toolbox

Abstract

Toolbox (10), comprising: a housing (11) comprising a receiving chamber (12), a front opening (13) and a rear opening (14), wherein the receiving chamber (12) is arranged in conjunction with the front opening (13) and the rear opening (14) to open outwards; a pivot seat (21) which is pivotably connected to the housing (11) within the receiving chamber (12), wherein the pivot seat (21) comprises a bearing frame (23), several insertion slots (24) and a retaining block (25), wherein the bearing frame (23) is located on a bottom side of the pivot seat (21), and wherein the insertion slots (24) are located on an opposite top side of the pivot seat (21); a first aperture (31) which is arranged in the housing (11) on a front side relative to the bearing frame (23); a second aperture (41) which is arranged in the housing (11) on a rear side relative to the insertion slots (24); a push button (51) arranged on the housing (11), wherein the push button (51) comprises an engagement block (53) which is held in engagement with the retention block (25) when no external force is applied to the push button (51), wherein the engagement block (53) is forced to disengage from the retention block (25) when the push button (51) is pressed by an external force; a first spring element (61) that stops between the housing (11) and the push button (51), wherein the first spring element (61) is in a relaxed state when no external force acts on the push button (51), wherein the first spring element (61) is compressed when an external force presses the push button (51); and a second spring element (71) that stops between the housing (11) and the pivot seat (21), wherein the second spring element (71) is compressed to store an elastic restoring force when no external force acts on the push button (51), wherein the second spring element (71) releases the stored elastic restoring force to preload the pivot seat (21) relative to the housing (11) when an external force presses the push button (51), characterized by the fact that the front opening (13) is provided on a top side of the housing (11) and the rear opening (14) on a bottom side of the housing (11); wherein when the pivot seat (21) is pivoted relative to the housing (11), the insertion slots (24) pivot forward and out of the housing (11) through the front opening (13), and the bearing frame (23) pivots backward out of the housing and out through the rear opening (14); and that the swivel seat (21) further comprises a stop plate (215) which is arranged on a rear side relative to the bearing frame (23) such that the rear opening (14) is partially covered by the stop plate (215) and partially exposed to the outside.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Scope of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to hand tools and in particular a toolbox in which a push button is used to trigger a pivoting movement of a swivel seat relative to a housing. 2. Description of the state of the art

[0002] Toolboxes are manufactured for storing hand tools and related accessories. Taiwan patent M499994 discloses a toolbox design for storing screwdriver bits and a screwdriver adapter, comprising: a substantially U-shaped housing defining a mounting recess open to the outside, and a storage device shaped like a right-angled prism and pivotably mounted in the housing's mounting recess. The storage device includes several hexagonal insertion slots formed in one wall thereof, a leaf spring arranged in each hexagonal insertion slot to stop an inserted screwdriver bit, a magnet located in an opposite wall thereof, and a pivot rod located in each of the two opposing side walls thereof.The housing includes two pivot holes, located in two opposing inner walls. The pivot rods of the bearing assembly are pivotally arranged in the corresponding pivot holes of the housing. Depending on the relationship of the pivot connection between the housing and the bearing assembly, the user can preload the bearing assembly relative to the housing, thus enabling access to the stored screwdriver bits.

[0003] The foregoing description shows that if a user wishes to remove a stored tool part from the toolbox, they must position the storage device relative to the housing for access and pre-tension it. The applicant argues that the prior art design of the toolbox still does not allow for simple and convenient operation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention was realized under the given circumstances. The main object of the present invention is to provide a toolbox that allows a pivot seat to be pre-tensioned into an access position relative to a housing when the user presses a push button.

[0005] To solve these and other problems of the present invention, a toolbox comprises a housing, a pivot seat, a first aperture, a second aperture, a push button, a first spring element, and a second spring element. The housing comprises a front opening, a rear opening, and a receiving chamber connected to the front and rear openings to open outwards. The pivot seat is pivotably connected to the housing within the receiving chamber, the latter comprising a bearing frame, several insertion slots, and a retaining block. The bearing frame is located on a lower side of the pivot seat. The insertion slots are located on an opposing upper side of the pivot seat. The first aperture is arranged in the housing at a front side relative to the bearing frame. The second aperture is arranged in the housing at a rear side relative to the insertion slots.The push button is located on the housing and includes an engagement block. The engagement block is held in engagement with the retention block when the push button is not pressed by the user. Conversely, the engagement block is forced to disengage from the retention block when the push button is pressed by the user. The first spring element stops between the housing and the push button. Furthermore, the first spring element is held in a released state when the push button is not pressed by the user. Conversely, the first spring element is compressed when the push button is pressed by the user. The second spring element stops between the housing and the pivot seat. Furthermore, the second spring element is compressed to store an elastic restoring force when the push button is not pressed by the user.In contrast, the second spring element releases the stored elastic restoring force to preload the swivel seat relative to the housing when the user presses the push button.

[0006] Thus, applying a force to the push button causes the swivel seat to be pre-tensioned into an access position relative to the housing, thereby overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art, where it is necessary for the user to apply a pre-tensioning force, which leads to the advantage that the toolbox of the present invention can be used more easily.

[0007] Furthermore, the arrangement of the first and second apertures prevents stored tool parts from falling out of the storage rack and the insertion slots during the pre-tensioning of the swivel seat, thus preventing the loss of the stored tool parts.

[0008] Other advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following description in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same components of the structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is an elevated view of a toolbox according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the toolbox according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 3 is another exploded view of the toolbox according to the present invention from a different viewing angle. Fig. Figure 4 is a frontal view of the toolbox according to the present invention. Fig. 5 is a sectional view along line 5-5 of the Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a sectional view along line 6-6 of the Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a sectional view along line 7-7 of the Fig. 4. Fig. Figure 8 is a schematic drawing showing an application example of the present invention. Fig. Figure 9 is a schematic drawing showing another application example of the present invention. Fig. Figure 10 is a schematic drawing showing another application example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In the Fig. Figures 1-9 show a toolbox 10 according to the present invention. The toolbox 10 comprises a housing 11, a pivot seat 21, a first cover 31, a second cover 41, a push button 51, a first spring element 61 and a second spring element 71.

[0010] The housing 11 defines a receiving chamber 12, a front opening 13, and a rear opening 14. The receiving chamber 12 is arranged in conjunction with the front opening 13 and the rear opening 14, and is open towards the outside. In the actual manufacture of the present invention, the housing 11 consists of a first side wall 16, a second side wall 17, a third side wall 18, and a fourth side wall 19. Furthermore, the first side wall 16 and the third side wall 18 are arranged to face each other; the second side wall 17 and the fourth side wall 19 are arranged to face each other; the first side wall 16 defines a recessed hole 161; the third side wall 18 comprises a locating block 181 and a pivot hole 183, which is located in the locating block 181 and points towards the recessed hole 161 (compare Fig. 5).

[0011] The swivel seat 21 is pivotably mounted in the housing 11 within the receiving chamber 12 and comprises a bearing frame 23, several insertion slots 24, and a retaining block 25. As shown in the Fig. As shown in Figures 8-10, the bearing frame 23 is located on the underside of the pivot seat 21 to hold a screwdriver adapter 98; the insertion slots 24 are located on an opposite upper side of the pivot seat 21 to hold several screwdriver bits 99. However, the locations of the bearing frame 23 and the insertion slots 24 can be interchanged depending on different requirements. The bearing direction of the tools in the bearing frame 23 and the insertion slots 24 can also be changed without deviating from the basic concept of the present invention. Furthermore, in actual manufacturing, the pivot connection between the pivot seat 21 and the housing 11 can be achieved as follows.The swivel seat 21 is adapted to provide two swivel rods 211 which are located accordingly on the two opposing lateral sides of the swivel seat 21 and are pivotably connected to the recessed hole 161 and the swivel hole 183 (see . Fig. 5); the pivot seat 21 further comprises a locating pin 213 located on a lateral side; the first spring element 71 is arranged around the locating pin 213, with two opposing ends of it stopping against the housing 11 and the bearing frame 23 respectively (see Fig. 7) According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the first spring element 71 is arranged directly around a pivot rod 211. In actual manufacturing, the pivot seat 21 further comprises a stop plate 215, which is arranged on a rear side relative to the bearing frame 23, as well as a bearing area 217 for bearing against the second aperture 41 (see Figure 7). Fig. 9) to hold the swivel seat 21 in its position after the swivel seat 21 has been pre-tensioned.

[0012] The first cover 31 is arranged in the housing 11 on a front side relative to the bearing frame 23. Furthermore, the first cover 31 is made of a transparent material (for example, transparent plastic or glass). The first cover 31 also includes an elongated opening 43 for receiving part of the screwdriver adapter 98, thus reducing the overall thickness of the toolbox 10.

[0013] The second aperture 41 is located in the housing 11 on a rear side relative to the insertion slots 24. Furthermore, in the actual manufacturing process, the second aperture 41 is made of a transparent material (for example, transparent plastic or glass).

[0014] The arrangement of the first cover 31 and the second cover 41 is designed to prevent stored tool parts from falling out of the storage rack 23 and the insertion slots 24 when the swivel seat 21 is pre-tensioned. Furthermore, because the first cover 31 and the second cover 41 are transparent, the user can check the storage status of the stored tools without having to open the toolbox 10.

[0015] The push button 51 is arranged in the housing 11 and comprises an engagement block 53. When in use, if the push button 51 is not moved, the engagement block 53 is held in engagement with the retaining block 25; conversely, when the push button 51 is moved, the engagement block 53 is released from the retaining block 25. In the present preferred embodiment, the push button 51 is actuated by pressing. However, in actual application, sliding, turning, or any other configuration can also be used to replace the pressing action of the push button 51.

[0016] The first spring element 61 in the present preferred embodiment is a compression spring that stops between the housing 11 and the push button 51. When the push button 51 is not pressed, the first spring element 61 is held in a relaxed state, depending on the action of an elastic restoring force; in contrast, the first spring element 61 is compressed when the push button 51 is moved.

[0017] The second spring element 71 in the present preferred embodiment is a torsion spring that stops between the housing 11 and the pivot seat 21. In the present preferred embodiment, the second spring element 71 has one end that stops against the housing 11, and the opposite end stops against the bearing frame 23. Thus, the second spring element 71 amplifies the pivoting of the pivot seat 21 relative to the housing 11. When the push button 51 is not moved, the second spring element 71 is compressed to generate an elastic restoring force; conversely, when the push button 51 is moved, the elastic restoring force of the second spring element 71 forces the pivot seat 21 to preload itself relative to the housing 11.

[0018] After outlining the design details of toolbox 10, the operation of toolbox 10 will be described below.

[0019] When the user wants to insert or remove a tool part, they apply force to the push button 51 to move it towards the inside of the housing 11, forcing the engagement block 53 of the push button 51 to disengage from the retaining block 25 of the pivot seat 21. At this point, the first spring element 71 pushes the bearing frame 23 from a first bearing position S1 towards the rear opening 14. When the abutment area 271 abuts the second aperture 41, the pivot seat 21 is stopped in its position, holding the bearing frame 23 in a first access position S2, and simultaneously the insertion slots 24 are moved from a second bearing position S3 to a second access position S4.After the removal or insertion of the tool part, the bearing frame 23 or the insertion slot 24 is pressed towards the inside of the housing 11 to force the retaining block 25 of the pivot seat 21 into re-engagement with the engagement block 53, which returns the bearing frame 23 and the insertion slots 24 to their initial positions and enables storage.

[0020] From the foregoing explanations, it follows that by applying a force to the push button 51, the swivel seat 21 can be brought into a preload relative to the housing 11 in an access position, which has the advantage of easy use of the toolbox.

[0021] Furthermore, the arrangements of the first aperture 31 and the second aperture 41 prevent stored tool parts from falling out of the storage rack 23 and out of the insertion slots 24 while the swivel seat 21 is pre-tensioned, thus preventing their loss.

[0022] Furthermore, the first aperture 31 and the second aperture 41 are designed to be transparent, which allows the user to visually check the storage status of the stored tool parts without having to open the toolbox 10, thus offering the advantage of easy handling.

[0023] Finally, it is noted that the first aperture 31 has an elongated opening 43 for receiving part of the screwdriver adapter 98, so that the overall thickness of the toolbox 10 can be reduced.

[0024] Although a particular embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail for illustrative purposes, various modifications and improvements can be made without deviating from the basic idea and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the pending claims.

Claims

[1] Toolbox (10), comprising: a housing (11) comprising a receiving chamber (12), a front opening (13) and a rear opening (14), wherein the receiving chamber (12) is arranged in conjunction with the front opening (13) and the rear opening (14) to open outwards; a pivot seat (21) which is pivotably connected to the housing (11) within the receiving chamber (12), wherein the pivot seat (21) comprises a bearing frame (23), several insertion slots (24) and a retaining block (25), wherein the bearing frame (23) is located on a bottom side of the pivot seat (21), and wherein the insertion slots (24) are located on a opposite top side of the pivot seat (21); a first aperture (31) which is arranged in the housing (11) on a front side relative to the bearing frame (23); a second aperture (41) which is arranged in the housing (11) on a rear side relative to the insertion slots (24); a push button (51) arranged on the housing (11), wherein the push button (51) comprises an engagement block (53) which is held in engagement with the retention block (25) when no external force is applied to the push button (51), wherein the engagement block (53) is forced to disengage from the retention block (25) when the push button (51) is pressed by an external force; a first spring element (61) that stops between the housing (11) and the push button (51), wherein the first spring element (61) is in a relaxed state when no external force acts on the push button (51), wherein the first spring element (61) is compressed when an external force presses the push button (51); and a second spring element (71) that stops between the housing (11) and the pivot seat (21), wherein the second spring element (71) is compressed to store an elastic restoring force when no external force acts on the push button (51), wherein the second spring element (71) releases the stored elastic restoring force to preload the pivot seat (21) relative to the housing (11) when an external force presses the push button (51), characterized by , that the front opening (13) is provided on a top side of the housing (11) and the rear opening (14) on a bottom side of the housing (11); wherein when the pivot seat (21) is pivoted relative to the housing (11), the insertion slots (24) pivot forward and out of the housing (11) through the front opening (13), and the bearing frame (23) pivots backward out of the housing and out through the rear opening (14); and that the swivel seat (21) further comprises a stop plate (215) which is arranged on a rear side relative to the bearing frame (23) such that the rear opening (14) is partially covered by the stop plate (215) and partially exposed to the outside. [2] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein the housing (11) comprises a first side wall (16), a second side wall (17), a third side wall (18) and a fourth side wall (19), wherein the first side wall (16) and the third side wall (18) face each other, wherein the second side wall (17) and the fourth side wall (19) face each other, wherein the first side wall (16) comprises a recessed hole (161), wherein the third side wall (18) comprises a locating block (181) which has in itself a pivot hole (183) which is arranged to point towards the recessed hole (161). [3] Toolbox (10) according to claim 2, wherein the pivot seat (21) comprises two pivot rods (211) which are located on two opposite lateral sides thereof and are pivotably coupled to the recessed hole (161) and the pivot hole (183), respectively. [4] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein the pivot seat (21) further comprises a locating pin (213); wherein the second spring element (71) is arranged around the locating pin (213) and has an end that stops against the housing (11) and an opposing end that stops against the bearing frame (23). [5] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein the pivot seat (21) further comprises a support area (217) for abutting against the second aperture (41). [6] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first spring element (61) is a compression spring and the second spring element (71) is a torsion spring. [7] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein one end of the second spring element (71) stops against the housing (11) and an opposing end thereof stops against the bearing frame (23). [8] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first aperture (31) and the second aperture (41) are made transparent. [9] Toolbox (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first aperture (31) has an elongated opening (43) therein.

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