U.S. patent application number 11/581204 was filed with the patent office on 2007-04-19 for collapsible container.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Parallax Group International, LLC. Invention is credited to John Grimm, Bruce A. Thrush.
Application Number | 20070084864 11/581204 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37947211 |
Filed Date | 2007-04-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070084864 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Thrush; Bruce A. ; et
al. |
April 19, 2007 |
Collapsible container
Abstract
A storage crate has a side access doorway, which is preferably
closable by a hinged door. Preferred crates are also collapsible in
some manner, most preferably using pivots disposed between the
floor and two of the sides, and horizontally along in about the
middle of those two sides. Depending on the configuration,
collapsing can advantageously reduce the height of the crate by at
least 50%, 75% or more. Preferred crates are also stackable, most
preferably by virtue of at least two of the sides have sufficient
wall strength such that one could safely stack of at least three of
the crates when unfolded to an operating configuration, and when
each of the crates are loaded with at least 10 kilograms of stored
material.
Inventors: |
Thrush; Bruce A.; (Laguna
Niguel, CA) ; Grimm; John; (Santee, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Rutan & Tucker, LLP;Robert D. Fish
611 ANTON BLVD
SUITE 1400
COSTA MESA
CA
92626
US
|
Assignee: |
The Parallax Group International,
LLC
|
Family ID: |
37947211 |
Appl. No.: |
11/581204 |
Filed: |
October 13, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60726729 |
Oct 14, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 25/005 20130101;
B65D 11/1826 20130101; B65D 11/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/006 |
International
Class: |
B65D 6/00 20060101
B65D006/00 |
Claims
1. A utility crate comprising: mechanically coupled first, second
and third sides; a floor mechanically coupled to at least the first
side; and a doorway in the second side.
2. The crate of claim 1, wherein the floor is pivotally coupled to
the first and third sides.
3. The crate of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sides
comprises hinged upper and lower sections.
4. The crate of claim 1, wherein the floor is pivotally coupled to
the first side at a hinge, and further comprising at least one
other hinge disposed such that the crate can be collapsed to a
height no more than 25% of its unfolded configuration.
5. The crate of claim 1, wherein at least two of the sides have
sufficient wall strength such that one could safely stack of at
least three of the crates when unfolded to an operating
configuration, and when each of the crates are loaded with at least
10 kilograms of stored material.
6. The crate of claim 1, further comprising upper and lower rims
having mating configurations that provide additional stability when
multiple ones of the crate are stacked.
7. The crate of claim 1, further comprising a door that can at
least substantially close the doorway, the door hingedly coupled to
a body portion of the second side.
8. The crate of claim 1, wherein the second side has a shorter
horizontal lengths than the first and third sides.
9. The crate of claim 1, wherein each of the first and third sides
has a horizontal length at least twice that of the second side.
10. The crate of claim 1, further comprising a fourth side
mechanically coupled to the other sides.
11. The crate of claim 1, wherein the sides at least partially
define an upper rim, and further comprising a removable lid that
mates with the upper rim.
12. The crate of claim 1, further comprising at least a first wheel
extending from an underside of the crate.
13. The crate of claim 12, wherein the wheel comprises a castor,
and is user removable from the underside.
14. The crate of claim 1, further comprising a handle portion
disposed in the first side.
15. The crate of claim 1, wherein the floor is substantially
solid.
16. The crate of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sides is
solid.
17. The crate of claim 1, further comprising a door that can at
least substantially close the doorway, and wherein each of the door
and the second side are substantially solid.
18. The crate of claim 1, wherein at least one of the floor and
sides comprises a polymeric material.
19. The crate of claim 18, wherein the polymeric material comprises
a plastic.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/726729 filed Oct. 14, 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The field of the invention is utility storage
containers.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There are myriad different storage solutions on the market,
addressing all manner of various needs. Of particular interest are
utility crates, which are defined herein as storage boxes with open
tops, usually myriad air holes or other openings in the sides,
sufficient bottom strength to hold 10-15 kilograms or more, and
storage capacity of between 0.02 to 0.75 cubic meter (m.sup.3).
[0004] It is known for utility crates to be collapsible. U.S. Pat.
No. 4,789,075 to Sun (December 1988) describes a crate that is
collapsible by virtue of the sides folding down against the bottom,
similar in some ways to a corrugated paper box. Other crates are
collapsible by virtue of the sides being pivotally coupled to the
bottom, and the sides being hinged horizontally about a midline.
(see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,506 to Beard (November 1963) and U.S.
Pat. No. 5,549,073 to Askins et al. (August 1996)). There are yet
other crates that collapse in various ways, such as the animal
carrier described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,331 to Richmond (September
1997). These and all other referenced patents and applications are
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Where a
definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated
by reference herein is inconsistent or contrary to the definition
of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided
herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference
does not apply.
[0005] It is also known for utility crates to be stackable. As used
herein the term stackable means that the crates have sufficient
wall and/or frame strength, and have top and bottom surfaces sized
and dimensioned, such that one could safely stack of at least three
of the crates when unfolded to an operating configuration, and when
each of the crates are loaded with at least 10 kilograms of stored
material. By way of illustration, the utility crate in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,339,979 to Box (August 1994) is considered herein stackable,
but the pet carrier of U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,658 to Garnsey (August
1986) is considered to be not stackable because it has a has a
pointed roof. Similarly, the carrier of U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,842 to
Jones (January 1989) and that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,018 to Liou
(September 1998) are considered to be not stackable because they
each have a rigid top carrying handle that would interfere with
safe stacking.
[0006] Interestingly, it is not known for utility crates to have
side access doors or doorways. The history of that omission is not
clear, but it might derive from the fact that since utility crates
are readily accessible from the top, those of ordinary skill in the
art just never appreciated that side access doors would be useful.
That theory is certainly consistent with the observation that pet
cages, which are necessarily closed at the top sufficiently to
prevent escape of the animal, often have side doors. Along those
lines one can readily envision common bird cages, as well as
portable pet carriers such as that described in U.S. Pat. No.
3,195,506 to Beard (November 1963), U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,540 to
Yamamoto (November 1984) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,818 to Wilson
(February 1996).
[0007] The fact is, however, that when the contents of utility
crates are essentially not accessible when the crates are stacked.
True, one might be able to pull a pencil or other small item
through one of the air holes, but the only way to access larger
items is to unstuck the crates, remove any lid, and access those
items through the open top. And that effort should be unnecessary.
Thus, there is still a need to provide utility crates with side
doors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention provides systems and methods in which
a utility crate has a side access doorway.
[0009] Preferred crates are collapsible in some manner, most
preferably using pivots disposed between the floor and two of the
sides, and horizontally along in about the middle of those two
sides. Depending on the configuration, collapsing can
advantageously reduce the height of the crate by at least 50%, 75%
or more.
[0010] Preferred crates are also stackable, most preferably by
virtue of at least two of the sides have sufficient wall strength
such that one could safely stack of at least three of the crates
when unfolded to an operating configuration, and when each of the
crates are loaded with at least 10 kilograms of stored material.
Crates can advantageously have mating upper and lower rims that
provide additional stability when multiple ones of the crate are
stacked. A removable lid can be included as part of, or as an
accessory to, the crate. In especially preferred embodiments, the
crates are stackable with or without the lid.
[0011] A door can operate within the doorway in any suitable
manner, including especially using hinges coupled to a body portion
of the side in which it is disposed. It is contemplated that crates
could have additional side doorways, which could be disposed in the
same side as the first doorway, or in other sides. In especially
preferred embodiments, the crate is rectangular, with at least one
doorway disposed in one of the ends.
[0012] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become more apparent from the following
detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention,
along with the accompanying to-scale drawings in which like
numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a utility crate
according to various aspects of the inventive subject matter.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the crate of FIG. 1, in a
partially collapsed configuration.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the crate of FIG. 1, in a
fully collapsed configuration.
[0016] FIG. 4 is an end view of the crate of FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the crate of FIG. 1, showing
the access door and doorway in an open configuration.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective bottom view of a corner section of
the crate of FIG. 1, sowing a removable caster.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stack of three crates, the
bottom one having four castors.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] In FIG. 1 a utility crate 100 generally includes four sides
110, 120, 130, 140 and a floor 150. Sides 120 and 140 can be
considered ends since they are narrower than sides 110 and 130.
[0021] Side 110 includes upper and lower sections 110A, 110B that
pivot with at hinge 110C. The lower section 110B pivots against the
floor 150 at hinge 151, and against an upper frame element 160 at
hinge 161. Side 130 also includes upper and lower sections 130A,
130B pivoted at hinge 130C. The lower section 130B is pivots
against the floor 150 at hinge 153, and against the upper frame
element 160 at hinge 163.
[0022] Side 120 includes a body 120A upon which an access door 120B
pivots at hinge 120C to open or close doorway 125. Door 120B
includes finger holes 122. Sides 120 pivot against the upper frame
element 160 at a hinge that is not shown. Side 140 pivots against
the upper frame element 160 at hinge 164. As used herein, the term
"doorway" is an access portal having an area of at least 35
cm.sup.2. Contemplated doorways include those configured to be
substantially closed by a door (closable doorways) and also
non-closable doorways. Preferred doorways have an area of at least
50 cm.sup.2, more preferably at least 200 cm.sup.2, more preferably
at least 500 cm.sup.2, more still more preferably at least 750
cm.sup.2, and most preferably at least 1000 cm.sup.2. These numbers
are chosen to reflect contemplated uses in which an adult person
can reach his/her hand through the doorway to insert or remove a
piece of paper, a stapler, a cell phone or some other relatively
small, commonly stored item.
[0023] In the particular example of FIG. 1, the overall dimensions
of the crate 100 are approximately 77 cm wide by 47 cm deep by 35
cm tall, and the doorway has an area of approximately 1085
cm.sup.2. In an alternative, smaller version, the crate is
approximately 57 cm wide by 39 cm deep by 30 cm tall, and the
doorway has an area of approximately 618 cm.sup.2.
[0024] Crates can also advantageously include a handle in one or
more of the sides. FIG. 1 shows handles 110H, 120H, 130H, and 140H
in each of the four sides. Alternative embodiments can have a
greater or lesser number of sides with handles, and a greater or
lesser number of handles in any given side.
[0025] By viewing the inner facing of the sides, the reader should
be able to appreciate that the sides are substantially solid, as
opposed for example, to the wire mesh sides of the cage of U.S.
Pat. No. 5,549,073 (August 1996). The only substantial air-flow
passages are the handle holes and, when open, the doorway 120B.
This solid sides are configured that way mostly to minimize
thickness of the plastic while still providing sufficient
compression and torsion strength. Those skilled in the art will
also appreciate that reinforcing ribs 120R, 130R (FIG. 1) and 110R,
150R (FIG. 6) are used to increase strength without adding
substantial additional weight.
[0026] As discussed above, crates are defined herein (among other
things) to be limited to storage containers having a capacity of
between 0.02 to 0.75 cubic meter (m.sup.3). Of particular interest,
however, are crates within those ranges that correspond to standard
sizes. For example, "milk crates" and paper file storage crates are
especially contemplated. Note that unless a contrary meaning is
plain from the context, all ranges herein should be interpreted as
including the endpoints.
[0027] The various hinges connected to the floor 150 and the upper
frame element 160 allow the crate 100 to be collapsed. FIG. 2 shows
the crate in a partially collapsed configuration, and FIG. 3 shows
the crate 100 in a fully collapsed configuration. Fully collapsed
configurations are preferably have a height no more than 50% of the
fully deployed (un-collapsed) height, and more preferably no more
than 25% of the fully deployed (un-collapsed) height.
[0028] In FIGS. 4 and 5, one can readily visualize the several of
the hinges 110C, 120C, 130C, 151, 161, and 164. One can also see
the finger holes 122.
[0029] FIG. 6 is a perspective bottom view of a corner section of
crate 100, showing a removable caster 170. Crates can
advantageously include one or more (preferably four) castors or
other wheels extending from the underside of the crate. Attachment
is preferable near the comers, and the wheel(s) is/are preferably
user removable. All other suitable wheels are contemplated, whether
casters or not, and regardless of placement and removability.
[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stack of three crates 100,
200, 300. The top crate 100 has a lid 190, and the bottom crate 300
has four castors 380 (three of which are shown).
[0031] In terms of materials, crates are preferably made from one
or more polymers (poly-carbonate or other plastic, rubber, etc)
having sufficient rigidity and other strength characteristics. Any
of the floor and/or sides can be perforate or solid, although is
preferred that at least two of the sides have considerable
perforation to provide airflow. Determination of appropriate
thicknesses of the material or materials used in various portions
of the crate will depend on intended strength characteristics, and
engineering of same should be well within the scope of those of
ordinary skill in the art. Among other things, thickness will
likely depend to some extent on the size of the crate, with larger
crates requiring thicker walls and floor.
[0032] Thus, specific embodiments and applications of a utility
crate with a side access doorway have been disclosed. It should be
apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more
modifications besides those already described are possible without
departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject
matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of
the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the
specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in
the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In
particular, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" should be
interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a
non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements,
components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with
other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly
referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one
of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . .
and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element
from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
* * * * *