Stackable container apparatus and methods

Abstract

A stackable container assembly includes a lid portion having first raised members projecting outwardly from an upper surface, at least some of the first raised members cooperatively forming first receiving areas, and a base portion coupleable to the lid portion and forming a containment space. The base portion includes second raised members projecting outwardly from a lower surface, at least some of the second raised members cooperatively forming second receiving areas being adapted to fittingly receive first raised members of a like container assembly positioned below the lower surface. And, the first receiving areas are adapted to fittingly receive second raised members of another like container assembly positioned above the upper surface.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a divisional of pending U.S. patent application entitled “STACKABLE CONTAINER APPARATUS AND METHODS”, and assigned U.S. Ser. No. 11/128,923, filed on May 12, 2005FIG. 10FIG. 10 FIG. 10A is a partial top elevational view of an upper stackable container 200 engaged with the plurality of lower stackable containers 100 of FIG. 9. FIG. 10B is a close-up view of one of the raised cleats from FIG. 10A. In this embodiment, the upper stackable container 200 spans across a plurality of lower stackable containers 100, with the raised cleats 134 of the base portion 130 engaged in to the first receiving areas 115 on a plurality of lid portions 110 of lower stackable containers 100. Because the fourth distance D4 (the distance from the outermost raised row 114 to the outer edge 117) and the fifth distance D5 (the distance from the last raised boss 112 to the outer edge 117) are both equal to the first distance D1 (the distance between successive raised rows 114), the upper stackable container 200 may span between two lower containers 100 even though the raised rows 114 of the two lower containers 100 are not aligned, but rather, are oriented at 90° angles. Similarly, because the fourth distance D4 is approximately equal to the first distance D1, the upper stackable container 200 may span between two lower containers 100 when the raised rows 114 of the two adjacent lower containers 100 are aligned (running in approximately parallel directions). Thus, embodiments of the present invention may provide enhanced, interlocking, stacking capability between successive levels of stackable containers 100, 200.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the handle assembly 150 of the stackable container 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the handle assembly 150 includes a support arm 152 coupled to a handle member 154. The support arm 152 is pivotably coupled to the base portion 130 by a hinge 156 located within a recess 158 in the base portion 130. In operation, the support arm 152 and the handle member 154 are swingably (or pivotably) movable between a deployed (or lifting) position 160, and a stowed (or non-lifting) position 162. As shown in FIG. 11, in the deployed position 160, the support arm 152 rotates outwardly within the hinge 156 until the support arm 152 engages with a support surface 164 of the base portion 130.

In operation, a user may lift upwardly on the handle member 154 until the support arm 152 engages with the support surface 164 in the deployed position 160. If the user provides further lifting force on the handle member 154, the support arm 152 is prevented from further up for rotation by the support surface 164. After the container 100 is lifted and moved to a desired position, the support arm 152 may be rotated downwardly into the stowed position 162. In the stowed position 162, the support arm 152 and handle member 154 are contained within the recess 158.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide further advantages in comparison with the prior art. For example, in the deployed position 160, because the support arm 152 is prevented from further rotation upwardly by the support surface 164, the user may exert a lifting force on the handle member 154 without causing the handle member 154 to pinch the user's hand against an outer surface of the base portion 130. Similarly, in the stowed position 162, because the support arm 152 and handle member 154 may be disposed within the recess 158 in the base portion 130, the support arm 152 and handle member 154 may be at least partially protected from damage, and may allow a tighter packing between adjacent containers 100.

Alternate embodiments of the present invention may be conceived, and it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above and shown in FIGS. 1-11. For example, greater or fewer numbers of raised bosses and stacking cleats may be provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the container from that shown in the accompanying figures. Similarly, the raised bosses and stacking cleats may be distributed over the upper and lower surfaces in different patterns and the particular embodiments described above and shown in the company figures. In addition, as described above, the shapes of the raised bosses and stacking cleats may be varied from those particular embodiments described above. For example, in one alternate embodiment, the shapes of the raised bosses 114 and the stacking cleats 134 may be reversed from the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-11, such that the raised bosses have a “cross” or “plus sign” shape, and the stacking cleats have a “square” shape.

In a further embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, a first raised member 214 may be approximately circular in shape, and may be fittingly received into an approximately circular receiving area 215 forward by a plurality of second raised members 234, each of the second raised members 234 having one or more contoured edges 237 that cooperatively form the circular receiving area 215. The first raised members 214 may be formed on the upper surface of the lid portion 110, in the second raised members 234 may be formed on the lower surface of the base portion 130, or vice versa. Of course, a variety of other shapes of first and second raised members may be conceived that provide the desired interlocking capability of the base portion of the upper container and the lid portion of the lower container, including, for example, triangular shapes, diamond shapes, polygonal shapes, and even non-polygonal or irregular shapes.

While preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A method for stacking containers, comprising:

obtaining at least a first container and a second container, each having a lid portion and a base portion, each lid portion having a plurality of first raised members each projecting outwardly from a lid surface and arranged substantially in a first desired direction, each lid portion further including a plurality of first ribs projecting outwardly from the lid surface, each of the plurality of first ribs extending substantially continuously between adjacently located first raised members and oriented along the first desired direction, at least some of the first raised members and first ribs cooperatively forming a plurality of first receiving areas, wherein the plurality of first raised members project outwardly by an amount that is greater than the outward projection of the plurality of first ribs relative to the lid surface, each base portion having a plurality of second raised members each projecting outwardly from a base surface and arranged substantially in a second desired direction, each base portion further including a plurality of second ribs projecting outwardly from the base surface, each of the plurality of second ribs extending substantially continuously between adjacently located second raised members and oriented along the second desired direction, at least some of the second raised members and second ribs cooperatively forming a plurality of second receiving areas, wherein the plurality of second raised members project outwardly by an amount that is greater than the outward projection of the plurality of second ribs relative to the base surface; and

stacking the first and second containers relative to each other such that at least some of the raised members of one of the containers are received by corresponding receiving areas of the other container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first and second containers includes obtaining the lid portions wherein the plurality of first raised members are square-shaped raised members and further includes obtaining the base portions wherein the plurality of second raised members are plus-sign-shaped raised members.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein stacking the first and second containers includes laterally offsetting the lid portion of the one of the containers relative to the base portion of the other container.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein stacking the first and second containers includes contacting the first raised members with the base surface of one of the containers and contacting the second raised members with the lid surface of the other container.

5. A system comprising:

a first container assembly including

a first lid having a plurality of lid stacking features, each lid stacking feature includes first raised members and a plurality of first ribs projecting outwardly from a surface of the lid, each of the plurality of first ribs extending substantially continuously between adjacently located first raised members, each of the first raised members and first ribs projecting outwardly from a lid stacking surface, each first raised member having at least one of a width that exceeds a corresponding width of each first rib and a height that exceeds a corresponding height of each first rib; and

a second container assembly including a second lid that includes lid stacking features substantially identical to the first lid stacking features and including a plurality of second raised members and a plurality of second ribs, each of the plurality of second ribs extending substantially continuously between adjacently located second raised members;

wherein the first container assembly further includes a first base having a containment volume substantially coverable by the first lid, the first base having a plurality of base stacking features arranged to engagingly cooperate with the second container assembly, wherein the second lid is positionable beneath the first base.

6. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein the lid stacking features of the first and second lids in which the first raised members are continuously adjoined to the first ribs includes a stepped transition from the first raised member to the first rib.

7. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein each base stacking feature includes repetitive sets of base first members continuously adjoined to base second members, each of the base first and base second members projecting outwardly from a base stacking surface, each base first member of the set having a width that exceeds a corresponding width of each base second member of the set.

8. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein a height of the first raised member exceeds a height of the first rib relative to the lid stacking surface.

9. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein a linear distance between first raised members of adjacent lid stacking features is less than a corresponding linear distance between first ribs of adjacent lid stacking features.

10. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein the lid stacking features of at least the first lid are disposed in at least two rows on the lid stacking surface, a first centerline of a first row being separated from a second centerline of a second row by a desired distance.

11. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein the base stacking features includes a plurality of second raised members projecting from the base stacking surface.

12. The first container assembly of claim 5, wherein the lid stacking feature of the first lid is oriented substantially parallel relative to an edge of the first lid.