The present invention relates to system bin for holding articles and, more particularly, to a system bin which contains a plurality of compartments therein and which is both stackable and nestable in combination with another identical system bin.
It is common in many different work environments to utilize bins having a plurality of compartments to organize and store various items, particularly small and medium size items. Such work environments include manufacturing and assembly plants wherein various small parts such as fasteners and other mechanical parts used in the construction of machinery and the like. Other uses may be found in hardware and other retail stores where as much merchandise as possible is fitted into the available floor space. In such environments, it is also desirable to utilize system bins which may be securely stacked one upon another when in use and which may be nested one with in another when not in use such as when being stored or being shipped.
While many compartmented bins are available, there still exists a need for a durable bin having a plurality of compartments which may be nested with other identical bins when not in use and which may be securely stacked on other identical bins to form a system of bins when in use. There is a further need for such a compartmented, nestable and stackable bin which is simple and economical in construction and which may be molded of one piece.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system bin having a plurality of compartments and which may be stacked on other identical bins through the use of dowels between two bins.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved system bin which may be stacked on other of such bins when in use and which may be nested within other identical bins when not in use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system of bins whereby compartmented bins may be stacked one upon another and then securely held in place when in use.
The present invention achieves the above and other objects by providing a system bin having a bottom with a rear wall, first and second opposed end walls and a front wall integrally connected thereto. The bin contains a plurality of space divider walls extending between the front and rear walls to form a plurality of compartments. A plurality of notches are formed in the tops of the divider walls and each of the end walls and a plurality of grooves are formed in the underside of the compartments with the grooves being in vertical alignment with the notches. The notches receive a pair of dowels which support an upper system bin of identical construction when the upper system bin is in stacked relation on the system bin and the grooves receive a pair of dowels positioned in notches on a lower system bin of identical construction when the system bin is in stacked relation on the lower system bin. Each notch formed in the end walls has a retainer wall therein which prevents a dowel positioned in the notch from sliding longitudinally outwardly thereof.
Each of the compartments in a bin is narrower at the bottom than at the top whereby a plurality of identical system bins may be nested one within another when no dowels are present between the system bins. The system bin also may include slots in the side walls of each of the compartments and a partition wall may be mounted in the slots in each compartment to divide each compartment into a plurality of spaces. The partition wall may either be fixed or removable.
The present invention further includes a system of bins having at least an upper bin and a lower bin of identical construction to that described with respect to the system bin and wherein the system further includes a pair of dowels received in notches formed in the top of the lower bin and received in grooves formed on the bottom of the upper bin.
These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description of the drawings.
The present invention provides an improved system bin and a system of bins wherein the bins each have a plurality of compartments and may be safely and securely stacked one upon another during use and which may be nested one within another when not in use.
Shown in
Each system bin 10 further includes a plurality of spaced divider walls 24 extending between the rear wall 14 and the front wall 20 to divide the interior of the bin into a plurality of compartments 26. While six individual compartments are shown in the drawings, each system bin may be constructed having more or less than this number of compartments. A bin having six compartments, however, is convenient to handle and utilize.
Each divider wall 24 functions as a side wall for two adjacent compartments 26. Each side wall of each compartment is provided with a centrally located upper slot 30 and a lower slot 32 to receive a partition wall 34 therein as shown in
The top of each divider wall 24 and the top of each end wall 16 and 18 are provided with a plurality of spaced, aligned notches 36. As shown in
As shown in
The front wall 20 of each bin is provided with a flat surface 42 as shown in
Each divider wall 24 has a hollow interior 46 as shown in the bottom plan view of
In addition, each bin is provided with an outer rim 50 at the top thereof which extends around the ends and rear of the bin. Positioned under the rim at spaced locations on the end walls and the rear wall are a plurality of flanges 52 which contact the end walls and rear wall of a lower container when two containers are nested together. Similarly, flanges 54 are provided behind the front wall which contact the upper edge of the front wall of a lower bin when two bins are stacked together.
The system bins of the present invention are also convenient to be stacked on a set of shelves 60 as shown in
The present invention is advantageous in may respects. The use of dowels to stack two or more identical bins together provides an economical and secure way of safely stacking the bins. Moreover, each bin contains a plurality of separate compartments for organizing and storing different items. When the dowels are not used to separate two stacked bins, the construction of the bottom of the compartments of each bin are such that each compartment of an upper bin nests within a compartment of a lower bin to conserve space when the bins are nested together for storage or shipment. The provision of fixed or removable partition walls within each compartment also increases the utility of each system bin.
Numerous other modifications and adaptations of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and thus, it is intended by the following claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.