GB2324716A

GB2324716A - Container with inter-engaging handles

Info

Publication number: GB2324716A
Application number: GB9708953A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lee Mallan
Original assignee: Lin Pac Mouldings Ltd
Current assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 1997-05-01
Filing date: 1997-05-01
Publication date: 1998-11-04
Also published as: GB9708953D0

Abstract

A container 1, e.g. a shopping basket, has two pivotable handles 2, 3 mounted on top. The handles may pivot from a first position in which they lie horizontally, so that the container is unobstructed, to a second position in which the handles abut each other so that they may be gripped by one hand. The sides 6 of the handles that abut each other have integral retaining means that engage to prevent one handle from slipping relative to the other. The retaining means may comprise a series of grooves 15, 16, (24, figure 6) and corresponding projections 13, 14, (25, figure 6) on each handle that interlock when the handles are pressed together.

Description

TITLE "A container assembly" TECHNICAL FIELD & BACKGROUND ART The present invention relates to a container assembly and is particularly concerned with such an assembly having a container on which is pivotally mounted a pair of Ushaped carrying handles capable of swinging over the container part between a carrying position and a loading/unloading position.

Container assemblies of the kind aforementioned are well known, particularly where the container is in the form of an open topped basket which is straddled by the pair of U-shaped carrying handles. With such an assembly the handles can abut at the apex of an isosceles triangle which they form with the basket (the basket providing the base of the triangle) so that during such abutment the two handles are convenient for being gripped and carried by hand.

From this carriage position the handles can be swung away from each other to clear the open top as convenient for loading/unloading of the basket. Open topped baskets of this kind are popular in supermarkets for use by customers and frequently large numbers of the baskets have to be supplied by manufacturers at an extremely competitive and economical cost.

Whilst the triangular configuration presented by the handles with the container (when the handles are in their carrying position) is advantageous in so far as the handles can support front and rear ends of the container for goods loaded at those ends, there is a disadvantage of previously known container assemblies that if the loading at the front and rear ends of the container becomes excessively out of balance, there is a tendency for the handles to pivot on the container and move within the hand of a person carrying the assembly. This is usually to the annoyance, inconvenience and sometimes frustration or pain of that person, particularly if a fold of skin on the persons hand becomes pinched between the two handles as they move relative to each other. It is an object of the present invention to provide a container assembly of the kind discussed above and which alleviates the aforementioned problem of instability in the handles that may be caused by imbalanced loading of the container and which assembly, particularly the carrying handles, lends itself to economical manufacture.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION & ADVANTAGES According to the present invention there is provided a container assembly comprising a container and two substantially identical U-shaped carrying handles each having a back part with legs extending therefrom, said legs being pivotally mounted on the container to be pivotal between a first position in which the back parts abut each other overlying the container for convenience of being gripped by hand when carrying the assembly and a second position in which the two back parts are substantially clear of overlying the container for convenience of access to the container and wherein the back part of each handle comprises integral retaining means which co-operate between the two back parts when the handles are in their first position to restrain the two handles from pivotal movement relative to the container during manual carriage of the assembly by hand gripping the two back parts.

By the present invention the two handles of the container assembly are identical to avoid the necessity of having different left and right handed handles for the same container. As a consequence, the two handles when produced as plastics mouldings can be derived from the same moulding tool. Furthermore, the retaining means is identical for each handle so that when the handles are formed as one piece plastics mouldings such mouldings include the retaining means.

The two U-shaped handles when in their first position on the container will have their back parts co-operating with each other at an apex of an isosceles triangle, the base for which is presented by the container part. The retaining means co-operates between the two handles in this first position so that if the container is loaded in an imbalanced condition whereby there is a greater load on one handle as compared with that on the other handle, the retaining means restrains the two handles from sliding over each other within the grasp of the person carrying the container assembly to alleviate discomfort and inconvenience for such person. More particularly, the retaining means co-operating between the two back parts of the handles restrains those two back parts from sliding relative to each other in a manner which may otherwise occur as a result of pivotal movement of the two handles relative to the container.

Preferably the retaining means comprises at least one recess in each back part arranged so that when the handles are in the first position, a part or parts of each back part is received in a recess or respective recesses of the respective other back part. By having one or more recesses in each back part receiving a respective part or parts of the respective other back part, the co-operation between such recesses and parts may be facilitated and maintained by the two back parts being urged together in response to pressure applied by a person gripping the two back parts. With the back part extending longitudinally between the legs of each handle, the or a recess may be provided between laterally spaced projections, lugs or flanges on the back part or by grooves in the back part.

Alternatively, or in addition, the retaining means can be in the form of a projection on each back part which is received in a respective recess of the respective other back part. As another possibility the retaining means can comprise a longitudinally extending part length of each back part which part length is received in a respective recess of the respective other back part; with this latter arrangement the longitudinally extending part length of the back part may be presented by a waisted portion of that back part which is received in a complementary recess of the respective other back part.

Preferably the back part of each handle will have a front face with the front faces of the two handles (when in their first position) being urged into abutment with each other (preferably face-to-face abutment) by pressure applied when the handles are grasped and gripped together so that this pressure serves to bias the retaining means into co-operation between the two back parts. With this latter facility in mind it is preferred that the retaining means is located on or in the front face of each back part.

With the back part of each handle extending longitudinally between the legs of that handle it is preferred that the two identical handles are mounted on the container with one handle effectively rotated through 1800 about the mid-length position of the longitudinal extent of its back part, relative to the orientation of the other handle. By this arrangement common front faces having the retaining means of the two handles can be presented towards each other in opposing relationship when the handles are in their first position for the retaining means to co-operate whilst the faces of those two handles which are directed outwardly from the co-operating front faces may present a profile which is user friendly to the hand of a person gripping the handles. Where the handles are to be mounted with one handle rotated through 1800 relative to the other handle, the retaining means preferably has at least one longitudinally extending recess on one side of the back part between the mid-length position of that back part and one leg of the handle and a longitudinal part length on the other side of the back part between the said mid-length position of that back part and the second leg of the handle so that when the two handles are in the first position, each aforementioned longitudinally extending recess of each back part receives an aforementioned longitudinal part length of the respective other back part.

Usually the respective longitudinal part length will be received in a substantially complementary longitudinally extending recess when the retaining means co-operates between the two back parts. The longitudinally extending recess is conveniently in the form of a groove or slot whilst the longitudinal part length of the back part comprises a rib or flange which is to be received in an aforementioned groove or slot when the retaining means cooperates between the two back parts.

Preferably the container is in the form of an open topped basket.

One embodiment of a container assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the assembly; Figure 2 is a front elevation of a handle of the assembly showing the retaining means; Figure 3 is a scrap section taken on the line III-III of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a scrap section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a scrap section of the two handles taken on the line V-V of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a perspective view of part of a modified handle to illustrate its retaining means, and Figure 7 is a section similar to that shown in Figure 5 illustrating the co-operation between the retaining means of two handles as shown in Figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The container assembly illustrated in Figure 1 is of a kind convenient, for example, for hand carrying by supermarket customers and comprises an open topped basket 1 pivotally mounted on which is a pair of identical Ushaped handles 2 and 3. The basket 1 and handles 2 and 3 are each formed as a one piece plastics moulding. Each handle 2, 3 has a pair of legs 4 and 5 longitudinally extending between which is a back part 6. The legs 4 and 5 are provided at their ends remote from the back part 6 with feet or trunnions 7.

The handles 2 and 3 straddle the open top of the basket 1 and the trunnions 7 snap engage in sockets 8 symmetrically at upper edges in opposed side walls 9 and 10 of the basket 1. The engagement of the trunnions 7 with the sockets 8 pivotally mounts the handles 2 and 3 on the basket so that they are capable of being swung between a first position in which the back parts 6 of the handles abut each other (as shown in solid line in Figure 1) and a second position illustrated by the broken lines of the handles in Figure 1. In their first position the handles 2 and 3 present with the basket 1 an isosceles triangle the base of which is provided by the basket 1 and the apex of which is provided by abutment between the back parts 6 of the handles. This first position of the handles is that in which the back parts 6 are intended to be gripped by hand for carriage. In the second position of the handles, the back parts 6 are located clear of the open top of the basket 1 whilst the legs 4 and 5 of the handles are conveniently supported on side walls of the basket so that there is unimpeded access to the interior of the basket through its open top (for convenience of loading and unloading of goods).

The back part 6 of each handle 2, 3 has a front face 11 and the two handles are pivotally mounted on the basket 1 so that when in their first position, the front faces 11 of the back parts 6 are substantially parallel and in directly opposing relationship for those front faces 11 to abut each other. To achieve this (and bearing in mind that both handles 2 and 3 are identical), in the mounting of the handles on the basket 1, one handle is effectively rotated about the substantially mid-length position 12 of its longitudinal back part 6 through 1800 relative to the orientation of the other handle.

Provided on the front face 11 of each handle 2, 3 is retaining means in the form of a longitudinally spaced array of two longitudinally extending ribs 13 and 14 and two longitudinally extending grooves 15 and 16. One rib 13 and one groove 15 are disposed on the face 11 between the leg 5 and the mid-length position 12 and the other rib 14 and the other groove 16 are disposed on the face 11 between the leg 4 and the mid-length position 12. These ribs and grooves of the retaining means are arranged so that when the front faces 11 of the two handles 2 and 3 abut each other with the handles in their first position, the groove 16 on one handle closely receives the rib 13 of the respective other handle whilst the groove 15 of the one handle closely receives the rib 14 of the respective other handle (in the manner indicated by the section shown in Figure 5 for the co-operation between a rib 13 and a groove 16). Preferably the grooves 15 and 16 are shaped to receive the ribs 13 and 14 in substantially complementary manner. As will be apparent from Figures 3 and 4 the front face 11 is angled relative to the legs of the handle so that those front faces will abut each other in substantially face-to-face contact when the handles are in the triangular configuration of Figure 1. The cooperation between the inter-engaging ribs 13, 14 and grooves 15, 16 of the two handles restrains the abutting front faces 11 from sliding relative to each other in the plane of the front faces 11 (as may otherwise be caused by pivotal movement between the handles and the basket 1).

This is particularly advantageous as instability in the triangular structure caused by pivotal movement of the two handles and relative sliding between the back parts 6 in their first position may otherwise result from unbalanced loads applied to front and rear ends of the basket (on opposite sides of the co-operating back parts 6) with inconvenience and possible discomfort to the hand of the person gripping the co-operating back parts 6. It should also be noted that pressure applied to the co-operating back parts 6 from the grip of the person carrying the basket will bias the ribs 13 and 14 into co-operation with the respective recesses 16 and 15 to provide a firm but temporary engagement between the two handles.

Furthermore, when the two handles are in their first position, the ribs or other projections 13 and 14 on those handles will be enclosed within the co-operating back parts 6. The projections 13 and 14 will not therefore be presented to a hand gripping the handles, thus avoiding discomfort to the person; the surfaces of the handle back parts 6 remote from the front faces 11 that are presented to the hand of a carrier may be smoothly profiled for comfort.

The modified handle 2, 3 shown in Figures 6 and 7 differs from that shown in Figures 2 and 5 in the form of the retaining means whereby in the modification this is provided by a longitudinally spaced array of two waisted regions 20 and 21 and two recesses 22 and 23 presented on the back part 6 of each handle. Each waisted region 20 and 21 is formed between a pair of laterally spaced and opposed rebates 24 in the back part. One such waisted region 20, 21 is provided between each leg 4 and 5 and the mid-length position 12 of the back part 6. The recesses 22 and 23 are each formed between a pair of laterally spaced and opposed lugs 25 and one such recess 22, 23 is provided between each leg 4 and 5 and the mid-length position 12. The two waisted regions 20 and 21 and two recesses 22 and 23 are disposed in an array similar to the ribs and grooves of the retention means shown in Figure 2 so that when one handle (as shown in Figure 6) is rotated through 1800 about its mid-length position relative to the second handle and fitted to the basket 1 and the two handles swung to their first position, the opposed front faces 11 of the two handles abut in face-to-face relationship as shown in Figure 7. As the front faces 11 move into abutment the waisted region 20 of one handle is received in substantially complementary manner within the recess 23 between the lugs 25 of the respective other handle and the waisted region 21 of the one handle is received in substantially complementary manner within the recess 22 between the opposed lugs 25 of the respective other handle. The co-operation between the waisted regions 20 and 21 and the recesses 22 and 23 between the respective back parts 6 of the two handles as shown in Figure 7 restrains the back parts 6 from sliding relative to each other in the plane of the front faces 11. This acts to restrain the two handles 2, 3 from exhibiting pivotal movement relative to the basket 1 thus stabilising the triangular configuration presented by the handles with the basket for convenience and comfort when gripping the back parts of the handles during assymetric loading of the basket.

Claims

1. A container assembly comprising a container and two substantially identical U-shaped carrying handles each having a back part with legs extending therefrom, said legs being pivotally mounted on the container to be pivotal between a first position in which the back parts abut each other overlying the container for convenience of being gripped by hand when carrying the assembly and a second position in which the two back parts are substantially clear of overlying the container for convenience of access to the container and wherein the back part of each handle comprises integral retaining means which co-operate between the two back parts when the handles are in their first position to restrain the two handles from pivotal movement relative to the container during manual carriage of the assembly by hand gripping the two back parts.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the retaining means comprises at least one recess in each back part arranged so that when the handles are in the first position, a part or parts of each back part is received in a recess or respective recesses of the respective other back part.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which the back part extends longitudinally between the legs and the or a recess is provided between laterally spaced projections on the said back part.

4. An assembly as claimed in either claim 2 or claim 3 in which the retaining means comprises a projection on each back part which is received in a respective recess of the respective other back part.

5. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 in which the back part extends longitudinally between the legs and the retaining means comprises a longitudinally extending part length of each back part, which part length is received in a respective recess of the respective other back part.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5 in which the longitudinally extending part length is a waisted region of the back part.

7. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 in which the or a said part of each back part is received in a respective recess as a substantially complementary fit.

8. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the back part of each handle has a front face and the front faces of the two handles when in the first position are urged into abutment with each other by pressure applied when the handles are gripped together and said pressure biases the retaining means into co-operation between the two back parts.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8 in which the retaining means is located on the front face of each back part.

10. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the back part of each handle extends longitudinally between the legs and the handles are mounted on the container with one handle effectively rotated through 1800 about the mid-length position of the longitudinal extent of its back part relative to the orientation of the respective other handle.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10 in which the retaining means comprises at least one longitudinally extending recess on one side of each back part between the mid-length position and one leg and a longitudinal part length on the other side of each back part between the said mid-length position and the second leg so that when the two handles are in the first position each said longitudinally extending recess of each back part receives said longitudinal part length of the respective other back part.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 11 in which said longitudinal part length is received in a substantially complementary longitudinally extending recess when the retaining means co-operates between the two back parts.

13. An assembly as claimed in either claim 11 or claim 12 in which said longitudinally extending recess comprises a groove and said longitudinal part length comprises a rib which is to be received in a said groove when the retaining means co-operates between the two back parts.

14. An assembly as claimed in claim 13 in which the retaining means on each back part comprises a longitudinally extending array of at least two ribs and a corresponding number of grooves.

15. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which each handle is formed as a one piece plastics moulding with integral retaining means.

16. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the container comprises an open topped basket with the handles straddling said open top and pivotable to said second position for the back parts to be clear of the open top for facilitating loading and unloading of the basket.

17. A container assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying illustrative drawings.

18. A container assembly as claimed in claim 17 and modified substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying illustrative drawings.