Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02542917 2006-04-11
A Carton Holder
DESCRIPTION
[Para 1 ] This invention relates to the field of hand manipulated handling
devices
and more specifically a handling device adapted for cartons particularly for
containing
beverages.
Discussion of the Prior Art
[Para 2] There are many infirmities related to aging, injury and disease which
result in a
reduction of motor skills and limb strength particularly in the arms and
hands. For
example, arthritis, carpet tunnel syndrome, muscular dystrophy and injury
induced paralysis
often restrict the ability of individuals to grasp and firmly hold objects
such as smooth
surfaced cartons containing milk. Furthermore, the height, considerable width
and weight
of containers, such as 1, 1.5 and 2 liter-sized cartons, make it difficult for
weakened
individuals to manipulate such cartons safely.
[Para 3] The prior art discloses a number of devices that are designed to aid
individuals
to grasp, lift and carry bottles, beverage cans and like containers. Examples
include USP
5806904 issued to Smith on September 1 5, 1998; USP 5695232 issued to Tipp on
December 9, 1997; USP 5183169 issued to Grzych on February 2, 1993; and, USP
6378924
issued to McCumb on April 30, 2002. However, all of these devices are not well
adapted for
use by persons who have diminished strength and motor skills due to age,
injury or disease.
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Furthermore, these devices do not facilitate the safe manipulation of large
square cartons
by such persons.
[Para 4] Therefore, there continues to be a need for a carton holder that is
able to
conveniently hold and permit carriage and manipulation of a large carton by an
individual
with reduced or weakened hand strength.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[Para 5] It is a principle object of the present invention to provide a carton
holder
that overcomes the deficiencies noted above.
[Para 6] Another object of this invention is to provide a carton holder that
is specifically
designed for individuals that have reduced hand strength due to age, injury or
disease.
[Para 7] It is a further object of the invention to provide a carton holder
that is
comfortable and safe to use by persons with weakened hand strength.
[Para 8] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a carton holder
that is
lightweight, easy to manufacture and inexpensive to purchase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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[Para 9] The invented carton holder is designed for use with a beverage carton
having a
substantially square bottom.
[Para 10] The carton holder comprises a square base adapted to accept and
firmly seat
the bottom of the carton. The base comprises a sleeve having an annulus, a
height, an
inside wall, an outside wall, a flat top surface and a flat bottom surface.
The holder also
comprises two arms for firmly grasping the carton within the carton holder and
a handle.
[Para 11 ] The sleeve inside wall is vertical and the sleeve outside wall has
an acclivity
away from the vertical.
[Para 12] In order to facilitate a controlled pouring operation by a person
with weakened
hand strength, there is a first pivot point located at the junction of the
front of the flat
bottom surface of the sleeve and the front bottom end of the sleeve outside
wall and a
second pivot point is located at the front top of the sleeve outside wall. The
first pivot point
is adapted to pivot, on a flat stable surface such as a table top, the carton
holder Y-axis
from a first vertical position to a second position wherein the carton holder
Y-axis is at an
angle of no more than 45 degrees from the vertical. The second position is an
intermediate
stable position whereby the carton is resting on the flat front of the outside
wall of the
sleeve. The second pivot point is adapted to pivot the carton holder Y-axis
from the second
position to a pouring position.
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[Para 13] The grasping arms are formed from an open square having a front
facing gap, a
back end fixed to the handle top end and an inside width. The arms have an
inherent
resiliency so that when the carton is placed within the square the arms will
have an inherent
tendency to flex outwardly to accommodate the slightly larger width of the
carton and
subsequently exert a compressive force against the outside surface of the
carton thereby
firmly grasping it.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[Para 14] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will
be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred
embodiments of
the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like
reference characters
refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not
necessary to
scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the
invention.
[Para 15] Figure 1 is a perspective front view of one embodiment of the
invention shown
in combination with a carton.
[Para 16] Figure 2 is a back view of another embodiment of the invention shown
in
combination with a carton.
[Para 17] Figure 3 is a side view of the invention showing the combined carton
holder and
carton pivoting about a first pivot point with the hand in a slide grip
position.
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[Para 18] Figure 4 is a side view of the same embodiment of the invention as
Figure 3
showing the combination carton holder and carton manipulated by a hand in a
pistol-grip
grasp about the handle.
[Para 19] Figure 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention shown
in
combination with a carton.
[Para 20] Figure 6 is a front view of one embodiment of the invention shown in
combination with a carton.
[Para 21 ] Figure 7 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention.
[Para 22] Figure 8 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[Para 23] Referring to Figure 1, there is a perspective front view of one
embodiment of
the invention (10), being a carton holder shown in combination with a typical
beverage
carton such as a milk carton (2). For orientation purposes, there is shown an
X axis (15)
and a Y axis (17). The carton and carton holder have a front (21 ) and a back
(23).
[Para 24] The carton may have any volume but generally the size of carton
contemplated
by this invention is between 1 and 2 liters. The invented carton holder may be
sized to
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accommodate such cartons. The carton holder can be dimensioned for any sized
carton of
the type contemplated herein. Typically, a carton (2) is adapted to contain
non-pressured
beverages such as milk or juice. The carton (2) typically has a top portion
(3), a spout (5),
and a body portion (6) with sidewall (7) and a carton seating surface (8)
comprised of four
carton supporting surfaces.
(Para 25) Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the carton holder (10) is shown in
side view
combination the carton (2). The carton holder is adapted to securely grasp and
hold a
carton in order to meet the objectives of the invention. The preferred
embodiment of the
carton holder shown in Figure 2 comprises base means (12) adapted to securely
seat the
bottom of the carton therein, carton grasping means (14) adapted to firmly
grasp the carton
body portion and hold it within the invention and handle means (16) disposed
between and
connecting together the carton grasping means (14) and base (12). The handle
means
allows the user to use the carton holder in a slide-grip and pistol-grip
fashion as explained
below.
[Para 26] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2, base means comprises a square
sleeve (18)
having an annulus (31 ), an inside surface (20) comprising four vertical
walls, an outside
surface (22) comprising four inclined walls, a top surface (24) and a bottom
surface (26).
The sleeve has a height (25). Top surface (24) is flat. Bottom surface (26) is
also flat and
provides overall stability on the X-axis (15) and about the Y axis (17) of the
invention when
holding a carton as depicted in Figure 1. Annulus (31 ) has a generally square
shape having
a generally equal length (28) and width (30). Sleeve inside surface (20) is
vertical and
adapted to engage in a contacting relationship the outside surface of the
carton resulting in
carriage of the weight of the upright carton by the sleeve bottom surface.
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[Para 27] Referring now to Figure 1 and Figure 3, there is shown the invented
carton
holder in combination with a carton. The hand (33) is inserted between the
handle (16) and
the carton (2) in a slide-grip fashion. The slide-grip is used when the
individual does not
have the hand strength or motor skills necessary to firmly grasp the handle in
a pistol-grip
fashion. The weight of the carton holder and carton combination is balanced on
the dorsal
side of the hand as illustrated in Figure 3 and the force required to move the
carton holder
and carton combination from a vertical position to a pouring position and back
to a vertical
position can be provided by the arm and shoulder. In Figure 3, the front
inclined outside
wall (39) of the sleeve (18) is linear and flat against table surface (41 ).
It has a slope angle
(55) that facilitates tipping the carton holder and carton combination
forwards along the X
axis (15) in order to pour the contents of the carton into a receptacle. First
pivot point (60)
is located at the bottom of the front outside wall (39) and second pivot point
(62) is located
at the top of the front outside wall (39). An angle (55) of less than 45
degrees from the
vertical or greater than 45 degrees from the horizontal is appropriate as it
permits tipping
of the combination in a controlled fashion about the first pivot point (60)
but prevents
tipping of the combination about the second pivot point (62) unless additional
force is
exerted on the combination by the individual. The second pivot point (62) is
adapted to
pivot the carton holder and carton combination from the stable intermediate
position to a
third pouring orientation that is greater than 45 degrees and less than 90
degrees from the
horizontal.
[Para 28] Referring now to Figure 4, the combined carton holder and carton is
shown
when the carton holder is gripped in a pistol-grip fashion. Front outside wall
(39) is flat
against the surface (41 ). The combined carton (2) and carton holder (10) are
shown having
passed the first pivot point (60) but not the second pivot point (62). Spout
(5) is open to
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pour the contents of the carton. In the pistol-grip the thumb (130) of the
hand (33) is
placed on the notch (71 ) adapted to receive it. The fingers of the hand
(122), (124), (126)
and (128) are wrapped around handle (16). Additional forward motion from the
arm and
shoulder of the user is sufficient to move the carton and holder about pivot
point (62) to
affect a pour.
[Para 29] Referring now to Figures 1 to Figure 8, carton grasping means (14)
is adapted
to firmly grasp the carton and hold it within carton holder. Grasping means
(14) comprises
an open square (70) having an open front end thereby forming gap (80). The
open square
is defined by a first arm (72) and a second opposing arm (74). The back
portion (76) of the
square (70) is fixed to the top end of the handle (16) and integral therewith.
The tips (81 )
and (83) respectively of arms (72) and (74) are in a confronting relationship
with gap (80)
between them. The inside width and length of the square are slightly smaller
than the
length and width of the carton it is intended to hold so that when a carton is
placed within
the square the arms will have an inherent tendency to flex outwardly to
accommodate the
slightly larger dimensions of the carton. Once the carton is inserted within
square (70) the
arms will exert a compressive force against the outside surface of the carton
thereby firmly
grasping it in a squeezing relationship.
[Para 30] Still referring to Figures 1 to 8 handle means (16) is described.
Handle means
(16) is an inclined member having a top end (1 O1 ) and a bottom end (103). It
has been
ergonomically designed to permit manipulation of the combined carton and
carton holder
by a person with weakened hand strength caused by disease, accident or aging
in a slide-
grip as shown in Figure 3 or in a pistol-grip fashion as shown in Figure 4.
Handle means
(16) joins the base means (12) and grasping means (14). The length of handle
means (100)
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is sufficient to permit the hand to grasp handle means as shown in Figure 4 in
a pistol-grip
fashion and to permit the carton grasping means (14) to contact the carton
held within the
carton holder at a point near centre of gravity of a full carton for
stability. The top end
(1 O1 ) of handle means (16) includes a notch (71 ) adapted to accommodate the
curved
profile of a human thumb pad which facilitates grasping and manipulation of
the carton
holder. The bottom end (103) of handle means includes a chin-shaped projection
(106)
that is about one inch in length along the X-axis. The bottom surface of the
projection is
flat and contiguous with the bottom surface (26) of sleeve (18). The purpose
of the
projection is to ensure stability about the X axis of the carton and carton
holder
combination by preventing a pivoting action about the bottom (103) of the
handle when the
carton is returned to an upright position. For example, as described
previously, and
referring to Figures 3 and 4, when the carton is returned from a pouring
position to a
vertical position, the individual with weak hand strength may not be able to
adequately
control the carton as it pivots about first pivot point (60) back to the
vertical position.
Therefore, the projection (106) exists to ensure that the combination carton
and carton
holder does not rotate backwards about the bottom of handle means.
[Para 31 ] Handle means (16) inside surface (110) includes a gripping surface
(1 12) that
includes a plurality of aligned alternating raised areas (1 14) and hollows
(116) of
diminishing size from top to bottom that are adapted to conform to the
circumference of an
individual's fingers when gripped in a pistol grip fashion as illustrated in
Figure 4. In the
pistol gripping mode the palmal sides of the index (122), middle (124), ring
(126) and small
(128) fingers are in comfortable contact with the hollows and the thumb pad
(130) is in
contact with groove (71 ). The inside surface of handle means is sufficiently
wide to
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comfortably distribute the weight of the carton and carton holder combination
across the
dorsal side of the individual's fingers.
[Para 32] As shown in Figure 3, the raised areas (1 14) and hollows (1 16) are
also adapted
to conform to dorsal side of an individual's fingers when the carton holder
and carton
combination is being manipulated in a slide-grip fashion. In this gripping
mode the dorsal
side of the base of the metacarpals (132), (134), (136) and (138) of each
finger is in contact
with the hollows with the carpals (knuckles) (not shown) acting as an abutment
against the
grip. The thumb pad (130) is positioned at (140) on top of the handle at the
point where
square (70) joins handle means (16). To reduce stress in the thenar muscles
between the
thumb and the index finger (122) that control the thumb (129), square (70) is
joined to the
handle at a point slightly below the top (1 Ol ) of handle means. This is
illustrated in Figure
3, where the top crest (1 O1 ) of handle means is shown rising slightly above
the back of
square (70). Being able to use a slide grip permits the lifting and
manipulation of a carton
and carton holder combination as the weight of the carton is carried on the
dorsal side of
the hand and no grasping is required to control the carton.
[Para 33J Handle means (16) possesses an acclivity (150) that creates a void
(1 52)
between the inside surface (110) of handle means (16) and the outside surface
of the carton
(2) to permit the fingers of a person's hand to grasp handle means in either a
pistol- grip or
slide-grip fashion. The acclivity (150) is generally less than 30 degrees from
the vertical
but may be more or less in other possible embodiments of the invention.
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[Para 34] The carton holder is manufactured by means of known injection
molding
techniques using known light weight and resilient materials that are capable
of maintaining
their resiliency when under cold temperatures. Injection molding permits easy
and
inexpensive manufacturing of the invention.
[Para 35] The invented carton holder and carton and carton holder combination
are
applicable in any situation where the gripability and ability to manipulate of
a large carton
needs to be augmented. It is advantageously applicable in situations where
persons who
have weakened hand strength and motor skills need to manipulate large cartons.
[Para 36] Although this description contains much specificity, these should
not be
construed as limiting the scope of the invention by merely providing
illustrations of some of
the embodiment of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be
determined by
the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples
given.
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