CONTAINER
A container storage system having a plurality of containers to be connected together. The system includes at least a first container and a second container. The first container and the second container each has a cover and a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored. The latch member is movable between a latched and an unlatched position, or a first position and a second position. The latch member of the first container, when in the latched position, is positioned to a) secure the cover in the closed position and b) connect the container to the second container. Each container has a retaining member in the first position, the latch member engages the retaining member to inhibit movement of the latch member. The latch member, in the second position, is positioned to be able to engage with the least one other container to connect the containers.
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The present invention relates to a container storage system, and more particularly, to a container storage system having containers that can be connected together.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONNumerous container storage systems are known in the art. However, there is a constant need in the industry to improve upon existing container storage systems by making them more efficient, easy to use, modular, and/or multifunctional.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect provides a container storage system having a plurality of containers constructed and arranged to be connected together. The plurality of containers has at least a first container and a second container. Each container includes a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored and a cover movable between closed and opened positions for closing and opening the opening. Each container further includes a latch member movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch member of the first container, when in the latched position, is positioned to a) secure the cover in the closed position and b) connect the container to the second container.
Another aspect provides a container constructed and arranged to be connected to at least one other container. The container has a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored and a cover movable between closed and opened positions for closing and opening the opening. The container further includes a latch member movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch member, when in the latched position, is positioned to a) secure the cover in the closed position and b) connect the container to the at least one other container.
Another aspect provides a container constructed and arranged to be connected to at least one other container. The container has a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored and a cover for closing the opening. The container also has a latch member movable between a first position and a second position. The container further includes a retaining member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member, wherein in the first position the latch member engages the retaining member to inhibit movement of the latch member away from the first position. The latch member, when in the second position, is positioned to be able to engage with the least one other container to connect the container to the at least one other container.
Another aspect provides a container storage system including a plurality of containers constructed and arranged to be connected together. The plurality of containers has at least a first container and a second container. Each container has a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored and a cover for closing the opening. Each container also has a latch member movable between a first position and a second position. Each container further includes a retaining member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member, wherein in the first position the latch member engages the retaining member to inhibit movement of the latch member away from the first position. The latch member of the first container, when in the second position, engages with the second container to connect the first container to the second container.
These and other aspects of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form apart of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment, the structural components illustrated herein can be considered drawn to scale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not a limitation of the invention. In addition, it should be appreciated that structural features shown or described in any one embodiment herein can be used in other embodiments as well. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
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As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In one embodiment, each of the containers 12a and 12b of the container storage system 10 includes a cover 20 when the containers 12a and 12b are connected. The cover 20 of any of the containers 12a and 12b may optionally be removed such that both, one, or none of the containers 12a and 12b have covers 20 when the containers 12a and 12b are connected. The cover 20 may be pivotally connected to the container portion 14 using hinges, pins, screws, fastenings, bolts, or any other connecting mechanism as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art. In one embodiment wherein hinges 29 are used to pivotally connect the cover 20 to the container portion 14, the hinges 29 are constructed and arranged to extend from the rear wall 26 of the container portion 14 (see
In the embodiment shown in
Each of the containers 12a and 12b may include a cover latch or latch mechanism 48 constructed and arranged to latch the cover 18 to the container portion 14. In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
To disconnect the containers 12a and 12b, the latch member 22a of container 12a is disengaged from the retaining member 24b of container 12b and is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction (as shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
As shown in
To engage the latch member 22a of container 12b with the upper retaining member 24a of container 12b, the user may simply pivot the latch member 22a downwards in a counterclockwise direction towards the retaining member 24a. The lower periphery portion 62 that defines the recess 58 of latch member 22a is constructed and arranged to slide against a lower surface of the lip 64 until the lower periphery portion 62 snaps into the lower groove 68, thus engaging the latch member 22a with the retaining member 24a. To disengage the latch member 22a from the retaining member 24a, the user may simply pull the latch member 22a pivotally upwards in the clockwise direction via the tab 57. As such, the lower periphery portion 62 is removed from the groove 68 and is slid along the lower surface of the lip 64 until the latch member 22a is completely disengaged from the retaining member 24a.
To engage the latch member 22a of container 12a with the lower retaining member 24b of container 12b so that container 12a is connected to container 12b, the user may simply pivot the latch member 22a upwards in a clockwise direction towards the retaining member 24b. As the latch member 22a is pushed against the retaining member 24b, the lower periphery portion 62 of the recess 58 slides against an upper surface of the lip 64 until the lower periphery portion 62 snaps into the upper groove 66, thus engaging the latch member 22a with the retaining member 24b. To disengage the latch member 22a from the retaining member 24b, the user may simply pull the latch member 22a pivotally downwards in the counterclockwise direction via the tab 57. As such, the lower periphery portion 62 is removed from the upper groove 66 and is slid along the upper surface of the lip 64 until the latch member 22a is completely disengaged from the retaining member 24b. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the latch member is moveable relative to the container portion 14 via other means. For example, the latch member 22a may be constructed and arranged to be slideable between the first and second positions.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
In this embodiment, the latch member 22b or 22c may be pivoted between the first position, where the latch member 22b or 22c engages a retaining member or latch receiving portion 24c to inhibit pivotal movement of the latch member 22b or 22c away from the first position, and the second position, where the latch member 22b or 22c of one of the containers 12a and 12b engages with a portion of the latch member 22b or 22c of another one of the containers 12a and 12b to connect the containers 12a and 12b. Because the latch member 22b or 22c may be pivoted to the first position when the latch member 22b or 22c is not being used to connect one of the containers 12a or 12b to another one of the containers 12a or 12b, this results in being able to prevent the latch member 22b or 22c from hindering use of the containers 12a and 12b or from getting lost. Another result is the prevention of the latch member 22b or 22c from accidentally being removed or dislocated from the containers 12a and 12b when the latch member 22b or 22c is not being used to connect the containers 12a and 12b.
As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
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When the latch member 22b or 22c of a first of the containers 12a and 12b is not being used to connect another one of the containers 12a and 12b above the first container 12a or 12b, the user may simply pull the latch member 22b or 22c of the first container 12a or 12b downwards so that the engaging member 74 is engaged with the retaining member 24c of the first container 12a or 12b. In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment of
Container 12b may be connected to container 12c using latch members 22c and 22d in a similar manner as described previously with respect to the latch members 22b and 22c of containers 12a and 12b, respectively. It is contemplated that additional containers may be connected to the containers 12a, 12b, and 12c in a similar manner.
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In the embodiment shown in
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In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In one embodiment, each lower retaining member or lower latch receiving portion 24e takes the form of two portions 115 with an opening 99 provided between the two portions 115, as shown in
The lower retaining member 24e and the engaging member 81 of the cover 20 are constructed and arranged such that when one of the containers 12a, 12b, or 12c is stacked on top of another one of the containers 12a, 12b, or 12c, the engaging member 81 of the cover 20 is positioned between the two portions 115 of the lower retaining member 24e of the upper container 12a, 12b, or 12c (within the opening 99). For example, as shown in
In one embodiment, the engaging member 81 of the cover 20 includes the lip 97 that is constructed and arranged to engage with the groove 106 of the latch member 22e when the latch member 22e is in the second position. In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
As mentioned above, the engaging member 81 of the cover 20 includes the elongated lip 97. As shown in
To engage the latch member 22e of container 12a, 12b, or 12c with the upper retaining member 24d located thereon, the user may simply pivot the latch member 22e downwards in a counterclockwise direction (as seen in
To disengage the latch member 22e from the upper retaining member 24d, the user may simply pull the latch member 22e pivotally upwards in the clockwise direction (as viewed in
To engage the latch member 22e of container 12b with the lower retaining member 24e of container 12c, as shown in the embodiment of
To disengage the latch member 22e from the lower retaining member 24e, the user may simply pull the latch member 22e pivotally downwards in the counterclockwise direction via the finger 104 of the latch member 22e. Accordingly, the lip 112 of the lower retaining member 24e is removed from the groove 106. As such, the finger 102 is removed from the recess 105 of the lower retaining member 24e, and the lower retaining member 24e is no longer engaged with the latch member 22e.
The latch member 22e may also engage with the engaging member 81 of the cover 20 in a similar manner as the aforementioned description. Specifically, to engage the latch member 22e of container 12b with the lip 97 of the engaging member 81 of its associated cover 20, the user may simply pivot the latch member 22e upwards in a clockwise direction towards the engaging member 81. As such, the finger 102 of the latch member 22e is pushed against the lip 97 of the engaging member 81 until the resiliency of the lip 97 and the latch member 22e enables the lip 97 to snap into the groove 106 of the latch member 22e. The lip 97 is thus retained in the groove 106 and the latch member 22e is engaged with the engaging member 81 of the cover 20. As mentioned above, when the cover 20 is positioned on top of a first container 12a, 12b, or 12c, the engaging member 81 of the cover 20 is positioned between the two portions 115 of the latch member 22e of the second container 12a, 12b, or 12c located above the first container 12a, 12b, or 12c (see, for example, containers 12b and 12c in
To disengage the latch member 22e from the engaging member 81, the user may simply pull the latch member 22e pivotally downwards in the counterclockwise direction via the finger 104 of the latch member 22e. Accordingly, the lip 97 of the engaging member 81 is removed from the groove 106 and the engaging member 81 is no longer engaged with the latch member 22e.
The latch member 22e, the upper retaining member 24d, and the lower retaining member 24e may optionally have other configurations. Just for example, the latch member 22e may have a loop configuration that engages with a hook configuration of the upper retaining member 24d and the lower retaining member 24e. The configuration of the latch member 22 and the retaining members 24e, 24d may optionally be interchanged. In one embodiment, the latch member 22e may include an opening that receives a protrusion of the retaining members 24d, 24e. In one embodiment, the latch member 226 and the retaining members 24d, 24e may be engaged using buckle configurations. In one embodiment, the latch member 22e and the retaining members 24d, 24e may be engaged using snap-fit connections.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration of one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited thereto, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. In addition, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
Claims
1. A container storage system comprising:
- a plurality of containers constructed and arranged to be connected together, the plurality of containers comprising at least a first container and a second container, the first container and the second container each comprising:
- a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored;
- a cover movable between closed and opened positions for closing and opening the opening;
- a latch member movable between a latched position and an unlatched position;
- wherein the latch member of the first container, when in the latched position, is positioned to a) secure the cover of the first container in the closed position and b) connect the first container to the second container.
2. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the latch member is pivotable between the latched position and the unlatched position.
3. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein each container comprises a latch mechanism to latch the cover to the container portion.
4. The container storage system of claim 3, wherein the latch mechanism is removable from the container portion.
5. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the cover is constructed and arranged to snap-on to the container portion.
6. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein each container further comprises a handle constructed and arranged to enable a user to lift the container.
7. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the cover is detachable from the container portion.
8. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the cover of each container is pivotally connected to the container portion by a hinge.
9. The container storage system of claim 8, wherein the hinge is disconnectable so that the cover can be detached from the container portion.
10. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the interior space of each container is divided into compartments.
11. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the latch member is removable from the container portion.
12. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein each container comprises a latch receiving portion.
13. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the cover of each container comprises a latch receiving portion.
14. The container storage system of claim 1, wherein the second container comprises a latch receiving portion constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the first container.
15. The container storage system of claim 14, wherein the latch receiving portion of the second container comprises a projection constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the first container.
16. The container storage system of claim 14, wherein the latch receiving portion of the second container comprises a recess constructed and arranged to receive a portion of the latch member of the first container.
17. The container storage system of claim 14, wherein the cover of the first container comprises an engaging member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the first container.
18. The container storage system of claim 17, wherein the engaging member of the cover is aligned with the latch receiving portion of the second container such that the latch member of the first container, when in the latched position, is positioned to a) secure the cover of the first container in the closed position and b) connect the first container to the second container.
19. A container constructed and arranged to be connected to at least one other container, the container comprising:
- a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored;
- a cover movable between closed and opened positions for closing and opening the opening;
- a latch member movable between a latched position and an unlatched position,
- wherein the latch member, when in the latched position, is positioned to a) secure the cover in the closed position and b) connect the container to the at least one other container.
20. A container storage system comprising:
- a plurality of containers constructed and arranged to be connected together, the plurality of containers comprising at least a first container and a second container, the first container and the second container each comprising:
- a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored;
- a cover for closing the opening;
- a latch member movable between a first position and a second position;
- a retaining member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member, wherein in the first position the latch member engages the retaining member to inhibit movement of the latch member away from the first position;
- wherein the latch member of the first container, when in the second position, engages with the second container to connect the first container to the second container.
21. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the retaining member is located on a side portion of each container.
22. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the latch member comprises a living hinge.
23. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the latch member is attached to each container by a living hinge.
24. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the latch member comprises a plurality of living hinges.
25. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the first container and the second container each further comprises a second retaining member, wherein the latch member of the first container, when in the second position, engages with the second retaining member of the second container to connect the first container to the second container.
26. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein in the second position, the latch member of the first container engages with the retaining member of the second container to connect the first container to the second container.
27. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein each container comprises a latch receiving portion.
28. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the second container comprises a latch receiving portion constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the first container when the latch member is in the second position.
29. The container storage system of claim 28, wherein the latch receiving portion of the second container comprises a projection constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the first container.
30. The container storage system of claim 28, wherein the latch receiving portion of the second container comprises a recess constructed and arranged to receive a portion of the latch member of the first container.
31. The container storage system of claim 28, wherein the cover of the first container comprises an engaging member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the first container.
32. The container storage system of claim 31, wherein the engaging member of the cover is aligned with the latch receiving portion of the second container such that the latch member of the first container, when in the second position, is positioned to a) secure the cover of the first container in the closed position and b) connect the first container to the second container.
33. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the cover of each container comprises an engaging member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member of the same container when the latch member is in the second position.
34. The container storage system of claim 20, wherein the retaining member of each container comprises a projection constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member.
35. A container constructed and arranged to be connected to at least one other container, the container comprising:
- a container portion with an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored;
- a cover for closing the opening;
- a latch member movable between a first position and a second position;
- a retaining member constructed and arranged to engage with the latch member, wherein in the first position the latch member engages the retaining member to inhibit movement of the latch member away from the first position;
- wherein the latch member, when in the second position, is positioned to be able to engage with the at least one other container to connect the container to the at least one other container.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 11, 2009
Publication Date: Jun 16, 2011
Applicant: The Stanley Works Israel Ltd. (Rosh Ha'Ayin)
Inventors: David Sosnovsky (Tel Aviv), Mark Bensman (Rosh Ha'Ayin)
Application Number: 12/636,139
International Classification: B65D 21/02 (20060101); B65D 43/16 (20060101); B65D 45/16 (20060101); B65D 25/28 (20060101);