US20110147386A1

US20110147386A1 - Container assembly

Info

Publication number: US20110147386A1
Application number: US13/036,500
Authority: US
Inventors: John H. Whalen
Original assignee: Plano Molding Co LLC
Current assignee: Plano Molding Co LLC
Priority date: 2009-11-30
Filing date: 2011-02-28
Publication date: 2011-06-23
Also published as: WO2011066217A3; US20110127264A1; CA2781878A1; WO2011066217A2

Abstract

A container assembly includes a cover and a base that form a cavity in a closed configuration. The container assembly comprises a latch assembly that secures the cover to the base in a substantially closed configuration, and an opening that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the container assembly, wherein the opening is provided in the base, and wherein the cover comprises a latch catch that receives a portion of the latch assembly.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/627,511, filed on Nov. 30, 2009, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates to a multi-purpose container assembly for securely holding and protecting items.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Many types of container assemblies are known and used for various purposes. These container assemblies are frequently formed of separate body parts that are configured to mate and cooperate to allow the assemblies to open and close when the assemblies are assembled into finished products. Some of the container assemblies include one or more handles, so that the container assemblies may be easily carried by hand.
However, many of these container assemblies are inadequate in protecting items from damage, tampering, theft, or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a container assembly is provided that comprises: a cover that includes a cover perimeter; a base that includes a base perimeter, which is configured to mate with the cover perimeter to form a cavity; a front latch assembly that secures a first portion of the cover to a first portion of the base; a left latch assembly that secures a second portion of the cover to a second portion of the base; a right latch assembly that secures a third portion of the cover to a third portion of the base; a first valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base; a second valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base; and a hinge assembly that pivotally couples the cover to the base. The container assembly may further comprise a seal and/or insert. The base may comprise an opening that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base. The cover may comprise a channel. The cover perimeter may comprise a channel that is configured to receive a seal. The front latch assembly, left latch assembly and right latch assembly mall be substantially the same, or different. The front latch assembly may comprise: an upper latch portion that engages the first portion of the cover; and a lower latch portion that moves to engage or disengage the upper latch portion. The container assembly may further comprise a third valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base, wherein the lower latch portion comprises the third valve assembly. The cover and base may both (or either) comprise a polycarbonate material.
According to a further aspect of the disclosure, a container assembly is provided that has a cavity formed by a cover and a base. The container assembly comprises: a latch assembly that secures the cover to the base in a substantially closed configuration; and a valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the container assembly, wherein the latch assembly comprises an upper latch grip, and wherein the cover comprises a latch catch that is configured to receive the upper latch grip. The latch assembly may further comprise: an upper latch portion that engages the first portion of the cover; and a lower latch portion that moves to engage or disengage the upper latch portion, wherein the upper latch portion is configured to pivot about a first axis, and wherein the lower latch portion is configured to pivot about a second axis. The container assembly may further comprise: a second valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base; and/or a third valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base. The base may comprise an opening that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base. The cover may comprise a channel and the cover perimeter may comprise a channel that is configured to receive a seal. The container assembly may further comprise a seal. The first axis and second axis may be substantially parallel. The latch assembly may comprise: an upper latch portion that engages the first portion of the cover; and a lower latch portion that moves to engage or disengage the upper latch portion. The lower latch portion may comprise a second valve assembly that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the base. The cover and base may both (or either) comprise a polycarbonate material. The container assembly may further comprise an insert. The valve assembly may be integrally formed with the latch assembly. The latch assembly may comprise: a rib; and a reinforcement section.
According to a still further aspect of the disclosure, a container assembly is provided that has a cover and a base that form a cavity in a closed configuration. The container assembly comprises: a latch assembly that secures the cover to the base in a substantially closed configuration; and an opening that equalizes pressure between the cavity and outside the container assembly, wherein the opening is provided in the base, and wherein the cover comprises a latch catch that receives a portion of the latch assembly.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it is noted that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a container assembly, according to principles of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a partial, enlarged perspective view of the left portion of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a front side view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of a latch assembly that may be used in the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a top view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a further cross-section view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 shows a right side view of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 shows a bottom view of the container assembly of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of the latch assembly that may be used in the container assembly of FIG. 1.

The present disclosure is further described in the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The embodiments of the disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted, so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an example of a container assembly 1, according to principles of the disclosure. The container assembly 1 includes a cover 100, a base 200, a handle assembly 300, a left latch assembly 400, a right latch assembly 500, a front latch assembly 600 and a hinge assembly 700. The cover 100 and base 200 are configured to mate together to form a body that forms an internal cavity 10. Each of the cover 100, base 200, handle assembly 300, left latch assembly 400, right latch assembly 500, front latch assembly 600 and hinge assembly 700 are configured to provide a tight and secure mating of the cover 100 to the base 200 in the closed configuration (shown in FIG. 1) to prevent items placed in the container assembly 1 from being affected by external-ambient conditions, damaged, tampered with, stolen, or the like. The container assembly 1 may be configured to provide a hermetic seal, thereby preventing gases (e.g., air, or the like) or liquids (e.g., water, or the like) from entering or exiting a cavity of the container assembly 1. Some or all of the components, including the cover 100, the base 200, the handle assembly 300, the left latch assembly 400, the right latch assembly 500, the front latch assembly 600 or the hinge assembly 700 may be made from, e.g., polycarbonates, or the like, which may be easily worked, molded and thermoformed to provide temperature resistance, impact resistance, and the like, of the container assembly 1.
Although shown in FIG. 1 as comprising three latch assemblies 400, 500, 600, it is noted that the container assembly 1 may include any number of latch assemblies provided on any one or more sides of the container assembly 1, to secure the cover 100 to the base 200. For example, the container assembly 1 may include a single latch assembly 400 (500/600) provided on the left, front or right side of the container assembly 1. Further, the container assembly 1 may include two or more latch assemblies 400 (500/600) on the left, front or right side of the container assembly. Still further, the container assembly 1 may include multiple latch assemblies 400 (500/600) on one or more of the left, front or right sides of the container assembly 1.
Additionally, the cover 100 and base 200 may include an insulating material that minimizes, e.g., the transfer of energy, such as, e.g., heat, infrared signals, sound signals, vibration, impact, radio frequency (RF) signals, or the like. The insulating material may withstand pressure variations between the pressure inside the cavity of the container assembly 1 and the pressure outside the container assembly 1. Further, the insulating material may be configured to absorb significant shock due to, e.g., the container assembly 1 being dropped or thrown on to a hard surface. Each of the cover 100, base 200, handle assembly 300, left latch assembly 400, right latch assembly 500, front latch assembly 600 and hinge assembly 700 may be configured to withstand ambient conditions, such as, e.g., rain, ice, fire, or the like.
As seen in FIG. 1, the cover 100 may include a plurality of reinforcing channels 110, a plurality of latch catches 120, and a cover perimeter 130. The channels 110 are configured to provide additional rigidity and strength to the cover 100. The plurality of latch catches 120 are each configured to receive a respective left upper latch grip 412 (shown in FIG. 7), a right upper latch grip 512 (shown in FIG. 7) and a front upper latch grip 612 (shown in FIG. 4), to securely mate the cover 100 to the base 200. The cover perimeter 130 is configured to properly mate with a base perimeter 230 to provide a tight seal between the cover 100 and base 200. The cover perimeter 130 and base perimeter may each include one or more openings 135, 235, respectively, to receive a lock mechanism, such as, e.g., a padlock, to secure the cover 100 and base 200 in the closed configuration, shown in FIG. 1. The one or more cover perimeter openings 135 and base perimeter openings 235 may be provided on the front of the container assembly 1, as shown in FIG. 1, and/or the sides of the container assembly 1 (not shown).
The left latch assembly 400 may include a left upper latch portion 410, one or more ribs 420, one or more reinforcement sections 430, a valve assembly 440 and a lower latch portion 450. The valve assembly 440, or parts thereof, may be integrally formed with the lower latch portion 450. Further, the valve assembly 440 may be manipulated to permit ingress or egress of pressure through an opening (not shown) to the cavity 10 to equalize pressure between the cavity 10 and the pressure outside the base 200 or container assembly 1. The valve assembly 440 may be configured to permit passage of air, while substantially preventing (or minimizing) the passage of moisture.
The left upper latch portion 410 may include one or more receivers 411 for receiving one or more respective lower engaging pins 451 to pivotally fasten the left upper latch portion 410 to the left lower latch portion 450 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3). The left lower latch portion 450 may include an upper engaging pin 452 (shown in FIG. 7), a hand grip 455 and a spacer 457. The upper engaging pin 452 is configured to pivotally fasten an upper part of the left lower latch portion 450 to the base 200. The hand grip 455 is configured to be grasped by a human hand and pulled away from the container assembly 1 to release the latch assembly 400, or pushed toward the front of the container assembly 1 to engage the latch assembly 400 (shown in FIG. 3). In this regard, as the hand grip 455 is pulled away from the container assembly 1, the upper part of the lower latch portion 450 pivots about the longitudinal axis of the upper engaging pin 452, releasing the upper latch grip 412 (shown in FIG. 7). The upper latch grip 412 may then be pulled away from the cover 100, causing the upper latch portion to 410 to pivot about the longitudinal axis of the lower engaging pin 451. The spacer 457 is configured to press against the surface of the base 200, when the hand grip 455 is pushed toward the front of the container assembly 1 to engage the latch assembly 400, and position the front lower latch portion 450 in a predetermined position (e.g., shown in FIG. 3). The spacer 457 may include, or be configured as a spring mechanism, which, when compressed between the lower latch portion 450 and a wall of the base 200, retains potential energy, such that when the hand grip 455 is pulled away from the container assembly 1, the spring mechanism will release the potential energy and assist in releasing the latch assembly 400.
To secure the cover 100 to the base 200, the upper latch portion 410 may be pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the lower engaging pin 451 and the upper latch grip 412 placed on or near the left latch catch 120. Then, the handle grip 455 may be pushed toward the base 200, causing the lower latch portion 450 to pivot about the longitudinal axis of the upper engaging pin 452 and secure the cover 100 to the base 200.
It is noted that, instead of (or in addition to) the valve assembly 440, a lock mechanism may be included to secure the latch assembly 400 in a locked configuration (e.g., shown in FIG. 1).
The right latch assembly 500 and/or front latch assembly 600 may include substantially the same structures, as seen in the drawings.
The handle assembly 300 may include a handle 320, which may be pivotally coupled to one or more handle supports 240 by means of, e.g., a handle fastener 340 (e.g., a pin, or the like). The one or more handle supports 240 may be affixed to the base 200 by means of, e.g., bolts, screws, nuts, rivets, or the like, or integrally formed with the base 200.
FIG. 2 shows a partial, enlarged perspective view of the left portion of the container assembly 1.
FIG. 3 shows a front view of the container assembly 1, including a reference plane G-G.
FIG. 4 shows a cross-section view of the container assembly 1, cut along the plane G-G shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 also shows a cross-section view of the front latch assembly 600 and hinge assembly 700.
As seen in FIG. 4, the container assembly 1 includes a cavity 10, which is formed by the cover 100 and base 200 in the closed configuration. The container assembly 1 may include an insert 20 that is inserted into the base 200. The insert 20 may be molded as a liner that fits snuggly in the base 200 and/or cover 100. The insert 20 may include a material, such as, e.g., a memory foam (e.g., having a density about 7 lbs/ft³), a polyurethane foam, a polyester foam, or the like. The insert 20 may include one section (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4), or a plurality of sections. The insert 20 may be configured to be removable from the base 200 (or cover 100).
The cover perimeter 130 includes a channel along its entire (or partial) length to receive a seal 140. The seal 140 may be formed of a flexible material such as, e.g., silicone, rubber, or the like, to form a tight seal between the cover 100 and base 200 in the closed configuration.
As noted earlier, the latch assembly 600 may have substantially the same structure as the latch assemblies 400, 500. The latch assembly 600 includes a front upper latch portion 610 (410, 510, shown in FIG. 7) and a front lower latch portion 650 (450, 550, shown in FIG. 7). The latch assembly 600 may further include a valve assembly 640 (shown in FIG. 3) (440, shown in FIG. 1; 540, shown in FIG. 8), which may include, e.g., a purge valve 646 (shown in FIG. 10). The valve assembly 640 may be manipulated to equalize pressure between the cavity 10 and the outside of the container assembly 1 by means of an opening 645 in the base 200. The front upper latch portion 610 may be pivotally coupled to the front lower latch portion 650 by means of, e.g., a pair of lower engaging pins 651R, 651L (shown in FIG. 10). The front lower latch portion 650 may be coupled to the base 200 by means of an upper engaging pin 652 (shown in FIG. 10). The front lower latch portion 650 is configured to pivot about the longitudinal axis (e.g., the z-axis) of the upper engaging pin 652 during engaging or disengaging of the latch assembly 600.
FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of an example of the latch assembly 600 (or 400, or 500), according to principles of the disclosure.
As seen, e.g., in FIGS. 4 and 10, the front upper latch portion 610 includes the front upper latch grip 612, which is configured to engage the front latch catch 120 of the cover 110. The front lower latch portion 650 includes a hand grip 655 that is configured to be grasped by a human hand and pulled away from the container assembly 1 to release the latch assembly 600, or pushed toward the front of the container assembly 1 to engage the latch assembly 600 (shown in FIG. 4). The front lower latch portion 650 may further include a spacer 657 (457, 557, shown in FIG. 7) that is configured to rest against the surface of a wall of the base 200. The spacer 657 may be configured to absorb and retain potential energy when it is pressed and held against the wall of the base 200, which, when released, will cause the spacer 657 to push the handle grip 655 away from the front of the container assembly 1, thereby assisting the user when disengaging the front latch assembly 600. In this regard, the spacer 657 may be made from a flexible, resilient material, such as, e.g., plastic, metal, or the like.
The hinge assembly 700 may include an upper hinge portion 710 and a lower hinge portion 720. The upper and lower hinge portions 710, 720 may be coupled to each other by means of, e.g., a pin 730. The upper hinge portion 710 and lower hinge portion 720 are configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis (e.g., the z-axis) of the pin 730, as the cover 100 (or base 200) is opened or closed. The upper hinge portion 710 may be affixed to, or integrally formed with the cover 100. The lower hinge portion 720 may be affixed to, or integrally formed with the base 200.
As seen in FIG. 4, the base 200 may include one or more supports 250. The supports 250 are configured to support the container assembly 1, when the container assembly 1 is placed on, e.g., a floor surface (not shown). The supports 250 may be affixed to, or integrally formed with the base 200. Together with the hinge assembly 700, the supports 250 are configured to provide additional rigidity and strength to the container assembly 1. The base 200 may further include a plurality of legs 260.
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the latch assembly 600 (or latch assemblies 400 or 500).
FIG. 6 shows a top view of the container assembly 1, including a reference plane H-H.
FIG. 7 shows a cross-section view of the container assembly 1, cut along the plane H-H shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 also shows a cross-section view of the front latch assemblies 400, 500.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show different views of the container assembly 1. In particular, FIG. 8 shows a right side view of the container assembly 1; and FIG. 9 shows a bottom view of the container assembly 1.
It is noted that each of the components of the container assembly 1 may be configured to withstand ambient conditions, such as, e.g., rain, ice, fire, or the like. The components may include, e.g., any one or more of the following materials: plastic, rubber, metal, glass, carbon fiber, fiberglass, and the like, without limitation.
While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure may be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A container arranged to form an enclosed space comprising:

a cover that comprises a cover perimeter;

a base that comprises a base perimeter which is configured to mate with the cover perimeter to form the enclosed space;

at least one latch assembly that secures the cover to the base;

the at least one latch assembly comprising a first latch portion that engages at least one of the cover and the base; and

the at least one latch assembly further comprising a second latch portion having a first pivot that pivotally connects to the first latch portion and a second pivot that pivotally connects to the other one of the cover and the base.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the first pivot and second pivot each comprise a pin.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein the first latch portion comprises an opening and the second latch portion is at least partially arranged in the opening.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein the first latch portion comprises a hook and the second latch portion comprises a hand grip portion.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a channel.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein the cover perimeter comprises a channel that is configured to receive a seal.

7. The container of claim 1 wherein the at least one latch assembly comprises a plurality of latch assemblies and a plurality of first latch portions and second latch portions.

8. The container of claim 1 wherein the first latch portion engages a first portion of the cover; and

the second latch portion is configured to pivot so as to engage or disengage the first latch portion.

9. The container of claim 1 wherein the cover and base comprise a polycarbonate material.

10. The container of claim 1, further comprising an insert.

11. A container having an enclosed space comprising:

a cover pivotally connected to a base along a pivot axis and configured so as to allow the cover to rotate around the pivot axis with respect to the base;

a latch assembly that secures the cover to the base in a substantially closed configuration;

the latch assembly comprises an upper latch portion that engages a portion of the cover with a latch grip and the latch assembly further comprises a lower latch portion pivotally connected to the upper latch portion and the lower latch portion is configured to be pivotally connected to the base; and

the latch assembly is configured so that the lower latch portion and the upper latch portion rotate with respect to one another around a predetermined axis to secure the cover to the base.

12. The container of claim 11 wherein the lower latch portion and the upper latch portion are connected with a pin so as to rotate with respect to one another around the predetermined axis.

13. The container of claim 11 wherein the lower latch portion is pivotally connected to the base with a pin.

14. The container of claim 11 wherein the lower latch portion further comprises a hand grip.

15. The container of claim 11 wherein the latch assembly comprises a plurality of latch assemblies and a plurality of upper latch portions and lower latch portions.

16. The container of claim 11 wherein the first latch portion comprises an opening and the second latch portion is at least partially arranged in the opening.

17. The container of claim 11 wherein the cover perimeter comprises a channel that is configured to receive a seal.

18. The container of claim 11 wherein the cover and base comprise a polycarbonate material.

19. The container of claim 11 further comprising an insert.

20. The container of claim 11 wherein the latch assembly comprises:

a rib; and

a reinforcement section.