CA2149176A1 - Handled container - Google Patents

Handled container

Info

Publication number
CA2149176A1
CA2149176A1 CA 2149176 CA2149176A CA2149176A1 CA 2149176 A1 CA2149176 A1 CA 2149176A1 CA 2149176 CA2149176 CA 2149176 CA 2149176 A CA2149176 A CA 2149176A CA 2149176 A1 CA2149176 A1 CA 2149176A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
handle
container
channel
side walls
wall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2149176
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
John M. Fuller
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Rubbermaid Commercial Products LLC
Original Assignee
John M. Fuller
Rubbermaid Commercial Products Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by John M. Fuller, Rubbermaid Commercial Products Inc. filed Critical John M. Fuller
Publication of CA2149176A1 publication Critical patent/CA2149176A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Abstract

The subject invention comprises a container and handle assembly. The handle assembly is secured to an exterior wall of the container, and consists of a front wall and two side walls.
The handle contains securing means interposed between the handle side walls for assisting in securing together a cable member and the handle.

Description

~ANDLED CONTAINER

Rack~round of the Invention Field of the Invention The subject invention relates generally to handled containers, and more particularly to a 5 handle member which may be integrally molded to or otherwise aKached to a container. The handle member also contains a cable member which can be easily attached to the handle member without the assistance of additional hardware.

The Prior Art Containers having handles are well known in the art. U.S. Patent Nos. 1,090,122 and 10 1,443,995 disclose handles for ~ chment to a container. The '122 patent discloses a handle which is secured to a container by rivets. The handle includes a rope which is retained within a metal sleeve having a plurality of corrugations which help to secure the rope within the sleeve. The '995 patent discloses a handle which is also secured to a container by rivets.
The handle consists of a metal cylinder and split rings which secure a rope handle. Other 15 prior art containers may include a rope handle, whereby the ends of the rope handle are fused or otherwise secured within apertures located in the container side walls.While the aforementioned patented containers, and other like configured containers work well and have been accepted commercially, certain shortcomings prevent them fromrepresenting an optimum solution to the needs of the consumers and manufactures.20 Specifically, both the '122 and '995 patents disclose handles which require additional hardware to aKach together the handle member and container. Also, once the handle member and cable or rope member are secured together, additional hardware is again required to separate them. This is especially important in the event the cable member would need to be replaced or repaired. Finally, the containers with the rope handle ends fused 14917~

within side wall apertures have disadvantages including limited load potential and diff1culty in cleaning.

Summarv of the Invention The subject invention solves the needs of the market by providing a container having S a handle member attached to the exterior side wall of the container. The handle member includes a flexible cable which can be attached or detached to the handle by the end user without the use of any additional hardware.
The handle member can be integrally molded to the container, and includes a channel which extends between two opposing side walls of the handle member. The channel secures 10 the cable within the handle member, until the user desires to separate the cable and handle member. Projections, located adjacent to the ends of the channel, approximately adjacent to the handle side walls, assist in retaining the cable within the channel. In addition, rib members provide support to the channel, and assist in distributing the load of the container throughout the width of the handle member.
Accordingly, it is an objective to provide a container having a handle member which can be integrally molded to or otherwise secured to a container, without the requirement of additional assembly hardware.
It is another objective to provide for a container having a flexible cable member which can be easily attached to or separated from the handle member.
It is a further objective to provide for a container having a handle member and cable attached to the exterior portion of the container, allowing the container to be easily cleaned.
Yet a still further objective is to provide a container and handle member which can be economically and readily manufactured, shipped and assembled.

21~917~

These and other objectives, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are achieved by a preferred embodiment which is described in detail below, and which is illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
A preferred exemplary bucket and handle incorporating the concepts of the present S invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings without aKempting to show all the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied, the invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.

Description of the Accompanyin~ Drawin~s Fig. l is a perspective view of the container and handle comprising the subject 1 0 invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the handle taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a boKom plan view of the container as illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a side elevational view thereof.
Fig. 5 front elevational view thereof.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the handle taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring first to Figs. 1-2, the subject container 10 and handle member 12 are illustrated. The container 10 can be a vessel of any shape or size, which has a chamber formed and defined by a boKom wall 14 and side walls 16. The handle member 12 can be 20 integrally molded or otherwise secured to an exterior of the container 10. It is preferred that the container and handle member be molded of a suitable durable plastic material, such as polyethylene, but the container and handle could be formed of other materials without departing from the spirit of this invention. The configuration of the container 10 and handle member 12 allow the container to be nested within a plurality of like containers 10 without ` ` ' ' 2149176 exposing the handle member to any potential damage. Therefore, the containers 10 can be easily stacked and stored or shipped to various locations.
Generally, the container 10 as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3-5, has a bottom wall 14 and a peripheral side wall 16. The container side wall 16 may contain an upper skirt 18 which 5 extends outwardly from the generally vertical portions of the side walls 16.
The two handle members 12 illustrated in Figs. 1 -5 are integrally molded to theexterior of the container side wall 16, approximately adjacent to a container upper rim 20.
Thus, the container upper rim 20 helps to provide additional strength and stability to the handle members 12. The attachment ofthe handle members 12 to the container exterior side 10 wall 16 creates a smooth surface for the container interior, thereby providing for a surface which is easy to clean. In addition, the handle members 12 secured to the container exterior provide for a handled container which is capable of carrying a heavy load and distributing the load throughout the handle. A flexible cable member 22 is retained within the handle member 12, as described in detail later, such that the user can easily lift the container 10 As illustrated in Fig. 2, the handle member 12 generally consists of a front wall 24, top wall 25, and two opposing side walls 26. The handle member 12 may be integrally molded or secured to the container exterior side wall 16, such that the exterior side wall 16 is acting as a rear wall of the handle member 12. The handle member 12 may be additionally supported by rib members 30 which are oriented in a bottom portion of the 20 handle member 12. The rib members 30 are approximately parallel to the handle side walls 26. Specifically as illustrated in Fig. 2, the rib members 30 are interposed bet~,veen the container exterior side wall 16 and the handle front wall 24. In addition, the top edges of the rib members 30 are approximately adjacent to the container upper rim 20 and the handle top 25 wall 25, thereby providing additional support and stability to the handle member 12. An additional rib member 32 may also extend approximately perpendicular to the handle side walls 26 as more clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 & 6. Thus, the rib member 32 is generally interposed between the two handle side walls 26, and provides additional support to the handle member 12. The length and width of the rib members 30 & 32, as well as the number of rib members can vary depending upon the choice of material and maximum load desired for the container. A generally C shaped channel 28, for retaining the cable member 22, is defined by the handle side walls 26 and the rib members 30. The channel 28 extends 5 approximately the width of the handle member 12 and is interposed between the two opposing handle side walls 26.
One of the purposes of the rib members 30 & 32, and the handle side walls 26 is to support the handle member 12 and channel 28, and to assist in guiding and retaining the cable 22 within the channel 28. For example, the rib members 30 & 32, and handle side 10 walls 26 provide strength to the handle member 12 when the user is lifting a loaded container 10. The rib members 30 & 32, and handle side walls 26 also assist in preventing the container 10 from flexing and deforming in shape when the container 10 is loaded and subsequently lifted. In addition, the rib members 30 & 32, and handle side walls 26 also help to prevent longitudinal movement of the cable 22, while continuing to permit pivotal 15 movement of the cable 22 while the cable is retained within the channel 28.
Also, the rib members 30 & 32 help to provide additional support to the handle member 12 by distributing the load evenly throughout the handle member 12 when a loaded container 10 is lifted. Specifically, when a user lifts the loaded container 10 the cable 22 will apply a significant amount of pressure directly onto the channel 28, which is supported 20 in part by the rib member 32. Since, the rib member 32 extends the width of the handle member 12 the rib member 32 assists in evenly distributing the load of the container 10 throughout the width of the handle member 12, rather than concentrating the load at any one point in the handle.
Figs. 2 & 6 illustrate the retaining means generally located adjacent to the ends of the channel 34 at the handle side walls 26 . The retaining means assist in retaining the cable member 22 within the channel 28 and the handle side wall 26. The retaining meansgenerally comprise projections 36 such as fingers or tabs which are located adjacent to the ~ t~ 214917~

channel ends 34. The projections 36 protrude inwardly towards the center of the channel ends 34 and therefore help to prevent the cable member 22 from being inadvertently separated from the channel 28.
Once the cable member 22 is inserted within the C shaped channel 28, the projections 5 36 act to help retain the cable member 22 within the channel 28. Once the cable member 22 is forcibly inserted within the channel 28, through the opening between the projections 36, the cable member 22 is in tight engagement with the channel 28 and the projections 36.
Generally, the cable member 22 is a continuous ring shaped member which allows the cable member 22 to easily be inserted and retained within the channel 28. The ends of a 10 cable member 22 may be secured together by a variety of attachment means including but not limited to fusing and clamping, thereby forming a continuous cable member. The cable member 22 may be formed from a variety of materials including rope, cordage, or vinyl tubing.
Once the cable member 22 is inserted within the channel 28, the rib members 30 &15 32, and projections 36 help to retain the cable member 22 within the channel 28, when the user lifts the loaded container 10. The diameter of the cable member 22 should be approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the channel 28, thereby ensuring a tight engagement of the cable 22, channel 28 and projections 36.
If the user desires, the cable member 22 can be detached or withdrawn from the 20 channel 28 and handle member 12. The user can withdraw the cable member 22 from the channel by pulling the cable member 22 in a downward direction through the opening between the projections 36.
While the above describes the ~; lert;ll~d embodiment of the subject invention, the invention is not intended to be so confined. Other embodiments apparent to those skilled in 25 the art, which utilize the teachings hereof, are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims (13)

1. A container and handle combination comprising:
said container comprising a bottom wall, side walls, and an upper rim, said side walls extending from said bottom wall to said upper rim and defining therebetween an internal chamber;
at least one handle secured to an exterior portion of said container, said handle comprising a front wall and two side walls; and securing means interposed between said two handle side walls for assisting in securing together a cable member and said handle.
2. A container according to claim 1, said securing means comprising a recess integrally formed in said handle.
3. A container according to claim 2, said handle further comprising supporting means adjacent to said channel for providing additional support to said handle when said container is lifted.
4. A container according to claim 3, said supporting means comprising at least one rib member oriented approximately parallel to said handle side walls, said rib member interposed between said container side wall and said handle front wall.
5. A container according to claim 3, said container further comprising retaining means adjacent to at least one end of said channel for assisting in retaining said cable member within said channel.
6. A container according to claim 5, said retaining means comprising inwardly disposed projections located adjacent to at least one end of said channel.
7. A container according to claim 6, said cable member being forcibly insertable and detachable through said projections.
8. A container comprising:
a bottom wall, at least one side wall and an upper rim, said side wall extending from said bottom wall to said upper rim and defining therebetween an internal chamber;
at least one handle secured to an exterior portion of said side wall adjacent to said upper rim, said handle comprising a front wall and two side walls;
at least one rib member interposed between said handle front wall and said container side wall;
a generally C shaped channel defined by said handle side walls and said rib member;
at least one of said handle side walls comprising inwardly disposed projections to assist in retaining a cable member within said channel.
9. A container according to claim 8, said container further comprising a support member for assisting in supporting and distributing the load evenly throughout said handle.
10. A container and handle combination comprising:
a container comprising a bottom wall and side walls, said side walls extending from said bottom wall to form an internal chamber therebetween;
attaching means for attaching at least one handle to said bucket;
said handle comprising a channel interposed between said container side wall andhandle front wall, said channel extending the width of said handle and adapted to receive a cable member having a generally ring shape.
11. A handle according to claim 10, said handle further comprising a rib member oriented approximately parallel to said channel for assisting in distributing the load evenly throughout said handle.
12. A handle according to claim 11, said handle further comprising retaining means oriented approximately adjacent to a first and second end of said channel, said retaining means for assisting in retaining said cable member within said channel.
13. A handle for attachment to a container, said handle comprising:
a front wall, two generally opposing side walls and at least one rib member approximately parallel to said side walls;
a generally C shaped channel oriented in the approximate center of said side walls and said rib member;
retaining means adjacent to at least one end of said channel for retaining a cable member in said channel.
CA 2149176 1994-05-16 1995-05-11 Handled container Abandoned CA2149176A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US23800894A 1994-05-16 1994-05-16
US08/238,008 1994-05-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2149176A1 true CA2149176A1 (en) 1995-11-17

Family

ID=22896107

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2149176 Abandoned CA2149176A1 (en) 1994-05-16 1995-05-11 Handled container

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2149176A1 (en)

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FZDE Dead