Containment case with latching handle
View Patent ↗A bail handle and containment case assembly, including a tray and closing lid, the bail handle including a portion that serves part of a latching function when in a first position over the lid and then serves part of a lifting function when pivoted off of the lid and moved into a second position.
1. A case for discrete articles, comprising:
a) a tray;
b) a closing lid including a main panel bounded by opposite side edges and opposite end edges, wherein the closing lid supports a first receiving pocket formed from a pattern of raised ribs extending upwardly from an upper surface of the main panel; and
c) a first latching handle assembled to the tray and comprising first and second handle sides extending from opposed distal handle side portions to respective first and second free ends pivotably connected to the tray with an intermediate handle gripping portion disposed between the first and second handle sides, wherein at least one of the first and second free ends of the first handle is constructed and arranged with an intermediate first curved surface meeting a first flattened surface and a spaced apart second flattened surface;
d) a first end plate;
e) a first spring clip secured to the first end plate;
f) a first handle cover cooperating with the first spring clip to capture the at least one of the first and second free ends of the first handle therebetween,
g) wherein the first handle is movable to cause the first spring clip to bear against the first flattened surface to thereby retain the first handle in an unlatched position with the handle gripping portion extending away from the tray and wherein the first handle is further movable to cause the first spring clip to bear against the second flattened surface to thereby retain the first handle in a latched position with a portion of the first handle extending over a portion of the lid main panel with the spring clip remaining in contact with at least a portion of the first curved surface regardless whether the first handle is in the latched or unlatched position, and
h) wherein, in the latched position, the handle gripping portion and at least a first portion of the first and second handle sides are nested in the first receiving pocket supported on the upper surface of the closing lid to thereby latch the closing lid to the tray.
2. The case of claim 1 wherein the tray includes an end subassembly that includes the first handle.
3. The case of claim 1 wherein the first and second free ends of the first handle are centered on a common pivot axis.
4. The case of claim 1 wherein the tray includes a pair of end subassemblies, each end subassembly being located at an end of the tray, and wherein one of the end subassemblies includes the first handle with the other end subassembly including a second latching handle.
5. The case of claim 1 which further includes a retainer, wherein the retainer includes an outwardly extending tab for use in connecting together two stacked cases, the tab cooperating to define an area of one, upper case for receipt of a latching handle of a second, lower case.
6. The case of claim 4 which further includes a plurality of corner support subassemblies, wherein a portion of a corner support subassembly is assembled to a portion of one of the end subassemblies.
7. The case of claim 1 which includes a second receiving pocket formed from a second pattern of raised ribs extending upwardly from the upper surface of the main panel and wherein a second latching handle is assembled to the tray, the second handle comprising:
a) third and fourth handle sides extending from opposed distal handle side portions to respective third and fourth free ends pivotably connected to the tray with an intermediate handle gripping portion disposed between the third and fourth handle sides, wherein at least one of the third and fourth free ends of the second handle is constructed and arranged with an intermediate second curved surface meeting a third flattened surface and a spaced apart fourth flattened surface;
b) a second end plate;
c) a second spring clip secured to the second end plate;
d) a second handle cover cooperating with the second spring clip to capture the at least one of the third and fourth free ends of the second handle therebetween,
e) wherein the second handle is movable to cause the second spring clip to bear against the third flattened surface to thereby retain the second handle in an unlatched position with the handle gripping portion extending away from the tray and wherein the second handle is further manipulatable to cause the second spring clip to bear against the fourth flattened surface to thereby retain the second handle in a latched position with a portion of the second handle extending over a portion of the lid main panel with the second spring clip remaining in contact with at least a portion of the second curved surface regardless whether the second handle is in the latched or unlatched position, and
f) wherein, in the latched position, the handle gripping portion and at least a portion of the third and fourth handle sides are nested in the second receiving pocket supported on the upper surface of the closing lid to thereby latch the closing lid to the tray.
8. The case of claim 1 wherein a pair of side-by-side clearance notches extends inwardly from a side edge of the main panel adjacent to the first handle so that with the first handle in the latched position, the clearance notches receive a second portion of the first and second handle sides while the handle gripping portion and the first portion of the first and second handle sides nest in the first receiving pocket supported on the upper surface of the closing lid.
9. The case of claim 3 wherein the first and second free ends of the first handle centered on the common pivot axis point in opposite directions.
10. The case of claim 9 wherein the first flattened surface of the at least one of the first and second free ends of the first handle is generally parallel to the second flattened surface.
11. The case of claim 1 wherein the first spring clip is attached to one portion of the end plate and the first handle cover is attached to another portion of the end plate.
12. The case of claim 11 which further includes a second spring clip and a second handle cover constructed and arranged as part of the first handle for capturing the second free end of the first handle.
13. The case of claim 12 wherein the first spring clip is attached to one portion of the first end plate, the second spring clip is attached to a second portion of the first end plate, the first handle cover is attached to a third portion of the first end plate and the second handle cover is attached to a fourth portion of the first end plate.
14. The case of claim 4 wherein each end subassembly includes a spring clip as one component cooperating with another component to capture the first free end of the first handle.
15. The case of claim 14 wherein each end subassembly includes a handle cover as the another component cooperating with the spring clip to capture the first free end of the first handle.
16. The case of claim 2 wherein the end subassembly includes a retainer, the retainer including an outwardly extending tab for use in connecting together two stacked cases, the tab cooperating to define an area of one, upper case for receipt of a latching handle of a second, lower case.
17. A case for discrete articles, comprising:
a) a tray;
b) a closing lid including a main panel bounded by opposite side edges and opposite end edges, wherein the closing lid supports first and second receiving pockets, each pocket being formed from a pattern of raised ribs extending upwardly from an upper surface of the main panel adjacent to the respective end edges;
c) a first latching handle assembled to the tray and comprising:
i) first and second handle sides extending from opposed distal handle side portions to respective first and second free ends pivotably connected to the tray with an intermediate handle gripping portion disposed between the first and second handle sides, wherein at least one of the first and second free ends of the first handle is constructed and arranged with an intermediate first curved surface meeting a first flattened surface and a spaced apart second flattened surface;
ii) a first end plate;
iii) a first spring clip secured to the first end plate;
iv) a first handle cover cooperating with the first spring clip to capture the at least one of the first and second free ends of the first handle therebetween;
d) a second latching handle assembled to the tray and comprising:
i) third and fourth handle sides extending from opposed distal side portions to respective third and fourth free ends pivotably connected to the tray with an intermediate handle gripping portion disposed between the third and fourth handle sides, wherein at least one of the third and fourth free ends of the second handle is constructed and arranged with an intermediate second curved surface meeting a third flattened surface and a spaced apart fourth flattened surface;
ii) a second end plate;
iii) a second spring clip secured to the second end plate;
iv) a second handle cover cooperating with the second spring clip to capture the at least one of the third and fourth free ends of the second handle therebetween; and
e) wherein the first and second handles are movable to cause their respective first and second spring clips to bear against, the first and third flattened surfaces to thereby retain the first and second handles in an unlatched position with their handle gripping portions extending away from the tray and wherein the first and second handles are further movable to cause the first and second spring clips to bear against the second and fourth flattened surfaces to thereby retain the first and second handles in latched positions with a portion of the first and second handles extending over a portion of the lid main panel with the first and second spring clips in contact with at least a portion of the respective first and second curved surfaces regardless whether the first and second handled are in the latched or unlatched positions, and
f) wherein, in the latched positions, the handle gripping portions and at least a first portion of the first and second handle sides and at least a first portion of the third and fourth handle sides are nested in the respective first and second receiving pockets supported on the upper surface of the closing lid to thereby latch the closing lid to the tray
18. The case of claim 17 wherein a pair of side-by-side clearance notches extend inwardly from each of the opposed side edges of the main panel adjacent to the respective first and second handles so that with the handles in the latched position, the clearance notches receive second portions of the respective first and second handle sides and the third and fourth handle sides while the handle gripping portions and at least first portions of the handle sides nest in the respective first and second receiving pockets supported on the upper surface of the closing lid.
19. The case of claim 1 wherein the handle is movable to cause the spring clip to bear against intermediate curved surface of the at least one first and second free end between the first and second flattened sides to thereby retain the handle in a lifting position intermediate the latched and unlatched positions.
20. A case for discrete articles, comprising:
a) a tray;
b) a closing lid including a main panel bounded by opposite side edges and opposite end edges, wherein the closing lid supports a first receiving pocket formed from a pattern of raised ribs extending upwardly from an upper surface of the main panel; and
c) a latching handle assembled to the tray and comprising first and second handle sides extending from opposed distal handle side portions to respective first and second free ends pivotably connected to the tray with an intermediate handle gripping portion disposed between the first and second handle sides, wherein the first and second free ends of the handle are both constructed and arranged with an intermediate curved surface meeting a first flattened surface and an opposed parallel second flattened surface;
d) an end plate;
e) a spring clip secured to the end plate;
f) a handle cover cooperating with the spring clip to capture the at least one of the first and second free ends of the handle therebetween,
g) wherein the handle is movable to cause the spring clip to bear against the first flattened surface to thereby retain the handle in unlatched position with the handle gripping portion extending away from the tray and wherein the handle is further movable to cause the first spring clip to bear against the second flattened surface to thereby retain the handle in a latched position with a portion of the latching handle extending over a portion of the lid main panel with the spring clip remaining in contact with at least a portion of the curved surface regardless whether the handle is in the latched or unlatched position, and
h) wherein in the latched position the handle gripping portion and at least a first portion of the first and second handle sides are nested in the receiving pocket supported on the upper surface of the closing lid to thereby latch the closing lid to the tray.
21. The case of claim 20 wherein the handle is movable to cause the spring clip to bear against the intermediate curved surface of the at least one first and second free ends between the first and second flattened sides to thereby retain the handle in a lifting position intermediate the latched and unlatched positions.
22. The case of claim 1 wherein the first curved surface is opposite the gripping portion of the first handle.
23. The case of claim 7 wherein the second curved surface is opposite the gripping portion of the second handle.
24. The case of claim 17 wherein the first and second curved surfaces are opposite the intermediate handle gripping portions of the respective first and second handles.
25. The case of claim 20 wherein the curved surface is opposite the handle gripping portion.