Plastic container with lift handle for fork truck transport

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016257445-A1
Application number	US-201615057328-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 1, 2016
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A plastic tote style container having a first handle connected to an upper portion of a first end wall and a second handle connected to an upper portion of a second side wall is provided. The first and second handles are sized and positioned to form openings between the handles and the end walls that can accept a single tine of a fork truck or other similar device. This allows for carrying heavier loads in the tote style container.

First claim

I/we claim:

1 . A tote style container comprising:
a container body having a base, a first side wall, an opposing second side wall, a first end wall and an opposing second end wall; a first handle having an upper portion, the first handle securely mounted to a top portion of the first end wall and forming a first opening between the top portion of the first end wall and the upper portion of the first handle; a second handle having an upper portion, the second handle securely mounted to a top portion of the second end wall and forming a second opening between the top portion of the second end wall and the upper portion of the second handle where the second opening is aligned with the first opening, wherein the first handle and the second handle are positioned and sized to receive a tine of a fork truck through the first opening and second opening.

2 . The container of claim 1 wherein the container body is formed from plastic.

3 . The container of claim 1 wherein each of the end walls and side walls include a plurality of outwardly extending ribs.

4 . The container of claim 3 wherein the first side wall includes a flat portion for labels.

5 . The container of claim 1 wherein the first handle is mounted to the first end wall by screws.

6 . The container of claim 1 wherein the first handle is mounted to the first end wall by bolts.

7 . The container of claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the first handle includes a flat segment extending inward.

8 . The container of claim 7 wherein the upper portion of the second handle includes a flat segment extending inward.

9 . The container of claim 1 wherein the first handle and the second handle are formed from metal.

10 . A tote style container comprising:
a container body having a rectangular base, a first side wall, an opposing second side wall, a first end wall and an opposing second end wall, a first corner portion extending upward from the first end wall and the first side wall, a second corner portion extending upward from the first end wall and the second side wall, a third corner portion extending upward from the second end wall and the first side wall and a fourth corner portion extending upward from the second end wall and second side wall; a first handle connected to the first end wall, the first handle having a horizontal bar extending from the first corner portion to the second corner portion to form an opening between the horizontal bar of the first handle and the first end wall; and, a second handle connected to the second end wall, the second handle having a horizontal bar extending from the third corner portion to the fourth corner portion to form an opening between the horizontal bar of the second handle and the second end wall, wherein the first opening and second opening are sized to receive a tine of a fork truck.

11 . The tote style container of claim 10 wherein a top of the horizontal bar of the first handle is level with a top of the first corner portion and second corner portion, and a top of the horizontal bar of the second handle is level with a top of the third corner portion and fourth corner portion.

12 . The tote style container of claim 10 wherein the horizontal bar of the first handle portion includes an upper planar portion and a lower planar portion substantially perpendicular to the upper planar portion, the lower planar portion extending toward an interior of the container.

13 . The tote style container of claim 12 wherein the horizontal bar of the second handle portion includes an upper planar portion and a lower planar portion substantially perpendicular to the upper planar portion, the lower planar portion extending toward an interior of the container.

14 . The tote style container of claim 10 wherein the horizontal bar of the first handle portion includes a first arm extending downward from a first end of the horizontal bar and a second arm extending downward from a second end of the horizontal bar.

15 . The tote style container of claim 10 wherein each of the first end wall, second end wall, first side wall and second side wall include a plurality of ribs extending outward.

16 . The tote style container of claim 10 wherein the container body comprises a plurality of feet extending downward from the base.

17 . The tote style container of claim 16 wherein the container body comprises a first stringer and a second stringer.

18 . The tote style container of claim 17 wherein the first stringer connects a first foot, a second foot and a third foot proximate the first side of the container and the second stringer connects a first foot, a second foot and a third foot proximate the second side of the container to form a first opening and a second opening.

19 . The tote style container of claim 10 wherein the horizontal bar of the first handle is connected to a first angled portion extending downwardly on a first side and a second angled portion extending downwardly on a second side.

20 . The tote style container of claim 19 wherein the first angled portion is connected to a downwardly extending vertical portion that is secured to the first end wall and the second angled portion is connected to a downwardly extending vertical portion that is secured to the first end wall.

Assignees

• Orbis Corp

Inventors

• Balazs Donald J
• Greiveldinger Link Jay
• Buss Scott J
• Banik Joachim

Classifications

• B65D19/04 Primary

  with bodies moulded or otherwise fabricated in one piece · CPC title

• B65D2519/00666

  Structures not intended to be disassembled · CPC title

• B65D2519/00975

  through the side walls · CPC title

• B65D2519/00422

  on the walls · CPC title

• B65D2519/00497

  whereby at least one side wall is made of one piece · CPC title