Lift tool organizer
A tool box organizer having walls defining a container with an open top wall for receiving a selection of work related hand tools, parts and pieces and providing secure storage for the tools which are locked within the tool box organizer which is securely locked to a lift and raised above the ground making unauthorized access to the tools difficult. The tool box organizer includes a lid hingedly connected to the container for selectively opening and closing the open top wall. A bracket detachably mounts the tool box on a vertically disposed wall having a horizontal rail of a lift or bucket. The bracket includes a support member with respectively a front and rear face and first and second inverted ‘J’ shaped hooks disposed in selected spaced relation and projecting outwardly from the rear face. The hooks suspend the tool box from the wall horizontal. First and second inter engagable members respectively on the front face of the bracket and a rear face of the tool box detachably mounts the tool box in a cantilevered state from the front face of the bracket. The bracket has a lower portion spaced downwardly from the hooks that engages the wall to stabilize the bracket in a vertical orientation. The hinge for the lid is positioned at the leading edge of the box opposite the attachment point on the lift in order that the lid can be folded flat against the exterior sidewall of the box out of the way of the user.
This application is a Continuation in Part of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/134,103 filed on May 27, 2011, and is related to applicants U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,641, granted Oct. 2, 2007 from U.S. application Ser. No. 10/842,340 filed on May 10, 2004 entitled TOOL & SMALL ITEM ORGANIZER & CONTAINER filed as a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/152,768, filed May 22, 2002 now abandoned, entitled TOOL AND SMALL ITEM ORGANIZER AND CONTAINER which is incorporated by reference herein. Reference to documents made in the specification is intended to result in such patents or literature cited are expressly incorporated herein by reference, including any patents or other literature references cited within such documents as if fully set forth in this specification.
FIELD OF INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to improvements relating to tool boxes and mounting thereof on a workers cage carried by an extendible and retractable boom and to a tool box for such purpose having a modified lid.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTIONSecuring and storing tools and miscellaneous pieces of hardware where they are conveniently available to a worker on the job can often times present a problem as well as present a safety hazard. This can be a particularly serious problem when the worker is in a confined space such as when working in the work cage on an aerial lift boom. Aerial lift booms are conventionally carried on a truck, tractor or the like motorized vehicle and are widely used in the construction trades, utility repair, tree surgery and other similar areas that require access to carry out work in places that may or may not be reached by a ladder. Aerial lift booms are more convenient and more efficient than ladders for use in locations to which the chassis can be moved.
The workers cage is restricted in size and provides only a limited floor area on which to store parts and hand tools that may be required. In addition, the cage, being at the end of the boom, can be unsteady and the presence of items on its floor may present a hazard to the worker. On occasion the worker may wear a tool belt but they can be an impediment for the worker.
Several U.S. patents describe methods and apparatus for holding large tools in the bucket of a boom lift. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,713 by Johnson describes a tool holder that is secured to a boom lift bucket. The tool holder consists of a bent flexible plate and a tool holding strap extending between opposite edges of the plate. The tool holder is designed to hold elongated tools such as poles and remote mount saws and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,837 by Kistner, also relates to a tool holder for securing elongated tools on the boom lift bucket. The tool holder is clamped to the upper side edge of the bucket and includes pivotal clamping apparatus for holding the tools. In this manner, the elongated tool can be clamped to the bucket when it is lowered and the tool is lying on the ground. As the bucket lifts the tool, it gradually pivots so that it is safely hanging vertically on the exterior of the bucket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,556 by Gatto relates to a modular tool and hard goods organizer and storage unit for converting the interior of a pail or 5 gallon bucket into a storage unit for such items. This device is unsuited for use in a boom lift bucket since a pail on the floor of the boom lift bucket can interfere with the footing of a worker in the boom lift bucket and thus constitute a hazard.
Containers for boom lift buckets have been used in the field; however, these containers are essentially boxes that are open at the top. Tools and other items are held in the box in a random, unorganized manner. A worker is forced to sort through the items in the box to find the tool or other needed items.
Similar problems are presented in underwater construction and repair projects where a diver requires an assortment of tools to be ready at hand when needed.
Applicants above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,641 discloses an organizer for securely retaining hand tools and other miscellaneous small items particularly in environments where space for working is limited and the tools must be organized and conveniently available.
The tool organizer disclosed in applicants above mentioned patent comprises top, front, rear and side faces closed by panels to define top, front, rear and side walls respectively and a bottom wall. The top, front, rear and side walls each define transverse edges and side edges. The bottom wall cooperates with the top, front, rear and side walls to define a container having an interior and a support plate defining an upper and a lower face is disposed in the interior of the container in spaced relationship to the bottom wall for supporting tools and hard goods in an organized and secure manner. At least one of the top or front walls are adapted for movement between a closed position over the top and front face of the container and an open position thereby to expose either the top face or the front face for access into the interior of the container.
In another aspect of the invention the support plate is adapted for hinged attachment in the container for pivotal movement into an essentially vertical position to provide access to the bottom wall of the container for storage of tools and the like when not being used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides for a tool box and tool organizer, and bracket means for mounting the tool box on a work cage like structure having a horizontal rail, the bracket having thereon a pair of laterally spaced apart downwardly facing hooks to engage and hang from the horizontally disposed rail, the bracket means having a lower portion thereof disposed below the hooks and engagable with the work cage to stabilize the bracket and inter-engagable first and second means respectively on the tool box and bracket detachably mounting the tool box on the bracket.
More particularly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for a tool box organizer for use with a cage or bucket extending from the end of a lift's boom. The tool box has a bottom wall, side walls and an open top wall defining a container for receiving therein a selection of work related tools, parts and pieces, a lid for selectively opening and closing the open top wall, hinge means connecting the lid to a side wall of the container, and bracket means for detachably mounting the tool box on a vertically disposed wall having a horizontal rail. The bracket has a base support means with respectively a front and rear face and first and second inverted ‘J’ shaped hooks disposed in selected spaced relation and projecting outwardly from the rear face. The hooks provide means to suspend the tool box from the horizontal rail. First and second inter engaging means respectively on the front face of the bracket and a rear face of the tool box provide means detachably mounting the tool box in a cantilevered state from the front face of the bracket. Abutment means on a lower portion of the bracket at a position spaced downwardly from the hooks and engage with the wall to stabilize the bracket in a vertical orientation on the wall. The tool box and mounting bracket therefore is useful in a restricted area such as a boom mounted work cage or the like with one or more horizontally disposed rails. A bracket includes pair of posts, means interconnecting the posts and maintaining the same in selected fixed spaced apart relation and a downwardly facing first hook on each of the posts. The hooks project from one side of the post for suspending the bracket from a horizontal rail of the cage. At least one slot is included in each of respective ones of the posts located on a side thereof. Cage abutment means on the posts are disposed at a position in selected spaced relation downwardly from the first hooks and wherein the tool box has hooks projecting from a wall thereof and disposed in spaced apart relation corresponding in position to mate with the slots in the posts to detachably mount the tool box on the mounting bracket. The bracket means having a lower portion thereof disposed below the hooks and engagable with the work cage to stabilize the bracket and inter-engagable first and second means respectively on the tool box and bracket detachably mounting the tool box on the bracket.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a tool box and bracket cooperating therewith to detachably mount the same on an open framework boom mounted cage.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cage mountable tool box with a lid maximizing space access to the contents of the tool box and at the same time minimizing space area requirements for the lid in a tool box fully open state.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer formed from 14 gauge GALVALUM.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer with a polyester powder coating.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer holds all of the tools and parts neatly at waist level.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer utilizing buckets within the tool organizer to hold small screws or parts and having several holes punched and strategically placed to hold all of the user's tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer to eliminate the need for lift personnel to wear a heavy tool belt and being subject 4d to unnecessary turning and twisting that often results in back strain.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer which not only locks to the lift but also locks to itself to secure tools therein.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer to create a safer man lift by securely securing working tools and parts on board a lift.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer which employs a bracket which is adaptable to be fitted to a universal scissor or boom lift.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer wherein upon opening the lid, the lid rests flush with the vertical side of the box and extends outwardly no more than about 4 inches to allow clearance for the lid.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer to provide means for raising the inner-lid and storing tools at the end of the day by locking the tools within the box and locking the box to the lift and elevating the lift above the ground with the boom to securely protect the contents of the box from vandalism at job sites and save the time of emptying and filling the tool box organizer each day.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool box organizer to secure tools within and maintain same in a stationary state whenever the lift basket and boon lift are transported across rough ground from work site to work site which violently shakes the lift and tool box organizer and maintain organization of the parts stored therein.
In keeping with the foregoing there is provided in accordance with one aspect of the present invention a tool box and mounting bracket therefore for use in a restricted area such as a boom mounted work cage or the like with one or more horizontally disposed rails. The bracket comprises a pair of posts, means interconnecting the posts and maintaining the same in selected fixed spaced apart relation, and a downwardly facing first hook on each of the posts. The hooks project from one side of the post for suspending the bracket from a horizontal rail of the cage or cage frame member. At least one slot in each of the respective ones of the posts is located on a side thereof opposite the one side. Cage abutment means on the posts are disposed at a position in a selected spaced relation from the first hooks and wherein the tool box has hooks projecting from a wall thereof and disposed in spaced apart relation corresponding in position to mate with the slots in the posts to detachably mount the tool box on the mounting bracket.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.
A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the views wherein:
Illustrated in
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a tool box (40, 60) and a mounting bracket 20 therefor that detachably mounts the tool box on a wall of the cage. The upper end of the bracket grasps a horizontal rail of the cage and a lower portion of the bracket abuts against other members of the cage wall resulting in the tool box effectively being cantilevered from that wall.
The bracket 20 has two parallel laterally spaced apart elongate posts 21 interconnected by at least one cross member 22. If desired the cross member can be adjustably variable in length to thereby accommodate tool boxes of different widths. Each post 21 is ‘U’ shaped in cross-section and has one or more slots 23 in the web portion thereof. A lug 24 projects outwardly from the upper end of the post 21 and terminates in a downwardly directed portion 25. There is a through hole 26 in the portion 25 for receiving a pin, bolt, lock shaft or the like. An ‘L’ shaped bracket 27 has the free end of one leg thereof pivotally attached as at 28 to the post at a position spaced downwardly from the lug 24. There is a hole 29 proximate the free outer end of the other leg of bracket 27 that can be moved to a position of alignment with the hole 26 for receiving a locking pin The lug 24 together with its downwardly turned end 25 effectively constitutes an inverted ‘J’ shaped hook and the jaw bite portion is opened and closed by pivotal movement of the ‘L’ shaped bracket 27. In the jaw closed position the bracket is securely anchored and lockable to the cage.
The mounting bracket 20 can be readily adapted for use on cages having various wall arrangements. For example not all of the elements that form a cage wall may be in the same plane and this is illustrated by way of example in
As best illustrated in
The lid panels 65, 66 have respective end flanges 67, 68 at their opposites ends that overlap respectively the outer face of an upper edge of the end walls providing not only an enclosure resisting the entry of water when the tool box is closed but also a tool box with enhanced rigidity. In a lid fully open condition flanges 67 overlap the tool box side walls thereby stabilizing the lid in that position.
The upper edge of the end walls 61 have a first horizontally disposed portion and stepped down from that a second downwardly sloping portion. The rear wall is of greater height than the front wall thus increasing access area to tools in the tool box compared to that of the tool box shown in
The interior of the tool box has a plate 100 pivotally attached by hinges 101 to the tool box interior face of the rear wall 63. The plate 100 is spaced a selected distance downwardly from the upper edge of the tool box and has a number of holes 103 of various shapes and sizes for receiving tools and/or parts and pieces useful to a job at hand. The plate 100 covers a selected portion of tool box open top wall and the remaining portion, i.e. the front portion as seen in FIG. 14, is divided into a plurality of variously sized pockets or compartments 104 for receiving tools and/or various parts and pieces. For instance, round apertures 203 are useful for spud wrenches, round apertures 205 for nut drivers, slots 207 for combination squares and/or tape measures, larger apertures 209 hold a battery powered hand drill or drink, smaller apertures 211 are provided for screw drivers, ratchets, circular apertures 213 provide a holder for hammers, rectangular apertures 215 provide holders for pliers, adjustable wrenches, channel locks, locking pliers, and wire cutters. Moreover, removable cups 220 utilizing a peripheral lip 222 may be inserted or dropped into these apertures providing a quick supply and versatile means of quickly providing a selected assortment of tools or parts necessary for a particular job prior to the user being lifted off the ground by the boom.
Hinge means 70 includes a hinge 71 having one plate thereof secured to an outer portion 72 of a ‘J’ shape flange 75 that extends along one longitudinal edge of the lid panel 66. The other hinge plate is secured to a flange 76 extending along a longitudinal edge of lid panel 65. The panel flanges 75, 76 are integral with the respective lid panels and position the hinge pivot axis such that the panels can assume the position seen in
Hinge means 80 pivotally connecting the lid to the front wall of tool box comprises a hinge 81 having one plate 82 thereof secured to a flange 83 projecting from the tool box front wall 62 and its other plate 84 secured to a flange 85 projecting from a longitudinal edge of lid panel 66.
The tool boxes 40 and 60 shown in
The tool box shown in
The tool box and mounting bracket therefor has been described in the forgoing in connection with use thereof on the bucket of a boom lift. However, it will be understood that the tool boxes and mounting thereof disclosed will be useful in any situation where tools and other items must be secured and organized for convenient availability, particularly where the work area is somewhat confined.
The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modification will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made upon departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, this invention is not intended to be limited by the specific exemplification presented herein above. Rather, what is intended to be covered is within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A tool box having a bottom wall, side walls and an open top wall defining a container for receiving therein a selection of work related tools, parts and pieces, a lid for selectively opening and closing said open top wall, said lid comprising first and second panels interconnected by a first hinge means, second hinge means connecting a longitudinal free outer edge of said first panel to an upper edge of a side wall of the container, and means for detachably mounting said tool box on a vertically disposed wall having a horizontal rail, said bracket having base support means with respectively a front and rear face and first and second inverted shaped hooks disposed in selected spaced relation and projecting outwardly from the rear face of the base support means, said hooks providing means to suspend the tool box from said horizontal rail, first and second inter engaging means respectively on the front face of said bracket and a rear face of the tool box providing means detachably mounting the tool box in a cantilevered state from the front face of the bracket and abutment means on a lower portion of said bracket at a position spaced downwardly from said hooks and engagable with said wall to stabilize the bracket in a vertical orientation on the wall.
2. The tool box as defined in claim 1 wherein said side walls include a front wall, a rear wall and opposed end walls and wherein said second hinge is connected to said front wall.
3. The tool box as defined in claim 2 wherein said front wall is of lesser height than said rear wall.
4. The tool box as defined in claim 3 including a plate having a plurality of variously shaped tool receiving holes, said plate being disposed within said container and means hingedly connecting a longitudinal marginal edge of said plate to said rear wall
5. The tool box as defined in claim 1 wherein said bracket base support means comprises a pair of laterally spaced apart elongate members and wherein said first and second hooks are secured to a respective one of the same.
6. The tool box as defined in claim 5 wherein said first and second inter-engaging means comprises slots in said elongate members and downwardly facing hooks on the tool box and projecting from the rear face thereof, said hooks and slots being correspondingly positioned and spaced for detachable inter-engagement.
7. A tool box having a bottom wall, side walls and an open top wall defining a container for receiving therein a selection of work related tools, parts and pieces, a lid for selectively opening and closing said open top wall, hinge means connecting said lid to a side wall of said container, and bracket means for detachably mounting said tool box on a vertically disposed wall having a horizontal rail, said bracket having base support means with respectively a front and rear face and first and second inverted ‘J’ shaped hooks disposed in selected spaced relation and projecting outwardly from said rear face, said hooks providing means to suspend the tool box from said horizontal rail, first and second inter engaging means respectively on the front face of said bracket and a rear face of the tool box providing means detachably mounting the tool box in a cantilevered state from the front face of the bracket and abutment means on a lower portion of said bracket at a position spaced downwardly from said hooks and engagable with said wall to stabilize the bracket in a vertical orientation on the wall.
8. The tool box and mounting bracket therefore as defined in claim 7 wherein said lid comprises first and second panels interconnected by a first hinge means.
9. The tool box as defined in claim 8 wherein said tool box has front and rear side walls with the front wall being of lesser height than the rear wall and wherein said lid is hingedly connected to said front wall.
10. A tool box and mounting bracket therefore for use in a restricted area such as a boom mounted work cage or the like with one or more horizontally disposed rails, comprising:
- a bracket including a pair of posts, means interconnecting said posts and maintaining the same in selected (fixed) spaced apart relation, a downwardly facing first hook on each of said posts, said hooks projecting from one side of the post for suspending the bracket from a horizontal rail of said cage, at least one slot in each of respective ones of said posts and located on a side thereof opposite said one side, cage abutment means on said posts and disposed at a position in selected spaced relation downwardly from said first hooks and wherein said tool box has hooks projecting from a wall thereof and disposed in spaced apart relation corresponding in position to mate with the slots in said posts to detachably mount the tool box on said mounting bracket.
11. The tool box and mounting bracket of claim 10, further comprising means for mounting said tool box on a work cage like structure having a horizontal rail, said bracket having thereon a pair of laterally spaced apart downwardly facing hooks to engage and hang from said horizontally disposed rail, said bracket means having a lower portion thereof disposed below said hooks and engagable with said work cage to stabilize the bracket and inter-engagable first and second means respectively on said tool box and bracket detachably mounting said tool box on said bracket.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 5, 2011
Publication Date: Nov 29, 2012
Inventor: Robert E. Purnell, JR. (Shelbyville, KY)
Application Number: 13/135,344