Carrying handle for carrier boxes or like containers

Claim 1

A handle unit for ready attachment to a container having in one side two parallel spaced-apart slots, said handle unit comprising a one-piece molding of flexible resilient plastic material having an elongate central grip portion, two like integral flexible flat band-like strap portions extending from opposite ends of said central grip portion, and an elongate locking plate at the outer end of each of said strap portions, each of said locking plates having a thicker midportion which is the same width as the respective strap portion and is integrally joined thereto and like integral inner and outer wing portions extending in opposite directions from said midportion, said wing portions having flat upper faces and rounded tips and being of decreasing width and thickness proceeding from said midportion to said tips, said strap portions having a length greater than said inner wing portions, and said upper faces of said inner wing portions of said locking plates in relaxed condition of said handle unit unattached to a container, as viewed in side elevation, being inclined at an angle of 20° to 50° to the adjacent strap portion and said upper faces of said outer wing portion being inclined to said strap portion at an angle of approximately 160° to 130° but with the sum of said angles of said upper faces of said inner and outer wing portions to said strap portion being slightly less than 180°, whereby said handle unit is attachable to said container automatically by inserting flat bars in the acute angles between said strap portions and said inclined inner wing portions of the respective locking plates, rotating said flat bars to direct said locking plates toward said slots in the container side and bring said inner wing portions close to said strap portions, moving said flat bars toward said container to insert said locking plates and adjacent strap portions through said slots in said container side, and withdrawing said flat bars, whereupon said locking plates resiliently return to their inclined positions relative to said strap portions, whereby said locking plates are approximately parallel to said container side with said strap portions inclined toward one another, and thereupon exerting tension on said strap portions to bring both said inner and outer wing portions of said locking plates uniformly against the inner face of said container side on opposite sides of said slots so as to distribute the load imposed by said locking plates on said container side.