Case including a vessel and pivoting cover

A case comprising:

• a vessel including sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior volume;
• a cover mounted via a hinge system to an upper portion of the vessel, wherein the cover has a first operating position in which the cover covers the upper portion of the vessel and forms a top wall to the interior volume, a second operating position in which the cover exposes the upper portion and the interior volume of the vessel, and a third position in which the cover is disassociated from the hinge system;
• the hinge system includes a first hinge and a second hinge having a common axis with the first hinge, wherein the cover pivots about the common axis while moving from the first operating position to the second operating position;
• the first hinge and second hinge each include a ball and a spring aligned with the common axis, wherein each ball is biased by the spring to be positioned in an interface between the cover and the vessel while the cover is in the first and second operating positions, and the ball is displaced from the interface while the cover is in the third position;
• and
• a retention device configured to retain the cover in the second operating position and comprising:
• a block which has a counterpart and which is fixedly joined to the cover,
• a lever which has a cavity, the lever being mounted so as to be movable in rotation on the vessel about a rotation axis parallel with the hinge axis and remote therefrom, between a non-engagement position in which the cavity and the counterpart do not cooperate to retain the cover in an open position and an engagement position in which the cavity and the counterpart cooperate in order to retain the cover in an open position, and
• a return spring which urges the lever into contact against the block.

A case comprising:

• a vessel including sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior volume, and an upper rim at ends of the sidewalls opposite to the bottom wall, wherein the upper rim defines a perimeter of the interior volume;
• posts fixed to the vessel and extending beyond the upper rim, wherein the posts each have a surface with a recess and the recess are aligned with a common axis;
• a cover with a lower edge configured to seat on the upper rim of the vessel and a ridge configured to fit between the posts of the vessel, wherein a surface on each of the posts is opposite to a corresponding surface on opposite sides of the ridge;
• a common axis extending through the posts and the ridge, wherein the recesses on each of the surfaces of the posts and recesses on the surfaces of the ridge are aligned with the common axis;
• a first ball seated in one of the recesses of the surface of the post and one of the recesses of the ridge, and a second ball seated in the other recess of the surface of the post and the other recess of the ridge, wherein each of the balls is biased to bridge a respective gap between one of the posts and the ridge, and the balls form a hinge about which the cover pivots about the common axis with respect to the vessel, and the balls are displaced from the gaps by a force applied to an upper surface of the cover and causing a portion of the cover facing the vessel to be displaced towards the vessel in the direction of the force applied to the upper surface of the cover.

A case comprising:

• a vessel including sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior volume;
• a cover mounted via a hinge system to an upper portion of the vessel, wherein the cover has a first operating position in which the cover covers the upper portion of the vessel and forms a top wall to the interior volume, and a second operating position in which the cover exposes the upper portion and the interior volume of the vessel;
• the hinge system includes a first hinge and a second hinge having a common axis with the first hinge, wherein the cover pivots about the common axis while moving from the first operating position to the second operating position;
• and
• a retention device configured to retain the cover in the second operating position, the retention device comprising:
• a block fixedly joined to the cover and including a counterpart,
• a lever including a cavity, the lever being mounted so as to be movable in rotation on the vessel about a rotation axis parallel with the common axis and remote therefrom, between a non-engagement position in which the cavity and the counterpart do not cooperate to retain the cover in an open position and an engagement position in which the cavity and the counterpart cooperate in order to retain the cover in an open position, and
• a return spring configured to urge the lever into contact against the block.