Patent Application
20190193893
The present invention relates to a basket assembly, hereinafter referred to also as a “fruit basket”. More particularly, in accordance with a preferred intended use, the present invention relates to a basket assembly, such as the ones used for containing fruits, vegetables and the like, and also relates to a corresponding blank intended for forming the basket assembly, as well as to a corresponding kit for assembling the same, and also relates to corresponding methods of manufacturing, assembly and use associated thereto.
Basket assemblies, such as fruit baskets and the like, are well known in the art.
For instance, an example of a “basket assembly” having been developed by the Applicant(s) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,409,671 B2 granted on Aug. 9, 2016, to LEFEBVRE, the contents of which is selectively incorporated herein by reference, either in part and/or in whole. Indeed, this document describes how there is provided a basket assembly for making a basket, as well as a blank for making the basket assembly. A support sheet is mounted along a bottom wall of a container portion of the basket, either inside or outside of the container, providing a multi-layered assembly. The innermost layer of the support sheet and the container portion define a cut-out portion corresponding to a handle for the basket, which is nested in the innermost layer of the multi-layered assembly. The handle portion has opposing ends which are mounted to the container and side edges which are separable from the innermost layer, allowing to lift the nested handle away from the bottom of the container and to draw it out to provide the basket with a handle. The gap appearing in the innermost layer is covered by the outer layer of the multi-layered assembly.
Also known to the Applicant(s) are the following US documents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,374,366; 2,660,363; 2,675,162; 2,690,289; 2,753,102; 2,851,211; 2,918,206; 3,094,268; 3,700,160; 3,929,274; 3,955,745; 4,034,907; 4,058,248; 4,126,265; 4,742,915; 4,763,833; 5,538,130; 5,855,316; 5,897,051; 7,143,931 B2; 8,020,695 B2; 8,191,761 B2; 2003/0230499 A1; 2004/0182859 A1; 2008/0210581 A1; 2008/0272014 A1; 2009/0121001 A1; 2009/0314786 A1; and 2011/0290809 A1.
Also known to the Applicant(s) are the following other documents: CA 1,000,673 A1; CA 1,080,142 A1; EP 0,919,480 A2; EP 1,262,417 A2; and GB 2,111,949 A.
Despite these various improvements over the years, there is always a need to continue innovating and finding containing items (ex. fruits, vegetables, etc.) within a basket assembly, for example, in a more efficient, more precise, more accurate, more reliable, more ergonomic, more economical, more environmentally-friendly and/or other more desirable manner.
Thus, it would be particularly useful to be able to provide an improved basket assembly which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome or at the very least minimize some of known drawbacks associated with conventional fruit baskets, for example.
An object of the present invention is to provide a basket assembly which, by virtue of its design and components, is intended to satisfy the above-mentioned need, and which thus aims to offer an improvement over other related basket assemblies and/or containment methods known in the prior art.
In accordance with the present invention, the above object is achieved, as will be easily understood from the present description, with a basket assembly such as the one briefly described herein and/or such as the one(s) exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
More particularly, and according to one aspect of the present invention, an object is to provide a basket assembly for containing items, the basket assembly comprising:
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a corresponding blank for assembling the above-mentioned basket assembly and/or at least a portion thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of manufacturing the above-mentioned basket assembly and/or corresponding blank.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of assembling the above-mentioned basket assembly and/or corresponding blank.
Indeed, and for example, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of forming a basket assembly such as the one briefly described herein and/or such as the one(s) exemplified in the accompanying drawings, the method comprises the steps of: a) providing a corresponding blank; and b) folding the blank along a plurality of fold lines and permanently affixing corresponding portions of said blank together to form the basket assembly. The method may further comprise the step of providing a handle, and operatively mounting the handle onto the basket assembly (and/or its containment base).
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of using (ex. operating, etc.) the above-mentioned basket assembly and/or corresponding blank.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of securing/mounting a handle onto the above-mentioned basket assembly and/or corresponding blank.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a kit with components (ex. blank, handle, etc.) for assembling the above-mentioned basket assembly.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a set of components for interchanging with components of the above-mentioned kit.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of assembling components of the above-mentioned kit and/or set.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of doing business with the above-mentioned basket assembly, corresponding blank, associated complementary handle, kit, set and/or method(s).
The objects, advantages, and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. Furthermore, for sake of simplicity and clarity, namely so as to not unduly burden the figures with several reference numbers, only some figures have been provided with reference numbers, and components and features of the present invention illustrated in other figures can be easily inferred therefrom. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions (expressed in inches, for example) shown in the figures are preferred, for exemplification purposes only.
Moreover, although the present invention was primarily designed for use with containing items such as fruits, vegetables and the like (for example), preferably in conjunction with a corresponding handle (and/or the like), it may be used with other objects and/or in other types of applications, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. For this reason, expressions such as “containing”, “fruits”, “vegetables”, “handle”, etc., used herein should not be taken so as to limit the scope of the present invention and include all other kinds of objects and/or applications with which the present invention could be used and may be useful. Indeed, the present invention could be used to contain various other types of products.
Moreover, in the context of the present invention, the expressions “assembly”, “blank”, “product”, “device”, “system”, “unit”, as well as any other equivalent expressions and/or compound words thereof, may be used interchangeably, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. This applies also for any other mutually equivalent expressions, such as, for example: a) “containing”, “holding”, “regrouping”, etc.; b) “base”, “bottom”, etc.; c) “handle”, “strap”, “anse”, etc.; as well as for any other mutually equivalent expressions, pertaining to the aforementioned expressions and/or to any other structural and/or functional aspects of the present invention, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art. Also, in the context of the present description, expressions such as “can”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “would”, etc., may also be used interchangeably, whenever appropriate, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art.
Furthermore, in the context of the present description, it will be considered that all elongated objects will have an implicit “longitudinal axis” or “centerline”, such as the longitudinal axis of a handle or a fastener, for instance, or the centerline of a bore, for example, and that expressions such as “connected” and “connectable”, or “mounted” and “mountable”, may be interchangeable, in that the present invention also relates to a kit with corresponding components for assembling a resulting fully-assembled and fully-operational basket assembly.
Moreover, components and/or features of the present basket assembly, and/or steps of the method(s) described herein, could be modified, simplified, altered, omitted and/or interchanged, without departing from the scope of the present invention, depending on the particular applications which the present invention is intended for, and the desired end results, as briefly exemplified herein and as also apparent to a person skilled in the art.
In addition, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprise various components, and although the preferred embodiments of the basket assembly and corresponding parts as shown consist of certain geometrical configurations, as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential to the invention and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken so as to limit the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperation thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations may be used for the basket assembly and corresponding parts according to the present invention, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Broadly described, the present invention, as exemplified in the accompanying drawings, relates to a basket assembly for containing items therein, such as fruits, vegetables and/or the like, for example, although various other types of products (ex. items, etc.) can be contained with the present basket assembly, as can easily understood by a person skilled in the art.
The present invention may come in the form of a basket assembly, a containment base, a handle, a blank, a kit and/or any other related aspect(s) thereof, including one and/or several of the following possible components and features (and/or different combination(s) thereof):
Indeed, and according to one possible aspect, there is provided a basket assembly for containment items, the basket assembly comprising a containment base including a bottom wall and at least one side wall, said walls defining a containment volume for receiving items to be contained by the basket assembly.
The bottom wall and the at least one side wall may be made of a corrugated cardboard panel having corresponding structural flutes (ex. undulations, etc.). The flutes of the corrugated cardboard panel may consist of inner flutes disposed between at least a pair of opposite outer layers of the corrugated cardboard panel, for example.
According to one possible embodiment, the flutes of the at least one side wall (and/or of at least a portion of said at least one side wall) are disposed in a non-vertical manner. For example, the flutes of the at least one side wall (and/or of at least a portion of said at least one side wall) may be disposed in a slanted (ex. angled, diagonal, etc.) manner. Alternatively, the flutes of the at least one side wall (and/or of at least a portion of said at least one side wall) may be disposed in a substantially horizontal manner. As better shown in the accompanying figures, the flutes of the at least one side wall (and/or of at least a portion of said at least one side wall) may be disposed at an angle with respect to an inner base (ex. inner floor, etc.) of the bottom wall. The angle may be comprised between about 0 degrees and about 180 degrees. Optionally, the angle may be about 45 degrees, if the flutes are disposed in a slanted manner one way, or the angle may be about 135 degrees, if the flutes are disposed in a slanted manner in another opposite way. To the extent that the flutes of the at least one side wall (and/or of at least a portion of said at least one side wall) are disposed in a non-vertical manner, the angle excludes an angle of about 90 degrees.
As can be better appreciated also from the accompanying figures, and according to another aspect of the present system, the basket assembly comprises a handle being configured for selectively (ex. removably, adjustably, etc.) mounting onto the containment base via at one interlocking mechanism.
The interlocking mechanism may comprise complementary first and second components being positioned, shaped and sized for ensuring an interlocking engagement between said components, with at least one component of said first and second components of the interlocking mechanism being operatively provided on the handle, and at least one other component of said first and second components of the interlocking mechanism being operatively provided on the at least one side wall of the containment base.
The first and second components of the interlocking mechanism may include complementary male and female components being positioned, shaped and sized for ensuring an interlocking engagement between said components (ex. between said male and female components, etc.).
According to one possible embodiment, at least one male component of the interlocking mechanism is operatively provided on the handle, and at least one female component of the interlocking mechanism is operatively provided on the at least one side wall of the containment base.
As exemplified in the figures, the first and second components of the interlocking mechanism may include at least one pair of male components, and at least one pair of female components.
Optionally, each male component is operatively provided on a corresponding distal end of the handle, and each female component is operatively provided on a corresponding side (ex. lateral side, etc.) of the at least one side wall of the containment base.
According to a preferred embodiment, each male component is integrally provided (ex. can be part of the same piece and/or same material, etc.) on a corresponding distal end of the handle, and each female component is integrally provided (ex. can be part of the same piece and/or same material, etc.) on a corresponding side (ex. lateral side, etc.) of the at least one side wall of the containment base.
As also better shown in the accompanying figures, each male component may include an insertion portion being shaped and sized for insertion into a corresponding receiving portion of an associated female component. Each male component may also include a retaining portion being shaped and sized for retainment against a corresponding securing portion of then associated female component.
According to a possible embodiment, at least one of the receiving and retaining portions of the associated female component has a polygonal geometrical profile with n sides, n being an integer equal to or greater than 1 (ex. n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.). For example, the receiving portion of the associated female component may have a substantially trapezoidal geometrical profile. For example also, the retaining portion of the associated female component may have a substantially elongated geometrical profile (ex. slit, groove, etc.). Optionally also, at least one of the receiving and retaining portions of the associated female component may include rounded corners. It is worth mentioning that other suitable shapes and forms are contemplated for the different components and features of the present basket assembly, as can be easily understood by a person skilled in the art.
According to another possible embodiment, each male component may comprise one and/or more of the following: a) at least one frontal section; b) at least one tapered section (ex. a pair of tapered sections); c) at least one lateral section (ex. a pair of lateral sections); d) at least one abutment section (ex. a pair of abutment sections); e) at least one transitional section (ex. a pair of transitional sections); f) etc.
Preferably, the handle is made to be substantially symmetrical about a longitudinal axis of said handle, and given that, according to a possible embodiment, the at least one side wall of the containment base comprises a pair of opposite side walls, the handle may be further configured so that a first male component of a first distal end of the handle is selectively engageable with a corresponding first side wall (ex. lateral side wall, etc.) of the at least one side wall of the containment base, and so that a second male component of a second distal end of the handle is selectively engageable with a corresponding second side wall (ex. lateral side wall, etc.) of the at least one side wall of the containment base.
The handle may be further and advantageously configured also so that the first and second male components of the handle are selectively engageable with the second and first side walls (ex. lateral side, etc.) respectively, as well, of the at least one side wall of the containment base, thus, enabling the handle to be “reversible”, etc.
Referring now to the containment base of the basket assembly, each side wall may include at least one lateral side wall, and at least one end side wall. Each side wall may further include at least one corner side wall. Preferably, the at least one side wall comprises a plurality of wall segments, each wall segment being separate from an adjacent segment via at least one folding line.
According to one possible embodiment, the at least one side wall may comprise a pair of opposite wall segments. Optionally also, each wall segment may comprise at least one lateral side wall segment, and at least one end wall segment. Each wall segment may further include at least one corner wall segment.
Optionally also, at least one wall segment (ex. lateral side wall segment, end wall segment, corner segment, etc.) of the plurality of segments of the at least one side wall is provided with at least one orifice (ex. a circle, an ellipse, and/or any other suitable geometrical configuration, etc.). The at least one corner wall segment may be provided with said at least one orifice.
According to one possible embodiment, each wall segment comprises a lateral side wall segment, and a pair of distally spaced end wall segments. Each wall segment may comprise a corner wall segment disposed between the lateral side wall segment and a corresponding end wall segment.
Optionally also, the bottom wall may comprise at least one end wall segment being foldable with respect to a main portion of the bottom wall, the at least one end wall segment being operatively connectable to at least one corresponding end wall segment of the at least one side wall of the containment base. The at least one end wall segment of the bottom wall may be operatively connectable to an outer portion of the at least one corresponding end wall segment of the at least one side wall of the containment base.
According to another possible embodiment, the least one end wall segment of the bottom wall includes a pair of end wall segments, each end wall segment being provided about a corresponding end portion of the main portion of the bottom wall, and each end wall segment of the bottom wall being operatively connectable to an outer portion of at least one corresponding end wall segment of the at least one side wall of the containment base.
The bottom wall and the at least one end wall segment thereof may be made integral to one another (ex. can be made of a same and/or single piece, and/or of the same material, etc.), for example.
According to yet another possible feature, the at least one end wall segment of each wall segment is configured to be aligned with a corresponding end wall segment of another wall segment of the at least one side wall via at least one alignment mechanism. Such an alignment mechanism may be integral (ex. can be made of a same and/or single piece, and/or of the same material, etc.) to the basket assembly. According to a possible embodiment, the at least one alignment mechanism includes at least one pair of corresponding tenon and mortise components provided respectively on opposite first and second end wall segments of the at least one side wall.
According to another possible embodiment, the first and second end wall segments of a first lateral wall segment of the at least one side wall may be configured to be aligned with corresponding first and second end wall segments of second lateral wall segment of the at least one side wall, and optionally, the first and second end wall segments of the first lateral wall segment of the at least one side wall may be provided with tenon and mortise components respectively configured to be aligned with corresponding mortise and tenon components provided on the first and second end wall segments receptively of the second lateral wall segment of the at least one side wall.
Even though the present basket assembly may come in various shapes, forms and sizes, the containment volume of the basket assembly is preferably intended to contain a volume ranging between about 1 L and about 1.5 L.
According to another aspect of the present system, there is provided a blank for forming a containment base of a basket assembly such as the one described in the present patent specification and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. According to yet another aspect of the present system, there is also provided a kit for assembling a basket assembly such as the one described in the present patent specification and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the kit comprising a corresponding blank and an associated handle (or “anse”).
According to yet another aspect of the present system, there is also provided a method of forming a basket assembly such as the one described in the present patent specification and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the method comprises the steps of: a) providing the aforementioned blank; and b) folding the blank along a plurality of fold lines and permanently affixing (ex. via glue, stapling, etc.) corresponding portions of said blank together to form the basket assembly. The method may further comprise the step of providing a handle, and operatively mounting the handle onto the basket assembly (and/or onto the containment base thereof).
According to yet another aspect of the present system, there is also provided a handle to be used with a basket assembly such as the one described in the present patent specification and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and/or with another type of basket assembly altogether. The handle may have one and/or several of the components and features described in the present patent specification and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For example, and contrary to conventional handles typically made of plastic, the handle of the present system may be made of paper, cardboard and/or any other related recycled material. According to one possible embodiment, the handle may be made of a corrugated cardboard panel having corresponding structural flutes, said flutes being inner flutes disposed between at least a pair of opposite outer layers of the corrugated cardboard panel, for example, similarly and/or identically to the material used for the containment base of the basket assembly.
As may now better be appreciated, the present invention is a substantial improvement over the prior art in that, by virtue of its design and components, as explained hereinabove, the present basket assembly enables a user, to contain various items, for example, in a more efficient, more precise, more accurate, more reliable, more adjustable, more versatile, more adaptable, more ergonomic and/or more desirable manner, compared to what is possible with respect to other known conventional basket assemblies and/or containment methods.
For example, the disposition of corresponding structural flutes in the side walls that are not disposed in a “vertical” manner with respect to the base of the bottom wall, that is, the fact that the structural flutes are disposed at “an angle”, and preferably, in a “horizontal” manner, with respect to the base of the bottom wall, results in an overall more structurally sound and reinforced basket assembly, which can sustain a greater load of items present in the containment base. Indeed, contrary to conventional basket assemblies where the flutes are disposed in a vertical manner with respect to the base of the bottom wall, thereby resulting in a slight deviation and corresponding increase of the containment base of about 2-3%, which is very undesirable in that producers are forced to fill up the containment base with more products, which is not necessarily economically advantageous, this is avoided thanks to the above-mentioned innovative components and features of the present basket assembly (i.e. new disposition and orientation of the flutes, etc.).
The present basket assembly is also advantageous in that, contrary to conventional basket assemblies, where the handles are typically made of a wooden and/or a plastic product, which is not only very costly, from an economical point of view, but also from an environmental point of view, the handle of the present basket assembly is intended to be made of paper, cardboard, etc. (and/or any combination and/or any derivative thereof), thereby enabling not only the containment base, but also the handle, to be fully recyclable, once there is no longer need for the corresponding basket assembly.
The present system is also advantageous compared to conventional systems in that, contrary to conventional basket assemblies where the handle is rigidly attached to the containment base, via stapling and/or other non-removable manner (and thus, lots of space is required for storing a shipment of basket assemblies, etc.), the present system allows for the handle to be selectively mountable with respect to the containment base at a more convenient time. More particularly, typically, the handle is meant to be only assembled onto the containment base by the “end-user”, thereby enabling for a plurality of containment bases, and a plurality of corresponding handles, to be conveniently stacked and stored in a more compact manner than what is possible with conventional food baskets, etc.
The present system is also advantageous in that the innovative manner of gluing the corresponding wall segments of the containment base provides for a more structurally sound and rigid end result. Namely, in the present case, according to the present basket assembly, a preferred manner of affixing or gluing wall segments, is to have the bigger and more robust end wall segment of the bottom wall of the containment base to be affixed onto an outer portion of the corresponding end wall segments of the corresponding side walls.
The present system is also advantageous in that the provision of an alignment mechanism enables for the corresponding end wall segments of the corresponding side walls to be properly positioned and aligned in respect with one another before the corresponding end wall segment of the bottom wall is securely affixed onto via appropriate means, such as glue and/or any other equivalent.
The present system is also advantageous compared to other conventional basket assemblies in that it is a “one-handle-fits-all”, with the handle and corresponding interlocking mechanism (and/or corresponding male/female components thereof), being configured so that there is a certain “play” with the height of the specially designed hole provided with corresponding locking feature. The innovative handle of the present system is also advantageous in that it provides for an easier inventory and less risk of human error, because either distal end of the handle and corresponding male component can be removably and selectively insertable into either corresponding female component of the containment base or the basket assembly (and vice-versa).
The particular design of the present interlocking mechanism of the basket assembly is also innovative in that it provides for a unique locking feature.
Other advantages resulting from the present system is that the flute direction has been changed, as previously explained, to make the basket assembly not bulge as much, thereby assisting in keeping a more precise containment volume within the containment base, whether it be a containment volume that is closer to the typical 1 liter format, or that of the 1.5 liter format.
As previously explained, a special accuracy measuring tool and locking-like puzzle features having been integrated into the basket assembly in order to help keep it more uniform during packaging. Furthermore, a revised assembling and gluing process enables for a much faster operation and accuracy.
The present system is also advantageous in that one can use a same tray for a 1 liter and 1.5 liter basket assembly, using only one die and one run for example, which is easier for inventory, with all the associated advantages resulting therefrom, and also enables for less risk of human error.
The present system is also advantageous in that it allows for an easier setup time for a machine to glue as all angles are the same and that there is only a need to adjust height when one wants to adjust to accommodate for the 1.5 liter format, for example.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been briefly described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments and that various changes and modifications could be made without departing form the scope and spirit of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.
This is a non-provisional, and claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 USC § 119(e) of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/608,317, filed Dec. 20, 2017. U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/608,317 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62608317 | Dec 2017 | US |
