US2192666A - Shipping container - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1940. E. ROOS SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed March 21, 1938 Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to shipping devices and more particularly to devices for surrounding and protecting furniture and the like during shipmerit.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of new and improved means for suspending articles of merchandise in containers for protecting the same during shipment.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a shipping container and means for suspending an article of furniture or the like within the container and holding the article suspended during shipment.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of newand improved means whereby an article of furniture or the like may be attached to a frame member associated with a container of light material which is adapted to surround the article but not support its weight.

Another object of the invention is the provi sion of a new and improved method of packag ing articles of merchandise for shipment.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved shipping device that is simple in construction, easily assembled, eflicient in use and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a longitudinal section of the shipping container showing the article in position therein;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the container, article and attaching means shown in position to be assembled.

It is extremely difficult to ship pieces of furniture and other articles having a high surface finish without marring the finish. Usually in the higher priced articles extreme care in cratin and packing the article is necessary. It is common practice to employ wooden crates and not only to brace the article well within the crate but employ a great amount of padding or packing material to properly protect the article during shipment. The cost of crating and uncrating the article is usually very high indeed because of the time and labor involved.

The present invention seeks to avoid the necessity of crating in wooden or metal boxes. A. container which is of fiber board or the like is emplayed to enclose the article but this is only used as a support for the frame to which the article is secured and also for the purpose of protecting the article from exposure to dust, dirt and the like. The container enables the support to he stood on end or on its side or on its bottom for supporting the article.

In the form of the construction selected to illustrate one embodiment of the invention, the article is suspended from a frame that is adapted to be clamped or otherwise secured to one wall of a container which may be of fiber board, cardboard or the like.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character Ill designates a container which is preferably, though not necessarily, the conventional.

large container made from fiber board, card'- board, or the like, and comprises side walls H,

.end walls !2, see Figs. 1 and 2, and top wall l3 which, as is usual in such constructions, comprises the flap l4 and the flap 15 which are integral with the side walls but are scored along the top of the side walls so that they may be bent at right angles to form the top of the container as is usual in such constructions.

The bottom wall of the container may or may not extend entirely across the bottom of the container. In the form of the construction shown, the bottom wall is adapted to be formed from the side and end walls by slotting the corners at the junction of the side and end walls as at it in Fig. 3 and bending theiree portions along scorings I! that are made adjacent the lower edge of the side and end walls for this purp se.

The construction thus far described is a usual or Well known shipping container of fiber or paper board and need not be further described.

For the purpose of illustrating and describing the invention, it will be assumed that the shipping containeris of paper or fiber board but other materials may be used. If a paper or fiber board is used, for making the container, a reinforcing metal or wooden member is adapted to be made for reinforcing the wall I3. In practice. this rectangular reinforcing member comprises a pair of bars 3!? connected together by a pair of cross-members i8 and are of such dimensions as to make a snug fit within the container. They may be secured to the wall M. of the container or may be merely inserted in the container as shown in Fig. 2. This reinforcing member may be made from Wooden bars or strips. A pad 40 of fiber or the like is preferably inserted between the frame 20 and the article to prevent abrasion, especially if the reinforcing member 20 is loose within the shipping container.

The article it to be shipped which, in the com struction shown, is a cedar chest, is adapted to be housed within the container l0 and is secured therein in spaced relation to the side and end walls of the container in a manner that will now be described. This chest, as shown, is provided with feet or supporting members 2| which are adapted to be extended toward the open side of the container as shown in Fig. 3. Suitable plates 22 and 23 are secured by screws 24 to the bottom of the chest and each is provided with a pair of openings 25 and 26 through which a binding or clamping strip 21 extends. The binding or clamping strip 21 is preferably of strap iron extending through the openings with a loop beare attached to the bottom of the chest, the chest.

is placed in position in the container and the side and end flaps 28 and 29, respectively, are bent down over the feet or legs 2| and a supporting frame 32 having openings 33 and 34 for receiving the free ends of the strap irons 2'! is placed against the flaps 28 and 29 which are previously turned inward over the feet 2| so that when the straps 2'! are tightened, the flaps 28 and 29 will be clamped between the feet 2| and the frame 32 thereby holding the supporting frame 32 and container l0 firmly together as shown more clearly in Fig. 2.

The frame 32 is similar to the frame 20 already described and comprises two longitudinal bars 35 having transverse bars 33 and 31 across their outer ends on the outer sides thereof as shown in Fig. 3.

After the parts are placed in position with the flaps 28 and 29 between the frame 32 and feet 2 I, the free ends of the strap irons 21 are put under considerable tension with a conventional tool employed for this purpose, and the ends secured together as shown in Fig. 2. Sufficient tension is placed on the strap iron to clamp the feet 2| against the flaps and the frame for holding the chest suspended from the frame 32.

In practice, the chest is more easily secured in position by turning the container on its top or end wall while the parts are being clamped together. The clamping of the flaps 28 and 29 between the feet 2| and the frame 32 will hold the container in proper position whereby it is out of contact with the chest at all points except the feet. The tension on the strap irons is such that the chest will be held firmly against the frame 32 in all positions of the container. The supporting frame 32 has substantially the same overall dimensions as the container, as shown in Figs. '1 and 2.

By means of this arrangement, it is not necessary to use padding of any kind for enclosing the chest to prevent injury or abrasion of the finish since the chest is suspended or supported from the frame 32 in spaced relation to the remaining walls of the container. The chest may be enclosed in a paper wrapper, if desired, to prevent an unnecessary amount of dust settling on the article although even this is not necessary.

It will thus be seen that articles may be shipped in fiber or paper board at a very great saving in the freight costs because of the lightness of the fiber or paper board containers. Furthermore,

there is a great saving in the amount of time and work required to prepare the article for shipment as well as a saving of some 50% or more in the time and expense required to uncrate the article when it reaches its destination.

While the invention has been described in connection with the shipment of furniture, it is understood that other articles of merchandise such as various kinds of machines, apparatuses, house furnishing articles, office equipment, and the like, requiring protection, may be packaged in like manner.

. It is thought from the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawing that the construction and operation of my device will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and that changes in size, shape, proportion and details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shipping device, a container of fiber board having its vertical walls provided with movable extensions, a reinforcing rigid frame conformable to the dimensions of one side of said container and engaging the side and end walls of the container, an article of furniture or the like within said container, and means for rigidly securing said article of furniture to said frame and container in a position spaced from the remaining walls of said container, said means also 1 holding said container and rigid frame in assembled relation with said extensions clamped between said container and frame.

2. A shipping device comprising a support, means for rigidly securing an article to said support during shipment, and means for surrounding said article and secured to said support by said first-named means for protecting the surface thereof from dirt, dust and the like, said lastnamed means having elements flexibly connected thereto, said elements being clamped between said support and said last-named means.

3. A shipping package comprising a container of light material having bottom, sides and end walls, flaps secured to the upper edges of said walls, a supporting frame, an article of merchandise within said container, and clamping means for clamping said article to said supporting frame for supporting said article and for clamping said flaps between said frame and article.

4. A packaged article comprising a rigid rectangular frame for providing a plane surface, an article of furniture, means for clamping said frame to said article, a container of fiber board surrounding said article and having flaps clamped r between said frame and article for holding said container in position for enclosing said article.

5. A shipping package for containing an article of commerce comprising a container having a removable wall, said container having flaps along its edges, plates for attachment to said article, flexible straps carried by said plates, said removable wall being rigid and having openings through which said flexible straps are adapted to extend for clamping said removable wall to said article with' said flaps between the removable wall and article for securing the parts rigidly together.

6. A package for shipment comprising an article of manufacture, a receptacle for containing said article, said receptacle having one wall removable, flaps on the edges of opposite walls of the receptacle adjacent the removable wall, elongated flexible elements, means for connecting said elements to said article, said removable wall are adapted to extend for clamping said removable Wall to said article with said flaps clamped between said article and removable wall for enclosing said article in said receptacle.

7. A shipping package comprising a container of paper-like material having flaps on a plurality of the edges thereof, an article within said receptacle, a closure of rigid material for said receptacle, flexible metallic straps secured to said article for connecting said closure to said article with said flaps clamped between said article and closure whereby said article will be supported by said closure and be protected by said receptacle.

8. In a device for protecting articles of furniture and the like during shipment, a container having side walls, certain of said walls being provided with foldable projections on their free edges, a supporting frame, and means for rigidly attaching said article to said frame and for clamping said projections between said articles and frame for holding the parts in assembled position.

9. A shipping package comprising a container of fiber board open on one side, a rigid frame member having openings in each end portion thereof, an article of furniture positioned in said container and having one side exposed, rigid plates removably secured to the exposed side of 10 said article, flexible metallic members carried by said plates and having their ends extending through said openings and clamped together for rigidly holding said frame member against said exposed side of the article, and means securing said container to said rigid frame member to hold the container in position over said article, said means being integrally connected to said container adjacent to its open side.

EDWARD ROOS.

Images