Container basket

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6354455
  • Patent Number
    6,354,455
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, December 21, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 12, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A folding collapsible container basket is constructed to include a rectangular top open frame, a plurality of U-shaped bottom wire rods pivotally connected between two long sides of the top open frame and arranged in parallel, a bottom rack coupled to the U-shaped bottom wire rods, and a handle detachably coupled to the bottom rack. The U-shaped bottom wire rods are turned upwards and closely attached with the bottom rack to the top open frame after disconnection of the handle from the rack, keeping the folding collapsible container basket in a collapsed, flat condition.
Description




BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a container basket for carrying bottles and cans and, more particularly to such a container basket, which is folding collapsible.





FIG. 1

shows a container basket for carrying bottles and cans according to the prior art. This structure of container basket comprises a top open frame


61


, a plurality of top partition wire rods


62


, transversely connected in parallel within the top open frame


61


, a handle


5


hooked on the top open frame


61


, two first U-shaped bottom wire rods


65


connected in parallel between two short sides of the top open frame


61


, three second U-shaped bottom wire rods


66


extended over the first U-shaped bottom wire rods


65


and connected in parallel between two long sides of the top open frame


61


, two first connecting rods


63


respectively bilaterally connected between the first U-shaped bottom wire rods


65


, and a top hook


64


hinged to the top open frame


61


. This structure of container basket occupies much storage space when not in use, because it is not folding collapsible.




The present invention has been accomplished to provide a container basket, which eliminates the aforesaid problem. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a container basket, which is folding collapsible. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the folding collapsible container basket comprises a rectangular top open frame, a plurality of U-shaped bottom wire rods pivotally connected between two long sides of the top open frame and arranged in parallel, a bottom rack coupled to the U-shaped bottom Wire rods, and a handle detachably coupled to the bottom rack. After connection of the handle to the bottom rack, the U-shaped bottom wire rods are positively held in position. When not in use, the handle is disconnected from the bottom rack, enabling the U-shaped bottom wire rods to be turned upwards and closely attached with the bottom rack to the top open frame to set the folding collapsible container basket into a collapsed, flat condition.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded view of a container basket according to the prior art.





FIG. 2

is a perspective assembly view of the container basket shown in FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is an exploded view of a folding collapsible container basket according to the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a perspective assembly view of the folding collapsible container basket according to the present invention.





FIG. 5

illustrates the folding action of the folding collapsible container basket of the present invention after removal of the handle.





FIG. 6

is a plain view of a part of the present invention showing the U-shaped bottom wire rods folded up.





FIG. 7

shows the folding collapsible container basket of the present invention completely collapsed (the handle excluded).











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to

FIG. 3

, a folding collapsible container basket in accordance with the present invention is generally comprised of a handle


1


, a top open frame


2


, a plurality of bottom rack


3


, and a plurality of U-shaped bottom wire rods


4


.




Referring to FIG.


4


and

FIG. 3

again, the top open frame


2


is a rectangular open frame having two longitudinal rods


21


connected between two short sides thereof on the middle in parallel to the long sides and defining a narrow, longitudinally extended gap


211


, two transverse rods


23


connected in parallel between two long sides


22


thereof across the longitudinal rods


21


, and a plurality of pivot holes


221


respectively symmetrically provided at the two long sides


22


thereof. The U-shaped bottom wire rods


4


are respectively pivoted to and suspended from the two long sides


22


of the top open frame


2


, each comprising a horizontal middle section


42


, two pivot tips


411


respectively pivoted to a respective pivot hole


221


on each of the two long sides


22


of the top open frame


2


, and two vertical end sections


41


respectively connected between the two distal ends of the middle section


42


and the pivot tips


411


. The bottom rack


3


is a rectangular open frame fastened to the U-shaped bottom wire rods


4


and disposed in parallel to the top open frame


2


, comprising two parallel short side bars


31


, the short side bars


31


each having a pivot hole


311


on the middle, two long side bars


32


connected in parallel between the short side bars


31


and respectively supported on the horizontal middle section


42


of each U-shaped bottom wire rod


4


, and a plurality of locating plates


321


respectively welded to the long side bars


32


at the bottom side and defining a respective pivot hole


3211


. The U-shaped bottom wire rods


4


are respectively inserted through the pivot holes


3211


in the locating plates


321


of the bottom rack


3


before fastening to the top open frame


2


. The handle


1


is a U-shaped rod member comprising a middle grip


12


, two pivot tips


111


, and two side arms


11


connected between two distal ends of the middle grip


12


and the pivot tips


111


. During assembly, the side arms


11


of the handle


1


are inserted through the gap


211


between the parallel rods


21


of the top open frame


2


, and then the pivot tips


111


of the handle


1


are respectively coupled to the pivot holes


311


at the two short side bars


31


of the bottom rack


3


.




Referring to

FIGS. 5

,


6


and


7


and

FIG. 4

again, when not in use, the side arms


11


of the handle


1


are squeezed inwards toward each other to disengage the pivot tips


111


of the handle


1


from the pivot holes


311


on the short side bars


31


of the bottom rack


3


, for enabling the handle


1


to be taken away from the folding collapsible basket. After removal of the handle


1


, the U-shaped bottom wire rods


4


are turned upward (see

FIG. 5

) and closely attached with the bottom rack


3


to the top open frame


2


(see

FIGS. 6 and 7

) and therefore the folding collapsible container basket is collapsed and received in a flat condition as shown in FIG.


7


.




While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various modifications and changes could be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed.



Claims
  • 1. A folding collapsible container basket comprising:a rectangular top open frame, said top open frame comprising two parallel short sides, two parallel long sides bilaterally connected between said short sides, two longitudinal rods connected in parallel between said two short sides on the middle, a narrow, longitudinally extended gap defined between said longitudinal rods, two transverse rods connected between said long sides across said longitudinal rods, and a plurality of pivot holes respectively symmetrically provided at said two long sides; a plurality of U-shaped bottom wire rods respectively pivoted to and suspended from the two long sides of said top open frame, said U-shaped bottom wire rods each comprising a horizontal middle section, two pivot tips respectively pivoted to a respective pivot hole on each of the two long sides of said top open frame, and two vertical end sections respectively connected between two distal ends of said horizontal middle section and the pivot tips of the respective U-shaped bottom wire rod; a rectangular bottom rack fastened to said U-shaped bottom wire rods and disposed in parallel to said top open frame, said bottom rack comprising two parallel short side bars, said short side bars each having a pivot hole on the middle, two long side bars connected in parallel between said short side bars and respectively supported on the horizontal middle section of each of said U-shaped bottom wire rods, and a plurality of locating plates respectively welded to said long side bars at a bottom side and defining a respective pivot hole coupled to one of said U-shaped bottom wire rods; and a handle, said handle comprising an elongated middle grip, two pivot tips adapted for coupling to the pivot hole on each short side bar of said bottom rack, and two side arms connected between two distal ends of said middle grip and the pivot tips of said handle.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
255488 Burroughs Mar 1882 A
550518 Marquis Nov 1895 A
1137698 Clark Apr 1915 A
1555177 Barker Sep 1925 A
3072281 Reilly Jan 1963 A
4090633 Trubiano May 1978 A