It is common to have a large number of small items that must be stored in some manner. Such small items may include, by way of example, but not limitation, artist charcoal/pencils, children's crayons, drill bits, taps (for cutting threads), bobbins for sewing, spices, gauge pins, screwdriver bits, fishing weights, and the like. Often, small items are all stored together in a large bin, but it then becomes difficult to identify and retrieve any particular item. In other instances, a small box or drawer will be devoted to each item, but that often results in an inefficient use of space.
A screwdriver represents a particular case in point wherein a person may need a number of different screwdrivers to perform a task. This is particularly problematic, time consuming, and even dangerous, when such person is working on a ladder and must continually go up and down the ladder to fetch different screwdrivers. For such cases, screwdrivers are available which hold a number of different bits selectable by a user; such screwdrivers are referred to as multi-bit screwdrivers. There are, however, a number of drawbacks associated with “multi-bit” screwdrivers. The most common drawback is that such screwdrivers typically require two hands to change a bit, which can be dangerous when, for example, a user is standing atop a high ladder. Another common drawback is that the number of bits is very limited, such as six or even fewer bits. A still further drawback is that bits can be dropped or lost during handling.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a storage device that enables a large variety of different items of similar size to be readily stored and retrieved in a portable container and to be readily selectable for use. It would be desirable in one application for such a storage device to be adapted to a multi-bit screwdriver in a way which would allow the screwdriver to be operable with a single hand, to carry a sufficient number of bits to be useful in a large number of applications, and wherein the bits are secured and loaded within the screwdriver.