Basket with handle

Abstract

A basket having a handle for organizing products on a shelf includes a solid base wall, a plurality of peripheral walls, and a handle. The plurality of peripheral walls extends upwardly from the base wall and define an upper rim of the basket and a recess therebetween. The handle has at least a first and a second part. The first part is substantially perpendicular to the second part and has an upper surface that is flush with the upper rim of the basket. The first part lies in a plane defined by the upper rim of the basket. The second part is spaced from an adjacent peripheral wall in order to fit a hand of a user between the peripheral wall and the second part. The second part extends downwardly from an end of the first part.

1 . A basket having a handle for organizing products
 on a shelf comprising:   a solid base wall;   a plurality of peripheral walls extending upwardly from the base wall and defining an upper rim of the basket and a recess therebetween; and   a handle having at least a first and a second part cantilevered from a first of the peripheral walls, with the first part being substantially perpendicular to the second part and the first part having an upper surface that is flush with the upper rim of the basket and lying in a plane defined by the upper rim of the basket, and the second part being coupled to the first part and spaced from the first peripheral wall in order to fit a hand of a user between the first peripheral wall and the second part, with the second part extending substantially downwardly from an end of the first part,   with the first peripheral wall having a bowed out portion where the handle attaches to the first peripheral wall.   
     
     
         2 . The basket of  claim 1 , further comprising reinforcing members positioned under and coupled to the first part of the handle and extending between the adjacent peripheral wall and the second part of the handle, and closely spaced parallel ribs positioned on and extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the base wall in order to promote circulation under the base wall. 
     
     
         3 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the second part is positioned at a substantially 90-120 degree angle relative to a plane defined by the upper rim of the basket. 
     
     
         4 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral walls include a front wall, a rear wall, and two side walls, and the handle is coupled to the front wall, with the front wall being the part of the basket that faces a user during normal use of the basket. 
     
     
         5 . The basket of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one internal divider wall positioned in the recess that divides the recess into multiple compartments, with the internal divider wall extending substantially perpendicular to the base wall. 
     
     
         6 . The basket of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one internal divider wall is defined by a first upwardly standing projection and a second upwardly standing projection that both extend from the base wall and meet at an upper point of the internal wall, with the first and second upwardly standing projections being angled at opposite angles relative to one another and with an open space provided between the first and second upwardly standing projections. 
     
     
         7 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the second part of the handle has a semi-circular cross-section on an outwardly facing surface thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the first part has a substantially flat upper surface. 
     
     
         9 . The basket of  claim 1 , further comprising an upper rib-like protrusion strengthening the upper rim of the basket on either side of the first part of the handle at the first peripheral wall. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the basket is made of a plastic material. 
     
     
         12 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the material of the base and side walls is easily cleanable. 
     
     
         13 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein a pattern of decorative openings is provided through the peripheral walls. 
     
     
         14 . The basket of  claim 1 , further comprising strengthening portions coupled to corners of the basket where the peripheral walls meet one another. 
     
     
         15 . The basket of  claim 14 , wherein the strengthening portions serve a dual purpose of both strengthening the basket and maintaining multiple baskets that are stacked upon one another in spaced relation. 
     
     
         16 . The basket of  claim 1 , further comprising a surface treatment applied to a bottom surface of the base wall in order to raise the bottom surface of the base wall above a surface that the basket seats upon, wherein the surface treatment comprises a plurality of parallel spaced ribs positioned on the base surface and extending downwardly therefrom. 
     
     
         17 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the recess of the basket is designed to accommodate three to seven different products from the fifteen top high volume food categories of the U.S. Supermarket industry, which products may be interchangeably housed in the recess. 
     
     
         18 . The basket of  claim 1 , wherein the second part has a length that is about double or triple the length of the first part, and the first and second parts are integral with one another and the basket. 
     
     
         19 . A basket having a handle for use on a shelf comprising:
 a substantially flat base wall having upwardly extending walls positioned around an outer periphery thereof, said upwardly extending peripheral walls including a front wall, a rear wall, and at least a side wall, with the base wall and at least part of the upwardly extending peripheral walls being closed in order to deter the movement of solids or fluids through the base wall; and   a handle extending outwardly from the front wall of the basket, said handle having a first part and a second part, with the first part extending in a plane away from the front wall and a second part extending downwardly at an angle relative to the adjacent front wall of the basket, with a space provided between a bottom surface of the first part and a rear surface of the second part, said space being big enough to accommodate a hand of a user, said handle being strengthened by the provision of a bowed out portion defined on the front wall in the vicinity where the handle mates with the front wall, said bowed out portion provided by a bumped out section of the front wall relative to the remainder of the front wall.   
     
     
         20 . A basket having a handle comprising:
 a basket body including a base wall, upwardly extending peripheral walls positioned around the base wall, and an upper rim positioned at the top of the peripheral walls of the basket, with the base wall being closed in order to deter movement of fluids or objects through the base wall, and the base wall and upwardly extending peripheral walls together defining a recess in the basket body; and   at least one handle extending outwardly from one of the peripheral walls of the basket body, said handle having a first part with an upper surface that is flush with the upper rim of the basket and a second part that extends downwardly from the first part, with a space being defined between the peripheral wall, the first part, and the second part that is sized to fit a hand of a user,   wherein the basket is sized based upon consideration of the fifteen top high volume food groups of the U.S. supermarket industry such that each basket can organize about three to about seven of the high volume food groups and the about three to about seven high volume food groups interchangeably fit in the recess of the basket at different times, with the upper rim of the basket on the peripheral wall adjacent the first part of the handle being enlarged outwardly relative to the upper rim of the basket such that the rim of the basket remains parallel to the adjacent peripheral wall in order to strength the basket in the vicinity of the handle.