Storage container for spools of fishing line

Claim 1

A storage container for plural cylindrically shaped spools of fishing line comprising a first and a second end member disposed in spaced apart facing relation, a cooperating arrangement of eight slats circumferentially disposed in spanning relation between said end members so as to bound an internal storage compartment of an octagonal shape so as to closely conform to the cylindrical shape of the spools while minimizing rolling of said container during shipboard use, said first end member having an access opening into said storage compartment of a size to permit the placement of spools of fishing line into, and their removal, from, said storage compartment, all of said slats being sized to extend beyond said first end member so as to form an octagonal-shaped closure-gripping lip about said access opening, a closure member adapted to be force fit within said lip in its closed position over said access opening, an adjacent pair of said slats being hinged to each other and also hinged for opening and closing movements relative to the other slats so as to provide a second access opening into said storage compartment, a spool-supporting axle connected in a central location across said storage compartment in spanning relation between said closure member and said second end member by having its opposite ends projected into openings in said closure member and said second end member, and dispensing openings at spaced locations in one said slat for unwinding select lengths of fishing line from supply spools thereof supported on said axle within said storage compartment.