JEWELRY/PARTS BOX WITH REMOVABLE CONTAINERS
A jewelry box including a drawer and a plurality of removable containers. The drawer includes an horizontal support in which is formed a plurality of openings. The sizes of the openings are configured to correspond to the sizes and shapes of the removable containers so that when a removable container engages a corresponding opening, the removable container is supported by the horizontal support of the drawer. In at least one embodiment, each removable container includes a peripheral flange that is larger than the corresponding opening, to engage the horizontal support of the drawer. In one embodiment, each removable container is tapered between its smaller base and a larger upper extent of the removable container. Optionally, the removable container can be flared at its opening and can include a flange configured to be grasped by a user.
This application is based on a prior copending provisional application, Ser. No. 60/761,828, filed on Jan. 25, 2006, the benefit of the filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(e).
BACKGROUNDMany types of jewelry boxes have been developed and are known in the art. For example, jewelry boxes with fixed-in-place separate inner compartments for different types of jewelry are available, as are jewelry boxes with fixed-in-place specialized inserts configured to engage earrings, and fixed-in-place specialized inserts configured to engage rings are known. However, properly positioning an item of jewelry to engage such fixed-in-place specialized inserts is not always easily accomplished. It would therefore be desirable to provide alternative jewelry box designs, adapted to be more readily used by the consumer.
SUMMARYDisclosed herein is a jewelry box including a plurality of drawers, each drawer including a plurality of removable containers, each removable container configured to accommodate one or more items of jewelry. A plurality of different size removable containers can be incorporated in the jewelry box. Alternatively, jewelry boxes including only identically-sized removable containers can also be implemented, in accord with the concepts disclosed herein. Furthermore, it should be recognized that these concepts encompass a jewelry box that includes only a single drawer configured to accommodate a plurality of removable containers.
The size of a removable container can be chosen to accommodate a particular type of jewelry. For example, removable containers used to store earrings or rings will likely be smaller than removable containers used to store bracelets or watches. Some (or all) of the removable containers in such a jewelry box can be lined with a soft or cushioning material, selected and configured to protect an item of jewelry. Examples of acceptable materials of this type include velvet, satin, and other types of soft material—in almost any desired color and selected because it is suitable not only to protect an item of jewelry, but also, to provide an aesthetic backdrop for the jewelry as well.
The drawers in such a jewelry box differ from most conventional drawers. A conventional drawer is generally configured as an open top box, i.e., four sides and solid bottom. Drawers for use in the jewelry boxes disclosed herein utilize a “horizontal support” including a plurality of openings, each opening being configured to engage a removable container of a specific size. Each removable container is tapered, such that a base of the removable container has a smaller “footprint” than an upper portion of the removable container. An opening in the horizontal support of the drawer is configured to receive a specific removable container, such that the opening is larger in size than a base of the specific removable container, yet smaller in size than an upper portion of the specific removable container. Thus, the base of the specific removable container will easily pass through the opening, but the upper portion of that specific removable container will not pass through the opening. This sizing and shape relationship makes it easier for a user to place a removable container into an appropriately sized opening, because the base (which is smaller than the opening) will not have to be perfectly aligned with the opening. Even if the opening and the base of the removable container are slightly misaligned when the removable container is being inserted into the opening, the tapered sides of the removable container will facilitate proper alignment of the removable container with the opening, as the removable container is lowered into the opening.
Preferably, each removable container will include a peripheral flange in an upper portion of the removable container, the peripheral flange being configured to engage the horizontal support portion of the drawer at the periphery surrounding the appropriately sized opening. In one exemplary embodiment, each removable container includes a flared upper opening incorporating an upper flange or raised lip, the upper flange/raised lip being configured to enable a user to more readily grasp the removable container to insert or withdraw it relative to the opening.
As noted above, conventional drawers are configured with four sides and a bottom. One side serves as an outer face of the drawer. Handles, knobs, or other such structures are included on the outer face of the drawer, to enable a user to open the drawer. In the exemplary jewelry boxes disclosed herein, the drawers also each have one side that serves as an outer face of the drawer. Additional sides can be included (e.g., the additional three sides required to achieve an open top box configuration); however, the additional sides are not required. Thus, in some embodiments of jewelry boxes in accord with the concepts disclosed herein, the drawers will include only a horizontal support incorporating the plurality of openings configured to receive the removable containers, and one side serving as an outer face of the drawer. The side serving as the outer face of the drawer will typically include hardware (such as one or more handles, knobs, or other such structures) to enable a user to open and close the drawer. In such a configuration, the interior portion of the jewelry box can include a sliding mechanism (such as opposed rails) configured to engage the horizontal support or sides of each drawer, to slidingly support the drawer.
In a conventional drawer, the bottom of the drawer is usually aligned proximate to the lower edges of the sides of the drawer (at times offset a small amount to enable a dado-type joint to be employed). In the exemplary jewelry boxes disclosed herein, the horizontal support of the drawer (i.e., the portion of the drawer including the plurality of openings configured to engage the removable containers) need not be aligned with a lower edge of the side forming the outer face of the drawer. In one exemplary embodiment, the horizontal support of the drawer is aligned proximate a mid portion of the side of the drawer forming the outer face of the drawer. The offset between the horizontal support of the drawer and the lower edge of the drawer's side (or sides) can be made slightly greater than a distance between the base and the peripheral flange of a removable container to be used in that drawer, to provide clearance for suspending the removable containers.
While in some embodiments, each drawer includes the outer face and the horizontal support (in which the openings for suspending the removable containers are formed), but no solid bottom panel underneath the horizontal support, if desired, a conventional solid bottom panel can be added underneath the horizontal support, preferably such that the spacing between the horizontal support and solid bottom panel is sufficient to enable the removable containers to be primarily supported by the horizontal support.
This Summary has been provided to introduce a few concepts in a simplified form that are further described in detail below in the Description. However, this Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Various aspects and attendant advantages of one or more exemplary embodiments and modifications thereto will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced Figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and Figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
Each drawer is configured to accommodate a plurality of removable containers. As noted above, some embodiments of jewelry boxes in accord with the concepts disclosed herein can be configured to accommodate a plurality of identically-sized removable containers. Jewelry box 10 has been specifically configured to accommodate a plurality of removable containers of varying sizes, including removable containers 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d. It should be recognized that the specific sizes of the removable containers, their shape, and the number of different sizes of removable containers employed in jewelry box 10, are intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. Many combinations and permutations of removable container sizes (and shapes) are clearly possible.
Referring now to
As discussed in greater detail below, it should be understood that removable containers having different cross-sectional shapes can be used in the jewelry boxes disclosed herein, and that the circular cross-sectional shape illustrated in
As noted above, while exemplary removable containers 20a-20d exhibit a generally circular cross-sectional shape, it should be recognized that such a cross-sectional shape is not intended to be limiting.
While the concepts disclosed herein have been described in the context of jewelry boxes, it should be recognized that such boxes (i.e., boxes including drawers having horizontal supports defining a plurality of openings configured to receive removable containers) may find use for storing small parts for hobbyists or fishermen, as well as for other purposes. Thus, it should be recognized that the concepts disclosed herein can be expanded to encompass boxes used for storing items other than jewelry.
For storing items other than jewelry, it is often beneficial to enable items to be organized according to their size and to accommodate items of different sizes.
As noted above, storage boxes encompassed within the concepts disclosed herein include boxes having drawers including a conventional solid bottom panel and a horizontal support. Where the drawers include a conventional bottom panel as well as the horizontal support including openings for the removable containers, the spacing between the horizontal support and bottom panel can be manipulated to achieve three different configurations. In a first configuration, the spacing is sufficiently large so that the removable containers are entirely supported by the horizontal support (i.e., the bottom surfaces of the removable containers do not touch the bottom panel, and the removable containers are supported by peripheral flanges or sidewalls engaging the horizontal support). In a second configuration, the spacing is such that the removable containers are supported both by the horizontal support and the bottom panel (i.e., the bottom surfaces of the removable containers touch the bottom panel, and peripheral flanges or sides of the removable containers engage the horizontal support). In a third configuration, the spacing is such that the removable containers are supported entirely by the bottom panel, and the openings in the horizontal support function to position (rather than to suspendingly support) the removable containers within the drawer (i.e., the bottom surfaces of the removable containers touch the bottom panel, and peripheral flanges/sidewalls on the removable containers do not supportingly engage the horizontal support). Where removable containers of different sizes are inserted into openings in the horizontal support of a particular drawer that also includes a solid bottom panel, the form factor of the individual container will determine whether that container is entirely supported by the horizontal support, entirely supported by the solid bottom panel, or supported by both the horizontal support and the solid bottom panel. Thus, each of the three configurations noted above could be achieved in a single drawer where a plurality of different sized removable containers are employed. The detailed description above focuses on embodiments that do not include such a conventional solid bottom panel, because less material is required to fabricate a drawer without such a conventional solid bottom panel, making such embodiments particularly preferred. It should be recognized however, that embodiments including such a conventional solid bottom panel are encompassed within the concepts disclosed herein.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred form of practicing it and modifications thereto, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that many other modifications can be made to the present invention within the scope of the claims that follow. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the invention in any way be limited by the above description, but instead be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A jewelry box comprising:
- (a) a drawer including an interior surface in which are formed a plurality of openings, the interior surface extending generally horizontally; and
- (b) a plurality of removable containers, each removable container being configured to engage an opening in the interior surface of the drawer, such that when a removable container engages the opening, a first portion of the removable container passes through the opening, and a second portion of the removable container is at least partially supported by the interior surface of the drawer in which the opening is formed.
2. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the second portion of each removable container is larger than an opening in the interior surface of the drawer with which the removable container is configured to engage.
3. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the second portion of each removable container comprises a peripheral flange.
4. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the peripheral flange is disposed in a central portion of the removable container, between a bottom of the removable container and an upper opening defining a top of the removable container.
5. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the interior surface of the drawer engages an outwardly facing side of the drawer proximate a mid-portion of an inner interior surface of the outwardly facing side of the drawer.
6. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein each removable container has a flared opening for insertion of an object.
7. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein each removable container has a flange around its top that is configured to be grasped by a user.
8. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings in the interior surface of the drawer are arranged in a sequential pattern according to a varying size of the plurality of openings.
9. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein at least one removable container has a lining disposed within it and configured to cushion an object inserted into the removable container.
10. A jewelry box comprising:
- (a) a plurality of drawers, each drawer including a horizontal support in which are formed a plurality of openings; and
- (b) a plurality of removable containers, each removable container being configured to engage an opening in the horizontal support of at least one of the plurality of drawers, such that when the removable container engages said opening, the removable container is supported by the horizontal support of the drawer in which the opening is formed.
11. The jewelry box of claim 10, wherein each removable container comprises a peripheral flange that is larger than an opening in the horizontal support of the specific one of the plurality of drawers in which the removable container is intended to be inserted, such that when the removable container is inserted into said opening, the peripheral flange engages the horizontal support of the drawer in which said opening is formed, thereby preventing the removable container from passing completely through the opening.
12. The jewelry box of claim 10, wherein each removable container comprises a base that is smaller than an upper extent of the removable container, such that the removable container is tapered between the base and the upper extent of the removable container, to facilitate insertion of the removable container into an opening in the horizontal support of a specific one of the plurality of drawers in which the removable container is intended to be inserted.
13. The jewelry box of claim 10, wherein in at least one of the plurality of drawers, the plurality of openings in the horizontal support of the drawer are arranged in a sequential pattern according to a varying size of the plurality of openings.
14. A box for storing jewelry or small objects, comprising:
- (a) a drawer that has a horizontal support in which is formed a plurality of openings; and
- (b) a plurality of removable containers, each removable container being configured to engage an opening in said drawer, such that when the removable container engages the opening, a first portion of the removable container passes through the opening.
15. The box of claim 14, wherein the plurality of openings in the horizontal support of the drawer are arranged in a sequential pattern according to a varying size of the plurality of openings.
16. The box of claim 14, wherein each removable container comprises a base that is smaller than an upper extent of the removable container, such that the removable container is tapered between the base and the upper extent of the removable container, to facilitate insertion of the removable container into an opening in the horizontal support of the drawer in which the removable container is intended to be inserted.
17. The box of claim 14, wherein each removable container comprises a peripheral flange that is larger than an opening in the horizontal support of the drawer in which the removable container is intended to be inserted, such that when the removable container is inserted into said opening, the peripheral flange engages the horizontal support of the drawer in which said opening is formed, thereby preventing the removable container from passing completely through the opening.
18. The box of claim 14, wherein each removable container has a flange around its top that is configured to be grasped by a user.
19. The box of claim 14, wherein the horizontal support of the drawer is coupled to and supported by a mid-portion of a side of the drawer.
20. The box of claim 14, wherein at least one removable container comprises a lining configured to cushion an object inserted into the removable container.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2007
Publication Date: Jul 26, 2007
Inventor: Heidi Saddler (Scottsdale, AZ)
Application Number: 11/625,971
International Classification: A45C 11/04 (20060101); A47F 3/14 (20060101);