GB2105979A - Container handle - Google Patents

Abstract

A handle primarily for use with a paint container (10) comprises a looped handle portion (17) formed of a length of rod or wire providing spring resistance to lateral inward movement and terminating in laterally projecting stubs (16) for releasable engagement beneath a rim (15) of the container (10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to handles and handle container assemblies This invention relates to handles and to assemblies of container and detachable handle.

The invention has been developed primarily for application to paint containers. The term "paint" is used herein generically to cover coating substances whether in the form of a liquid or a gell and whether bound by oil, water, plastics or other substances which are flowable when applied to the surface to be coated.

It has been customary in the past for larger sized paint containers to be provided with a handle, usually in the form of a stirrup of wire of inverted U-shape pivotally connected at the exterior of the container and at the lower ends of the stirrup to the sides of the container near the upper end of the latter.

Very frequently smaller sized paint containers have not been provided with any handle, and there is a likelihood for reasons of economy that the practice of providing a handle on larger sized paint containers, typically from one litre upwards, may be discontinued.

The absence of a handle does present considerable disadvantages both to the professional and non-professional painter, especially where the work of painting has to be carried whilst the painter is standing on a ladder or platform at an elevated position above the ground. Even in other situations however, a handle enables a paint container to be more securely supported than if it is merely placed on horizontal or nearly horizontal supporting surfaces, or supported by placing the hand beneath the bottom of the container, which latter is both insecure and tiring.

The object of the present invention is to overcome or reduce these disadvantages which result from the absence of a handle on a paint container, but is applicable to other containers where the same or analogous problems arise in the use of the material contained in such container.

According to one aspect, there is provided in accordance with the invention a handle comprising laterally outwardly projecting stubs for engaging, in use, beneath an inturned lip or rim at the open upper end of a container, and a handle portion proper connecting the stubs and of a shape to present, in use, an upstanding part while can be hand-grasped, or hand-held in a suspended mode.

Such a handle can be introduced into the container through the open upper end thereof in an attitude such that the stubs can pass easily through the open mouth, and the attitude of the handle can then be changed to engage the stubs beneath the inturned lip or rim.

Thus, it would be within the scope of the invention for the stubs to be maintained by the handle portion proper at a fixed distance apart from each other, and a handle of this form would be suitable for use with containers of single diameter, or diameters closely approximating to a single diameter.

A preferred form of the invention however is one in which the handle portion proper is of a form, and/or of a material, which provides spring resistance to lateral inward movement of the stubs so that these can be releasably retained under spring loading in engagement beneath said lip or rim. A handle of this form can provide for sufficient lateral inward and outward movement of the stubs, while maintaining outward spring loading on the latter, to enable the handle to be used effectively with a plurality of containers of differeing diameters corresponding for example to half litre and one litre capacities.

It is further preferred that the stubs should be two in number and should project laterally outwardly in opposite directions. When using this form of handle, the container is in effect pivotally supported by the stub in stable manner and can readily be maintained with the open upper end of the container in a horizontal plane to avoid accidental spillage of the contents, for example while the user is applying the contents or not looking directly towards the container.

From a further aspect, the present invention resides in the provision of an assembly of paint container and handle in accordance with the invention as herein defined.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of one embodiment of handle in accordance with the invention shown in assembled relation with a paint container; FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 showing an alternative embodiment of handle.

The container 10 with which the handle is shown assembled may comprise a paint container. A quantity of paint 11 is shown therein, the surface level of which 12 is shown spaced from the open upper end 13 of the container merely for convenience, it being understood that in some cases the container will be initially full of paint up to the level of the opening 13.

As is normal, the paint container is of circular form in horizontal cross-section e.g. it has a side wall 14 of cylindrical shape terminating in an inturned rim or lip 15 which is of channel shape in vertical cross-section for receiving the normal downwardly projecting rib at the underside of a lid (not shown).

The handle comprises two stubs 16 which engage beneath the lip or rim 15 at diametrically or approximately diametrically opposed positions and are connected with each other by a handle portion proper 17.

The handle portion proper and the stubs are conveniently made from a single length of wire exhibiting a requisite degree of springiness. Thus, for this purpose one may use hard drawn mild steel wire typically having a diameter of 3.5 millimetres.

If desired, wire may be coated with a plastics material so that the handle portion proper is pleasant to grasp and is protected against corrosion as well as being easily wiped clean of paint so that it may be assembled at different times with different containers without contamination of one paint by another.

The handle portion proper may be in the form of an upstanding loop closed at its upper end and having a part-circular upper end portion 18 and straight downwardly convergent limbs. The limbs 19 cross each other at their lower ends which are integrally connected with the stubs 16 through downwardly divergent limbs 20.

The stubs 16 can be moved inwardly with respect to each other by deformation of the loop of the handle portion paper i.e. by squeezing the sides inwardly towards each other, the wire in the loop thus becoming bent, but within its elastic limit, so that it exercises laterally outward spring loading on the stubs 16 and serves to retain them in the assembled position, that is engaging beneath the inturned lip or rim 15.

Not only is the handle enabled to be securely but releasably assembled with a paint container, it is also capable of being used satisfactorily with paint containers of different diameters, for example those commonly employed in half litre and one litre sizes of paint container, and which have internal diameters respectively of 8.8 centimetres and It will be noted that stubs and handle portion proper all lie in a comparatively thin upwardly extending plate-like zone leaving two relatively large unobstructed areas 21 of the opening 13 free for entry by paint brushes.In the particular configuration shown, two cranked parts 20 and their respectively associated extremities 19 are overlapped with each other so that all parts of the handle are not co-planar but when the handle is in use with a larger diameter container, the two parts 20 and their respectively connected extremities 19 may not be in overlapping relation, in fact there could be a gap or space at the lower end of the loop between the corners formed between the parts 19 and 20 and the corresponding parts 19 and 20 at the other side of the loop.

In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, parts corresponding to those already described are designated with like references with the prefix 1 and the preceding description is to be deemed to apply.

In this case the handle portion proper 117 has a generally diamond-shaped upper portion at the lower ends of the downwardly convergent limbs spaced apart from each other instead of crossing. In consequence of this lateral flexure of the one side of the handle portion proper comprising the limbs 119 and 120 with respect to the other side of the handle cannot be impeded by accumulation and solidification of paint at the crossing point.

In a further alternative embodiment (not illustrated) the handle portion proper serves to connect stubs such as 16 but does not provide outward spring loading enabling the stubs 16 to accommodaate themselves to different sized containers. With this embodiment different sized handles in which the dimensions between the outer ends of the stubs 16 are of different values (fixed) would be required for different capacity containers, such as half litre and one litre sizes.

Whichever embodiment of handle is employed, it will be noted that it is extremely simple and hence economic to manufacture. Moreover, it does not require perforations to be made in the side wall of the container, and so, even when the level 12 of the paint 11 is coincident or nearly coincident with the opening 13, there will be no risk of leakage of paint.

Claims (10)

1. A handle comprising laterally outwardly projecting stubs for engaging, in use, beneath an inturned lip or rim at the open end of a container, and a handle portion proper connecting the stubs, and of a shape to present, in use, an upstanding part which can be hand-grasped, or hand-held in a suspended mode.

2. A handle according to Claim 1 wherein the stubs are two in number and project laterally outwardly in opposite directions to engage beneath said lip or rim at substantially diametrically opposed positions.

3. A handle according to either of Claims 1 and 2 wherein the handle portion proper is of a form and/or of a material which provides spring resistance to lateral inward movement of the stubs so that these are releasably retained under spring loading in engagement beneath said lip or rim.

4. A handle according to either of Claims 2 and 3 wherein stubs and handle portion proper are co-planar or approximately so and occupy only a thin plate-like zone so as to provide, in use, unobstructed access through the open upper end of the container over substantial areas of said opening.

5. A handle according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 as appendantto Claim 3 wherein the stubs and handle portion proper are formed of a length of rod or wire of a configuration such that the handle portion proper is resiliently deformable as to its overall shape or dimensions to provide the spring loading for the stubs.

6. A handle according to Claim 5 wherein the handle portion proper is in the form of a loop closed at that end which, in use, is uppermost, and having its lower extremities integrally connected to respective ones of the stubs through respective laterally outwardly cranked parts.

7. A handle according to Claim 6 wherein the cranked parts and the lower extremities connected respectively thereto are resiliently movable between non-overlapped and overlapped positions.

8. A handle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.

9. A handle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

10. The assembly of a paint container of circular form in horizontal cross-section and having an inturned lip or rim at its open upper end with a handle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.