US1966508A - Shipping container - Google Patents

Description

Patented July I7, 1.934

f unirse STATES 1,966,508 VSHIPPING CONTAINER John Lawler and- William I. Kavin, San Francisco, Calif., assignors to Poultry Producers of Central California, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application october 31, 1932, se'riaiNo, 640,453

comme.v (o1. 217-12) l The invention relates to containers and particulai-lyto a shipping` crate orb'ox.

One ofthe objects'of the invention isthepo vision of a shipping crate or box which may be repeatedly returned for filling and shipping.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a shipping crate having two demountable walls, interchangeable as tol their respective positions, toY facilitate the assembling and closing of the crate;

, The invention possesses other objects and features ofadvantage', some of which, with the foreg.oing,.will be set forth in the followingv description otour.` invention, It is to be understood that we m donotli'mi't ourselves to this disclosure'of species of our invention, as we may adopt Variant embodiments thereofwithin the scope of the claims. Referring to the drawing: lilgure 1' is aperspective View of the crate of our invention as it appears when closed.l

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the erate'a portionl beingbroken away to show the arrangement ofthe parts.k

F1'gure'3` isa fragmental View partly in section and partly inelevation showing the stud" member of' the locking means'.

yBroadlyQtlie shipping crate or box oimy invention comprisesend wallsto which adjacent side walls.. are.. permanently secured so that a rigid vtrmndationstructure is provided.r The other adjacent side walls are each demountably secured to the end walls with one lapping thoedge ofthe others."` Interposed-between the'demountable side walls and? thev1 end walls are meansoperable to i' release thelsi'dewalls by lateral movement thereof.

eends', as shown in Figure 1,l is preferably greater than their widthfbytwo` thicknesses of the materialfrused--inthefside Walls, in order @to bring the variousf-partsof Vthecrate into interlocking rela' tion'zwithout undesirable spaces.v Fixedlyisecured to the bottom edgesof the end walls is thebottom wall of the crate. 'Ihe bottom is made of closely spaced slats-'4,j whichextend beyond the lower corners'fofJ the endfwalls'a distance approximately equal to the thickness of 'the stock used, so as to extend beyond the edges of the end walls, but i' rest on the ledge 6 along the bottom edge, and lie ilush with'the endwalls along the top edge.

Y Vlilncirclingpeach end wall and connected bottom andA rear walls is a metallic reinforcing band or' strip 8, which issecured by nails at suitable intervals to the exposed (upper and front) edges of the end wall, and'overlying the rear and bottom walls, as shown. The strip thus serves not only to bind the bottom and rear edges of the crate and reinforce the fasteningof the bottom and rear walls to the ends, but on the exposed upper and front edgesof the ends, the strip provides a secure mounting forfastening means Wherewith to Vattach the demountable walls. At spaced intervals along the exposed edges of the end Walls headed studs 9 are arranged on the strip 8 in any suitable manner, preferably by riveting as shown in Figure -3; yPreferably two such studs are disposed in the strip on each upper andfront'edge of each end wall.

To give greater rigidity to thev structure and to prevent shifting of the contents, a central partition 11 similar to the end walls is provided; and thewalls 4 and l are also secured to it. Thus a crate of'substantial structure, having two divisions with open top and front is presented. The remaining walls comprising the front and top of thev crate generally designated' in Figure 2 as 12 and 13 respectively, are identical in struc'- tureV and size, so that they may be demounted and interchanged indiscriminately. Each of these sides is' made preferably of a wire central Slat 16 and two narrow vmargin slats 17, secured at their ends by a cleat 18v with. wide spaces between the slats.

Extending across the ends of the inner Ysurface of each ofthe demountable sides or walls is a metallic'band or strip 21the ends 22 of which are turned up' at right angles against the outer edges of the margin slat to protect the Wood.

Slots`23,. each aligned with a stud 9, are provided in the portions of the strip which extend across the spaces between the slats. These slots: are shapedr and proportioned to pass the'head of the studk 9 at the end remote from the corner between the two demountable sides, and to engage the neck ofV the stud at the other end.

It willfbef noted thatthe width of each of the demountable sides 12`and113, is yequal to the heights of the end walls 2. The placing of the front wall l2 is accomplished by passing the heads of the studs 9 through the slots 23 and then dropping the side or moving it laterally to bear against the shoulder G at the bottom, at which time the nar ow portions of the slots are engaging the necks of the studs under the heads, so that the side wall is held rrnly in place. The upper edge of the front wall then lies ush with the upper edge of the end wall.

The top wall i6 is similarly applied and when in position extends beyond or overlaps both the Xed baci: wall and the demountable front wall, which thus cannot be disengaged until the top is removed.

in the specication and claims the term lateral movement is used to designate a sliding movement in the same plane in which the demountable side lies when in position on the crate, to effect the removal or application of the side.

.Accidental lateral releasing movement of the top is prevented by a manually operated catch of any suitable character such as the upwardly curved spring 24 mounted on the partition l1. The free end of the spring is preferably bent downwardly into a notch 26 in the edge of the partition, leaving a shoulder 27 which extends above the surface of the partition.

As the top is moved transversely to engage the studs, the spring fiattens out against the partition to let the margin slat pass. The parts are proportioned so that when the studs have been seated, the spring snaps up back of the margin slat 17, as best shown in Figure 2; and thus prevents backward transverse movement to disengage the studs. The top cannot be moved until the spring catch has been manually depressed, so that the engaged slat can be moved transversely over it.

The shipping crate of our invention is designed chiefly for use in local trade to convey eggs, poultry and other products from the producer to the wholesaler or distributing center. its use is practical only if the cost of transportation for short hauls permits. When the empty crates are being returned, considerable space can be conserved if two open crates are nested together and the four demountable sides laid on top.

We claim:

l, A container comprising end walls; adjacent side walls permanently secured to the end walls; adjacent side walls demountably secured to the end walls, one lapping the edge of the other; means securing each demountable wall to the end walls and operable to release the demountable wall by lateral movement in the plane thereof, and a manually releasable catch for preventing lateral movement of the lapping side wall.

2. A container comprising end walls; adjacent side walls permanently secured to the end walls; adjacent side walls demountably secured to the end walls, one lapping the edge of the other; studs fixed in the end walls, means arranged on the demountable walls for slidably engaging the studs, and a manually releasable spring catch for preventing lateral movement of the lapping side wall.

3. A container comprising end walls; adjacent side walls permanently secured to the end walls; adjacent side walls demountably secured to the end walls, one lapping the edge of the other and preventing movement thereof; a metallic strip disposed on the edges of the end walls below the demountable walls, interlockable means arment of the lapping side wall.

ranged on the strip and demountable walls and releasable by lateral movement of the walls in the respective planes thereof, and a manually releasable spring catch for preventing lateral move- 4. A container comprising end walls; adjacent side walls xed to the end walls; adjacent side walls demountably secured to the end walls, one lapping the edge of the other; a metallic reinforcing strip disposed about the edges of the end walls over the xed side Walls and below the demountable walls, metallic strips on the ends of the demountable walls, interlocking means disposed on the strips to secure the demountable walls in place and releasable by lateral movement of the demountable walls, and a manually releas. able catch for preventing lateral movement of the lapping side wall.

5. A container comprising end walls; adjacent side walls xed to the end walls; adjacent side walls demountably secured to the end walls, a metallic reinforcing strip disposed about the edges of the end walls over the iixed side walls and below the demountable walls, metallic strips on the ends of the demountable walls, andreleasable interlocking means disposed on the strips to secure the demountable walls in place. g

6. A container comprising oblong rectangular end walls, two adjacent side walls permanently secured to the end walls, two demountable adjacent side walls interchangeable with respect to each other, and means interposed between the end walls and the demountable walls for 1emovably securing the demountable walls in assembled position.

7. A container comprisingl oblong rectangular end walls, two adjacent side walls permanently secured to the end walls, two demountable adjacent side walls interchangeable with respect to each other and the edge of one of the permanently secured walls, and one lapping the edge of the other, means securing each demounta'ble wall to the end walls and operable to release the demountable wall by lateral movement in the plane thereof, and a manually releasable spring catch for preventing lateral movement of the lap--v ping side wall.

8. A container comprising a wall, a second wall removably positioned adjacent said first wall, means for locking said walls together and releasable upon lateral movement of said second wall' in the plane thereof, a third wall removably po-` sitioned adjacent the rst wall and overlapping the second wall to hold the latter against lateral movement, and means for locking the thirdand first walls together and releasable. only upon lateral movement of said third wall in the plane thereof. v

9. A container comprising a wall, a second wall removably positioned adjacent said first wall, means for locking said walls together and releasable upon lateral movement of said second wall in the plane thereof, a third wall removably positioned adjacent the first wall and overlapping" Y the second wall to hold the latter against lateral 140 movement, means for locking the third and irst walls together and releasable only upon lateral movement of said third wall in the plane thereof, and a manually releasable catch for holding said third wall against lateral movement. 145

J OHN LAWLER. WILLIAM I. KAVIN.

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