U.S. patent application number 10/404738 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-02 for collapsible container with durable bottom shell.
This patent application is currently assigned to Aquapore Mositure Systems. Invention is credited to Schneider, Paul A., Tsai, Yu-Min.
Application Number | 20030183630 10/404738 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27129518 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030183630 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schneider, Paul A. ; et
al. |
October 2, 2003 |
Collapsible container with durable bottom shell
Abstract
A collapsible container includes a cylindrical sidewall
extending between a top and a bottom of the container. The sidewall
is formed of a flexible material which enables the container to be
opened to an expanded configuration or closed to a collapsed
configuration. A coil spring biases the container to the open
configuration. The coil spring has a top coil adjacent the top of
the container and a bottom coil adjacent the bottom of the
container. A durable bottom layer is affixed to the bottom of the
container by stitches.
Inventors: |
Schneider, Paul A.;
(Waunakee, WI) ; Tsai, Yu-Min; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FOLEY & LARDNER
777 EAST WISCONSIN AVENUE
SUITE 3800
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202-5308
US
|
Assignee: |
Aquapore Mositure Systems
|
Family ID: |
27129518 |
Appl. No.: |
10/404738 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10404738 |
Apr 1, 2003 |
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09911349 |
Jul 23, 2001 |
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6554149 |
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09911349 |
Jul 23, 2001 |
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09909302 |
Jul 19, 2001 |
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6520365 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/9.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 7/0077 20130101;
B65D 37/00 20130101; D06F 95/002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/9.2 |
International
Class: |
B65D 030/10; B65D
033/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A collapsible container, comprising: a cylindrical sidewall
formed of a flexible material, the sidewall having an upper end
adjacent a top of the container and a lower end adjacent a bottom
of the container; a coil spring biasing the container to an
expanded configuration, the coil spring having a top coil adjacent
the top of the container and a bottom coil adjacent the bottom of
the container; a durable bottom layer secured to the bottom of the
container by stitching.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the flexible sidewall material
is a fabric.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the fabric is coated or
impregnated with a plastic.
4. The container of claim 2, wherein the fabric is vinyl coated
scrim.
5. The container of claim 1, wherein the coil spring extends around
an outer surface of the flexible sidewall material.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein the coil spring is secured to
the outer surface of the flexible sidewall material by one or more
strips of material sewn to the flexible sidewall material with the
spring positioned between the flexible sidewall material and the
one or more strips.
7. The container of claim 8, wherein the strips of material are a
woven fabric.
8. The container of claim 1, wherein the durable bottom layer is a
fabric layer which is relatively inflexible compared to the
flexible sidewall material.
9. The container of claim 1, wherein the durable bottom layer has a
thickness of between about 0.01 and 0.02 inches.
10. The container of claim 1, wherein the durable bottom layer is a
plastic material.
11. The container of claim 10, wherein the plastic material is
selected from polystyrene or polypropylene.
12. The container of claim 1, wherein the durable bottom layer
includes one or more drainage holes.
13. The container of claim 1, further including means for
maintaining the container in the closed configuration.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the maintaining means
comprises fabric loops and T-straps, or a hook.
15. The container of claim 1, wherein the durable bottom layer has
a thickness of between about 0.05 to 0.20 inches.
16. The container of claim 1, wherein the stitches comprises at
least one line of stitches that substantially circumscribes the
bottom of the container at a location substantially underlying the
bottom coil.
17. The container of claim 1, wherein the bottom coil is captured
between an outer surface of the flexible sidewall material and an
inner surface of a bottom strip of material sewn to the flexible
sidewall material, and wherein the stitching used for securing the
durable bottom layer to the bottom of the container affixes the
durable bottom layer to the bottom strip of material.
18. A collapsible container having an expanded configuration and a
collapsed configuration, comprising: a sidewall formed of a
flexible material, the sidewall having an upper end adjacent a top
of the container and a lower end adjacent a bottom of the
container; a coil spring biasing the container to the expanded
configuration, the coil spring having a top coil adjacent the top
of the container and a bottom coil adjacent the bottom of the
container; a durable bottom layer for protecting the bottom of the
container; and at least one line of stitches for securing the
durable bottom layer to the bottom of the container.
19. The container of claim 19, wherein the durable bottom layer
includes one or more drainage holes.
20. The container of claim 19, wherein the durable bottom layer has
a thickness of between about 0.01 and 0.02 inches.
21. The container of claim 19, wherein the bottom coil is captured
between an outer surface of the flexible sidewall material and an
inner surface of a bottom strip of material sewn to the flexible
sidewall material, and wherein the at least one line of stitches
affixes the durable bottom layer to the bottom strip of
material.
22. A collapsible container having an expanded configuration and a
collapsed configuration, comprising: a cylindrical sidewall formed
of a flexible material, the sidewall having an upper end adjacent a
top of the container and a lower end adjacent a bottom of the
container, the sidewall being collapsible and expandable along an
axis extending between the top and the bottom of the container; and
a durable plastic layer secured to the bottom of the container by
stitches.
23. The container of claim 23, wherein the durable plastic layer
includes one or more drainage holes.
24. The container of claim 23, wherein the durable plastic layer
has a thickness of between about 0.01 and 0.02 inches.
25. The container of claim 23, wherein the bottom coil is captured
between an outer surface of the flexible sidewall material and an
inner surface of a bottom strip of material sewn to the flexible
sidewall material, and wherein the stitches used for securing the
durable bottom layer to the bottom of the container affixes the
durable plastic layer to the bottom strip of material.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 09/911,349, filed Jul. 23, 2001, which in turn is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/909,302, filed Jul. 19, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to containers that
are expandable into open configurations for placing items therein
and collapsible into compact configurations for facilitating
storage when empty. More specifically, the invention relates to
containers including flexible sidewalls provided with springs for
biasing the containers to the expanded configuration.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Collapsible containers designed for use around the house,
the yard and at other locations are well known. For example,
collapsible containers are often used for handling yard waste such
as grass clippings, weeds, leaves and cut branches. Collapsible
containers are also frequently used for temporary storage of items
when traveling and for more permanent storage of items around the
house or garage. Such collapsible containers offer a significant
advantage over rigid containers that may also be used for these
purposes in that the collapsible containers can provide a large
volume of store space when expanded but require only a relatively
small amount of space for storage of the container itself when
empty and collapsed.
[0004] Collapsible containers including fabric sidewalls and bottom
walls and coil springs for biasing the containers to their expanded
configurations are well known. One drawback of these containers is
that the lower edges of the fabric sidewalls and the fabric bottoms
tend to wear out prematurely because these containers are loaded so
heavily with items that they cannot be comfortably lifted and thus
are dragged along the ground. The fabric can become torn if snagged
or worn through from abrasion when dragged over rough surfaces such
as concrete.
[0005] Although containers having sidewalls and bottom walls made
from more durable materials (e.g., metals and relatively thick
plastic layers) do not suffer from such premature wear, such
containers are typically not collapsible and hence they require
significant storage space when empty.
[0006] Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a collapsible
container that is more durable than existing collapsible
containers, while being relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention facilitates the durability of
collapsible containers having flexible sidewalls and coil springs
for biasing the containers to the expanded configuration by
affixing durable bottom shells to such containers. The durable
bottom shells provides such collapsible containers with increased
durability when used for tasks as described above and other tasks
in which the containers may be heavily loaded. Example of such
other tasks include but are not limited to the use of such
containers as a portable cooler or keg holder, as a laundry storage
unit or hamper, as a portable tote bag, and the like.
[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention, a collapsible
container includes a cylindrical sidewall extending between a top
and a bottom of the container. The sidewall is formed of a flexible
material which enables the container to be opened to an expanded
configuration or closed to a collapsed configuration. A coil spring
biases the container to the open configuration. The coil spring has
a top coil adjacent the top of the container and a bottom coil
adjacent the bottom of the container. A durable bottom layer is
affixed to the bottom of the container by stitching.
[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, a collapsible
container can be opened to an expanded configuration and closed to
a collapsed configuration. A sidewall formed of a flexible material
has an upper end adjacent a top of the container and a lower end
adjacent a bottom of the container. A coil spring biases the
container to the expanded configuration. The coil spring has a top
coil adjacent the top of the container and a bottom coil adjacent
the bottom of the container. A durable bottom layer is affixed to
the bottom of the container by at least one line of stitching.
[0010] According to a further aspect of the invention, a
collapsible container has an expanded configuration and a collapsed
configuration. The container includes a cylindrical sidewall formed
of a flexible material. The sidewall has an upper end adjacent a
top of the container and a lower end adjacent a bottom of the
container. The sidewall is collapsible and expandable along an axis
extending between the top and the bottom of the container. A
durable plastic layer is secured to the bottom of the container by
stitches.
[0011] These and other benefits and features of the invention will
be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed
description of preferred embodiments thereof, presented in
connection with the following drawings in which like reference
numerals are used to identify like elements throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
spring loaded container in accordance with the present invention,
the container being shown in an open configuration.
[0013] FIG. 2 is perspective view of the container of FIG. 1, the
container being shown in a closed configuration.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1
taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the container
of FIG. 3 taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.
[0016] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the container
of FIG. 2 taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 2.
[0017] FIGS. 6-10 are cross-sectional views of bottom regions of
alternative embodiments of containers in accordance with the
present invention.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but
showing an alternative arrangement for maintaining a spring loaded
container in the closed configuration.
[0019] FIGS. 12-13 are perspective views of additional embodiments
of spring loaded containers in accordance with the present
invention, the containers being shown in the open
configuration.
[0020] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a
spring loaded container in accordance with the present invention,
the container being shown in a, closed configuration.
[0021] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a bottom portion of the
container of FIG. 14 taken along the line 15-15 in FIG. 14.
[0022] FIG. 16 is cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 14
taken along the line 16-16 in FIG. 15.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a container 10 is shown in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
Container 10 includes a cylindrical sidewall 12 extending between a
top 14 and a bottom 16 of container 10. Sidewall 12 is formed of a
flexible material 18 so that container 10 can be repeatedly opened
and closed between an expanded configuration (see FIGS. 1 and 3)
and a collapsed configuration (see FIGS. 2 and 4) along an axis 19
(see FIG. 3) without causing any appreciable wear or damage to
container 10. Sidewall 12 includes a coil spring 20 that biases
container 10 to the expanded configuration. Coil spring 20 includes
a central spiral portion 22 that extends between a top coil portion
24 adjacent container top 14 and a bottom coil portion 26 adjacent
container bottom 16. Coil spring 20 may be made of any suitable
material such as plastic or metal, but preferably is hardened
spring steel. A durable hard shell 28 (described in detail below)
is secured to container bottom 16. In addition, a flexible inner
layer 30 may be secured to container bottom 16 immediately above
(and thus protected by) durable shell 28.
[0024] By way of example, flexible sidewall material 18 and
flexible inner layer 30 may be fabricated from fabric. The term
"fabric" as used herein means any material that is woven, knit,
braided, or netted with any fiber, as well as non-fibrous PVC,
urethane, nylon or other synthetic materials. The fabric may be
porous or non-porous. The fabric can be formed from various fibers
including organic fibers such as cotton, animal fibers such as
wool, or synthetic or man-made fibers such as cellulose. The fabric
may be one fiber or a combination of these fibers, or without
fibers altogether. The primary characteristic is that the fabric
material be flexible enough to permit repeated closings and
openings of container 10 without causing appreciable damage to the
material. One particular example of a suitable fabric is vinyl
coated scrim, which is known to those skilled in the art as
TARPAULINE.
[0025] As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, coil spring 20 is secured to
sidewall 12 with spiral portion 22 extending along an outer surface
32 of flexible sidewall material 18. Alternatively, spiral portion
22 could be positioned to extend along an inner surface 34 of
sidewall material 18. In the illustrated embodiment, spiral portion
22 is secured to sidewall material 18 by means of a thin strip of
material 36 affixed to flexible sidewall material 18 with spiral
portion 22 captured therebetween. As illustrated, strip material 36
is secured to sidewall material 18 by a first line of stitches 38
extending parallel to (and just above) spiral portion 22 and a
second line of stitches 40 extending parallel to (and just below)
spiral portion 22. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that
other techniques could be used for securing strip material 36 to
flexible sidewall material 18, such as adhesives, welding and the
like. In addition, strip material 36 may be eliminated if coil
spring 20 is directly secured to flexible sidewall material 18. For
example, a plurality of loops-made of fabric, plastic, metal or
some other suitable material-could be positioned at spaced
locations along the length of spiral portion 22 to join sections of
sidewall material 18 to spiral portion 22.
[0026] Again by way of example and not limitation, strip material
36 may be a natural occurring or synthetic fiber or a mixture of
fibers as indicated above. In a preferred embodiment, strip
material 36 comprises a woven fabric such as polyester or
nylon.
[0027] Durable bottom shell 28 is configured to extend over and
protect container bottom 16. As illustrated, bottom shell 28
generally includes a plate-like central portion 42 and an upturned
outer edge 44 extending around the outer perimeter of central
portion 42. Central portion 42 may include one or more drainage
holes 46 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) to prevent liquid (e.g., water) from
pooling in bottom shell 28. As best illustrated in FIG. 4, upturned
edge 44 includes an outwardly facing surface 48 and an inwardly
facing surface 50. Inwardly facing surface 50 includes an upwardly
and inwardly facing ramp 52 situated above an inwardly opening
annular cavity or channel 54. Annular channel 54 is dimensioned to
closely receive bottom coil 26 when covered by strip material 36.
Ramp 52 facilitates assembly of container 10 by providing a sloped
surface (e.g., 30.degree. from the vertical axis) configured to
guide bottom coil 26 into annular channel 54. Ramp 52 may be formed
as a plurality of upwardly and inwardly facing surfaces (e.g., two
or four) situated about inner surface 50 of upturned edge 44 or as
a single upwardly and inwardly facing surface that extends
continuously around inner surface 50 except for a brief gap (not
shown) to accommodate coil spring 20 as it extends upwardly from
bottom coil 26 to central spiral 22.
[0028] By way of example, bottom shell 28 may comprise a durable
organic material (e.g., leather), a durable plastic material (e.g.,
polystyrene or polypropylene) or a lightweight metal (e.g.,
aluminum). Plastic materials such as polystyrene and polypropylene
are well suited for the present invention because of their
generally good durability and relatively low cost. In addition,
such plastic materials are easily molded (e.g., by injection
molding or vacuum forming) into the desired shape at relatively low
costs.
[0029] With the foregoing structure, bottom shell 28 can be affixed
to container 10 by simply snap-fitting it over bottom coil 26 so
that bottom coil 26 interlocks with annular channel 54 (see FIGS. 3
and 4). Persons skilled in the art will of course recognize that
many other techniques could be used for attaching bottom shell 28
to container 10, a few examples of which are described and
illustrated below.
[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, container 10 also includes a
pair of handles 56 (see FIG. 1) and a tie down structure 58 (see
FIGS. 2 and 5). Handles 56 facilitate the lifting and moving of
container 10, while tie down structure 58 is used to maintain
container 10 in the collapsed configuration. Handles 56 may
comprise a strip of material 60 affixed to flexible sidewall
material 18 by stitching 62 (see FIG. 3) adjacent container top 14.
An additional handle (not shown) may be secured to sidewall
material 18 near container bottom 16 to facilitate dumping. Tie
down structure 58 may comprise a pair of T-straps 64 secured to
container top 14 and a pair of mating flexible loops 66 secured to
container bottom 16 (see FIG. 1).
[0031] With the foregoing structure, container 10 can be easily
locked into the collapsed configuration by first compressing coil
spring 20 and then inserting the distal end of each T-strap 64
through its mating loop 66. Once this is done, each T-strap 64 will
interlock with its mating loop 66, which prevents central spiral
portion 22 of spring 20 from expanding. Hence, container 10 will
remain in the collapsed configuration. Container 10 can be opened
to its expanded configuration by again compressing coil spring 20
and then withdrawing each T-strap 64 from engagement with its
mating loop 66.
[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 11, a container 110 in accordance
with a second embodiment of the present invention is shown.
Container 110 is substantially identical to container 10 (FIGS.
1-5) described above except for the different tie down structure.
For brevity, elements of container 11 0 that correspond to like
elements in container 10 described above will be identified by the
same reference numerals but increased by 100.
[0033] In FIG. 11, container 110 includes a tie down structure 158
that extends upwardly from upturned edge 144. Tie down structure
158 comprises a flexible hook 168 having an upwardly extending base
portion 170 and an inwardly extending curved end portion 172.
Flexible hook 168 may be integrally formed with upturned edge 144
or separately manufactured therefrom and then secured thereto
during subsequent assembly.
[0034] With the foregoing structure, container 110 can be easily
locked into the collapsed configuration by first compressing coil
spring 120 and then moving curved end 172 of flexible hook 168
radially inwardly until it is directly above top coil 124 of spring
120. Once this is done, hook 168 will prevent spiral portion 122 of
spring 120 from expanding, which thus maintains container 110 in
the collapsed configuration. Container 110 can be opened to its
expanded configuration by again compressing coil spring 120 and
then moving curved end 172 of hook 168 radially outwardly until it
is no longer above top coil 124 of spring 120. Persons skilled in
the art will recognize that other structures and methods could be
used for releasably locking the collapsible containers in their
compact configurations.
[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 6-10, a number of containers 210-610
in accordance with alternative embodiments of the present invention
are shown. Containers 210-610 are substantially identical to
container 10 (FIGS. 1-5) described above except for the different
durable bottom shells and their associated attachment means. For
brevity, elements of containers 210, 310, 410, 510 and 610 that are
substantially similar to like elements in container 10 described
above will be identified by the same reference numerals but
increased by 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600, respectively.
[0036] In FIG. 6, container 210 includes a durable bottom shell 228
affixed to container bottom 216 by an adhesive layer 268. Adhesive
layer 268 extends over the entire downwardly facing surface of
flexible inner bottom layer 230 as well as the downwardly facing
surface of strip material 236 covering bottom coil 226.
[0037] In FIG. 7, container 310 includes a durable bottom shell 328
affixed to container bottom 316 by a plurality of horizontally
extending bolts 368. Each bolt 368 extends horizontally through
upturned edge 344 of bottom shell 328, strip material 336 and
sidewall material 318. Each bolt 368 has a head 370 countersunk
into an aperture 372 formed in upturned edge 344 and is secured in
place by a nut 374.
[0038] In FIG. 8, container 410 includes a durable bottom shell 428
affixed to container bottom 416 by a plurality of vertically
extending bolts 468. Each bolt 468 extends vertically through
central portion 442 of bottom shell 428, flexible inner bottom
layer 430, strip material 436 and the lower edge of sidewall
material 418. Each bolt 468 has a head 470 countersunk into an
aperture 472 formed in central portion 442 and is secured in place
by a nut 474.
[0039] In FIG. 9, container-510 includes a durable bottom shell 528
affixed to container bottom 516 by a pair of stitch lines 568.
Bottom shell 528 is sewn to the lower edge of flexible sidewall
material 518 in place of a flexible inner bottom layer (i.e., the
flexible inner bottom layer is omitted in this embodiment). To
facilitate the ease of stitching, bottom shell 528 of container 510
may be thinner than bottom shell 28 of container 10 (FIGS. 1-5).
For example, bottom shell 528 may have a thickness of between about
0.01 to 0.02 inches. By contrast, bottom shell 28 may have a
thickness of between about 0.05 to 0.20 inches. Of course, the
particular thickness of the durable bottom shell is unimportant so
long as it is able to sufficiently protect the bottom of the
container and thus prevent premature wear as discussed above.
[0040] In FIG. 10, container 610 includes a durable bottom shell
628 affixed to container bottom 616 by a plurality (e.g., two or
four) of T-straps 664 and mating apertures 668 formed in upturned
edge 644. As illustrated, each aperture 668 is elongated in the
vertical direction so that each T-strap 664 can be inserted through
its associated aperture 668 and then rotated 90.degree. to
interlock with outer surface 648 of upturned edge 644. Container
610 also includes a plurality of fabric loops (not shown) secured
to the top of the container for matingly engaging with T-straps 664
to lock container 610 in the collapsed configuration. Thus,
T-straps 664 in container 610 serve the dual purposes of securing
bottom shell 628 to container bottom 616 and maintaining container
610 in the collapsed configuration.
[0041] Referring now to FIGS. 12-13, a pair of containers 710 and
810 in accordance with additional alternative embodiments of the
present invention are shown. Containers 710 and 810 are
substantially identical to container 10 (FIGS. 1-5) described above
except for the different container top. For brevity, elements of
containers 710 and 810 that are substantially similar to like
elements in container 10 described above will be identified by the
same reference numerals but increased by 700 and 800,
respectively.
[0042] In FIG. 12, container 710 includes a cover 768 affixed to
container top 714. As illustrated, cover 768 comprises an annular
sheet of fabric 770 and a centrally located drawstring 772. Fabric
770 may be integrally formed with flexible sidewall material 718 or
it may be a separate sheet of flexible material which is secured
(e.g., by stitching) to sidewall material 718.
[0043] In FIG. 13, container 810 includes a removable cover 868
affixed to container top 814 by a zipper 870. Of course, removable
cover 868 could be releasibly secured to container top by numerous
other means known to those skilled in the art, such as VELCRO.
[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 14-16, a container 910 in accordance
with yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention is
shown. Container 910 is substantially identical to container 10
(see FIGS. 1-5) described above except for the different durable
bottom shell and its associated attachment means. For brevity,
elements of container 910 that are substantially similar to like
elements in container 10 described above will be identified by the
same reference numerals but increased by 900.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 14, container 910 includes a durable bottom
shell 928 attached to container bottom 916 by a plurality of clamps
968. Clamps 968 may be formed of any suitable material but
preferably are made from the same material as bottom shell 928.
Clamps 968 are positioned at equally spaced locations about the
outer perimeter of plate-like central portion 942 of bottom shell
928. As shown in FIG. 15, each clamp 968 comprises an upstanding
base portion 970 configured for releasable attachment to central
shell portion 942 and an outwardly extending ledge 972 configured
to extend closely above the upper surface of bottom coil portion
926.
[0046] Clamp 968 may be secured to central shell portion 942 by any
suitable means. In FIG. 16, base portion 970 includes a pair of
downwardly opening apertures 974 configured for receiving and thus
mating with a pair of upwardly extending posts 976. Posts 976 may
be integrally formed on--or separately formed and attached to--an
upper surface 978 of central portion 942 near but spaced from inner
surface 950 of upturned edge 944. A pair of bolts 980 are
threadedly engaged in a pair of upwardly opening apertures 982
centrally formed in posts 976 to secure base portion 970 in place.
Bolts 980 have heads 984 counter sunk in a pair of upwardly opening
apertures 986 formed in an upper surface 988 of base portion
970.
[0047] When base portion 970 is secured in place as shown in FIG.
16, ledge 972 extends outwardly above bottom coil portion 926 and
terminates closely adjacent inner surface 934 of sidewall material
918. With this arrangement, bottom coil 926 is securely captured
between a downwardly facing curved surface 990 of ledge 972, an
outwardly facing curved surface 992 of base portion 970, upper
surface 980 of central portion 942, and inner surface 950 of
upturned edge 944. Hence, bottom shell 928 is securely attached to
container bottom 916 and can only be removed by removing bolts 980
and loosening clamps 968.
[0048] It is important to note that the above-described preferred
embodiments of the spring loaded containers are illustrative only.
Although only certain embodiments have been described above in
detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous
modifications are possible without materially departing from the
novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described
herein. For example, although all the containers described above
are cylindrical in shape and thus have circular cross-sections when
viewed along a horizontal plane, they could have differently shaped
cross-sections such as square, triangular, octagonal or any other
desired shape. Accordingly, these and all other such modifications
are intended to be included within the scope of the present
invention. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and
omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and
arrangement of the preferred and other exemplary embodiments
without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
* * * * *