AU2010200183A1

AU2010200183A1 - Portable Gas Bottle Carrier

Info

Publication number: AU2010200183A1
Application number: AU2010200183A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Richard Stephen Knight
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-01-19
Filing date: 2010-01-18
Publication date: 2010-08-05

Description

ORIGINAL AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Invention title: "PORTABLE GAS BOTTLE CARRIER" Applicant: RICHARD STEPHEN KNIGHT Associated Provisional Application No.: 2009900198 The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 "PORTABLE GAS BOTTLE CARRIER" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable gas bottle carrier and relates 5 particularly, though not exclusively, to such a portable gas bottle carrier that is stackable. Background to the Invention Portable gas bottles are used extensively in domestic situations such as, for 10 example, home barbeques and for caravans. They come in various sizes, however the most commonly used size for domestic applications is the 9 kg or 8.5 kg LPG bottle. Many service stations offer a gas bottle refill service. Others have a bottle swap service in which it is possible to swap an empty bottle for a full one at the same cost as a refill. The latter service is 15 particularly attractive as it avoids the disadvantages of having to ensure that the bottle is still safe and not out of date, and that it has been properly refilled. Nevertheless there are problems even with the bottle swap service. A full 9 kg bottle is quite heavy and difficult to carry with one hand (there is usually 20 only room for one hand in the handle). There is a serious risk of back injury or straining of other parts of the body. Furthermore both an empty bottle and a full bottle are awkward to transport. The relatively narrow base ring means that the gas bottle easily topples onto its side when travelling in the back of a vehicle during transport. A gas bottle lying on its side tends to roll around in 25 the back of the vehicle, which is undesirable particularly with a full bottle. The present invention was developed with a view to providing a portable gas bottle carrier that facilitates safer carrying and transport of gas bottles. The previous discussion of the background to the invention is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not to be taken as an acknowledgement or 30 admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common 3 general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere as at the priority date of this application. Summary of the Invention 5 According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a gas bottle, the carrier comprising: a substantially box-like structure for accommodating a gas bottle therein, the structure having at least a base and four side walls, the side walls extending to at least the full height of the gas bottle when it is stood in an upright 10 position on the base in the structure, and at least two of the side walls having a handle provided in connection therewith for facilitating manual lifting and carrying of the carrier. Advantageously the base of the carrier is adapted to engage with the upper edges of the side walls of a similar carrier wherein two of more of the carriers 15 can be stacked one on top of the other. Preferably the base is provided with a protruding portion which is adapted to engage with the upper edges of the side walls of a similar carrier. Advantageously the protruding portion is divided into two substantially equally-sized protruding sections, the two protruding sections permitting the base to engage with the upper edges of 20 the side walls of two similar carriers placed side by side. Preferably the protruding portion is divided into four substantially equally-sized protruding sections, the four protruding sections permitting the base to engage with the upper edges of the side walls of four similar carriers placed corner to corner. Preferably the carrier is formed with ventilation means for ventilating the 25 interior of the carrier. Typically the ventilation means comprises a plurality of ventilation holes provided in the base. Advantageously the structure is provided with retaining means for retaining a gas bottle received in the carrier. Preferably the retaining means comprises a projection provided on an inner surface of a side wall, the projection being 30 shaped so as to permit the gas bottle to slide down into the carrier past the 4 projection and to engage with the wall of the gas bottle to hold it firmly in the carrier. Typically the projection is one of at least two projections provided on opposite side walls of the carrier. The present invention also provides a portable gas bottle carrier for carrying 5 a domestic-sized gas bottle, the carrier comprising: a substantially box-like structure for accommodating a domestic-sized gas bottle therein, the structure having at least a base and four side walls, the side walls extending to at least the full height of the gas bottle when it is stood in an upright position on the base in the structure; and 10 retaining means for retaining the domestic-sized gas bottle received in the carrier, the retaining means comprising at least one projection provided on an inner surface of a side wall of the carrier. Preferably the carrier is also provided with ventilation means for ventilating the carrier. Preferably the carrier also has a handle provided in connection 15 with at least two of the side walls for facilitating manual lifting and carrying of the carrier. Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word c o mprises" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but 20 not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word "preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the working of the invention. 25 Brief Description of the Drawings The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of several specific embodiments of a portable gas bottle carrier, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying 30 drawings, in which: 5 Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the portable gas bottle carrier showing a gas bottle ready for positioning in the carrier; Figure 2 is a top perspective view of the gas bottle carrier of Figure 1 5 with the gas bottle placed in the carrier; Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the base of the gas bottle carrier of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a partial section view showing how two of the gas bottle carriers of Figure 1 may be stacked one on top of the other for 10 storage; Figure 5 is a partial section view showing how the gas bottle carrier of Figure 1 may be stacked in a staggered fashion for storage; Figure 6 illustrates how several of the gas bottle carriers of Figure 1 may be stacked one on top of the other to form a wall; 15 Figure 7 illustrates how several of the gas bottle carriers of Figure 1 may be stacked in a staggered fashion to form a wall; Figure 8 is a top plan view of the gas bottle carrier of Figure 2 showing the location of retaining means; and, Figure 9 is a partial section view through the gas bottle carrier of 20 Figure 2 showing the location of retaining means. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments A preferred embodiment of a portable gas bottle carrier 10 in accordance 25 with the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, comprises a substantially box-like structure 12 for accommodating a gas bottle 14 therein. The structure 12 of the illustrated embodiment has a base 16 (see Figure 3) and four side walls 18. In this embodiment the structure 12 has an open top; however in an alternative embodiment it may be desirable to have a top wall 6 or lid that may be removed or lifted to insert the gas bottle in the structure 12. The gas bottle 14 shown in the drawings is typically a domestic-sized gas bottle such as used to operate barbecues. The side walls 18 extend to at least the full height of the gas bottle 14 when it 5 is stood in an upright position on the base 16 in the structure. In the illustrated embodiment the side walls 18 extend to just above the full height of the gas bottle 14. The distance between an upper edge of the side walls 18 and the top of the gas bottle 14 is approximately equal to the thickness of an upper rim 22 provided around the upper edges of the side walls 18 of the 10 structure. At least two of the side walls have a handle 20 provided in connection therewith for facilitating manual lifting and carrying of the carrier. In this embodiment there are four handles 20, one provided in each side wall 18. The handles 20 comprise a portion of the upper rim 22 of the structure 12, 15 which may be gripped by the hand, and an opening in the side wall 18 immediately below the rim 22 through which the fingers of the hand may pass when gripping the rim 22. It will be appreciated that the handles may take a variety of forms. Preferably the handles 20 are provided near, or at, the top of the side walls 18 to minimise bending when lifting the carrier. 20 Advantageously the base 16 of the carrier 10 is adapted to engage with the upper rim 22 of a similar portable carrier 10 wherein two of more of the carriers 10 can be stacked one on top of the other, as shown in Figure 4. Preferably the base 16 is provided with a protruding portion 24 which is adapted to engage with the upper rim 22 of a similar carrier 10. 25 Advantageously the protruding portion 24 is divided into at least two substantially equally-sized protruding sections, the two protruding sections permitting the base to engage in an overlapping fashion with the upper rims 22 of two similar carriers 10 placed side by side. In the illustrated embodiment the protruding portion 24 is divided into four substantially 30 equally-sized protruding sections 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d, as shown in Figure 3. The four protruding sections 24 permit the base 16 to engage with the 7 upper rim 22 of four similar carriers 10 placed corner to corner, which would permit the portable carriers 10 to be stacked in a pyramid formation. Having the protruding portion 24 is divided into four substantially equally sized protruding sections 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d, also permits the carriers 10 5 to be stacked in an overlapping fashion to form a wall, as shown in Figures 5 and 7. Since the base 16 is symmetrical about both axes, it does not matter which way the carriers 10 are facing; the protruding sections will still engage with the upper rims 22 of the two carriers beneath it in an overlapping fashion. 10 Preferably the base 16 is formed with ventilation means for ventilating the interior of the carrier. Typically the ventilation means comprises a plurality of ventilation holes 26 provided in each protruding section 24 of the base. In this embodiment the side walls 18 comprise an open lattice construction and therefore the interior of the structure 12 is always fully ventilated. However it 15 is also possible for the structure 12 to be formed with solid side walls 18, in which case the ventilation holes 26 become more important. In this embodiment the side walls 18 further comprise a display panel 28 to which advertising material or instructions for use can be attached. Advantageously the structure 12 is provided with retaining means for 20 retaining a gas bottle 14 received in the carrier 10. Preferably the retaining means comprises a projection 30 provided on an inner surface of a side wall 18. The projection 30 is preferably shaped so as to permit the gas bottle 14 to slide down into the structure 12, passed the projection 30, and to engage with the wall of the gas bottle 14 hold it firmly in the carrier 10. Typically the 25 projection 30 is one of at least two projections provided on opposite side walls 18 of the carrier. In the illustrated embodiment, four projections 30 are provided on each of the four side walls 18, as can be seen most clearly in Figure 8. As illustrated in Figure 9, when the gas bottle 14 is received in the carrier 10, it slides past the projections 30 and is retained by the projections 30 engaging with the upper curved surface of the wall of the gas bottle 14.

8 Advantageously the portable carrier 10 is made from a resilient plastics material, which permits a degree of flexing of the walls 18 of the structure 12 as the gas bottle 14 is inserted into the carrier. Preferably the structure 12 is manufactured from an injection moulded plastics material. 5 Now that a preferred embodiment of the portable gas bottle carrier has been described in detail, it will be apparent that the embodiments provide a number of advantages over the prior art, including the following: (i) The carrier facilitates safe transport of a gas bottle since the box like structure inhibits tipping over and rolling of the gas bottle. 10 (ii) The carrier also provides for safer and easier manual lifting and carrying of a gas bottle, since the handles permit the carrier to be lifted using two hands on each side of the gas bottle. (iii) The design of the base of the box-like structure of the carrier permits a plurality of similar carriers to be securely stacked one on 15 top of the other or in an overlapping fashion. It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from 20 the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, the portable gas bottle carrier may have collapsible side walls so that, when not in use, it can be folded to a collapsed condition for storage. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment described 25 30

Claims

1. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a gas bottle, the carrier 5 comprising: a substantially box-like structure for accommodating a gas bottle therein, the structure having at least a base and four side walls, the side walls extending to at least the full height of the gas bottle when it is stood in an upright position on the base in the structure, and at least two of the side walls having 10 a handle provided in connection therewith for facilitating manual lifting and carrying of the carrier.

2. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a gas bottle as defined in claim 1, wherein the base of the carrier is adapted to engage with the upper 15 edges of the side walls of a similar carrier wherein two of more of the carriers can be stacked one on top of the other.

3. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a gas bottle as defined in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base is provided with a protruding portion 20 which is adapted to engage with the upper edges of the side walls of a similar carrier.

4. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 3, wherein the protruding portion is divided into two substantially equally-sized protruding 25 sections, the two protruding sections permitting the base to engage with the upper edges of the side walls of two similar carriers placed side by side.

5. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 3, wherein the protruding portion is divided into four substantially equally-sized protruding 30 sections, the four protruding sections permitting the base to engage with the upper edges of the side walls of four similar carriers placed corner to corner 10

6. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier is formed with ventilation means for ventilating the interior of the carrier. 5

7. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 6, wherein the ventilation means comprises a plurality of ventilation holes provided in the base. 10

8. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the structure is provided with retaining means for retaining a gas bottle received in the carrier.

9. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 8, wherein the 15 retaining means comprises a projection provided on an inner surface of a side wall, the projection being shaped so as to permit the gas bottle to slide down into the carrier past the projection and to engage with the wall of the gas bottle to hold it firmly in the carrier. 20

10. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 9, wherein the projection is one of at least two projections provided on opposite side walls of the carrier.

11. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 10, wherein the 25 projection is one of four projections provided on opposite side walls of the carrier.

12. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein an upper rim is provided around the upper edges of the side 30 walls of the structure, and wherein each of the handles comprises a portion of the upper rim which may be gripped by the hand, and each handle further 11 comprises an opening in the side wall immediately below the rim through which the fingers of the hand may pass when gripping the rim. 5

13. A portable gas bottle carrier as defined in claim 12, wherein the handles are provided near, or at, the top of the side walls of the structure to minimise bending when lifting the carrier.

14. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a domestic-sized gas bottle, 10 the carrier comprising: a substantially box-like structure for accommodating a domestic-sized gas bottle therein, the structure having at least a base and four side walls, the side walls extending to at least the full height of the gas bottle when it is stood in an upright position on the base in the structure; and 15 retaining means for retaining the domestic-sized gas bottle received in the carrier, the retaining means comprising at least one projection provided on an inner surface of a side wall of the carrier.

15. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a domestic-sized gas bottle 20 as defined in claim 14, wherein the carrier is also provided with ventilation means for ventilating the carrier.

16. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a domestic-sized gas bottle as defined in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the carrier also has a handle 25 provided in connection with at least two of the side walls for facilitating manual lifting and carrying of the carrier.

17. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a gas bottle substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of 30 the accompanying drawings. 12

18. A portable gas bottle carrier for carrying a domestic-sized gas bottle substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of the accompanying drawings. 5 18 January 2010 Richard Stephen Knight 10 by his Patent Attorneys Janet Stead & Associates 15 20