Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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UTILITY BOX LID
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[00011 The invention relates to a multi-purpose utility box configured to fit
on
existing buckets, cans, or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[00021 Many regard proper storage as key to safeguarding valuables from
loss, damage, or the like, as well as finding the valuables when they are
needed or desired. In this regard, U.S. Patent No. 6,460,287, issued October
8, 2002, to Louie, is directed to a combination tackle box and fish container
lid; U.S. Patent No. 5,802,760, issued September 8, 1998, to Campbell, is
directed to a fishing bucket; U.S. Patent No. 5,755,057, issued May 26, 1998,
to Dancer, is directed to a fishing accessory container; U.S. Patent No.
5,659,995, issued August 26, 1997, to Hoffman, is directed to a bucket sized
fisherman's tackle box; U.S. Patent No. 5,547,098, issued August 20, 1996, to
Jordan, is directed to a container with stackable trays and adjustable
partitions; U.S. Patent No. 5,386,922, issued February 7, 1995, to Jordan, is
directed to a container with stackable trays; U.S. Patent No. 5,337,892,
issued
August 16, 1994, to Zaffina, is directed to a tackle box and assembly; U.S.
Patent No. 4,911,295, issued March 27, 1990, to Venegoni, is directed to a
bucket organizer tray; U.S. Patent No. 4,759,148, issued July 26, 1988, to
Love, is directed to a fishing accessory container; and U.S. Patent No.
3,751,845, issued August 14, 1973, to Van Leeuwen, is directed to a fishing
bucket.
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[0003] An unfulfilled need exists for a versatile utility box that may be
integrated with existing buckets, cans, and/or the like, to maximize usable
storage space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] According to an aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided that
comprises a utility box which may be configured as a lid for a bucket (such
as,
e.g., 1 gallon, 2 gallon, 3 gallon, 4 gallon, 5 gallon, 6 gallon, or any other
capacity). The utility box may be divided into multiple levels of storage
(e.g., 4
levels). The main body of the utility box may include a plurality of inner
compartments (such as, e.g., two equal (or unequal) size compartments),
each having a separate split cover. A plurality of lift out trays (e.g., two)
may
be provided, each of which may be configured to be held by one or more tray
support ribs in an associated inner compartment of the utility box. The split
covers may each be hinged by separate, individual hinges, where the hinges
may be positioned relatively in parallel with the diameter of the bucket. The
split covers may include an integrally formed latch and the base of the
utility
box may include an integral hang tab that is configured to receive the latch.
At least one floor of the lower storage areas of the utility box may be
removable to provide access to the bucket contents without removing the
utility box.
[0005] Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention
may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed
description and drawings. Moreover, it is noted that both the foregoing
summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary
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and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the
invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of
this
specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the
detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No
attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail
than
may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the
various ways in which it may be practiced.
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a perspective side view of an example of an eco-friendly
utility box mated to a bucket, according to principles of the invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 shows a perspective cross-section cut side view of the eco-
friendly utility box mated to the bucket of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a perspective side view of the eco-friend utility box of
FIG. 1, according to principles of the invention;
[0010] FIG. 4 shows a perspective side view of an example of a lift out tray
which may be used with the eco-friendly utility box of FIG. 1, according to
principles of the invention; and
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the eco-friendly utility box of FIG. 1,
according to principles of the invention.
[0012] The present invention is further described in the detailed description
that follows.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The embodiments of the invention and the various features and
advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the
non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated
in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It
should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be
employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize,
even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components
and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily
obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are
intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention
may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice
the
embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments
herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which
is
defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is
noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the
several views of the drawings.
[0014] It is common practice in the home building industry to provide building
materials (such as, e.g., joint compound, paint, plaster, adhesives, stains,
and
the like) in buckets or cans, which frequently end up in landfills. The
buckets
or cans are typically made from materials comprising plastics, metals, or the
like. The buckets and cans may have various capacities, typically ranging
from, for example, a gallon to six gallons. Since many of these materials
degrade very slowly, the buckets and cans are presenting significant
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environmental issues. For example, the buckets and cans are filling landfills
with matter that may take hundreds, if not thousands of years to degrade.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a perspective side view of an example of an eco-friendly
utility box 115 that may be mated as a lid to a bucket 110, according to
principles of the invention. As seen, the utility box 115 may be inserted into
the bucket 110 to form a unitary storage structure 100. The utility box 115
and/or the bucket 110 may comprise a material, such as, for example, but not
limited to, plastic, metal, wood, fiberglass, glass, ceramic, stone, or the
like.
At least one floor of the lower storage areas of the utility box 115 may be
removable (or openable) to provide access to the bucket contents without
removing the utility box.
[0016] The utility box 115 may comprise a pair of split covers 150A, 150B.
Each of the split covers 150A, 150B may include a hinged side 130A, 130B,
respectively, and a latched side 140A, 140B, respectively. The hinged sides
130A, 130B, may have a longitudinal axis (e.g., along the z-axis) which is
substantially parallel to the diameter of the bucket 110 and substantially
parallel to the plane formed by the x-axis and z-axis. Each of the split
covers
150A, 150B may comprise a hinge mechanism 135 (such as, e.g., a pivot
hinge, butt/mortise hinge, continuous hinge, piano hinge, concealed hinge,
butterfly hinge, parliament hinge, strap hinge, H hinge, HL hinge, or the
like)
to allow for pivoting of the split covers 150A, 150B about the longitudinal Z-
axis of the split covers 150A, 150B (i.e., about the longitudinal axis of the
hinged sides 130A, 130B). The split covers 150A, 150B may be configured to
be coupled to the utility box 115 via a snap-lock fastening mechanism (not
shown), which may be provided on either (or both) the hinged sides 130A,
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130B and/or the latched sides 140A, 140B. The utility box 115 may further
include a molded on hang tab 137, which may be configured to be removable,
and a cored thru hole 139 for aerator tube access to the bucket 110.
[0017] The bucket 110 may include, for example, but is not limited to, a five
gallon (or any practical capacity) bucket. The bucket 110 may comprise a
substantially cylindrical shape, as shown, e.g., in FIG. 1, or it may comprise
any other shape, including, for example, but not limited to, a rectangular
shape (e.g., rectangular buckets or cans provided with certain food goods,
such as, e.g., cheeses, or the like). The bucket 110 may comprise a pivoting
handle 120 for carrying the bucket 110. According to an aspect of the
invention, the bucket 110 may be provided with the utility box 115 as a
unitary
structure 100. Alternatively, a user may obtain a new bucket 110 or remove
the contents (such as, e.g., joint compound, plaster, paint, food goods, or
the
like) from an existing bucket 110 and insert the utility box 115 into the
bucket
110. The user may clean the bucket 110 before inserting the utility box 115
into the bucket 110.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a perspective cross-section cut side view of the unitary
structure 100, comprising the utility box 115 mated to the bucket 110, as
shown in FIG. 1. The utility box 115 may comprise an engaging member 250
(such as, e.g., but not limited to, a lip, a tongue, a groove, or the like)
along its
perimeter to lockably engage a lip member 260 along the perimeter of the
bucket 110, thereby fastening the utility box 115 to the bucket 110. As seen
in FIG. 2, the utility box 115 may comprise at least one lift out tray 170
(170A,
170B). The lift out trays 170A, 170B may each be configured to be placed in
the utility box 115, as shown, e.g., in FIG. 2, such that the lift out trays
170A,
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170B create four levels of storage in the utility box 115. For example, when
inserted into the utility box 115, the lift out trays 170A, 170B may create
two
upper levels 210, 220 of storage and two lower levels 230, 240 of storage. At
least one floor 340 (shown in FIG. 3) of the lower levels 230, 240 may be
removable (or openable) to provide access to the contents of the bucket 110
without removing the utility box 115. The floor 340 may be configured to open
by means of, for example, but not limited to, a hinge, a tongue-groove
arrangement (e.g., for a sliding floor portion), or the like.
[0019] It is noted that the utility box 115 is not limited to four levels of
storage,
but, instead may include any number of levels of storage (such as, e.g., 1, 2,
3, 4, or the like). In this regard, the lift out trays 170A, 170B may comprise
multi-level trays (not shown). For example, the lift out tray 170A (or 170B)
may be inserted into a further tray that is deeper in the y-direction (e.g.,
along
the y-axis) than the lift out tray 170A (or 170B), but less than the depth of
the
utility box 115, thereby providing a three level storage. A further lift out
tray
may be provided that has a smaller depth along the y-direction than the lift
out
tray 170A (or 170B), which may be inserted in the lift out tray 170A (or 170B)
to create an additional level of storage. The lift out tray 170A (or 170B) may
include one or more further tray support ribs (not shown) for receiving and
holding further lift out trays.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a perspective side view of the utility box 115 of FIG. 1,
according to principles of the invention. As seen in FIG. 3, the utility box
115
may comprise a latch 310 and a latch receiver 320, which may be configured
to lockably receive the latch 310. The latch 310 may be integrally formed
(e.g., molded) with the split cover 150, or it may be affixed to the split
cover
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150 by means of, for example, but not limited to, an adhesive (e.g., glue,
cement, epoxy, or the like), a mechanical structure (e.g., bolt, nut, screw,
nail,
rivet, or the like), or the like. The latch receiver 320 may be integrally
formed
(e.g., molded) with the utility box 115 body (or base), or it may be affixed
to
the utility box 115 body by means of, for example, but not limited to, an
adhesive (e.g., glue, cement, epoxy, or the like), a mechanical fastener
(e.g.,
bolt, nut, screw, nail, rivet, or the like), or the like.
[0021] The utility box 115 may comprise a plurality of tray support ribs 330,
as
shown in, e.g., FIG. 3. The tray support ribs 330 may be provided on any one
or more sides of the inner compartment of the utility box 115, so as to
support
the lift out tray 170A (or 170B). Further, the tray support ribs 330 may
comprise various lengths along the y-direction, as well as various
thicknesses,
so as to provide support for multiple trays in a single compartment of the
utility
box 115. For example, the tray support ribs 330 may comprise a first set of
four tray support ribs on the inner compartment wall proximate the hinged side
130 and a second set of four tray support ribs on the inner compartment wall
proximate the latched side 140. Two of the tray support ribs of the first set
of
four tray support ribs may have a first length (such as, for example, but not
limited to, four inches) and the remaining two tray support ribs of the first
set
of four tray support ribs may have a second length (such as, for example, but
not limited to, six inches), with the second set of tray support ribs having
similar lengths. In this instance, the shorter tray support ribs may hold a
first
lift out tray 170A (or 1706) and the longer tray support ribs may hold a
further
lift out tray (not shown). The tray support ribs 330 may be integrally formed
(e.g., molded) with the utility box 115 body, or the support ribs 330 may be
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affixed to the utility box 115 body by means of, for example, an adhesive
(e.g.,
glue, cement, epoxy, or the like), a mechanical fastener (e.g., bolt, nut,
screw,
nail, rivet, or the like), or the like.
[0022] FIG. 4 shows a perspective side view of an example of a lift out tray
170, which may be used with the utility box 115, shown in FIGS. 1-3,
according to principles of the invention. The lift out tray 170 may comprise
one or more inserts 410 and a tray 420. The inserts 410 may be configured to
engage a recessed portion in the tray 420 upon insertion. Further, the inserts
may be integrally formed (e.g., molded) with the tray 420. The lift out tray
170, including the inserts 410 and tray 420, may comprise one or more
materials comprising, for example, but not limited to, plastic, metal, wood,
fiberglass, glass, ceramic, stone, or the like.
[0023] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the utility box 115 of FIG. 1, according to
principles of the invention.
[0024] Although the utility box 115 has been described with two inner
compartments which are configured to receive lift out trays 170, it is noted
that
the utility box 115 may comprise any number of inner compartments (such as,
e.g., one, two, three, four, or more). In this regard, the utility box 115 may
comprise any number of split covers 150 configured to cover the inner
compartments (such as, e.g., one, two, three, four, or more).
[0025] While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary
embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be
practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be
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an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or
modifications of the invention.
