Tackle box

Claim 2

A tackle box comprising: a plurality of generally rectangular housing units stacked horizontally, each of said units having a top and at least one generally straight upstanding hinge side, with hinge means vertically spaced along said side and connected to hinge means on a next adjacent unit, each of said units being thereby hingedly connected to the next adjacent unit, a carrying handle at the top of at least one of said units, said hinge means having vertical hinge axes and each of said units having a swing side horizontally spaced from the hinge side, the swing sides of adjacent units being horizontally separable from each other to permit access to interiors of said units while hinge sides thereof remain connected to next adjacent units, said hinge means being constructed to facilitate intentional disconnection of one of said units from the unit next adjacent to it, each of said units having a hinge edge meeting a hinge edge of the next adjacent unit, the hinge means including at least one hinge loop on each hinge edge, each loop having a circular aperture with a loop axis, the hinge loops on meeting hinge edges having their loop axes colinear and vertical, and top headed hinge pins received through the apertures of hinge loops having colinear axes to hingedly connect said loops together, but said pins being readily removable upwardly from said hinge loop apertures, to facilitate connection and disconnection of one of said units to another of said units without tools, a handle receiver on the top of each of said units, said handle having a central hand receiver portion and having end portions attachable to any of said receivers and attached to said handle receivers on at least two of said units, said handle being alterable between said hand receiver portion and said end portions to facilitate spanning greater and lesser numbers of units of said plurality of units, intermediate the two units to which said end portions are attached.

Claim 3

The tackle box of claim 1 and further comprising: latch means on said swing sides of said units and normally retaining the swing side of each unit closed with the swing side of the unit next adjacent to it.

Claim 4

The tackle box of claim 1 wherein one of said units is substantially a center unit, the box further comprising: a mounting column socket in the bottom of said center unit; and a mounting column removably received in said socket and sufficiently sturdy to support said unit above a mount for said column.

Claim 5

The tackle box of claim 1 wherein: at least one of the top and sides of each unit have edges engaged with edges of the next adjacent unit, said engaged edges having at least portions of interengaging mating shapes.

Claim 6

The tackle box of claim 4 wherein: both the top and sides have engaged edges wherein said shapes are tongue-and-groove.

Claim 7

The tackle box of claim 5 wherein: the tongue edge of one unit is received in the groove edge of the next adjacent unit and inhibits relative movement of said units in a direction transverse to the direction in which said units are stacked.

Claim 8

The tackle box of claim 4 and wherein: there are at least four of said units, including two end units and at least two intermediate units, said intermediate units being interchangeable within the stack.

Claim 9

The tackle box of claim 7 wherein: said shapes are such that with said intermediate units removed from the stack, said end units are hingedly closable together with their edges mating.

Claim 10

The tackle box of claim 8 wherein: each of said units has at least one apertured spring clip latch or latch pin on the swing side thereof for cooperation with the latch pin or spring clip respectively of the next adjacent unit.

Claim 11

The tackle box of claim 1 wherein: there are two units, each having an outer end wall, fastener means are provided on at least one of said end walls, a pocket assembly is removably fastened to said fastener means.

Claim 12

The tackle box of claim 10 wherein: said pocket assembly includes an accordion walled pocket having a cover flap and made of water resistant material.

Claim 13

The tackle box of claim 11 wherein said fastener means include Velcro type fastener material on said end wall and on said pocket assembly.

Claim 14

The tackle box of claim 10: fastener means are provided on both of said end walls; and another pocket assembly is removably fastened to the other of said end walls.

Claim 15

The tackle box of claim 13 wherein said plurality of units further comprises: at least one additional unit intermediate said units having the outer end walls.

Claim 16

A tackle box comprising: a plurality of generally rectangular housing units stacked horizontally, each of said units having a top and at least one generally straight upstanding hinge side, with hinge means vertically spaced along said side and connected to hinge means on a next adjacent unit, each of said units being thereby hingedly connected to the next adjacent unit, a carrying handle at the top of at least one of said units, said hinge means having vertical hinge axes and each of said units having a swing side horizontally spaced from the hinge side, the swing sides of adjacent units being horizontally separable from each other to permit access to interiors of said units while hinge sides thereof remain connected to next adjacent units, said hinge means being constructed to facilitate intentional disconnection of one of said units from the unit next adjacent to it, at least two of said units having a cavity in the top thereof, with a horizontally extending slot in the top providing access to the cavity therein, said slots being elongated in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal line from said hinge side to said swing side of the unit, and said handle having a pair of lugs at each end received in two of said cavities and projecting transverse to the elongated direction of said slots whereby portions of said tops covering said cavities adjacent the sides of said slots retain said handle ends in said cavities, said handle extending in the said direction of elongation of said slots and over units intermediate the ends of the stack and being thereupon useful to carry said tackle box.

Claim 17

A tackle box comprising: a plurality of generally rectangular housing units stacked horizontally, each of said units having a top and at least one generally straight upstanding hinge side, with hinge means vertically spaced along said side and connected to hinge means on a next adjacent unit, each of said units being thereby hingedly connected to the next adjacent unit, a carrying handle at the top of at least one of said units, said hinge means having vertical hinge axes and each of said units having a swing side horizontally spaced from the hinge side, the swing sides of adjacent units being horizontally separable from each other to permit access to interiors of said units while hinge sides thereof remain connected to next adjacent units, said hinge means being constructed to facilitate intentional disconnection of one of said units from the unit next adjacent to it, at least two of said units having a cavity in the top thereof, with a horizontally extending slot in the top providing access to the cavity therein, said slots being elongated in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal line from said hinge side to said swing side of the unit, and said handle having a pair of lugs at each end received in two of said cavities and projecting transverse to the elongated direction of said slots whereby portions of said tops covering said cavities adjacent the sides of said slots retain said handle ends in said cavities, said handle extending in the said direction of elongation of said slots and over units intermediate the ends of the stack and being thereupon useful to carry said tackle box.

Claim 18

A tackle box comprising: a plurality of generally rectangular housing units stacked horizontally, each of said units having a top and at least one generally straight upstanding hinge side, with hinge means vertically spaced along said side and connected to hinge means on a next adjacent unit, each of said units being thereby hingedly connected to the next adjacent unit, a carrying handle at the top of at least one of said units, said hinge means having vertical hinge axes and each of said units having a swing side horizontally spaced from the hinge side, the swing sides of adjacent units being horizontally separable from each other to permit access to interiors of said units while hinge sides thereof remain connected to next adjacent units, said hinge means being constructed to facilitate intentional disconnection of one of said units from the unit next adjacent to it, said units including: first and second end units, each having a top and a bottom and an end wall extending from side-to-side and top to bottom of said unit, and each end wall having a plurality of vertically-spaced, horizontally extending channel members thereon co-operating with the inner surface thereof to form trays to receive crappie baits therein, a third unit having a top and a bottom and a rear wall and having a fish-hook pierceable and retaining member on said rear wall and covering at least the upper half of the area of said rear wall for hanging big crank baits thereon, and said third unit having an upstanding rail extending from side-to-side and horizontally spaced from each rear wall and cooperating with said rear wall to provide a deep tray for miscellaneous items; a fourth unit having a top and a bottom and open front and rear, and a pair of vertically spaced rods extending horizontally from side to side and affixed to said sides of said fourth unit and each rod adapted to receive thereover and hooked thereon, the hooks of spinner baits; a fifth unit having a top and a bottom and a panel extending between the top and bottom and sides and having a hook pierceable and retaining member on front and rear faces of said panel, for hanging surface crank baits at the front and rear faces of said panel; and a sixth unit having a top and bottom, and a plurality of vertically spaced trays therein extending from side-to-side of said unit.

Claim 19

A tackle box comprising: a plurality of generally rectangular housing units stacked horizontally, each of said units having a top and at least one generally straight upstanding hinge side, with hinge means vertically spaced along said side and connected to hinge means on a next adjacent unit, each of said units being thereby hingedly connected to the next adjacent unit, a carrying handle at the top of at least one of said units, said hinge means having vertical hinge axes and each of said units having a swing side horizontally spaced from the hinge side, the swing sides of adjacent units being horizontally separable from each other to permit access to interiors of said units while hinge sides thereof remain connected to next adjacent units, said hinge means being constructed to facilitate intentional disconnection of one of said units from the unit next adjacent to it, said units including: first and second end units, each having a top and a bottom and an end wall extending from side-to-side and top to bottom of said unit, and each end wall having a plurality of vertically-spaced, horizontally extending channel members thereon co-operating with the inner surface thereof to form trays to receive crappie baits therein, a third unit having a top and a bottom and a rear wall and having a fish-hook pierceable and retaining member on said rear wall and covering at least the upper half of the area of said rear wall for hanging big crank baits thereon, and said third unit having an upstanding rail extending from side-to-side and horizontally spaced from each rear wall and cooperating with said rear wall to provide a deep tray for miscellaneous items; a fourth unit having a top and a bottom and open front and rear, and a pair of vertically spaced rods extending horizontally from side to side and affixed to said sides of said fourth unit and each rod adapted to receive thereover and hooked thereon, the hooks of spinner baits; a fifth unit having a top and a bottom and a panel extending between the top and bottom and sides and having a hook pierceable and retaining member on front and rear faces of said panel, for hanging surface crank baits at the front and rear faces of said panel; and a sixth unit having a top and bottom, and a plurality of vertically spaced trays therein extending from side-to-side of said unit.

Claim 20

The tackle box of claim 16 and further comprising: styrofoam bodies in said trays in said first unit to retain fishooks therein:

Claim 21

The tackle box of claim 16 wherein: said hook pierceable and retaining member is made of cork.

Claim 22

The tackle box of claim 16 wherein: said hook pierceable and retaining member is made of plasic foam.