Multipurpose tool and storage device
11708193 · 2023-07-25
Inventors
Cpc classification
B65D25/24
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
A45F3/04
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A45F2003/003
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A45C9/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
B01D35/027
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
A45F4/02
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
A45F3/04
HUMAN NECESSITIES
B65D25/24
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B01D35/027
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A multipurpose tool and storage device is disclosed. In one aspect, the multipurpose tool and storage device can include a container. The container can includes a frontward wall portion, a rearward wall portion, a first sidewall portion, a second sidewall portion, an inner bottom surface of the container, and a plurality of leg storage compartments that are each configured to stow a removable leg of the container, wherein each leg storage compartment of the plurality of leg storage compartments is positioned between a terminating end of the rearward sidewall portion and a terminated end of at least one of the first sidewall portion or the second sidewall portion.
Claims
1. A container for insertion into a bag that comprises: a frontward wall portion; a rearward wall portion; a first sidewall portion; a second sidewall portion; an inner bottom surface of the container; and two leg storage compartments that are each configured to stow two removable legs of the container, wherein each leg storage compartment of the plurality of leg storage compartments comprises a plurality of staggered leg storage tabs configured to releasably secure at least two legs in a channel between a terminating end of the rearward wall portion and a terminating end of at least one of the first sidewall portion or the second sidewall portion, wherein a lid of the container forms a top surface of the channel, wherein the channel is configured to house two legs of the container beneath the surface of the terminating sidewall portions using the plurality of staggered leg storage tabs to engage at least one of the housed legs, thereby storing the at least two legs in a manner that enables the container to be inserted into the bag when storing the at least two legs within the channel using the plurality of staggered leg storage tabs without respective ends of the at least two legs getting caught on the bag.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the frontward wall portion includes a plurality of leg openings that are each configured to receive an end of a removable leg.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein each removable leg of the at least two removable legs extend more than 90 degrees away from a horizontal plane that runs perpendicular to the first sidewall portion and the second sidewall portion when at least one end of each respective removable leg is inserted in a leg opening of the plurality of leg openings.
4. The container of claim 2, wherein the plurality of openings includes four leg openings that are each configured to receive an end of a removable leg.
5. The container of claim 1, the container further comprising: an opening in the frontward wall portion that is configured to receive a water filtration device.
6. The container of claim 1, the container further comprising: an opening in the rearward wall portion that is configured to receive a water filtration device.
7. The container of claim 1, the container further comprising: an inner compartment between the inner bottom surface of the container and an outer bottom surface of the container that is configured to receive a water filtration device.
8. The container of claim 1, wherein the rearward wall portion includes a plurality of indentations, and wherein each indentation of the plurality of indentations houses a coupling unit that is configured to receive a strap.
9. The container of claim 8, wherein a first indentation of the plurality of indentations and a second indentation of the plurality of indentations are proximate to a top of the rearward wall portion and spaced a first distance apart, wherein a third indentation of the plurality of indentations and a fourth indentation of the plurality of indentations are proximate to a bottom of the rearward wall portion and spaced a second distance apart.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein the first distance and the second distance are the same distance.
11. The container of claim 1, wherein at least one inward facing sidewall on the inside of the container includes at least one skid.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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(31) The rearward wall portion 110 may include a substantially flat surface area. In some implementations, the rearward wall portion 110 may be composed of the same material throughout. For example, in some implementations, the rearward wall portion 110 may be molded from plastic that is non-transparent. In other implementations, rearward wall portion 110 may be composed of multiple different types of material. For example, in some implementations, the rearward wall portion 110 may be composed of a first portion that is non-transparent and another portion that is transparent. Implementations of a multipurpose tool 100 having a transparent portion of the rearward wall portion 110 may enable a person using the multipurpose tool 100 to see what is inside the multipurpose tool 100 without opening a lid 140 of the multipurpose tool 100.
(32) In some implementations, the rearward wall portion 110 may be configured so that at least a portion of the rearward wall portion includes one or more utility tools such as a cutting board. The cutting board may be composed of plastic or any other material that is suitable for use as a cutting board. For example, in some implementations, at least a portion of the rearward wall portion 110 may include plastic and another portion of the rearward wall portion 110 may be composed of wood that may be used as a cutting board. In yet other implementations, the entire portion of the rearward wall portion 110 may be composed of a material that is suitable for use as a cutting board such as plastic, wood, rubber, or the like.
(33) The rearward wall portion 110 may also include one or more coupling units 180a, 182a, 184a, 186a that are built into the rear wall portion 110 using one or more recesses 180, 182, 184, 186. Each coupling unit 180a, 182a, 184a, 186a is configured to releasably engage an end of a strap (as shown in
(34) In some implementations, the coupling units can include pins that can be installed within the recesses 180, 182, 184, 186, 187, 188 at a later point in time after the initial manufacture of the multipurpose tool 100. In such instances, appropriate steps may be taken to sufficiently seal and waterproof the points where the pins that are coupled to the multipurpose tool 100. The multipurpose tool 100 itself may be manufactured from any number of materials, alone or in combination, including, for example, plastic, neoprene, rubber, aluminum, steel, titanium, wood, or the like.
(35) The multipurpose tool 100 can include a plurality of leg storage units 150, 160. The first leg storage unit 150 is located at the intersection of a plane that extends from an edge of the rearward wall portion 110 and a plane that extends from an edge of the first sidewall portion 120. The second leg storage unit 160 is located at the intersection of a plane that extends from an edge of the rearward sidewall portion 110 and a plane that extends from an edge of the second sidewall portion 130 (shown in at least
(36) The first leg storage unit 150 includes a first channel 152 and a second channel 154, and a plurality of leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e, 150f, 150g, 150h. Each of the respective channels is configured to receive one of legs 910, 920, 930, 940 that may be stored in the leg storage units 150, 160. A leg such as one of legs 910, 920, 930, 940 can be stored in the leg storage unit 150 using the plurality of leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e, 150f, 150g, 150h to secure the leg 910, 920, 930, 940. For example, the plurality of leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e, 150f, 150g, 150h can be configured to removably engage a leg that has been stowed in a channel of the leg storage unit 150.
(37) A leg 910 can be placed into a leg storage unit such as leg storage unit 150 by aligning the leg 910 with a corresponding channel such as the first channel 152 and applying a first force to the leg 910 in the direction of the multipurpose tool 100. The first force must exceed a threshold amount of force that is great enough to cause one or more of the leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 150e, 150f, 150g, 150h to adjust from a first position to a second position. By way of example, in the first position, an opening between respective leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d is not big enough to allow the leg 910 to move into a channel 152 or out of the channel 152. However, one or more of the tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d may proportionally adjust in response the first force by moving away from the channel 152 to a second position, thereby creating a larger opening to the channel 152. Moving away from the channel 152 may include, for example, one or more of the leg storage tabs 150b, 150d adjusting backwards away from the channel 152 and towards the first sidewall portion 120. Alternatively, or in addition, moving away from the channel 152 may include the leg storage tabs 150a, 150c rotating away from the channel 152 towards the rearward sidewall portion 110. In some instances, the movement of one or more of leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d may be minimal. In some instances, for example, the movement of the one or more leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d may not even be visible to the naked eye as the movement can merely include a small flex in the material such as plastic that is used to create the leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d that is sufficient to enable a leg such as the leg 910 to travel into the channel 152. Once leg 910 travels into the channel 152, the force that was applied to the leg 910 is alleviated and one or more of the leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d that moved in response to the force to allow the leg 910 to enter the channel 152 can adjust back to the first position.
(38) In some implementations, each leg storage unit 150, 160 can include two channels such as leg channels 152, 154 for leg storage channel 150. In such implementations, each leg channel 152, 154 can include a set of one or more storage tabs. In some implementations, each leg channel can have four leg storage tabs that are arranged in the same alternating manner along their respective channel as leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d. The other leg storage tabs of the other channels can function in the same manner as the leg storage tabs 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d.
(39) The first sidewall portion 120 and the second sidewall portion 130 (shown in
(40) The frontward sidewall portion 190 can include one or more coupling units 187a, 188a that are built into the frontward sidewall portion 190 using one or more recesses 187, 188. Each coupling unit 187a, 188a is configured to releasably engage an end of a strap (as shown in
(41) For coupling units 184a, 184a, 187a, 188a, the upper lip 220 (shown in
(42) A lid 140 can be used to provide a covering to the open end of the multipurpose tool 100.
(43) In some implementations, the multipurpose tool 100 can be used as a fishing device, as a cleaning device, or even something else. In such implementations, the multipurpose tool 100 can be used to scoop water out of a water source such as a lake. Such an action may be done to catch a fish swimming in the water, gather water for cleaning an item, or some other reason. In such instances, dirty water may get into the multipurpose tool 100. In such instances, the water can be drained out the opening 512. A strainer filter 512a can be installed over the opening 512 to strain out debris that can be removed by hand. In other instances, strainer filter 512a may include a water filter that can be employed to filter water obtained from a water source using the multipurpose tool 100. In some implementations, the water may ready for drinking after passing through the filer 512a.
(44) In some implementations, the multipurpose tool 100 can be used as a water storage device. In some implementations, the lid 140 and upper lip 220 can be configured to create a water tight seal. For example, a strip of rubber can be lined around the edges of the lid 140 such that, when the edges of the lid releasably engage the upper lip 200, a water tight seal is created. Other types of water tight seals can be used to prohibit water from escaping the multipurpose tool 100 when the lid is releasably engaged to the upper lip 200. Such use of a lid 140 that creates a water tight seal by releasably engaging the upper lip 200 can be particular advantageous when the multipurpose tool 100 is used in a table configuration as shown in
(45) The multipurpose utility tool 100 can include one or more leg coupling units 170, 172, 174, 176, 180, 182, 184, 186. The leg coupling units 170, 172, 174, 176 are each positioned at the outermost edges of the outermost leg storage channels, as shown in
(46) The leg coupling units 180, 182, 184, 186 are the same as the leg coupling unit 170. However, the leg coupling units 180, 182, 184, 186 are positioned on curved portion of the sidewalls of the multipurpose tool 100 that reside between the sidewall portions 120, 130, respectively, and the frontward sidewall portion 190. The location of these leg coupling units 180, 182, 184, 186 on these curved portion of the sidewalls of the multipurpose tool 100 creates an angle of stability θ between the legs and a plane 1610 that cuts through the frontward sidewall portion 190 as shown in
(47) An example of leg storage compartments and leg coupling units have been described, at length, above. However, the present disclosure need not be so limited. Instead, implementations of the present disclosure can include one or more legs that are rotatably coupled to one or more portions of the multipurpose tool 100. Such legs may be attached to the multipurpose tool 100 using a hinged mechanism that allows each leg to rotate from a leg storage compartment to a deployed position and then rotate back from the deployed position to a leg storage compartment. In such an implementation, the legs that are rotatably coupled to respective leg coupling units may, or may not be, removable.
(48) An example of a multipurpose tool 2500 using a hinged mechanism is depicted in
(49) The multipurpose tool 2500 is different than other implementations in that the legs 2530, 2532 are coupled to the multipurpose tool 2500 using a hinge mechanism 2550, 2552 that enables the legs 2530, 2532 to rotate from a storage position (e.g., as shown in
(50) Certain implementations of the multipurpose tool 2500 can provide advantages over multipurpose tools described herein such as a guarantee that the legs 2530, 2532 remain coupled to the multipurpose tool 2500. This is in contrast to other embodiments described herein whose legs, regardless of whether they be hinged or not hinged, are removably coupled to the multipurpose tool. Moreover, rotatably coupled legs 2530, 2532 provide other advantages such as quick set up and take down of the legs 2530, 2532 of the multipurpose 2500 in contrast to other implementations which may require legs to be screwed into the multipurpose body 2500 one leg at a time.
(51) The multipurpose tool 2500 can include leg storage units 2540, 2542. In some implementations, these leg storage units 2540, 2542 can include recessed channels that are each configured to receive a respective leg 2530, 2532. For example, the leg storage unit 2540 can be configured to receive the leg 2532 when the leg 2532 is rotated from its standing position in
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(58) While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination. Thus, though particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described, these, and other embodiments, may also fall within the scope of the following claims.