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US 5,211,434 AGranted
Slidable utility carrier
OwnerSanto M. Lanavainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A slidable utility carrier which has a rectangular bottom panel and four rectangular side panels which form a rectangular box-like structure having an open top. Each side panel is hinged to the bottom panel and is secured to the adjacent side panel by removable fasteners. The carrier can be collapsed to a fully opened state in which all of the panels lay in the same plane and extend outwardly from the bottom panel for collecting loose particulate material or to a compact state in which the side panels overlie the bottom panel to form a compact package for storing.
Claims4
A slidable utility carrier comprising:
- (a) a rectangular bottom panel which has a pair of opposite side edges and a pair of opposite end edges,
- (b) a first rectangular side panel which has a pair of opposite end edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to one of the side edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said side panel extends away from said bottom panel and is coplanar with said bottom panel or a second horizontal position in which said side panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (c) a second rectangular side panel which has a pair of opposite side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to the other of the side edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said second side panel extends away from said bottom panel or to a second horizontal position in which said side panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (d) a first rectangular end panel which has a pair of opposite side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to one of the end edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said first end panel extends away from said bottom panel or to a second horizontal position in which said first end panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (e) a second rectangular end panel which has a pair of opposite side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to the other of the end edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said second end panel extends away from said bottom panel or to a second horizontal position in which said second end panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (f) releasable fastening means carried by said end and side panels at predetermined positions along edges thereof for releasably connecting each said side edge of said end panels to corresponding said side edges of said side panels when said end panels and said side panels are in their upright positions to form a temporary rectangular enclosure, and
- (g) said panels being made of a single sheet of extruded thermoplastic material comprising:
- (1) a first planar layer,
- (2) a second planar layer which is parallel with and spaced from said first planar layer, and
- (3) a plurality of connecting webs which extend from said first planar layer to said second planar layer,
- said opposite side edges of said first and second rectangular side panels and said first and second rectangular end panels being free edges that are not connected to other said edges on other panels, whereby single thicknesses of said end panels directly contact single thicknesses of said side panels when in said second horizontal position,
- said extruded thermoplastic material providing a smooth sliding surface and rigidity and strength for said temporary rectangular enclosure,
- wherein said fastening means connects said side panels to each other when in said second horizontal position.
10 more elements
A slidable utility carrier comprising:
- (a) a rectangular bottom panel which has a pair of opposite side edges and a pair of opposite end edges,
- (b) a first rectangular side panel which has a pair of opposite end edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to one of the side edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said side panel extends away from said bottom panel and is coplanar with said bottom panel or a second horizontal position in which said side panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (c) a second rectangular side panel which has a pair of opposite side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to the other of the side edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said second side panel extends away from said bottom panel or to a second horizontal position in which said side panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (d) a first rectangular end panel which has a pair of opposite side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to one of the end edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said first end panel extends away from said bottom panel or to a second horizontal position in which said first end panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (e) a second rectangular end panel which has a pair of opposite side edges, a top edge and a bottom edge which is connected to the other of the end edges of said bottom panel for pivoting movement from an upright vertical position to either a first horizontal position in which said second end panel extends away from said bottom panel or to a second horizontal position in which said second end panel overlies said bottom panel,
- (f) releasable fastening means carried by said end and side panels at predetermined positions along edges thereof for releasably connecting each said side edge of said end panels to corresponding said side edges of said side panels when said end panels and said side panels are in their upright positions to form a temporary rectangular enclosure, and
- (g) said panels being made of a single sheet of extruded thermoplastic material comprising:
- (1) a first planar layer,
- (2) a second planar layer which is parallel with and spaced from said first planar layer, and
- (3) a plurality of connecting webs which extend from said first planar layer to said second planar layer,
- said opposite side edges of said first and second rectangular side panels and said first and second rectangular end panels being free edges that are not connected to other said edges on other panels, whereby single thicknesses of said end panels directly contact single thicknesses of said side panels when in said second horizontal position,
- said extruded thermoplastic material providing a smooth sliding surface and rigidity and strength for said temporary rectangular enclosure wherein each of said end panels includes an aperture near the bottom edge,
- and further comprising a rope passing through said apertures and directly over said bottom panel for pulling said carrier.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.