Abstract:
A stackable container assembly includes a lid portion having first raised members projecting outwardly from an upper surface, at least some of the first raised members cooperatively forming first receiving areas, and a base portion coupleable to the lid portion and forming a containment space. The base portion includes second raised members projecting outwardly from a lower surface, at least some of the second raised members cooperatively forming second receiving areas being adapted to fittingly receive first raised members of a like container assembly positioned below the lower surface. And, the first receiving areas are adapted to fittingly receive second raised members of another like container assembly positioned above the upper surface.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     This application is a divisional of pending U.S. patent application entitled “STACKABLE CONTAINER APPARATUS AND METHODS”, and assigned continuation reissue of reissue application Ser. No. 12/966,775 filed on Dec. 13, 2010, and is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 7,740,138 issued Jun. 22, 2010 which claims benefit to U.S. Ser. No. 11/128,923, filed on May 12, 2005. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to containers for storing and transporting products, such as electronics equipment, and more specifically, to stackable container apparatus and methods. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A wide variety of products are stored and transported in containers. It is often desirable to stack the containers during storage and transport to effectively utilize the available space within the storage facility or the transport vehicle. A variety of containers are known which provide some capability to be stacked, including the various containers disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,599 B1 issued to Apps et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,758 B1 issued to Hsu, U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,345 B1 issued to Robertson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,467 issued to Packrall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,230 issued to Koefelda, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,494 issued to Blomfield, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,360 issued to Juhanson. Although desirable results have been achieved using such prior art containers, there is room for improvement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to stackable container apparatus and methods. Embodiments of apparatus and methods in accordance with the present invention may advantageously provide an improved capability to stack a plurality of containers in a secure, non-sliding manner, and may substantially improve a user&#39;s ability to store products, and may also reduce or eliminate the need for specially-crafted foam inserts, in comparison with prior art containers. 
     In one embodiment, a container assembly in accordance with the invention includes a lid portion and a base portion coupleable to the lid portion and forming a containment space. The lid portion has an upper surface and includes a plurality of first raised members projecting outwardly from the upper surface, at least some of the first raised members cooperatively forming a plurality of first receiving areas. Similarly, the base portion has a lower surface and includes a plurality of second raised members projecting outwardly from the lower surface, at least some of the second raised members cooperatively forming a plurality of second receiving areas. The second receiving areas are adapted to fittingly receive a second plurality of first raised members of a like container assembly positioned below the lower surface, and the first receiving areas are adapted to fittingly receive a second plurality of the second raised members of another like container assembly positioned above the upper surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a plurality of stackable containers in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a lid portion of a stackable container of  FIG. 1  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged, partial top elevational view of the lid portion of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged, partial side elevational view of the lid portion of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a base portion of the stackable container of  FIG. 1  in an inverted position in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged, top elevational view of a stacking cleat of the base portion of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged, side elevational view of the stacking cleat of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged side elevational view of an upper stackable container engaged with a lower stackable container in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a top elevational view of a plurality of stackable containers of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG.  10  10A is an enlarged top elevational view of an upper stackable container engaged with the plurality of lower stackable containers in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 10B is a close-up view of a raised cleat from FIG. 10A; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged, side elevational view of a handle assembly of a stackable container in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 12  is a top elevational view of a first raised member received into an approximately circular receiving area formed by a plurality of second raised members in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to stackable container apparatus and methods. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in  FIGS. 1-12  to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present invention may have additional embodiments, or may be practiced without one or more of the details described for any particular described embodiment. 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a plurality of stackable containers  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, each stackable container  100  includes a lid portion  110  that is removably coupled to a base portion  130  by a plurality of latches  102 . The base portion  130  includes a plurality of handle assemblies  150  to facilitate lifting and transport of the container  100 . 
     In one particular embodiment, the stackable containers  100  are formed of rotomolded polyethylene. In alternate embodiments, other suitable materials may be used. In another embodiment, the containers  100  may be hermetically sealable and shock resistant, and may be suitable for the transport of sensitive electronic equipment from a supplier to an end user. In a further embodiment, the stackable containers  100  are sized and adapted for use in conjunction with the United States military&#39;s most common air transport pallet, the 463L, and standard cargo netting. 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the lid portion  110  of the stackable container  100  of  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the lid portion  110  includes an upper surface  116  having a plurality of raised rows  114 . Each raised row  114  includes a plurality of raised bosses  112  connected by a plurality of raised ribs  118 . The raised rows  114  improve the structural rigidity of the lid portion  110 , and provide a capability to stack a plurality of the containers  100 , as described more fully below. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  are top and side elevational views, respectively, of the lid portion  110  of  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the raised rows  114  are separated by a first distance D 1 , and the centers of the raised bosses  112  are separated by a second distance D 2 . The raised bosses  112  and the raised ribs  118  are sized such that the edges of successive raised bosses  112  are separated by a third distance D 3  along each of the raised rows  114 . The raised rows  114  are adapted such that a plurality of first receiving areas  115  are formed between adjacent raised rows  114 . As further shown in  FIG. 3 , an outermost raised row  114  is separated from an outermost edge  117  of the lid portion  110  by a fourth distance D 4 . Also, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the raised bosses  112  have a first height H 1 , the raised ribs  118  have a second height H 2 , and the edges of the raised bosses  112  and the raised ribs  118  are oriented at a draft angle α with respect to an axis that is vertical to the upper surface  116 . 
     In one particular embodiment, each of the raised bosses  112  has an approximately square shape measuring 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches when viewed from above ( FIG. 3 ), and each of the raised ribs  118  has an approximately rectangular shape when viewed from above. In one particular embodiment, the first height H 1  is 0.75 inches, the second height H 2  is 0.5 inches, and the draft angle α is 10 degrees. Furthermore, in a particular embodiment, each of the raised rows  114  is separated by a first distance D 1  of 4.2 inches, the raised bosses  112  are separated by a second distance D 2  of 4.2 inches, and the fourth distance D 4  is approximately equal of the first distance D 1  (e.g. 2.1 inches). Of course, in alternate embodiments, the raised bosses  112  and the raised ribs  118  may have different shapes and dimensions, and the raised rows  114  may have different distances D 1 , D 2 , D 3 , and D 4 , from the particular embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the base portion  130  of one of the stackable containers  100  of  FIG. 1  in an inverted position. In this embodiment, the base portion  130  includes a lower surface  132  having a plurality of raised cleats  134  formed thereon. A plurality of first ridges  136  extend along a first (or lateral) direction between adjacent cleats  134 , and a plurality of second ridges  138  extend along a second (or longitudinal) direction between adjacent cleats  134 . The raised cleats  134 , the first ridges  136 , and the second ridges  138  cooperatively form a plurality of second receiving areas  135  distributed across the lower surface  132  of the base portion  130 . 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are top and side elevational views, respectively, of one of the stacking cleats  134  of the base portion  130  of  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, the stacking cleat  134  has a “cross” or “plus sign” shape (i.e. “+”) when viewed from above ( FIG. 6 ). As shown in  FIG. 6 , the stacking cleat  134  has a primary longitudinal dimension W 1 , a primary lateral dimension W 2 , a secondary longitudinal dimension W 3 , a secondary lateral dimension W 4 , and an arm length W 5 . Also, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the stacking cleat  134  projects outwardly from the lower surface  132  by a third height H 3 , the lateral ridges  136  project outwardly by a fourth height H 4 , and the longitudinal ridges  138  project outwardly by a fifth height H 5 . Generally, the stacking cleats  134  are distributed over the lower surface  132  of the bottom portion  130  and are adapted to engage with the receiving portions  115  of the lid portion  110  of an adjacent container  100 , as described more fully below. 
     In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the primary longitudinal dimension W 1  is equal to the primary lateral dimension W 2 , and the secondary longitudinal dimension W 3  is equal to the secondary lateral dimension W 4 . More specifically, in one particular embodiment, W 1 =W 2 =2.85 inches, W 3 =W 4 =1.45 inches, and W 5 =0.70 inches. Furthermore, in one particular embodiment, the stacking cleats  134  project outwardly from the lower surface  132  by the third height H 3  of approximately 0.75 inches, and the lateral and longitudinal ridges  136 ,  138  project outwardly from the tower surface  132  by 0.25 inches (i.e. H 4 =H 5 =0.25 inches). 
       FIG. 8  is an enlarged side elevational view of an upper stackable container  100 A engaged with a lower stackable container  100 B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the base portion  130 A of the upper stackable container  100 A is engaged with the lid portion  110 B of the lower stackable container  100 B. More specifically, the raised cleats  134 A of the base portion  130 A are engaged into the first receiving areas  115 B of the lid portion  110 B, and the raised bosses  112 B of the lid portion  110 B are engaged into the second receiving areas  135 A of the base portion  130 A. 
     In one particular embodiment, the raised cleats  134 A and the raised bosses  112 B are sized and adapted so that the raised bosses  112 B engage against the lower surface  132 A of the lower portion  130 A of the upper container  100 A, and the raised cleats  134 A engage against the upper surface  116 B of the lid portion  110 B of the lower container  100 B. The contact between the raised bosses  112 B and the lower surface  132 A, and the contact between the raised cleats  134 A and the upper surface  116 B, may advantageously improve the load carrying capabilities of the containers  100 A,  100 B, and may reduce or prevent deformation of the lid and base portions  110 B,  130 A under heavy loads, elevated temperatures, or other operating conditions. 
     Similarly, in a further embodiment, at least one of the first and second ridges  136 A,  138 A of the lower portion  130 A of the upper container  100 A are sized and adapted to engage with the ribs  118 B of the lid portion  110 B of the lower container  100 B. Again, this contact between the ridges  136 A,  138 A, and the ribs  118 B may improve the load carrying capabilities of the containers  100 A,  100 B, and may reduce or prevent deformation of the lid and base portions  110 B,  130 A. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide significant advantages over prior art stackable containers. Because the raised cleats  134 A of the base portion  130 A are engaged into the first receiving areas  115 B of the lid portion  110 B, and the raised bosses  112 B of the lid portion  110 B are engaged into the second receiving areas  135 A of the base portion  130 A, the upper container  100 A may be securely engaged with the lower container  100 B in the stacked position ( FIG. 8 ), thereby preventing slipping and sliding of the upper container  100 A relative to the lower container  100 B in the lateral and longitudinal directions. 
     Furthermore, because the second receiving areas  135 A of the base portion  130 A are formed over the lower surface  132 A by the cooperation of the raised cleats  134 A (and the first and second ridges  136 A,  138 A) rather than by forming indentations or recesses in the lower surface  132 A, an inside surface (not shown) of the base portion  130 A (opposite from the lower surface  130 A) may remain relatively smooth and even. The resulting relatively smooth inner surface may substantially improve a user&#39;s ability to store products in the container  100 A, and may advantageously reduce or eliminate the need for specially-crafted foam cushions having relief cuts, indentations, or other means of accommodating the protrusions or irregularities that exist on the inner surfaces of at least some prior art containers. Similarly, because the first receiving areas  115 B of the lid portion  110 B are formed over the upper service  116 B by the cooperation of the raised bosses  112 B (and the raised ribs  118 B), an inner surface (not shown) of the lid portion  110 B (opposite from the upper surface  116 B) also remains relatively smooth and even, which may also substantially improve a user&#39;s ability to store products in the container  100 B. 
     Embodiments the present invention may also provide improved interlocking features between successive layers of stackable containers  100 . For example,  FIG. 9  is a top elevational view of a plurality of stackable containers  100  in a first (or lower) level in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As described above with reference to  FIG. 3 , each of the raised rows  114  is separated by the first distance D 1 , and the outermost raised row  114  is separated from the outer edge  117  of the lid portion  110  by the fourth distance D 4 . In one embodiment, the fourth distance D 4  may be approximately equal to the first distance D 1 . Similarly, the last raised boss  112  of each raised row  114  may be separated from the outer edge  117  by a fifth distance D 5 , and the fifth distance D 5  may also be approximately equal to the first distance D 1 . Therefore, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , D 4 +D 4 =2D 1 , and D 4 +D 5 =2D 1 . 
     FIG.  10  10A is a partial top elevational view of an upper stackable container  200  engaged with the plurality of lower stackable containers  100  of  FIG. 9 . FIG. 10B is a close-up view of one of the raised cleats from FIG. 10A. In this embodiment, the upper stackable container  200  spans across a plurality of lower stackable containers  100 , with the raised cleats  134  of the base portion  130  engaged in to the first receiving areas  115  on a plurality of lid portions  110  of lower stackable containers  100 . Because the fourth distance D 4  (the distance from the outermost raised row  114  to the outer edge  117 ) and the fifth distance D 5  (the distance from the last raised boss  112  to the outer edge  117 ) are both equal to the first distance D 1  (the distance between successive raised rows  114 ), the upper stackable container  200  may span between two lower containers  100  even though the raised rows  114  of the two lower containers  100  are not aligned, but rather, are oriented at 90° angles. Similarly, because the fourth distance D 4  is approximately equal to the first distance D 1 , the upper stackable container  200  may span between two lower containers  100  when the raised rows  114  of the two adjacent lower containers  100  are aligned (running in approximately parallel directions). Thus, embodiments of the present invention may provide enhanced, interlocking, stacking capability between successive levels of stackable containers  100 ,  200 . 
       FIG. 11  is an enlarged, side elevational view of the handle assembly  150  of the stackable container  100  of  FIG. 1  in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the handle assembly  150  includes a support arm  152  coupled to a handle member  154 . The support arm  152  is pivotably coupled to the base portion  130  by a hinge  156  located within a recess  158  in the base portion  130 . In operation, the support arm  152  and the handle member  154  are swingably (or pivotably) movable between a deployed (or lifting) position  160 , and a stowed (or non-lifting) position  162 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , in the deployed position  160 , the support arm  152  rotates outwardly within the hinge  156  until the support arm  152  engages with a support surface  164  of the base portion  130 . 
     In operation, a user may lift upwardly on the handle member  154  until the support arm  152  engages with the support surface  164  in the deployed position  160 . If the user provides further lifting force on the handle member  154 , the support arm  152  is prevented from further up for rotation by the support surface  164 . After the container  100  is lifted and moved to a desired position, the support arm  152  may be rotated downwardly into the stowed position  162 . In the stowed position  162 , the support arm  152  and handle member  154  are contained within the recess  158 . 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide further advantages in comparison with the prior art. For example, in the deployed position  160 , because the support arm  152  is prevented from further rotation upwardly by the support surface  164 , the user may exert a lifting force on the handle member  154  without causing the handle member  154  to pinch the user&#39;s hand against an outer surface of the base portion  130 . Similarly, in the stowed position  162 , because the support arm  152  and handle member  154  may be disposed within the recess  158  in the base portion  130 , the support arm  152  and handle member  154  may be at least partially protected from damage, and may allow a tighter packing between adjacent containers  100 . 
     Alternate embodiments of the present invention may be conceived, and it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above and shown in  FIGS. 1-11 . For example, greater or fewer numbers of raised bosses and stacking cleats may be provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the container from that shown in the accompanying figures. Similarly, the raised bosses and stacking cleats may be distributed over the upper and lower surfaces in different patterns and the particular embodiments described above and shown in the company figures. In addition, as described above, the shapes of the raised bosses and stacking cleats may be varied from those particular embodiments described above. For example, in one alternate embodiment, the shapes of the raised bosses  114  and the stacking cleats  134  may be reversed from the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-11 , such that the raised bosses have a “cross” or “plus sign” shape, and the stacking cleats have a “square” shape. 
     In a further embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 12 , a first raised member  214  may be approximately circular in shape, and may be fittingly received into an approximately circular receiving area  215  forward by a plurality of second raised members  234 , each of the second raised members  234  having one or more contoured edges  237  that cooperatively form the circular receiving area  215 . The first raised members  214  may be formed on the upper surface of the lid portion  110 , in the second raised members  234  may be formed on the lower surface of the base portion  130 , or vice versa. Of course, a variety of other shapes of first and second raised members may be conceived that provide the desired interlocking capability of the base portion of the upper container and the lid portion of the lower container, including, for example, triangular shapes, diamond shapes, polygonal shapes, and even non-polygonal or irregular shapes. 
     While preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.