Portable container with vertical hanging folder storage

Abstract

A portable container for holding office products and documents includes a rigid structural portion capable of holding hanging folders in a cascading configuration and a cover portion attached to the rigid structural portion. The cover portion may be made from a pliable material, to make the container lightweight and aesthetically pleasing. The container may include a removable insert for supporting hanging file folders. The removable insert may also be used in other containers, such as desk drawers, boxes, filing cabinets, etc.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 10/798,633, filed on Mar. 11, 2004, that in turn claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/453,493, filed on Mar. 11, 2003, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to file organization, and more particularly to portable file organizer systems and products.

2. Description of the Related Art

Portable containers for holding office products and documents, such as brief cases and book bags, typically have either a rigid structure (e.g., a typical box-shaped brief case) or a pliable construction (e.g., a typical book bag constructed of canvas or other fabric material). While soft pliable book bags present a lightweight and stylish container for office products and documents, it is sometimes desirable to have a more rigid container for carrying files so that documents in the files are not creased or folded due to external loads to the container, such as, for example when placing the container in a storage area in a vehicle.

In addition, it is often difficult to manage hanging file folders that typically have a metal rib at the edge of each folder that can mar, scratch, or tear material in the container. It is also often difficult to quickly find a desired file if a stack of files is contained within a portable container.

The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a portable for holding office products and documents includes a rigid structural portion and a cover portion attached to the rigid structural portion. The cover portion may be attached to the rigid structural portion by at least one rod member. The outer cover portion may be attached to at least one of the rod members with flexible straps.

A shoulder strap may be secured to at least one of the cover portion and the rigid structural portion. Each end of the shoulder strap may be secured to the rigid structural portion by an attachment strap that passes through at least one aperture in the rigid structural portion. Each attachment strap may be secured using a pin that resides in a loop on the attachment strap and that has at least one dimension that is larger than a corresponding dimension of the aperture. Each pin may have a substantially “dog bone” shape.

The cover portion may include an upper panel that may be opened to provide access to file folders disposed within the container. The rigid structural portion may include file folder hanging surfaces having variable heights so that file folders hanging from the rigid structural portion are arranged in a cascading manner.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for supporting hanging file folders, in containers such as desk drawers, file cabinets, portable containers, boxes, and the like, is provided. The apparatus includes a removable insert having a plurality of fixed file support surfaces, and a plurality of longitudinal members that fix the fixed file support surfaces in a predefined spacing. A removable adaptor, including at lest one file support surface, may be removably secured to the removable insert. The removable adaptor may provide surfaces for supporting two file sizes simultaneously when secured to the removable insert in a first position, may provide surfaces for supporting a smaller file size when secured to the removable insert in a second position, and the removable insert may provide surfaces for supporting a larger file size when the removable adaptor is removed from the removable insert.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a portable container for holding office products and documents includes a rigid structural portion and a cover portion attached to the rigid structural portion. A shoulder strap may be secured to at least one of the cover portion and the rigid structural portion, and the cover portion may include an upper panel that may be opened to provide access internal contents of the portable container while carrying the portable container using the shoulder strap.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present invention or may be combined in yet other embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a portable container for holding office products and documents according to one aspect of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the portable container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the portable container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the portable container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a storage caddy that may be used in a container according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the storage caddy of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the storage caddy of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the storage caddy of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a removable insert that may be used to hold hanging file folders according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the removable insert of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of, showing a configuration for attaching a cover portion to a rigid structural portion;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view, taken along lines 12-12 of FIG. 11, the portable container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention in a closed configuration, with a stabilizing device in a stowed configuration;

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of the portable container of FIG. 13 in an open configuration with a stabilizing device in a deployed configuration;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of a portable container in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a rigid structural portion of a fourth embodiment of a portable container according to the invention and a removable insert for holding hanging file folders;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a portable container according to the invention in a closed configuration;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the portable container of FIG. 17 in an open configuration;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the portable container of FIG. 17 in a partially open configuration, with an upper panel open to permit access to hanging file folders and/or other items that may be contained within the portable container;

FIG. 20 is a an exploded perspective view of a portable container for holding office products and documents according to one a sixth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a plan view of the portable container of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a front elevational view of the portable container of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a side elevational view of the portable container of FIG. 20;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a storage caddy that may be used in a container according to the invention;

FIG. 25 is a front elevational view of the storage caddy of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the storage caddy of FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the storage caddy of FIG. 24;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the portable container of FIG. 20, in a partially open configuration, with an upper panel open to permit access to hanging file folders and/or other items that may be contained within the portable container; and

FIG. 29 is a perspective view from below of the portable container of FIG. 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

With reference initially to FIGS. 1 through 8, a first embodiment of a portable container 30 includes a rigid structural portion 32, that may be made from a molded plastic material (e.g., injection-molded plastic), and a cover portion 34, that may be made from a pliable material, such as nylon fabric. The rigid structural portion 32 may include reinforcing side panels 33 that may be used as auxiliary handles for supporting the portable container 30 with a user's hands. The cover portion 34 may include an upper panel 36 that may be opened using a zipper 38. The upper panel 36 and the zipper 38 may include large radius corners 37 and the upper panel 36 may be slightly oversized to provide a generally arc-shaped upper contour and to facilitate ease of zipper operation.

The cover portion 34 gives the appearance of a soft briefcase and the rigid structural portion 32 provides a solid and strong carrier structure, together providing a lightweight and sturdy container for books, documents, file folders, and other office supplies.

The portable container 30 is particularly well-suited for carrying hanging-type file folders 40, and, as set forth in further detail below, has capability for carrying file folders 40 of various standard sizes.

A shoulder strap 42 may be attached to the rigid structural portion 32 and/or to the cover portion 34 at attachment locations 44, and may pass through openings 46 in the outer cover portion 34.

When the upper panel 36 is opened, the internal contents of the portable container 30 may be accessed by a person while carrying the portable container 30 using the shoulder strap 42.

The portable container may also include a handle 48 and/or a storage caddy 50 that provides pockets 51 for pens, telephones, and other small objects. The storage caddy 50 thereby facilitates personalization by the user. The storage caddy 50 may be supported by web portions 52 that extend partially inward from each side of the rigid structural portion 32. The storage caddy 50 may also include front and rear lower portions 54, 56 that provide a cushioned bottom surface to a front compartment 58 in front of the storage caddy 50 and also a rear compartment 60 behind the storage caddy 50. This capability may be provided, for example, by padded forward and rear foot portions 62, 64 that extend horizontally from a front vertical portion 66 and a rear vertical portion 68, respectively. The front vertical portion 66 and the rear vertical portion 68 may be secured in a folded configuration using hook-and-loop fasteners 69 (FIG. 8), such as VELCRO brand fasteners. The storage caddy 50 may be stiffened by a cardboard stiffener 70 or the like.

If desired, the pockets 51 may be removably attached to the storage caddy 50, and may be removed and/or repositioned as desired by the user, for example, also using hook-and-loop fasteners, such as VELCRO brand fasteners.

The rigid structural portion 32 may include side rails 72 and 74 that provide a capability to hold hanging file folders 40 in a cascading fashion. For example, the side rails 72 and 74 may be arranged in a stair step fashion as shown in FIG. 4 with stepped surfaces 76 provided, lips 78 on each stepped surface 76 prevent folders from sliding off of the stepped surfaces 76.

A removable insert 80 may be provided as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in order to provide hanging capability as well as additional structural rigidity to the container 30.

The removable insert 80 may include a removable adaptor 82 that provides the capability to hold standard letter size hanging file folders 40a and/or legal size hanging file folders 40b. The removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82 may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, heavy-gauge metal wire, plastic, wood, etc. The removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82 may include a protective coating, such as a plastic coating, for example, if desired.

With the removable adaptor 82 in a first position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 10, the removable insert 80 may accept both smaller (e.g., letter size) hanging file folders 40a and larger (e.g., legal size) hanging file folders 40b. With the removable adaptor 82 in a second position, as shown in phantom (dashed) lines in FIG. 10, the removable adaptor 82 permits the removable insert 80 to support smaller size hanging file folders 40a only, and with the adaptor completely removed, the removable insert 80 will support larger size hanging file folders 40b only. Thus, the removable insert 80 and the removable-adaptor 82 provide a convenient and readily adaptable way to support hanging folders of one or both of the common standard sizes, in a cascading fashion. When not in use, the removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82 may each or both be conveniently stowed in the container 30, as they both have a low profile.

Of course, the removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82 may be configured to accommodate other folder sizes, such as, for example, A4 sized folders, as desired. The removable insert 80 may be used to support hanging file folders in any of a great number of environments, such as, for example, in containers such as desk drawers, file cabinets, portable containers, boxes, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the removable insert 80 may include a first upper file support surface 802, a second upper file support surface 804, a first lower file support surface 806, and a second lower file support surface 808. The file support surfaces 802, 804, 806, and 808 may be fixed in a predefined spacing by a forward longitudinal member 810, an intermediate longitudinal member 812, and a rearward longitudinal member 814.

The removable adaptor 82 may include a first file support surface 822, and a second file support surface 824, each of which may be provided with a hook-shaped end portion 826 and 827, respectively. The removable adaptor 82 may further include one or more step down portions 830 on either or both of the file support surfaces 822 and 824, in order to conform to the geometry of the removable insert 80. The hook-shaped end portions 826 and 828 may be adapted to engage the longitudinal members 814 and 812, respectively, of the removable insert 80, and a forward lateral member 832 may be provided on the removable adaptor, and may be adapted to engage the forward longitudinal member 810 of the removable insert 80.

As shown in FIG. 10, the removable adaptor 82 may be positioned on either side of the removable insert 80, as shown in solid lines on the right-hand side of FIG. 10, and in dashed lines on the left-hand side of FIG. 10, in order to accommodate a single smaller hanging folder size (such as letter-sized folders), as shown in the configuration on the right-hand side in solid lines of FIG. 10, or to accommodate two folder sizes, both a smaller size and a larger size (such as, for example, letter sized and legal sized folders), when positioned as shown on the left-hand side of FIG. 10 in dashed lines. In addition, the removable adaptor may be entirely removed from the wire insert 80, if desired, in order to accommodate only a single, larger size of hanging file folders (such as, for example, legal-sized hanging file folders).

The cover portion 34 may be attached to the rigid structural portion as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, by means of a rod member 84. The rod member 84 may be secured in a channel-shaped recess 86, with openings 88 to accommodate elastic straps 90 that may be used to attach the rod member 84 to the cover portion 34. To install the rod member 84, the elastic straps 90 may be stretched so that the rod member 84 clears a lip portion 92 of the channel-shaped recess 86. The rod member 84 may be constructed from any suitable material, such as, for example, steel, plastic, or wood.

With reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a second embodiment of the invention comprises a portable container 130 having a rigid structural portion 132 and a rigid cover portion 134, both of which may be manufactured from a plastic material. The cover portion 134 may be hingedly attached to the rigid structural portion 132, and the rigid structural portion 132 may include side rails 172, 174 each having a plurality of steps 176 to support hanging file folders in a cascading configuration. The portable container 130 may also include a stabilizing device 194 that may be rotated from a stowed position, as shown in FIG. 10 to a deployed position, as shown in FIG. 11, in order to provide additional stability to the portable container 130, for example, if it is being used in a vehicle. The portable container 130 may include a handle 148 and a shoulder strap 142.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 15, in which a portable container 230 includes a rigid structural portion 232 and a cover portion 234. The rigid structural portion 232 may include integral slots 272 and 274 such that the rigid structural portion 232 can support both letter size hanging file folders 40a and legal size hanging file folders 40b.

As shown in FIG. 16, according to fourth embodiment of the invention, the removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82 are shown in a rigid structural portion 332 in FIG. 16 in a configuration such that both letter sized hanging file folders and legal sized hanging file folders are supported by the removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82. As is seen in FIG. 16, the removable insert 80 and the removable adaptor 82 each has a stepped geometry, providing the capability to support hanging file folders 40a and 40b in a cascading manner.

FIGS. 17 through 19 depict a fifth embodiment of the invention in which a portable container 430 includes a rigid structural portion 432 and a cover portion 434. The entire cover portion 434 may be opened to expose the entire interior of the rigid structural portion 432, as shown in FIG. 18. The cover portion 434 may include an upper panel 436 that may be opened by means of a zipper 438 to provide access to hanging file folders contained within the portable container 430, as shown in FIG. 19. The rigid structural portion 432 may include sloped side rails 472 and 474, for supporting hanging file folders 40 in a cascading configuration.

A sixth embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 20 through 29, in which a portable container 530 includes a rigid structural portion 532 and a cover portion 534 having an upper panel 536. A shoulder strap 542 may be attached to the rigid structural portion 532 by means of a pair of attachment straps 544. Each attachment strap 544 may be constructed from flexible material, such as, for example, nylon webbing, and may have a lower loop that passes through a slot 546 in the rigid structural portion 532. Each attachment strap 544 may be secured by a “dog bone” shaped pin 548 (that may be made from steel, wood or plastic), that is larger (e.g., longer and/or wider in diameter) than the slot 546, and that may be removably secured in a snap-fit manner in a recess 550 beneath the slot 546. Each “dog bone” shaped pin 548 may have a central portion 552 having a smaller diameter than end portions 554 thereof, to secure the lower loop 545 of each strap 544 from sliding off the “dog bone” shaped pin 548.

A front flap portion 558 of the cover portion 534 may be removably secured to the rigid structural portion 532 by a pair of upper straps 560 that each releasably attach to lower straps 562 via a buckle 564. The lower straps 562 may be attached to the rigid structural portion 532 in a manner similar to the straps 544, using “dog bone” shaped pins 548. However, the lower straps 562 may alternatively be secured in place using a “T-fold” configuration 566 at the end of each strap 562. The lower straps 562 are not subjected to as high a load as the straps 544, that may support the weight of the portable container 530 and the contents thereof, so a higher strength connection (e.g., using “dog bone” pins), may not be necessary.

With reference to FIGS. 23 through 27, a storage caddy 568 may include a foot portion 570 that extends forward from the storage caddy 568. The foot portion 570 may include a horizontal web portion 572 and an upturned flange portion 574, that may each be sized and shaped to follow the contours of a front compartment 576. The foot portion 570 may also provide a cushioned bottom surface to the front compartment 576 in front of the storage caddy 568 and the storage caddy 568 may also define a rear compartment 578 behind the storage caddy 568.

If desired, pockets 580 may be removably attached to the storage caddy 568, and may be removed and/or repositioned as desired by the user, for example, also using hook-and-loop fasteners, such as VELCRO® brand fasteners.

The foregoing embodiments may facilitate improved ease of use, for example, by enabling a user to hold a portable container and access items such as file folders contained within the portable container while the portable container is opened. This may be accomplished either by opening the entire cover portion, or by opening an upper panel of the cover portion while carrying the portable container by the shoulder strap attached to the rigid structural portion thereof. Thus, ease of access to the contents of the portable container may be provided via the upper panel, such that a person carrying the portable container using the shoulder strap may access the contents of the portable container without having to put the portable container down.

Of course, and although not depicted in the drawing figures, if desired, wheels, and/or a retractable pull handle may be provided for any or all of the foregoing embodiments of the invention.

Although certain file organizer systems and products have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents. For example, although surfaces for supporting hanging file folders have been shown herein as having either a stair step or sloped geometry, other geometries are of course possible, including convex and concave curved shapes. Similarly, structures sized and shaped to accommodate letter sized and legal sized files have been specifically described and shown. However, other sizes of files, such as A4, for example, may be accommodated instead of, or in addition to the aforementioned files sizes, without extensive modifications to the embodiments shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A portable container for holding office products and documents, the portable container comprising:

a rigid structural portion; and

a cover portion attached to the rigid structural portion;

wherein the cover portion is attached to the rigid structural portion by at least one rod member.

2. The portable container of claim 1, wherein the cover portion is attached to at least one of the rod members with flexible straps.

3. The portable container of claim 1, further including a shoulder strap that is secured to at least one of the cover portion and the rigid structural portion.

4. The portable container of claim 3, wherein each end of the shoulder strap is secured to the rigid structural portion by an attachment strap that passes through at least one aperture in the rigid structural portion.

5. The portable container of claim 4, wherein each attachment strap is secured using a pin that resides in a loop on the attachment strap and that has at least one dimension that is larger than a corresponding dimension of the aperture.

6. The portable container of claim 5, wherein each pin has a substantially “dog bone” shape.

7. The portable container of claim 1, wherein the cover portion includes an upper panel that may be opened to provide access to file folders disposed within the container.

8. An apparatus for supporting hanging file folders, in containers such as desk drawers, file cabinets, portable containers, boxes, and the like, the apparatus comprising:

a removable insert having a plurality of fixed file support surfaces, and a plurality of longitudinal members that fix the fixed file support surfaces in a predefined spacing; and

a removable adaptor, including at lest one file support surface, that may be removably secured to the removable insert.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the removable adaptor includes a first file support surface and a second file support surface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first file support surface and the second file support surface include hook-shaped end portions adapted to engage the longitudinal members.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the removable adaptor is formed from metal wire material.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the removable insert is formed from a metal wire material.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the removable adaptor provides surfaces for supporting two file sizes simultaneously when secured to the removable insert in a first position, the removable adaptor provides surfaces for supporting a smaller file size when secured to the removable insert in a second position, and wherein the removable insert provides surfaces for supporting a larger file size when the removable adaptor is removed from the removable insert.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first position and the second position are 180 degrees apart from one another.

15. A portable container for holding office products and documents, the portable container comprising:

a rigid structural portion; and

a cover portion made from a pliable material and attached to the rigid structural portion; and

a shoulder strap that is secured to at least one of the cover portion and the rigid structural portion;

wherein the cover portion includes an upper panel that may be opened to provide access internal contents of the portable container while carrying the portable container using the shoulder strap.

16. The portable container of claim 15, wherein the upper panel may be opened using a zipper.

17. The portable container of claim 15, wherein the cover portion includes a front flap portion that is removably secured to the rigid structural portion.

18. The portable container of claim 17, wherein the front flap portion is removably secured to the rigid structural portion by at least one buckle.

19. The portable container of claim 15, wherein the rigid structural portion includes reinforcing side panels.

20. The portable container of claim 19, wherein the reinforcing side panels are adapted to be used as auxiliary handles for supporting the portable container with a user's hands.