Storage Chest for Tools or the Like

Abstract

Storage chests for tools or the like feature swiveling drawers pivotally mounted to avoid jamming due to misalignment in use of a sliding drawer. The chests employ unique locking systems tailored for use with such pivoting drawers, where an actuator is operable to pivot a blocking member inside the chest between the drawers and a wall of the surrounding housing about a vertical axis into a position interfering with motion of a feature projecting outward from one or more drawers under attempted pivoting thereof. Some embodiments feature a wheel deployment system operable to give a user control over when to rollably support the chest or have it stand on stationary legs, for example for use of the top surface of the chest as a work surface.

1 . A storage chest comprising:
 a frame comprising a base, a frame wall structure projecting upward from the base, a cover disposed atop the frame wall structure and a doorless open face left between the base and the cover between sections of the frame wall structure; and   at least one drawer carried on the frame between the base and the cover thereof,   each drawer comprising a bottom drawer wall and a plurality of upright drawer walls projecting upward from the bottom drawer wall toward an opposing top end of the drawer and forming boundaries of a storage space area atop the bottom drawer wall; and   each drawer being pivotally supported on the base of the frame and pivotable about a respective upright axis projecting upward from the base between a closed position, in which a front face of the drawer defined by a front drawer wall of the upright drawer walls aligns with the open face of the frame to situate the storage space are of the drawer behind the open face of the frame between sections of the frame wall structure, and an open position, in which the storage space of the drawer is situated at least partly in front of the open face of the frame outward from between the sections of the frame wall structure;   the at least one drawer substantially closing off the doorless open face of the frame when in the closed position.   
     
     
         2 . The storage chest according to  claim 1  wherein the frame wall structure comprises a pair of side frame walls having ends situated adjacent opposite sides of the open face of the frame and, for each one of the drawers, the drawer being pivotally supported on the frame adjacent a respective side of the open face and the side frame wall opposite said respective side of the open face extending away from said respective side of the open face where said side frame wall connects to the other side frame wall. 
     
     
         3 . The storage chest according to  claim 2  wherein the upright drawer walls of each drawer comprise a side drawer wall disposed adjacent and parallel to the side frame wall opposite the respective side of the open face adjacent which said drawer is pivotally supported. 
     
     
         4 . The storage chest according to  claim 1  wherein the frame wall structure comprises a pair of side frame walls having ends situated adjacent opposite sides of the open face of the frame and the side frame walls diverge toward the open face from where the side frame walls are connected. 
     
     
         5 . The storage chest according to  claim 4  wherein the upright drawer walls of each drawer comprise a pair of side drawer walls disposed on opposite sides of the storage space area of the drawer and diverging toward the front face of the drawer at an angle corresponding to that by which the side frame walls diverge toward the open face of the frame, each drawer being pivotally mounted to the frame adjacent one of the opposite sides of the open face of the frame. 
     
     
         6 . The storage chest according to  claim 1  wherein the upright drawer walls of each drawer comprise a side drawer wall extending away from the front drawer wall where the drawer is pivotally supported, and a connecting drawer wall section extending along a path curving about the upright axis about which the drawer is pivotal in a connection between the front drawer wall and the side drawer wall, the connecting wail section being disposed on a side of where the drawer is pivotally supported having a lesser angular spacing between the front drawer wall and the side drawer wall about the upright axis than an opposite side of where the drawer is pivotally supported. 
     
     
         7 . The storage chest according to  claim 6  wherein the at least one drawer comprises at least one pair of drawers disposed side by side in the open face of the frame when each in the closed position. 
     
     
         8 . The storage chest according to  claim 7  wherein the drawers of each pair of drawers are pivotally supported adjacent opposite sides of the open face of the frame and the connecting drawer wall sections of the pair of drawers face one another with the pair of drawers each in the closed position. 
     
     
         9 . The storage chest according to  claim 1  wherein one or more of the at least one drawer is lockable in the closed position by a locking mechanism carried on the frame. 
     
     
         10 . The storage chest according to  claim 9  wherein the locking mechanism comprises a blocking member movably supported on the frame adjacent one of the sections of the frame wall structure and movable into and out of a locking position cooperating with a projecting feature projecting outward from one of the upright drawer walls to block pivotal movement of the drawer out of the closed position into the open position. 
     
     
         11 . The storage chest according to  claim 10  wherein the blocking member is pivotal into and out of the locking position about an upright lock axis. 
     
     
         12 . The storage chest according to  claim 10  wherein the at least one drawer consists of a plurality drawers disposed one over another to define a column of vertically spaced drawers in the open face of the frame when each in the closed position and the blocking member is elongated in an upright direction to block pivoting of more than one of the plurality of drawers in the column out of the closed position thereof when in the locking position. 
     
     
         13 . The storage chest according to  claim 10  wherein the blocking member comprises a plate pivotally supported on the frame adjacent the one of the sections of the frame wall structure and pivotal into and out of the locking position, in which the plate projects further from said one of the sections of the frame wall structure than when not in the locking position. 
     
     
         14 . The storage chest according to  claim 1  comprising a set of legs depending downward from the base and a set of wheels carried on the frame and movable into and out of deployed positions extending further downward from the base than the legs to rollably support the storage chest on the ground when deployed. 
     
     
         15 . The storage chest according to  claim 14  comprising:
 interconnected lengths of shaft pivotally secured to the frame adjacent opposite peripheral portions thereof below the at least one drawer and proximate the base of the frame, the lengths of shaft being pivotal together about a longitudinal pivot axis extending across the frame and centrally and longitudinally through the lengths of shaft; 
 movable wheel supports supported on the frame below the at least one drawer and proximate the base of the frame, the movable wheel supports each being pivotal about a respective transverse pivot axis crossing the longitudinal pivot axis to allow upward and downward movement of a free end of the wheel support at a distance from the respective transverse pivot axis along the longitudinal pivot axis, the wheels being mounted on the movable wheel supports adjacent the free ends thereof; and 
 eccentric elements eccentrically carried on the lengths of shaft to revolve about the longitudinal pivot axis under pivoting thereof; and 
 links each pivotally connected at opposite ends thereof to a respective one of the eccentric elements and a respective one of the movable wheel supports at a respective position along the longitudinal pivot axis between the transverse pivot axis of the respective movable wheel support and the free end thereof such that pivoting of the lengths of shaft in opposite directions to move the eccentric elements together into and out of a predetermined angular position about the longitudinal pivot axis moves the free ends of the movable wheel supports downward and upward respectively to move the wheels into and out of the deployed positions. 
 
     
     
         16 . The storage chest according to  claim 15  wherein at least one of the lengths of shaft projects outwardly from the frame and has a lever fixed to the length of shaft outward from the frame for user control of pivoting of the lengths of shaft. 
     
     
         17 . The storage chest according to  claim 14  wherein the wheels automatically lock in the deployed position and only retracted therefrom under input from an operator. 
     
     
         18 . The storage chest according to  claim 15  comprising a stop at a fixed position on the frame cooperative with a feature on one of the shaft lengths to block further pivoting of the lengths of shaft after having reached a point where the eccentric elements have moved over center about the longitudinal pivot axis and reached the predetermined angular position between under and over center positions thereabout. 
     
     
         19 . A storage chest comprising:
 a frame comprising a base, an upright structure projecting upward from the base, a cover disposed atop the upright structure and an open face left between the base and the cover; and   at least one drawer carried on the frame between the base and the cover thereof,   each drawer comprising a bottom drawer wall and a plurality of upright drawer walls projecting upward from the bottom drawer wall toward an opposing top end of the drawer and forming boundaries of a storage space area atop the bottom drawer wall; and   each drawer being pivotally supported on the base of the frame and pivotable about a respective upright axis projecting upward from the base between a closed position, in which a front face of the drawer defined by a front drawer wall of the upright drawer walls aligns with the open face of the frame to situate the storage space area of the drawer inside the frame behind the open face thereof, and an open position, in which the storage space of the drawer is situated at least partly outside the frame in front of the open face thereof;   the at least one drawer substantially closing off the open face of the frame when in the closed position; and   a locking mechanism carried on the frame an operable to lock one or more of the at least one drawer in the closed position.   
     
     
         20 . The storage chest according to  claim 19  wherein the locking mechanism comprises a blocking member movably supported on the frame adjacent a wall section of the upright frame structure and movable into and out of a locking position cooperating with a projecting feature projecting outward from one of the upright drawer walls to block pivotal movement of the drawer out of the closed position into the open position. 
     
     
         21 . A storage chest comprising:
 a frame comprising a base, an upright structure projecting upward from the base, a cover disposed atop the upright structure and an open face left between the base and the cover;   at least one drawer carried on the frame between the base and the cover thereof,   each drawer comprising a bottom drawer wall and a plurality of upright drawer walls projecting upward from the bottom drawer wall toward an opposing top end of the drawer and forming boundaries of a storage space area atop the bottom drawer wall; and   each drawer being movably supported on the base of the frame and movable between a closed position, in which a front face of the drawer defined by a front drawer wall of the upright drawer walls aligns with the open face of the frame to situate the storage space area of the drawer inside the frame behind the open face thereof, and an open position, in which the storage space of the drawer is situated at least partly outside the frame in front of the open face thereof;   a set of legs depending downward from the base of the frame;   a set of wheels carried on the frame and movable into and out of deployed positions extending further downward from the base than the legs to rollably support the storage chest on the ground when deployed, the set of wheels being arranged to automatically lock in place when deployed into the deployed positions.