Demountable multi-part container assembly

Abstract

A demountable multi-part container for holding carrier bodies has a first housing or base portion and a second housing portion releasably connected with the base portion. The base portion is also provided with a slide-in arrangement for cooperating with the second housing portion. The second housing portion is provided with devices that constitute the sole support for one or more carrier bodies.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to containers which are assembled of two prefabricated parts preferably made of a synthetic material. They are of the type which have apertured walls and which accommodate carriers generally formed of absorbent pulp boards or plates impregnated with a volatile substance such as an insecticide, a perfume or the like.

It is known to arrange, in a container formed of a box-like lower part and an apertured lid, a volatile substance carrier in such a manner that a manual contacting of the carrier (often impregnated with a poisonous substance) is made difficult.

After the volatile substance has evaporated, containers of the above-outlined type are usually replaced as a whole, since the danger of manually contacting the carriers in an attempt to effect an on-the-site exchange thereof is particularly great.

In containers of the above type, an intentional replacement of the carriers is made further difficult by the fact that the containers, because the gases emanating from the volatile substances are usually heavier than air, are often suspended at such heights that they can be reached from the floor only with the aid of a ladder; thus a replacement of the volatile substance carriers has to be effected by a person standing on a ladder or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved container of the above-outlined type which is far more adapted for effecting replacements of the volatile substance carriers than containers known heretofore.

This object and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, the container comprises a first housing or base portion and a second housing portion releasably connected with the base portion. The base portion is also provided with slide-in means for cooperating with the second housing portion. The second housing portion is provided with positioning devices that constitute the sole support for one or more carrier bodies.

The structure according to the invention has the advantage that, for replacing the volatile substance carrier, the second housing portion may be separated from the base portion that remains attached to the wall and the replacement of the volatile substance carrier may be effected down on the floor with much less danger and inconvenience than it has been heretofore possible.

Further, the container designed according to the invention, makes possible, for the purpose of replacing the volatile substance carriers, a replacement of the entire second housing portion by an identical second housing portion containing unused carriers; whereby the replacement of the volatile substance carriers proper may be effected under laboratory conditions.

Also, the second housing portion is adapted to contain supports for a plurality of volatile substance carriers, so that one may arrange at will an arbitrary number of carriers in the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a disassembled container according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of another preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line A-B of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line C-D of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to FIG. 1, the container for shielding the volatile substance carriers 1 essentially comprises a first housing portion or base portion 2 and a second housing portion 3 which is removably connectable with the base portion 2.

The base portion 2 has a closed rear wall 4 which includes a mounting orifice 5 with the aid of which the base portion 2 may be permanently attached (for example, by a scew) to a wall surface. The base portion 2 further has a floor 6 and a lid 7 extending in a parallel spaced relationship from opposite edges of the rear wall 4. The housing portion 3 may be removably slid into the base portion 2 between the components 6 and 7 in such a manner that the base portion 2 is entirely covered by the housing portion 3 and the container assembly thus screens the volatile substance carriers 1 from all sides.

The frontal and lateral walls of the housing portion 3 are formed of spaced, edge-wise oriented horizontal slats 8 which are connected to one another by vertically extending guide rails 9 and border strips 10. In this manner large openings are provided in the housing portion 3 and yet a stable structure is obtained that affords sufficient protection against touching the volatile substance carrier from the outside.

Into each guide rail 9 there may be inserted a plate-like volatile substance carrier 1 held in a frame 11 by which the carrier may be handled without the danger of manually contacting the volatile, sometimes poisonous substances. To ensure that the volatile substance carrier bodies 1 are also supported against displacement in the vertical direction, from the frame 11 of the carrier 1 there project laterally outwardly oriented fingers 12 which may extend into complemental cutouts 13 provided in each guide 9.

Further, the housing portion 3 is provided with parallel spaced guide grooves 14 designed in such a manner that the lid portion 7 and the floor 6, in the inserted position of the housing portion 3, will extend flush with respect to the frontal and lateral sides of the housing portion 3. This arrangement makes an unauthorized disassembly of the container -- particularly by children -- more difficult.

Preferably, the components 6 and 7 of the base portion 2 are so designed that they resiliently engage the sides of the housing portion 3 at the grooves 14. For this purpose it is also feasible to provide, for example, leaf springs in the grooves 14 which urge the components 6 and 7 outwardly and thus constitute a resilient bias therefor.

Turning now to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, the housing portion 3' is designed as an upwardly open box having a rear wall 3'a, a front wall 3'b, a bottom 3'c and side walls 3'd and 3'e. The provision of the bottom 3'c in the housing portion 3' is particularly advantageous in facilitating the cleaning of the container assembly. Further, for each volatile substance carrier body 1 (having, for example, a rectangular cross section) or 1' (having, for example, a circular cross section) there is provided one pair of grooved guide rails 9' into which a carrier body may be removably inserted. The two guide rails 9' of each pair are affixed to the rear wall 3'a and the front wall 3'b, respectively, of the housing portion 3'.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A demountable multi-part container assembly for accommodating a volatile substance, comprising in combination:

a. a first housing portion having a rectangular rear wall, a rectangular floor and a rectangular lid; said floor and said lid extending from two opposite edges of said rear wall and being perpendicular thereto; said floor and said lid being of identical shape and being in alignment with one another; means defining an orifice in said rear wall for receiving a securing means to permanently attach said first housing portion to a wall surface in a face-to-face engagement between said rear wall and the wall surface;

b. a second housing portion having a rectangular front wall and two rectangular side walls; said rectangular side walls extending from two opposite edges of said front wall and being perpendicular thereto; said side walls being of identical shape and being in alignment with one another; each said side wall including shoulders extending from said front wall along opposite edges of each said side wall; each shoulder being arranged for supporting opposite marginal zones of said floor and said lid of said first housing portion; said marginal zones extending from said rear wall of said first housing portion; said front wall and said two side walls being formed by rectangularly bent, continuous, parallel-spaced slats interconnected by two terminal strips constituting an edge zone of each said side wall; said strips extending perpendicularly to said slats and said shoulders; said second housing portion being slidable onto said first housing portion and being supported thereon by the cooperation between said shoulders of said second housing portion and said marginal zones on the floor and the lid of said first housing portion;

c. a guide rail affixed to said front wall of said second housing portion and extending perpendicularly to said slats; said guide rail including means defining an open, longitudinal channel oriented towards said rear wall of said first housing portion when said second housing portion is supported by said first housing portion; and

d. a volatile substance carrier including a flat, rectangular handling frame surrounding the substance and having handling surfaces being out of contact with the substance, an edge zone of said frame being slidably received in said channel of said guide rail for orienting said flat frame in a plane parallel to said side walls of said second housing portion; a securing means attached to said frame in said edge zone thereof for cooperating with said guide rail for immobilizing said frame in said guide rail.

2. A container assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said second housing portion has a bottom affixed thereto.

3. A container assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said rear wall, said floor and said lid have outwardly oriented external faces that are flush and contiguous with the walls of said second housing portion when said first and second housing portions are connected to one another.