Portable storage device
AssigneeRehrig Pacific Company
InventorsWilliam P. Apps, Cynthia R. Aiken
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable storage device includes the plurality of collapsible walls, each pair of adjacent walls connected by a latch. Each latch can be selectively actuated from both the inside and the outside of the container. Preferably, the latch includes a recess into which the adjacent wall is disposed when the latch is in the latched position. Preferably, the latch is unlatched by flexing the latch away from the adjacent wall by application of force on an inner release surface, inward of the recess or by application of force on an outer release surface, outward of the recess.
Claims26
1) A container comprising:
- a base wall;
- a first wall generally perpendicular to the base wall;
- a second wall generally perpendicular to the base wall and the first wall;
- and
- a latch integrally molded with the first wall for selectively connecting the first wall to the second wall, the latch including an outer release surface outward of the second wall and an inner release surface inward of the second wall, the latch configured to selectively disconnect the latch from the second wall upon an application of force to the outer release surface and the latch configured to selectively disconnect the latch from the second wall upon an application of force to the inner release surface.
11) A collapsible crate comprising:
- a base wall;
- a first wall movable about a first hinge between a collapsed position generally parallel to the base wall and a use position generally perpendicular to the base wall;
- a second wall movable about a second hinge between a collapsed position generally parallel to the base wall and a use position generally perpendicular to the base wall;
- and
- a latch integrally molded with the first wall for selectively connecting the first wall to the second wall while the first and second walls are in the use position, the latch configured to be selectively disconnected upon the application of force from the inside of the container and configured to be selectively disconnected upon the application of force from the outside of the container.
15) A collapsible crate comprising:
- a base wall;
- four walls movable about hinges between a collapsed position generally parallel to the base wall and a use position generally perpendicular to the base wall;
- and
- four latches, each latch connecting a different pair of the four walls in the use position, each latch configured to be selectively disconnected from the inside of the container and configured to be selectively disconnected from the outside of the container.
19) A method for assembling and disassembling a crate including the steps of:
- a. pivoting a first wall about a first hinged connection to a base wall from a collapsed position generally parallel to the base wall to a use position generally perpendicular to the base wall;
- b. pivoting a second wall about a second hinged connection to the base wall from a collapsed position generally parallel to the base wall to a use position generally perpendicular to the base wall;
- c. connecting the first wall to the second wall with a latch while the first and second walls are in the use position;
- and
- d. applying a force to an outer release surface of the latch outward of the second wall to release the latch;
- and
- e. applying a force to an inner release surface of the latch inward of the second wall to release the latch.
22) A collapsible crate orientable between a collapsed position and an assembled position comprising:
- a base;
- a first pair of opposed side walls pivotably connected to the base and each having a latch member with an inner release surface and an outer release surface;
- a second pair of opposed side walls pivotably connected to the base, wherein when in the assembled position, the first and second pairs of opposed side walls are attached by the latch members receiving a portion of the second side walls therein, wherein to return the crate from the assembled position to the collapsed position the latch members are configured to be selectively actuated by the inner release surface disposed inward of the second wall and the outer release surface disposed outward of the second wall.
26) A collapsible crate comprising:
- A base member having an upstanding base wall having an outer surface, a first hinge portion and an opening extending from the upstanding base wall outer surface to the first hinge portion;
- and
- A side wall pivotably attached to the base member, the side wall having a second hinge portion cooperating with the first hinge portion for providing the pivotable attachment therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.