Container for carrying pets

• US 6,182,611 B1
• Filed: 05/10/1999
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marchioro SPA Stampaggio Materie Plastische
• Original Assignee: Marchioro SPA Stampaggio Materie Plastische
• Inventors: Marchioro, Domenico
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beitey, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/307,605
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 119/452, 119/453, 119/496, 119/497, 119/500, 119/501, 119/499, D30/109, D30/114, D30/119, D30/120
• US Class Current: 119/453
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0245 Boxes or cages

Abstract

A container for carrying pets which comprises a hollow body with a closeable access provided with at least one opening which is blocked by a grille; the grille is fixed to the rim of the at least one opening by means of rivets, the body being shaped, at the opening, so as to form a perimetric fold for peripherally supporting by abutment the grille which is provided with a plurality of holes for the insertion and retention of the rivets.

Claims

1. A container for carrying pets, of the type which comprises a hollow body with a closeable access provided with at least one opening which is blocked by a grille, wherein said grille is fixed to a rim of said at least one opening by means of rivets, said body being shaped, at the opening, so as to define a perimetric fold for peripherally supporting by abutment said grille, said perimetric fold being provided with a plurality of holes for the insertion and retention of said rivets, said grille being constituted by a frame which is shaped substantially complementarily to the corresponding at least one opening and to which cross-members are fixed, wherein said frame is constituted by two mutually parallel and spaced rods.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein said rivets are inserted between said rods, the head of each one of said rivets keeping the corresponding frame portion packed against said perimetric fold.

3. The container for carrying pets according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of wheels, each wheel being rotatably pivoted to a fork fixed to a base which is reversibly anchored to the bottom of said container, means for the reversible locking of said base to said container being provided.

4. The container according to claim 3, wherein said wheel base is plate-shaped and accommodated in a corresponding first seat which is constituted by flaps which protrude monolithically from the bottom of said container and form undercuts for the perimetric support of said base.

5. The container according to claim 4, comprising locking means which are applied in a direction in which said wheel base is inserted in the corresponding first seat.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein said locking means are constituted, for each one of said wheel bases, by a corresponding clip element which is made of flexible material and is provided with two outer insertion guiding wings and with two inner wings with ends provided with mutually opposite hooks for locking within a loop arranged at the front, proximate to a region where said base is inserted in said first seat.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein said clip element defines a front locking surface for the corresponding wheel base.

8. The container according to claim 7, wherein said front locking surface defined by said clip element is provided, in a downward region, with a perimetric fold which is adapted to form a further lower support for said wheel base.

9. The container according to claim 6, wherein said clip element has a shaped body so as to form an axial slit for flexing during insertion and extraction.

10. The container according to claim 6, wherein said clip element comprises a grip tang to be operated by a user.

11. The container according to claim 6, wherein a stud protrudes from each one of said outer wings and can be inserted in a corresponding hollow formed in said body.

12. The container according to claim 1, comprising an access door with closure means which are constituted by at least one closure device formed by two mutually opposite rods whose ends are inserted in a common seat which is formed in an equally common hollow base block in which elastic means keep said rods pushed outwards, the other end of each one of said rods being inserted, during closure, in a seat formed in said body, means for opening said rods and means for closing said rods being provided.

13. The container according to claim 12, wherein said opening means are constituted, for said at least one closure device, by two sliders with levers available for actuation by the user, each slider being provided for a corresponding rod, being slidingly associated with said block and being coupled, for movement, to a corresponding annular slot formed in a corresponding rod.

14. The container according to claim 13, wherein said safety means are provided for said opening means and said closure device, said safety means being constituted by a knob which is pivoted to said block and is provided with circular raised portions which have a coaxial curvature, are mutually opposite and are adapted to be arranged, in the safety mode, in abutment against corresponding head surfaces of the corresponding rods which are located inside said block, in order to prevent their retraction, said raised portions being adapted to define, when disengaged, a channel for free sliding under the action of said sliders.

15. A container according to claim 14, wherein two mutually opposite slots are also formed in said knob and lie concentrically with respect to said circular raised portions, each slot having, at its ends, stable accommodation seats for a corresponding pivot inserted therein which protrudes from said block and is adapted to define, together with said corresponding slot, at least two stable positions for said knob, a safety position and a disengagement position.

16. The container according to claim 1, wherein said body is constituted by two half-shells which are reversibly connected, at their ends, by fastening means which comprise at least one fastening device which is composed of a hollow plate provided with a folded end which is adapted to couple, in an upward region, to a corresponding folded perimetric portion of said upper half-shell which substantially forms a pocket, an opposite end of the plate being closed in a downward region and reversibly by locking means.

17. The container according to claim 16, wherein said reversible locking means are constituted by a shaped element which is generally constituted by two heads which form two linkages pivoted in corresponding seats formed monolithically at the perimetric fold of the lower half-shell and mutually connected by a cross-member, a free portion of each one of the linkages being adapted to jam against an internal surface of a lower end of said plate, locking it and being arranged, together with the pivoted portion, along a directrix which converges toward the surface of the body and therefore ultimately provides a self-locking thrust.

18. The container according to claim 17, wherein said locking means comprise a safety pivot which can be inserted in holes provided in said lower half-shell and in said plate and is adapted to be arranged, during locking, so as to rest on the opposite portion of one of said linkages with respect to the one that faces the body, said closure pivot being also provided with a stroke limiting tab and with a head which is available for the action of the user and can be moved along a shaped slotted hole.

19. A container for carrying pets, of the type which comprises a hollow body with a closeable access provided with at least one opening which is blocked by a grille, wherein said grille is fixed to a rim of said at least one opening by means of rivets, said body being shaped, at the opening, so as to define a perimetric fold for peripherally supporting by abutment said grille, said perimetric fold being provided with a plurality of holes for the insertion and retention of said rivets, the container further comprising a plurality of wheels, each wheel being rotatably pivoted to a fork fixed to a base which is reversibly anchored to the bottom of said container, means for the reversible locking of said base to said container being provided, and wherein said wheel base is plate-shaped and accommodated in a corresponding first seat which is constituted by flaps which protrude monolithically from the bottom of said container and form undercuts for the perimetric support of said base.

20. The container according to claim 19, wherein said grille is constituted by a frame which is shaped substantially complementarily to the corresponding at least one opening and to which cross-members are fixed.

21. The container according to claim 19, wherein said frame is constituted by two mutually parallel and spaced rods.

22. The container according to claim 19, wherein said rivets are inserted between said rods, the head of each one of said rivets keeping the corresponding frame portion packed against said perimetric fold.

23. The container according to claim 19, comprising locking means which are applied in a direction in which said wheel base is inserted in the corresponding first seat.

24. The container according to claim 23, wherein said locking means are constituted, for each one of said wheel bases, by a corresponding clip element which is made of flexible material and is provided with two outer insertion guiding wings and with two inner wings with ends provided with mutually opposite hooks for locking within a loop arranged at the front, proximate to a region where said base is inserted in said first seat.

25. The container according to claim 24, wherein said clip element defines a front locking surface for the corresponding wheel base.

26. The container according to claim 25, wherein said front locking surface defined by said clip element is provided, in a downward region, with a perimetric fold which is adapted to form a further lower support for said wheel base.

27. The container according to claim 26, wherein said clip element has a shaped body so as to form an axial slit for flexing during insertion and extraction.

28. The container according to claim 24, wherein said clip element comprises a grip tang to be operated by a user.

29. The container according to claim 24, wherein a stud protrudes from each one of said outer wings and can be inserted in a corresponding hollow formed in said body.

30. The container according to claim 19, comprising an access door with closure means which are constituted by at least one closure device formed by two mutually opposite rods whose ends are inserted in a common seat which is formed in an equally common hollow base block in which elastic means keep said rods pushed outwards, the other end of each one of said rods being inserted, during closure, in a seat formed in said body, means for opening said rods and means for closing said rods being provided.

31. The container according to claim 30, wherein said opening means are constituted, for said at least one closure device, by two sliders with levers available for actuation by the user, each slider being provided for a corresponding rod, being slidingly associated with said block and being coupled, for movement, to a corresponding annular slot formed in a corresponding rod.

32. The container according to claim 31, wherein said safety means are provided for said opening means and said closure device, said safety means being constituted by a knob which is pivoted to said block and is provided with circular raised portions which have a coaxial curvature, are mutually opposite and are adapted to be arranged, in the safety mode, in abutment against corresponding head surfaces of the corresponding rods which are located inside said block, in order to prevent their retraction, said raised portions being adapted to define, when disengaged, a channel for free sliding under the action of said sliders.

33. A container according to claim 32, wherein two mutually opposite slots are also formed in said knob and lie concentrically with respect to said circular raised portions, each slot having, at its ends, stable accommodation seats for a corresponding pivot inserted therein which protrudes from said block and is adapted to define, together with said corresponding slot, at least two stable positions for said knob, a safety position and a disengagement position.

34. The container according to claim 33, wherein said reversible locking means are constituted by a shaped element which is generally constituted by two heads which form two linkages pivoted in corresponding seats formed monolithically at the perimetric fold of the lower half-shell and mutually connected by a cross-member, a free portion of each one of the linkages being adapted to jam against an internal surface of a lower end of said plate, locking it and being arranged, together with the pivoted portion, along a directrix which converges toward the surface of the body and therefore ultimately provides a self-locking thrust.

35. The container according to claim 19, wherein said body is constituted by two half-shells which are reversibly connected, at their ends, by fastening means which comprise at least one fastening device which is composed of a hollow plate provided with a folded end which is adapted to couple, in an upward region, to a corresponding folded perimetric portion of said upper half-shell which substantially forms a pocket, an opposite end of the plate being closed in a downward region and reversibly by locking means.

36. The container according to claim 34, wherein said locking means comprise a safety pivot which can be inserted in holes provided in said lower half-shell and in said plate and is adapted to be arranged, during locking, so as to rest on the opposite portion of one of said linkages with respect to the one that faces the body, said closure pivot being also provided with a stroke limiting tab and with a head which is available for the action of the user and can be moved along a shaped slotted hole.