Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct – Handle – handle component – or handle adjunct
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-12
2001-05-15
Moy, Joseph M. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
Handle, handle component, or handle adjunct
C220S762000, C220S767000, C220S764000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230925
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to handles. More particularly, the invention relates to handles fastenable to a container and which provide a lightweight, yet strong and stable platform for carrying the container.
2. Prior Art
Handles of one kind or another have been manufactured and used for as long as there have been things to carry. In particular, container handles have experienced significant advances in design and manufacture over the years to provide hidden handles, handles that are maintained away from the container wall, handles which lock in various positions and spring loaded handles. While all of these handles are useful for their intended purposes, they have drawbacks of one kind or another such as excessive weight, excessive size, excessive expense and unacceptable generation of forces in particular areas which may not be desirable. One prior art handle provides significant reduction of stresses in the handle allowing lighter, less expensive materials to be used. This has been a great benefit to the art. Unfortunately, U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,755 is relatively large and can only be employed on larger containers. This is due in part to the size of the stationary bracket that holds the handle to the container. Reducing the size of the bracket and reconfiguring its function is the subject of this disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by the lightweight stress reducing handle of the invention.
The handle of the invention is an extremely lightweight handle having a pre-engineered stress reducing construction in combination with handle stop capability which depends upon a feature of the container to which the handle is mounted while maintaining contact zones in stress reduced angles. The handle is even more lightweight and compact than the prior art and advantageously can be mounted on a small container as well as a large container. More particularly, the handle of the invention comprises a stationary bracket portion mountable to a wall of a container adjacent a portion of the container which provides a stop surface upon which the handle portion, pivotally mounted in said stationary bracket, may bear. The handle is engineered such that the contact plane between stop surfaces on the handle portion and the portion of the container acting as a stop surface will be approximately 45° to the mounting surface of the stationary bracket. Providing a cooperating surface designed to contact a feature of a container at a particular preset angle of about 45° significantly reduces stress in the handle and provides for substantially more longevity in the handle. Moreover, the reduced stress in the handle allows the use of cheaper, lighter and less structurally strong materials. Employing the 45° contact surface removes concern regarding the material of the container as well since the force acting thereon is significantly lower than it might otherwise be.
The handle of the invention is most preferably spring loaded and easily disassembled from a stationary bracket once such bracket is not attached to the container.
The above-discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.
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Aponte Rene R.
Hardigg James S.
Wells, Jr. Robert L.
Hardigg Industries Inc.
McCormick Paulding & Huber LLP
Moy Joseph M.
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