Container assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9469024-B2
Application number	US-89749010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2010
Priority date	Oct 4, 2010
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A container system having a base unit and a removable container unit. The base unit includes a base container portion and a base handle having a first end portion attached to at least one of the opposing side walls of the base container portion, a second end portion attached to at least another of the opposing side walls of the base container portion, and an extending portion extending between the first end portion and the second end portion. The base unit also includes a first latch region. The removable container unit includes a second latch region constructed and arranged to latch with the first latch region. The removable container unit prevents access to the opening of the base unit when the removable container unit is attached to the base unit and permits access to the opening of the base unit when the removable container unit is removed from the base unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A container system comprising:
a base unit comprising i) a base container portion having walls, including at least a first pair of opposing side walls and a second pair of opposing side walls, the side walls defining an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored, the second pair of opposing side walls disposed on a front side and rear side of the container system, respectively, ii) a base handle having a first end portion attached to one of the first pair of opposing side walls, a second end portion attached to the other of the first pair of opposing side walls, and an extending portion extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, and iii) a first latch region and a third latch region; and
a removable container unit constructed and arranged to be removably attached to the base unit, the removable container unit preventing access to the opening of the base unit when the removable container unit is attached to the base unit and permitting access to the opening of the base unit when the removable container unit is removed from the base unit, the removable container unit comprising:
a removable container portion having a storage space for storing items,
a cover movable between an open condition permitting access to the storage space and a closed condition preventing access to the storage space;
a second latch region constructed and arranged to latch with the first latch region; and
a fourth latch region constructed and arranged to latch with the third latch region,

wherein the removable container unit is attached to the base unit when the first latch region is latched with the second latch region and the third latch region is latched with the fourth latch region and is removable from the base unit when the first latch region is unlatched with the second latch region,
wherein the extending portion of the base handle is constructed and arranged to traverse over the removable container unit when the removable container unit is attached to the base unit,
wherein the removable container unit further comprises a container handle to facilitate transport of the removable container unit separately from the base unit,
wherein a locking engagement between the third latch region and the fourth latch region includes at least one resilient latch member, the resilient latch member being biased into a lock position during engagement between the third latch region and the fourth latch region to prevent the removable container unit from being removed from the base unit,
wherein unlatching the first latch region from the second latch region enables unlatching between the third latch region and the fourth latch region to permit the removal of the removable container unit from the base unit, and
wherein the first latch region comprises an actuating member constructed and arranged to be actuated to unlatch the first latch region from the second latch region.

2. The container system of claim 1 , wherein the removable container handle that facilitates transport of the removable container unit separately from the base unit is positioned to be on a vertical side of the container system.

3. The container system of claim 1 , wherein the first latch region comprises a latch member and the second latch region comprises a latch engaging structure.

4. The container system of claim 3 , wherein the latch is spring-biased and the latch engaging structure is constructed and arranged to push against the spring-biased latch to engage the latch engaging structure with the latch.

5. The container system of claim 1 , wherein the removable container unit further comprises cover latches, the cover latches being constructed and arranged to latch the cover to the container portion in the closed condition.

6. The container system of claim 1 , wherein the base unit further comprises a handle lock constructed and arranged to lock the handle in an upright position, the handle lock moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position.

7. The container system of claim 6 , wherein the handle is permitted to be moved to a lowered position when the handle lock is in the unlocked position and is prevented from moving to the lowered position when the handle lock is in the locked position.

8. The container system of claim 1 , wherein the extending portion of the base handle is spaced from the cover of the removable container unit when the base handle is in an upright position and the cover of the removable container unit is in the closed condition such that the removable container unit is removed from the base unit when the base handle is in the upright position.

9. A container system comprising:
a base unit comprising i) a base container portion having walls, including at least a first pair of opposing side walls and a second pair of opposing side walls, the side walls defining an opening into an interior space in which articles to be transported can be stored, the second pair of opposing side walls disposed on a front side and rear side of the container system, respectively, ii) a base handle connected to the base container portion, and iii) a first latch region and a third latch region; and
a removable container unit constructed and arranged to be removably attached to the base unit, the removable container unit preventing access to the opening of the base unit when the removable container unit is attached to the base unit and permitting access to the opening of the base unit when the removable container unit is removed from the base unit, the removable container unit comprising:
a removable container portion having a storage space for storing items,
a cover movable between an open condition permitting access to the storage space and a closed condition preventing access to the storage space,
a container handle to facilitate transport of the removable container unit separately from the base unit,
a second latch region constructed and arranged to latch with the first latch region; and
a fourth latch region constructed and arranged to latch with the third latch region,
wherein the removable container unit is removable from the base unit when the first latch region is unlatched with the second latch region;
wherein the container handle is positioned so as to be on a vertical side surface of the container system when the second latch region is latched with the first latch region and forms a top carrying handle for the removable container unit when the removable container unit is removed from the base unit,
wherein a locking engagement between the third latch region and the fourth latch region includes at least one resilient latch member, the resilient latch member being biased into a lock position during engagement between the third latch region and the fourth latch region to prevent the removable container unit from being removed from the base unit,
wherein unlatching the first latch region from the second latch region enables unlatching between the third latch region and the fourth latch region to permit the removal of the removable container unit from the base unit, and
wherein the first latch region comprises an actuating member constructed and arranged to be actuated to unlatch the first latch region from the second latch region.

10. The container system of claim 9 , wherein the first latch region comprises a latch member and the second latch region comprises a latch engaging structure.

11. The container system of claim 10 , wherein the latch is spring-biased and the latch engaging structure is constructed and arranged to push against the spring-biased latch to automatically engage the latch engaging structure with the latch.

1

Assignees

• Bensman Mark
• Fraiman Zvika
• Stanley Works Israel

Inventors

• Bensman Mark
• Fraiman Zvika

Classifications

• B65D25/28

  Handles (of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/46; of bottles or jars B65D23/10 {; holders for glasses, bottles, cartons, plastic bags, cans A47G23/02}) · CPC title

• B65D25/02

  Internal fittings (of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44) · CPC title

• B25H3/023 Primary

  movable relative to one another for access to their interiors · CPC title