BASKET HAVING IMPROVED SIDEWALL STRUCTURE
A basket for holding goods comprises a base, a flange, and a sidewall extending from the base to the flange, the sidewall including a plurality of faces. Any two of the faces is joined by a structure having an arcuate shape curving into the basket, the arcuate shape extending from the base to the flange. The arcuate shape provides rigidity to the sidewall, protecting goods within the basket.
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This application claims priority to the following U.S. Provisional Patent Application:
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/868,911, entitled “Basket Having Improved Sidewall Structure,” Attorney Docket No. PPLUS-01000US0, filed Dec. 6, 2006.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis invention relates generally to packaging, and more particularly to packaging for fragile and/or perishable goods.
BACKGROUNDPlastic berry baskets are ubiquitous in grocery stores and produce markets and can be found by consumers in a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, raspberries and blackberries and the like are sold in clear polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) clamshell containers holding anywhere from a half-pint to a quart or more of fruit. Despite availability in myriad shapes and sizes, such plastic berry baskets commonly incorporate strengthening structures along the faces of the sidewalls to provide rigidity for protecting the basket from collapse when stacked. This can be particularly important where the contents are easily damaged, such as the case with produce.
Unfortunately, strengthening structures increase manufacturing costs by increasing a total surface area of the basket (and consequently increasing the amount of plastic used to make the basket). Further, the additional edges of such structures are known to damage fruit. There is a need for baskets that can be produced at less cost while reducing damage occurring to produce while in the basket.
Referring to
As shown in
Baskets in accordance with the prior art commonly incorporate ribs integrally formed within the faces of sidewalk of the basket. Ribs can improve rigidity of the basket to help prevent damage to goods held within, and to resist collapse of the body of the basket. Such baskets can be referred to as semi-smooth-walled baskets. Inclusion of ribs increases an amount of material required to manufacture a basket and further increases a number of contactable edges with which fragile goods such as produce can be damaged. Alternatively, baskets in accordance with the prior art can include smooth sidewalls which are generally featureless. Use of smooth sidewalls reduces the number of contactable edges, but can result in a sidewall having less rigidity (where the sidewall thickness is constant compared with a sidewall having ribs). Such smooth-walled baskets commonly seek to increase sidewall strength by increasing a thickness of the sidewalls. Increasing sidewall thickness likewise results in an increase in an amount of material required to manufacture a basket.
Embodiments of baskets in accordance with the present invention can comprise corners 110, one or more of which has an arcuate shape extending substantially along the length of the corner from the base 108 to the flange 114 of the basket. The arcuate shape of the one or more corners 110 can provide structural strength to faces of the sidewalls 106 connected with the one or more corners 110, resisting and or limiting sidewall 106 collapses that can result in damage to goods held within the basket 100. The arcuate shape of the one or more corners 110 can optionally reduce or eliminate a need for ribs or other reinforcing structures integrally formed with one or more of the faces of the sidewall 106, thereby reducing the resulting surface area of the sidewall 106. A reduction of the amount of surface area of the sidewall 106 can reduce the amount of material used to form the basket 100. Further, embodiment of baskets in accordance with the present invention can include sidewalls 100 having reduced thickness when compared to baskets of the prior art that provide reinforcement through increased sidewall thickness. A reduction in thickness of the faces of the sidewalls 100 can result in a further reduction in materials and cost over such baskets of the prior art.
Referring to
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The basket 200 further includes a single finger hole 216 formed opposite a hinge 230 connected between the body 204 and the lid 202. The basket 200 also includes a finger hole 218 formed in the flange 214 adjacent to the hinge 230. As can be seen in
Referring to
The embodiment shown includes two catches 220 on corners associated with a face opposite the hinge 230. In other embodiments, a lid need not be connected with the body by a hinge, by alternatively can be completely separatable from the body. In such embodiments, it may be desired that all four corners include a catch 220, to resist undesired movement of the lid relative to the body.
Referring to
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A basket for holding goods comprising:
- a base;
- a flange; and
- a sidewall extending from the base to the flange, the sidewall including a plurality of faces;
- wherein two of the faces are joined by a structure having an arcuate shape curving into the basket, the arcuate shape extending from the base to the flange.
2. The basket of claim 1, wherein the arcuate shape comprises in series:
- a first arc connected with a first face and having a first radius of curvature;
- a second arc having a second radius of curvature; and
- a third arc connected with a second face and having a third radius of curvature.
3. The basket of claim 2, wherein the first radius of curvature, the second radius of curvature, and the third radius of curvature are substantially the same.
4. The basket of claim 2, wherein the first radius of curvature and third radius of curvature are substantially the same.
5. The basket of claim 1, further comprising a lid.
6. The basket of claim 5, wherein the lid is connected to the flange by a hinge.
7. The basket of claim 5, wherein the base and the lid include a plurality of perforations.
8. The basket of claim 5, further comprising:
- a catch protruding from the flange and obstructing the lid when the lid is mated with the flange; and
- a latch associated with the lid and adapted to deflect the catch as the lid is brought toward the flange;
- wherein when the lid contacts the flange, a spring force of the catch causes the catch to return to an undeflected position capturing the latch.
9. The basket of claim 8, wherein the sidewall includes four faces and the lid is connected to the flange by a hinge; and
- further comprising: a first latch at a first position along the flange opposite the hinge; a second latch at a second position along the flange opposite the hinge; a first catch at a first position along the lid opposite the hinge; and a second catch at a second position along the lid opposite the hinge; wherein the first latch is adapted to mate with the first catch; wherein the second latch is adapted to mate with the second catch.
10. The basket of claim 9, wherein the base and the lid include a plurality of perforations.
11. The basket of claim 9, wherein each of the faces is connected with an adjacent face by a structure having an arcuate shape.
12. The basket of claim 1, wherein the plurality of faces are substantially flat.
13. The basket of claim 5, wherein one of the lid and the flange includes an indentation sufficiently sized to permit receipt of a finger.
14. The basket of claim 5, wherein the lid and the flange include indentations aligned with one another so that when the lid is seated on the flange, the aligned indentations permit receipt of a finger so that the seated lid can be urged away from the flange.
15. A basket for produce comprising:
- a base;
- a flange;
- a sidewall extending from the base to the flange, the sidewall including four faces;
- wherein each of the faces is joined with adjacent faces by a structure having an arcuate shape curving into the basket, the arcuate shape extending from the base to the flange; and
- a lid connected to the flange by a hinge.
16. The basket of claim 15, wherein the base and the lid include a plurality of perforations.
17. The basket of claim 15, further comprising:
- a catch protruding from the flange and obstructing the lid when the lid is mated with the flange; and
- a latch associated with the lid and adapted to deflect the catch as the lid is brought toward the flange;
- wherein when the lid contacts the flange, a spring force of the catch causes the catch to return to an undeflected position capturing the latch.
18. The basket of claim 15, further comprising:
- a first latch at a first position along the flange opposite the hinge;
- a second latch at a second position along the flange opposite the hinge;
- a first catch at a first position along the lid opposite the hinge; and
- a second catch at a second position along the lid opposite the hinge;
- wherein the first latch is adapted to mate with the first catch;
- wherein the second latch is adapted to mate with the second catch.
19. The basket of claim 15, wherein one of the lid and the flange includes an indentation sufficiently sized to permit receipt of a finger.
20. The basket of claim 15, wherein the lid and the flange include indentations aligned with one another so that when the lid is seated on the flange, the aligned indentations permit receipt of a finger so that the seated lid can be urged away from the flange.
Type: Application
Filed: May 25, 2007
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2008
Applicant: PACKAGING PLUS LLC (Fremont, CA)
Inventors: Richard L. Bontrager (Ripon, CA), Randall Glenn Strange (Manteca, CA)
Application Number: 11/754,166
International Classification: B65D 1/26 (20060101); B65D 1/38 (20060101); B65D 1/42 (20060101);