Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ANDLED CONTAINER
Rack~round of the Invention
Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to handled containers, and more particularly to a
5 handle member which may be integrally molded to or otherwise aKached to a container. The
handle member also contains a cable member which can be easily attached to the handle
member without the assistance of additional hardware.
The Prior Art
Containers having handles are well known in the art. U.S. Patent Nos. 1,090,122 and
10 1,443,995 disclose handles for ~ chment to a container. The '122 patent discloses a handle
which is secured to a container by rivets. The handle includes a rope which is retained
within a metal sleeve having a plurality of corrugations which help to secure the rope within
the sleeve. The '995 patent discloses a handle which is also secured to a container by rivets.
The handle consists of a metal cylinder and split rings which secure a rope handle. Other
15 prior art containers may include a rope handle, whereby the ends of the rope handle are
fused or otherwise secured within apertures located in the container side walls.While the aforementioned patented containers, and other like configured containers work
well and have been accepted commercially, certain shortcomings prevent them fromrepresenting an optimum solution to the needs of the consumers and manufactures.20 Specifically, both the '122 and '995 patents disclose handles which require additional
hardware to aKach together the handle member and container. Also, once the handle
member and cable or rope member are secured together, additional hardware is again
required to separate them. This is especially important in the event the cable member would
need to be replaced or repaired. Finally, the containers with the rope handle ends fused
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within side wall apertures have disadvantages including limited load potential and diff1culty
in cleaning.
Summarv of the Invention
The subject invention solves the needs of the market by providing a container having
S a handle member attached to the exterior side wall of the container. The handle member
includes a flexible cable which can be attached or detached to the handle by the end user
without the use of any additional hardware.
The handle member can be integrally molded to the container, and includes a channel
which extends between two opposing side walls of the handle member. The channel secures
10 the cable within the handle member, until the user desires to separate the cable and handle
member. Projections, located adjacent to the ends of the channel, approximately adjacent to
the handle side walls, assist in retaining the cable within the channel. In addition, rib
members provide support to the channel, and assist in distributing the load of the container
throughout the width of the handle member.
Accordingly, it is an objective to provide a container having a handle member which
can be integrally molded to or otherwise secured to a container, without the requirement of
additional assembly hardware.
It is another objective to provide for a container having a flexible cable member
which can be easily attached to or separated from the handle member.
It is a further objective to provide for a container having a handle member and cable
attached to the exterior portion of the container, allowing the container to be easily cleaned.
Yet a still further objective is to provide a container and handle member which can be
economically and readily manufactured, shipped and assembled.
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These and other objectives, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are
achieved by a preferred embodiment which is described in detail below, and which is
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
A preferred exemplary bucket and handle incorporating the concepts of the present
S invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings without aKempting to
show all the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied, the
invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.
Description of the Accompanyin~ Drawin~s
Fig. l is a perspective view of the container and handle comprising the subject
1 0 invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the handle taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a boKom plan view of the container as illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a side elevational view thereof.
Fig. 5 front elevational view thereof.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the handle taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 5.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring first to Figs. 1-2, the subject container 10 and handle member 12 are
illustrated. The container 10 can be a vessel of any shape or size, which has a chamber
formed and defined by a boKom wall 14 and side walls 16. The handle member 12 can be
20 integrally molded or otherwise secured to an exterior of the container 10. It is preferred that
the container and handle member be molded of a suitable durable plastic material, such as
polyethylene, but the container and handle could be formed of other materials without
departing from the spirit of this invention. The configuration of the container 10 and handle
member 12 allow the container to be nested within a plurality of like containers 10 without
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exposing the handle member to any potential damage. Therefore, the containers 10 can be
easily stacked and stored or shipped to various locations.
Generally, the container 10 as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3-5, has a bottom wall 14 and a
peripheral side wall 16. The container side wall 16 may contain an upper skirt 18 which
5 extends outwardly from the generally vertical portions of the side walls 16.
The two handle members 12 illustrated in Figs. 1 -5 are integrally molded to theexterior of the container side wall 16, approximately adjacent to a container upper rim 20.
Thus, the container upper rim 20 helps to provide additional strength and stability to the
handle members 12. The attachment ofthe handle members 12 to the container exterior side
10 wall 16 creates a smooth surface for the container interior, thereby providing for a surface
which is easy to clean. In addition, the handle members 12 secured to the container exterior
provide for a handled container which is capable of carrying a heavy load and distributing
the load throughout the handle. A flexible cable member 22 is retained within the handle
member 12, as described in detail later, such that the user can easily lift the container 10
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the handle member 12 generally consists of a front wall 24,
top wall 25, and two opposing side walls 26. The handle member 12 may be integrally
molded or secured to the container exterior side wall 16, such that the exterior side wall 16
is acting as a rear wall of the handle member 12. The handle member 12 may be
additionally supported by rib members 30 which are oriented in a bottom portion of the
20 handle member 12. The rib members 30 are approximately parallel to the handle side walls
26. Specifically as illustrated in Fig. 2, the rib members 30 are interposed bet~,veen the
container exterior side wall 16 and the handle front wall 24. In addition, the top edges of the
rib members 30 are approximately adjacent to the container upper rim 20 and the handle top
25 wall 25, thereby providing additional support and stability to the handle member 12. An
additional rib member 32 may also extend approximately perpendicular to the handle side
walls 26 as more clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 & 6. Thus, the rib member 32 is generally
interposed between the two handle side walls 26, and provides additional support to the
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handle member 12. The length and width of the rib members 30 & 32, as well as the
number of rib members can vary depending upon the choice of material and maximum load
desired for the container. A generally C shaped channel 28, for retaining the cable member
22, is defined by the handle side walls 26 and the rib members 30. The channel 28 extends
5 approximately the width of the handle member 12 and is interposed between the two
opposing handle side walls 26.
One of the purposes of the rib members 30 & 32, and the handle side walls 26 is to
support the handle member 12 and channel 28, and to assist in guiding and retaining the
cable 22 within the channel 28. For example, the rib members 30 & 32, and handle side
10 walls 26 provide strength to the handle member 12 when the user is lifting a loaded
container 10. The rib members 30 & 32, and handle side walls 26 also assist in preventing
the container 10 from flexing and deforming in shape when the container 10 is loaded and
subsequently lifted. In addition, the rib members 30 & 32, and handle side walls 26 also
help to prevent longitudinal movement of the cable 22, while continuing to permit pivotal
15 movement of the cable 22 while the cable is retained within the channel 28.
Also, the rib members 30 & 32 help to provide additional support to the handle
member 12 by distributing the load evenly throughout the handle member 12 when a loaded
container 10 is lifted. Specifically, when a user lifts the loaded container 10 the cable 22
will apply a significant amount of pressure directly onto the channel 28, which is supported
20 in part by the rib member 32. Since, the rib member 32 extends the width of the handle
member 12 the rib member 32 assists in evenly distributing the load of the container 10
throughout the width of the handle member 12, rather than concentrating the load at any one
point in the handle.
Figs. 2 & 6 illustrate the retaining means generally located adjacent to the ends of the
channel 34 at the handle side walls 26 . The retaining means assist in retaining the cable
member 22 within the channel 28 and the handle side wall 26. The retaining meansgenerally comprise projections 36 such as fingers or tabs which are located adjacent to the
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channel ends 34. The projections 36 protrude inwardly towards the center of the channel
ends 34 and therefore help to prevent the cable member 22 from being inadvertently
separated from the channel 28.
Once the cable member 22 is inserted within the C shaped channel 28, the projections
5 36 act to help retain the cable member 22 within the channel 28. Once the cable member 22
is forcibly inserted within the channel 28, through the opening between the projections 36,
the cable member 22 is in tight engagement with the channel 28 and the projections 36.
Generally, the cable member 22 is a continuous ring shaped member which allows the
cable member 22 to easily be inserted and retained within the channel 28. The ends of a
10 cable member 22 may be secured together by a variety of attachment means including but
not limited to fusing and clamping, thereby forming a continuous cable member. The cable
member 22 may be formed from a variety of materials including rope, cordage, or vinyl
tubing.
Once the cable member 22 is inserted within the channel 28, the rib members 30 &15 32, and projections 36 help to retain the cable member 22 within the channel 28, when the
user lifts the loaded container 10. The diameter of the cable member 22 should be
approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the channel 28, thereby ensuring a
tight engagement of the cable 22, channel 28 and projections 36.
If the user desires, the cable member 22 can be detached or withdrawn from the
20 channel 28 and handle member 12. The user can withdraw the cable member 22 from the
channel by pulling the cable member 22 in a downward direction through the opening
between the projections 36.
While the above describes the ~; lert;ll~d embodiment of the subject invention, the
invention is not intended to be so confined. Other embodiments apparent to those skilled in
25 the art, which utilize the teachings hereof, are intended to be within the scope and spirit of
the present invention.
