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Title:
CONTAINERS AND SYSTEM FOR ASSEMBLY THEREOF
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2018/087754
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The disclosure concerns an assembly of containers, in which adjacent containers are connected one to the other by attachment members to form a continuous internal space. The disclosure further concerns attachment members suitable for connecting adjacent containers one to the other to form a continuous internal space.

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Inventors:
RASENBERG DANIEL (NL)
ITZHAK-SIGRON REUT (IL)
Application Number:
PCT/IL2017/051215
Publication Date:
May 17, 2018
Filing Date:
November 08, 2017
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
KETER PLASTIC LTD (IL)
International Classes:
A01K1/03; B65D21/02
Foreign References:
US5711253A1998-01-27
US6494502B12002-12-17
GB2530248A2016-03-23
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
SOKOL, Edith (IL)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS:

1. An assembly comprising:

two or more containers, each being configured with at least one access aperture in a panel thereof, and

one or more attachment members configured for bearing on an inner surface of said access apertures when access aperture of adjacent containers of said two or more containers are aligned one with the other, to connect said adjacent containers one to the other together forming a continuous space.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the attachment member is defined between two parallel longitudinal edges and two opposite short edges, the attachment member having an operative state in which the short edges mate with one another to form a closed-loop shape, and a rest state in which the short edges are distant one from the other.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the attachment member is configured to switch from the rest state to the operative state, the attachment member being biased toward the rest state.

4. The assembly of claim 2 or 3, wherein the attachment member is bendable for switching from the rest state to the operative state.

5. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the attachment member has an aperture-engaging surface with a length substantially equal to the perimeter of the access apertures and a width substantially equal to the sum of thicknesses of the aligned apertures of said adjacent containers.

6. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the longitudinal edges of the attachment member are defined by rim strips extending substantially normal to an aperture-engaging surface of attachment member.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein connected aperture of adjacent containers are retained between the rim strips when the attachment member is in the operative state.

8. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the attachment member is flexible, as to conform to the shape of the apertures when the attachment member is in its operative state.

9. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the access apertures are each formed with a peripheral lip.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the attachment member has an aperture- engaging surface with a length substantially equal to the perimeter of the access apertures and a width substantially equal to the sum of thicknesses of the aligned apertures of said adjacent containers and said peripheral lips.

11. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the attachment member is made of metal or plastic.

12. The assembly of any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising one or more accessory element connectable to at least one access apertures.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said accessory element is at least one cap element for closing access aperture which are used to connect a container to another container.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said accessory element is a post assembly, configured for connecting to one or more access apertures of a container.

15. An attachment member for connecting two containers one to the other, the attachment member

being defined between two parallel longitudinal edges and two opposite short edges,

having an operative state in which the short edges mate with one another to form a closed-loop shape, and a rest state in which the short edges are distant one from the other,

configured to switch from the rest state to the operative state and biased toward the rest state and biased to the rest state, and

configured for bearing on an inner surface of access apertures defined in each of said two adjacent containers when said access apertures are aligned one with the other.

16. The attachment member of claim 15, being bendable for switching from the rest state to the operative state.

17. The attachment member of claim 15 or 16, having an aperture-engaging surface with a length substantially equal to the perimeter of the access apertures and a width substantially equal to the sum of thicknesses of the aligned apertures of said adjacent containers.

18. The attachment member of any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the longitudinal edges of the attachment member are defined by rim strips extending substantially normal to an aperture-engaging surface of attachment member.

19. The attachment member of any one of claims 15 to 18, being flexible, as to conform to the shape of the apertures when the attachment member is in its operative state.

20. The attachment member of any one of claims 15 to 19, being made of metal or plastic.

21. A method of connecting two containers one to the other for forming a continuous internal space therebetween, the method comprising:

- bringing two adjacent containers into proximity one with the other, each container having at least one aces aperture, such that an access aperture of a first container is aligned with an access aperture of a second container;

- bending an attachment member defined between two parallel longitudinal edges and two opposite short edges, from a rest state in which the short edges are distant one from the other, into an intermediate state as to form a ring having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the access apertures;

- positioning the bent attachment member within the aligned apertures; and

- permitting the attachment member to assume an operative state, in which the short edges mate with one another or accommodate one another, and an aperture- engaging surface of the attachment member engages and bears against an inner surface of the access apertures aperture.

Description:
CONTAINERS AND SYSTEM FOR ASSEMBLY THEREOF

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The disclosure concerns an assembly of containers, in which adjacent containers are connected one to the other by attachment members to form a continuous internal space. The disclosure further concerns attachment members suitable for connecting adjacent containers one to the other to form a continuous internal space.

BACKGROUND

Containers are often used as pet habitats, such as habitats for dogs, cats, guinea pigs, mice, etc. In order to extend the internal volume of said containers, or in order to form a complex of several containers to form a continuous space, a connecting arrangement should be facilitated in order to enable connecting one container to the other in a secure and animal-friendly manner.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

For this purpose the present disclosure provides an assembly of containers, in which adjacent containers are connected one to the other by attachment members to form a continuous internal space. In particular, the attachment members and manner of attachment facilitated thereby are suitable for connecting adjacent containers one to the other in a seamless manner to form a continuous internal space.

In one of its aspects, the present disclosure provides an assembly comprising two or more containers, each being configured with at least one access aperture in a panel thereof, and one or more attachment members configured for bearing on an inner surface of said access apertures when access aperture of adjacent containers of said two or more containers are aligned one with the other, to connect said adjacent containers one to the other together forming a continuous space.

The term container is meant to refers to any enclosure that defines an internal space, more particularly a container that is suitable for the habitation of a domestic animal, e.g. dog, cat, mouse, guinea pig, etc. The containers may be made of any suitable material and may be of any shape and size. The containers in the assembly may be identical, similar or different one from the other, provided that the containers have shapes and sizes that permit their connectability one to the other. Namely, the containers may be of complementary shapes, and/or may each have at least one wall portion that matches a wall portion of another container in the assembly, thus permitting bringing two containers into contact with another.

Each of the containers in the assembly is configured with at least one access aperture. The access aperture is formed in a panel, i.e. a wall, of the container and permits access to the internal space of the container. The aperture may be of any suitable size or form that enables the animal housed in the container to pass comfortably therethrough. In some embodiments, the aperture may be round or oval.

When brought into proximity one with the other, with their access apertures substantially aligned, two containers may be connected one to the other by an attachment member in order to obtain a continuous space and a link between the two containers, such that the animal may pass between one container to the other through the attachment member. In some embodiments, the attachment member has an elongated flat shape (e.g. a strip) that is defined between two parallel longitudinal edges and two opposite short edges. The attachment member is configured to have an operative state in which the short edges mate with one another to form a closed-loop shape, and a rest state in which the short edges are distant one from the other. The attachment member is configured to switch from the rest state to the operative state, and is biased toward the rest state.

In some embodiments the attachment member is bendable, e.g. flexible, such that switching from the rest state to the operative state is enabled when a user operates a bending force onto the attachment member.

In order to facilitate seamless attachment between the containers, the attachment member is configured to engage the aligned apertures of two adjacent containers, such that once assembled, a single aperture is formed between the containers. Thus, in some embodiments, the attachment member has an aperture-engaging surface with a length substantially equal to the perimeter of the access apertures and a width substantially equal to the sum of thicknesses of the aligned apertures of said adjacent containers.

The longitudinal edges of the attachment member may be defined by rim strips extending substantially normal to an aperture-engaging surface of attachment member, such that connected aperture of adjacent containers are retained between the rim strips when the attachment member is in the operative state.

As the access apertures may be of any shape, the attachment member may flexible, as to conform to the shape of the apertures when the attachment member is in its operative state.

In some arrangements, the access apertures may each be formed with a peripheral lip. In such cases, the attachment member may have an aperture-engaging surface with a length substantially equal to the perimeter of the access apertures and a width substantially equal to the sum of thicknesses of the aligned apertures of said adjacent containers and said peripheral lips.

The attachment member may made of any suitable material that permits the desired flexibility, such as metal or plastic.

The assembly may further comprise comprising one or more accessory elements connectable to at least one access apertures. Exemplary, non-limiting, accessory elements are cap elements for closing access aperture which are used to connect a container to another container or post assemblies configured for connecting to one or more access apertures of a container.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an attachment member for connecting two containers one to the other, the attachment member (i) being defined between two parallel longitudinal edges and two opposite short edges, (ii) having an operative state in which the short edges mate with one another to form a closed-loop shape, and a rest state in which the short edges are distant one from the other, (iii) configured to switch from the rest state to the operative state and biased toward the rest state and biased to the rest state, and (iv) configured for bearing on an inner surface of access apertures defined in each of said two adjacent containers when said access apertures are aligned one with the other.

A further aspect provides a method of connecting two containers one to the other for forming a continuous internal space therebetween, the method comprising:

- bringing two adjacent containers into proximity one with the other, each container having at least one aces aperture, such that an access aperture of a first container is aligned with an access aperture of a second container;

- bending an attachment member defined between two parallel longitudinal edges and two opposite short edges, from a rest state in which the short edges are distant one from the other, into an intermediate state as to form a ring having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the access apertures;

- positioning the bent attachment member within the aligned apertures; and

- permitting the attachment member to assume an operative state, in which the short edges mate with one another or accommodate one another, and an aperture- engaging surface of the attachment member engages and bears against an inner surface of the access apertures aperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1A and IB are, respectively, a perspective and exploded view of an assembly of containers according to the presently disclosed subject matter.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an attachment member of the assembly illustrated in Figs. 1A and IB.

Figs. 3A and 3B is perspective view of a cap for use with the assembly illustrated in Figs. 1A and IB and a cross-sectional view along line III-III, respectively.

Fig. 4 is perspective view of a container for use in the assembly illustrated in Figs. 1A and IB, fitted with a post assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in Figs. 1A and IB, there is provided a system for constructing an assembly, generally indicated 10, of containers 12. The assembly 10 is designed such that the interior spaces of adjacent containers 12 are directly attached one to the other via bordering panels of the containers. Each container and/or the assembly may be useful, e.g., as a habitat for a household pet, such as a cat, a dog, a guinea pig, etc.

The assembly 10 comprises two or more containers 12, each container in the assembly being connected to an adjacent container by an attachment member 14 disposed between the containers. The attachment member is bent into a ring shape when in use to connect two containers 12 one to the other. The containers 12 and the members 14 may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal, etc., without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter. They may be made of the same or different materials.

Each of the containers 12 is formed with several panels 16 (in the present disclosure reference numerals without a trailing letter may be used to refer collectively to those with a trailing letter; e.g., 16 may be used to refer to 16A and 16B collectively), some of which are provided with an access apertures 18. The access apertures 18 may be of any suitable shape, for example being round. Each access aperture 18 may be formed with a lip 20, for example projecting toward the interior of the container 12, around a perimeter of the aperture, in another example, the lip 20 projects outward from the interior of container 12.

One side, e.g. a front side 22A, of one or more of the containers 12 may be open, i.e., formed substantially without a panel 16, facilitating access to the interior of the container. Another side, e.g., a rear side 22B opposite the front side 22A, may be formed without an access aperture 18, for example being solid or comprising one or more smaller apertures formed therein.

The container 12 may have a substantially rectangular cross-section, comprising two long panels 16A and two short panels 16B, intersecting at edges 24. In this specific example, the access apertures 18 are all be of the same shape and size, and formed at the same depth (i.e., the same distance a front or rear side 22A,22B of the container 12) of the panel. Accordingly, two containers 12 may be aligned adjacent to one another, with two long panels 16A or two short panels 16B thereof lying in register with one another (i.e., with all edges 24 of each panel being aligned with a corresponding edge of the other panel), such that their respective access apertures 18 completely overlap one another.

In other examples, the shapes and sizes of the apertures may vary, however, two containers may be assembled one with the other via identical apertures in both containers.

According to some examples, the access apertures 18 are formed on the short panels 16B and centered along their length (i.e., equidistant between the edges 24), thereby allowing the access apertures formed in the short panels of two containers 12 to overlap one another when they lie in register with one another, irrespective of their mutual orientation.

According to a modification, the access apertures 18 formed in the long panels 16A are formed off-center along their length, and are the same distance from one of the edges 24 of the panel as are the access apertures formed along the center of the length of the short panel 16B (i.e., Li = hi). Accordingly, two containers 12 may aligned adjacent to one another with a long panel 16A of one lying partially in register with the short panel 16B of the other, i.e., with one edge 24 of each being aligned with a corresponding edge of the other, such that the access aperture 18 formed in the long panel 16A completely overlaps the one formed in the short panel 16B.

As mentioned above, the attachment member 14 may be used to facilitate connection of adjacent containers 12, thereby forming a continued space extending the joined volumes of the attached containers. Accordingly, as better seen in Fig. 2, the attachment member 14 is formed as an elongate member comprising a biasing strip 26 and rim strips 28 extending substantially normal to the biasing strip 26 on opposite sides thereof along its length. The biasing strip 26 is designed such that when bent into a ring shape, it is biased towards an open position, i.e., an incomplete rounded form.

The length of the upper surface 26A of the biasing strip 26 is substantially equal to the perimeter of an access aperture 18, and the width W, as measured spanning between the rim strips 28, is substantially equal to twice the thickness of an access aperture 18, including the height of the lip 20 and the thickness of the panel 16 in which it is formed. Short edges 30A,30B of the biasing strip 26 are configured to mate with one another, or to otherwise accommodate one another when the elongate member is bent to form the attachment member 14 is curved to form a ring, such that the margins of the upper surface 26A adjacent the short edges 30A,30B lie substantially at the same height.

In operation, panels 16 of adjacent containers 12 are aligned next to one another, such that matching adjacent access apertures 18 completely overlap with one another, i.e., their perimeters lie in registration. According to examples wherein the access apertures 18 are formed with lips 20, the lips may contact one another. The attachment member 14 is bent inwardly, e.g., bent to a shape which is somewhat smaller than it is when bent into a ring, and inserted in the space defined within the access apertures 18. Attachment member 14 then deforms, as per its bias, until the upper surface 26A of the biasing strip 26 bears against an inner-facing surface of the access apertures 18, with the two access apertures retained between the rim strips 28. In this way, the attachment members 14 facilitates connection of two adjacent containers, and permit access therebetween via the access apertures formed in the panels 16 thereof.

Two containers 12 which are attached may be detached in a similar fashion. The attachment member 14 is bent inwardly until it may be removed from the access apertures 18, allowing the containers to be detached and separated from one another.

The system may comprise other elements which may be attached to an access aperture 18 using an attachment member as described above. For example, as illustrated in Figs. 3A and 3B, a cap 34 may be provided, for example to close an access aperture 18 which is not used to connect to another container 12 or connect another element to the container. The cap 34 may comprise a cover 36, circumferential sidewall 38, and an inwardly-projecting ridge 40. The distance between the cover 36 and the ridge 40 may be at least as large as the thickness of the rim strips 28 of the attachment member 14, in order to facilitate receipt thereof; the thickness of the inwardly-projecting ridge 40 may be approximately the same as that of an access aperture 18, including the height of the lip 20 and the thickness of the panel 16 in which it is formed. Accordingly, the cap 34 may be connected to an access aperture 18 as described above.

According to some modifications, the cap 34 may comprise a decorative element, toy, etc. (not illustrated), for example being configured to be connected to an interior side of a panel 16, thereby providing ornamentation to the interior of the container 12.

According to other modifications, a post assembly 42 may be provided, for example as illustrated in Fig. 4, for fitting into a container 12. The post assembly 42 may comprise mounting elements 44, each designed for example similar to the cap 34 described above with reference to and illustrated in Fig. 2, and a post 46 spanning therebetween. The length of the post 46 is configured such that the mounting elements 44 may be connected to access apertures 18 formed in opposite panels 16. The post 46 may be, e.g., a scratching post for a cat.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention mutatis mutandis.