US3424334A

US3424334A - Stacking box construction with interlock

Info

Publication number: US3424334A
Application number: US402888A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph Goltz
Original assignee: I C BLOOM
Current assignee: I C BLOOM
Priority date: 1964-10-09
Filing date: 1964-10-09
Publication date: 1969-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1986-01-28

Description

Jan. 28, 1969 J. Gom 3,424,334v

STACKING BOX CONSTRUCTION' WITH INTERLOK Filed Oct. 9,-1964 Josep/1 60Hz l N VEN TOR.

Y www www United States Patent O Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A stacking box having a structure enabling interlocking engagement between vertically stacked boxes combined with interengaging means on the walls thereof for engaging similar boxes disposed in side-by-side relation thereby preventing relative vertical movement between adjacent boxes and also preventing relative translatory movement. Each box is also provided with a closure lid which does not interfere with the stacking interlocking connection between stacked boxes. The vertical interlocking engagement includes a depending flexible edge at the bottom of a box for outward flexing and interlocking engagement with an underlying box. The interengaging means on the side walls thereof includes interengaging projections and recesses for retaining the boxes in predetermined relationship to each other when disposed alongside of each other.

The present invention generally relates to a stacking box incorporating means thereon whereby a plurality of similar boxes may be disposed in stacked relationship to each other together With means provided thereon for nterlocking boxes disposed alongside of each other to prevent relative shifting of the boxes in both a horizontal plane and vertical plane. The structure disclosed in the present application represents improvements in the structure disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 238,892, filed Nov. 20, 1962, yfor Stacking Box Construction, now Patent No. 3,182,856.

One of the problems facing manufacturers and the like is the packaging of various manufactured articles or the like especially when relatively large numbers of boxes or containers are used during shipment, storage or display. Such boxes are usually stacked Within certain limits and it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel stacking box which will interlock With like boxes above and below the same, to either side of the same and to either end of the same thereby enabling the boxes to be orientated in such a manner that the interlocked stacks of the individual interlocked boxes Will not move relative to each other in either a vertical plane or in a horizontal plane.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stacking box construction in which each box has a removable lid thereon together with means Within the box forming locating devices for articles therein.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stacking box construction in which the exterior side walls thereof are orientated in a vertical plane.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a packing box construction in which the side Walls thereof converge upwardly.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a stacking box construction having various modiications which are simple in construction, easy to use, economically feasible, durable and long lasting and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details 0f 3,424,334 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stack of boxes incorporating the present invention therein with a portion of the top of one of the boxes broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing -along section line 2-2 of FIGURE l illustrating further structural details of the box construction;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE l but illustrating a box construction in which the side Walls thereof converge upwardly;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, sectional View taken substantially upon -a plane passing along section line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 with adjacent boxes being illustrated also in section for illustrating the relationship thereof; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmental Perspective view of a portion of one of the boxes illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings and in particular FIGURES l land 2, the numeral 10 generally designates the stacking box construction illustrated therein. As illustrated in the drawings, a plurality of the stacking boxes 10 are arranged in a stack with the stacks illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 2 illustrating the manner in which the side-by-side stacks are interconnected.

Each of the boxes 10 includes a bottom wall 12, a pair of parallel

upstanding side walls

14 and 16 and a pair of

upstanding end Walls

18 and 20. All of the walls are arranged in perpendicular relation to the adjacent Walls and in perpendicular orientation to the bottom 12. For purposes of definition, the

side walls

14 and 16 are longer than the

end walls

18 and 20 but it is pointed out that the particular shape and dimensional characteristics of the boxes may be varied depending upon the material or articles placed therein.

The upper surface of the bottom wall 12 is provided with a plurality of upwardly opening recesses 22 which are in the form of depressions to accommodate the article or product being shipped therein. The inner surface of the walls are inclined inwardly at vany suitable angle in order to provide thickness to the walls from the bottom to the top but the walls or at least the interior surface thereof may be substantially vertical as is the external surface. The upper inner edge of each

side wall

14 and 16 and each

end wall

18 and 20 is provided with an inclined inner edge portion 24 to receive a top or closure 26 in the form of a plat-e having a correspondingly beveled or inclined peripheral edge for matching engagement with the inclind edge 24 at the upper edge of the box. This allows the cover 26 to have the upper surface thereof substantially with the upper edge or surface 28 of the peripheral wall of the box as illustrated in FIGURE 2 so that as a plurality of boxes are stacked one on top of another, the surfaces 28 of the walls will engage the bottom surface of the bottom 12 of an overlying box with the stacked boxes also serving to retain the closure 26 in place insofar as the underlying boxes are concerned.

One end wall such as the end wall 18 of each box is provided with a semicylindrical recess 30 forming a handhold and the other end Wall of the container or ybox is provided with a semicylindrical projection 32 with the projections and recesses being aligned and interengaged when boxes are disposed in end-to-end adjacent relation. The recesses and

projections

30 and 32 form a handgrip as well as forming a joining mechanism for the ends of abutting boxes.

One side wall such as the side Wall 14 of each box is provided with a longitudinally extending semicylindrical recess 34 and the other side -wall such as the side Wall 16 is provided with a semicylindrical projection 36 which serves as handgrips for the boxes and also serve to interlock the side walls of adjacent boxes disposed in abutting side-:by-side relation for retaining the position of such boxes insofar as relative vertical movement is concerned. As will be apparent, the structure of the `boxes is symmetrical and it is only necessary to orientate the boxes s that alternating recesses and projections are orientated at the ends of the stack of boxes as well as at the side thereof.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, each

side wall

14 and 16 has a downwardly extending portion or extension 38 terminating in an inturned lip or nipple 40 at the bottom edge thereof. The upper peripheral edge of each box includes a recess or cut-away portion 42 having the lower extremity thereof defined by a shoulder 44 which is generally horizontally disposed for abuttingly engaging the bottom end of the extension 38. Also, slightly above the shoulder 44 corresponding to the distance of the projecting lip or nipple 40 above the bottom edge of the extension 38 there is provided on the vertical surface of the recess 42 a slot or groove 46 for receiving the lip or nipple 40 thus locking the boxes in stacked position inxthe relationship illustrated in FIGURE 2.

At each corner of the box where the side walls and end walls join, the depending extension 38 is provided with a cut-out 48 which provides iiexibility for the depending extension 38 to enable expansion thereof for engagement of and release of the lip 40 from the groove 46. The cutouts 48 may also be employed as handles if desired and will be substantially closed when superimposed over the top portion of an underlying box as illustrated in FIG- URE 1.

The top edge of each end wall is provided with cut-outs or notches 50 and the top edge of each side wall is also provided with a pair of cut-outs or notches 52 and

similar notches

54 and 56 are provided in the bottom edges of the walls to provide linger grips to facilitate the expansion of the downward extension 38 when in superimposed relation. The

notches

50 and 52 do not go all of the way through the upper edge of the peripheral wall while the

notches

54 and 56 extend all of the way through the extension 38 for communication with the

notches

50 and 52 when aligned therewith to enable finger pressure to be exerted outwardly on the lower end portion of the extension 38 to disengage the lip or nipple 40 from the corresponding groove 46. To facilitate removal and placement of the closure 26, a notch or hand-hold 58 is provided in one or more edges thereof to facilitate lifting of the closure panel.

Referring now specifically t0 FIGURES 3-5, the stacking box construction illustrated therein is designated by reference numeral 60 and includes a bottom wall 62 comparable to the bottom wall 12 in FIGURES 1 and 2. Upstanding from the side edges of the bottom wall is a pair of

side walls

64 and 66. Interconneeting the side walls 64 and `66 is a pair of

end walls

68 and 70. The upper surface of the bottom 62 is provided with a plurality of indentations or recesses 72 for receiving an article or articles therein in a manner similar to the recesses 22 in the bottom wall 12 in the structure illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The upper edge of the side and end walls is provided with a bevelled inner corner 74 for receiving a closure lid or top 76 that is orientated flush with the top edge of the walls '78 when in closing position.

As illustrated in FIGURES 3 5, the

side walls

64 and 66 converge upwardly slightly and the

end walls

68 and 70 also converge upwardly thereby leaving a space between the upper portion of adjacent boxes 60 as illustrated in FIGURE 4. Each

side Wall

64 and 66 and

end walls

68 and 70 is provided with a groove 80 of semicylindrical configuration with the groove 80 extending peripherally of the box 60 at a point adjacent to but spaced below the top edge 78 of the box. Each

side wall

64 and 66 is provided with a depending or extending portion 82 which has longitudinal semicylindrical projections 84 thereon for snapping into the groove for interlocking the stacked boxes as illustrated in FIGURE 4. The

end walls

68 and 76 have similar depending lower edges or extensions 86. The

extensions

82 and 86 are separated from each other by a cut-out notch 87 at the corner of the box 60 for enabling the

extensions

82 and 86 to liex so that the projections or ribs 84 may snap into the groove 80 of an underlying box.

As illustrated in FIGURE 3, the lowcrmost box has the side wall 66 thereof provided with a centrally located notch or recess 88 therein while the other side wall 64 is provided with a pair of cut-away portions or notches 90. In stacking the boxes, the boxes are orientated with the side wall 66 underlying and overlying the side wall 64 so that the lower edge of the side walls will have an alternate central recess 18 and the end recesses or notches 90 for reception of an adjacent stack of boxes which will have an opposite arrangement, that is, the lowermost box will have end notches 90 and a central pro- 'ection at the center for interlocking interengagement with the adjacent stack of boxes which will prevent relative longitudinal movement between the boxes and relative vertical movement. The

end walls

68 and 70 have an identical alternate arrangement of a central notch and end notches on the extension 86 for interlocking the ends t0 prevent relatively lateral movement between the ends of adjacent stacked lboxes as well as preventing relative vertical movement due to the engagement of the lower ends of the

extensions

82 and 86 and the manner in which the

notches

88 and 90 are arranged to receive the opposite orientation of the notches and projections on adjacent boxes. This arrangement is illustrated in FIGURE 4 and serves as a means for joining adjacent stacks of boxes orientated alongside of or in end-to-end abutting relation thereto in order to interlock the stacks to prevent relative longitudinal movement as well as vertical movement or relative lateral movement while at the same time effectively interlocking the boxes in each stack by the ribs o1 projections 84 being received in the grooves 80 and individually providing closure lids for each box. The spacing of the upper portions of the box structures as illustrated in FIGURE 4 provides for handgripping of the upper edges of the boxes if necessary and also enables air circulation between adjacent boxes which is desirable when the boxes are subjected to cool air or the like so that the cool air may circulate more expeditiously between the boxes. v

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A stacking lbox construction comprising a container including upstanding side Walls and upstanding end walls interconnecting the ends of the side walls, a bottom substantially perpendicular to the side and end walls and interconnecting the same for providing an open top container, each of said walls having means thereon adapted to interengage with corresponding means on a wall of a box disposed in adjacent horizontal aligned relation thereto, and means at the top and bottom of the box for interconnection with adjacent superimposed boxes, said interengaging means preventing relative vertical movement between adjacent horizontally aligned boxes and also preventing relative horizontal translatory movement 4between such boxes.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said interengaging means on the walls of the boxes includes a projection on one wall and a corresponding recess on the other for interengagement.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said projection and recess are substantially semicyclindrical in con-figuration.

4. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said projection is in the form of at least one downwardly and outwardly inclined projection, said recess including at least one downwardly and inwardly inclined notch for receiving the projection on` an adjacent box.

5. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said means interconnecting superimposed boxes includes a peripheral groove adjacent the 4upper edge of the box, said walls of the box projecting below the bottom and including an inturned projection for interlocking engagement with the groove of an underlying box, the lower corner portion of each container disposed below the bottom being cut away to enable outward flexing of the portion of the walls having the projection thereon for snapping engagement with the groove.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein the top and 'bottom edge portions of the walls have recesses dened therein for receiving the iingers for facilitating outward flexing of the walls to disenigage the interconnecting means.

7. A stacking box construction comprising a container including an upstanding peripheral 'wall having a bottom forming a closure within the peripheral wall thereby defining an open top container, said peripheral wall having a peripheral groove in the outer surface thereof adjacent the top edge, said peripheral Iwall having a depending projecting portion extending below the bottom and being provided with inwardly extend-ing projecting means at the lower edges thereof for engagement in the groove, said portion of the peripheral wall depending below the bottom being laterally exible to enable interlocking engagement of superimposed boxes by vertical downward movement of an upper box in relation to a lower box thereby enabling the interlocking action to occur as the boxes are being placed vertically in superimposed relation.

8. The structure as defined in claim 7 wherein the portion of the peripheral fwall depending below the bottom includes cutout areas in spaced relation to facilitate lateral flexing thereof.

9. The structure as defined in claim 7 wherein the peripheral wall of the container is provided with circumferentially spaced projections and recesses for interengagement with similar containers disposed in side-byside relation to prevent vertical and horizontal shifting of such containers in a plane paralleling the lower surface thereof thereby stabilizing a plurality of boxes disposed in vertically stacked relation and in stacked side-by-side relation.

10. The structure as defined in claim 9 wherein said projecting means and recess means being defined by the portion of the wall depending below the bottom thereby enabling the upper portion of the wall to converge inwardly while retaining the interengagement between sideby-side boxes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,175,028 3/1916 Walwig 220-24 1,543,800 6/ 1925 Shewry 220-97 1,591,760 7/1926 Haase 220-24 X 2,807,387 9/1957 Siciliano 220--41 X 2,860,814 11/1958 Duemler 220-60 3,049,265 8/ 1962 Van Moss 220-97 3,058,612 10/1962 Nagy 220-60 3,103,278 9/1963 Kuzma 220--23.6 X

888,611 5/1908 Heinze 220--23.4 X 2,849,151 8/1958 Heil 220--97 GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 220-97, 23.4