Large storage chests often used in the construction industry are typically formed of steel sheet. The floor and walls of the chest can be formed either from a single sheet of steel that is bent at intersecting edges of the walls and floor to form a box or from multiple pieces of sheet steel that are welded together into a box. Tools can then be stored within the cavity of the box. Typical sizes for such a chest can range from 2 ft.sup.3 to 8 ft.sup.3 or even larger. Because it is often desirable for the chest to be at least somewhat portable, the walls may include pivoting carrying handles, which may be mounted to a straight wall or fold within a recess formed in the wall.
For protection of tools stored inside the chest cavity, the typical chest has a lid, also formed of sheet steel, that is hingedly attached to the rear wall of the box portion of the chest. Such a lid pivots between a closed position covering the cavity and an open position that allows access to the cavity. The lid should have sufficient strength and durability to withstand the abuse a chest typically endures, including the stacking of heavy objects on the lid.
In one popular lid model previously available from Delta Consolidated Industries under the tradename JOBOX.RTM., the chest lid is formed of a single piece of sheet steel. The lid includes a horizontal panel that generally covers the chest cavity, vertical panels that extend downwardly from the edges of the horizontal panel, and flanges that extend inwardly (i.e., into the storage cavity) from the vertical panels. Together, the flanges form a rim within the vertical panels that rests upon the upper edges of the walls of the box portion of the chest when the lid is in its closed position. To add strength and rigidity to the lid, two bolster members are spot-welded to the underside of the horizontal panel; the bolster members extend from a rear to a front portion of the horizontal panel, stopping short of the front and rear vertical panels of the lid.
To assist in opening the lid, a handle is bolted to the center portion of the front vertical panel. Thus, by grasping and lifting the handle, a user can easily open the lid to access the storage cavity.
Unfortunately, this configuration has certain drawbacks. First, because the handle protrudes forwardly beyond the front wall of the box portion of the chest, it often gets crushed or bent during use. Also, by protruding, the handle provides an obstacle that a user can accidentally collide with or snag his clothing on. Moreover, in storing or shipping the chest, the protrusion of the handle requires additional space beyond the front wall of the chest. Further, the handle is an additional component that must be manufactured and assembled, thereby adding cost to the chest.
Second, the placement of the handle in the center of the lid requires that the user be positioned directly in front of the lid to open it; initiating lid opening by lifting another portion of the lid is difficult, because there is nothing else to grasp. Thus, the chest must be positioned where a user can reach the center portion of the lid to lift it.