Abstract: Thin-walled plastic flower pots are stacked upside down with a plurality of stacks arranged in a preset spaced manner and a loading tray having a number of cavities spaced the same as the stacks of pots formed to receive and hold a pot from each of the stacks is used to lift the pots off the stacks. Each cavity has a horizontal rib located near the bottom for grasping and lifting off the topmost pot in each stack when the tray is placed with the open end of the cavity over each of the corresponding stacks of pots and then pushed gently onto the stacks of flower pots and then lifted off. The flower pots have means for providing a gap between the bottoms of each successive stacked flower pot so that the rib of the cavity grasps the flower pot in the gap between the bottom of the topmost flower pot in the stack and the next lower flower pot.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a refuse bin comprising an open topped container for refuse, a shallow base having means to mount the refuse holder on the base and a one-piece removable cover for enclosing the refuse holder, the cover having a lower periphery which engages with the base to support the cover on the base around the refuse holder and an upper part extending above the upper end of the refuse holder and being formed with a port or ports disposed above the upper end of the refuse holder through which refuse may be passed into the holder within the cover and having an integral upper end wall closing the upper end of the cover.

Abstract: A connector for a cap applied to a mouth of a tank including an engaging member having an annular portion formed of elastic material connected to one end of an elongated portion, and a plurality of beam-like portions formed integrally with the annular portion and arranged substantially in the form of a letter V in the annular portion.

Abstract: A device and method for restoring or changing the external appearance of a receptacle, and preferably a planter box refuse container of the like, is disclosed. The device for updating these receptacles is made up of a plurality of joinable substantially rigid composite sheet sections which are sized so that their inner surface substantially conform in dimension to the outer surfaces of the original receptacle and extend over the top surface of the original receptacle. In preferred embodiments the device is formed in two sections each of which surrounds and closes half of the perimeter of the receptacle with the two sections being joined at their respective ends to complete the enclosure.

Abstract: An elongate container of one-piece resilient thermoplastic construction. The container includes a first wall having first and second lateral edges with a first latching component positioned adjacent the first lateral edge. A second wall has first and second lateral edges with a second latching component, for interlocking with the first latching component positioned adjacent its second lateral edge. The container also includes a hinge joining the first lateral edge of the first wall and second lateral edge of the second wall, with the hinge including a web of material having a thickness less than the thickness of the walls. The walls are relatively movable about the hinge between an as-formed position in which the first and second latching components are spaced and a use position in which the first and second walls extend relative to each other at a predetermined angle and the first and second latching components are in locking engagement.

Abstract: A vessel which is self-righting and stable without the need for a weighted base is comprised of a planar base and sides whose cross section is an arc of an involute defined by a circle inside the cup. The most extended point on the involute is at or adjacent to the rim of the cup while the least extended point is the point where the side joins the planar base. In preferred embodiments, the vessel includes both a cup portion and a lid which retains liquids in the cup portion such that the overall center of gravity remains on the side of the reaction force vector at the point of contact between the cup and the surface on which it is placed, toward the center of the vessel.

Abstract: A stacker device for packages of a plurality of identical plastic or paper containers supported in a tray or box, for the purpose of providing compressive load-bearing capability of the package. The stacker is composed essentially of stiff sheet material laminated together into a unique structure which is collapsible for ease of storage and shipment and feeding into automated packaging equipment. It functions to impart load-bearing strength to the package and serves as a divider or partition for separating at least some of the containers.

Abstract: A container storage apparatus is set forth wherein a series of stacked continuous loops overlie one another movably associated relative to one another by a series of link members with internal link members between interior loops defined by a central pivot opening with spaced terminal pivot openings pivotally associated with other aligned links terminating in external links of a length substantially half that of the main links to secure the main links to the exterior loops. Container inserts are positioned in a nested arrangement overlying one another to define compartments for storage of containers therein with the inserts and the apparatus interfoldable for storage during periods of non-use.

Abstract: A bottle seal that can be manual pressure broken after bottle cap is removed and the spigot end of the oil bottle is entered into the engine oil filler opening in a breakable pattern that retains the seal affixed to the empty oil bottle.

Abstract: The innovation is directed to a storage and/or transportation case comprising longitudinal and transverse walls which incline inward from the top opening to the base, as well as two U-shaped handle stirrups which are supported at opposite sides of the case in horizontal swivel bearings which are provided at the upper edge of the case so as to be flush with one another, which handle stirrups can be folded down against the outside of the walls, so that a plurality of empty cases may be placed one inside the other, and can be swiveled inward and placed on the upper edge of the case, so that cases may be placed one on top of the other for the purpose of forming stack-type supports, and which fix a case, which is placed on, in one direction (e.g. the longitudinal direction) with stirrup parts which are bent horizontally toward the middle of the case and fix the case in the other direction (e.g. in the transverse direction) with stirrup parts which are bent down vertically at a right angle to the stirrup handle.

Abstract: A storage container with locking lid and wall mounting arrangement for multiple containers is disclosed. The top left and right edges of the container have first extensions substantially along their length and an arctuate extension on each of them. The left and right rear vertical edges of the container have second extensions. A lid has rolled edges on its left and right sides and there is a hole through each of the rolled edges. As the lid is attached to the box by sliding its rolled edges over the first extensions, the arctuate extensions slightly deform the rolled edges until the box is fully closed and the arctuate extensions then enter the holes to lock the lid to the container. When the lid is removed from the container it is attached to its rear by sliding the rolled edges of the lid over the second extensions.

Abstract: A container for intermodal transportation of goods is disclosed which has a floor, a roof, and includes side walls having a plurality of vertically oriented stacking frame posts joining a floor-level lower stacking engagement fitting and a roof-level upper stacking engagement fitting. At least one post in each side wall has an inner post member and an outer post member fixed to each other to form a generally box-shaped structure. A reinforcement plate is situated adjacent the floor-level lower stacking engagement fitting and fixed within the box-shaped structure to the inner post member. A notch in each inner post member adjacent the lower stacking engagement fitting exposes an inner surface of the reinforcement plate to permit the insertion of a weld joining the reinforcement plate inner surface to the engagement fitting. An angle member is received within the notch and extends onto the engagement fitting.

Abstract: The invention relates to a container (1) of the type which can be stacked which container has a top surface with a pouring orifice (6) adjacent one edge of the top surface (2) and a handle (9,10) which forms an integral part with the bottom of a recessed portion (8) of the top surface (2,4) and which in its initial or normal starting position extends at a sharp angle with respect to the vertical axis of the container and in a plane which is perpendicular to the plane of symmetry through the vertical axis of the container and the vertical axis of the pouring orifice, which handle may resiliently be bent into an upright gripping position or a downwardly folded storage position in which position it is completely inside the recessed portion.

Abstract: An injection molded, thermoplastic tray for storage and shipment of leadframes comprises a receptacle in the form of a rectangular base, and a plurality of dividers engageable with the base. The receptacle has first and second hinged side walls with outwardly extending flanges. The dividers have a first engaging member which engages with the first side wall to hold the same in an upward position and a second engaging member which is engageable with the second side wall when the second side wall is pivoted to an upward position to hold the same in the upward position. Notches are provided in the bore of the receptacle which are engaged with downwardly and outwardly hooks on the bottom of the divider. Stacking members in the form of upwardly extending saddles and outwardly extending pegs provide for stacking of one tray atop another.

Abstract: A serving device including a plate and a liquid container. The plate is molded with a central area configured to grasp and support the container. The container bottom can be inserted into the central area on the upper surface of the plate or the upper open surface of the container can be inserted into the central area on the bottom surface of the plate. An aperture is provided through the central area whereby when the serving device is supported by the container a straw can be inserted through the aperture into the liquid for its removal while the liquid container is inserted into the central area on the bottom of the plate.

Abstract: For the transportation-storage and assembly stacking of electric hotplates (2), a stacking air has pallet plates (10) to be arranged in superimposed manner in stacking layers and which can be directly stacked in one another for storage and which are in the form of deep drawn plastic plate parts with grid-distributed flat shells (19), which in each case projecting beyond the open side with the cooking surface (4) receive in centering manner the lower part of an electric hotplate (2) and are supported with respect to the cooking surfaces of the adjacent stacking layer by means of a slide preventing means (31), but are otherwise contact-free. Thus, on a support pallet and protected by a packing sleeve it is possible to stack a very large number of hotplates (2) in a stable manner, with the same orientation and therefore having good assembly access.

Abstract: A unitary molded plastic bakery tray, with the end walls higher than the side walls to provide for a 90 degree cross-nesting, and the end walls having interengaging feet and rails to provide for 180 degree oriented high stacking and like oriented low stacking. The bottom is either a flat planar surface with chamfered bottom edges or is raised so that the tray is provided with corner structure having chamfered bottom edges. Blind stacking structure is provided by an additional outer rail on each end wall and additional outer feed on each end wall for engaging the outer rail. Alternatively, blind stacking is provided by structure along each end wall having large feet and cooperating large recesses coplanar with inner small feet and cooperating inner recesses such that the large feet can span and smoothly slide over the small recesses during blind stacking.

Abstract: A bracket for strenghtening a carton which has a bottom wall, side walls, an end flap and interior flaps, for holding the flaps and for supporting additional cartons in a stack of cartons, comprising a flange parallel to the bottom wall and a pair of members perpendicular to the bottom wall joined by the flange and extending substantially throughout the height of the carton to resist the bending and twisting of the carton. The members are each positioned to substantially enclose one of the corners of the carton and to abut an edge, perpendicular to the bottom wall, of one of the side walls and the end flap. Tabs are provided to align a stack and to lock the carton top closed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a containment tray which is formed of plastic which is molded into a tray having upright perimeter walls and a bottom wall having transverse channels in its undersurface for receiving the conventional arms of a forklift or pallet jack. The tray can be formed by vacuum thermal forming, in which case it is used in combination with a platform insert formed by a pair of beams which are received within the tray and which support transverse rails thereby forming an upper platform. Alternatively, the tray can be rotationally molded and the raised platform can be molded into the tray in the form of a plurality of upstanding plugs. In either embodiment, the upper planar surface of the raised platform is positioned above the level of the upper edges of the side walls of the tray whereby a conventional forklift can deposit loads of containers mounted on standard wooden pallets onto the raised platform of the tray, and remove those pallets, when desired.

Abstract: In a plastic molded tote box having one lid or opposed lids that will shingle with other lids in the open position when the box and like boxes are nested, the maximum horizontal dimension for the shingled lids, as measured outwardly from the adjacent box side wall (lid flare), is reduced by tapering the lid rib structure toward the hinge, and/or by tapering the outboard lid skirt toward the hinge, and/or by flaring one or more lid flanges, particularly the inboard flange. The latter two structural features permit increased nesting of the lid side skirts or channels, which in the closed position of the lid overlie the box side walls.