Transporting device for beer kegs and propane tanks

Receptacles – End wall structure – Support structure

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C206S501000, C206S511000, C206S514000, C220S771000, C220SDIG001

Reexamination Certificate

active

06302291

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a device for transporting and storing containers, and particularly to stacking and transporting beer kegs and propane tanks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Draft beer is sold by brewers and distributers in kegs of different sizes that contain different quantities of beer. These kegs are frequently sold to individuals for personal use such as at parties and other social functions. The most popular sizes are referred to as quarter kegs and half kegs. Quarter kegs or barrels contain about 31 quarts of beer, while half kegs or barrels contain about 62 quarts of beer. These kegs are difficult to handle because they are unwieldy and heavy and are difficult to transport, frequently being placed in the trunk of a car or in the bed of a pick-up truck. The shape of the kegs is cylindrical, with the height being greater than the diameter. The most stable position is horizontal, however, unless otherwise restrained, the cylindrical shape of the keg causes it to roll.
Various pallets are available for transporting and storing kegs. However, these devices typically are designed to hold a plurality of kegs, and are useful for truckers to transport a plurality of kegs from the brewery to the distributors, but are not of much use to the individual who typically must transport the keg from the distributor or point of sale to his/her home.
One such device, set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,003 to Rose et al. discloses a twin sheet pallet formed from a pair of thermoplastic material sheets comprising top and bottom platforms with a plurality of four columns projecting from the bottom platform to provide support for the device when loaded with four barrels or kegs. A plurality of parallel ribs provides both a method of joining the platforms as well as rigidity. A series of legs extending down from the bottom surface corresponds with a series of pockets in the top surface to allow the devices to be nested when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,678 to McClellan discloses a stacking and transporting device for a pair of beer kegs. The upper surface includes a pair of saddles for receiving a horizontally-oriented beer keg over a vertically-oriented beer keg. The device also includes apertures through the cylindrical side of the device to permit ready access for beer-dispensing means such as hoses connected to a valve.
Another device set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,599 to Brown et al. discloses a saddle adapted to hold and restrain a pair of kegs on top of each other. The saddle has a concave bottom portion that rests atop an upright or vertically oriented keg and a top portion that includes a pair of spaced shoulders to support the horizontally oriented keg.
However, none of the prior art devices addresses the problem associated with transporting individual kegs or barrels of beer. What is needed is a lightweight device to facilitate handling of a keg of beer, while also providing the required stability to transport a keg of beer on the bed of a pick-up truck or in the trunk or rear of a vehicle.
Propane is another substance that is typically sold in tanks of different sizes that contain different quantities of propane. These tanks are frequently sold to individuals for personal use in gas grills or for supplying the fuel for gas logs in a home. One of the most popular sizes of propane tanks is a 20 lb. tank which contains approximately 20 pounds of propane fuel. These tanks, like beer kegs, are also difficult to handle and transport because they are unwieldy, heavy and frequently need to be placed in the trunk of a car or in the bed of a pick-up truck for transport. The shape of the tanks is substantially cylindrical, with the height being greater than the diameter. The propane tank is frequently stood upright for transport, however, unless otherwise restrained, the cylindrical shape of the tank causes it tip over and the roll around the car or truck uncontrolled, which can be a potential safety hazard.
Various devices have been developed for the transportation of a single propane tank. However, these devices are either complicated to use, difficult to load with the propane tank or are unstable when loaded with a propane tank. Therefore, what is needed is a lightweight and easy to use device to facilitate handling of a propane tank, while also providing the required stability to transport a propane tank on the bed of a pick-up truck or in the trunk or rear of a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a moldable molded shipping device for handling and storing one cylindrical container. Although the device allows for the handling and storing of a single cylindrical container, it also permits the stacking of two or more containers, one on top of the other. The device is comprised of a top surface, a bottom surface, and a intermediate surface positioned between the top and the bottom surfaces. Each of the top surface, the bottom surface and the intermediate surface lie in substantially parallel planes. The handling and storage device includes an outer perimeter that connects the top and bottom surfaces. The outer perimeter is substantially at right angles to the planes that include the top and bottom surfaces. The outer perimeter, although substantially at right angles to the planes that connect the top and bottom surfaces, may vary slightly from 90°. This slight deviation from right angles will assist in the manufacturer of an article when the manufacturing method so requires an angle for ease of moldability and separation from the mold. When the outer perimeter assumes a square shape, the sides are of substantially equal length. When the device is rectangular in shape, the ratio of the long side to the short side is no more than 1.5 to 1. Molded into the outer perimeter are at least two lifting handle indentations, the indentations located in the outer perimeter opposite one another. If the outer perimeter is cylindrical, the handles are approximately diametrically opposed. If the device is roughly square so that the outer perimeter has four sides, the outer perimeter includes at least two handles located on opposite sides. The indentations may extend completely around the perimeter. There is a cavity in the top surface that extends down to the intermediate surface. The cavity is substantially cylindrical in shape and an arcuate surface connects the top surface and the intermediate surface, the arcuate surface forming the circumferential boundary of the cylindrical cavity while the intermediate surface forms the bottom of the cavity. The arcuate surface forming the inner perimeter, the perimeter of the cavity, has a first diameter at the intermediate surface that corresponds to a first diameter of the cylindrical container that the shipping device is designed to accommodate, the device having a first diameter slightly larger than the corresponding diameter of the container. The handling device has a second diameter at the top surface, the second diameter corresponding to a second diameter of the container, the second diameter of the device being larger than the first diameter. Thus, there is a taper in traversing from the top surface to the intermediate surface. The length of any one side of the device must be larger than the second diameter of the device at the top surface to provide optimum stability. If the cylindrical container that is to be handled by the shipping device has a constant diameter along its cylindrical axis, the first diameter and the second diameter of the device will have roughly the same dimensions, the diameters being slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical container so that the cylindrical container seats on the intermediate surface while being bounded by the arcuate surface. Usually, however, the shipping device will have a first or lower diameter that is slightly smaller than its diameter at its mid-point, so that there is a taper. In this situation, the arcuate surface will diverge outward in the direction from the intermediate surface to the top surface. Thus, the second

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