Storage bin
AssigneeRubbermaid Incorporated
InventorRobert McRorie III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A storage bin comprises a cover panel and a scoop. The cover panel may be slidably or rotatably moved to expose the interior of the storage bin. The scoop is stored internally in the storage bin and is exposed when the cover panel is open. The design of the cover panel provides advantages to consumers by providing a durable and versatile method of access to the contents of the storage bin. The storage of the scoop within the storage bin limits contamination of the scoop during storage and provides easy access to the scoop when the cover panel is open. A reusable labeling surface allows the consumer to conveniently identify a variety of stored items over the storage bin's lifetime.
Claims20
A storage bin comprising:
- (a) a base, the base comprising a bottom, an upstanding side wall, and a top opening at a top end of the side wall;
- (b) a lid attached to the base, the lid comprising a cover panel, wherein:
- (i) the lid and the base define a storage space;
- (ii) the lid covers the top opening of the base in a closed orientation;
- and,
- (iii) the cover panel provides access to the storage space through at least a portion of the top opening of the base in an open orientation;
- (c) a scoop, the scoop comprising a handle, a scoop section, and a retainer;
- and,
- (d) a scoop support carried by a portion of the lid, wherein:
- (i) the scoop is attached by the retainer to the scoop support;
- and,
- (ii) the scoop is within the storage space when the lid is in the closed orientation.
A lid assembly for a storage bin, the lid assembly comprising:
- (a) a perimeter attachable to a top opening of a container base;
- (b) an access opening within the perimeter providing access through the lid;
- (c) a movable cover panel carried by part of the lid, the cover panel movable between a closed orientation covering the access opening and an open orientation not covering the access opening;
- (d) a scoop support carried by part of the lid;
- and,
- (e) a scoop, the scoop comprising a handle, a scoop section, and a retainer, wherein the scoop is suspended from the scoop support beneath the lid when the cover panel is in the closed orientation.
A food ingredient storage bin comprising:
- (a) a base, the base comprising a bottom, an upstanding side wall extending upward from a perimeter of the bottom, an interior storage space above the bottom within the side wall, and a top opening at a top end of the side wall;
- (b) a lid attached to the top end of the base, the lid comprising a fixed panel and a movable cover panel, the fixed panel and cover panel together covering the top opening with the cover panel in a closed orientation and the cover panel providing access to the storage space through at least a portion of the top opening in an open orientation;
- (c) a scoop, the scoop comprising a handle, a scoop section, and a retainer lip carried generally between the handle and scoop section;
- and
- (d) a hook depending from an edge of the fixed panel of the lid;
- wherein:
- (i) the scoop is suspended by the retainer lip from the hook within the interior storage space;
- (ii) the handle of the scoop is borne against an underside of the cover panel when the lid is in the closed orientation;
- and.
- (iii) the handle rises to an exposed orientation for grasping when the cover panel is in the open orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.