| Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles -> Monitor Keywords |
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Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottlesRelated Patent Categories: Handling: Hand And Hoist-line Implements, Article Carrier Gripped And Carried By HandResilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070278806, Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to the field of handles for carrying gas cylinders such as propane bottles, and in particular to a resilient clip-on handle adapted for mating onto conventional metal handles formed in valve protecting collars of propane bottles and like gas cylinders. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Gas cylinders such as propane cylinders are heavy, especially when they have been filled. Applicant presumes that such metal cylindrical cylinders are heavy due to the cylinders having relatively thick walls for safety reasons. In applicant's experience, such gas cylinders including in particular propane gas cylinders, are cumbersome to carry, unstable to transport, and are generally provided with inadequate handles which, apparently for ease of manufacture, are often merely formed out of the metal which forms a valve protecting collar around the top of the cylinder. [0003] The present invention is directed to such handles, and in particular to handles which have been formed from the metal of the valve protecting collars which are welded in an annular shape around the cylinder valve, typically on the top of the cylinder. In such handles, it is common to cut out apertures in the sides of the collar, and instead of entirely cutting out the metal sheet from within the aperture, folding all or part of the cut metal upwardly and outwardly from the collar so as to form an outwardly projecting flange typically protruding generally perpendicular from the upstanding wall of the collar adjacent the flange. [0004] A user then is expected to lift the heavy cylinder merely by putting their fingers through the aperture in the collar and wrapping their fingers around the protruding flange. In applicant's experience, this, although an improvement over merely trying to hold on to a cut-out aperture in the collar, is still hard on the hands of the user, especially where the gas cylinder has to be transported manually over some distance. [0005] Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a resilient clip-on handle which releasably mates onto the protruding flange and the corresponding upstanding portion of the collar above the flange so as to provide a resilient handle which extends from the outermost edge of the flange, around the underside of the flange and the inside surface of the collar adjacent thereto so as to terminate at the upper lip of the collar. Resilient clamps are provided at opposite ends of the handle to resiliently mate the handle onto the flange and collar by hooking the opposite ends of the handle onto the distal ends of the flange and upstanding collar portion. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] In summary, the resilient clip-on handle for mounting on propane bottles according to the present invention may be characterized in one aspect as including a unitary resilient sheet including a base member and backing member mounted contiguous to each other so as to be de-formable to a position substantially orthogonally relative to each other. In its un-deformed state, the sheet may be formed in an inverted u-shape when viewed end-on so that the handle is turned inside-out, that is folded-over backwardly, relative to its operative deformed state. The base member and backing member, or at least the backing member, have a width sized so that the backing member fits through an opening in a valve protecting collar mounted on a propane bottle. The backing member is sized and shaped so that, when deformed, it may be mounted to lie flush along the underside of a rigid flange extending outwardly from the collar above the opening in the collar. When so deformed, the base and backing members form a common edge therebetween in an interior corner between the base member and backing member. The interior corner snugs against the seam between the flange and the collar. A distal end of the base member, when mounted on the flange, is coextensive with the distal end of the flange. The distal end of the base member may be formed as a pocket, sleeve, envelope or channel, collectively referred to herein as a pocket, which is sized and shaped to snugly fit over the distal end of the flange when the interior corner is snugged against the seam between the flange and the collar. With the corner so snugged, the backing member is sized and shaped to lie flush against the interior surface of the collar adjacent the flange and so as to extend upwardly therealong to the corresponding upper rim of the collar. The distal end of the backing member, that is, distal from the base member, is formed as a resilient channel which, in its un-deformed state, is disposed so that the channel may be deformed to snugly fit over the upper rim of the collar and, when the channel is allowed to resiliently return to its un-deformed shape, to thereby clamp the rim within the channel. The rim is thereby snugly mated within the channel when the interior corner between the base member and the backing member is snugly against the seam between the flange and the collar. Thus, when respectively the base member and backing member are mounted on the flange and rim, the sheet of the handle is resiliently tensioned to hold the handle releasably mated thereon. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] FIG. 1 is, in top front perspective view, the resilient clip-on handle according to the present invention in its un-deformed state. [0008] FIG. 2 is, in bottom front perspective view, the handle of FIG. 1. [0009] FIG. 3 is, in front elevation view, the handle of FIG. 1. [0010] FIG. 4 is, in left side elevation view, the handle of FIG. 1. [0011] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view along line 5-5 in FIG. 3. [0012] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view along line 6-6 in FIG. 3. [0013] FIG. 7 is, in top rear view, the handle of FIG. 1. [0014] FIG. 8 is, in top front view, the handle of FIG. 1. [0015] FIG. 9 is, in rear elevation view, the handle of FIG. 1. [0016] FIG. 10 is, in perspective view, the handle of FIG. 1 in its partially deformed state. [0017] FIG. 11 is, in perspective view, the handle of FIG. 1 mounted onto a propane bottle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION [0018] As seen in the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts in each view, the resilient clip-on handle 10 according to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is formed as a single resilient sheet which includes a base portion 12 and a riser portion 14. Base portion 12 is for releasable mounting onto a rigid protruding flange 16 which extends from a protective collar 18 on a propane cylinder 20. Collar 18 protects the valve and valve stem 22. [0019] An elongate pocket, sleeve or envelope 24 (collectively referred to as a pocket) is formed at the distal end of bottom portion 12 for snugly receiving in direction A, in sliding engagement into pocket 24, the distal end 16a of flange 16. Thus with flange 16 slid into pocket 24 so as to slide bottom portion 12 underneath the bottom surface of flange 16, upper portion 14 may be resiliently deformed so as to fold planar backing member 14a up against the interior surface of collar 18 adjacent, and contiguous to, flange 16, and so as to wrap lip member 14b over the upper rim 18a of protective collar 18. Advantageously pocket 24 is closed at its ends along seams 24a which provide for stability of handle 10 when mounted on flange 16 and collar 18. Flange 16 is prevented from sliding along the length of the pocket. Continue reading about Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles... Full patent description for Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Golf disc retriever and method Next Patent Application: Bag gripper for plastic bag handles Industry Class: Handling: hand and hoist-line implements ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Resilient clip-on handle for mounting to propane bottles patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.1619 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Software: Finance , AI , Databases , Development , Document , Navigation , Error 174 |
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