This invention relates generally to containers and, more specifically to a frictionally engaged, adjustable wire basket.
Baskets or similar containers are known to the art. Generally, such baskets are formed or woven from a natural fibrous material type material such as straw, palm fronds or other related materials. Baskets formed from non-fibrous material, such as metal wire also are known. Generally these types of baskets or formed from interwoven wire. The wire can be bare, can be painted or even coated with a polymer material such as plastic or vinyl.
The foregoing prior art baskets have a multitude of uses. The baskets can be used for any conceivable type of storage or transport. Among their many uses, baskets traditionally are used to hold fruit, flowers, potted plants or the like. The baskets also can be suspended by appropriate connectors so as to create a hanging basket for decorative or functional purposes.
Prior art baskets have one notable drawback. Whether formed from natural fibrous material or formed from wire, the baskets are woven or made in one size and one configuration. That is, once the basket is woven, the size does not vary, except slightly in the case of natural fibers that may dry and shrink. Moreover, the configuration of the basket cannot be changed. Thus, the prior art baskets have limited versatility. For example, it is common to place a potted plant inside a basket for decorative or aesthetic reasons. The plain clay or plastic pot, which contains the potting soil and the plant root, can thereby be hidden from view. The configuration and volume of the basket will limit the size or configuration of the pot it can hold. If the use wants to house different sized pots in a basket, the user obviously must have different sized baskets.
Further, with conventional baskets, the number that can be packaged and shipped is limited. The most convenient way to package and ship conventional baskets is to arrange them in a nesting relationship and pack them in a box. However, this arrangement still limits the number of baskets that can be conveniently and economical shipped.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to have a decorative basket that can assume different configurations so as to accommodate variably configured contents. Moreover, it would be convenient to have such a basket wherein one of the variable configurations is flat so that a plurality of the baskets can be conveniently stacked for economical storage and transport.