U.S. patent application number 11/151632 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-14 for nestable pails with nesting alignment means.
This patent application is currently assigned to Plastican, Inc.. Invention is credited to David W. Diamond.
Application Number | 20060278553 11/151632 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37523168 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060278553 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Diamond; David W. |
December 14, 2006 |
Nestable pails with nesting alignment means
Abstract
The invention provides like pails with like means for aligning
the pails in a stack of nested pails so that their handles are
aligned with one another. The aligning means comprises a peripheral
flange projecting outwardly from the side wall of each pail, a
radial slot in that peripheral flange displaced circumferentially
from the pivot points of the pail's handle, and a depending tab
projecting from that side wall. The slot and tab are aligned but
displaced vertically from one another. When the pails are stacked
in nested relation with the depending tab on one pail received by
the radial slot in the next lower pail in the stack, the handles of
the stacked pails will be aligned with one another.
Inventors: |
Diamond; David W.; (Dudley,
MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Pandiscio & Pandiscio
470 Totten Pond Road
Waltham
MA
02451
US
|
Assignee: |
Plastican, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
37523168 |
Appl. No.: |
11/151632 |
Filed: |
June 13, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/515 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 21/0233 20130101;
B65D 2303/00 20130101; B65D 25/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/515 |
International
Class: |
B65D 21/00 20060101
B65D021/00 |
Claims
1. A plurality of pails each comprising a nestable container with a
handle pivotally attached to said container at two points, each
container comprising a side wall, means including a
radially-extending slot projecting outwardly from said side wall,
said slot being spaced circumferentially from said two points, and
a depending tab attached to and spaced from said side wall, said
tab being spaced circumferentially from said two points and aligned
with but spaced vertically from said radial slot so that when said
pails are stacked with their containers nested inside one another,
said depending tab on one container will be received by the radial
slot in the next lower container in the stack, whereby the handles
of the stacked pails will be aligned with one another.
2. A plurality of pails according to claim 1 wherein each container
comprises a peripheral flange projecting outwardly from said side
wall, and further wherein said depending tab is formed integral
with said peripheral flange.
3. A plurality of pails according to claim 1 wherein said means
including a radially-extending slot comprises a peripheral flange
projecting outwardly from said side wall.
4. A plurality of pails according to claim 3 wherein said
peripheral flange has an outer edge and said slot intersects said
outer edge.
5. A plurality of pails according to claim 1 wherein said container
has a top end and a bottom end and said means including a
radially-extending slot comprises a first peripheral flange
projecting outwardly from said side wall, and further wherein said
tab is formed integral with a second peripheral flange projecting
outwardly from said side wall, said first peripheral flange being
located between said top end and said second peripheral flange.
6. A plurality of pails according to claim 1 wherein said tab has a
top end and a bottom end, and further wherein said tab is tapered
so that its said bottom end is narrower than its said top end.
7. A plurality of pails according to claim 1 wherein said
containers are made of a resilient plastic.
8. A pail comprising a container and a handle pivotally attached to
said container at two points, each container comprising a side
wall, at least one peripheral flange projecting outwardly from its
side wall, a radially-extending slot in said peripheral flange
spaced circumferentially from said two points, and a depending tab
attached to and spaced from said side wall, said tab being spaced
circumferentially from said two points and aligned with but spaced
vertically from said radial slot so that when a plurality of said
pails are stacked with their containers nested inside one another,
said depending tab on one container will be received by the radial
slot in the next lower container in the stack, whereby the handles
of the stacked pails will be aligned with one another.
9. A pail according to claim 8 wherein said container comprises a
second peripheral flange projecting outwardly from said side wall,
and further wherein said depending tab is formed integral with said
second peripheral flange.
10. A pail according to claim 9 wherein said container has a top
end and a bottom end, and said second peripheral flange is located
between said bottom end and said first-mentioned peripheral
flange.
11. A pail according to claim 8 wherein said tab has a top end and
a bottom end, and further wherein said tab is tapered so that its
said bottom end is narrower than its said top end.
12. A pail according to claim 8 wherein said flange has an outer
edge and said radially-extending slot intersects said outer
edge.
13. A pail according to claim 8 wherein said container has a top
end and a bottom end, and said side wall is tapered with its bottom
end having a smaller diameter than its top end.
14. A plurality of pails each comprising a nestable container, each
container comprising a side wall, first and second mutually spaced
handle pivot anchors formed integrally with and projecting
outwardly of said side wall, said first and second handle pivot
anchors being adapted to pivotally receive and hold the opposite
ends of a handle, at least one peripheral flange projecting
outwardly from said side wall, a slot in said peripheral flange
spaced circumferentially from said handle pivot anchors, and a
depending tab attached to and spaced outwardly from said side wall,
said tab being spaced circumferentially from said first and second
handle pivot anchors and aligned with but spaced vertically from
said slot so that when said pails are stacked with their containers
nested inside one another, said depending tab on one container will
be received by the slot in the next lower container in the stack,
whereby the handle pivot anchors of the stacked pails will be
aligned in a common vertically-extending plane.
15. A plurality of pails according to claim 14 wherein each
container has a bottom end and a top end, and further wherein each
container has a second peripheral flange extending outwardly from
said side wall, said second peripheral flange being located between
first mentioned peripheral flange and said bottom end of said
container and said tab being formed integral with said second
flange.
16. A plurality of pails according to claim 14 wherein said first
and second pivot anchors are spaced from one another by an angle of
180.degree..
17. A plurality of pails according to claim 13 wherein each pail
comprises a handle pivotally attached to said first and second
handle pivot anchors.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to pails and more particularly to
means for uniformly orienting pails when nested in one another to
form a stack.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Nestable containers are manufactured in a variety of forms
for use in holding liquid and particulate materials. As a rule they
have a frusto-conical shape, i.e., they have tapered side walls
which may be flat or stepped. Making containers nestable so that
they can be assembled in a stack reduces the amount of space
required to accommodate them. This is advantageous in terms of
reducing warehousing space costs. It also reduces shipping costs
due the minimizing freight vehicle space requirements.
[0003] However, nested containers must be denested before being
used or before being supplied to a station for filling with a
liquid or particulate commodity, e.g., an asphalt composition for
coating driveways, swimming pool chemical, fertilizer, detergent,
or a foodstuff such as jam, peanut butter, margarine, etc. In many
industries, the denesting operation is conducted automatically by
machinery that is designed to denest containers one by one and
present them to a conveying means for delivery to filling and
capping equipment. A variety of such denesting equipment is
exemplified by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,764,273, issued Jul.
20, 2004 to K. Freudelsperger; 4,983,098, issued Jan. 8, 1991 to R.
A. Heisler; 4,157,767, issued Jun. 12, 1979 to G. T. Schjedahl;
4,082,203, issued Apr. 4, 1978 to G. T. Schjedahl; and 3,795,346,
issued Mar. 5, 1974 to T. V. Roberts et al.
[0004] A problem has existed with respect to denesting pails. As
used herein the term "pail" means and denotes a nestable container
having a pivotally mounted arched handle (usually called a "bail").
Although denesting equipment for pails is known (see, for example,
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,157,767 and 4,082,203, cited above), a problem has
been encountered with denesting equipment in the case where the
nested containers are not uniformly oriented in the stack that is
to be denested, with the result that the handles of the nested
containers are not aligned with one another. This non-alignment has
tended to cause the denesting equipment to jam, misfeed or damage
the containers. Damage to the non-aligned containers is
particularly likely where the containers are made of a plastic
material such as polyethylene.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The primary object of this invention is to provide a means
for aligning the pails in a stack of nested pails so that their
handles are aligned with one another, whereby to facilitate
automatic denesting of the pails by operation of denesting
apparatus.
[0006] Another object is to provide a means for interlocking a
plurality of pails in a nested stack so that their handles are
aligned with one another.
[0007] A further object is to provide a means for aligning a group
of pails in a nested stack so that their handles are all aligned
with one another, such means being characterized in that they place
no substantial limitation on the size or ornamental design of the
pails.
[0008] These and other objects are achieved by providing pails each
having at least one peripheral flange projecting outwardly from its
side wall, a radial slot in the peripheral flange displaced
circumferentially from the pivot points of the pail handle, and a
depending tab formed integral with and projecting from the side
wall, with the tab being aligned with but displaced vertically from
the radial slot so that when said pails are stacked the depending
tab on one pail will be received by the radial slot in the next
lower pail in the stack, whereby the handles of the stacked pails
will be aligned with one another.
[0009] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention are
set forth in or rendered obvious by the following detailed
description of the invention which is to be considered together
with the accompany drawings.
THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a pail embodying the
invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same pail (with handle
omitted) rotated 90.degree. from the viewpoint of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 is fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of
FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 4 is fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4-4 of
FIG. 2.
[0014] FIG. 5 is side elevation showing a pair or pails in nested
relation.
[0015] FIG. 6 is fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of
FIG. 5.
[0016] FIG. 7 is side elevation of a pair of nested pails taken
from the viewpoint of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Turning to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a container 2
comprising a side wall 4 and a bottom wall 6. The side wall 4 is
tapered inwardly from top to bottom as shown. By way of example but
not limitation, side wall 4 may have a draft angle of about
4.degree.. The top end of the container is open but the top end is
provided with a peripheral circumferentially-extending bead or
ridge 10. The latter serves to resist distortion of the top end of
the pail and also is intended to serve as a locking element for a
cover (not shown) for the container. The container also has three
additional outwardly-projecting peripheral flanges 12, 14 and 16
disposed in the order named below locking bead 10. At least flanges
12 and 16 project radially beyond the periphery of bead 10.
Preferably flange 14 also projects beyond the periphery of bead 10.
Flanges 12, 14 and 16 serve to offer resistance to buckling of the
side wall and also serve an aesthetic purpose. Formed integral with
and projecting from the bottommost flange 16 and the adjacent side
wall 4 are a plurality of narrow vertically-extending,
circumferentially-spaced fins 18 that serve as spacer elements as
hereinafter described.
[0018] Since the container is designed to be used as a pail, it is
provided with two pivot anchors 20 for pivotally securing a handle
22. The two pivot anchors are diametrically opposed to one another.
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, each pivot anchor
20 comprises a pair of parallel mutually-spaced struts 24A and 24B
and a short auxiliary side wall 26 that extends between those
struts parallel to and spaced from container side wall 4. Struts
24A and 24b and side wall 26 extend between and are formed integral
with flanges 14 and 16. Struts 24A and 24B also are formed integral
with container side wall 4 and flange 16 is recessed between struts
24A and 24B. As a result each pair of struts 24A and 24B and the
connecting side wall 26 define a pocket open at its lower end that
accommodates the bent end 28 of the U-shaped portion of handle 22
Additionally each side wall 26 is formed with a hole 30 (FIGS. 2
and 4) that serves as a pass-through for the bent end of handle 22.
Holes 30 are sized to allow the handle to pivot relative to the two
pivot anchors. Alternatively, holes 30 could be replaced with a
keyhole-shaped slot as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,291,
issued Aug. 14, 2001 to Rino Conti.
[0019] Turning now to FIGS. 1-3, formed integral with the
bottommost flange 16 is a depending tab 34 that is spaced from the
side wall 4 of the container and preferably, as shown in FIG. 3,
the tab extends vertically parallel to the center axis of the
container. Additionally, the tab is displaced angularly from the
two handle pivot anchors 20. Preferably, but not necessarily, the
tab is located midway between the two both pivot anchors 20 as
shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the tab could be located closer to
one than the other of the two anchor means. Preferably the tab is
in line with one of the spacer fins 18. Alternatively the tab may
be located so that it is not aligned with a spacer fin 18, in which
case the portion of flange 16 where the tab is located is molded
with an increased thickness (FIG. 6) to provide additional strength
for the tab.
[0020] The container also is formed with a slot 36 in the first or
top flange 12. Slot 36 is located in vertical alignment with the
tab and has a width (the horizontal dimension as viewed in FIG. 1)
that is sized so as to accommodate the lower end of the tab 34 of
another like container. Preferably, but not necessarily, the tab is
tapered, having a smaller width at its bottom than it has at its
top end. The length of the tab is such as to be able to penetrate
the slot 36 of another like container where the two containers are
nested one inside the other. The width of the slot (the horizontal
dimension as viewed in FIG. 1) is large enough to readily
accommodate tab 34 but not so great as to assure proper alignment
of the containers as herein contemplated. By way of example but not
limitation, for a 5 gallon pail having a maximum diameter of about
11.8 inches at it top end, the width of slot 36 may be about 0.63
inch and the width of tab 34 will vary from a maximum with of about
0.41 inch at its fixed top end to a minimum width of about 0.19
inch at its free bottom end.
[0021] A number of containers 2 may be stacked in nesting relation
one on top of the other in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 5-7.
Although these figures show only two nested containers 2A and 2B,
it is to be understood that a larger number of containers may be
nested together in the same manner to form a relatively tall stack.
As seen in FIGS. 5-7, upper container 2A is supported by virtue of
its spacer fins 18 engaging the locking bead 10 of lower container
2B, with the spacer fins assuring that the bottom wall 6A of the
upper container is spaced from the bottom wall 6B of the lower
container. In this nested position the tab 34 of upper container 2A
penetrates and extends through the slot 36 in flange 12 of the
lower container, preferably protruding about 1/8th inch below that
flange 12. Addition or more like containers to form a relatively
tall stack of nested containers is accomplished by orienting each
additional container so that its tab 34 is aligned with the slot 36
of the next lower container. As result and with reference to FIG.
7, the pivot anchors 20 of the several nested containers will be
aligned in a common vertical plane, thereby making it possible for
the handles 22 of the nested containers to hang down on the same
the side. The handles may hang down on the side of the containers
opposite from the location of tabs 34 (as shown in FIG. 7) or they
may be flipped over so as to hang down on the same side as the tabs
34 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5). It is to be understood also that,
depending on the particular apparatus used to denest the containers
for filling, the containers may be aligned and stacked with some of
the handles hanging down on one side and the remaining handles hang
down on the other side of the stack. If desired the handles may be
configured so that when they are hanging down their grip portions
40 do not touch the side wall of a container. A further possible
modification is to modify the spacer fins 18 to change the spacing
between flange 16 of one container and the locking bead of the next
lower container in a nested stack.
[0022] The invention has a number of advantages. For one thing the
invention can be embodied in containers of different sizes and
aesthetic designs. For another thing, the alignment tabs 34 and
slots 36 do not unduly complicate the injection molding process.
Most importantly, a stack of nested containers with their handle
pivot anchors in mutual alignment as herein described and
illustrated can be accommodated by de-nesting equipment without
fear that a handle will be so misaligned as to cause malfunctioning
of the de-nesting equipment or possible damage to the misaligned
container. By way of example, the denesting equipment may be like
the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,203 (cited supra) where tine
elements are used to elevate handles 22 in the denesting operation
or like the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,098 (also cited supra)
where lug members engage protruding portions of the containers,
e.g., the flanges 12 or 16, to effect separation. In this
connection and with reference to FIG. 2, it is contemplated that
the containers 22 may be formed without the two spacer lugs 18A and
18B located immediately below the two handle pivot anchors in the
case where the denesting equipment is designed to engage the
underside of flange 16 to effect separation of nested
containers.
[0023] The invention may be practiced other than as described above
and illustrated in the drawings. Thus, for example, the
intermediate flange 14 could be eliminated. Alternatively the
flange 12 could be eliminated and the slot 36 formed in flange 14.
The latter modification may require varying the spacing between
flanges 14 and 16 in order to assure that the tab 34 on one
container will penetrate the slot 36 in the next lower container.
It also is contemplated that each container may have more
reinforcing flanges than the three flanges 12, 14 and 16, but in
each case the slot will be in the uppermost reinforcing flange. It
is also contemplated that the slot 36 may be formed in a
radially-extending projection that is formed integral with side
wall 4 but extends around the periphery of the container through an
angle less than 360.degree.. Another possible modification is to
form the tab 34 as a separate member attached to and projecting
from the side wall of the container instead of molding it as an
extension of a circumferentially-extending flange, e.g., flange 16.
Also the container may be formed with more than one aligning tab,
with a slot 36 being provided for each tab.
[0024] Still other advantages and modifications of the invention
will be obvious to persons skilled in the art.
* * * * *