STORAGE CONTAINER AND SYSTEM
A stackable container has a body with base, pair of opposing side walls and pair of opposing end walls, the walls extending from the base to form an opening having a rim portion extending around its upper periphery. A lid member is pivotally mounted to the body to close the opening and provide access through the opening. One or more connector members are provided with the body and are operable between stored and active states. In the active state, the connector members enables interconnection with an adjacent container so as to support the container in a stacked arrangement, whereby an adjacent container does not prohibit access into the opening of another adjacent container.
The present invention relates to storage bins or containers, and in particular storage bins or containers that are capable of being stacked to provide a readily accessible storage system as well as storage bins or containers that can be stored when not in use without taking up considerable storage space.
Storage bins or containers are commonly used in a variety of situations to store and retain a variety of goods. Such bins or containers have particular application to residential environments where they may be used to store children's toys and other such items in a neat and tidy manner. Similarly, storage containers and bins are often used to store clothes, linen, footwear and the like, to ensure that such items are not only kept together in an ordered manner, but also organised in a manner that makes for easy access to such goods, as may be required.
Storage bins or containers may come in a variety of forms, but more recently such containers are made from a plastic material and may be formed or otherwise shaped to facilitate stacking of containers on top of each other. In this regard, such containers may have a shaped upper rim and a lower rim with an appropriate ribbing or recess formed therein to ensure that the adjacent containers mate together to provide a stable stack of containers when stacked vertically. In this regard, most conventional containers comprise a lid member that is fitted to an open surface of the container and which has sufficient resilience to support one or more vertically stacked boxes thereon.
While such containers have been shown to be useful in storing goods in a convenient and neat manner, one problem with vertically stacked containers is that in order to access the goods stored in a lower container, it is necessary to disassemble the stack of containers in order to remove the lid of a container and access the contents therein. As will be appreciated, this can be an inconvenient and time consuming process, especially if a container is not labelled and a user must search through a number of containers, each time lifting and restacking the containers.
A natural solution to this problem is to turn the containers on their sides such that the open surface of the containers is accessible by a user and to stack the containers on their side. Whilst such an arrangement would provide access into the lower containers in the stack without having to dismantle the stack, one problem with such a solution is that the side walls of the individual containers must be substantially perpendicular to the open surface to provide a level surface upon which to stack the containers.
Such a substantially rectangular or cuboid shape of container having substantially flat, perpendicular side walls does not readily lend itself to nestable stacking of empty containers for storage. Nestable stacking containers for storage is an important aspect of container design not only in use, but also in transport and supply of containers in a commercial environment. The containers must be stored when not in use and in order for the containers to take up as little space of possible, the containers are configured so as to nestably receive another container therein. Typically, in order to achieve this, the lower ends of the side walls of the containers are tapered inwards to facilitate stacking of containers when not in use. The degree of nestability of the containers can vary depending on the degree of slope or tapering of the side walls, as often just the lower regions of the boxes fit inside each other and a significant portion of the upper box extends above the lower box so that a stack of boxes stored in a nested arrangement is particularly tall and takes a considerable height. Hence the degree of tapering of the side walls of the boxes is important as the amount, or angle, of the taper determines how nestable the boxes may be.
Thus, in order to provide a set of containers that can be nestably stored when not in use, it is necessary to provide tapered walls which do not readily provide for stable stacking of boxes in a side on side manner.
Thus there is a need to provide a storage container system that provides for nestable storage of boxes in a convenient and space efficient manner, whilst still providing an ability to stack the containers on their side.
The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a stackable container comprising a body having a base, a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls extending from said base so as to form an opening having a rim portion extending around a periphery thereof; a lid member mountable to said body to close said opening and being configured to provide access into said body through said opening; one or more connector members provided with said body and operable between a stored state and an active state, the active state providing a means for interconnecting with an adjacent container so as to support the adjacent container in a stacked arrangement, the stacked arrangement being an arrangement whereby an adjacent container does not prohibit access into the opening of another adjacent container.
The stacked arrangement may comprise a stack of two or more containers arranged such that the side walls of adjacent containers are vertically spaced.
The lid member may be hingedly mounted to the body and be movable between a closed position that substantially closes the opening and an open position that provides uninhibited access into said opening.
The one or more connector members may be mounted on the base of the body. In another form, the one or more connector members may be mounted in a side or end wall of the body. The one or more connector members may be each mounted within a recess formed in the base of the body such that when the one or more connector members are in the stored state each connector member is substantially retained within the recess in the body. In one form, when the one or more connector members are in the active state each connector member may extend from the recess in the body to project from the body to connect with a corresponding connector member of an adjacent container.
The connector members may contain at least one male connector member and at least one female connector member with each male connector member being configured to connect with a female connector member of an adjacent container and each female connector member being configured to connect with a male connector member of an adjacent container.
Each container in the stacked arrangement may be supported at its base by the one or more connector members engaging with the one or more connector members of a lower container and is also supported at its rim portion by the rim portion of a lower container.
The one or more connector members may be removably attached to the body. In an alternative form, the one or more connector members may be securably attached to the body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage container comprising a body having a base, a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls; a lid member mountable to said body; and one or more connector members mountable to said body to be extendable therefrom; wherein, the one or more connector members facilitate stacking of a plurality of storage containers along adjacent side walls thereof
According to yet another embodiment there is provided a storage system comprising at least one container, each container having a body comprising a base, a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls defining a space into which items are received, and a lid member for closing said space; and one or more connector members attachable to the or each container; wherein, each container is arranged such that is supported on one side wall and the connector members extend from the container to at least partially support another container thereon such that the containers can be stacked in a vertical manner with side walls of adjacent containers extending substantially perpendicular to the vertical stack of containers.
According to yet another embodiment there is provided a system for stacking a plurality a plurality of containers in a vertical stack, comprising a plurality of containers, each container having a base and a plurality of side walls extending from the base to define an open space into which one or more items are to be received, at least one of the side walls extends at an angle with respect to a plane orthogonal to the base, whereby each container in the vertical stack is orientated to be supported on one of the side walls thereof; and at least one connector member mounted between adjacent containers in the vertical stack, the connector member being configured to at least partially extend between the adjacent containers to compensate for angular variations between side walls of adjacent containers, such that the vertical stack of containers is maintained in a stable state.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention.
Referring to
A lid member 18 is provided to cover the open surface of the container 10 so as to enclose the space 16. The lid member 18 may take a variety of forms but generally comprises a substantially planar member having a shape configured to substantially match the open surface of the container. The lid member 18 may comprise hinge members 19 formed along on or more edges thereof to mate with corresponding hinge members provided on the upper regions of the side walls 13 or end walls 14 of the main body 12 of the container 10. The manner in which this may be achieved will be described in more detail below.
The perimeter of the lid member 18 comprises a substantially downwardly projecting flange 20 that is shaped to snugly fit over the outer, upper rim of the body portion 12 of the container 10. Such a configuration provides a secure fit of the lid member 18 to the body portion 12, which acts to substantially seal the space 16. A gripping tab 21 may be provided to extend from the flange 20 so as to be gripped by a user of the container 20 so as to provide a means for separating the lid member from the body portion 12 so as to provide access to the space 16. It will be appreciated that the planar surface 22 of the lid member 18 may be provided with ribbed members 23, as is shown which provide reinforcement or strength to the planar surface 22 such that it can bear a degree of weight, as may occur when containers are stacked on top of each other. It will also be appreciated that the lid member may be made from a substantially transparent or translucent material such that a user can at least partially look into the space 16 without removing the lid member 18, to determine the contents of the container 10. The lid member 18 is formed so as to provide stacking of multiple lid members 18, in a manner discussed in more detail below.
Referring to
As is shown in
Referring to
The lid member 18 is shown in isolation in
The underside of the base 15 is shown in more detail in
A mount 27 is provided in each recess 26 as shown in
The mounts 27 each receive a connector member 29, 30, as is shown in
Referring to
The proximal end 35 of the male connector member 29 has a hole or recess 34 formed therein. In the embodiment as shown, the hole or recess 34 is substantially circular and has a diameter substantially equivalent to the diameter of the mount 27. This enables the connector member 29 to be fitted over the mount 27 and securely retained in position thereon. The hole or recess 34 has a rim 34a that tapers outward so as to accommodate the head portion 28 of the mount 27, thereby acting to provide a retaining force to retain the connector member in engagement with the mount 27.
Referring to
The proximal end 35 of the female connector member 30 also has a hole or recess 34 formed therein. In the embodiment as shown, the hole or recess 34 is substantially circular and has a diameter substantially equivalent to the diameter of the mount 27. This enables the connector member 30 to be fitted over the mount 27 and securely retained in position thereon in the same manner as described above in relation to the male connector member 29, as is shown in
The connector members 29, 30 are secured in position within the recesses 26 so as to be movable between an active position and a stored position, as represented by the arrows in
To move between the stored position and the active position, the connector members 29, 30 are rotated within an arc of substantially 90°. To prevent the connector members 29, 30 rotating beyond this substantially 90° arc, the proximal ends 35 are shaped to limit rotational movement. The proximal end 35 of both the male connector member 29 and the female connector member 30 has a rounded edge 35a and a substantially right angled edge 35b, as shown. When the connector members 29, 30 are in the stored position the rounded edge 35a is located on an inside surface substantially in contact with the wall of the recess 26. The angled edge 35b is thus located on an outer surface thereof. By moving the connector members 29, 30 to the active position, the angled edge 35b moves in contact with the all of the recess, as shown in
In the arrangement of the containers 10 as described above, the containers can be used in a variety of ways to store items. In this regard, the containers may be used individually, in a conventional manner, wherein the base 15 is supported on a floor surface of the like, as is shown in
Another arrangement for using a container of the present invention is shown in
As a variation of the arrangement shown in
As is more clearly seen in
When stacked in the manner as shown in
When the containers are not in use, they can be stacked in a nested arrangement due to the tapered side walls 13 and end walls 14. It will be appreciated that the degree of taper of the side walls and the end walls may vary depending upon the application of the container, and there is no need for the degree of taper to be the same for each side wall 13 and end wall 14 of a container. In order to facilitate nesting of the bodies 12, each container will need to have the same configuration.
Whilst the containers of the above embodiments have been shown with male and female connector elements that interlock with corresponding male or female connector members on a corresponding container, it will be appreciated that a variety of different types and styles of connection means may be employed to achieve this purpose. In this regard, it may be possible to incorporate cam levers and the like to act as spacers and or connecting elements between containers and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. Further to this, each of the connector members 29, 30 have been described above as being formed in or provided with the container 10. It will be appreciated that the connector members 29, 30 may be made or formed separately to the container 10 and may be sold or otherwise provided as a separate part for use with the containers. As such, the connector members may be sold loosely with the containers rather than fitted within the base of the containers, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
The connector members have also been described as being mounted within a base of the container. However, it will be appreciated that the connector members may alternatively be mounted in or otherwise connectable to a side or end wall of the containers adjacent a base of the container, and still fall within the scope of the present invention.
The features and parts of the containers of the present invention are preferably made from a plastic material such as polypropylene or polyethylene by way of an injection moulding process. However, it is envisaged that other materials and processes may also be used and still fall within the spirit of the present invention.
Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.
Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the container uppermost. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A container comprising:
- a body having a base, a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls extending from said base so as to form an opening having a rim portion extending around a periphery thereof;
- a lid member mountable to said body to close said opening and being configured to provide access into said body through said opening;
- one or more connector members provided with said body and operable between a stored state and an active state, wherein the active state provides a means for interconnecting with an adjacent container so as to support the adjacent container in a stacked arrangement, the stacked arrangement being an arrangement whereby an adjacent container does not prohibit access into the opening of another adjacent container.
2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the stacked arrangement comprising a stack of two or more containers such that the side walls of adjacent containers are vertically spaced.
3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the lid member is hingedly mounted to the body and is movable between a closed position that substantially closes the opening and an open position that provides uninhibited access into said opening.
4. A container according to claim 1, wherein the one or more connector members are mounted on the base of said body
5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the one or more connector members are each mounted within a recess formed in the base of the body such that when the one or more connector members are in the stored state each connector member is substantially retained within the recess in the body.
6. A container according to claim 5, wherein when the one or more connector members are in the active state each connector member extends from the recess in the body to project from the body to connect with a corresponding connector member of an adjacent container.
7. A container according to claim 4, wherein the connector members contain at least one male connector member and at least one female connector member with each male connector member being configured to connect with a female connector member of an adjacent container and each female connector member being configured to connect with a male connector member of an adjacent container.
8. A container according to claim 2, wherein each container in the stacked arrangement is supported at its base by the one or more connector members engaging with the one or more connector members of a lower container and is also supported at its rim portion by the rim portion of a lower container.
9. A container according to claim 1, wherein the one or more connector members are removably attached to the body.
10. A container according to claim 1, wherein the one or more connector members are securably attached to the body.
11. A storage container comprising:
- a body having a base, a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls;
- a lid member mountable to said body; and
- and one or more connector members mountable to said body to be extendable therefrom;
- wherein, the one or more connector members facilitate stacking of a plurality of storage containers along adjacent side walls thereof.
12. A storage system comprising:
- at least one container, each container having a body comprising a base, a pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls defining a space into which items are received, and a lid member for closing said space; and
- one or more connector members attachable to the or each container;
- wherein, each container is arranged such that is supported on one side wall and the connector members extend from the container to at least partially support another container thereon such that the containers can be stacked in a vertical manner with side walls of adjacent containers extending substantially perpendicular to the vertical stack of containers.
13. A system for stacking a plurality of containers in a vertical stack, comprising:
- a plurality of containers, each container having a base and a plurality of side walls extending from the base to define an open space into which one or more items are to be received, at least one of the side walls extends at an angle with respect to a plane orthogonal to the base, whereby each container in the vertical stack is orientated to be supported on one of the side walls thereof; and
- at least one connector member mounted between adjacent containers in the vertical stack, the connector member being configured to at least partially extend between the adjacent containers to compensate for angular variations between side walls of adjacent containers, such that the vertical stack of containers is maintained in a stable state.
14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one connector member is mounted on an external surface of the base of each container and is configured to project therefrom to engage with a vertically adjacent container.
15. A system according to claim 14, wherein each connector member engages with a corresponding connector member mounted on a vertically adjacent container to support the stack of containers in the stable state.
16. A system according to claim 13, wherein each side wall of each container is angled with respect to a plane orthogonal to the base.
17. A system according to claim 14, wherein each side wall of each container is angled with respect to a plane orthogonal to the base.
18. A system according to claim 15, wherein each side wall of each container is angled with respect to a plane orthogonal to the base.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 27, 2013
Publication Date: Jan 1, 2015
Inventor: John GASKELL (Rowville)
Application Number: 13/928,607
International Classification: B65D 21/02 (20060101); B65D 43/06 (20060101);