Container assembly having locking means

A container assembly comprising

• an open top lower container having a bottom wall, end and side walls, and a peripheral top wall defining a central top opening, the inner surfaces of said side walls having outwardly extending opposed grooves spaced downwardly from and parallel to the plane of said top wall
• an integrally molded hollow cover of organic plastic material adapted to be aligned and releasably locked on top of said lower container
• said cover having vertically spaced top and bottom walls, outer side and end walls, downwardly extending aligning walls on said bottom wall spaced inwardly from said outer side and end walls and an inner circular wall defining a central opening extending between said cover top and bottom walls
• the peripheral outer portion of said cover bottom wall being in contact with said lower container peripheral top wall and said aligning walls being in contact with the inner surfaces of said container end and side walls in the aligned position of said cover
• a locking member rotatably movable between unlocked and locked positions for releasably locking said cover in aligned position on top of said lower container
• said locking member having an upper circular mounting portin and a lower locking flange portion
• said upper circular locking member mounting portion being rotatably mounted within said cover central opening and extending upwardly therethrough, and
• said lower locking flange portion having a pair of opposed outwardly extending flanges parallel to and spaced downwardly from said cover bottom surface for cooperating with said bottom container opposed grooves for locking said cover and said lower container upon rotation of said locking member relatively to said cover and container in a plane parallel to the plane of said lower container peripheral top wall and said cover bottom surface between an unlocked position with said flanges disengaged from said grooves and a locked position with said flanges received within said grooves
• said inner circular surface defining said central opening having retaining means on its inner surface and said upper circular locking member mounting portion having retaining means on its outer surface cooperating with said cover inner circular surface retaining means for normally preventing relative axial movement of said cover and locking member
• stop means for preventing further locking member rotation from its unlocked position in the direction opposite to its locking direction and further rotation from its locked position in said locking direction, and
• a handle mounted on the upper portion of said locking member above said top wall of said cover for rotating said locking member between its unlocked and locked positions.

A container assembly comprising

• an open top lower container having a bottom wall, end and side walls, and a peripheral top wall defining a central top opening, the inner surfaces of said side walls having outwardly extending opposed grooves spaced downwardly from and parallel to the plane of said top wall
• an integrally molded hollow cover of organic plastic material adapted to be aligned and releasably locked on top of said lower container
• said cover having vertically spaced top and bottom walls, outer side and end walls, downwardly extending aligning walls on said bottom wall spaced inwardly from said outer side and end walls and an inner circular wall defining a central opening extending between said cover top and bottom walls
• the peripheral outer portion of said cover bottom wall being in contact with said lower container peripheral top wall and said aligning walls being in contact with the inner surfaces of said container end and side walls in the aligned position of said cover
• an integrally molded hollow locking member of organic plastic material rotatably movable between unlocked and locked positions for releasably locking said cover in aligned position on top of said lower container
• said locking member having an upper circular mounting portion and a lower locking flange portion
• said upper circular locking member mounting portion being rotatably mounted within said cover central opening and extending upwardly therethrough, and
• said lower locking flange portion having a pair of opposed outwardly extending flanges parallel to and spaced downwardly from said cover bottom surface for cooperating with said bottom container opposed grooves for locking said cover and said lower container upon rotation of said locking member relatively to said cover and container in a plane parallel to the plane of said lower container peripheral top wall and said cover bottom surface between an unlocked position with said flanges disengaged from said grooves and a locked position with said flanges received within said grooves
• retaining means for normally preventing relative axial movement of said cover and locking member comprising cooperating circular groove and rib means on said cover and locking member circular walls providing snap-in assembly of said locking member within said cover central opening
• stop means for preventing further locking member rotation from its unlocked position in the direction opposite to its locking direction and further rotation from its locked position in said locking direction, and
• a handle mounted on the upper portion of said locking member above said top wall of said cover for rotating said locking member between its unlocked and locked positions, said handle being of greater dimension than that of said central opening and of said locking member upper portion and being removably mounted on said locking member for assembly of said locking member into said cover from beneath said cover and subsequent assembly of said handle to said locking member from above said cover.