Accessory Hooks

Abstract

Provided herein are table-edge hangers having a hook for hanging personal items such as a purses, jackets, and handbags. A hook as provided may be user-customizable, to display various images, including such things as photographs, pictures, and drawings. A hook as provided also has a means for illumination of the main case of the hook, which can serve as a beacon to the user or to otherwise provide a useful level of illumination.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to hardware accessories useful in managing personal items. More particularly, it relates to articles having hooks, from which handbags and the like may be hung while the article resides on a table top.

BACKGROUND

In restaurants, night clubs and other public gathering places where tabletops are accessible to the public, it is not unusual for people leave their purses, handbags and like items on the table or on the floor, or their jackets on the back of a chair while they dine or otherwise interact socially. Tabletops are intended to accommodate many items, such as dinnerware, ash trays, bouquets, condiments and the like; hence the surface area of table tops are often cluttered. If a means were available for assisting in managing the table top space, such as by providing a way to store handbags, purses, and other strapped items beneath the table in a suspended position, such would be undoubtedly welcomed by many users. If such means were to be user-customizable, it would have even more eye appeal. Additionally, if such means included illumination, it may serve as an identification landmark for persons in darkened rooms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment there is provided an accessory hook comprising: a case assembly. The case assembly comprises a main case having a substantially-circular wall having an inner surface, and also an outer surface, a top rim portion, a bottom rim portion, and an interior volume. There is a hook-receiving housing having a body, a proximal end, and a distal end, and the hook-receiving housing is attached to the outer surface of the main case at its proximal end. The hook-receiving housing further comprises a bore disposed through its body sufficiently to provide an opening at its distal end. There is a bezel containing a translucent covering, and the bezel is attached to the main case at the top rim. There is a hook having a first end portion, with the first end portion of the hook being pivotally disposed within the opening on the hook-receiving housing. There is an access cover disposed over the bottom rim portion of the main case, with the access cover being removably attached to the main case. A displayed image is disposed within the interior volume sufficiently to be visible through the translucent covering.

In another embodiment is provided an accessory hook comprising a case assembly. The case assembly comprises a main case having a substantially-circular wall having an inner surface, an outer surface, a bottom rim portion, and an interior volume. The wall of the main case comprises a plurality of holes disposed therethrough. There is a covering disposed over the top rim portion of the main case. There are a plurality of lights, each disposed through one of the holes on the wall. There is a battery disposed within the interior volume. A hook-receiving housing having a body, a proximal end, and a distal end, is attached to the outer surface of the main case at its proximal end. There is a bore disposed through the body of the hook-receiving housing sufficiently to provide an opening at its distal end. A hook having a first end portion, with its first end portion being pivotally disposed within the opening on the hook-receiving housing is also provided. There is an electrical switch, and there is an access cover disposed over the bottom rim portion of the main case, with the lights, switch, and battery being in effective electrical contact with one another such that when the switch is closed, the lamps are illuminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an accessory hook according to one embodiment, disposed on a tabletop;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the outer surfaces of a case assembly of an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows a side perspective view of a case assembly of an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the interior of a case assembly of an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is shown a perspective view of an access cover element useful in providing an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is shown a side perspective view of a spacer element useful in providing an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is shown an overhead perspective view of a spacer element useful in providing an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows a side perspective view of a hook element useful in providing an accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9a shows an exploded view of an accessory hook from the side perspective, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9b shows an side view of the hook-receiving housing according to one embodiment, including cooperative arrangement of the end portion of a hook and retainer screw useful in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows a side perspective view of an assembled accessory hook according to one embodiment;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the interior of a case assembly of an accessory hook according to an alternate embodiment;

FIG. 12 shows an overhead view of an accessory hook according to an alternate embodiment;

FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of the circuitry employed in an accessory hook according to an alternate embodiment; and

FIG. 14 shows a cross sectional view of a translucent covering according to one alternate embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 there is shown a perspective view of an accessory hook 10 according to one embodiment, disposed on a tabletop 5. In this embodiment is also visible a displayed image 20, which is disposed within the case assembly (12, FIG. 2) sufficiently to enable a person to view the displayed image 20. The accessory hook 10 is held in its position by gravitational forces, and in this embodiment one may hang a purse, handbag, or any other accessory item having a strap or lanyard, including but not limited to cameras, binoculars cell-phones, or the like, as one having ordinary skill will appreciate following consideration of the contents of the instant disclosure.

In FIG. 2 is shown a perspective view of the outer surfaces of a case assembly 12 of an accessory hook 10 according to one embodiment. The case assembly 12 comprises a main case 11, which may be thought of as a cylinder, as it comprises a substantially-circular wall having an inner surface 81 (FIG. 4), an outer surface 83, a top rim portion 85, a bottom rim portion 87, an inner diameter, an outer diameter, a length dimension, and an interior volume within its confines, inside of which other elements of an accessory hook 10 may be housed, including in one embodiment a displayed image 20 and a spacer 16 (FIG. 9a). Disposed at the top rim portion is a bezel 9, which may be integral with the main case 11, or which may be a separate element disposed on the top rim portion of the main case 11, such as by an interference fit, as such interference fit is commonly employed in the art of watch making and which is well-known in the art. The bezel 9 comprises an inner edge 51 and holds a translucent covering 7 in place, which translucent covering 7 may comprise any clear durable material, such as glass, or a polymeric material such as polycarbonate plastic, polyethylene terephthalate, or like materials known in the art. In an alternate embodiment, the translucent covering 7 is replaced by a simple cover, which may be a flat or curved piece of metal having decorative effects on it, such as jewels, mirrors, prisms, a silvered surface, a mirror, or other decorative finish, or anything which covers the top rim portion 85 (FIGS. 2, 3) of the main case 11.

FIG. 2 also depicts a hook-receiving housing 13, having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the hook-receiving housing 13 is attached at its proximal end to the outer surface of the main case 11, such as by adhesives or welding; however, the hook-receiving housing 13 and main case 11 may both be of the same casting or construct. The hook-receiving housing 13 is substantially-tubular in one embodiment, and is adapted to receive the first end portion 39 a hook 14, (FIG. 8) at a circular opening 15 that is disposed on the distal end of the hook-receiving housing 13. The hook-receiving housing 13 inherently comprises a body portion, which may be tubular as mentioned, and in another embodiment, the body of the hook-receiving portion 13 is substantially cylindrical or oval in cross section and comprises a bore disposed through it sufficiently to provide the circular opening 15 at its distal end. Thus, whether the body of the hook-receiving housing is tubular, cylindrical, oval, or substantially-cylindrical in cross section, it will preferably have a bore disposed through its body sufficiently to provide an opening 15 at its distal end. Such bore may extend only partially into the body of the hook-receiving portion, or it may extend all the way through, for embodiments in which an electrical switch 61 is housed on the hook-receiving housing 13 as later described, to enable passage of one or more wires through to the interior of the case assembly 12. The location of a retainer screw 17 is also shown, whose function is to retain a hook, as is later described.

FIG. 3 shows a side perspective view of a case assembly 12 of an accessory hook 10 according to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, showing the respective locations of the main case 11, bezel 9, translucent covering 7,and hook-receiving housing 13. There is an annular groove 19 disposed on the exterior surface of the hook-receiving housing 13, in which a threaded bore (not shown) that the retainer screw 7 resides in is disposed.

In FIG. 4 is shown a perspective view including the underside of a case assembly 12 of an accessory hook 10 according to one embodiment. Depicted are the respective locations of the main case 11, the translucent covering 7, and the hook-receiving housing 13 with its opening 15. Also shown is a band of threads 21 disposed on the inner surface of the wall comprising of the main case 11, within the interior volume of the main case 11. The threads in this band of threads 21 are complementary to external threads 31 present on the external surface of the main wall 29 of the access cover 18 that is shown in FIG. 5. Such provisions of threads permit the access cover 18 to be threadingly engaged with the case assembly 12.

In FIG. 5 is shown a perspective view of an access cover 18 useful in providing an accessory hook 10 according to one embodiment. The access cover 18 exists substantially in the form of a hollow cylinder, having an open top, a circular floor or bottom, a circumferential wall, and having a relatively short height dimension. The access cover 18 comprises a circular floor portion 49 having a surface that is interior to the cylinder, a surface that is exterior to the cylinder, an outer perimeter and a main wall 29. The main wall 29 has an inner surface 59, an outer surface 55, an upper edge 53, and a lower edge 57, with the floor portion 49 being attached to the main wall 29 at the lower edge 57 of the main wall 49. There are threads 31 disposed circumferentially about the outer surface 55 of the main wall 29, which threads are complementary to the band of threads 21 that are disposed on the inner surface of the wall of the main case 11 (FIG. 4). Such arrangement permits the access cover 18 to be screwed into place within the main case 11, or readily removed therefrom by un-screwing. In one embodiment there is an annular rim 33 disposed annularly about the main wall 49, which annular rim 33 acts as a stop when one threadingly engages the access cover 18 to the main case 11 by the bottom rim portion 87 of the main case 11 abutting the annular rim 33 upon sufficient engagement of the complementary threads aforementioned. In one embodiment there is also a gripping surface 35 disposed on the face of the floor portion 49 that is exterior to the open cylinder defined by the floor portion 49 and main wall 29. Thus, when substantially planar or planar, the floor portion 49 has a first surface that faces the interior volume of the main case 11 and a second surface that is inherently external to that interior volume. In one embodiment, the gripping surface is a disc of rubber, attached to the exterior surface of the floor portion 49 by a conventional means, such as by adhesives, fasteners, etc., with an adhesive being most preferred. The function of the gripping surface 35 is to prevent easy lateral movement of an accessory hook 10 when it is disposed on a tabletop. Towards this end, the gripping surface 35 may in an alternate embodiment comprise knurling on the outer surface of the floor portion 49, or may comprise a coating, such as a polymeric coating, including without limitation: polyolefin polymers (including copolymers thereof), poly-halogenated polyolefin polymers, polyurethane polymers, styrenics, polyureas, rubbers, or any polymeric material known to those in the art. In one embodiment, when the access cover 18 is attached to the case assembly 12, a volume is defined which is bounded by the translucent covering 7, the floor portion 49, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of: the inner surface 59 of the main wall 29 of the access cover 18 and the inner surface 81 of the main case; or a combination of the inner surface 81 and inner surface 59.

One function of an accessory hook 10 according to this disclosure is to provide a displayed image 20 (FIG. 1) within the interior confines of the main case 11 so as to be readily visible through the translucent covering 7 to the eyes of a person situated in the proximity of the accessory hook 10. In some embodiments, the distance between the substantially-flat or flat surface of the floor portion 49 which is interior to the cylindrical volume defined by the main case 11 and the top rim 53 of the main case 11 is greater than the thickness dimension of the displayed image 20, which may in some cases be a photograph or other image disposed on a substrate whose thickness is less than about a millimeter. For such instances, it is desirable to employ a spacer 16 such as that depicted in the embodiment shown in the side-view perspective of FIG. 6, to prevent movement or shifting of the displayed image within the main case 11. In one embodiment, a suitable spacer 16 is, overall about three millimeters thick when the rigid substrate and displayed image together are about one millimeter thick, and comprises a flat portion 23 and a raised portion 25. From the overhead perspective view of FIG. 7 it can be seen that the flat portion is generally circular in shape and may comprise a plurality of cutouts 27 to save raw material when the spacer 16 is made from injection-molded polymer or stamped metal such as steel. In one embodiment the raised portion 25 may exist in the form of a ring extending upwardly from the flat portion 23. However, any article which holds the displayed image 20 in a stationary position within the confines of an accessory hook 10 as herein described is suitable.

In FIG. 8 is shown a side perspective view of a hook 14 useful in providing an accessory hook 10 according to one embodiment. The hook 14 comprises a first shank 37, second shank 41, third shank 43 and fourth shank 45. The hook 14 has two ends, one of which is the first end portion 39 that is disposed at the end of its first shank 37, and the other end terminating at a spheroid 47 disposed at the end of the fourth shank 45. In one embodiment the hook 14 is configured so that when free-standing it may be laid flat on a tabletop surface and appear as shown in FIG. 8. There is an angle alpha α between the first shank 37 and second shank 41, which angle alpha α may be any angle having any degree within the range of between about 75 and 105 degrees, and in one embodiment is about 90 degrees. There is an angle beta β between the second shank 41 and third shank 43, which angle beta β may be any angle having any degree within the range of between about 110 and 160 degrees, and in one embodiment is about 135 degrees. There is an angle lambda λ between the third shank 43 and fourth shank 45, which angle lambda λ may be any angle having any degree within the range of between about 75 and 105 degrees, and in one embodiment is about 90 degrees. The hook 14 also comprises an annular channel 491 disposed along the first shank 37 near its first end portion 39. In one embodiment, the hook 14 is comprised of a single piece of thick wire, about 3-4 mm in diameter, which is fabricated by bending, although any diameter in the range of between about 1 mm and 8 mm are useful. Preferably, the hook 14, main case 11, hook-receiving portion 13, and access cover 18 are comprised of a metal or metallic alloy, can be made by casting, stamping or machining, and may have a decorative finish, such as by having been electroplated with bright chromium, brass, or other decorative finishes known to those skilled in the electroplating art. However, other materials of construction including polymers and composites are also useful for constructing various elements of an accessory hook 10 as provided herein.

In FIG. 9a is shown an exploded view of one embodiment of an accessory hook 10 (FIG. 1) from the side perspective, in which is depicted the arrangement of the elements of the case assembly 12, spacer 16, and access cover 18. The displayed image 20 may be a free-standing image, such as a photograph, or any other design or image desired by the user. The displayed image may also be disposed on or adhered to a rigid substrate 69, such as a metallic disk as a supportive backing, such as by a conventional adhesive, two-sided tape, etc., wherein the rigid substrate 69 is of any thickness sufficient to cooperatively contact the spacer 16 when present or access cover and maintain the displayed image 20 in a stationary position within the case assembly 12. In one embodiment the rigid substrate 69 is a steel disk having a thickness of about 30 microns and the displayed image 20 is a photograph on ordinary photograph paper. Preferably, the displayed image and rigid substrate each have a diameter which is greater than the diameter of the translucent covering, but less than the inner diameter of the main case 11.

Such dimensions enable the displayed image to be held between the substrate and the surface of the bezel which is within the interior volume of the case assembly, or main case.

In FIG. 9b is shown a side view of the hook-receiving housing 13 according to one embodiment, including the cooperative arrangement of the features near the first end portion 39 of the first shank 37 of hook 14, and retainer screw 17 useful in accordance with one embodiment. The first end portion 39 of the hook 14 is seen to be disposed within the opening 15 of the hook-receiving housing 13, and maintained in position by means of a retainer screw 17 being threadingly engaged within the wall of the hook-receiving housing 13 such that the end portion of the retainer screw 17 resides within the annular channel 491 that is disposed near the first end portion 39 of hook 14. Thus, removal of the hook 14 may be effected by loosening the retainer screw 17 and simply pulling the hook 14 from the opening 15 of the hook-receiving housing 13. This arrangement also permits the hook 14 to be disposed within the hook-receiving housing 13 pivotally, capable of pivoting about a point P shown in FIG. 10 in the directions indicated by the double-headed arrow. Also shown by dotted line in FIG. 9b is the bore 481, which may extend partially into the body of the hook-receiving housing, or may extend clear through it to exit at, or form an opening at, its proximal end. In any event, the depth of the bore as perceived from the opening 15 is sufficient to admit the first shank 37 of the hook 14 to permit its engagement with the retainer screw 17, which may be any type of screw.

In FIG. 11 is shown a perspective view of the interior of a case assembly 12 of an accessory hook according to an alternate embodiment. In FIG. 11, the main case 11 is provided with a plurality of holes on its wall portion, through which holes are provided sources of illumination or lights 65, held in place by interference fit or by conventional adhesives. The lights 65 may be incandescent lamps, or may comprise light emitting diodes, the purpose of which is to provide illumination to the accessory hook 10 of which such a main case 11 is an integral part. To effectuate illumination of the lights 65, a battery 63 is provided within the confines of the main case 11, in addition to electrical conduit wires 67, and a switch 61, which in one embodiment is a single-pole single-throw switch. In another embodiment, the switch 61 is a rotary switch. In one embodiment, the battery 63 is of the compact type, exemplified by the type referred to in the art as AG-13; however, any compact cell, whether lithium, alkaline, mercury or other are suitable for use in this embodiment provided the cell selected has sufficient voltage to illuminate the lamps.

In one embodiment, the battery 63 is affixed to the interior of the main case 11, such as by a conventional adhesive. In another embodiment, the battery is contained in its own compartment, which is integral or attached to the floor portion 49 of the access cover 18 so as to be confined within the interior of the case assembly 12 of the accessory hook 10. In such an embodiment, a door is provided on the floor portion 49 of the access cover itself, to enable a user to change the battery 63 as may become necessary. Conventional conduit wires 67 are attached to the battery, either directly, or to metallic contact pads which themselves are held in fixed position by the construct of the battery compartment and which contact pads are disposed to be in contact with the battery 63 when it is in its normal installed position. Such arrangements for containing batteries and contact pads are known in the art and commonly employed in various electronic devices, including wristwatches and hearing aids. In one embodiment, the lights 65 are wired in series circuit with the battery. In another embodiment, the lights 65 are wired in parallel circuit with the battery. In a parallel-wired arrangement, the casing itself may be grounded, thus eliminating the need for one of the wires. The switch 61 is preferably housed within the hook-receiving housing 13 and has its toggle portion accessible to a user such that the lights 65 may be illuminated by a simple flick or rotation of the switch, the toggle being accessible in one embodiment by virtue of there being a hole in the wall of the hook-receiving housing through which the toggle protrudes. The body of the switch 61 is held in position on the exterior of, or within the hook-receiving housing 13 by conventional adhesives, conventional fasteners, by interference fit, or by a weld. The wires 67 which connect the switch to the remainder of the circuit pass through the hook-receiving portion 13 at the wall of the main case 11 where the main case 11 and hook-receiving portion are attached, leading to the interior of the accessory hook 10. The wires 65 can be maintained in position by means of an adhesive, or by their own rigidity.

In FIG. 12 is depicted an overhead view of an accessory hook 10 according to an alternate embodiment, showing the respective locations of the lights 65 disposed on the outside of the main case 11. FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of the circuitry employed in an accessory hook according to an alternate embodiment showing the respective locations of the lights 65, battery 63 and switch 61.

Although disclosed in one embodiment as being engaged with the main case 11 by means of threads, the access cover 18 in all embodiments herein disclosed may be attached to the main case 11 by interference fit, such as the known interference fit arrangement employed in watch making, wherein the back cover of a wristwatch is simply pried off to gain access to the internal contents of the watch case. Such interference fit includes complementary machining on the access cover and case, including a protruding lip on the case that is complimentarily matched with a gripping rim on the cover, as such arrangements are known in the art. An equivalent arrangement is one where a circumferential groove is present on the case and the cover is dimensioned to snap into place within the groove. Removal is accomplished by inserting a stiff object into a cutout or slot in the cover and prying. Such embodiments alleviate the need of threads on the inner wall of the main case.

In an alternate embodiment, the lights 65 may be disposed through the translucent covering 7 as shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 14 and also in FIG. 12. In an alternate embodiment, one or more lights 65 may be disposed through the bezel 9, as shown in FIG. 12.

Consideration must be given to the fact that although this invention has been described and disclosed in relation to certain preferred embodiments, obvious equivalent modifications and alterations thereof will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in this art upon reading and understanding this specification and the claims appended hereto. This includes subject matter defined by any combination of any one of the various claims appended hereto with any one or more of the remaining claims, including the incorporation of the features and/or limitations of any dependent claim, singly or in combination with features and/or limitations of any one or more of the other dependent claims, with features and/or limitations of any one or more of the independent claims, with the remaining dependent claims in their original text being read and applied to any independent claims so modified. This also includes combination of the features and/or limitations of one or more of the independent claims with features and/or limitations of another independent claims to arrive at a modified independent claim, with the remaining dependent claims in their original text being read and applied to any independent claim so modified. Accordingly, the presently disclosed invention is intended to cover all such modifications and alterations, and is limited only by the scope of the claims which follow.

Claims

1) An accessory hook comprising:

a) a case assembly, which comprises: i) a main case having a substantially-circular wall having an inner surface, an outer surface, a top rim portion, a bottom rim portion, and an interior volume; ii) a hook-receiving housing having a body, a proximal end, and a distal end, said hook-receiving housing being attached to the outer surface of said main case at its proximal end, and further comprising a bore disposed through its body sufficiently to provide an opening at its distal end; and iii) a bezel containing a translucent covering, said bezel being attached to said main case at said top rim;

b) a hook having a first end portion, said first end portion of said hook being pivotally disposed within said opening on said hook-receiving housing;

c) an access cover disposed over the bottom rim portion of said main case, said access cover being removably attached to said main case; and

d) a displayed image disposed within said interior volume sufficiently to be visible through said translucent covering.

2) An accessory hook according to claim 1 wherein said access cover comprises a first surface that faces said interior volume and a second surface that is external to said interior volume, said second surface comprising a gripping surface disposed thereon

3) An accessory hook according to claim 1 wherein said access cover comprises:

i) a main wall that comprises an inner surface and an outer surface; and

ii) a floor portion having a first surface that faces said interior volume and a second surface that is external to said interior volume,

said access cover being removably attached to said main case.

4) An accessory hook according to claim 3 wherein said inner surface of said main case comprises a first band of threads disposed thereon, and wherein said outer surface of said main wall of said access cover comprises a second band of threads disposed thereon which are complementary to said first band of threads.

5) An accessory hook according to claim 3 further comprising a gripping surface disposed on said second surface that is external to said interior volume of said main case.

6) An accessory hook according to claim 1, further comprising a spacer disposed between said floor portion of said access cover and said displayed image.

7) An accessory hook according to claim 1 wherein said displayed image is disposed on a rigid substrate and further comprising a spacer disposed between said floor portion of said access cover and said rigid substrate.

8) An accessory hook according to claim 1, wherein said hook comprises a first shank having a first end portion, a second shank, a third shank and a fourth shank having a second end portion, said first shank intersecting said second shank at an angle alpha, said second shank intersecting said third shank at an angle beta, and said third shank intersecting said fourth shank at an angle lambda, wherein said angle alpha is any angle in the range of between about 75 and 105 degrees, wherein said angle beta is any angle in the range of between about 110 and 160 degrees, and wherein said angle lambda is any angle in the range of between about 75 and 105 degrees.

9) An accessory hook according to claim 8 wherein said hook comprises an annular groove disposed on its first shank and wherein said hook-receiving housing includes a threaded bore, said hook being pivotally disposed within said opening by means of a screw disposed within said threaded bore.

10) An accessory hook according to claim 1, wherein said hook comprises a first shank having a first end portion, a second shank, a third shank and a fourth shank having a second end portion, said first shank intersecting said second shank at an angle alpha, said second shank intersecting said third shank at an angle beta, and said third shank intersecting said fourth shank at an angle lambda, wherein said angle alpha is about 90 degrees, wherein said angle beta is about 135 degrees, and wherein said angle lambda is about 90 degrees.

11) An accessory hook according to claim 1 wherein one element selected from the group consisting of: said wall of said main case, said bezel, and said translucent covering, comprises a plurality of holes disposed therethrough, and further comprising:

e) a at least one light, said at least one light being disposed through one of said holes;

f) an electrical switch;

g) an electrical storage battery disposed within said interior volume, said at least one light, switch, and battery being in effective electrical contact with one another such that when said switch is closed, said lamps are illuminated.

12) An accessory hook according to claim 11 wherein said hook-receiving housing includes a hole in its wall and wherein said switch comprises a toggle, said toggle being disposed through said hole on said wall of said hook-receiving housing.

13) An accessory hook comprising:

a) a case assembly, which comprises: i) a main case having a substantially-circular wall having an inner surface, an outer surface, a bottom rim portion, and an interior volume, said wall of said main case optionally comprising at least one hole disposed therethrough; ii) a covering disposed over said top rim portion of said main case, said covering optionally comprising at least one hole disposed therethrough, iii) one or more lights, said one or more lights each being disposed through said holes on a location selected from the group consisting of: said wall and said covering; iv) a battery disposed within said interior volume; v) a hook-receiving housing having a body, a proximal end, and a distal end, said hook-receiving housing being attached to the outer surface of said main case at its proximal end, and further comprising a bore disposed through its body sufficiently to provide an opening at its distal end,

b) a hook having a first end portion, said first end portion of said hook being pivotally disposed within said opening on said hook-receiving housing;

c) an electrical switch; and

d) an access cover disposed over the bottom rim portion of said main case, said lights, switch, and battery being in effective electrical contact with one another such that when said switch is closed, said lamps are illuminated.

14) An accessory hook according to claim 13 wherein said access cover comprises a first surface that faces said interior volume and a second surface that is external to said interior volume, said second surface comprising a gripping surface disposed thereon

15) An accessory hook according to claim 14, wherein said access cover comprises:

i) a main wall that comprises an inner surface and an outer surface; and

ii) a floor portion having a first surface that faces said interior volume and a second surface that is external to said interior volume,

said access cover being removably attached to said main case.

16) An accessory hook according to claim 15 wherein said inner surface of said main case comprises a first band of threads disposed thereon, and wherein said outer surface of said main wall of said access cover comprises a second band of threads disposed thereon which are complementary to said first band of threads.

17) An accessory hook according to claim 15 further comprising a gripping surface disposed on said second surface that is external to said interior volume of said main case.

18) An accessory hook according to claim 13, wherein said hook comprises a first shank having a first end portion, a second shank, a third shank and a fourth shank having a second end portion, said first shank intersecting said second shank at an angle alpha, said second shank intersecting said third shank at an angle beta, and said third shank intersecting said fourth shank at an angle lambda, wherein said angle alpha is any angle in the range of between about 75 and 105 degrees, wherein said angle beta is any angle in the range of between about 110 and 160 degrees, and wherein said angle lambda is any angle in the range of between about 75 and 105 degrees.

19) An accessory hook according to claim 18 wherein said hook comprises an annular groove disposed on its first shank and wherein said hook-receiving housing includes a threaded bore, said hook being pivotally disposed within said opening by means of a screw disposed within said threaded bore.

20) An accessory hook according to claim 13, wherein said hook comprises a first shank having a first end portion, a second shank, a third shank and a fourth shank having a second end portion, said first shank intersecting said second shank at an angle alpha, said second shank intersecting said third shank at an angle beta, and said third shank intersecting said fourth shank at an angle lambda, wherein said angle alpha is about 90 degrees, wherein said angle beta is about 135 degrees, and wherein said angle lambda is about 90 degrees.