Abstract:
A case for storage or transport includes a top side, a bottom side, a front side, a rear side, a right side, and a left side, an outermost portion of the bottom side defining a plane. The case further includes at least one wheel including a portion protruding outwardly from one of the front side and the rear side, wherein no portion of the wheel protrudes past the plane defined by the outermost portion of the bottom side.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from provisional application Ser. No. 60/927,474, filed May 3, 2007, and which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The principles disclosed herein relate generally to stackable cases or containers used for storing and/or transporting items, and, more particularly, to cases or containers including casters for mobility. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Cases or containers for storing and/or transporting items are known in the art. Such cases come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are manufactured from a variety of materials including different types of polymers and metals, depending upon their intended use. Certain cases may include casters with wheels mounted thereon for mobility. Certain cases may be waterproof, providing a water-tight seal for the stored items therein. The storage cases may also be designed for stackability, wherein they may include intermating/interfitting features to provide stability when stacked on top of one another. Improvements in the design of storage cases are desired. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    According to one aspect of the disclosure, the principles disclosed herein relate to a case including casters for mobility, the casters protruding out only from a side of the case so as to allow the case to lay flat against a ground surface and so as to not interfere with the stackability of the cases. 
         [0005]    In one particular aspect, the disclosure is directed to a case wherein the casters protrude out only from a rear side of the case and lie flush with the bottom side of the case, allowing the case to lay flat against a ground surface or another case. The casters are configured such that, when the front side of the case is tilted up with the use of a pull handle, the caster wheels make contact with the ground surface for providing full mobility of the case. 
         [0006]    A variety of additional inventive aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects can relate to individual features and combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a case having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a rear elevational view of the case of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the case of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a right side elevational view of the case of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front perspective view of two of the cases of  FIG. 1  in a stacked configuration; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  illustrates a rear elevational view of the cases of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  illustrates a right side elevational view of the cases of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of a caster mountable on the case of  FIG. 1 , the caster having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a front elevational view of the caster of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a rear elevational view of the caster of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is a side elevational view of the caster of  FIG. 8 , the portion of the caster wheel that is within the caster housing shown with hidden lines; 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is a top plan view of the caster of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 13  is a bottom plan view of the caster of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 14  is a front perspective view of the caster housing of the caster of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 15  is a front elevational view of the caster housing of  FIG. 14 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 16  is a side elevational view of the caster housing of  FIG. 14 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 17  is a top plan view of the caster housing of  FIG. 14 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 18  is a front elevational view of the caster wheel of the caster of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 19  is a side elevational view of the caster wheel of  FIG. 18 ; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 20  is a top plan view of the caster wheel of  FIG. 18 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    An example embodiment of a case having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , designated generally at  10 . 
         [0028]    The case  10  includes a main body portion  12  for storing items and a cover portion  14  for sealably closing the main body  12 . In the depicted embodiment, the case  10  includes latches  16  for latching the cover  14  to the main body  12 . Other types of interlock structures for interlocking the cover  14  to the main body  12  are certainly possible. As depicted, the main body portion  12  and the cover portion  14  of the case  10  may include reinforcement or strength members  18  such as ribs for providing rigidity and strength to the case  10 . 
         [0029]    The case  10  includes a top side  20 , a bottom side  22 , a front side  24 , a rear side  26 , a right side  28 , and a left side  30 . In the depicted embodiment, the latches  16  are disposed on all four sides  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30  of the case  10 . The case  10  includes a pair of lift handles  32  on the front side  24  and a pair of lift handles  34  on the rear side  26 . Lift handles  32 ,  34  are hingedly attached to the front and rear sides and are used for lifting the case  10 . 
         [0030]    In the depicted embodiment of the case, the case  10  also includes structures for providing stability when two of the cases  10  are stacked on top of one another. For example, the cover  14  includes a plurality of bumps  36  on the top side  20  of the case  10 . The main body portion  12  of the case  10  includes a plurality of slots (not shown) formed at the bottom side  22  of the case  10 . The bumps  36  of the case  10  are configured to fit within the slots of an adjacent case  10  that is stacked on top thereof to provide stability. Two of the cases  10  are shown in a stacked configuration in  FIGS. 5-7 . 
         [0031]    Still referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the case  10  includes four casters  40  adjacent the rear side  26 . Other numbers are certainly possible. In other embodiments, the casters  40  may be provided at both the rear side  26  and the front side  24  of the cases  10 . Each caster  40  includes a caster housing  42  and a caster wheel  44 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the casters  40  and the main body  12  of the case  10  are designed such that the caster wheels  44  only protrude out from the rear side  26  of the case  10  and lie flush against the bottom side  22  of the case  10 . This configuration allows the case  10  to be stacked on top of another case  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , or lay flat against a ground surface without any need for clearance for the casters  40 . When two cases  10  are in a stacked configuration, as shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , the wheels  44  only protrude out from the rear side  26  of the case  10  and do not protrude out past a plane P defined by the bottom side  22  of the case  10 . 
         [0032]    Using a pull handle  46  that is located on the front side  24  of the case  10 , when the front side  24  is lifted upwardly, the portions of the wheels  44  that protrude out from the rear side  26  of the case  10  make contact with the ground surface. In this manner, the cases  10  still provide for full mobility and can be rolled on the ground surface without the casters  40  interfering with the stackability of the cases  10 . 
         [0033]    One of the casters  40  is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 8-13 . The caster  40  includes the caster housing  42  (shown in  FIGS. 14-17 ) and the caster wheel  44  (shown in  FIGS. 18-20 ) rotatably coupled to the caster housing  42 . The caster housing  42  includes a mounting flange  48 . The mounting flange  48  includes a front portion  50  and a bottom portion  52  that is oriented generally perpendicularly to the front portion  50 . A pair of mounting holes  54  is provided on the front portion  50  of the flange  48  and a pair of mounting holes  56  is provided on the bottom portion  52  of the mounting flange  48 . 
         [0034]    One of the caster wheels  44  is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 18-20 . The caster wheel  44  includes a polyurethane wheel portion  58 , bearings  60 , and spokes  62  (e.g., made out of polymer) connecting the bearings  60  to the wheel portion  58 . The caster wheel  44  is coupled to the caster housing  42  using a machine screw (not shown) inserted through the bearings  60  of the caster wheel  44  and a jam nut (not shown) tightened to the end of the machine screw to hold the caster wheel  44  within the caster housing  42 . It should be noted that the caster wheel  44  depicted herein is simply one example of a wide variety of wheels that are available in the art and that can be used with the caster housing  42  of the present disclosure. Other types of caster wheels and other types of fasteners used to fasten the caster wheels  44  to the caster housing  42  are certainly possible for use with the case  10  of the present disclosure. 
         [0035]    Referring back to  FIGS. 1-4 , the case includes recesses (not shown) for receiving the casters  40 . The recesses are shaped to accommodate the caster housings  42  and the portions of the caster wheels  44  that are within the caster housings  42  (i.e., the portions that do not protrude from the rear side of the case). When the casters  40  are mounted on the case  10  adjacent the rear side  26 , the flanges  48  lie flush with the rear side  26  and the bottom side  22  of the case  10  so as to not protrude out therefrom. 
         [0036]    When the casters  40  are mounted on the case  10 , even though the wheels  44  do not protrude past the plane P defined by the bottom side  22  of the case  10 , the wheels  44  are positioned close enough to the plane P such that lifting the front side  24  of the case  10  and tilting it brings the wheels  44  in contact with the ground surface for rolling the case  10 . 
         [0037]    Although in the foregoing description of the case  10 , terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “right”, and “left” were used for ease of description and illustration, no restriction is intended by such use of the terms. The case  10  can be used in any orientation. 
         [0038]    The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the inventive aspects of the disclosure. Many embodiments of the disclosure can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive aspects of the disclosure.