an internal storage area and a lid pivotally movable relative to the base between an open and a closed position. A light source is mounted on an interior surface of the lid. The lid is connected to the base by a hinge so that the lid pivots between the closed position and an open position. A stop surface on the base engages a companion surface on the lid to prevent rotation of the lid past a position in which the light source shines directly into the storage area in the base.
The base of this storage box has a storage area open on a top surface of the base. At least one tray is pivoted relative to the base between a stored position in which the tray is located in the storage area and a deployed position in which the tray is deployed at least partially beside the storage area. The deployed position of the tray is on an opposite side of the base from the open position of the lid. The light source on the lid is thus positioned in opposed relationship to the tray so that the light source illuminates both the tray and the storage area in the base.
The portable box in the preferred embodiment of this invention has a rectangular base with an open storage area and a rectangular lid hinged relative to the base. A linear or elongate fluorescent tube having substantially uniform light intensity between opposite ends is mounted on an interior surface of the lid. The fluorescent tube extends from adjacent one end of the rectangular lid to adjacent and opposite end of the lid so the flourescent tube extends lengthwise relative to both the base and the lid. The fluorescent tube provides substantially uniform illumination between opposite ends of the open storage area when the lid is in an open position. The flourescent tube also illuminates the immediate surrounding area.
A portable storage box having these features can thus be used for a number of applications, such as a fishing tackle box, an emergency or first aid kit, a tool box, a picnic basket or other storage containers where the contents are to be used at night or in low light environments.
Other objects of this invention include the ability to position the light source in an upright position so that it can illuminate not only the contents of the box, but also the immediate surrounding area. This invention achieves this object by positioning the lid in an upright position in which the hinges lock the lid in place and in which the light is positioned in the lid so that it will not tend to close the lid.
The components of the box including the light and the batteries should also positioned so that the box is be balanced so that it can be more easily carried by its user.
These and other objects are achieved by a portable storage box having at least some of the features included in the preferred embodiment described herein in detail.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2179409 (1939-11-01), Hulsart
patent: 3938132 (1976-02-01), Cunningham
patent: 4621308 (1986-11-01), Holmberg et al.
patent: 4691470 (1987-09-01), Landell et al.
patent: 4697379 (1987-10-01), McPhaul
patent: 4855881 (1989-08-01), Pence
patent: 4927015 (1990-05-01), Jones
patent: 5311413 (1994-05-01), Farmer et al.
patent: 5333408 (1994-08-01), Simmons
patent: 5459648 (1995-10-01), Courtney
patent: 5611170 (1997-03-01), McGuff et al.
Baker Todd C
Brooks Penny
Pitts Robert W.
Tso Laura K.
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