US 3,937,327 AGranted

Nesting and stacking containers

AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company

InventorJames C. Carroll

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A nesting and stacking container adapted to nest in a like oriented lower container of like construction, and stack on said lower container at two different elevations when rotated from said like orientation to different stations of rotation. The wall structures of said container are dissimilar and each comprises bar members which extend between the bottom and upper rim of the container. Each of said wall structures also comprises a first plurality of stacking feet and a first plurality of stacking saddles disposed in a first vertical plane located adjacent a side of said bottom, and a second plurality of stacking feet and a second plurality of stacking saddles disposed in a second vertical plane located adjacent but outside said first vertical plane.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A symmetrical nesting and stacking container comprising:

a generally horizontally disposed bottom;
and
a plurality of adjacent dissimilar wall structures extending upwardly to essentially the same height from adjacent essentially equal length peripheral segments of said bottom located around the periphery of said bottom;
with each of said wall structures comprising:
a sinuously shaped border flange extending along said peripheral segment of said bottom in a first vertical plane located adjacent said peripheral segment;
said border flange comprising a series of upstanding alternating peaks and valleys along its upper surface and a series of inverted alternating peaks and valleys along its lower surface, with the apex areas of said inverted peaks comprising a first plurality of spaced apart stacking feet located in said first plane, and the apex areas of said upstanding peaks comprising a first plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles located in said first plane;
an upper rim disposed generally vertically above said border flange and in a third vertical plane which is adjacent but outside a second vertical plane described hereinafter;
a plurality of spaced apart bar members, disposed in said second vertical plane which is adjacent but outside said first vertical plane, and extending in an upwardly inclined direction between the outer surface of said border flange and the inner surface of said upper rim;
the bottom of each of said bar members comprising a stacking foot in a second plurality of spaced apart stacking feet located in said second plane, and the top of each of said bar members comprising a stacking saddle in a second plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles located in said second plane;
the location, arrangement, and lateral spacing of said first feet and said first saddles with respect to each other and to said second feet and said second saddles, together with the location, arrangement, and lateral spacing of said second feet and said second saddles with respect to each other and to said first feet and said first saddles being such that an upper said container will nest within a like lower container when said containers are in like positions of orientation;
said second feet and said second saddles in at least two opposed said wall structures being adapted to register and to support an upper said container in a first stacked relationship on a like lower container when said upper container is rotated from said position of like orientation to a first station of rotation;
and
said first feet and said first saddles in at least two opposed said wall structures being adapted to register and to support an upper said container in a second stacked relationship on a like lower container at a lower elevation than that of said first stacked relationship when said upper container is further rotated to a second succeeding station of rotation.

10 more elements

A symmetrical essentially square nesting and stacking container comprising a generally horizontally disposed bottom and first, second, third, and fourth adjacent dissimilar side wall structures extending upwardly to essentially the same height from adjacent essentially equal length first, second, third, and fourth sides, respectively, of said bottom, with each of said wall structures comprising:

a sinuously shaped border flange extending along a said side of said bottom in a first vertical plane located adjacent said side of said bottom;
said border flange comprising a series of upstanding alternating peaks and valleys along its upper surface and a series of inverted alternating peaks and valleys along its lower surface, with the apex areas of said inverted peaks comprising a first plurality of spaced apart stacking feet located in said first plane, and the apex areas of said upstanding peaks comprising a first plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles located in said first plane;
an upper rim disposed generally vertically above said border flange and in a third vertical plane which is adjacent but outside a second vertical plane described hereinafter;
a plurality of spaced apart bar members, disposed in said second vertical plane which is adjacent but outside said first vertical plane, and extending in an upwardly inclined direction between the outer surface of said border flange and the inner surface of said upper rim;
the bottom of each of said bar members comprising a stacking foot in a second plurality of spaced apart stacking feet located in said second plane, and the top of each of said bar members comprising a stacking saddle in a second plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles located in said second plane;
the location, arrangement, and lateral spacing of said first feet and said first saddles with respect to each other and with respect to said second feet and said second saddles, together with the location, arrangement, and lateral spacing of said second feet and said second saddles with respect to each other and with respect to said first feet and said first saddles being such that an upper said container will nest within a like lower container when said containers are in like positions of orientation;
said second feet and said second saddles in at least two opposed said wall structures being adapted to register and to support an upper said container in a first stacked relationship on a like lower container when said upper container is rotated from said position of like orientation to a first station of rotation;
and
said first feet and said first saddles in at least two opposed said wall structures being adapted to register and to support an upper said container in a second stacked relationship on a like lower container at a lower elevation than that of said first stacked relationship when said upper container is further rotated to a second succeeding station of rotation.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A symmetrical nesting and stacking container comprising:

a generally horizontally disposed bottom;
and
a plurality of adjacent dissimilar wall structures extending upwardly to essentially the same height from adjacent essentially equal length peripheral segments of said bottom located around the periphery of said bottom;
with each of said wall structures comprising:
a sinuously shaped border flange extending along said peripheral segment of said bottom in a first vertical plane located adjacent said peripheral segment;
said border flange comprising a series of upstanding alternating peaks and valleys along its upper surface and a series of inverted alternating peaks and valleys along its lower surface, with the apex areas of said inverted peaks comprising a first plurality of spaced apart stacking feet located in said first plane, and the apex areas of said upstanding peaks comprising a first plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles located in said first plane;
an upper rim disposed generally vertically above said border flange and in a third vertical plane which is adjacent but outside a second vertical plane described hereinafter;
a plurality of spaced apart bar members, disposed in said second vertical plane which is adjacent but outside said first vertical plane, and extending in an upwardly inclined direction between the outer surface of said border flange and the inner surface of said upper rim;
the bottom of each of said bar members comprising a stacking foot in a second plurality of spaced apart stacking feet located in said second plane, and the top of each of said bar members comprising a stacking saddle in a second plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles located in said second plane;
the location, arrangement, and lateral spacing of said first feet and said first saddles with respect to each other and to said second feet and said second saddles, together with the location, arrangement, and lateral spacing of said second feet and said second saddles with respect to each other and to said first feet and said first saddles being such that an upper said container will nest within a like lower container when said containers are in like positions of orientation;
said second feet and said second saddles in at least two opposed said wall structures being adapted to register and to support an upper said container in a first stacked relationship on a like lower container when said upper container is rotated from said position of like orientation to a first station of rotation;
and
said first feet and said first saddles in at least two opposed said wall structures being adapted to register and to support an upper said container in a second stacked relationship on a like lower container at a lower elevation than that of said first stacked relationship when said upper container is further rotated to a second succeeding station of rotation.

10 more elements