JP2009530195A - container - Google Patents

Abstract

  The container (1) has a cage body (5) and a handle (2) attached to the cage body at a position offset from the center plane (24) of the cage body. In use, the handle is movable between the standing position and the inverted position, and the engagement mechanism (6) is provided to limit movement beyond the standing position of the handle. The handle is oriented parallel to the proximal portion (10) of the carcass leaning against the user. The proximal portion (10) of the cage is shaped to fit against a part of the user's body. The cage includes display panels (16, 27) for displaying information.

Description

The present invention relates to a container. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shopping container configured to improve shopping skills.
(Description of related technology)
Any publication (or information derived from a publication) or well-known technology referred to in this specification shall be used in the technical field relating to this specification. It should not be construed as an admission or suggestion as part of the technology.

  Currently, when shopping for groceries or the like, if the user does not shop much, the user will select a shopping cart on the wagon. A shopping cart is usually preferred when there is little shopping, which allows the user to complete shopping faster and more efficiently.

  However, shopping carts are usually not comfortable to carry. Shopping carts usually have handles that extend across the width of the basket. The user tends to line up the baskets in the vertical direction, which normally makes it difficult for the user to hold the arms and hands at an unnatural angle, thereby making it difficult to transport the basket. These disadvantages are further emphasized by the tendency of the basket to have a handle that is placed on the center of gravity. Therefore, the user needs to hold the basket apart from the user in order to prevent the basket from colliding with the side of the user during walking.

  Further, the shopping cart is usually provided with a lattice for weight reduction. However, when the user transports the basket close to the body, there is a risk that a part of the user's clothes will be caught by an object protruding from the lattice or the basket.

  In a first broad aspect, the present invention provides a container having a) a basket body, b) a handle, and c) an engagement mechanism. The handle is attached to the cage body at a position deviated from the center plane of the cage body. The handle is movable between the standing position and the inverted position. The engagement mechanism limits the movement beyond the handle standing position.

Usually, the basket body has a proximal portion that leans against the user when in use, and the handle is substantially parallel to the proximal portion when in use.
The basket body includes a proximal portion, which is positioned near the user when the container is transported. The proximal portion is shaped to fit against a part of the user's body.

Usually the proximal portion has a generally concave shape.
Usually, the basket body has a proximal portion that leans against a user when in use, and the proximal portion is substantially solid.
Usually the handle is placed between the proximal part and the central plane.

Usually, the cage includes at least one display panel for displaying information.
Usually, the basket body includes a proximal portion that leans against a user during use and a distal portion that is provided on the opposite side of the proximal portion. At least one display panel is provided at the distal portion.

Usually, the cage body includes a rim extending around the opening. At least one display panel is provided on at least a part of the rim.
Usually, the cage body includes at least one display panel configured to be oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom portion of the cage body, and at least one display panel configured to be oriented substantially parallel to the bottom portion of the cage body. Prepare.

Usually, the cage body has a rim that extends at least partially around the opening.
Usually the rim has a flange. A handle is placed on the flange in the inverted position to store the container.

The normal engagement mechanism includes at least one of a) an inclined portion of the rim and b) a tip portion provided on the handle.
The normal engagement mechanism is: a) a locking portion disposed on at least one of the flange and the rim; and b) engaging the locking portion when the handle is positioned in the upright position, thereby further moving the handle. And a locking engagement portion that restricts.

When the handle is normally lifted during use, the engagement mechanism holds the handle at an angle such that the handle returns to the inverted position when the handle is released in the upright position.
Usually, the cage body includes a rim having a recess, which allows the container to be loaded during use.

Usually, the cage body has a bottom portion and a proximal portion, and the proximal portion is inclined at an angle with respect to the bottom portion.
Usually, the cage body has an opening that is inclined at an angle to the bottom.
In a second broad aspect, the present invention provides a container having a) a basket and b) a handle connected to the basket. The basket body has a proximal portion that leans against the user during use. The handle is substantially parallel to the proximal portion when in use.

The normal container is a container according to the first broad aspect of the present invention.
In a third broad aspect, the present invention provides a container having a basket. The cage body has a proximal portion. In use, the basket body has a proximal portion, and in use, the proximal portion is positioned near the user when the cage is transported. The proximal portion is shaped to fit against a part of the user's body.

  The normal container is a container according to the first or second broad aspect of the present invention. In a fourth broad aspect, the present invention provides a container having a) a basket body including a first display panel and a second display panel for displaying information, and b) a handle attached to the basket body. . The first display panel is configured to be oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom of the cage body, and the second display panel is configured to be oriented substantially parallel to the bottom of the cage body.

Usually the container is a container according to any one of the other broad aspects of the invention.
Usually the container is a shopping container.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 6 show an example of a container 1 such as a shopping container.
The container 1 has a cage body 5 including a proximal portion 10 and a distal portion 12, and at least two ends 14A and 14B. The end portions 14A and 14B connect the proximal portion 10 and the distal portion 12 at opposite ends, thereby forming the cage body 5. The cage body 5 also has an opening 20 and a bottom 22 and accommodates objects therein.

  The container 1 has a handle 2 connected to the rim 8, which extends at least partially around the opening 20. The handle 2 has a first handle end 3A and a second handle end 3B, and is connected to the rim 8 at connection points indicated by reference numerals 15A and 15B. In an embodiment, the handle is in a raised position where the handle 2 can be used to transport a basket, and an inverted position where the handle 2 is placed on a flange 18 extending around at least a portion of the rim 8 above the distal portion 12. The connecting points 15A and 15B can be pivoted between them. The handle 2 is attached to the rim 8 and is provided so as to be shifted from a surface 24 (hereinafter referred to as a center surface) that passes through the center of the cage and extends in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction. From these facts, it can be said that the center of gravity of the cage (not including the handle) is normally located on the center plane.

  The bottom 22 is usually rectangular and includes end portions 14A and 14B provided along the shorter side of the rectangular bottom 22. Thus, by having a handle 2 attached at each connection point 15A, 15B, when the container 1 is transported, the proximal portion 10 is positioned adjacent to the user's body and the handle is positioned at the end 10, 12 and substantially parallel to each other. Such a longitudinal arrangement of the handles helps to improve user comfort because the handles are aligned with the user's natural arm and hand position.

  By having the handle 2 disposed between the proximal portion 10 and the central plane, the opening between the distal portion 12 and the handle 2 when the handle is disposed in the center is provided on the handle 2 and the proximal portion 10. Larger than the opening in between. These improve access to the opening and allow the user to easily insert objects through the opening while transporting the container.

  By having the handle 2 offset from the central axis, the handle portions 3A, 3B usually have a longer length than the standard cage, so that the handle is placed on the flange 18 when in the inverted position. Thus, the handle 2 has a greater height when compared to an existing basket when normally lifted. These allow large and bulky items such as cereal boxes and tall bottles to be accommodated more easily than prior art baskets.

Accordingly, the handle structure has a large mouth and opening so that an object can be easily loaded. These may be about twice as many openings as those of the hand-carried basket according to the prior art.
A further effect of the arrangement of the handles is that the user tends to load things closer to the distal portion 12 in the car body 5. Therefore, when the handle 2 is slightly off-center, the distal portion 12 is slightly separated from the user due to the weight of additional objects near the distal portion 12 when the user lifts the cage 5. There is a tendency to apply pressure so as to incline. Accordingly, the proximal portion 10 is provided at a slight angle with respect to the bottom portion 22, so that the proximal portion 10 leans more stably on the user side when tilted slightly. As a result, the container can be easily transported even when it is full of heavy objects.

  In another example, the proximal portion 10 is shaped so that it can rest against the user's body. Thus, for example, the proximal portion 10 has a curved portion 4 that is at least partially concave, whereby the proximal portion 10 is adapted to the user side. Therefore, the user can obtain improved comfort.

  In addition, the shopping cart is usually provided with a grid, which reduces the overall weight of the cart. However, as is apparent from FIGS. 3A and 3B, the proximal portion 10 is not provided with a lattice. Therefore, when the proximal portion 10 leans against the user's body, the risk that the user's clothes or the like will be caught by the basket body 5 or an object extending through the basket body 5 is reduced (usually the basket). Occurs when the grid is provided on all sides of the In an embodiment, the rim 8, in particular the portion of the rim 8 in the region of the connecting points 15A, 15B, is usually formed to include an engagement mechanism indicated by reference numeral 6, so that when the handle is lifted, Regulate movement. In particular, the handle 2 is provided with a vertical line and an angle α, so that it is configured to be inclined to one side by gravity when it is in the lifted position. These have two main effects.

  First, when the car 1 is held by the handle 2, the rotation of the handle 2 relative to the car 1 is limited, thereby preventing the car from being spilled or overturned. By this, the handle can be shifted from the center of gravity, and it can be said that the basket can be lifted without danger of turning over the contents of the basket.

  Secondly, when the hand leaves the handle, the handle surely falls toward the distal portion 12 and returns. Therefore, when the container is placed for stacking, the handle 2 is surely automatically returned to the inverted position. Accordingly, the opening is not obstructed, and another container can be stacked and received. These polymerize the container in a nested manner, but these are also assisted by the arrangement of the handle 2, flange 18 and rim 8 (eg as shown in FIG. 1A).

The shape of the engagement mechanism 6 is arbitrary, but is usually formed as a molded part of the rim 8.
FIG. 7 shows these examples. The engagement mechanism 6 is partially formed from the molding part 28 of the rim 8 and the tip part 9 provided on the handle part 3A. The inclined portion 28 is formed with an angle θ with respect to the vertical axis 7 (vertical direction with respect to the bottom portion 22), and θ is usually 1 ° to 5 °. The distal end portion 9 is formed in a shape that cooperates with the inclined portion 28, thereby preventing the movement to the side surface 10 of the handle and maintaining the angle α.

  It can be said that the corresponding front-end | tip part 9 is also provided in the handle part 3B. Both of the tip portions are required to be provided on the side surface of the handle 2 facing the proximal portion 10. In other words, the handle is required to conform to the cage body 5 in the correct orientation. It can be said that these can be avoided by forming the rim 8 in a shape that functions only as an engaging means that requires only the molding portion 28 and does not require the tip portion 9. However, for this reason, the angle θ needs to be negative (the molded part extending outwardly thereby passes through the vertical line 7). These instead result in what is called “undercut” in the injection molding process. Specifically, it becomes difficult to remove the cage body 5 from the mold due to the cut. These impede the manufacturing process to a higher degree compared to the amount of effort required to orient the handle 2 correctly.

  However, it can be said that a desired angle α can be obtained by forming the rim 8 by using a suitable tool. Thus, the engagement mechanism 6 can be completely formed from the preferred structure of the rim 8. Thus, for example, they can be obtained by having knobs or other suitable protrusions suitably placed on the rim 8 or the basket 1 to allow the movement of the handle described above.

  The rim 8 also has a flange 18. The handle 2 is placed on the flange 18 when the handle 2 is tilted toward the portion 12 and positioned at the inverted position. Usually, the handle 2 is located on the same plane as the flange 18, thereby assisting in proper storage of the cage 5 when not in use. With these configurations of the rim 8, the handle 2 is slightly inclined toward the portion 12, ensuring that the handle is tilted toward the distal portion 12.

  In another aspect, the rim 8 may be slightly angled with respect to the bottom 22. As shown by an angle φ in FIG. 4A, the normal rim 8 is at an angle of 3 ° with respect to the bottom 22. Accordingly, the distal portion 12 has a lower height than the proximal portion 12, and thus can be easily loaded on the basket and can be gripped comfortably.

  In addition, the rim 8 also has a recess 26, which improves the loading performance. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, for example, the recess 26 can be formed with the flange 18 removed from the rim 8 and extending from the distal portion 12.

  The cage 5 can also display information such as advertisements on both the first information display panel 16 and the second information display panel 27. These may include advertising messages, special shopping sales, and other shopping and store information. The cage body 5 can be made unique by the information display panels 16 and 27.

  The information display panel 16 may be on either side of the cage, but as an example, the first information display panel 16 is provided on the distal portion 12 because the proximal portion 10 is oriented to the user. This allows other shoppers to see the display during use. In these configurations, the first display panel 16 is provided in a direction orthogonal to the bottom portion 22, whereby the first display panel is usually arranged in a substantially vertical direction when in use.

  In one example, the second information display panel 27 is formed from the recess 26. In these configurations, the second display panel 27 is provided in parallel with the bottom portion 22, and thus the first display panel is usually provided substantially in parallel when in use. Therefore, the user and other shoppers can easily see the second information panel when the user of the car 1 loads an object on the car. The second information display panel is provided above the distal portion 12 of the cage 1. The information display panels 16 and 27 may be in any form, and include a digital display, a poster, a label, a hologram, a sticker, and the like.

  The configuration of the connecting points 15A, 15B may be changed according to the preferred embodiment, and they affect the nature of the engagement mechanism. Specific examples of connection points are shown in more detail in FIGS.

  In these examples, the connection point 15 </ b> A includes an opening 40 provided in the rim 8 and a molding portion 42 that connects the handle 2 to the basket. As described above, the forming portion 42 includes the inclined portion 28 that limits the movable range in the standing position of the handle 2 adjacent to the distal end portion 9.

In these examples, the rim 8 includes a raised surface 44 in the region surrounding the opening 40.
In addition to these, the back surface of the rim 8 shown in FIG. In addition to providing additional pressure on the opening, the pad 46 and the raised surface 44 increase the thickness of the rim 8 around the opening and enhance the connection between the handle 2 and the basket 1.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the end of the handle 2 that is suitable for use of the connecting point 15A of FIG. In this example, the handle 2 includes a shaft 50 extending outwardly from the handle 2. The shaft includes a shoulder 52 and a circular boss 54 provided on the handle 2 at the base portion of the shaft 50.

  In use, the handle 2 is connected to the car 1 by inserting a shaft 50 and a shoulder 52 into the opening 40. The shaft 50 extends through the opening 40 so that the shoulder 52 passes through the opening 40 and the pad 46. Since the shoulder 52 is formed at a square end, the end of the shoulder 52 is adjacent to the pad 46 when inserted into the opening 40. As a result, the shaft 50 is held in the opening 40. Normally, the shaft 50 and the opening 40 are provided so as to prevent the shaft 50 from being undesirably removed from the opening 40, but the shaft 50 is freely rotatable with respect to the opening 40.

  The handle 2 includes a curved end 56 configured to be provided within the molding portion 42, so that the handle is pivotable between an inverted position and an upright position. The curved end 52 cooperates with the ramp 28 and also defines a tip 9 that helps limit the movement of the handle beyond the desired standing position.

  In position, the boss 54 is adjusted to be adjacent to the raised surface 44. By using a suitable material, the handle 2 can be pivoted smoothly, so that the handle 2 can be moved between the extended position and the retracted position without being obstructed, but at the connecting point 15A. This pressure is still maintained.

  The above-described connection points and related connection structures are shown for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. Accordingly, the use of the raised surface 44, pad 46, shoulder 52, and boss 54 is optional.

A second example of a connection point is shown in more detail in FIGS.
In this example, the engaging element 6 is usually formed from an inclined portion 28, and the distal end portion 9 also includes a locking portion 60 provided on the flange 18 (or alternatively provided on a part of the rim 8). The locking portion 60 has a facing end portion 62 and a sliding end portion 64. In this example, the opposing end portion 62 is provided below the opening 40 and is arranged in a substantially vertical direction. The sliding end portion is separated from the molding portion 42 and the facing end portion 62 and is inclined downward.

  In FIG. 12, the example of the edge part of the handle 2 suitable for use of the connection point of FIG. 11 is shown. As shown, the handle 2 includes a locking engagement portion 66. The locking engagement portion 66 engages with the opposite end 62 of the locking portion 60 when the handle is positioned in the upright position during use. When the handle 2 is positioned at the inverted position, the inclined surface 68 is provided so as to engage with the sliding end portion 64.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 show examples of handles at the inverted position and the standing position, respectively. As is apparent from the figure, the inclined surface 68 of the handle 2 is placed on the top of the sliding end 64 of the locking portion 60 when in the inverted position, whereby the handle 2 is positioned on the same plane of the flange 18. The However, when the handle is lifted to the upright position, the inclined portion 28 and the engaging portion 9 are engaged, and similarly, the locking engagement portion 66 and the opposite end portion 62 of the locking portion 60 are engaged. These act to prevent the handle 2 from rotating further, thereby ensuring that the angle α is maintained when the handle is lifted. Use of an additional but not required locking portion 60 helps reduce excessive wear of the rim 8 and ramp 28. These wears affect the ability of the handle to be held in an upright position, thereby reducing the life of the cage.

  Another feature of the cage 5 is the molding of the bottom 22. As described above, the cage body 5 is usually formed by an injection molding process. To assist these, the bottom 22 may include an injection point 30, a protrusion point 34, and a runner 32. The injection point 30 is usually located at a position slightly shifted from the center of the bottom 22. The runner 32 extends from the injection point 30 toward the protrusion point 34.

  In the molding process, the material (plastic or the like) is injected into the mold at the injection point 30 by these. The material flow is distributed through the runner 32 throughout the formwork. The protruding point 34 is used for removing the molded container 1 from the mold and is formed so that it can be easily cleaned.

  In addition, the lattice pattern on the side wall and the front wall has very slight cuts, which prevents the molded cage body 5 from being detached when the core of the mold is pulled out in the molding process. The newly molded cage body 5 is “flighted” out of the opening using a protruding pin at least one of the protruding point 34 and the periphery of the rim 8.

These provide a desirable and easily clean configuration, but still ensure simpler manufacturing.
The above example discloses many different features including a staggered handle 2, an elongated handle structure, a close contact (or bend 4), an advertisement or information display panel, and an ability to load easily It can be said. Accordingly, the container 1 does not need to be used only for shopping, but is used for transporting an object from one point to another. Further, each of the above-described features can be used alone or in combination, and only a combination is shown as an example.

  Those skilled in the art will recognize that various alternatives and modifications are obvious. All of these alternatives and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art are within the spirit and scope of the invention as previously described.

The perspective view which shows an example of a container. The perspective view of the container shown to FIG. 1A which lifted the handle. FIG. 1B is a side view of the distal side of the container shown in FIG. 1A with the handle placed. FIG. 1B is a side view of the distal side of the container shown in FIG. 1A with the handle lifted. FIG. 1B is a proximal side view of the container shown in FIG. 1A with the handle placed. 1B is a proximal side view of the container shown in FIG. 1A with the handle lifted. FIG. FIG. 1B is an end view of the container shown in FIG. 1A with a handle. FIG. 1B is an end view of the container shown in FIG. 1A with the handle lifted. FIG. 1B is a top view of the container shown in FIG. 1A with a handle. The top view of the container shown to FIG. 1A which lifted the handle. FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 4B is an enlarged side view of the cage and handle showing an example of the engagement mechanism of FIG. 4B. The enlarged perspective view of the basket which shows an example of a connection point. The enlarged bottom view of the connection point of FIG. The expansion perspective view which shows the handle used for the basket of FIG. The enlarged perspective view of the basket which shows the 2nd example of a connection point. The expansion perspective view which shows the handle used for the basket of FIG. The expanded side view which shows the edge part of the handle of FIG. 8 in an inversion position. The expanded side view which shows the edge part of the handle of FIG. 8 in a standing position.

Claims (25)

a) a basket body;
b) a handle attached to the car body at a position deviated from the center plane of the car, the handle being movable between the standing position and the inverted position;
and c) an engagement mechanism for restricting movement beyond the standing position of the handle.   The container according to claim 1, wherein the basket body includes a proximal portion that leans against a user during use, and the handle is substantially parallel to the proximal portion during use.   The cage body has a proximal portion, such that the proximal portion is positioned near the user when the container is transported, and the proximal portion is adapted to fit a part of the user's body. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is formed in a shape.   The container according to claim 3, wherein the proximal portion has a substantially concave shape.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the basket body includes a proximal portion that leans against a user when in use, and the proximal portion is substantially solid.   The container according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the handle is disposed between a proximal portion and a center plane.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cage includes at least one display panel for displaying information.   The basket body includes a proximal portion that leans against a user when in use, and a distal portion that is provided on a side opposite to the proximal portion, and the at least one display panel is provided on a distal portion. The container according to claim 7.   The container according to claim 7, wherein the basket body includes a rim extending around the opening, and the at least one display panel is provided on at least a part of the rim.   And at least one display panel configured to be oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom of the cage, and at least one display panel configured to be oriented substantially parallel to the bottom of the cage. The container according to claim 7, comprising:   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the basket body has a rim extending at least partially around the opening.   12. A container according to claim 11, wherein the rim has a flange and the handle is placed on the flange in an inverted position to store the container. The engagement mechanism is
a) an inclined portion of the rim;
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising at least one of b) a tip provided on the handle. The engagement mechanism is
a) a locking portion disposed on at least one of the flange and the rim;
b) at least one of a locking engagement portion that engages with the locking portion and restricts further movement of the handle when the handle is positioned in an upright position. The container according to any one of 1 to 12.   15. When the handle is lifted in use, the engagement mechanism holds the handle at an angle that causes the handle to fall to the inverted position when the handle is released in the upright position. The container according to any one of the above.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the basket body has a rim having a recess, thereby enabling loading of the container at the time of use.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the basket body has a bottom portion and a proximal portion, and the proximal portion is inclined at an angle with respect to the bottom portion.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the basket body has an opening inclined at an angle with respect to the bottom. a) a basket body;
b) a handle connected to the cage body, the basket body having a proximal portion that leans against a user when in use, and the handle being substantially parallel to the proximal portion when used. Container.   The container according to claim 19, wherein the container is the container according to claim 1.   The car body, and the car body has a proximal part, and the car body has a proximal part when in use, and the proximal part is located near the user when the car is transported when used. And the proximal portion is shaped to conform to a portion of the user's body.   The container according to claim 21, wherein the container is the container according to any one of claims 1 to 20. a) a cage including a first display panel and a second display panel for displaying information, and the first display panel is configured to be oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom of the cage; The display panel is configured to be oriented substantially parallel to the bottom of the cage body;
b) A container having a handle, and the handle is attached to the basket body.   The container according to claim 23, wherein the container is the container according to any one of claims 1 to 22.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the container is a container for shopping.

Images