Modular storage system

Abstract

Storage container for small articles. A storage container for small articles provides a stationary upright cabinet open at the front, one or more bins received in the cabinet and tiltable between an upright closed position and a forwardly tilting open position, and a latch secured to a front wall of the bin for locking the bin in the closed upright position. The cabinet includes a vertical back wall and vertical side walls which have lower edges that are adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface, and a bottom wall between these lower edges and directly above the supporting surface. Each bin includes a front wall and a bottom wall joined by a curved transitional surface, which has the curvature of a right circular cylinder. This curved transitional surface rolls along the upper surface of the bottom wall of the cabinet as a bin is moved from an open position to a closed position or vice versa. This rolling motion takes the place of a structure having a fixed pivot axis for supporting a bin. Projections extending downwardly from the bottom wall of the bin through correspondingly shaped openings in the bottom wall of the cabinet, prevent tilting beyond the predetermined limit, and also prevent undesired shifting of a bin as it moves, and further prevent accidental removal of a bin. The latch is slidable between a latching position and a retracted position, and is retained in either position by a keyless locking arrangement until a user manually slides the latch to the other position.