A Lid and a Storage System

Abstract

A lid for a container is adapted to be fitted on the top of a container and has a generally rectangular shape with two pairs of opposing and parallel edges, defining four corners and extending at least partly in a main plane in between the edges. In the vicinity of each of the four corners, the lid comprises at least a first and a second corner support, wherein the first corner support comprises two support surfaces rising a first step from the main plane, and where the second corner support comprises two support surfaces rising an additional second step from the main plane. The distance between the second corner supports of two diagonally opposing corners is greater than the distance between the first corner supports of said diagonally opposing corners. Thereby the lid can prevent containers with different bottom surface sizes from slipping sideways when stacked on top of the lid.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a nationalization of PCT Application International Application No. PCT/EP2015/060450, International Filing Date 12 May 2015, which claims priority to European Patent Application No. EP14168246.8, filed 14 May 2014, both of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The following co-pending and co-assigned applications contain related information:

U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.______ (Attorney Docket No. 017345.000258) for Storage System, filed concurrently herewith; and

U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.______

(Attorney Docket No. 017345.000257) for Container, filed concurrently herewith.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates in general to storage systems, and in particular to modular storage systems including drawer frames and containers.

BACKGROUND

Lids and containers may be produced by injection molding in a plastic material and are well known for the use of storing various objects. The container may be suspended in a drawer frame. Containers with fitted lids may also be stacked as a storage system to store more items for a given floor surface area. One general problem with such storage systems is to improve the stacking functionality.

SUMMARY

One object of the present disclosure is therefore to obtain a lid or a storage system with improved stacking properties. This object is achieved by a lid having, in the vicinity of each of four corners, at least a first and a second corner support. The first corner support comprises two support surfaces rising a first step from the main plane, and the second corner support comprises two support surfaces rising an additional second step from the main plane. The distance between the second corner supports of two diagonally opposing corners is greater than the distance between the first corner supports of said diagonally opposing corners.

This means that containers with two different bottom surface sizes can be placed on top of the lid and can be prevented from slipping in the direction of the main plane. Thereby the stacking functionality is improved.

When used in a system with at least two containers having different bottom surface sizes, the distance between the first corner supports of two diagonally opposing corners of the lid corresponds to the diagonal distance between two corners in the bottom surface of a first container, and the distance between the second corner supports of two diagonally opposing corners corresponds to the diagonal distance between two corners in the bottom surface of a second container.

The lid and/or the container may be made by injection molding a plastic material such as polypropylene, PP.

It is possible to provide each corner of the lid with a third corner support, which includes two support surfaces rising an additional third step from the main surface of the lid. This allows a container with a third bottom surface size to be stacked on the lid in the same way.

Each corner support's surfaces may be joined into a corner.

A surface, elevated from the main plane, may be defined between the support surfaces of the first and second corner supports. This surface may carry a stacked container of a type with a larger bottom surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a lid.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged portion of the lid in FIG. 1, at a corner thereof.

FIG. 3 shows a stack of three containers.

FIGS. 4-7 show enlarged portions of the stack in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is related to modular storage systems including drawer frames and containers. Such systems have the benefit, e.g. as compared with a traditional chests of drawers, of being configurable in various ways to address the needs of an end user. Drawer frames with metal wire and mesh baskets have been widely appreciated by users that have been able to select wire and mesh baskets with different sizes according to their needs.

From a producer point of view, the components involved have allowed for efficient distribution as empty containers can be nested inside other empty containers and since drawer frames can easily be assembled by the end user. This of course reduces the cost of the final system.

It is suggested to include plastic containers with lids in storage systems of this kind as a complement to wire and mesh containers. This would make storage systems of this kind even more versatile.

Plastic containers are relatively inexpensive to produce in large series by injection molding. Unlike a mesh or wire container, a plastic container may be made diffusion tight, and when lids are attached to the containers, the they become stackable, such that a number of containers, with items stored inside, can be stored on a small floor surface. If the storage system is used for instance in a closet, this allows the user e.g. to switch the contents of the closet from season to season.

For instance, during off-season, winter clothes may be stored at another location and, thanks to the more or less diffusion tight properties of the containers, are protected from moisture, etc. When the clothes are needed again, these containers may replace others in the drawer frame. Such a procedure is much more efficient than moving clothes from a drawer to another box, back and forth. The present disclosure provides solutions that make a plastic container more suitable for a storage system of this kind, thereby contributing to accomplishing the goal of obtaining a more efficient and versatile storage system.

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a lid 1, which may be attached to a container. The container as well as the lid may be produced by injection molding a plastic material such as polypropylene, PP. As is seen in FIG. 1, the lid has a rectangular shape with two pairs of opposing edges, and defines four corners. The lid extends at least approximately in a main plane in between the edges, i.e. its top surface may be more or less flat, usually with the exception that features are provided at the edges for attaching the lid to a container. The lid 1 comprises sets 5 of corner supports as will now be described in greater detail. A set of corner supports is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 illustrating an enlarged portion of the lid in FIG. 1 as well as in FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrating perspective views of a set of corner supports.

The set includes two corner supports 7, 9 where each support has two support surfaces that rise from the main plane of the lid. Thus, the first corner 7 support comprises a first 11 and a second 13 support surface that rise a first step, e.g. about 7 mm, from the main plane of the lid. As shown, they may be mutually perpendicular to be able to support a container stacked on the lid on either side of a corner. The first surface 11 is about parallel with the adjacent long edge of the lid and the second surface 13 is about parallel with the adjacent short edge of the lid. The corner support is thus formed in one piece with the remainder of the lid as a bulge, and the thickness of the lid goods may be uniform over the main plane thereof, also including the supports.

The surfaces may as illustrated adjoin each other and form a corner 15. However, this is by no means necessary. The corner support may present two surfaces that are capable of abutting against the side walls and/or bottom surface edges of a container at either side of the container's bottom surface corner, when that container is stacked on the lid, and as the skilled person realizes this can be achieved in other ways than the one illustrated. For instance, it would be possible to let two cylindrical portions rise from the main plane of the lid, one at each side of the container corner. The side walls on each side of the corner could then abut against the periphery of each cylinder.

As illustrated, the lid is further provided with a second corner support 9 including two support surfaces 17, 19 which rise an additional second step, e.g. about 7 mm, from the main plane. This corner support 9 is located closer to the corner of the lid as compared to the first corner support. The support surfaces 17, 19 of the second corner support 9 may otherwise be arranged in a similar way as the corresponding surfaces 11, 13 of the first corner support 7. As shown, by the first corner support 7 rising a first step from the main plane of the lid and the second corner support 9 rising an additional second step a stair-shaped form may be achieved, and a box supported laterally by the second corner support 9 may rest on a surface 18, a step, elevated from the main plane, between the support surfaces of the first and second corner supports 7, 9. This surface 18 may be substantially parallel with the main plane of the lid.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the distance d2 between the second corner supports of two diagonally opposing corners is greater than the distance d1 between the first corner supports of said diagonally opposing corners. This means that the lid is adapted to allow containers with different bottom surface sizes to be stacked on top of the lid and may prevent these containers from slipping, either in a specific direction along the plane of the lid or rotatingly around an axis perpendicular to the lid.

The bottom surface of a container is conveniently made smaller than the open top of the container and with inclined walls to allow containers to be nested. Stacking of containers with lids enabled more items to be stored for e.g. a given floor area.

FIG. 3 shows a stack of three containers, each having a lid. The identical top and bottom containers 21, 23 are larger, more specifically taller, than the container 25 in the middle of the stack. The walls rising from the bottom of each container have about the same outward inclination, and the containers have about the same dimensions at the open top, such that identical lids can be fitted on each container. Consequently, the middle container 25 will have a larger bottom area than the other containers. In an enlarged view, FIG. 6 shows a first corner support which prevents a taller container with a smaller bottom surface from slipping sideways. FIG. 7 illustrates a second corner support which prevents a shorter container with a larger bottom surface from slipping sideways. As shown, that container rests on a surface that interconnects the first and second corner support.

The present disclosure is not restricted to the above illustrated embodiment and may be varied and altered in different ways within the scope of the appended claims. For instance, equally tall containers with mutually different wall inclinations will have different bottom portion dimensions. Also, the side walls may be curved or may have step-wise increasing dimensions from the bottom portion towards the upper opening. Further, even if the main plane of the lid is illustrated as flat this is not necessary. The main plane may have surface structures of different kinds and may e.g. be dented inwards in various ways that does not affect a container being stacked thereon.

Claims

1.-6. (canceled)

7. A lid adapted to fit on the top of a container to form a closed space, the lid having a generally rectangular shape with two pairs of opposing and parallel edges defining four lid corners and a surface extending at least partly in a main plane between the edges, comprising:

a first plurality of corner supports, each first corner support proximate a corresponding one of the lid corners and including two support surfaces rising a first step from the main plane;

a second plurality of corner supports, each second corner support proximate a corresponding on of the lid corners and including two support surfaces rising an additional second step from the main plane; and

wherein a distance between the second corner supports of a selected pair of diagonally opposing lid corners is greater than a distance between the first corner supports of said selected pair of diagonally opposing lid corners.

8. A lid according to claim 7, wherein the lid is made by injection molding a plastic material.

9. A lid according to claim 7, further comprising a third plurality of corner supports, each third corner support proximate a corresponding one of the corners and including two support surfaces rising an additional third step from the main surface of the lid.

10. A lid according to claim 7, wherein the two support surfaces of at least some of the first plurality of corner supports are joined to form a corner.

11. A lid according to claim 7, wherein the two support surfaces of at least some of the second plurality of corner supports are joined to form a corner.

12. A lid according to claim 8, wherein the surface is aperture-free.

13. A storage system comprising:

a first container having a substantially rectangular bottom surface defining a pair of diagonally opposing first container corners spaced by a first distance;

a second container having a substantially rectangular bottom surface defining a pair of diagonally opposing second container corners spaced by a second distance greater than the first distance; and

a lid adapted for attachment to a selected one of the first and second containers and having a generally rectangular shape with pairs of opposing parallel edges defining a pair of diagonally opposing lid corners and a main surface, including: a first pair of corner supports, each of the first pair of corner supports disposed proximate a corresponding one of the pair of diagonally opposing lid corners and having a support surface rising a first step from the main surface, the support surfaces of the first pair of corner supports spaced for receiving the pair of diagonally opposing first container corners; and a second pair of corner supports, each of the second pair of corner supports disposed proximate a corresponding one of the pair of diagonally opposing lid corners and having a support surface rising an additional second step from the main surface, the support surfaces of the second pair of corner supports spaced for receiving the pair of diagonally opposing second container corners.

14. The storage system of claim 13, wherein the bottom surface of the first container defines another pair of diagonally opposing first container corners spaced by the first distance, the bottom surface of the second container defines another pair of diagonally opposing second container corners spaced by the second distance, and the edges of the lid define another pair of diagonally opposing lid corners, and the lid further comprises:

a third pair of corner supports, each of the third pair of corner supports disposed proximate a corresponding one of the another pair of diagonally opposing lid corners and having a support surface rising by the first step from the main surface, the support surfaces of the third pair of corner supports spaced for receiving the another pair of diagonally opposing first container corners; and

a fourth pair of corner supports, each of the fourth pair of corner supports disposed proximate a corresponding one of the another pair of diagonally opposing pair of lid corners and having a support surface rising the additional second step from the main surface, the support surfaces of the fourth pair of corner supports spaced for receiving the another pair of diagonally opposing second container corners.

15. The storage system of claim 13, wherein:

the support surfaces of the first pair of corner supports each comprise a one of a pair of support surfaces adapted to contact surfaces on different sides of a corresponding first container corner; and

the support surfaces of the second pair of corner supports each comprise a one of a pair of support surfaces adapted to contact surfaces on different sides of a corresponding second container corner.

16. The storage system of claim 13, wherein the lid is formed of plastic.

17. The storage system of claim 15, wherein main surface of the lid is substantially aperture-free.

18. The storage system of claim 13, wherein the first container comprises a plastic substantially rectangular bottom surface and a plurality of plastic sidewalls extending from the bottom surface, wherein at least one of the plastic bottom surface and the plurality of plastic sidewalls is aperture-free.

19. The storage system of claim 13, wherein the second container comprises a plastic substantially rectangular bottom surface and a plurality of plastic sidewalls extending from the bottom surface, wherein at least one of the plastic bottom surface and the plurality of plastic sidewalls is aperture-free.

20. The storage system of claim 13, further comprising a peripheral sidewall extending from the main surface along the pairs of opposing parallel edges and around the lid corners, wherein at least one of the first and second pairs of corner supports are disposed adjacent the peripheral sidewall at the diagonally opposing lid corners.

21. A container lid comprising:

a generally rectangular main surface defined by a pair of diagonally opposed lid corners;

a first support structure disposed proximate one of a pair the diagonally opposed lid corners comprising: an inner support surface extending from the main surface by a first step; and an outer support surface spaced from the inner support surface and extending from the main surface by an additional second step; and

a second support structure disposed proximate another one of the pair of diagonally opposed lid corners comprising: an inner support surface extending from the main surface by a first step; and an outer support surface spaced from the inner support surface and extending from the main surface by an additional second step; and

wherein the inner support surfaces of the first and second support structures are spaced to receive diagonally opposed corners of a smaller container and the outer support surfaces of the first and second support structures are spaced to receive diagonally opposed corners of a larger container.

22. The container lid of claim 21, wherein the inner and outer support surfaces of the first and second support structures are spaced by a lateral surface.

23. The container lid of claim 21, further comprising a sidewall extending from the main surface and around the periphery of the first lid corner adjacent to the first support structure and sidewall extending from the main surface and around the periphery of the second lid corner adjacent the second support structure.

24. The container lid of claim 21, wherein at least the main surface is composed of plastic.

25. The container lid of claim 21, wherein at least the main surface is formed of extruded plastic.

26. The container lid of claim 21, wherein the first and second support structures are formed of plastic.