The described embodiments relate to construction and repair equipment, and more particularly to work-site mobile containers.
Residential and business structures often involve work beneath a base or ground level of the structures. In such cases, a worker will have to go down into a tight crawl space below the ground level to work on areas needing maintenance. Crawl spaces are often low and require the worker to crawl on their knees to access the repair site. In addition, workers are often in the crawl space for long periods of time. Generally, it is desirable to minimize the amount of times workers come out of the crawl space so that the work can be completed as fast as possible. Techniques that permit workers to work efficiently and effectively in crawl spaces are desired.
A movable crawl space container comprises a body portion and two amounts of rope that extend from opposite sides of the container. The container has an opening and retains needed equipment within the confines of the container. The container has pointed edges near the first end of the container and near the second end of the container that assist the container in traversing corners and other obstacles found in typical crawl spaces. Sides of the container converge towards rope connection portions on both ends of the container. A worker, such as a plumber, can pull the container down into the crawl space and easily move around the crawl space pulling the container as desired. By placing all the necessary tools in the container, the plumber is able to visit various work sites while maintaining access to tools and other desired items stored in the container.
The ropes include a stopper that prevents the ropes from passing through the inside of the container. The stoppers also serve to apply a rear force when the rope on the side opposite the stopper is pulled. This rear force assists the container in getting around corners, columns, and other obstacles. In one example, the two amounts of rope are different segments of rope that are attached to each of the rope connection portions. In another example, the two amounts are rope are part of one unitary piece of rope that extends all the way through the container. In yet another example, the two amounts are rope are part of one unitary piece of rope that extends through a pipe that is disposed within the container. The pipe permits the rope to remain in the container without interfering with items disposed within the container.
In one embodiment, the container has an elliptical or hexagonal shape. The container size is designed for a wide range of crawl spaces. Some of the novel mobile crawl space containers are manufactured having smaller or larger dimensions depending on the size of the crawl space. The container is manufactured to fit within a rectangle having approximate dimensions of between 18.0 inches by 12.0 inches and 5.0 feet by 2.0 feet, when viewed from a top down perspective. The container is formed from plastic injection molding, plastic rotational casting, 3D printing, woven or chopped strand mat fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar.
Further details and embodiments and methods are described in the detailed description below. This summary does not purport to define the invention. The invention is defined by the claims.
The accompanying drawings, where like numerals indicate like components, illustrate embodiments of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
In accordance with one novel aspect, a worker is able to insert tools, parts, and necessary equipment into the body portion 11 of the movable crawl space container 10. For example,
The first and second amounts of rope 12 and 13 include stoppers 25 and 26 that prevent the entirety of the rope from passing through the container. The stopper is formed by forming a knot that is larger than an opening of the first rope connection portion. In another embodiment, the stopper is a washer that is permanently fixed to the rope and is larger than an opening of the first rope connection portion. Each stopper 25 and 26 applies a rear force to an end of the container 10 when the amount of rope on the opposite side of the stopper is pulled away from the container 10. This assists in getting around obstacles in the crawl space. Although two stoppers 25 and 26 are shown in the example of
In a second step (102), a first rope connection portion and a second rope connection portion are formed on ends of the container.
Although certain specific exemplary embodiments are described above in order to illustrate the invention, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments. For example, although the figures show the container has no lid or cover, in other embodiments, the container is provided with a cover. The cover prevents objects from falling out of the container during use. In other embodiments, the container includes a light source that provides additional lighting in the crawl space. In other embodiments, the container includes a portable battery that supplies electronic devices used by workers in crawl spaces. Accordingly, various modifications, adaptations, and combinations of various features of the described embodiments can be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/614,655, entitled “Movable Crawl Space Container,” filed on Jan. 8, 2018. The subject matter of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/614,655 is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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62614655 | Jan 2018 | US |