Special receptacle or package – Structural features for nesting identical receptacles or... – Having defined means to limit extent of nesting
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2001-08-21
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 3727)
Special receptacle or package
Structural features for nesting identical receptacles or...
Having defined means to limit extent of nesting
C206S520000, C206S506000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276530
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to containers, and particularly, but nor exclusively, to containers for use in delivering goods to retail premises.
Goods being dispatched to retail premises are conventionally packed into reusable containers, boxes or crates which can be stacked on each other during transportation and storage. In order to facilitate return transportation when empty, it is conventional to design the containers to be nestable one within the other, so that a large number of empty containers can be stored or transported in a compact manner. Nesting is conventionally achieved by providing side walls which slant or slope up to the upper mouth of the container, so that the base of another container can be received partially into an empty container below. However, the slanting nature of the walls can give rise to packing problems, particularly in relation to goods which are packed in parallelepipedal packaging. The slanting of the walls means that lateral movement of the goods may not be adequately prevented, giving rise to the risk of damage, particularly during transit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a container comprising walls upstanding from a base to define a space within which items may be placed, the walls being sloped to allow the container to nest within a like container, and the container further comprising at least one filler member locatable within the space at a position fixed relative to one of the walls, the filler member, when so located, defining a substantially vertical boundary to the said space.
The filler member may be releasably fixed as aforesaid. The filler member is preferably movable away from the said fixed position, to allow nesting. The filler member may be attached to the container, and movable to or away from the fixed position. The filler member is preferably hingedly attached to the container.
The filler member may be attached to hinge down to the base when moving away from the fixed position. The filler member is preferably hingedly attached to the container along a lower edge of the filler member.
Alternatively, the filler member may be attached to hinge out of the container space. The filler member may be attached to hinge out to a position alongside the outer surface of the container. The filler member may be hingedly attached to the container along an upper edge of the filler member.
Preferably a plurality of filler members are provided. Each wall of the container preferably has an associated filler member.
The container preferably further comprises lid means attachable to the container to close the container space from above. The lid means may be adjustably attachable to allow the sides of the container space to be altered. The lid means may be attachable by means of a line of slots, and a tab movable into a selectable one of the slots to be retained thereby. The slot means may comprise a line of retention slots connected by a connection slot along which the tab is movable between retention slots. There may be a plurality of attachment means as aforesaid. Preferably, attachment means as aforesaid are provided to attach the lid means in the region of each corner of the container. The attachment means may be provided, in part by the filler member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3375953 (1968-04-01), Miller
patent: 4572374 (1986-02-01), Sirotkin
patent: 4720013 (1988-01-01), Nichols et al.
patent: 4760784 (1988-08-01), Whiteside
patent: 5335789 (1994-08-01), Taravella et al.
patent: 5360114 (1994-11-01), Weidt
patent: 6089373 (2000-07-01), Cope
patent: 0 565 388 A2 (1993-10-01), None
patent: 2 311 276 (1997-09-01), None
patent: 2 325 663 (1998-12-01), None
patent: WO 98/04467 A1 (1998-02-01), None
Adams, Schwartz & Evans P.A.
Castellano Stephen
McKenzie Components Limited
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