US3185342A

US3185342A - Handle attachment means for portable ice chest

Info

Publication number: US3185342A
Application number: US293448A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ronald B Gottsegen; Bernard F Willow; Ronald G Winstone
Original assignee: GOTHAM IND Inc
Current assignee: GOTHAM IND Inc
Priority date: 1963-07-08
Filing date: 1963-07-08
Publication date: 1965-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1982-05-25

Description

y 25, 1965 R. B. GOTTSEGEN ETAL 3, ,3

HANDLE ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR PORTABLE ICE CHEST Filed July 8, 1963 lNVENTOR-S RONALD B. GOT'TSEGEN BERNARD fF W\LL.OW RONALD WINSTONE.

United States Patent Office 3,185,342 Patented May 25, 1965 3,185,342 HANDLE ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR PORTABLE ICE CHEST Ronald B. Gottsegen and Bernard F. Willow, Chicago, and Ronald G. Winstone, Des Plaines, Ill., assignors to Gotham Industries, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Filed July 8, 1963, Ser. No. 293,448 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-91) This invention relates generally to lightweight ice chests of the type disclosed in US. Patent Nos. 2,983,402 and 3,028,042, and more particularly to a portable ice chest having improved carrying handles and novel means for attachment of the handles to the chest.

As described in the above mentioned patents, the use of portable ice chests made of lightweight and inexpensive plastic materials, such as expanded polystyrenes or foam styrenes, has become increasingly popular. The great popularity of these ice chests is of course attributable, in part, to their extremely light weight and high insulating characteristics. However, the main reason for their wide acceptance is the fact that they can be manufactured and sold at only a small fraction of the cost of ice chests made from previously employed materials, such as metals, woods, and the like. Accordingly, one of the most important considerations in this art is the reduction of the cost of manufacture, if at all possible.

The largest single item of cost in the manufacture of the ice chests in question, as well as the most troublesome structural problem, is the handles and the means of attaching the same to the chest. In this regard, it is important to remember that despite their desirable qualities, the plastic materials in question are somewhat soft (corklike or spongy) and therefore relatively inelastic, low in tensile strength and readily deformable. Thus, the application of undue stress at a localized point, such as the point of attachment of the handles, is likely to result in permanent damage to the chest.

Other problems of manufacture and cost arise from the fact that the covers or lids in such chests are normally held in operational position by the mere forces of friction and/or gravity. To insure the most efficient insulation, it is thus desirable that locking means be provided for retaining the cover in air-tight operational engagement with the main body of the chest. However, in view of the described physical property short-comings of the plastic materials and the necessity for keeping costs at a minimum, the attachment to the chest of locking means in addition to the handles is impractical both economically and structurally.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a portable ice chest having improvements which obviate all of the problems mentioned above.

Another object is to afford an improved portable ice chest of the character described having a pair of novel handles which cooperate to additionally function as locking means for the cover of the chest.

A further object is to provide an improved portable ice chest of the character described in which the pair of handles may be swung outwardly to a position whereby the chest may be conveniently carried by two people, one at each end of the chest. A related object is to provide such an ice chest which is so constructed that when the same is being carried by two people, the hands of these people cooperate with the pair of handles to again maintain or lock the cover in operational position.

Still another object is to afford an improved portable ice chest of the character described in which the handles serve to evenly distribute the weight of the chest to facilitate the carrying thereof.

Yet another object is to provide an improved portable ice chest of the character described having novel means for attachment of the handles, said means insuring against any damage to the chest. In this respect, the novel attachment means comprises a pair of members which cooperate to clamp a wall of the chest therebetween and thereby strengthen and rigidity said wall.

Still a further object is to afford an improved portable ice chest of the character described in which the cooperating members of the attachment means engage in such a manner as to insure against their inadvertent removal once they are operationally mounted on the chest.

Still another object is to afford handle attaching means which insures against any metallic members or portions of the handles protruding into the inside of the chest.

Yet a further object is to provide an improved portable ice chest of the character'described which may be manufactured at a lower cost than heretofore possible, and yet is most efficient and durable for the purposes intended.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without department from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of our invention, we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, our invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is anelevational view of an improved portable ice chest embodying the principles of the invention and showing in dotted outline the position of the two handles for carriage by two people;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the ice chest;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view showing the point of connection of one of the handles to the chest;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of line 44 in FIG. 1, viewed in the direction indicated, and showing details of construction of handle attachment means; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the cooperating members of the attachment means and an end portion of the handles.

Referring more specifically to the FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the reference numeral 10 indicates generally an improved portable ice chest embodying the principles of the invention. The ice chest 10 comprises an open-topped container 12 of generally rectangular configuration, molded from one of the suitable lightweight plastics described hereinabove, and having a pair of side walls such as 14 and a pair of end walls such as 16. A removable cover 18 is provided for closing the container 12. The cover 18 is likewise molded from the same plastic material and includes an integrally formed depending flange or lip such as 20 (see FIG. 4). The lip 20 extends continuously along the marginal edge of the cover and cooperates with the

container walls

14 and 16 to afford a frictional fit for the cover 18. Medial portions of the cover 18 and the end walls 16 may be recessed as at 22 to afford con- 3 venient access spaces for the fingers of hands of the user in removing or applying the cover.

A novel handle, indicated generally by the numeral 25, is pivotally connected to the container 12. The handle 25 may comprise a pair of opposed

symmetrical handle members

26, 26 which may be integrally formed (by bending) from lengths of wire rod or the like. Each of the handle members 26 is generally channel-shaped in elevation (see FIG. 2), and comprises a web 28 interconnecting a pair of

legs

30, 30. The web 28 may be provided with a medial, upstanding, generally arcuate shaped handle portion such as 32. Each of the legs 30 terminates in a short, inwardly bent arm 34 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

It will be noted, as indicated in FIG. 1, that the legs 30 do not lie in the same vertical plane as the web 28 and its upstanding handle portion 32. Instead the legs 30 are inclined downwardly and outwardly as indicated, so that the

opposed members

26, 26 form the inverted Y configuration of FIG. 1 when they are in the cover possessing the proper slight amount of resilience. In this regard, numerous plastic materials, such as the well known Lucite have been found to be ideally suited. Moreover, the plastic disc 40 which communicates with the interior of the container 12 will not oxidize or otherwise corrode from frequent contact with liquids and moisture.

While the cooperating

members

36 and 38 have been shown and described with the cooperating locking

shoulders

52 and 56, it should be appreciated that other forms of locking means may likewise be employed. Thus, for example, the collar 42 and shaft 48 may be formed with cooperating detents or slots and keys to form spring fingers, if desired. Actually, it has been found that ma- 1 terials such asLucite" afford such a firm frictional interconneotion that the collar and shaft may be made perfectly smooth so that if the dimensions are proper,

. a firm immovable locked inerconnection will result. In

locking position. It will, of course, be appreciated that in this position, the two handle portions 32 afford a single hand-graspable handle, and the webs 28 securely lock the cover 18 in airtight container-closing relationship.

If desired or required, the members 26 may be pivoted outwardly to the dotted position shown in FIG. 1, so that the chest may be carried by two people, one at each end of the chest. It is important to note that the members 26 are so shaped and the weight of the ice chest 10 so distributed, that the fingers and knuckles of the carriers hands automatically and comfortably bear against the cover 18 to again maintain the same in the necessary tight container-closing relationship. The novel handle thus insures against any inadvertent removal of the cover at all times while the chest is being carried from place to place.

The handle members 26 are pivotally connected to the container 12 by novel attachment means indicated generally by the numeral in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings. The attachment means 35 comprises a pair of mushroom-like cooperating

members

36 and 38. The member 36 comprises an imperforate disc 40 having an integral tubular hub or collar 42 projecting inwardly therefrom. At its free end, the collar 42 is formed with a reduced inner diameter portion to afford an annular shoulder 44.

Cooperating member 38 similarly comprises a disc 46 having an integral annular shaft 48 projecting inwardly therefrom. It is important to note, however, that the disc 46 and the annular shaft 48 are provided with a central opening and passageway 50 extending therethrough. The shaft 48 is provided, at its free end, with an enlarged diameter portion 51 affording an annular shoulder 52. It should likewise be noted that the inner surfaces of the

discs

40 and 46 are substantially concave with the marginal edges thereof formed with a relatively sharp knifeedge-type annular skirt or flange such as 54, for reasons which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To operationally mount one of the attachment means 35, the collar 42 of the member 36 is first forced through a suitable opening 56 extending through the container side wall 14. The shaft 48 of the member 38 is then telescopically forced into the cooperating collar 42. The

members

36 and 38 may now be forced together until their respective flanges 54 embed themselves into the soft cork-like plastic material of the container as indicated. It will now be appreciated that the

members

36 and 38 are securely anchored in the side wall 14, with the

discs

40 and 46 in substantially flush relationship therewith. Also, the solid disc 40 which is embedded as described maintains the airtight integrity of the container walls.

For purposes of permitting the shaft 48 to be forced into the collar 42 and past the shoulder 44, the

members

36 and 38 preferably should be made from a material any event, the operationally mounted attachment means 35 cannot inadvertently be loosened. Moreover, it simultaneously functions to rigidify and strengthen the container side walls at the point of maximum stress.

To complete the assembly of the ice. chest 10, it is simply necessary to insert the handle member arms 34 through the respective opening 50, whereupon the annular shaft 48 affords a pivot bearing therefor. The described insertion of the arms 34 may of course be easily achieved because of the resilience inherent in the bent wire rod construction of the handle members 26.

From the above description and drawings, it should be apparent that we have provided a lightweight and portable ice chest having numerous desirable improvements. Thus, for example, the opposed handle members 26 serve the double function of locking the chest cover in operational position irrespective of whether the chest is being carried by one or two persons. The novel attachment means reinforce and rigidify the conttainer walls and insure against any damage thereto, while simultaneously maintaining the airtight insulating integrity of the container. The imperforate inner-disc 40 insures against any end portion of the handle leg arm 34 protruding into the interior of the chest. Moreover, these improvements are effected with an economy of materials and parts resulting in obvious reductions in the cost of manufacture.

It is believed that our invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also bemanifest that while a prefer-red embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a portable ice chest having a pair of opposed side walls, at least one handle member with a mounting arm extending from each of the free ends thereof, and a handle member attachment means mounted in apertures on each of said side walls to receive the free ends of said mounting arms, said attachment means comprising:

.an outer disc contacting the outer surface of one of said side walls;

an inner disc spaced opposite to said outer disc and contacting the inner surface of said one wall;

an annular collar integrally connected at one end to said inner disc and having a free end extending inwardly within said one side wall, said collar being provided with an annular shoulder at said free end to form a reduced diameter opening at the free end thereof, said collar including a cavity having a diameter greater than the diameter of said opening and communicating therewith;

a shaft having one end integrally mounted to said outer disc and an increased diameter annular shoulder portion at the free end thereof greater in magnitude than the diameter of the opening in the free end of said collar, the free end of said shaft extending inwardly within said one wall and entering the cavity of said collar via said reduced diameter opening, said collar expanding to allow said increased diameter shoulder portion to be moved through said reduced diameter opening into said cavity of the collar, said collar resiliently locking said shaft within said cavity as said increased diameter shoulder portion of the shaft is positioned in said cavity between the reduced diameter opening of the collar and the inner side of said inner disc; and

means for pivotally coupling one of said mounting arms to said attachment means.

2. In a portable ice chest constructed of molded foam styrene plastic or the like and including a pair of opposed side walls, at least one handle member with a mounting arm extending from each of the free ends thereof, and a handle member attachment means mounted in apertures on each of said side walls to receive the free ends of said mounting arms, said attachment means comprising:

an outer disc;

an inner disc spaced opposite to said outer disc with one of said side walls therebetween, each of said discs including relatively sharp inwardly directed flanges;

an annular collar integrally connected at one end to said inner disc and having a free end extending inwardly within said one side wall, said collar being provided with an annular shoulder at said free end to form a reduced diameter opening at the free end thereof, said collar including a cavity having 'a diameter greater than the diameter of said opening and communicating therewith;

a shaft having one end integrally mounted to said outer disc and an increased diameter annular shoulder portion at the free end thereof greater in magnitude than the diameter of the opening in the free end of said collar, the free end of said shaft extending inwardly within said one wall and entering the cavity of said collar via said reduced diameter opening, said collar expanding to allow said increased diameter shoulder portion to be moved through said reduced diameter opening into said cavity of the collar, said collar resiliently locking said shaft within said cavity as said increased diameter shoulder portion of the shaft is positioned in said cavity between the reduced diameter opening of the collar and the inner side of said inner disc, said flanges of said discs being embedded within said one wall when said collar and said shaft are locked together; and

a passageway included in said shaft and communicating with a hole in said outer disc to rigidly and pivotally receive the free end of one of said mounting arms.

3. A portable ice chest comprising:

an open-topped container of molded foam styrene plastic or the like;

a removable cover associated with said container;

a pair of substantially channel-shaped handle members .pivotally mounted in opposed relationship on said container, each of said handle members including a pair of leg segments and a connecting -web between said leg segments, said web including a medial hand- -grip segment, a short mounting arm extending from each of the free ends of each of said leg segments, said 'leg segments and mounting arms lying in a single plane, said plane skew to the plane formed by said web and hand-grip segment; and

attachment means mounted in apertures on each of said side walls for connecting said handle members to said container whereby said handle members are rotatable about a horizontal axis into a :face-to-face position wherein said webs straddle and abut said cover to lock the same in container-closing relationship, said attachment means including:

an outer disc;

a shaft having one end integrally mounted to said outer disc and an increased diameter annular shoulder portion at the free end thereof greater in magnitude than the diameter of the opening in the free end of said collar, the free end of said shaft extending inwardly within said one wall and entering the cavity of said collar via said reduced diameter opening, said collar expanding to allow said increased diameter shoulder portion to be moved through said reduced diameter opening into said cavity of the collar, said collar resiliently locking said shaft within said cavity as said increased diameter shoulder portion of the shaft is positioned in said cavity between the reduced diameter opening of the collar and the inner side of said inner disc, said flange of said discs being embedded within said one wall when said collar and said shaft are locked together; and

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 746,733 12/03 McDonald 22091 748,581 l/04 Carll 220-91 1,679,657 8/28 Glancy 220-91 2,983,402 5/61 Got-tsegen 220- .7 3,057,508 10/62 Kirnbrough 220-94 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

Claims

3. A PORTABLE ICE CHEST COMPRISING: AN OPEN-TOPPED CONTAINER OF MOLDED FOAM STYRENE PLASTIC OR THE LIKE; A REMOVABLE COVER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONTAINER; A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANNEL-SHAPED HANDLE MEMBERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP ON SAID CONTAINER, EACH OF SAID HANDLE MEMBERS INCLUDING A PAIR OF LEG SEGMENTS AND A CONNECTING WEB BETWEEN SAID LEG SEGMENTS, SAID WEB INCLUDING A MEDIAL HANDGRIP SEGMENT, A SHORT MOUNTING ARM EXTENDING FROM EACH OF THE FREE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID LEG SEGMENTS, SAID LEG SEGMENTS AND MOUNTING ARMS LYING IN A SINGLE PLANE, SAID PLANE SKEW TO THE PLANE FORMED BY SAID WEB AND HAND-GRIP SEGMENT; AND ATTACHMENT MEANS MOUNTED IN APERTURES ON EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS FOR CONNECTING SAID HANDLE MEMBERS TO SAID CONTAINER WHEREBY SAID HANDLE MEMBERS ARE ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS INTO A FACE-TO-FACE POSITION WHEREIN SAID WEBS STRADDLE ND ABUT SAID COVER TO LOCK THE SAME IN CONTAINER-CLOSING RELATIONSHIP, SAID ATTACHMENT MEANS INCLUDING AN OUTER DISC; AN INNER DISC SPACED OPPOSITE TO SAID OUTER DISC WITH ONE OF SAID SIDE WALL THEREBETWEEN, EACH OF SAID DISC INCLUDING RELATIVELY SHARP INWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGES; AN ANNULAR COLLAR INTGRALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID INNER DISC AND HAVING A FREE END EXTENDING INWARDLY WITHIN SAID ONE SIDE WALL, SAID COLLAR BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ANNULAR SHOULDER AT SAID FREE END TO FORM A RDUCED DIAMETER OPENING AT THE FREE END THEREOF, SAID COLLAR INCLUDING A CAVITY HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID OPENING AND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH; A SHAFT HAVING ONE END INTEGRALLY MOUNTD TO SAID OUTER DISC AND AN INCREASED DIAMETER ANNULAR SHOULDER PORTION AT THE FREE END THEREOF GREATER IN MAGNITUDE THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE OPENING IN THE FREE END OF SAID COLLAR, THE FREE END OF SAID SHAFT EXTENDING INWARDLY WITHIN SAID ONE WALL AND ENTERING THE CAVITY OF SAID COLLAR VIA SAID REDUCED DIAMETER OPENING, SAID COLLAR EXPANDING TO ALLOW SAID INCREASED DIAMETER SHOULDER PORTION TO BE MOVED THROUGH SAID REDUCED DIAMETER OPENING INTO SAID CAVITY OF THE COLLAR, SAID COLLAR RESILIENTLY LOCKING SAID SHAFT WITHIN SAID CAVITY AS SAID INCREASED DIAMETER SHOULDER PORTION OF THE SHAFT IS POSITIONED IN SAID CAVITY BETWEEN THE REDUCED DIAMETER OPENING OF THE COLLAR AND THE INNER SIDE OF SAID INNER DISC, SAID FLANGE OF SAID DISCS BEING EMBEDDED WITHIN SAID ONE WALL WHEN SAID COLLAR AND SAID SHAFT ARE LOCKED TOGETHER; AND A PASSAGEWAY INCLUDED IN SAID SHAFT AND COMMUNICATING WITH A HOLE IN SAID OUTER DISC TO RIGIDLY AND PIVOTALLY RECEIVE THE FREE END OF ONE OF SAID MOUNTING ARMS.