Replacement gripping member

A replaceable gripping member for a weight bearing container having a wire handle comprising:

• a male and female half, said male and female halves having attachment surfaces;
• the male half having a plurality of tabs, each tab including an upstanding vertical wall with a co-extensive flange which extends horizontally perpendicular to the wall, wherein the flange is positioned along a top of the wall with a rearmost vertical stop portion of the flange extending from the top to a bottom of the wall and serving as both a stop for the horizontally slidably inserted tab and a reinforcement that allows only one way slidable disengagement of the device, and a semi-cylindrical protrusion positioned on said wall;
• the female half having a plurality of recesses, wherein each recess has a flange engaging slot adjacent to a tab receiving opening, the opening having a laterally recessed rear wall, the recessed wall creating space for the insertion of a tab of the male half, a locking lip extending horizontally from the rear wall and including an arcuate indentation sized to receive the semi-cylindrical protrusion of a corresponding tab of the male half by snap-fit when the male half and female half are slid axially with respect to each other;
• said tabs and recesses allowing for sliding snap-fit engagement and disengagement of said male and female halves:
• whereby both unintended lateral and vertical separation of said male and female halves is limited by interaction of said tabs within said recesses.