The present disclosure relates generally to the field of storage totes and, more specifically, to a stackable storage tote and lid combination.
In recent years, consumers have become more and more concerned with the aesthetic appearance and functionality of garages, basements, closets, sheds, and other areas in which items tend to accumulate. As a result, consumers have invested vast sums of money on storage totes to store and organize accumulated items. Unfortunately, traditional storage totes are limited in their ability to provide an aesthetically appealing storage and organizational option which is both sturdy and stackable.
Known stackable totes are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,714 to Elliot, which is directed to a non-circular, stackable lid and container combination that enables a user to open the lid. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,257 to Puente discloses a tote that can be stacked with other totes of similar construction to permit stacks to be made several totes high.
Nonetheless, there is a continuing need for a storage tote and lid combination that is lightweight, stackable, and better resistant to toppling when stacked several totes high. Desirably, the storage tote and lid combination facilitate both a latching and a stacking of the storage totes in operation.
In concordance with the instant disclosure, a storage tote and lid combination that is lightweight, stackable, and resistant to toppling when stacked several totes high, and which facilitates both a latching and a stacking of the storage totes in operation, has been surprisingly discovered.
In a first embodiment, a lid for a stackable tote has a main body with a major surface and a raised rim. The raised rim has an upper wall and at least one corner body. The upper wall is spaced apart from the major surface. The corner body has an upper surface, a first outer side surface, a second outer side surface, and a third outer side surface. The first outer side surface intersects the second outer side surface. The second outer side surface intersects the third outer side surface. Each of the first, second, and third outer side surfaces are interposed between and connected to the upper surface of the corner body and the major surface of the main body. The first outer side surface, the second outer side surface, and the third outer side surface of the corner body are configured to abut a hollow body of a stackable tote at three areas of contact to removably hold the stackable tote.
In a second embodiment, the lid corner body further includes a fourth outer side surface that intersects the third outer side surface. The fourth outer side surface is interposed between and connected to the upper surface of the corner body and the major surface of the main body.
In a third embodiment, the rim has an inner wall interposed between and connected to the upper wall of the rim and the major surface of the main body. The rim inner wall and a rim outer wall depend from the rim upper wall and have a free edge. The corner body is interposed between a first section of the inner wall and a second section of the inner wall.
In a fourth embodiment, the corner body has a lower surface disposed opposite the upper surface and has at least one support pylon disposed thereon. The corner body is attached to at least one inner side surface of the corner body that has a lower surface. The support pylon is configured to enhance a rigidity of the corner body.
In a fifth embodiment, the support pylon has a height (H) that is less than a depth (D) of the major surface of the main body relative to the upper wall of the raised rim.
In a sixth embodiment, the inner side surface includes a first inner side surface, a second inner side surface, and a third inner side surface. The first inner side surface is disposed opposite the first outer side surface. The second inner side surface is disposed opposite the second outer side surface. The third inner side surface is disposed opposite the third outer side surface. The at least one pylon includes a first support pylon, a pair of second support pylons, and a third support pylon.
In a seventh embodiment, the first support pylon is attached to the first inner side surface with a first connecting rib. Each of the second support pylons is attached to the second inner side surface with a second connecting rib. The third support pylon is attached to the third inner side surface with a third connecting rib.
In an eighth embodiment, the first support pylon has a first support vane connecting the first support pylon to the lower surface. The first support vane is disposed opposite the first connecting rib. Each of the second support pylons has a second support vane connecting one of the second support pylons to the lower surface. The second support vane is disposed opposite the second connecting rib. The third support pylon has a third support vane connecting the third support pylon to the lower surface. The third support vane is disposed opposite the third connecting rib.
In a ninth embodiment, a thickness of the corner body is defined by a distance between one of a) the first outer side surface and the first inner side surface, b) the second outer side surface and the second inner side surface, and c) the third outer side surface. The third inner side surface is between about 0.050 inches and 0.100 inches in thickness.
In a tenth embodiment, the main body is formed from one of polypropylene and polyethylene.
In an eleventh embodiment, the major surface of the main body is disposed on a main plane. The first outer side surface is disposed on a first plane. The second outer side surface is disposed on a second plane. The third outer side surface is disposed on a third plane. Each of the first plane, the second plane, and the third plane intersect the main plane at an obtuse angle.
In a twelfth embodiment, the obtuse angle is about 95 degrees relative to the major plane on which the major surface of the main body is disposed.
In a thirteenth embodiment, the main body has a generally quadrilateral shape with four corners. The one corner body includes four corner bodies. Each of the four corner bodies is disposed adjacent one of four corners of the main body.
In a fourteenth embodiment, a stackable tote has a hollow body with a base wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a corner section. Each of the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the corner section is connected to the base wall. The one corner section is interposed between and connected to the first and the second sidewalls. The one corner section includes a first exterior surface, a second exterior surface, and a third exterior surface. The first exterior surface, the second exterior surface, and the third exterior surface, of a corner section, are configured to abut a corner body of a lid for the stackable tote at three areas of contact to removably hold the stackable tote to the lid.
In a fifteenth embodiment, the stackable tote has an upper flange connected to each of the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the corner section.
In a sixteenth embodiment, the stackable tote has at least one latch rotatably attached to the upper flange and configured to securely hold the lid on the upper flange of the hollow body.
In a seventeenth embodiment, the upper flange has at least one flange support depending therefrom. The at least one flange support is configured to abut another upper flange of another stackable tote in a stacked arrangement.
In an eighteenth embodiment, a length (L) of the at least one flange support is sufficient to provide a clearance between adjacent latches of the stackable tote and another stackable tote, which are in the stacked arrangement.
In a nineteenth embodiment, the stackable tote has at least one beveled wall interposed between and connected to the corner section and the base wall. The at least one beveled wall is configured to facilitate an insertion of the base wall of the stackable tote into the lid.
In a twentieth embodiment, a stackable tote includes a hollow body having a base wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a corner section. Each of the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the corner section are connected to the base wall. At least one corner section is interposed between and connected to the first sidewall and the second sidewall. The at least one corner section includes a first exterior surface, a second exterior surface, and a third exterior surface.
The above, as well as other advantages of the present disclosure, will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, particularly when considered in the light of the drawings described hereafter.
The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
In a first embodiment, the lid 14 has a main body 16 having a major surface 18 and a raised rim 20. The raised rim 20 has an upper wall 22 and at least one corner body 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, where the upper wall 22 is spaced apart from the major surface 18.
Thereby, as shown in
In a second embodiment, as seen in
In a third embodiment, the rim 20 has a first section of inner wall 38 interposed between and connected to the upper wall 22 of the rim 20 and the major surface 18 of the main body 16, as shown in
As shown in
Also shown in
In a sixth embodiment, the first inner side surface 28a is disposed opposite the first outer side surface 28, the second inner side surface 30a is disposed opposite the second outer side surface 30, and the third inner side surface 32a is disposed opposite the third outer side surface 32. Respectively to the three outer side surfaces 28a, 30a, 32a, there are disposed the first support pylon 48a, the second and third support pylons 48b, 48c, and the fourth support pylon 48d (see
In a seventh embodiment, the first support pylon 48a is attached to the first inner side surface 28a with a first connecting rib 50a. Each of the second and third support pylons 48b, 48c is attached to the second inner side surface 30a with respective second connecting rib 50b, 50c. The fourth support pylon 48d is attached to the third inner side surface 32a with a third connecting rib 50d. It should be appreciated that the ribs 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d stabilize and make more robust the various support pylons 48a, 48b, 48c, 48d, in operation.
In an eighth embodiment, also shown in
In a ninth embodiment, as further shown in
In a tenth embodiment, the main body 16 of the lid 14 and also the tote 12 is formed from one of polypropylene and polyethylene. However, one of ordinary skill in the art may also select other suitable materials for the main body 16 within the scope of the present disclosure.
In an eleventh embodiment, as applied to the corner body 24a,
In a twelfth embodiment, shown in
In a thirteenth embodiment and as illustrated in
As shown in
In a fifteenth embodiment, the stackable tote 12 has an upper flange 76 connected to each of the first sidewall 64, the second sidewall 66, and the corner section 68.
In a sixteenth embodiment, and as illustrated in
In a seventeenth embodiment, and as illustrated in
In an eighteenth embodiment, and as shown in
In a nineteenth embodiment, and as shown in
In a twentieth embodiment, as illustrated in
In a most particular embodiment, and where the upper combination 10 and the lower combination 10′ are stack as shown in
It should be understood that the storage tote 12 and lid 14 combination 10, 10′ described herein is lightweight, stackable, and resistant to toppling when stacked several totes high. Furthermore, the aforementioned combination 10, 10′ facilitates both a latching and a stacking of the storage totes 12 in operation, and thus has certain advantages relative to tote and lid combinations of the prior art.
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 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/144,353, filed on Sep. 27, 2018, which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/563,713, filed on Sep. 27, 2017. The entire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62563713 | Sep 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16144353 | Sep 2018 | US |
Child | 17084831 | US |