CA2104130A1

CA2104130A1 - Automotive storage container

Info

Publication number: CA2104130A1
Application number: CA002104130A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Edward L. Boyd; Nai-Cheng Tsao
Original assignee: Edward L. Boyd; Nai-Cheng Tsao; Rubbermaid Incorporated
Current assignee: Rubbermaid Inc
Priority date: 1992-08-13
Filing date: 1993-08-13
Publication date: 1994-02-14
Also published as: US5472110A; JPH06237812A; MX9304951A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A storage container (10) includes a front cover (11) and a back base portion (12) connected at the bottom thereof by a hinge assembly (13) and at the top thereof by a latch assembly (14). The latch assembly (14) includes a latch body (55) pivotally attached to the base portion (12) and engaging the cover (11) which carries a tongue (72) having a safety catch (73) at the end thereof which extends through a slot (71) in the latch body (55) to engage the same. The hinge assembly (13) includes spaced hook members (49) which have an opening (50) therein to receive axles (52) carried between spacers (51). A tray (33) is also provided for the container (10) which has a bottom support surface (34) to hold items thereon and it also includes apertures (38) to hold other items. In addition, flanges (41, 42) which are formed with rib members (40) which depend from the support surface (34) are also provided to hold items in container (10). The tray (33) can be selectively positioned at several locations by sliding rails (45) formed therein into tracks (43) formed in the base portion (12).

Description

210~30 UTOMOTIVE S~ORAG~ CONTAINER

TECH~C~L FI~LD
This i~vention relates to a storage container, such as for holding tools and the like, which is particularly suited ~or the automotive field. ~ore specafically, this invention relates to a storage container -; which is of a profile such ~hat it can readily be - positioned kehind the seats o~ vshicles such as pick-up ~. 10 trucks.
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., A~KG~O~ND ~RT
.. Drivers of vehicles such as pick-up trucks of ten ., need to store articles such as tools or the like nearby in the cab o~ the vehicle. As such; the only convenient place is the rather con~ined area behind the seat of the vehicle.
However, merely locatin~ the tools or other items xandomly behind the seat deters from the convenient retri~val ~, thereof. Some vehicles have been provid~d with pouch~s a~ixed to the bac~ of the ~eat to hold the articles.
While at least adequately holding the articles, such pouches still do not providQ an organized storing of the ,. items and, in addition, the pouches are not susceptible to - being removed from the vehicle and used as a carrying ~ase.
. 25 As a result, carrying cases have bean designed ' with a rather slim profila so ~hat they can rea~ily be : 9, positioned behind the seat G~ the vehicle and removed -.` t:here:erom when it is desired to transport the contents o~
the case away ~rom the vehicle. Most all o~ these cas~s are provided with a separate handle and separate latches, and some are optionally provided with a separate locking mechanis~.
Recently an all-purpose storage container has been developed with a combined latch, handle, and lock area at each end thereo~. Such is shown, for example, in U.S.
~`' Patent No. 5,040,834. There, each of the latches are lockable and double as handles for transporting the ` :

..

21 0~1~0 - container. While such a latch would be suitable for storage containers o~ a slimm¢r pro~ile, since only one such latch would be logically employed, it might have a tendency to opQn wh~n being used as the single handle on the unit, a problem which does not exist with the latching mechanism of the aforementioned patent where both latches are intended to be gripped to transport the container.
The slim profile carrying cases currently available do not readily provide the user with optional storage configurations; that i5, they are usually provided ; with permanently located drawers, shelves and the like :i sui~able for only specific usages or storage capabilities.
- Moreover, these products can only be used to store or carry articles and are not susceptible to be readily hung on a wall when not in use, nor are they susceptible to being employed as a ~ray to hold articles currently being used, such as when the vehicle owner is working on the ~ngin~ o~
; the vehicle.
Thus, the need exists ~or a storage container having a pro~ile adapted to be stored behind the seat of a `. vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, which is varsatile, and which advan~ageously combin~s the handle, latch and lock atures within the slim pro~ile.
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~I~C~$URE oE ~E INV~NTIQ~ -It is thus a primary object of the present .. ~ invention to provide a portable storage container of a .` pro~ile such that it can readily be located hehind the ~eat o~ a vehicle such as a pick-up truck.
It is anothsr objact of the present invention to provide a storage container, as above, which has a handle in the ~orm o~ a lockable latch which will not open when the container is being carried.
It is a ~urther obj~ct of the present invQntion - 35 to provide a storage container, as above,, with at least one . removabla shel~ which can be posikioned at a plurality o~
'`, locations within the container, as desired by the us~r.

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It is an additional o~j QCt of the present - inven~ion ~o provide a s~orage container, as above, in which the frorlt cover is removably, hingedly attached to the re~ar base so that the base may be used without the cover as a tray.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a storage container, as above, which can readily be positioned on the wall behind the seat of the vehicle, desired, or on a wall when not being used.
These and other objects o~ the present invention, . as well as the adva~tages thereof over existing prior art fo~ms, which will become appare~ rom the description to - follow, are accomplished by the improvements hereina~ter described and claimed.
~n general, a storage container ma~e in ~.
accordance with the present in~ention includes a bas~
portion, a ~ov~r portion and a latch assembly. ~h~ latch assembly includes a ~ody member pivotally connected to one o~ the portions and engageable with th2 other portion. The o~her portion also includes a mamber which will engag~ the latch body when in the latched position.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the cover portion and base portion ar2 removably ~. attached to each other by a hinge asse~bly which includes a.
;........... 25 hooX member having an op~ning ~har~in carried on one o~ the portions and an axle asse~bly carried on the other portion.
The axle assembly is received by the hook me~bsr through its opening, and the hoo~ member rotates on the axle assembly when the container is being open~d and closed.
Another aspect o~ thQ presen~ invention relates to a tray which can be selectiv~ly positioned on th~ base portion by means of a plurality of ~racks for~ed in the bas2 portion to selectively xeceive rail members formed on the tray. The tray is also novel in that it not only ,.......... 3S includes a support sur~ace to hold items, but also it can .. carry items not positioned on the suppoxt surface.
~ A pre~erred exemplary storage container . :.

21~30 lncorporating the concepts o~ the present invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings without at~empting to show all the various forms in which the invention might be embodied, the inv~ntion bsing measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.

BRI~F~ RIP~pN OF T~ D~WI~GS
Fi~. l is a perspective view of a storage container made in accordance with the ~oncepts of the present invention.
FigO 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged ~ragmented perspectiv~ vi~w o~ the lat~h mec~anism o~ the container in an open position.
Fi~. 4 is a fragmented perspective view o~ th2 container in an open position and without its inter~al tray, Fig. 5 is a perspective view o~ the rQmo~able tray for the container.
~ ig. 6 is a ~ragmented bottom view of the tray taken substantially along line 6~6 of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmented sectional vi~w of the portion of the view of Fig. 2 showing the latch area. ~ :
~ ''.
A sto.rage container made in accordance with the concepts o~ the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 10 and includes a front cover indicated generally by the numeral 11 and a back base portion indicated generally by ~he numeral 12. The lower end o~
. cover ll is removably attached to the lower end o~ basa portion 12 by a hinge assembly generally indicated by the numeral 13, and the upper end of cover 11 is releasably attached to the upper end of base portion 12 by a latch ::

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- 210~:130 ~.~ assembly ganerally indicated by tho numeral 14. Front cover 11 and back base portion 12 can be made of any suitable material, pre~erably polypropylene.
Front cover 11 includes a generally planar lower ~ront surface 15 w~ich could be ornamentally adorned, i~
desired, and which could extend all the way to the top Qf container 10 without departing ~rom the concept o~ the .. present invention. ~owever, the top o~ lower front surface 15 tapers inwardly, as at 16, and then turns upwardly : 10 forming an upper front surface 17. Cover side walls 18 extend from the edges of lower front surface 15 and upper . ~ront surface 17 toward back base portion 120 Similarly, a - top cover wall 19 axtends toward back base portion 12 from ; the top of upper front surface 17~ A peripheral lip 20 extends arou~d the entire periphery o~ cover side walls 18 and top cover wall 19.
Back base portion 12 includes a back wall 21 and a floor or bottom surface 22 extending generally laterally : there~rom koward ~ront cover 11. Bottom sur~ace 22 ~orms the bottom of container 10 and has a plurality of spaced rib-like feet 23 (Fig. 2) depe~ding there~rom upon which .. containex 10 rests when in its vertical position such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Extending from the edges of back wall 21 and toward front cover 11 are base portion stepped ~, . Z5 side walls which include inner side walls 24 and outer ~ide ~- walls 25 stepped outwardly from inner side walls 24.
-~ Similarly, a top wall 26 extends toward front cover 11 fro~
thQ top o~ back wall 21, with the stepped side walls 24 and Z5 blending into top wall 26. The inn2r edge of outer side walls 25 tapers, as at 27, to ~orm a sur~ace complementary to the taper 16 be~ween lower ~ront surface 15 and upper ~ront surface 17 o~ ~ront cover 11. A peripheral lip 28 extends around the entire periphery o~ outer side walls 25 and top wall 26 and is adapted to contact lip 20 o~ cover . 35 11 when container 10 is closed.
"~ Back wall 21 is provided with a plurality of spaced external slots 29 thereby defining ex~ernal ribs 30 ':

~ 6-21~41~D
therebatween. Each slo~ 29 al~o d~in~s a cc,rrespcnding inter~al rib 31, with each rib 30 defining a corresponding internal slot 32. Slots 29 and ribs 30 can, as shown, extend around to inn~r side walls 24, and not only pro~ide strength to container 10 as well as an aesthetic adornment, but ~lso the correspc,nding internal ribs 31 and slots 32 cooperate to hold an internal shelf or tray, generally indicated by the nu~eral 33, in a manner now to be .. described.
;.. 10 ~s bes~ shown in Fig. 5, tray 33 includes a .. bot~om item supporting sur~ace 34, a front wall 35 and a . rear wall 36 extending upwardly from bottom surface 34, and - side walls 37 i~terconnecting walls 35 and 36. As such, tray 33 can con~ine tools or the like as desired by the user. Not only can such articles be placed dire¢tly on bottom surface 34, but also bottom surface 34 is shown as having apertures 38 extending therethrough which are s,pecifically adapted to hold items such as screwdrivQrs or the like. Axially split tuk,ular mem~,ers 39 (Fig. 6) can be formed on th~ underside o~ bottom surface 3~ conc~ntric with apertures 38 to snugly hold scr~wdrivers as they ar~
. . pushed through apertures 38 and thereby radially spread ~; tuk,ular mem~,ers 39.
-. Okher items can also be conveniently held by tray 33. To this end, a plurality o~ spaced rib me~kers 40 .~ depend from the bottom surface 34 o~ tray 33. A T-flange ~? 41 is provided at the lower end of the center three rib members 40 and an L-flange 42 is provided at the lower end o~ th~ outer two rib ~embers 40. Rib members 40 ara spaced to receive many conventional contain~r products, wi~h the upper ~langes of such products being held in place by adjacent flanges 41 and/or adjacent flanges 41 and 42.
Specifically, rib members 40 an~ their associated ~langes 41, 42 are preferably spac~d so as to receive upper rims o~
;.. ~ 35 containers such as those sold by Rubbermaid Incorporated of Wooster, Ohio under the trademark SERVIN ' SA~ER. Thus, the ~; upper rim of such or like containers can be slid onto .

~ ... . . . . . .. . .. . ... . . . . . . .

1 0 ~ 0 adjacent flanges 41 and/or adjacent ~langes 41 and 42, a~d t~e tray 33 shown can thereby carry up to ~our such containers ~or holding items such as screws, nails or the liXe.
Tray 33 is selectably positionable at a v~riety of locations within container 10. To that end, a plurality of T-slots or tracks 43 (three shown) are formed on the inside of side walls 25. Each slot 43 for~ed on one side .-. wall 25 i~ aligned with an eg~ivalent slot 43 on the lo opposite side wall 25. Three opposed pairs of slots 43 are thus shown, although it is to be understood that more than three pairs or less than three pairs couId be provided ~: depending on the desired nu~ber o~ optional locations for .. tray 33. Each pair o~ aligned T-slots 43 i~ pr~erably also align~d with a slot 32 internally of back wall 21. In addition, just below the slot~ 32 which are aligned with each pair of T-slots,. support tabs 44 extend inwardly ~rom ;: back wall 21. `
: Each T-slot 43 is ad~pted to receive a T-~haped rail 45 positioned on the outside o~ each tray side wall 37 near the front thereof. As such, tray 3 3 can be positioned within container lo at any location of aligned T-slots 43 :; by merely sliding rails 45 within slots 43. When completely inserted as shown in Fig. 2, tabs 44 provide ;. 25 additional support for the bottom surface 34 o~ tray 33.
.: In addition, a rib 46 which extends rearwardly ~rom rear wall 36 along the entire length thereof is rec~ived in the ~;. slot 32 which is aligned with the pair o~ T-slots 43 being utili~ed to provide additional support for tray 33. Thus, dependent on the size of items intended to be stored on tray 33 or dependent on the size of containers carried by ~langes 41, 42 below tray 33, tray 33 may be selectively posi~ioned at an appropriate location in con~ainer 10.
Container 10 may be provided with other :
convenient item storage features. For example, one or more pairs o~ clips 47 may be positioned on tha inside of back .. wall 21 to receive and hold tubular items uch as a tire ,, .
,~ .

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. 21~41~
- gauge, pencil or the like. In addition, i~ i~ is desired to hang container 10, for exampla on a peg board wall or on the back wall of the cab of a pick-up ~ruck, slot apertures 48 ca~ be provided thxough back wall 31 to receive a peg or 5 fastener therethrou~h for that purpose.
~ inge assembly 13 which pivotally connects l~ront cover 11 to back base portion 12 is probably best seen in Figs. 2 and 4. The end of bo~tom sur~ace 22 o~ base portion 12 adjacent to cover 11 is formed with a plurality of spaced hook members ~9 therein. As shown in Fig. 2, ; hook member~ 49 turn downwardly fxom bottom surface 22, ... back toward back wall 21, and are rearwardly open, as at 50, lea~ing a space ~etween each hook member 49 and feet 23.
~inge assembly 13 also includes a plurality of spacers 51 which are formed on the bottom o~ lowar front . sur~ace lS of cover 11. An axle 52 (Fig. 2) extends :. between each spacer 51, and ribs 53 provide structural suppor~ for each spacer 51. As shown in Fig. 4, spacars 51 alternate with hook members 49, with hinge assembly 13 being assembled by positioning hook members 4S over the exposed axles 52 between each spac¢x 51. When covar 11 is : :
rotated away ~rom bas~ portion 12, as to the le~t in Fig.
2, axles 52 rotate within hook members 49. If d~sired, ; 25 when container 10 is in the ~ully open po~ition, hinge assembly 13 can b~ disassembled by simply ~oving axles 52 i through the opening 50 in hook members 49 and therea~ter lowering them through the space between hook members 49 and feet 23. Th~ option o~ being able to thereby remove cover 11 from base portion 12 is advantageou if, for example, ~he user de~ires to use base portion 12 in a horizontal position as an open tray or if, for examplQ, the us~r ~ :
: desire~ to have an open con~ain~r when base portion 12 is hung on a wall as previously described~ Thus, in ef~ect, base portion 12 can be converted to an open tray or an open wall cabinet, i~ desired.
The latch ass~mbly 14 by which cover 11 can be , ~ , .
~, , ~. . .. . : . . -- . . :

. 210~ ~0 ...:
- attached and locked to base portion lZ when in the closed position is best shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 7. Latch assembly 14 is similar to, but represents an improvement o~, the latch a~sen~ly shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,040,834 to which re~erence is made for whatever details may b~
necessary for a full understanding of latch assembly 14.
Latch assembly 14 is shown as being positioned in a recess 54 formed in top wall 26 of base .portion 12, and includes a somewhat C-shaped bsdy portion generally indicated by the numeral 55. As viewed in Fig. 7, latch : body portion 55 includes an arcuate pivot seckion 56 : adjoined by a generally horizontal central portion 57 whi h tur~s downwardly to ~orm a bevelled portion 58 having a lug portion 59 at the end thereof.
Support flanges 60 (Fig. 4) extend between pivot section 56 and central portion 57. ~he outer of flanges 60 carry axle hubs 61 which extQnd ~hrough a recess in body portion 12 adjacent thereto. Therefore axle hubs 61 extend internally within body portion 12 and receive a lock bushing 62 (Figs. ~ and 7) thereon to axially hold axle hubs 61 relati~e to body portion 12. La~ch body portion 55 ;~. can thus be rotated on axle hubs 61 from the open position ~;! shown in Figs. 3 and 4 to the closed position shown in ; Figs. 1 and 7 and vice versa. It should be noted that when ., 25 in the closed position, latch assembly 14 doubles a~ a ~ handle for container lo as one merely ~eeds to grasp .. underneath pivot portion 56 at ~he area within recess 54 to conveniently lift and transport container 10.
, As shown in Figs. 3 and 7, lug portion 53 of - 30 latch body 55 is provid~d with two, spaced, in~ernally projecting U-shaped ~rackats 63, each o~ which carriQs a lug 64. Lugs 64 are adapted to engage protuberances 65 (Fig. 7~ which extend from cover 11 into a recess 66 (Fig. 1) ~ormed in top wall 19 thereof. As such, when 35 latch body 55 is moved from the open position to the~closed .
positio~, lugs 64 snap over and frictionally engage protuberances 65 to malntain front cover 11 on body portion :
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2 ~ 0 12. As shown in Fig. 7, upper ~ront sur~ace 17 of cover 11 turns inwardly, as at 67, and a rib 68 will engage a stop sur~ace 69 at the t~p of back wall 21 of base portion 12 when in the latched position.
Latch portion~ 57 and 58 are provided with a slot 70 therethrouyh and portion 57 is provided with an elongated cross slot 71 exkending therethrough and laterally disposed With respect to slot 70. A resilient tongue 72 is ~ormed at the top o~ Upper ~ro~t surface 17 of cover 11, this is, above inwaxdly turned surface 67, and wh~n latch body 55 is in the closed position, tongue 72 is - adapted to extend through cross slot 71. The end of tongue 72 is formed with a sa~ety catch or barb 73 having an ~ngled sur~ace 74 and an aperture 75 therethrough. As :~ 15 latch body 55 i~ being closed, angled surface 74 Will ride against the edge of cross slot 71 thereby depressing tongue 72 to the right in Fig. 7 until such ti~e that barb 73 passes through cross slot 71 at which time it will snap to the le~t and engage latch body 55. Tongue 72 and its barb 73 thus prevents the latch from accidentally opening which coul~ occUr a~ ~or exa~ple, when the latch iS being USQd as a handle to carry container lO. To open latch assembly ~ 14, one need only grasp and li~t lug portion 59 with his :~ ~ingers while at the same time pushing barb 73 (to the right in Fig. 7) with his thumb which thereby ~lexes tongue 72 and permits it to pass through cross slot 71. Should a more pQrmanent locking of latch assembly 14 be desired, a conventional padlock can be positioned through apertUre 75 ;~ of tongue 72 to thereby secure the content~ of container 10.
It should ~hus be appreciated that a containex constructed in accordanca wi~h the ConCepts o~ ~he present ; invention, as described herein, accomplishes the objects o~
the invention and ctherwiss substantially improves the art.

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Claims

1. A storage container comprising a base portion: a cover portion; and a latch assembly; said latch assembly including a body member pivotally connected to one of said portions and engageable with the other of said portions, and means carried by said other of said portions to engage said body member when said body member is engaging said other of said portions.

2. A storage container according to claim 1 wherein said means includes resilient means carrying a barb member to engage said body member.

3. A storage container according to claim 2 further comprising an aperture in said body member, said resilient means extending through said aperture when said body member is engaging said other of said portions.

4. A storage container according to claim 3 wherein said barb member is carried near the end of said resilient means and passes through said aperture, said barb member having an angled surface to facilitate the passage through said aperture.

5. A storage container according to claim 3 further comprising an aperture through said resilient means to receive a padlock to lock said base portion to said cover portion.

6. A storage container according to claim 1 wherein said body member carries lugs near one end thereof to engage protuberances carried by said other of said portions.

7. A storage container according to claim 1 wherein said body member includes a pivot section which carries axle hubs received by said one of said portions, said pivot section serving as a handle for the container.

8. A storage container according to claim 1 further comprising a tray to carry items to be stored in the container, said tray having a support surface so that items can be positioned on said support surface, said support surface including means to hold items other than those positioned on said support surface.

9. A storage container according to claim 8 further comprising means to selectively position said tray on said base portion, said means to selectively position including a plurality of track means formed on said base portion and rail means formed on said tray, said rail means being received by selected of said track means so than said tray may be selectively positioned on said base portion.

10. A storage container according to claim 1 further comprising hinge means permitting said cover portion to be pivotable relative to said base portion, said hinge means including a hook member carried by said one of said portions, said hook member having an open portion, and axle means carried by said other of said portions, said axle means being positionable through said open portion into said hook member, said hook member rotating on said axle means when said cover portion is pivoted relative to said base portion.

11. A storage container according to claim 10 further comprising a tray to carry items to be stored in the container, said tray having a support surface so that items can be positioned on said support surface, said support surface including means to hold items other than those positioned on said support surface.

12. A storage container according to claim 10 further comprising a tray to carry items to be stored in the container and means to selectively position said tray on said base portion, said means to selectively position including a plurality of track means formed on said base portion and rail means formed on said tray, said rail means being received by selected of said track means so that said tray may be selectively positioned on said base portion.

13. A storage container according to claim 1 further comprising a tray to carry items to be stored in the container and means to selectively position said tray on said base portion, said means to selectively position including a plurality of track means formed on said base portion and rail means formed on said tray, said rail means being received by selected of said track means so that said tray may be selectively positioned on said base portion.

14. A storage container comprising a base portion; a cover portion; and a tray to carry items to be stored in the container; said tray having a support surface so that items can be positioned on said support surface, said support surface including means to hold items other than those positioned on said support surface.

15. A storage container according to claim 14 wherein said means to hold includes at least one aperture extending through said support surface to permit an item to pass therethrough.

16. A storage container according to claim 15 wherein said means to hold further includes gripping means aligned with said at least one aperture.

17. A storage container according to claim 16 wherein said gripping means is an axially split tube member.

18. A storage container according to claim 14 wherein said means to hold includes a plurality of spaced flange members carried by said support surface, adjacent of said flange members being adapted to hold items in the space therebetween.

19. A storage container according to claim 14 further comprising means to selectively position said tray on said base portion, said means to selectively position including a plurality of track means formed on said base portion and rail means formed on said tray, said rail means being received by selected of said track means so that said tray may be selectively positioned on said base portion.

20. A storage container according to claim 19 further comprising hinge means permitting said cover portion to be pivotable relative to said base portion, said hinge means including a hook member carried by one of said portions, said hook member having an open portion, and axle means carried by the other of said portions, said axle means being positionable through said open portion into said hook member, said hook member rotating on said axle means when said cover portion is pivoted relative to said base portion.

21. A storage container according to claim 14 further comprising hinge means permitting said cover portion to be pivotable relative to said base portion, said hinge means including a hook member carried by one of said portions, said hook member having an open portion, and axle means carried by the other of said portions, said axle means being positionable through said open portion into said hook member, said hook member rotating on said axle means when said cover portion is pivoted relative to said base portion.

22. A storage container comprising a base portion; a cover; a tray to carry items to be stored in the container; and means to selectively position said tray on said base portion; said means to selectively position including a plurality of track means formed on said base portion and rail means formed on said tray, said rail means being received by selected of said track means so that said tray may be selectively positioned on said base portion.

23. A storage container according to claim 22 further comprising rib means on said tray, said base portion having a plurality of slots therein, said rib means being received by a selected of said slots when said rail means is received by selected of said track means.

24. A storage container according to claim 23 further comprising tab means extending inwardly from said base portion and toward said cover portion to support said tray.

25. A storage container according to claim 22 further comprising hinge means permitting said cover portion to be pivotable relative to said base portion, said hinge means including a hook member carried by one of said portions, said hook member having an open portion, and axle means carried by the other of said portions, said axle means being positionable through said open portion into said hook member, said hook member rotating on said axle means when said cover portion is pivoted relative to said base portion.

26. A storage container comprising a base portion; a cover portion; and a hinge means permitting said cover portion to be pivotable relative to said base portion;
said hinge means including a hook member carried by one of said portions, said hook member having an open portion, and axle means carried by the other said portion, said axle means being positionable through said open portion into said hook member, said hook member rotating on said axle means when said cover portion is pivoted relative to said base portion.

27. A storage container according to claim 26 wherein said base portion includes a bottom surface, said hook member being carried by said bottom surface.

28. A storage container according to claim 27 wherein said hook member includes a plurality of spaced hooks, said cover portion carrying a plurality or spaced members, said axle means being positioned between said spaced members.

29. A storage container according to claim 26 wherein said base portion includes apertures therein so that the container can be hung by said base portion on a wall or the like.

30. A storage container comprising a base portion; a cover portion; a latch assembly; hinge means permitting said cover portion to be pivotable relative to said base portion; a tray to carry items to be stored in the container; said latch assembly including a body member pivotally connected to one of said portions and engageable with the other of said portions, and means carried by said other of said portions to engage said body member when said body member is engaging said other of said portions; said hinge means including a hook member carried by said one of said portions, said hook member having an open portion, and axle means carried by said other of said portions, said axle means being positionable through said open portion into said hook member, said hook member rotating on said axle means when said cover portion is pivoted relative to said base portion; said tray having a support surface so that items can be positioned on said support surface, said support surface including means to hold items other than those positioned on said support surface; and means to selectively position said tray on said base portion, said means to selectively position including a plurality of track means formed on said base portion and rail means formed on said tray, said rail means being received by selected of said track means so that said tray may be selectively positioned on said base portion.