Sewing box

Abstract

A sewing box assembled by hand from a minimal number of components molded from thermoplastic material. It includes a central tray, spool panels hinged to opposite sidewalls of the central tray and a pair of sidetrays hinged to the remaining sidewalls of the central tray. When the sidetrays and spool panels are pivoted to their open positions, the box has a cross-shaped configuration allowing access to sewing accessories in or on the spool panels, side trays and central tray. When the sidetrays and spool panel are moved to their closed position, the box is highly compact for the amount of storage it provides.

I claim: 
     
       1. A sewing box comprising: a rectangular central tray having a bottom and left, right, front, and back sidewalls extending up therefrom;   rectangular left and right sidetrays pivotally secured to the central tray's left and right sidewalls, respectively, to move between their open positions, at which they extend away from the central tray and each other, and their closed positions, at which they extend up from the central tray;   rectangular front and back spool panels pivotally secured to the central tray's front and back walls, respectively, to move between their open positions, at which they extend away from the central tray and each other, and their closed positions, at which they extend up from the central tray and adjoin at their top ends;   wherein said sidetrays and spool panels are shaped and dimensioned to form, with the central tray, a closed box when in their closed positions, and to form a cross-shaped configuration when in their open positions;   said sidetrays and spool panels having snaplocking interlock means normally preventing a sidetray from moving away from its closed position while the spool panels remain closed, said interlock means being released, to allow a sidetray to move away from its closed position, either when the spool panels are opened or when the sidetray is selectively and temporarily deformed by hand while the spool panels remain closed, and said interlock means being engaged, to keep a sidetray in its closed position, either by closing one or both spool panels while the sidetray is in its closed position, or by snaplocking the sidetray into an engagement with one or both closed spool panels by pressing it toward and into its closed position, whereby the sidetrays are normally secured at their closed position when the box is closed for storage or transportation, but can be opened and closed selectively whether or not the spool panels are opened;   a manually operable slide lock mounted on each spool panel to move between a locked position at which it engages the other spool panel when the panels are in their closed positions, to thereby lock the panels to each other, and an open position at which it does not engage the other spool panel and allows the closed box to be opened;   wherein each of the central tray, sidetrays and spool panels is integrally molded from thermoplastic material, and including hinge pins integrally molded as a part of the respective sidetrays and spool panels and hinge openings integrally molded in the central tray to receive said pins, to thereby pivotally secure the sidetrays and the spool trays to the central tray, said hinge openings having been molded without the use of hole-forming movable cams, and the two sidetrays are identical to each other and interchangeable and the two spool panels are also identical to each other and interchangeable, and wherein the recited components are assembled into the recited box by snaplock connections and without fasteners or adhesives.   
     
     
       2. A sewing box as in claim 1 wherein the central tray and the sidetrays include respective integrally formed ribs dividing them into storage compartments, wherein the ribs of each sidetray include a central rib transverse to the sidetray hinge axis, and including a transparent compartment lid for each sidetray compartment, each lid being pivotally secured to the central rib of the respective sidetray and having a tab extending outwardly of the sidetray, said tabs adjoining and remaining outside the spool panels when the box is closed, whereby the juxtaposition between the lid tabs and the spool panels keeps the sidetrays from moving further into the closed box while the interlock means normally keeps the sidetrays from moving in the opposite direction, out of their closed position, while the spool panels remain closed, and wherein the ribs in the central tray include portions maintaining upright any sidetray and spool panel which is in its closed position, even when no other support is provided. 
     
     
       3. A sewing box as in claim 2 wherein each spool panel includes an array of integrally molded spool spindles which extend toward the other spool panel when the panels are in their closed positions, and point up, above the horizon, to prevent spools from sliding off the spindles by gravity from a spool panel which is in its upright position, the spool spindles of each spool panel being in an array which is offset with respect to the center of the spool panel, wherein, although the spool panels are identical to each other, when they are in their closed positions, the free ends of the spool spindles of one array are adjoin but are offset from the free ends of the spool spindles of the other array such that a spindle on one panel keeps a spool on the matching spindle of the other panel from sliding off therefrom when the spool panels are in their closed positions. 
     
     
       4. A sewing box comprising: a central tray having a bottom wall and four sidewalls extending up therefrom;   a pair of sidetrays pivotally secured to a pair of opposing sidewalls of the central tray to move between their open positions, at which they extend substantially horizontally and away from the central tray and each other, and their closed positions, at which they extend up from the central tray;   a pair of spool panels pivotally secured to the remaining pair of sidewalls of the central tray to move between their open positions, at which they extend substantially horizontally and away from the central tray and each other, and their closed positions, at which they extend up from the central tray;   wherein said sidetrays and spool panels are shaped and dimensioned to form, together with the central tray, a closed box when in their closed positions, and to form a cross-shaped configuration when in their open positions, a first one of said pairs of sidetrays and spool panels having means for selectively locking the two components to each other when they are in their closed positions to maintain them in their closed positions and for selectively unlocking them to permit them to move from their closed to their open positions, and the first pair of components and the remaining, second pair having snaplocking interlock means which engage the four components to each other when they are in their closed positions to thereby keep the box closed, said interlock means engaging by starting with the components of the second pair in their closed positions and closing the components of the first pair around them or by starting with the components of the first pair in their closed positions and snap-locking the components of the second pair therewith by moving the components of the second pair toward and into their closed positions, and said interlock means disengaging either by opening the components of the first pair to thereby release the components of the second pair or by selectively and temporarily deforming the components of the second pair by hand while the components of the first pair remain closed and moving the components of the second pair out of their closed and toward their open positions;   wherein at least one of the spool trays comprises an array of spool spindles extending into the closed box and adapted to support spools and wherein at least one of the sidetrays includes a number of compartments for sewing accessories and including lids movable between closed positions at which they close the sidetray compartments to keep the contents thereof in place and open positions at which they allow access to the compartments.   
     
     
       5. A sewing box as in claim 4 in which the two side trays are identical to each other and are interchangeable, and the two spool panels are also identical to each other and interchangeable, and wherein each of the central tray, sidetrays and spool panels is integrally molded from thermoplastic material and the recited components of the box are assembled by snaplocking connections. 
     
     
       6. A sewing box as in claim 5 including a pair of panels snaplocking into the spool panels to form external, open-top pockets for articles such as magazines and sewing patterns. .Iadd. 
     
     
       7.  A sewing box comprising: a central tray;   left and right sidetrays, each secured to the central tray to pivot relative thereto between a closed position, in which it extends upwardly at least in part above the central tray, and an open position, in which it extends laterally at least in part away from the central tray;   front and back spool panels, each secured to the central tray to pivot relative thereto between a closed position, in which it extends upwardly at least in part above the central tray, and an open position, in which it extends laterally at least in part away from the central tray;   wherein when in their closed positions the sidetrays and the spool panels form, together with the central tray, a substantially closed box, and when in their open positions form, together with the central tray, an open-top, cross-shaped structure;   wherein each of the central tray, the sidetrays and the spool panels is a respective integrally molded unit made of a thermoplastic material, each of the central tray and the sidetrays has respective ribs which are integrally molded therewith and divide it into a number of compartments, each spool panel has a number of spool spindles which are integrally molded therewith and extend toward the other spool panel when the spool panels are in their closed positions, and the sidetrays have respective lids pivotally mounted thereon to move between respective closed positions, in which they close the compartments of the respective sidetrays, and open positions, in which they allow access to the compartments of the respective sidetrays;   a respective slide lock mounted on each spool panel to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein when the spool panels are in their closed positions and a slide lock mounted on one of them is moved from its open toward and into its closed position it engages the other spool panel to thereby keep the spool panels in their closed positions, and wherein each slide lock engages only one spool tray when in its open position, whereby the spool panels can move from their closed positions toward their open positions when both slide locks are in their open positions; and   a pair of handles, each mounted on a respective one of the spool panels to pivot relative thereto between an open position and a closed position, wherein each spool panel has a handle recess which receives the respective handle when it is in its closed position such that the handle is substantially flush with the surface of the respective spool tray into which the respective recess is formed, wherein the two handles extend laterally away form each other when in their closed positions and extend upwardly next to each other when in their open positions;   means for snap-mounting said handles on the respective spool panels, and interlock means integrally formed together with said sidetrays and spool panels for securing the sidetrays to the spool panels when the spool panels are moved from their open positions to their closed positions while the sidetrays are in their closed positions;   wherein the two sidetrays are identical to each other and are interchangeable, and the two spool panels also are identical to each other and are interchangeable, and the sidetrays and the spool panels are secured to the central tray by snaplocking connections..Iaddend. .Iadd.8. A sewing box as in claim 7 in which each spool panel includes a first rail and a second rail integrally formed at the end thereof opposite that pivotally secured to the central tray, each slide lock partly encircles and rides along the first rail of a respective one of the spool trays and when in its open position clears the second rail of the other spool panel when the spool panels are in their closed positions but when in its closed position engages the second rail of the other spool panel when the spool   
     
     
        panels are in their closed positions..Iaddend. .Iadd.9.  A sewing box as in claim 8 in which when the sidetrays and spool panels are in their closed positions the box is substantially rectangular in plan view and in each elevational view..Iaddend. .Iadd.10. A sewing box as in claim 9 in which the interlock means for securing the sidetrays to the spool panels comprise recesses in the spool panels shaped, dimensioned and positioned to receive respective mating portions of the sidetrays when the spool panels are moved from their open to their closed positions while the sidetrays are in their closed positions..Iaddend. .Iadd.11. A sewing box as in claim 10 in which the spool panels are substantially L-shaped in cross-section and have top ends which adjoin each other when the spool panels are in their closed positions..Iaddend. .Iadd.12. A sewing box as in claim 11 in which the spool panels when moving between their open and closed positions clear the sidetrays so long as the sidetrays remain in their open positions, whereby the spool panels can be moved to and locked into their closed positions while the sidetrays remain open and their contents remain accessible.