Claims
- 1. In a basket construction including a generally rectangular top frame defining elongated frame legs, a similar rectangular basket bottom of smaller peripheral dimensions than the inner periphery of the top frame, at least two side wall means extending between said top frame and basket bottom to maintain said frame and bottom in spaced parallel relation, each said side wall means being disposed in vertical planes whose thickness is bounded between a vertical projection at the inner periphery of the frame leg of the top frame and a vertical projection of the corresponding edge of the basket bottom, the vertical extent of each side all means being defined by a series of spaced, parallel, inclined, wire-like elements of substantially the same gauge whose horizontal projections onto a vertical plane, that is substantially parallel to the wall means, are substantially parallel lines inclined to the traces of the spaced parallel top frame and basket bottom, and whose projections, onto a horizontal plane provide traces that are spaced from each other and from the traces of the top frame, means on the basket for spacing two identical nested baskets a distance greater than the gauge of the wire-like elements of the side wall means, whereby to prevent said upright elements of the side wall means of one nesting basket from substantial contact with the similar elements of adjacent nested baskets, the side wall means along a pair of parallel sides of the basket providing abutment elements which permit basket nesting when baskets are identically aligned and provided for basket stacking when vertically adjacent identical baskets are rotated relative to each other to bring different side wall means of the basket into vertical alignment with each other.
- 2. A basket construction as in claim 1 wherein the abutment elements of each side wall means include multiple sets of both an abutment shoulder and a support foot whose vertical projections onto a horizontal plane provide traces located only in the region bounded by said vertical planes which define the respective side wall means, each said set of shoulder and foot being located within an aliquot sub-portion of the length of a vertical projection of the adjacent edge of the basket bottom, each said shoulder and foot traces having a length parallel to the adjacent top frame leg that is less than the minimum spacing between two adjacent elements of the side wall means, and portions of side wall means of an upper basket telescoping within the top frame of a lower basket and aligningly cooperating therewith when the baskets have been rotated away from an identical arrangement, so as to locate abutment feet of one wall means vertically above abutment shoulders of another wall means to effect proper alignment for stacking baskets one on top of another.
- 3. A basket as in claim 2 wherein both the abutment shoulders and support feet are formed as part of the wire-like elements of the sidewall means.
- 4. A basket as in claim 2 wherein the abutment shoulders are formed integral with the top frame and extend inwardly of the frame legs of the top frame, and wherein the support feet are formed as part of the wire-like elements of the side wall means.
- 5. A basket as in claim 1 wherein the side wall means of one pair of parallel sides of the rectangular basket are in mirror image relation to each other, and the side wall means of the other parallel sides of the basket are identical in a rotational relationship relative to a vertical rotational axis that is perpendicular to the center of the basket bottom.
- 6. A basket as in claim 1 wherein the means for spacing the nested baskets a distance greater than the gauge of the wire-like elements includes means on the underside of the basket bottom.
- 7. A basket as in claim 1 wherein the means for spacing the nested baskets a distance greater than the gauge of the wire-like elements includes means on the top frame of the basket.
- 8. A basket as in claim 1 wherein the means for spacing the nested baskets a distance greater than the gauge of the wire-like elements includes a portion of a metal wire whose vertical dimension is greater than the maximum gauge of the wire-like elements, serving as the top frame of the basket.
- 9. A basket as in claim 8 wherein portions of the metal wire are offset to provide access openings between adjacent abutting top frames of nesting baskets.
- 10. A basket as in claim 1 wherein the basket bottom is defined in part by extensions of the wire-like elements of the side walls bent to lie substantially in a horizontal plane and welded together.
- 11. A basket as in claim 1 wherein side wall means are provided below the frame legs of the rectangular top frame along only two opposite sides of the rectangular basket, and the other two sides of the rectangular basket below the frame legs of the rectangular top frame being substantially open to permit withdrawal of goods stored in the basket through such substantially open sides of the basket.
- 12. A basket as in claim 1 wherein a basket either nests or stacks with an identical basket upon rotation of 180.degree..
- 13. A basket as in claim 1 wherein the top frame and basket bottom are square, and there being four side wall means extending between top frame and basket bottom, each side wall means providing abutment elements therein, and the rotation of a basket being 90.degree. between nesting and stacking attitudes relative to an identical basket.
- 14. In a basket construction wherein an identical pair of baskets of generally rectangular periphery are adapted to be selectively stacked or nested, respectively either one above another or one within the other, by merely rotating one basket in its plane about a vertical axis, the baskets being nestable when corresponding walls of the baskets are in vertical alignment with each other and the baskets stacking when different walls of the baskets are in vertical alignment with each other, the improvement comprising, in combination:
- each basket having a top frame of rectangular periphery providing generally straight peripheral frame legs, and a basket bottom of generally rectangular periphery, with frame legs of the top frame being joined to the basket bottom by side walls means that include at least one pair of opposite side walls that are a mirror image of each other;
- each of said mirror image side walls being disposed in a vertical plane whose thickness is bounded between a vertical projection of the inner periphery of the associate frame leg of the top frame and a vertical projection of the corresponding edge of the basket bottom;
- said mirror image side walls each including in said vertical plane thereof, a first plurality of longitudinally spaced upper abutments and a second plurality of longitudinally spaced lower abutments respectively adjacent the top frame and basket bottom, inclined upright spacer members extending between the top frame and the basket bottom, said abutments and spacer members being constructed and arranged so that the lower abutments on an upper basket engage upper abutments on a lower basket when the baskets are stacked, and with the lower abutments on the upper basket being longitudinally offset relative to the upper abutments on a lower basket when the baskets are nested.
- 15. A basket construction as in claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of spaced upper abutments of a side wall on a basket are offset longitudinally of each of the plurality of spaced lower abutments on the said side wall of the basket.
- 16. A basket construction as in claim 15 wherein the inclined upright spacer members extend between upper abutments and lower abutments.
- 17. A basket construction as in claim 16 wherein the inclined upright spacer members extend between upper abutments and lower abutments and the upper abutments and lower abutments are both formed integral with and as part of the inclined upright members.
- 18. A basket construction as in claim 16 wherein the inclined upright spacer members extend between upper abutments and lower abutments and one set of abutments is formed integral with and as part of the inclined upright members, and the other abutments are provided on one of the top frame or basket bottom.
- 19. A basket construction as in claim 16 wherein the inclined upright spacer members extend between upper abutments and lower abutments and the lower set of abutments is formed integral with and as part of the inclined upright members, the top frame being in the form of a flat wire whose edges are disposed vertically of the basket, and the upper set of abutments being provided as flanges integral with and extending inwardly from the top frame.
- 20. A basket construction as in claim 14 wherein the inclined upright spacer members are elongated wires that are shaped to provide upper abutments at the ends thereof adjacent the top frame and bottom abutments at the ends thereof adjacent the basket bottom.
- 21. A basket construction as in claim 14 wherein the top frame is provided by a flat wire whose width is greater than its thickness, the flat wire being disposed so its width generally extends vertically of the basket.
- 22. A basket construction as in claim 21 wherein the flat wire of the top frame has a plurality of spaced flanges thereon extending inwardly thereof to provide the plurality of upper abutments.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 502,626 filed Sept. 3, 1974 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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502626 |
Sep 1974 |
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