DE29716425U1 - Storage device for a portable computer, in particular a laptop or a notebook - Google Patents

Description

Storage device for a portable computer, in particular a laptop or a notebook

The invention relates to a storage device for a portable computer, in particular a laptop or a notebook, and/or for peripheral devices such as printers and telecommunications devices, with a molded body which has at least one receiving area with elastic support surfaces for a housing of a computer provided with a base wall and side walls.

10 Due to the development of computers and peripheral devices with small size and low weight, it is possible to transport computers together with peripheral devices connected to them in containers such as briefcases.

15 For the storage of portable computers and their peripheral devices, mounting devices have been developed that have various mounting areas for holding the housing of the computer and, if applicable, peripheral devices.

Telephone: (0221) 916520 · Fax: (0221) 134297

Fax: (G BT) (0221) 912030

Telegram: Cathedral Patent Cologne

DE 94 10 720 Ul discloses a holding and storage device for a portable computer, which has a molded body designed as a deep-drawn, rigid film. This molded body is provided with a holding area for the portable computer, the bottom wall of the housing resting on elastic supports within the holding area. The holding area is designed as a recess in the molded body, so that the computer housing is surrounded by the molded body in the area of its side walls facing the bottom wall. Side impacts on the container containing the holding device can therefore lead to the computer housing hitting the side of the relatively rigid molded body. In the worst case, this can lead to mechanical damage and/or impairment of the functionality of the computer or the peripheral devices also held by the holding device.

From DE 2 96 04 648 Ul, another receiving and storage device is known, which has storage elements for a portable computer or its peripheral devices. The storage elements are each provided with elastically designed base and side parts, which support the base wall of the computer or the peripheral device and rest laterally against the side walls of the computer or the peripheral device. The one-piece storage elements are made of elastic plastic and are manufactured using injection molding technology, whereby they can have metal inserts for stiffening. For this reason, the production of the known storage elements is quite complex. Alternatively, the side parts of the known storage elements can also be designed as wire brackets, as is also described in DE 296 04 648 Ul. However,

The bearing element is designed in two parts, with the base part of the bearing element being made of elastic plastic material.

The invention is based on the object of creating a storage device for a portable computer, in particular for a laptop or a notebook and/or a peripheral device, such as a printer or telecommunications equipment, which can be produced inexpensively and, with maximum suspension comfort, ensures a secure hold of the computer or the peripheral device, including the suspension, even against lateral loads.

To solve this problem, the invention proposes a bearing device which is provided with at least one elastic bearing element for contact with a housing of a computer or a peripheral device provided with a base wall and side walls, wherein the bearing element has an elastic

formed base part for supporting the base wall of the housing and a likewise elastic side part protruding from the base part for contact with a side wall of the housing.
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The storage device according to the invention has one or more storage elements that rest against both the bottom wall and the side walls of the housing of a computer or a peripheral device.

0 The bearing element is formed according to the invention from a continuous shaped rod which has at least one section forming the base part of the bearing element and at least one section forming the side part of the bearing element.

In this way, a one-piece bearing element can be provided at low cost.

The rod is advantageously made of metal, so that the bearing element is made of a specially shaped wire. Alternative materials for the rod include, for example, plastics, possibly fiber-reinforced.

In order to ensure that the computer or peripheral device is non-slip and that the storage element comes into gentle contact with these devices, it is advantageous if the rod is plastic-coated or otherwise surrounded by a plastic cover, whereby the material for the coating or cover is in particular elastic plastic, for example rubber.

The rod can be designed as an endless rod, i.e. forming a closed shaped ring. However, it is more advantageous in terms of manufacturing technology if the rod has two end sections with free end sections, with the two end sections being connected to one another via a middle section.

It is also useful if the two end sections of the rod form the base part and the middle section of the rod forms the side part of the bearing element. In the middle section of the rod, it should advantageously be S-shaped, i.e. serpentine, whereby this serpentine shape is formed by several straight sections, in particular running parallel to one another, and connecting sections, preferably curved over 180°. In its serpentine middle section, the rod lies

on at least one side wall of the computer or peripheral device. The height of the middle section, i.e. the width of the serpentine part of the bar, enables the computer or peripheral device to be securely held against lateral impacts.

To facilitate the insertion of a computer or peripheral device into the storage elements, it is advantageous if the middle section has outwardly projecting sections at its end facing away from the base section, which are preferably formed by the curved sections of the serpentine middle section facing away from the end sections. This results in an inlet area at the upper end of the sidewall of the storage elements, which facilitates the insertion of computers and peripheral devices.

A spring-elastic base part can be realized in particular by bending the end sections of the rod into a U shape. A first leg of the U-shaped end sections runs from the middle section, whereby these two leg sections of the end sections of the rod form the support plane for the computer or the peripheral device. The other leg sections of the end sections of the rod run at an acute flat angle to the two previously mentioned leg sections, which is why the end sections of the rod extend diagonally away from the bottom wall of the computer or the peripheral device when viewed from the side of the base part of the storage element. These diagonally running leg sections form, so to speak, the spring arms for elastic support of the computer or the peripheral device.

Expediently, end sections extend from the slanting leg sections of the rod, which run essentially parallel to the straight sections of the middle section and serve to fasten the bearing element in, for example, a molded body or similar holding element. These end sections are guided through holes in the holding element until the leg sections adjoining these end sections contact the holding element in order to then protrude from them at an angle. A locking element can then be pushed onto the end sections guided through the holding element, which has a receiving opening for the respective end section and is provided with elastic tongues that limit the receiving opening on all sides and clamp against the end section of the rod. The tongues, which are slightly inclined in the direction of the end sections when pushed onto the end sections, prevent the locking elements from being accidentally detached from the end sections.

The support element according to the invention can support the computer or the peripheral device in the transition area between a side wall and a bottom wall of the housing or can rest in a corner area of the housing. In the latter case, the side part of the support element is provided with two side part sections that run essentially at right angles to one another, whereby it is particularly advantageous if the serpentine-shaped middle section extends along both side part sections, i.e. has an approximately 90° bend.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the bearing device is provided with a spring-elastic strip material instead of the rod, i.e. a web, which is angled and shaped in a certain way. The strip material is shaped in such a way that it has at least one section forming the base part of the bearing element and at least one section forming the side part of the bearing element. The realization of the bearing element as an angled or folded spring-elastic strip is easier to realize in terms of manufacturing technology than the rod described in connection with the previous variant.

The strip material preferably consists of metal and in particular of so-called spring steel. This metal material can expediently be surrounded by a plastic coating that is either sprayed on or pulled over the strip as a tube, the material of this coating preferably being an elastic plastic material. This coating ensures that the devices held by the storage elements do not get scratched.

The strip material or the bearing element is expediently L-shaped and has a first leg section forming the side part of the bearing element and a second leg section forming the base part of the bearing element.

Several such bearing devices are used to hold a device. The relative arrangement of the L-shaped bearing elements is such that they rest with their first leg sections pre-tensioned laterally against the device in question,

So keep it slightly clamped in a certain way.

As with the rod, it is also advantageous for the support element designed as a strip material if it is attached to a plastic molded body, which is expediently made from a deep-drawn film or an injection-molded part. The molded body has a recess that is delimited by an edge of the molded body. The support elements are arranged on the edge of the molded body, with their base parts protruding into the recess. In other words, the recess of the molded body is located below the base parts. The support elements hold the device in question above the recess of the molded body. This has the advantage that a slot is formed between the device and the molded body, through which warm air can escape from the side of the underside of the device. In this way, no heat build-up can occur under the devices.

In an advantageous further development, it is provided that the second leg section of the strip material forming the base part of the bearing element has two leg sections that are essentially parallel to one another and offset in height and are connected via a middle section arranged between them. The leg section forming the free end of this second leg is arranged higher than the other leg section that is connected to the first leg of the bearing element. The middle section runs at an acute angle to the two leg sections of the second leg that are parallel to one another. This acute angle is not equal to 90° and is preferably

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between 30° and 60° or 40° and 50° and preferably at about 45°.

Due to the height-offset design of the second leg, the underside of the device is held above the edge of the molded body that borders the recess in the molded body. This results in a sufficiently large gap between the underside of the device and the molded body or its edge that borders the recess on all sides.

The first leg of the strip material, which forms the side part of the bearing element, runs at an acute angle of less than 90° to the two leg sections of the first leg, with its free end being angled away from the free end of the second leg. Due to this outwardly angled free end of the first leg, inlet areas are formed between the bearing elements of the molded body arranged opposite one another, which make it easier to insert a device.

The arrangement of the storage elements on the molded body is such that devices held by the storage elements protrude upwards from the bottom shell half of a hard-shell briefcase, into which the molded body is inserted. The hard-shell briefcase has a lid shell half that is hingedly connected to the bottom shell half. The lid wall and the side walls that protrude from it surround the devices on all sides when the hard-shell briefcase is closed. There is a handle on the side of the hard-shell briefcase opposite the hinges. If the hard-shell briefcase is

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If the devices in the hard-shell briefcase accidentally slip out of your hand when you are carrying them, the impact of the briefcase on the floor could damage the devices inside it. The storage elements that are arranged on the molded body along the side of the hard-shell briefcase with the joints already prevent the devices from being subjected to excessive vibrations due to their side parts. For safety reasons, however, in a preferred development of the invention, a cushioning element is introduced into the lid shell half, which is arranged on the inside of the side wall of the lid shell half that carries the joints and extends over the entire width of the lid shell half. In this way, the devices are cushioned not only by the storage elements arranged on the side of the hard-shell briefcase with the joints, but also by the cushioning element in the lid shell part if the hard-shell briefcase accidentally slips on its handle when you are carrying it and hits the floor.

Two embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below using the figures. In detail:
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Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hard

shell briefcase in the opened state

with arranged in the bottom half of the shell

Notebook and printer and with paper cassettes located in the lid half,

Fig. 2 is a side view in the direction of arrow II of Fig. i of a first support element which supports the casing of the notebook on its base wall and on a side wall,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the first bearing element according to arrow III of Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a view in the direction of arrow V of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a side view of a second support element according to arrow VI of Fig. 1, wherein this second support element supports the casing of the notebook in a corner area on its bottom wall and its two side walls forming the corner,

Fig. 7 is a plan view in the direction of arrow VII of Figs. 1 and 6,

Fig. 8 a perspective view of an alternative hard-shell briefcase in the unfolded state with alternatively designed storage elements for holding the notebook,

Fig. 9 is a section along the line IX - IX in Fig.

8 to illustrate the structure of these alternative storage elements,

Fig. 10 a perspective view of an alternative bearing element,

Fig. 11 is a section along the line XI - XI through the bearing element according to Fig. 10, and

Fig. 12 is a side view of the briefcase according to Fig. 8, standing upright on a surface.

In Fig. 1, a horizontally arranged briefcase 10 with a base shell part 12 and an opened lid shell part 14 is shown in perspective. A deep-drawn plastic molded body 16 is inserted into the base shell part 12. This molded body 16 has first storage elements 18 and second storage elements 20 for storing, for example, a PC notebook 22 and a printer 24. Both are provided with a housing 26 that has side walls 28, a base wall 30 and a top 32.

As can be seen in particular from Figs. 2 to 5, the first bearing element 18 rests on the one hand on the bottom wall 30 and on the other hand on one of the side walls 28 of the housing 26 of the PC notebook 22. The first bearing element 18 consists of a specially bent metal wire 34 and has a side wall part 36 and a bottom part 38. The continuous wire 34 is provided with a central section 40 in which it rests on the side wall 28 of the housing 26 and runs in a serpentine shape. In the serpentine central section 40, the wire 34 is provided with parallel, straight sections 42 which are mutually connected via sections 44 curved by approximately 180°. As can be seen in particular from Fig. 4, the upper curved sections 44 facing away from the molded body 16 are bent away from the housing 26 of the PC notebook 22, which facilitates the insertion of the PC notebook 22 into the first storage element(s) 18.

End sections 46 are connected to both sides of the middle section 40 of the wire 34 and protrude at an angle from the middle section 40. Each end section 46 has a U-shape in plan view according to Fig. 3, which is defined by a first leg section 48 protruding laterally from the middle section 40, an adjoining connecting section 50 curved by 180° and a second leg section 52 adjoining this, the two leg sections running at an angle to one another when looking at the first bearing element 18 in side view according to Fig. 4. The two first leg sections 48 form the support surface for the bottom wall 30 of the housing 26 of the PC notebook 22, while the second leg sections 52 run at a flat acute angle to this support surface in the direction of the molded body 16. The free ends of the second leg sections 52 are adjoined by angled end sections 54 of the rod 34, which run through openings 56 in the molded body 16. The end sections 54 protrude from the molded body 16 on the inside facing the base shell part 12. Locking disks 58 are placed on the end sections 54, which have an opening 62 delimited on all sides by four spring tongues 60, through which the end sections 54 extend. The spring tongues 60 clamp against the end sections 54 of the rods 34 under mechanical deformation and in this way prevent the first bearing elements 18 from being pulled out of the molded body 16.

As already mentioned above, in addition to the first bearing elements 18, there are also second bearing elements 20, which engage the corner areas of the housing 26. The

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The structure of the second bearing elements 20 is similar to the design of the first bearing elements 18. In particular, the second bearing elements 20 also consist of a continuous wire 34, which is designed in a serpentine shape in its middle section 40. In Figs. 6 and 7, a second bearing element 20 is shown in plan view and in side view. Insofar as the parts of the bearing element 20 shown there correspond to the parts of the bearing element 18, they are provided with the same reference numerals as in Figs. 2 to 5.

The difference between the two bearing elements 18, 20 is that the bearing element 20 in its middle section 40 rests against two interconnected side walls 28 of a housing 26. In this way, a bearing element 20 is created whose side part 36 has two side part sections 64. In the area of its middle section 40, the rod 34 is therefore angled so that the middle section 40, viewed in plan view according to Fig. 7, runs at an angle.

As with the first bearing element 18, the two end sections 46 of the rod 34 extend on both sides of the middle section 40, their structure being identical to the structure of the end sections 46 of the first bearing element 18. In contrast to the first bearing elements 18, the end sections 46, viewed in plan view of the second bearing element 20, extend at an angle of approximately 45° to the two side sections 64 formed by the middle section 40. The locking of the second bearing elements 20 on the molded body 16 is released as with the first bearing elements 18 (see Fig. 5).

As is particularly clear from the illustration in Fig. 4, the spring-loaded mounting of the housings 26 on their base walls 30 is implemented by the end sections 46 of the rod 34, which are designed in the manner of leg springs. The flexible connection of the middle section 40 via the end sections 46 of the rod 34 also provides a spring-elastic mounting of the housings 26 against lateral vibrations. The first and second mounting elements 18, 20 arranged all around the housings 26 ensure stable and spring-elastic mounting with regard to lateral displacement, which is why the devices are housed in the case 10 in a positionally secure and vibration-absorbing manner. In the lid shell part 14 of the case 10 there are two plastic paper cassettes 66, which rest on the upper sides 32 of the housings 26 when the briefcase 10 is closed. As can be seen in particular from Fig. 4, when the briefcase 10 is closed, the housings 26 are held clamped between the paper cassettes 66 and the first and second storage elements 18, 20. This further improves the positional stability of the housings 26 when the briefcase 10 is closed.

In order to improve the spring force of the rod 34 made of spring steel, a variant of the invention provides for a spring 70 made of corrugated spring steel to be clipped onto the leg sections 52 of the end sections 46, which spring 70 encloses the two leg end sections 52 at its ends. As a result, the leg sections 52 of the two end sections 46 of the wire 34 are connected to one another and are held together. The additional spring 70 is preferably provided with a negative progressive spring tension. In Fig.

3, this additional spring element is indicated by dash-dot lines.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, the bearing elements 18 are held in a protruding edge of the molded body 16 designed as a deep-drawn film. As an alternative to this type of fastening, it can be provided that the end sections 54 of the wire 34 of each bearing element 18 penetrate a side wall of the molded body 16 defining a recess in the molded body 16. This type of fastening is more cost-effective to carry out in terms of assembly and looks more visually appealing.

In the above description and in the embodiment according to the figures, the spring-elastic mounting of the housing 26 is described or shown as consisting of individual mounting elements 18, 20. As an alternative to this type of mounting, a mounting element can be provided that surrounds the housing 26 on all sides, which is designed in a serpentine shape in its section adjacent to the side walls 28 of the housing 26 and has a base part in accordance with the mounting elements 18, 20 only in the corner areas.

In Fig. 8, an alternatively designed hard-shell briefcase 10' of a second embodiment is shown in perspective. As soon as the individual parts of this second embodiment of the briefcase 10' correspond to or are the same as the parts of the briefcase 10 of Figs. 1 to 7, they are provided with the same reference numerals. The difference between the briefcase 10' and the briefcase 10 is the design of the storage elements 18'. As can be seen in particular from the

of this leg 76, which in turn runs at an angle to the first section 88. In the area in which these two sections 88 and 90 are connected, a convex, i.e. outwardly curved, contact surface of the bearing element 18' is formed for contact with the side wall 28 of the notebook 22. This situation is shown in Fig. 9. It can be seen from this that due to the height offset of the second leg 78 and the obliquely running first section 88 of the first leg 76, the corner area of the notebook 22 between its side wall 28 and its bottom wall 30 does not rest against the bearing element 18'.

As tests have shown, the bearing element 18' has excellent damping properties. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the bearing element 18' with its two legs 76 and 78 holds the notebook 22 on two sides. In this way, the two legs 76, 78 support each other in their spring effect, since bending of one leg automatically leads to increased support of the other leg on the notebook 22.

With reference to Fig. 9, another damping aspect of the briefcase 10' will be discussed below. As can be seen from this illustration, each half 12, 14 of the hard-shell case 10' has a bottom or lid wall 92 with side walls 94 protruding from it. The two shell halves 12, 14 are connected to one another on the underside of the briefcase 10' via joints 95, while a handle 96 is located on the top of the case 10'. The briefcase is in the illustration

of this leg 76, which in turn runs at an angle to the first section 88. In the area in which these two sections 88 and 90 are connected, a convex, i.e. outwardly curved, contact surface of the bearing element 18' is formed for contact with the side wall 28 of the notebook 22. This situation is shown in Fig. 9. It can be seen from this that due to the height offset of the second leg 78 and the obliquely running first section 88 of the first leg 76, the corner area of the notebook 22 between its side wall 28 and its bottom wall 30 does not rest against the bearing element 18'.

As tests have shown, the bearing element 18' has excellent damping properties. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the bearing element 18' with its two legs 76 and 78 holds the notebook 22 on two side surfaces. In this way, the two legs 76, 78 support each other in their spring effect, since bending of one leg automatically leads to increased support of the other leg on the notebook 22.

With reference to Fig. 9, another damping aspect of the briefcase 10' will be discussed below. As can be seen from this illustration, each half 12, 14 of the hard-shell case 10' has a bottom or lid wall 92 with protruding side walls 94 extending from it. The two shell halves 12, 14 are connected to one another on the underside of the briefcase 10' via joints 95, while a handle 96 is located on the top of the case 10'. The briefcase is in the illustration.

Position according to Fig. 12 via feet 98 arranged on its underside on a base 100.

In Fig. 12, the orientation and arrangement of the notebook 22, for example, with the briefcase 10' resting on its feet 98 is indicated. It can be seen that the weight of the notebook 22 is held by the storage devices 18' arranged on the underside of the briefcase 10'. If the briefcase accidentally falls with its feet 98 onto the ground 100, the damping effect provided by the first legs 76 of these storage elements 18' may not be sufficient to cushion the notebook 22 in a gentle manner. For this reason, a cushioning element 102 is located on the inside of the side wall 94 of the lid shell half 14, which forms the underside of the briefcase 10', which additionally contributes to cushioning the notebook 22.

Claims (24)

♦* - 20 - CLAIMS 1. Storage device for a portable computer, in particular for a laptop or notebook, and/or peripheral devices, such as printers and telecommunications equipment, in a portable case, with at least one elastic bearing element (18,-20) for bearing against a housing (26) of a computer (22) or a peripheral device (24) provided with a base wall (30) and side walls (28), wherein the bearing element (18;20) has an elastically designed base part (38) for supporting the base wall (30) of the housing (26) and a likewise elastic side part (36) protruding from the base part (38) for bearing against a side wall (28) of the housing (26), characterized ,
that the bearing element (18; 20) has a shaped continuous rod (34) which has at least one section (46) forming the bottom part (38) of the bearing element (18; 20) and at least one section (40) forming the side part (36) of the bearing element (18; 20). 2. Storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rod (34) consists of metal. 3. Storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rod (34) is coated or surrounded by a casing, wherein • - 21 - the material of the coating or the casing is in particular elastic plastic. 4. Storage device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rod (34) has two end sections (46) and a middle section (40) arranged between them. 5. Storage device according to claim 4, characterized in that the two end sections (46) of the rod (34) form the bottom part (38) of the storage element (18; 20) and the middle part (40) of the rod (34) forms the side part (36) of the storage element (18; 20). 6. Storage device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the central section (40) of the rod (34) is serpentine and has several straight sections (42) and curved sections (44) connecting them. 7. Storage device according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one of the curved sections (44) of the middle section facing away from the end sections (46) of the rod (34) (40) projects towards the side of the central section (40) facing away from the end sections (46). 8. Storage device according to claim 6, characterized in that the two end sections (46) extend from the central section (40) at an acute angle of preferably 70° to 90° to the plane spanned by the central section (40) of the rod (34). 9. Storage device according to claim 8, characterized in that each end section (46) of the rod (34) is U-shaped when viewed in plan view of the base part (38) of the storage element (18; 20) and has two leg sections (48, 52) and a curved connecting section (50), wherein one of the two leg sections (48) is connected to the middle section (40). 10. Storage device according to claim 9, characterized in that the two leg sections (48, 52) extend at an angle to one another when viewed in a side view of the base part (38) of the storage element (18; 20). 11. Storage device according to claim 9 and 10, characterized in that the leg sections (48) of the two end sections (46) of the rod (34) connected to the middle section (40) form the support surface for the bottom wall (30) of the housing (26) and that the other two leg sections (52) form spring legs for the resilient design of the bottom part (38) of the storage element (18; 20). 12. Storage device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that an end section (54) provided for fastening the storage element (18, -20) adjoins the other leg section (52). 13. Storage device according to claim 12, characterized in that on each end section (54) of the rod (34) a locking element (58) with a receiving opening (62) for the end section (54) and elastic tongues (60) delimiting this receiving opening (62) for clamping on all sides to the end section (54) of the rod (34). 14. Storage device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the side part (36) of the storage element (20) has two side part sections (64) running essentially at right angles to one another. 15. Storage device according to claim 14 and 6 or according to claim 14 and a claim dependent on claim 6, characterized in that the serpentine-shaped central section (40) extends along both side sections (64) . 16. Storage device for a portable computer, in particular for a laptop or notebook, and/or peripheral devices, such as printers and telecommunications equipment, in a portable case, with at least one elastic bearing element (18') for bearing against a housing (26) of a computer (22) or a peripheral device (24) provided with a base wall (30) and side walls (28), wherein the bearing element (18') has an elastically designed base part (38) for supporting the base wall (30) of the housing (26) and a side part (36) protruding from the base part (38), also elastic, for bearing against a side wall (28) of the housing (26), characterized ,
that the bearing element (18') has a shaped continuous spring-elastic strip material (72) which has at least one section (46) forming the bottom part (38) of the bearing element (18') and at least one section (40) forming the side part (36) of the bearing element (18'). 17. Storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that the strip material (72) consists of metal, in particular spring steel. 18. Storage device according to claim 17, characterized in that the spring-elastic strip material (72) is coated or surrounded by a cover, the material of the coating (74) or the casing is in particular made of elastic plastic. 19. Storage device according to one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that the strip material (72) is essentially L-shaped and has a first leg (76, 78) forming the side part (36) and a second leg (76, 78) forming the base part (38). 20. Storage device according to claim 19, characterized in that the second leg (78) has two leg sections (80, 82) which are substantially parallel to one another and offset in height and are connected via a central section (84) arranged therebetween, wherein the one leg section (82) is connected to the free end of the second leg (78) and the other leg section - 25 - (80) is connected to the first leg (76), and that the second leg (78) is provided within its leg section (82) forming the free end for abutment against the bottom wall (30) of a housing (26) or another object. 21. Storage device according to claim 20, characterized in that the middle section (84) runs at an acute angle not equal to 90°, in particular between 30° and 60° or between 40° and 50° and preferably of approximately 45° to the two leg sections (80, 82) of the second leg (78). 22. Storage device according to one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the first leg (76) in its section (88) connected to the second leg (78) runs at an acute angle of less than 90° to the two leg sections (80, 82) of the second leg (78) and in its section (90) forming the free end runs away from the leg section (82) at the free end of the second leg (78). 23. Storage device according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the strip material (72) or the rod (34) is connected to a molded body (16) designed as a deep-drawn film or as an injection-molded part, which is flexible within certain limits, the bottom part (38) of the storage element (18,-20;18') protruding over the edge of a recess (86) of the molded body (16). 24. Storage device according to claim 23, characterized in that the molded body (16) is accommodated in a hard-shell briefcase (10/10') with a base shell half (12) and a lid shell half (14) connected to it via joints (95), each of which has a base or lid wall (92) and side walls (94) projecting from it, the molded body (16) being arranged in the base shell half (12) so that the at least one housing (26) held by the at least one storage element (18; 20; 18') protrudes upwards from the base shell half (12), and that a cushioning element (102) is arranged on the inside of the side wall (94) of the lid shell half (14) carrying the joints, which cushioning element (102) when the hard-shell briefcase (10; 10') is closed between at least one storage element (18;20,-18') and the relevant side wall (94) of the cover shell half (14).