GB2145994A

GB2145994A - Container and handle therefor

Info

Publication number: GB2145994A
Application number: GB08422180A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian Edwards
Original assignee: Superfos Packaging AS
Current assignee: Superfos Packaging AS
Priority date: 1983-09-06
Filing date: 1984-09-03
Publication date: 1985-04-11
Also published as: GB8323846D0; GB8422180D0

Abstract

A container 11 has a handle 10 pivotally attached thereto at two opposite positions outside the container to swing about a pivot axis. Handle supports 17 in the form of channel members are provided on the container. Each channel member comprises side walls 18, 19 adjacent the outside of the container and a web 20 spaced from the container and extending between the side walls 18, 19. Pivot pins 13 are provided on the handle and are non-rotatable relative thereto and pivotally mounted in apertures in the webs 20. At least one of the pivot pins carries a cam member 15 which is non-rotatable relative thereto and disposed within a channel member. The cam member has an abutment face 16 engageable with a side wall of the channel member and the abutment face and/or the side wall are resilient so that interengagement thereof causes resistance to but not prevention of movement of the handle between a lower position and an upper position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Container and handle therefor This invention is concerned with a container and a handle therefor.

During the transport of containers after they have been filled and fitted with lids, the vibration which occurs tends to cause pivoted handles on the containers to rise from a downturned position to a position in which they project above the tops of the containers, causing difficulty in subsequent mechanical stacking and palletising of the containers.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise this difficulty.

According to the invention, there is provided a container with a handle pivotally attached thereto at two opposite positions outside the container to swing about a pivot axis, wherein handle supports in the form of channel members are provided on the container, each channel member comprising side walls adjacent the outside of the container and a web spaced from the container and extending between said side walls, pivot pins are provided on the handle, the pivot pins being nonrotatable relative to the handle and pivotally mounted in apertures in the webs of said channel members, and at least one of said pivot pins carries a cam member which is non-rotatable relative thereto and disposed within a channel member, said cam member having an abutment face engageable with a side wall of said channel member and said abutment face and/or side wall being resilient so that interengagement thereof causes resistance to but not prevention of movement of the handle between a lower position and an upper position.

Preferably, said abutment face is engageable as aforesaid with each of said side walls to resist but not prevent movement of the handle between lower positions on opposite sides of the container and an upper position.

In a very advantageous form of the invention, the handle, the pivot pins and the cam member or members are formed as an integrally moulded unit of resilient plastics material, e.g. polypropylene.

Preferably, the cam member or each cam member is arranged to prevent axial displacement of the associated pivot pin from its support.

In a preferred form of the invention, each of said apertures in the webs of the channel members has a constricted lower opening, the webs and/or the pivot pins being resilient, whereby the pins can be forced through the constricted openings into the apertures.

The handle supports may be made separately and secured to or may be integrally moulded with the container. The supports and container are preferably made of resilient plastics material, e.g. polypropylene.

The invention further provides a container handle comprising a strip, pivot pins disposed non-rotatably on the handle for pivotally attaching the strip at two opposite positions outside a container, and a cam member disposed non-rotatably on and at least in part projecting radially from one or each of the pivot pins at the end thereof distant from the strip.

The following is a description, by way of example, of an embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a container with handle in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is an isometric view on a larger scale of one end of the handle, Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on a larger scale through the pivot axis at one end of the handle mounted on the container, and Figure 4 is a view on a larger scale of a handle support.

In the drawings, a handle 10 in the form of a Ushaped strip is pivotally mounted at two diametrically opposite positions (only one of which can be seen in Fig. 1) outside and near the top of a container 11 (shown with a lid) to swing about a pivot axis 12. At each end the handle has a pivot pin 13 with a portion 14 of reduced diameter. Each pivot pin 13 carries a cam member 15 with an arcuate abutment face 16 at a position further from the pivot axis than the remainder of the cam member.

The cam member lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the strip and the abutment face 16 faces in the same direction as the adjacent end of the strip.

At each of the aforesaid diametrically opposite positions, the container 11 has a handle support 17. Each handle support comprises a channel member with two parallel side walls 18, 19 connected by a web 20 having a longitudinal slot 21.

The slot 21 has a wide lower portion with an open lower end. At the top of the lower portion the slot gradually narrows to a constricted portion 22 which opens into a pivot hole 23. The pivot hole 23 has a diameter slightly greater than that of the reduced diameter portion 14 of the pivot pin and less than that of the remainder of the pivot pin. The width of the constricted portion 22 of the slot is slightly less than the diameter of the reduced diameter portion 14 of the pivot pin.

The container and the handle supports are integrally moulded from resiliently deformable plastics material, preferably polypropylene. The handle, pivot pins and cam members are also integrally moulded from any resiliently deformable plastics material, preferably polypropylene. The handle is moulded as a straight strip, which is bent into Ushape before being fitted to the container. For that purpose, the pivot pins are introduced into the slots 21 and moved so that the reduced diameter portions of the pins are forced through the constricted portions of the slots into the pivot holes 23, where they are retained because the constricted portions of the slots and the reduced diameter portions of the pins resume their normal dimensions and because the cam members prevent axial displacement of the pins.The larger diameter portions of the pins provide a stand off for the ends of the handle so that when swung it can clear a lid on the container.

The distance of the arcuate abutment faces from the pivot axis is slightly greater than the shortest distance between the pivot axis and the inside of each of side walls 18, 19. Therefore, when the handle is in its lowermost position (as shown in Fig.

1), the cam members are clear of the side walls 18, 19. When the handle is swung upwards, the abutment faces resiliently engage the side walls and cause resistance to movement of the handle into a horizontal position. Moderate pressure will however cause the handle to move upwards into and above the horizontal and at a position of the handle some degrees above horizontal the cam members will clear the side walls. Thus the container is free to swing from the handle when the latter is in an upright position for carrying purposes.

Claims

1. A container with a handle pivotally attached thereto at two opposite positions outside the container to swing about a pivot axis, wherein handle supports in the form of channel members are provided on the container, each channel member comprising side walls adjacent the outside of the container and a web spaced from the container and extending between said side walls, pivot pins are provided on the handle, the pivot pins being non-rotatable relative to the handle and pivotally mounted in apertures in the webs of said channel members, and at least one of said pivot pins carries a cam member which is non-rotatable relative thereto and disposed within a channel member, said cam member having an abutment face engageable with a side wall of said channel member and said abutment face and/or side wall being resilient so that interengagement thereof causes resistance to but not prevention of movement of the handle between a lower position and an upper position.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said abutment face is engageable as aforesaid with each of said side walls to resist but not prevent movement of the handle between lower positions on opposite sides of the container and an upper position.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the handle, the pivot pins and the cam member or members are formed as an integrally moulded unit of resilient plastics material.

4. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the cam member or each cam member is arranged to prevent axial displacement of the associated pivot pin from its support.

5. A container according to any preceding claim in which each of said apertures in the webs of the channel members has a constricted lower opening, the webs and/or the pivot pins being resilient, whereby the pins can be forced through the constricted openings into the apertures.

6. A container handle comprising a strip, pivot pins disposed non-rotatably on the handle for pivotally attaching the strip at two opposite positions outside a container, and a cam member disposed non-rotatably on and at least in part projecting radially from one or each of the pivot pins at the end thereof distant from the strip.

7. A container and handle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A container handle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.