US1202479A - Bottle-crate. - Google Patents

Description

w'. A. BURLl-NGAME.

BOTTLE CRATE.

APPLICATION mso Dec.\1,1915.

Patenw Oct. 24, i916.

f4 7 W94- f4 WILLIS A. BURLINGAME, 0F RICHLAND, WASHINGTON.

BOTTLE-CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 40ct. 2d, 19th.

Application filed December 1l, 1915. Serial No. 66,257.

Be it known that I, WILLIS A. BURLIN- ouin, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richland, in the county of Benton, State of `Washington, have invented a new and useful Bottle-Crate; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rlhe present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bottle crates, and has for its object to provide a device. of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby the bottles can be readily locked in position, thereby enabling the bottles to be retained in place even though the crate may be inverted. i

Further objects of the invention are/to provide a bottle crate which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be quickly manipulated to lock the bottles in position or release them therefrom, which admits of large quantities of bottles being handled without danger of breakage, and which locks the bottles in such a manner that they will not ar loose.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a top plan view of a bottle crate constructed in accordance with thc invention, portions being broken away and shown in section to illustrate more clearly certain details. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, the locking bars being shown by full lines in operative position and by dotted lines in an inoperative position. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 3 8 of Fig. l, the bottles being indicated by dot and dash lines and the locking bars being shown in operative position by full linesand in inoperative position by dotted lines.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indi cated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

The skeleton frame of the crate may be formed of metal or like material and includes rectangular top and bottom frames l and 2 respectively, said frames being connected at the corners thereof by uprights 3. The uprights and frames are shown in the present instance as formed of angle iron, since the use of this material admits of a strong and light skeleton frame being readily formed, although it will be understood that any other suitable material may be employed.

Extending longitudinally across the bottom of the crate and connecting the ends of the bottom frame 2 is a series of rods lV upon which the bottles 5 rest when in position. At a point slightly above the longitudinal bottom bars or rods 4, the opposite ends and sides of the bottom frame 2 are connected by intersecting cross wires 6 which extend between the rows of bottles 5 and hold the lower ends of the bottles spaced from each other, forming in effect cells in which the lower ends of the bottles are placed.

At a suitable height the corner posts 3 are connected by angle iron bars 7, said bars extending entirely around the skeleton frame of the crate and being arranged at substantially the same height as the shoulders of the bottles 5. lThe bars 7 at the sides of the crate are connected by a series of resilient cross wires or rods 8 extending between the transverse rows of bottleswithin the crate. In a similar manner, the bars 7 at the ends of the skeleton frame of the crate are connected by flat locking bars 9 which extend between the longitudinal rows of bottles. These locking bars 9 terminate at the extremities thereof in studs 10 which are pivotally mounted within the end bars 7, and when the iiat locking bars 9 are swung into a vertical position the lower edges thereof engage the cross wires 8 so as to iiex the same downwardly and produce a bending stress therein. When the dat locking bars 9 are in a vertical position the bottles 5 can be readily placed in position within the crate or removed therefrom, although when the fla-t locking bars 9 are turned into a substantially horizontal position the edges thereof engage the shoulders of the bottles 5 in such a manner as to lock the bottles in position and prevent them from dropping out of place, even though the crate may be inverted. When the locking bars 9 are in an operative position, the resilient cross wires 8 engage the fiat faces thereof so as to hold them securely against accidental rotation. No amount of jarring or jolting will swing the flat locking bars into an inoperative position, although it will be obvious that when they are forcibly swung'into a vertical position a dead center is produced and they will remain in an inoperative position until forcibly turned a sufficient amount to overcome the dead center.

'In order to provide for a simultaneous actuation of all of the flat locking bars 9, each of the said bars is provided with an arm 11 which is inclined to one of the fiat faces thereof, said arms 11 being pivotally connected to a transversely extending operating handle 12 arranged between one of the transverse rows of bottles. By moving this operating bar 12 in one direction all of the flat locking bars 9 can be simultaneously swung into an inoperative or operative position, as desired. When the iiat locking bars 9 are vertically disposed, the bottles 5 can be readily removed from the crate or placed in position therein, although when the flat locking bars 9 are vhorizontally disposed the edgesthereof engage the shoulders of the bottles to retain thebottles against displacement and the resilient cross wires 8 bear against the flat faces of the locking bars in such a manner that no amount of jolting or jarring will cause the locking bars to swing into an inoperative position and release the bottles.

The inside corners of the upper rectangular frame 1 of the crate are shown as provided with upwardly projecting angular lugs 14 which are suitably positioned to enter the inside corners of the bottom frame 2 of a superposed crate, thereby enabling a number of crates to be safely piled on top of each other.

The present form of crate is a great improvement upon the ordinary crate, since it admits of the crate being inverted for the purpose of draining the bottles. Ordinarily the bottles are placed in the crates in an inverted position after being washed and then, whenit is desired to ill the bottles, each bottle is taken out by hand and turned over. This is a tedious and expensive operation where large numbers of bottles are handled, and with the present invention this second handling of the bottles is entirely eliminated. The bottles are placed in the crates after being washed, and no further handling of the bottles is necessary until the time comes for delivering them to the consumers. After the bottles are locked in position in the crate the crate can be inverted to drain the same, and again turned over when it is desired to fill the bottles. It will thus be seen that the use of these crates will result in the saving of time and labor, since the necessity of turning the bottles by hand before filling is entirely eliminated.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A bottle crate including a frame constructed to receive a row of bottles, resilient cross wires extending between the bottles, and a longitudinally extending locking bar pivotally mounted upon the frame and adapted to engage the bottles to retain them in position, said locking bar being formed with flat surfaces which are engaged by the resilient cross wires to retain the locking bar in operative position.

2. A bottle crate including a frame constructed to receive a row of bottles, resilient cross wires extending between the bottles, and a longitudinally extending iat locking bar pivotally mounted upon the frame to turn about a longitudinal axis and adapted to have an edge portion thereof rotated into engagement with the shoulders of the bottles to hold the bottles against displacement, one of the fiat faces of the locking bar coperating with the resilient cross rods to hold the locking bar in operative position.

3. A bottle crate including a frame constructed to receive a plurality of rows of bottles, resilient cross wires extending between individual bottles of each row, iat locking bars extending between the rows of bottles and pivotally mounted upon the frame to rotate about a horizontal axis, the edges of the flat locking bars being adapted to be turned into engagement with the shoulders of the bottles to retain the bottles in position and the flat faces of the locking bars then being engaged by the resilient cross wires to hold the locking bars in operative position, arms projecting from the locking bars, and an operating bar pivotally connected to the arms for simultaneously swinging all of the locking bars into or out of operative position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIS A. BURLINGAME.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. FRIERMooD, M. D. OCONNELL.`

topics of this patent may be obtained for Vve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, D. C.

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