US2017782A - Receptacle handle - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1935.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE LE u, I I 4 Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '7 Claims.

This invention relates to baskets and the like, and more particularly to handles for use with fruit and vegetable baskets.

For a number of years baskets have been used for the purpose of retaining fruits and vegetables during handling, and particularly during the period of marketing which involves the moving and stacking of the products during both storage and shipment. It has been found that such baskets not only must be sufficiently rigid and durable to permit the handling in storage and shipment without crushing or in any way injuring the produce, but that they must be comparatively inexpensive for the reason that the selling price of the produce marketed therein has usually been such as to prohibit the use of expensive containers.

' In attempting tomeet the demand for inexpensive containers, various improvements have been made on basket manufacturing machinery so as to permit rapid manufacture of large numbers of veneer strip baskets at relatively low cost. The baskets formed on such machines have generally proven quite satisfactory in use, but difficulty has been experienced with the low cost wire handles usually employed on such veneer strip baskets.

The inexpensive handles generally employed on baskets are formed as an inverted U-shaped yoke with its ends extending through the rim at the upper edges of the basket, which ends are further bent upwardly on the inside of the rim by a clinching device. Such handles are not objectionable if used solely as a means for moving the baskets with the produce therein, but it has become the custom to use the basket handles as a means for retaining the basket covers in position. The covers are provided with diagonally disposed projections adapted to be extended through the handles and in order to apply such covers, it is necessary that one of the handles be bent outwardly so as to be drawn over the cooperating projection on the cover with the results that the clinched ends on the inside of the basket rim are bent away from the handle yoke on the outside of the baskets. Therefore further movement of the handle over the projection to its normal position causes the clinched ends to assume a position away from the rim so that they tend to cut or bruise the basket contents.

The defects in the returned bend clinched handle above referred to have been recognized and :handles have been provided with the clinched ends positioned at different angles with a view to overcoming the defects, but so I am aware, all such attempts have proven unsatisfactory for the reason that they failed to overcome the objections previously encountered or because further objections have developed as a result of the changed construction. 5

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the objections heretofore encountered in clinched handles for baskets, and the invention contemplates the formation of a handle having the inner-clinched ends thereof extending at an 10 acute angle to the arms of the yoke thereof so as to provide a pivot point about which the handle can be moved for permitting the application of a cover in the manner referred to Without bending of the clinched ends.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a basket and handle construction in which the handle is formed of a U-shaped wire and is applied to the basket in a single clinching operation in a manner which permits the pivoting of the handle when applying the basket cover.

The invention contemplates additionally a basket and handle construction in which the handle is provided with clinched arms generally directed toward each other but arranged at an angle of between 15 and 30 degrees from a line intersecting their ends.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a veneer strip basket having an upper rim and a handle provided with projections at the lower ends of its arms which pasS through the rim and have their free ends extending upwardly and inwardly on the inner side of the rim with, their extreme ends terminating at points spaced a distance substantially equal to the width of the rim above the openings in the rim through which the projections extend. The invention still further contemplates the provision of such a basket with the handle thereof having the projecting portions which are positioned within the rim openings each extending from the respective arm at an obtuse angle with its clinched end arranged at an acute angle thereto.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent 45 from a consideration of the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates a basket provided with a typ of clinched handle heretofore commonly used, 50 showing the objections to the same when used with a normal basket cover;

Fig. 2 illustrates the construction shown in Fig. 1 with the handle bent outwardly as is done in applying the cover; 5

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a basket with a handle made in accordance with the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the handle pivoted outwardly to the position assumed in the application of a cover;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the handle removed from the basket and illustrating the angular disposition of the clinched ends of its arms; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken through the rim of the basket and illustrating the handle in elevation.

Now referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral I (Figs. 1 and 2) designates a basket formed of veneer strips 2, having mounted thereon a cover 3, which cover has an extending slat 4 which is adapted to project through bent wire handles 5. The handles 5 are each formed with downwardly extending arms 6, having projections 1 thereon extending through the hoops 8 which form the rim of the basket. At the inner side of the'rim of the basket the projections I are bent upwardly in the form of a returned bend and are clinched as shown at 9.

It will be seen that When one of the handles is bent outwardly as shown in dotted lines so that it can be then passed over the projection of the slat 4, that the clinched ends 9 will project inwardly of the rim when the handle is moved to its normal position and then present sharp points against which the produce in the basket will contact and be resultantly damaged.

In the present improved construction as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, the basket I may be of any well known type having an upper rim II formed with inner and outer hoops. Two or more handles I2 preferably formed of wire are provided, each of which has a bail I3 formed with a connecting bar I4 and depending arms I5. The bar I4 is arranged above the rim II a distance sufiicient to permit'a person to grasp the handles for moving the basket as well asto permit the application of a cover I5 thereto having its rim I6 resting upon the rim II, with the projections of slat I'I passing through the handles.

Each arm I5 extends downwardly to a point adjacent or slightly below the center of the rim II where a rounded bend I8 is provided between the arm and a portion I9 which is arranged at an obtuse angle thereto. Due to this formation of the handles the portions I9 pass through the rim II at an angle to the surface of the outer hoop and therefore the openings 20 in the rim are directed in a slightly downward direction inwardly of the basket.

The portions I 9 each extend inwardly to a point spaced from the surface of the inner hoop of the rim I I where it is bent at an acute angle as at H and has its free ends 22 thereof directed inwardly to a point where it is partially embedded within the rim. The free ends 22 are also arranged at an angle in an upwardly direction with the embedded ends being spaced upwardly above the openings 2Il a distance substantially equal to the length of the walls of said openings. Ends 22 are preferably directed generally toward each other and the embedded ends will remain in position even when the handle is moved outwardly at the top, such as is done in applying a basket cover.

In the application of the handle to the normal type of veneer strip basket having inner and outer hoops to constitute the rim at the upper end, I have found that the most efiicient results are had when the free ends 22 extend at an angle of approximately 20 degrees form an imaginary line between the openings 20.

I have found in practice that the handle of this invention can be utilized without causing the objectionable bending of the clinched ends of 5 the arms and without causing the splitting of the hoops of the rim of the basket. I have found that the handle may be moved time after time in the application of a cover to a basket without damage thereto and that the handle is more easily 10 operated and improves with use. While I do not insist upon the accuracy of the theory it appears that in the operation of the handle in the application of a cover to the basket as above described, the portions I9 thereof slide without undue binding through the openings 29 and that the bends I8 pass into the openings as the handle pivots about the embedded ends 22. Ends 22 do not become strained outwardly as a result of this action and thereby present sharp projections when the handle is returned to normal position with the resulting damage to the basket contents as the pressure which is applied thereto does not appear to be sufficient to cause a bending of the ends.

The invention includes in its broader aspect 25 the arrangement of the free endof the clinching arms I5 so that they will constitute pivot points about which the portions I9 move through the openings 29. Although in the preferred form of the invention the arms are arranged to extend generally toward each other they may be directed generally away from each other. I have found that a handle with its arms directed away from each other will operate satisfactorily providing the other features of construction as above set forth are incorporated therein.

What I claim is:

1. A receptacle comprising in combination a body unit having a rim and including staves and hoops for securing the staves together, with a 4, cover unit including a rim adapted to be engaged upon the rim of the body, said cover unit having projections extending diametrically opposite beyond the rim thereof, and handles through which the projections of I the cover unit extend, said handles being formed of bails having extensions passing through the rim of the body and then bent upwardly at an angle of between fifteen and thirty degrees to the edge of the rim of the body unit with their extreme ends each acting as a point to form an axis about which the bail from which it extends may be moved during the application or removal of the cover unit.

2. In combination a basket having a marginal rim around the upper edge thereof, a wire handle provided with a bail portion and spaced depending legs extending downwardly along the outer side of the basket rim, and fastener means for the legs, including a portion extending within an opening in the rim and being arranged at an obtuse angle from the end of the respective leg together with a clincher arm, said clincher arms each extended from the respective obtuse angled portion at an acute angle and upwardly to a plane spaced above the openings a distance substantially 55 equal to the length of the wall of the opening through which its respective obtuse angled portion extends, whereby pressure exerted upon the bail in an outward direction when the handle is in its normal upright position will result in the swinging movement of the obtuse angled portion.

3. A container comprising a rim at the upper edge thereof, and a handle formed from a wire strand having a bail portion with spaced depending arms, said arms terminating'at the lower 15 portions thereof in fastener means having portions extending at an obtuse angle to the arms through openings formed in the rim of the basket and with clincher arms at an acuate angle to said obtuse angled extending portions, said clincher arms having their ends embedded within the inner wall of the rim in a plane spaced above the openings, thereby to effect the application of the handle to the basket to permit the pivotal movement thereof and the movement of the fastener means within the openings generally about the embedded portions as the fulcrum without the substantial bending of the clincher arms.

4. The combination of a basket comprising a body and inner and outer hoops secured to its upper end, of a bail shaped handle and cover fastener disposed on the outer side of the outer hoop and having its ends passed inwardly through loose-fitting openings formed within the hoops, at an obtuse angle to the arms of the bail to a point spaced inwardly from the inner wall of the inner hoop and then at an acute angle therefrom in the form of clincher arms terminating in a plane spaced above the openings and arranged at an angle of approximately twenty degrees from a line intersecting the openings.

5. A basket handle comprising a bail and spaced depending arms which are bent at the ends at a. wide angle in excess of into portions extending in the same general direction and are then bent at relatively sharp angles into portions extending generally toward each other but upwardly at an angle of between fifteen and thirty degrees from a line intersecting the wide angled extending portions.

6. A container comprising a rim at the upper edge thereof, and a handle including a bail having fastener members integral therewith each provided with a portion extending transversely through the rim, each of the fastener members also including a clincher arm extending adjacent the inner wall of the container with its free portion being directed into contact with the container inner wall at a point materially spaced in a direction longitudinally of the container from the portion of its respective fastener member which extends through the rim of the container.

7. A receptacle comprising a handle'adapted to function as a cover retainer, said handle being anchored in the receptacle wall adjacent the upper edge thereof and including a bail portion and spaced depending legs extending downwardly along the outer side of the receptacle wall with each leg being passed through the wall to form anchoring means, said legs being further bent inwardly of the receptacle wall and having the free ends thereof directed into contact with the inner surface of the wall at points in a plane materially spaced with respect to the plane in which the legs pass through the receptacle wall, the portion of each leg extending through the wall being slidably retained therein and movable about an axis defined by the points of contact of the free ends of the legs with the inner surface of the receptacle wall.

JOHN J. BACON.

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