GB2359067A

GB2359067A - Closeboarded box walls

Info

Publication number: GB2359067A
Application number: GB0030570A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John David Harvey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-12-15
Filing date: 2000-12-15
Publication date: 2001-08-15
Also published as: GB0030570D0; GB9929579D0

Abstract

The closeboarded walls 1,2 of a potato-storage or other box are restrained from racking by metal nail-plates 12 sandwiched between the edges of abutting sawn-timber boards 3,5 of the wall. Each nail-plate 12 has rows of prongs 14 struck up in opposite directions from the plate 12, and is inserted between the edges of abutting boards 3,5 before they are compressed hard onto one another edge to edge in make up of the respective wall 1,2. Both abutting edges are pierced by the prongs 14 during compression, and the boards 3,5 are nailed to corner posts 4 of the box before compression is released.

Description

2359067 1 Closeboarding This invention relates to closeboarding, that is

to say where boards are in edge-to-edge abutment with one another. More particularly, the invention is concerned with closeboarded walls, for example, of boxes, and methods of manufacturing them.

The invention is especially, but not exclusively, concerned with closeboarded boxes of the kind used, for example, for storing potatoes, where boards extend between vertical corner posts to make up respective sidewalls and end-walls of the box. Potato-storage boxes are required to be stackable and in this context each is required to be capable of withstanding the very substantial vertical loading imposed when some seven full boxes are stacked on top of it. In this regard also, the box is required to withstand substantial lateral or racking forces on the box tending to push it out of square.

Rigidity to resist racking has been added to the sideand end-walls of potato-storage boxes by the use of diagonal bracing members within the box, but these tend to retain and trap potatoes within the box when the box is tipped to discharge its contents. A proposal for overcoming this problem is described in GB-A-2267894 using elongate nail-plates secured to the inside of each side-wall. Each nail-plate extends transversely of the boards of its respective side-wall, mid-way between the corner posts of that wall and with its prongs embedded in each board to restrain the boards from movement longitudinally of one another. A wooden post is required to cover each nail-plate to avoid contamination of the potatoes from contact with the metal of the plate.

1 2 It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide closeboarded walls and methods of manufacturing them, that offer economic and practical advantages over known walls and methods.

is According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a closeboarded wall in which one or more nailplates each comprising a baseplate with a multiplicity of prongs oppositely directed from the baseplate, are sandwiched between the edges of abutting boards of the wall with the oppositely-directed prongs thereof embedded in the two boards.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a closeboarded wall in which one or more nailplates each comprising a base-plate with a multiplicity of prongs oppositely directed from the base-plate, are interposed between the edges of adjacent boards of the wall during compression of the boards into edge-to-edge abutment with one another so that the one or more nail-plates are sandwiched between the edges of abutting boards of the wall with the oppositely-directed prongs thereof embedded in the two boards.

The embedding of the oppositely-directed prongs of each nail-plate in the edges of abutting boards, in the closeboarded wall and the method of manufacture of the invention, serves to restrain relative longitudinal movement between those boards and so contribute rigidity to the wall and resistance to racking.

The closeboarded wall may be a side- or end-wall of a potato-storage or other box. More particularly, each of the side- and end-walls of the box may have one or more of the nail-plates sandwiched between each pair of abutting boards of the wall.

3 According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a nailplate comprising an elongate base-plate with a multiplicity of prongs upstanding in opposite directions from the two sides of the base-plate.

The prongs may be prongs struck up in opposite directions from the body of the base-plate. Although this is the preferred form of the double- sided nail-plate of the invention, the nail-plate may, alternatively in accordance with the invention, be formed with separate prongs secured (for example by welding), to the baseplate. As a further alternative, the nail-plate may be formed from two nail-plates of known form having prongs extending in one direction only, and securing them (for is example by welding) back to back.

A closeboarded potato-storage box and its method of manufacture, together with a form of nail-plate used in the manufacture of the box, all in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of the potato- storage box of the invention; Figures 2 and 3 are, respectively, side and end elevations of the potato- storage box of Figure 1; and Figures 4 to 6 are, respectively, a plan, a side elevation and an end elevation of the form of nail-plate used in the potato-storage box of Figures 1 to 3.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the potato-storage box, which has closeboarded side-walls 1 and closeboarded endwalls 2, has, for example, a length of some 1525 mm. and a width of some 1195 mm. Each side-wall 1 is formed by 1 1 1 4 boards 3 of sawn timber that extend horizontally between upright corner posts 4 of timber, and are nailed individually to the posts 4 to hold the boards 3 together tightly edge to edge. The end-walls 2 are similarly formed by sawn-timber boards 5 that extend horizontally and are held tightly edge to edge by nailing to the corner posts 4.

The box has a slatted base 6 that is formed by spaced sawn-timber boards 7. The boards 7-run parallel to the side-walls 1 and are nailed to three equallyspaced timber bearers 8 that extend parallel to the end-walls 2. The corner posts 4 are bolted to the two outer bearers 8, and the box as a whole stands on two timber base-rails 9 that are located beneath the two side-walls 1 respectively, and are nailed to the undersides of the three bearers 8. The voids 10 between the base 6, the bearers 8 and the base-rail 9 beneath each side-wall 1, define entry slots suitable for engagement by the forks of a fork-lift truck for lifting the box.

Boxes constructed as described above are suitable for stacking one upon the other with the base-rails 9 standing on the corner-posts 4 of the box beneath. loading on the corner posts 4 experienced in this regard, however, is shared along each side-wall 1 with an upright timber post 11 to which the boards 3 are nailed mid-way along the wall 1.

To the extent the potato-storage box has been described, it is of a conventional form, but as such cannot be expected to exhibit sufficient rigidity to withstand substantial lateral or racking forces tending to push the box out of square, without the addition of bracing between the posts 4 and 11. However, the need for such bracing is avoided in the present case by the use of nail-plates 12 (see Figures 2 and 3) that are sandwiched 1 between the boards 3 and also between the boards 5. The nail-plates 12 have the form illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 and will now be described.

Referring to Figures 4 to 6 each nail-plate 12 comprises an elongate, rectangular base-plate 13 of galvanised mild steel (stainless steel may be used as an alternative) from which a multiplicity of triangular prongs 14 have been struck up in both directions from the body of the plate 13. The prongs 14 are in four equal rows that are aligned side by side lengthwise of the plate 13. More particularly, all the prongs 14 of one pair of alternate rows are upstanding from the plate 13 in one direction whereas those of the other pair are upstanding in the opposite direction.

In the manufacture of the box, the boards 3 of each side wall 1 are assembled together edge to edge and nailed to the two corner posts 4 for the wall. As each new board 3 is brought edge to edge onto the preceding, nailed board 3 in the build-up of the wall 1, two nail-plates 12 are inserted between them. The nail-plates 12 are inserted spaced apart from one another with their base-plates 13 extending lengthwise of the boards 3 flat-on to the board-thickness, so that both board-edges are pierced by the prongs 14 as the boards 3 close one onto the other.

Compression is applied to drive the boards 3 hard together edge to edge with the two nail-plates 12 sandwiched tightly between them and the prongs 14 driven firmly into the edges of the two boards 3.

The added board 3 is nailed to the two corner posts 4 before the compression is released, so that the two boards 3 remain with their edges hard onto one another with the nail-plates 12 sandwiched tightly between them and the prongs 14 embedded in the boards 3. Nailing of the boards 3 to the intermediate post 11 can be carried 6 out either during or following nailing to the posts 4 in assembly of the boards 3 into the wall 1.

The end-walls 2 are built up in essentially the same way as the sidewalls 1, the boards 5 being assembled and nailed to the posts 4 in this case with just one nailplate 12 sandwiched between each pair.

The embedded prongs 14 of the nail-plates 12 act to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the boards 3 in the side-walls 1 and between the boards 5 in the end-wall 2. The sandwiching of the nail- plates 12 between the boards serves to preclude withdrawal of the prongs 14 from them. Accordingly, the nail-plates 12 provide firm resistance to longitudinal movement of the boards 3 and 5 so that the walls 1 and 2 act virtually as solid panels. The nail-plates 12 do not contribute significant resistance to lateral separation of the engaged boards, but the stiffening of the walls 1 and 2 they do provide, reduces the shear stresses on the nails holding the boards 3 and 5 to the posts 4 and 11. The box, as a consequence, has lateral stability giving it a high degree of resistance to racking forces, and adequate for meeting the standards in this regard required for potato storage.

Although the invention has been described above in the context of potatostorage boxes, it is equally applicable to boxes of comparable kind used for packaging for transportation and storage of, for example, industrial machines and products. Also, although the nail-plate described above has just two rows of prongs projecting in each direction, there may be just one row or, more especially, three, four or more rows in each direction. Furthermore, the prongs instead of being triangular as shown, may, for example, be of a rectangular shape with 1 7 pointed tip, or of a configuration having a twist of some eighty or ninety degrees along its length.

8

Claims

Claims:

1. A closeboarded wall in which one or more nail-plates each comprising a base-plate with a multiplicity of prongs oppositely directed from the base-plate, are sandwiched between the edges of abutting boards of the wall with the oppositely-directed prongs thereof embedded in the two boards.

2. A closeboarded wall according to Claim 1 wherein the one or more nailplates are each of a form in which the prongs are prongs struck up in opposite directions from the body of the base-plate.

3. A closeboarded wall according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the prongs of each nail-plate are in rows that are aligned with one another lengthwise of the plate.

4. A closeboarded wall according to Claim 3 wherein there are a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in one direction and a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in the opposite direction.

5. A potato-storage or other box having a plurality of closeboarded walls, wherein each said wall is a closeboarded wall according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. A method of manufacturing a closeboarded wall in which one or more nail-plates each comprising a baseplate with a multiplicity of prongs oppositely directed from the base-plate, are interposed between the edges of adjacent boards of the wall during compression of the boards into edgeto-edge abutment with one another so that the one or more nailplates are sandwiched between 9 the edges of abutting boards of the wall with the oppositely-directed prongs thereof embedded in the two boards.

7. A method according to Claim 6 wherein the one or more nail-plates are each of a form in which the prongs are prongs struck up in opposite directions from the body of the base-plate.

8. A method according to Claim 6 or Claim 7 wherein the prongs of each nail-plate are in rows that are aligned with one another lengthwise of the plate.

9. A method according to Claim 8 wherein there are a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in one direction and a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in the opposite direction.

10. A method of manufacturing a potato-storage or other box having a plurality of closeboarded walls, wherein each said wall is manufactured according to any one of Claims 6 to 9.

11. A nail-plate comprising an elongate base-plate with a multiplicity of prongs upstanding in opposite directions from the two sides of the baseplate.

12. A method of manufacturing a potato-storage box, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A nail-plate according to Claim 11 wherein the prongs are prongs struck up in opposite directions from the body of the base-plate.

13. A nail-plate according to Claim 11 or Claim 12 wherein the prongs are in rows that are aligned with one another lengthwise of the plate.

14. A nail-plate according to Claim 13 wherein there are a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in one direction and a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in the opposite direction.

15. A potato-storage box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A method of manufacturing a potato-storage box, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A nail-plate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

Xk Amendments to the claims have been riled as follows 1. A closeboarded wall in which one or more nail-plates each comprising a base-plate with a multiplicity of prongs oppositely directed from the base-plate, are sandwiched between the edges of abutting boards of the wall with the oppositely-directed prongs thereof embedded in the edges of the two boards.

4. A closeboarded.wall according to Claim 3 wherein there are a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in one direction and a plurality of rows of prongs upstanding from the plate in the opposite direction.

6. A method of manufacturing a closeboarded wall in which one or more nail-plates each comprising a baseplate with a multiplicity of prongs oppositely directed from the base-plate, are interposed between the edges ot adjacent boards of the wall during compression of the boards into edgeto-edge abutment with one another so that the one or more nail-plates are sandwiched between 1 P_ the edges of abutting boards of the wall with the oppositely-directed prongs thereof embedded in the edges of the two boards.

11. A potato-storage box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.