Travel Case For Infant Supplies

Abstract

An upwardly opening open-top housing including opposite side and end walls interconnected at their lower marginal edge portions by means of a bottom wall extending therebetween with a top wall being provided and removably positionable over the open upper side of the housing for closing the latter. The inside of the housing includes parallel spaced upstanding partitions dividing the housing interior into three longitudinally spaced compartments and one of the end compartments includes a horizontal partition spaced at least slightly above the bottom wall of the housing and having openings formed therethrough whereby upright containers such as feeding bottles and jars of baby food resting on the bottom wall and projecting upwardly through the horizontal partition may be supported against lateral shifting into engagement with each other. Also, the underside of the top wall of the housing includes means by which an inverted facial tissue box may be removably supported from the top wall for ready dispensing of facial tissues therefrom when the top wall is swung to its open position.

Description

The travel case of the instant invention has been specifically designed for the storage of infant supplies and has been constructed in a manner whereby various infant supplies contained therein may be readily located and removed from the travel case when needed.

The main object of this invention is to provide a readily portable enclosure for containing infant supplies.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding objects, is to provide a container for infant supplies with the interior of the container subdivided into individual compartments in a manner such that various forms of infant supplies may be placed within the container for ease in access thereto and removal of the supplies from the container, whenever desired.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a container in accordance with the preceding objects constructed in a manner whereby it may be readily transported from one location to another and stored in a compact area when not in use.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a travel case for infant supplies which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the carrying case of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and with the top or cover of the case pivoted to an open position and the closed position of the top illustrated in phantom lines;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the over-center latch for the cover of the travel case; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear perspective view illustrating the manner in which the cover is hingedly supported from the housing.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the carrying case of the instant invention. The case 10 includes a cover or top wall assembly referred to in general by the reference numeral 12 and a generally rectangular upwardly opening housing referred to in general by the reference numeral 14 relative to which the cover or top wall assembly 12 is swingable between the open and closed positions.

The housing 14 includes front and rear walls 16 and 18 as well as opposite end walls 20 and 22 interconnected by means of a bottom wall 24 extending and secured between the lower marginal edge portions of the walls 16, 18, 20 and 22.

The housing 14 includes a pair of front to rear extending generally parallel partitions 26 and 28 extending between the front and rear walls 16 and 18 at points spaced longitudinally along the housing 14. The partitions 26 and 28 subdivide the interior of the housing 14 into first, second and third compartments A, B and C, respectively, and the compartment B includes its own partition 30 extending between the partitions 26 and 28 and which further subdivides the compartment B into front and rear compartment sections B' and B". Still further, the compartment C has a partition 32 disposed therein which generally parallels the bottom wall 24 and is spaced above the latter a distance equal to approximately one-third the distance from the bottom wall 24 to the top of the housing 14. The partition 32 includes three openings 34 formed therein and also three openings 36 formed therein.

As may best be seen from FIG. 4 of the drawings, three feeding bottles 38 may be rested upon the bottom wall 24 within the compartment C with the bottles 38 projecting upwardly through the openings 34 and thus retained against excessive lateral shifting within the housing 14. In addition, three jars 40 of baby food may rest upon the upper surface of the bottom wall 24 within the compartment C and project upwardly through the openings 36 whereby the jars 40 will also be retained against excessive lateral shifting within the housing 14.

Folded diapers 41 may be positioned within the compartment section B' and feeding accessories such as a cup 42, a spoon 44 and a bib 46 as well as other accessories may be positioned within the compartment section B'. Finally, various other infant supplies may be positioned within the compartment A.

With reference now more specifically to FIGS. 4 and 6 of the drawings, it will be noted that the upper marginal edges of the walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 terminate upwardly in a laterally outwardly projecting continuous peripheral flange 50 and that the base edge portion of the flange 50 includes an upstanding flange 52 extending peripherally about the open upper end of the housing 14. Further, the upper marginal edge portion of the rear wall 18 of the housing 14 includes upwardly projecting spaced journal blocks 54 and it may be seen that similar depending journal blocks 56 and 58 are carried by the depending skirt portion 60 of the rear marginal edge of the top wall portion 62 of the cover assembly 12. Of course, the opposite end edges of the top wall portion 62 include similar depending skirt portions 64 and 66 and the forward marginal edge portion of the top wall portion 62 includes a depending skirt portion 68.

The depending skirt portions 60, 64, 66 and 68 terminate downwardly in a continuous outwardly projecting flange 70 extending about the periphery of the open underside of the top wall assembly 12 and the flange 70 includes a depending peripheral flange 72 which is telescoped over the flange 52 when the top wall assembly 12 is in the closed position thereof illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings.

The central area of the top wall portion 62 includes a downwardly recessed portion 74 in which a pivoted bail-type handle 76 is secured. Of course, it will be noted that the handle 76 may be swung from an upstanding operative position to a horizontal position with the handle 76 fully received within the upwardly opening recess 78 defined above the downwardly depressed portion 74.

Further, the underside of the top wall portion 62 has a pair of hook supports 80 and 82 secured thereto and a continuous elastic member 84 has its opposite end loops engaged with the members 80 and 82 in a manner such that the parallel reaches 86 of the elastic member 84 may be stretched away from the inner surface of the top wall portion 62 in order to position an inverted box 88 of facial tissues against the undersurface of the top wall portion 62 with the box 88 held in position against the top wall portion 62 by means of the elastic member 84. In this manner, with the box 88 inverted, when the cover or top wall assembly 12 is pivoted to the open position thereof illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, facial tissues may be readily withdrawn from the box 88.

The front skirt portion 68 and upper marginal portion of the front wall 16 include coacting over-center latch components 92 and 94 whereby the cover or top wall assembly 12 may be latched in the closed position thereof illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

It will be noted that the upper edge portions of the various partitions 26, 28 and 30 terminate at an elevation spaced below the lower portion of the box 88 supported within the top wall assembly 12 when the latter is in its closed position. Accordingly, there is no interference between the box 88 and other components of the case 10. Also, it will be noted that the case 10 may have the various wall and partition portions thereof formed of various materials including fiber glass and various forms of plastics and/or metals. Also, the compartment C may be provided with suitable resistance type electrically actuated heating means operable from a source of electrical potential expected to be readily available according to the environment in which the case 10 is to be used.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A travel case for infant supplies, said case including an upwardly opening open top housing including opposite side and end walls interconnected at their lower marginal edge portions by means of a bottom wall extending therebetween, a top wall removably positionable over the open upper side of said housing for closing the same, a first pair of generally parallel laterally spaced and upstanding partitions supported in said housing with each extending between corresponding portions of said side walls and spaced longitudinally of the housing from the end walls thereof, thereby dividing the interior of said housing into a pair of opposite end compartments and a central compartment disposed between said partitions, said top wall including downwardly directed opposite end and side flanges extending about the periphery of said top wall, the lower marginal edge of one of said side flanges being pivotally supported from the upper marginal edge of the corresponding side wall of said housing for swinging movement of said top wall into and out of position closing said open top housing, and a pair of anchors secured to the undersurface of said top wall at points adjacent said end flanges and spaced apart longitudinally of said top wall, a pair of generally parallel elastic member sections extending between corresponding transversely spaced portions of said top wall, said elastic member sections being adapted to be stretched beneath an article, such as an inverted box of facial tissues, and to thereby yieldingly cradle said article beneath said top wall, said upstanding partitions terminating upwardly a spaced distance below the upper marginal edge portions of said side and end walls and a sufficient distance below said top wall to enable said article to be supported from said top wall above said upstanding partitions, said top wall including a downwardly displaced central portion spaced between said anchors and defining an upwardly open recess in the upper surface of said top wall and an abutment projecting downwardly from the undersurface of said top wall, and a bail-type handle wholly receivable in said recess and pivotally anchored to said central portion.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein one of said end compartments includes a horizontal partition spaced above said bottom wall and extending between and supported from the corresponding end wall and adjacent upstanding partition as well as said side walls, said partitions being disposed below the vertical mid-point of said housing and having article receiving openings formed therethrough adapted to have the lower ends of such articles as baby bottles and baby food jars and cans received downwardly therethrough whereby such articles may rest on said bottom wall and project upwardly through said openings for lateral support by the edges of said horizontal partition defining said openings.