Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a container.
Containers suitable for holding goods are well
known in the art. Many forms of containers suitable for
use in holding produce are available and range from
various shaped cardboard boxes to flexible plastic
containers to net bags. When designing containers for
holding produce to be sold to the public, it is
desirable to ensure that the containers are
aesthetically appealing and facilitate carrying of the
produce once purchased. Often, conventional containers
lack in at least one of the above-mentioned
characteristics.
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It is therefore an ob~ect of the present
invention to provide a novel container.
According to one aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a container for holding
goods comprising~
a basket having an opening for receiving
goods;
a net surrounding said basket to cover said .
opening: and
a strap secured to said net adjacent opposed
ends of said basket to define a handle.
~- In another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a method of forming a container
comprising the steps of:
providing a basket having an opening therein;
surrounding the basket with a net to cover the ;
opening; and
fastening a strap to the net adjacent opposed
ends of the basket.
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In still yet another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a method of packaging goods
comprising the steps of:
providing a net in the form of a tube having
at least one open end:
passing a basket having an opening therein and
holding goods into the tube to cover the opening;
placing a strap over the net covering the
opening; and
securing the strap to the net at opposed ends
of the basket and closing the tube at opposed ends of
the basket.
Preferably, the basket is formed from flexible
plastic material and is rectangular in plan having a
longitudinal dimension greater than its lateral
dimension. It is also preferred that the strap lies
along the longitudinal axis of the container and is
secured to the net at opposed ends of the basket.
Preferably, the net is in the form of a tube
having opposed open ends and that the strap is :ecured
to the net via fasteners which also act to close the
~opposed ends of the net.
The present container and method of making the
same provide advantages in that a simple and elegant
container is formed which is both aesthetically
appealing and whioh facilitates carrying of goods held
by the container. Moreover, the provision of the net in
combination wlth the flexible basket permits a
lightweight strap and inexpenslve clips to be used to
form the handle while still enabling the strap and clips
to withstand the loads imposed thereon during use when
carrying the container.
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An embodiment of the present invention will
now be described by way of example only with reference
to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of
the container shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is an end view of a portion of the
container shown in Figure 1 taken along arrow 3; and
Figures 4a to 4d are side views of a method of
packaging goods in the container shown in Figure 1.
Referring now to the figures 1 to 3, a
container for holding goods and in particular produce is
shown and is generally indicated by numeral 10. The
container 10 includes a basket 12 (best seen in Figure
2) formed from flexible plastic which is generally
rectangular in plan. Thus, the basket 12 includes a
base 14, a pair of side walls 16 and a pair of end walls
18 extending between the side walls 16. It has an open
upper surface indicated by reference numeral 20 so that
goods can be placed and held in the basket 12.
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The junctions 22 between the side walls 16 and
the end walls 18 are rounded. A rim 24 extends around
the entire periphery of the basket 12 ad~acent the open
upper surface 20 to increase the structural integrity of
the side and end walls 16 and 18 respectively. The rim
24 above the ~unctions 22 is angled and therefore
, defines a pair of corners 26,28 with one corner 26 being
located ad~acent a side wall 16 and one corner 28 being
located adjacent an end wall 18. Parallel, vertical
ribs 30 are integrally formed with the side and end
walls 16 and 18 respectively and extend from the base 14
to the rim 24 to enhance further the structural
integrity of the basket 12. Small holes as indicated by
reference numeral 32 may be provided through the base 14
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to permit the drainage of fluids and to enhance air flow
within the basket 12.
A fine polypropylene net 40 in the form of a
tube having opposed ends 44 surrounds the basket 12.
Each end of the tube 44 is closed via a single clip 46
(best seen in Figure 3). A strap 48 also formed from
plastic material extends along the longitudinal axis of
the basket 12 and overlies the net 40 covering the open
upper surface 20 of the basket 12. Opposite ends of the
strap 48 are fastened to the net 40 via the clips 46 so
that the clips have a dual function, namely to close the
opposed ends of the net tube and to secure the strap 48
to the net.
In use, when the basket 12 is holding goods,
the net 40 functions to cover the open upper surface 20
to prevent the held goods from being removed. In
addition, the strap 48 functions as a handle to
facilitate carrying of the container 10. Since the
basket 12 is semi-rigid, the basket functions to
maintain the shape of the net sufficiently so that the
strap 48 is capable of supporting the weight of the
basket 12 without tearing of the strap 48 or
disengagement of the strap from the clips 46 occurring.
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Referring now to Figures 4a to 4d, the steps
jinvolved when packaging goods in the present container
10 are shown. When it is desired to package goods in
the contalner, a net 40 in the form of an endless tube
is provided. An endless strap 48 lies over the net 40
and along the longitudinal axis of the basket 12
covering the open upper surface 20 is provided. The
basket 12 is firstly filled with goods G to be held as
shown in Figure 4a and then inserted into the tube so
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that the basket 12 is completely covered (see Figure
4b). Once this is done, one end of the strap 48 and
net 40 are pinned together via the clip 46 to close one
end of the net and to fasten the strap 48 thereto as
shown at Figure 4c. Once this is done, the other end of
the strap 48 is pinned to the net 40 via the clip 46 to
close the opposite end of the endless tube and the strap
48 and tube are cut adjacent the clip 46 to provide an
opening at the end of the net tube once again (see
Figure 4d). This allows another basket to be inserted
into the tube so that additional goods may be packaged.
It should be apparent to those of skill in the art that
once the basket holding goods is placed within the net
tube, both ends of the strap can be fastened to the net
and opposite ends of the tube can be closed
simultaneously. This provides a simple and elegant
container 10 for packaging goods which is aesthetically
appealing and which facilitates carrying.
It should be apparent to those of skill in the
art that modifications and variations may be made to the
present invention without departing from the scope
~ thereof as defined by the appended claims.
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