US3057464A - Pocket-size container for small articles - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1962 C. E. BAGGOTT, SR

POCKET-SIZE CONTAINER FOR SMALL ARTICLES Filed March 50, 1961 Fig./

Char/es E. Baggah. 5:

IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent *Ofilice 3,057,464 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,057,464 PGCKETSIZE CQNTAENER FDR SMALL ARTFCLES Charles E. Eaggott, Sn, Box 54, Fort Green, Fla. Filed Mar. 3t 1961, Ser. No. 99,597 3 Claims. (Cl. 20637) This invention relates to an improved pocket-size container in which small articles may be temporarily stored and conveniently carried in a safe and practical manner, and has reference to a container which is especially, but not necessarily, adapted to accommodatingly carry fish hooks and lures.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and suitable article container which may be satisfactorily carried in a tackle box and which has attaching eyes at its ends making it practical to tie and link a plurality of the containers together in end-to-end relation with a string, thus making up a chain which can be strung over ones shoulder or caused to encircle his waist to function as a belt. Also, a plurality or group of the containers can be joined end-to-end by elastic bands and the then existing ring or chain can be worn around the users hat band.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container made up of inner and outer telescopically connected relatively rotatable transparent plastic sleeves or tubes, said tubes being longitudinally bowed or curved so that entrance slots therein may be aligned and disaligned, the curvature of the tubes functioning to hold the slots open or closed as desired.

Briefly, the invention comprises an outer open ended tube having an entrance opening, an inner tube fitting telescopically into the outer tube and having end portions projecting through and beyond the corresponding end portions of the outer tube and closed, said inner tube also having an entrance opening, said inner tube constituting the container proper and the outer tube constituting a closure, said openings being normally disaligned and being capable of being aligned and registered to permit access to articles stored in the container.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a small article container constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view on a slightly enlarged scale taken on the longitudinal line 22 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is an exaggerated cross-section on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 wherein the slots are disaligned and the container is closed;

FIGURE 4 is a view like FIGURE 3 wherein the slots are aligned and the container is therefore open; and

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view wherein the component parts are clearly shown.

With reference to FIGURE 5 the inner transparent plastic tube or sleeve is denoted by the numeral 8. The companion and complemental outer transparent plastic tube or sleeve is denoted by the numeral 10. It will be noted that both sleeves are longitudinally bowed (or arcuately curved), the tube 8 being of a length greater than the tube 10. One end portion of the tube 8 is denoted by the numeral 12 and the other end portion by the numeral 14. The median portion of this tube is pro vided with an elongated entrance slot 16. The lefthand end of the larger outer sleeve or tube is denoted by the numeral 18, the other or righthand end is designated at 20 and is provided with an encircling outstanding collar which is knurled at 22 and provides a suitable fingergrip. The tube 8 is of shape-sustaining rigid plastic material. The tube 10 is mildly elastic and is therefore deformable in shape. It is deformed when a torsional twist is imparted thereto, that is when the two sleevesare telescopically assembled. The outer tube 10 is sleeved over the exterior of the inner tube 8 and when it is fully in position the end 12 of the tube 8 projects slightly beyond the end 20 of the tube 10. By the same token the end portion 14 of the inner tube 8 projects slightly beyond the end 18 of the outer tube as is evident by examining FIG- URES l and 2 in particular. Therefore, the outer tube or sleeve is described as slightly shorter than the inner one. The outer tube is also provided with an elongated entrance slot 24 and these slots may be aligned or disaligned by turning the tubes in relation to each other, that is by holding one tube with one hand and the other tube with the other hand. The end portions 12 and 14 of the tube 8 are closed by end closures in the manner shown. Since the tube 1 is circular in cross-section the end closure in each instance comprises a disk 26 the same being provided on the center of its outer side with an eye 28 and on the center of its inner side with a reduced plug 30. The plug is plugged into the cooperating end and thus the ends 12 and 14 are satisfactorily closed. The diameter of the disk 26 in each instance is greater than the cross-section of the tube with the result that the marginal edges project beyond the peripheral surfaces and by reason of this construction the closures maintain two tubes in telescoping rotatably assembled relationship. The respective slots 16 and 24 are located on their respective tubes or sleeves so that they are sufliciently close together that a turn of approximately degrees will serve to either open or close the slots and in this connection it will be noted that the slots are disaligned and closed in FIGURE 3 and are aligned and open in FIGURE 4. Therefore, in the latter situation the container space is accessible and lures, hooks and small miscellaneous articles may be deposited in the space. After the articles have been inserted the two tubes are individually grasped and turned to close the slots as shown in FIGURE 3. The closing disks 26 provide suitable finger-grips for the inner tube and the aforementioned collar 22 provides a suitable finger-grip for the outer tube 10.

By positioning the slots in relation to each other and in relation to the curvatures of the respective tubes it will be seen that by using a rigid inner tube and a mildly resilient or elastic outer tube the deformable properties inherent in the outer tube serve to maintain it in either the open or closed position as desired by the user. In either position the outer tube stays put so that the user can conveniently load the container 8 or remove articles therefrom as desired.

It may be mentioned that when the outer tube is sleeved or slipped on the inner tube the slots do not match and therefore the container is closed. By having the outer tube sufficiently short it permits a 90 degree rotation of the slot of the outer tube directly over the slot in the inner tube. These units or tubes may be made in any size and when coupled together by elastic bands (not shown) they provide a chain, so to speak, that may be worn around ones hatband or if made into a chain sufliciently large, used as 21 waist encircling belt.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A pocket-size container for temporarily storing and carrying small articles comprising: an inner tube open at its ends and provided between its ends With an entrance and exit slot for the small articles, closure members for the ends of said inner tubes having plug portions plugged telescopically into the ends and closing the same, said tube being elongated and circular in crosssection, said closures being discoidal and of a diameter greater than the cross-sectional diameter of said inner tube with the marginal edges thereof projecting beyond the outer peripheral surface portions of said inner tube, and a complemental outer tube also circular in cross-section sleeved over and rotatively encasing the inner tube and having an entrance and exit slot selectively registrable with said first-named slot, the unslotted portion of said outer tube providing a cover for the slot in the inner tube when in an intended normal slot covering position, said outer tube being of a length shorter than the inner tube, said inner tube being rigid and shape-sustaining and said outer tube mildly elastic and deformable in shape, both of said tubes being longitudinally curved, the curvatures being such that when the tubes have been manually rtated relative to each other in a manner to disalign the slots the torsional twist to which the outer tube is subjected first deforms the shape of said outer tube in a manner grippingly retained it in a slot-closing position on the inner tube and secondly allows the tubes to be 4 individually caught hold of and rotated relative to each other whereby to bring the two slots into alignment with each other.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said tubes are made of transparent plastic material, the outer tube having an outstanding knurled collar at one end inwardly of and adjacent to the cooperating closure member and of a diameter greater than the outer diameter of said closure member and providing a fingergrip, said closures providing selectively usable finger-grips for the inner tube.

3. The structure according to claim 2 and wherein each closure is provided centrally and extcriorly with an accessible eye, the eyes being adapted to accommodate flexible tying elements which when in use serve to permit several of the article carriers to be tied and thus linked together as a group.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 489,426 VVientge Jan. 3, 1893 527,644 Akers Oct. 16, 1894 601,416 Harrison Mar. 29, 1898 FOREIGN PATENTS 662,669 Germany July 19, 1938

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