The present disclosure relates generally to storage containers and, more particularly, to storage containers with lids.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Containers or bins with lids are commonly used for commercial and residential applications. It is typical to store articles such as tools, recreational equipment, supplies, materials, and the like in bins. A lid covers an open end of the bin to secure and protect the articles contained within the bin.
Such bins may be stored or transported in various arrangements such as by stacking the bins on top of or beneath other bins or other objects. However, certain bins and lids may lack stability to support other bins or objects that may be stacked thereupon. Also, bin lids may not sufficiently secure other bins or objects that may be stacked thereupon.
Another issue relating to use of bins for storing articles involves a lack of adequate handle arrangements for ergonomic lifting or movement of the bin or stacked bins. Inadequate handle arrangements may lead to poor structural performance and reduced user satisfaction. Managing placement, movement, and stacking of bins may also depend on handle access.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a bin and lid combination that provides adequate support and stability for stacking of the bin. Desirably, the bin and lid combination may also provide an ergonomic handle that enhances structural performance and increases user satisfaction.
In concordance with the instant disclosure, a bin with flip lid device that provides adequate support and stability for stacking, which also has an ergonomic handle that enhances structural performance and increases user satisfaction, has been surprisingly discovered.
The bin with flip lid device has a main body and a lid. The lid may include a first portion and a second portion. The main body may have a plurality of sides, a bottom surface, and an upper surface. The main body may further include a handle arrangement. In a specific example, the handle arrangement may include a first handle arrangement and a second handle arrangement. Each of the first handle arrangement and the second handle arrangement may be disposed on opposite sides of the upper surface of the main body. The first portion and the second portion of the lid may also be disposed on opposite sides of the upper surface of the main body. The first portion and the second portion may be hingedly connected along the upper surface of the main body. Each of the first portion and the second portion may have at least one tooth which is configured to nest into a corresponding recess in each of the opposite portions of the lid.
In a particular embodiment, the main body has a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side. The first handle arrangement may be disposed on the first side of the upper surface of the main body. The second handle arrangement may be disposed on the third side of the upper surface of the main body. The first portion of the lid may be disposed on the second side of the upper surface of the main body. The second portion of the lid may be disposed on the fourth side of the upper surface of the main body.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. Regarding methods disclosed, the order of the steps presented is exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps can be different in various embodiments, including where certain steps can be simultaneously performed. “A” and “an” as used herein indicate “at least one” of the item is present; a plurality of such items may be present, when possible. Except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description are to be understood as modified by the word “about” and all geometric and spatial descriptors are to be understood as modified by the word “substantially” in describing the broadest scope of the technology. “About” when applied to numerical values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by “about” and/or “substantially” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” and/or “substantially” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters.
Although the open-ended term “comprising,” as a synonym of non-restrictive terms such as including, containing, or having, is used herein to describe and claim embodiments of the present technology, embodiments may alternatively be described using more limiting terms such as “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of.” Thus, for any given embodiment reciting materials, components, or process steps, the present technology also specifically includes embodiments consisting of, or consisting essentially of, such materials, components, or process steps excluding additional materials, components or processes (for consisting of) and excluding additional materials, components or processes affecting the significant properties of the embodiment (for consisting essentially of), even though such additional materials, components or processes are not explicitly recited in this application. For example, recitation of a composition or process reciting elements A, B and C specifically envisions embodiments consisting of, and consisting essentially of, A, B and C, excluding an element D that may be recited in the art, even though element D is not explicitly described as being excluded herein.
As referred to herein, disclosures of ranges are, unless specified otherwise, inclusive of endpoints and include all distinct values and further divided ranges within the entire range. Thus, for example, a range of “from A to B” or “from about A to about B” is inclusive of A and of B. Disclosure of values and ranges of values for specific parameters (such as amounts, weight percentages, etc.) are not exclusive of other values and ranges of values useful herein. It is envisioned that two or more specific exemplified values for a given parameter may define endpoints for a range of values that may be claimed for the parameter. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that Parameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping, or distinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have other ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, 3-9, and so on.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the FIGS. is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
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With reference to
In a particular embodiment, with reference to
In certain circumstances, as shown in
In certain circumstances, as shown in
In certain circumstances, as shown in
In certain circumstances, the lid 104 may include a way to lift the lid 104 more ergonomically. For instance, the lid 104 may include a lip 154 disposed substantially adjacent to the handle arrangement 122, 124. The lip 154 may extend laterally from the lid 104. The lip 154 may be disposed substantially above the outer wall 150 of the handle arrangement 122, 124. The lip 154 may be configured to act as a touchpoint for the user to efficiently identify where the lid 104 may be more easily opened from. The lip 154 may also be configured to provide a wider surface than an edge of the lid 104 for the user to lift the lid 104 more comfortably. A skilled artisan may use other configurations to provide a wider surface for a user to lift the lid 104 more comfortably, within the scope of the present disclosure.
In certain circumstances, with reference to
The main body 102 may also include a downward protrusion 160 depending from the upper surface 120. In a specific example, the downward protrusion 160 may be disposed adjacent to the second side 112 and/or the fourth side 116 of the main body 102. The downward protrusion 160 may be oriented on a first plane P1. The first portion 106 and/or the second portion 108 of the lid 104 may selectively rotate to an open position 162 on a second plane P2. The second plane P2 may be disposed at an angle α that may be substantially transverse to the first plane P1, when the first portion 106 and/or the second portion 108 are disposed in the open position 162. As a non-limiting example, the angle α may be around five degrees. In another specific example, the first portion 106 and/or the second portion 108 of the lid 104 may have the rotational range RR to touch a side 112, 116 of the main body 102. For instance, as a non-limiting example, the first portion 106 and/or the second portion 108 of the lid 104 may have the capacity to rotate more than two-hundred seventy degrees.
In certain circumstances, the lid 104 may include ways to provide an enhanced alignment where another bin with flip lid device 100 is stacked atop the bin with flip lid device 100, where the lid 104 of the bin with flip lid device 100 is in the closed position 130. For instance, where the main body 102 of the bin with flip lid device 100 is full of desired contents, the lid 104 of the bin with flip lid device 100 may be placed in the closed position 130 and the another bin with flip lid device may be placed atop the closed lid 104. In a specific example, the lid 104 may include a boss 164 extending upwardly. The boss 164 may be sized, shaped, and oriented to accept and support the bottom surface 118 of the another bin with flip lid device 100. In certain circumstances, the boss 164 may include a plurality of bosses 164. For instance, the plurality of bosses 164 may be arranged to accept the another bin with flip lid device 100 where the bottom surface 118 meets the plurality sides 110, 112, 114, 116 of the another bin with flip lid device 100. In certain circumstances, the boss 164 may be disposed substantially adjacent to a corner 166 of the main body 102. Where the boss 164 is disposed substantially adjacent to the corner 166 of the main body 102, the boss 164 may have a plurality of arms 168 oriented transverse to each other. Where the lid 104 is disposed in the closed position 130, the plurality of arms 168 may be configured to support and align a bottom surface 118 of the another bin with flip lid device 100 stacked atop the closed bin with flip lid device 100. In another specific example, the boss 164 may be disposed substantially adjacent to the handle arrangement 122, 124. Advantageously, the boss 164 may militate against the another bin with flip lid device 100 stacked atop the closed bin with flip lid device 100 from unintentionally moving in a lateral direction. One skilled in the art may select other ways to provide enhanced alignment where another bin with flip lid device 100 is stacked atop the closed bin with flip lid device 100, within the scope of the present disclosure.
In certain circumstances, as shown in
In certain circumstances, as shown in
Advantageously, the bin with flip lid device 100 provides adequate support and stability for stacking, enhance structural integrity, and improved ergonomics for lifting and/or opening the bin with flip lid device 100.
While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure, which is further described in the following appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application. No. 63/082,529 filed on Sep. 24, 2020. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63082529 | Sep 2020 | US |