US20120006836A1

US20120006836A1 - Fast-positioning pin for storage case

Info

Publication number: US20120006836A1
Application number: US12/833,004
Authority: US
Inventors: Chien-Chu Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-09
Filing date: 2010-07-09
Publication date: 2012-01-12

Abstract

A storage case includes a positioning pin, a plurality of O-rings, and a case body. The positioning pin has an outer circumference having opposite end portions forming recessed circumferential grooves for receiving therein the O-rings for realizing tight engagement. The O-rings have outer circumferences projecting beyond the outer circumference of the pin for passive compressed elastic deformation. As such, the positioning pin is insertable through positioning holes defined in opposite side walls of an end-open case body in such a way that the O-rings are located inside or outside the positioning holes for retention and thus fast, repeatable, and resilient insertion and removal of the storage case can be realized.

Description

(a) TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a fast-positioning pin, which provides a breakthrough of structural arrangement of a conventional storage case by providing a positioning pin extending through positioning bores defined in opposite sidewalls of an open-end case body to realize a positioning operation through fast and resilient insertion and removal.

(b) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A conventional storage box is often of a structural arrangement comprising an outer enclosure and an inner or alternatively an outer enclosure that is divided in a height dimension into several layers to respectively receive inner cases therein by which articles can be received and stored in the cases and the enclosure. However, such a storage box is disadvantageous in that the inner case (or drawer) is not provided with any positioning or retention structure so that when the box is moved, the inner case may get easily separated from the outer enclosure, leading to loss and damage of the articles or objected contained in the inner case. This is impractical and requires an improvement. The present invention thus aims to provide a solution to such a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a fast positioning pin for a storage case, and particularly, the storage case is composed of a positioning pin, a plurality of O-rings, and a case body that are arranged in such a way that the storage case can be retained in position through fast and resilient insertion and/or removal of the pin.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fast positioning pin of a storage case, wherein the pin has an outer circumference having opposite end portions, which form recessed circumferential grooves for receiving O-rings to respectively fit therein.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a fast positioning pin of a storage case, wherein the O-rings have an outer circumference projecting beyond the outer circumference of the positioning pin to thereby form a passive and compressed elastic deformation.
Yet a further objective of the present invention is to provide a fast positioning pin of a storage case, wherein the O-rings are fit to the positioning pin outside or inside side walls of the storage case to provide a positioning and retaining function similar to raised rims.
The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment according to the present invention in an assembled form.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partially broken, of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the extension of O-rings through positioning holes according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a positioning pin received through positioning holes defined in a storage case according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the present invention provides a fast positioning pin for a storage case and comprises a positioning pin 1, a plurality of O-rings 2, and a case body 3. The positioning pin 1 comprises a cylindrical bar like body having an outer circumference having opposite end portions forming at suitable locations a plurality of semi-circularly recessed circumferential grooves 12, 12A. The O-rings 2 are made of resilient rubber materials in the form of a ring like body for fitting in the recessed circumferential grooves 12, 12A. The case body 3 comprises an end-open hollow body. The case body 3 has opposite sidewalls on opposite sides of the open end that define opposing positioning holes 31, 311 for receiving the positioning pin 1 to extend therethrough. The positioning holes have a diameter that is slightly greater than an outside diameter of the positioning pin 1.
In the practice of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the positioning pin 1 has an outer circumference having opposite end portions forming at suitable locations a plurality of recessed circumferential grooves 12, 12A to receive inner circumferences of O-rings 2 to fit in the recessed circumferential grooves 12, 12A of the positioning pin for the purpose to provide a function of tight engagement, whereby outer circumferences of the O-rings 2 project beyond an outer circumference of the positioning pin for passive compressed elastic deformation. As such, by extending an end of the positioning pin 1 through one positioning hole 31 of the case body 3 to cause the outer circumference of the O-ring 2 received in the recessed circumferential groove 12 to be elastically compressed and deformed by the inner circumference of the positioning hole 31 for passing through an inner circumference of the positioning hole 31. The outer circumference of the O-ring 2, after passing through the positioning hole 31, resumes its original shape. At this time, the positioning pin 1 is further forced through another positioning hole 311 of the case body 3 and the O-ring 2 received in another recessed circumferential groove 12A is caused by the inner circumference of the positioning hole 31 to pass the inner circumference of the positioning holes 31, after which the O-ring resumes its original shape. In this way, the outer circumferences of the O-rings 2 are retained between the two positioning holes 31, 311 to thereby be held in position without undesired separation. In a similar way, the positioning pin 1 can be easily removed by being pulled in an opposite direction. As such, an industrial use for fast, repeatable, and resilient insertion and removal of the storage case is realized.
In a different embodiment according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the similar principle as that discussed above is used, wherein the O-rings 2 are set outside the positioning holes 31, 311 of the case body 3 and in this arrangement, the O-rings 2 are similarly retained by the positioning holes 31, 3111 to securely hold the positioning pin 1 in position without undesired separation.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A storage case comprising a positioning pin, a plurality of O-rings, and a case body, wherein the positioning pin comprises a cylindrical bar like body having an outer circumference having opposite end portions forming a plurality of semi-circularly recessed circumferential grooves, wherein the plurality of O-rings is each made of a resilient rubber material in the form of a ring like body for fitting in a corresponding one of the recessed circumferential grooves, and wherein the case body comprises an end-open hollow body having opposite sidewalls on opposite sides of the open end that define opposing positioning holes for receiving the positioning pin to extend therethrough, the positioning holes having a diameter that is slightly greater than an outside diameter of the positioning pin, wherein outer circumferences of the O-rings project beyond an outer circumference of the positioning pin for passive compressed elastic deformation for passing through the positioning holes and also for resuming original shapes after passing through the positioning holes whereby the outer circumferences of the O-rings are retained between the positioning holes on the opposite sides of the case body to have the positioning pin held in position without undesired separation and realize fast, repeatable, and resilient insertion and removal of the storage case.

2. The storage case according to claim 1, wherein the semi-circularly recessed circumferential grooves formed in the outer circumference of the positioning pin are located outside the positioning holes on the opposite sides of the storage case for receiving the O-rings to fit therein.