Article storage container

Claim 1

An article-storage container for at least one elongated article having an inner end, an outer end and a sidewall extending therebetween, with a first retaining means provided externally on the sidewall of the article, said article-storage container comprising: a case including means defining at least one article-accommodation chamber for removably telescopically receiving, inner end first, a respective said article, said article-accommodation chamber having an opening through said case at an end of said article-accommodation chamber, said article-accommodation chamber being closed at an opposite end by means including an article retainer; said article retainer being mounted in said case for limited axial movement towards and away from said opening; resilient means mounted in said case and normally urging said article retainer towards said opening; said article retainer including second retaining means adapted to engage with said first retaining means for removably retaining said article in said articleaccommodation chamber; and a change-over mechanism including a shiftable spring-biased camming means, said change-over mechanism being mounted and disposed in said case, being operatively associated with said article retainer and said resilient means and being arranged: for disposing said article retainer in an axially outer position with said second retaining means poised for retainingly coacting with said first retaining means when said article has been inserted in said article-accommodation chamber sufficiently to bring said first retaining means into engagement with said second retaining means and for permitting said article retainer, against restoration force becoming stored by said resilient means, to permit said article retainer to be forcibly retracted to an intermediate position as said article is further inserted into said article-accommodation chamber, until a condition is reached at which said first retaining means is retainingly engaged with said second retaining means, said outer end of said article is approximately flush with said case perimetrically of said opening and said article retainer is cammed, by said spring-biased camming means of said change-over mechanism, in said intermediate position, against axially outward movement towards said axially outer position, and for permitting said article retainer when latched in said intermediate position to be pushed further inwards, by a pushing force manually applied on said outer end of said article, for shifting said spring-biased camming means so that said resilient means may push said article outwardly of said articleaccommodation chamber so that a portion of said article adjacent said outer end protrudes out of said case through said opening and is available to be grasped for removing said article from said article-accommodation chamber.