US1319161A

US1319161A - Method of forming box-like receptacle members

Info

Publication number: US1319161A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1936-10-21

Description

F. L. MILLER. METHOD OF FORMING BOX LIKE RECEPTACLE MEMBERS. APPLICATION FILED APR-14, 1911.

1,319,161. r Patented 001;. 21,1919.-

' mull Arm/m FREDERICK L. MILLER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF FORMING BOX-LIKE RECEPTACLE MEMBERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Original application filed February 5, 1917, Serial No. 146,662. Divided and this application filed April 14,

1917. Serial No. 162,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK LoMinmm, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Newark, ounty of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improved Methods of Forming Box-like Receptacle Members, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of suitcases, traveling bags and receptacles of like character, and has for its object to provide an improved method of forming box-like receptacle-members from pulp fiber or wood pulp board, in such a manner as to produce a light, strong, and durable receptacle-member in one piece as to the main part or body of the receptacle and also in one piece as to the lid thereof, when the structure includes a lid.

The present application is a division of another application filed by me in the United States Patent Ofiice on February 5th, 1917,

- Serial No. 146662.

For the sake of greater clearness, I have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings, illustrating, as Ian example, one form of my invention. In these drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank, cut or stamped from a sheetof pulp fiber, to form the body or main portion of a suitcase; Fig. 2 is a top view of the suitcase body formed from said blank, showing such body at an intermediate stage of its manufacture; Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one of the corner portions of Fig. -2 on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the completed suitcase, shown open; and Fig. 5 is a partial cross section of the completed suitcase with the lid closed.

'In the particular example illustrated, the blank cut, stamped or otherwise produced from pulp fiber or similar material, comprises two long and

narrow panels

1, 1, adapted to form the side walls of the suitcase body, two

short panels

2, 2, of the same width as the

panels

1, 1, and adapted to form the ends of said suitcase body, and a central panel 3 located between the side panels and the end panels and adapted to form the bottom of the suitcase body. Be-

' tween the adjacent edges of the

side panels

1, 1, and of the end panels 2. 2, are cuts or slots 4, preferably of the width of the material and adjacent to these slots, the material of the

panels

1, 1, 2, 2, is reduced in thickness or skived on the opposite surfaces strict myself to the particular form of skiving shown and described. The distances from a corner A of the bot-tom panel 3, to

the points B, B, where the skiving begins,

are-equal as shown, and also equal to the width of the slot 4. Skived

portions

1, 2 are of the same width, as shown.

The blank having been formed and skived as set forth, the portions 1, 2', are preferably matted with a wet brush whereby the fibers of the blank will be raised at these portions, and then while the entire blank is in a moist and plastic condition, a mold (which may be made colla sible) conforming to the inside of the finished suitcase body (Figs. 4 and 5) is placed on the prepared blank. In the particular case illustrated, the mold would be a frame whose general shape is rectangular with its upper portion of somewhat less length and width.

than the bottom. The side panels 1 and end panels 2 would be bent upward against the corresponding surfaces of the mold, an open rectangular frame (not shown) being fitted around the upper edges of the said panels, in substantially the same way that the lid 5 fits around them when the suitcase is closed (Fig. 5). Before this frame is applied, the suitcase body has practically the shape shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with the oppositely skived portions in engagement with each other to form oblique joints 6. These joints begin at a distance from the corners corresponding approximately to the width of the slot 4, and a stronger construction is obtained than if the skived joints began direotly at the corners. The mating skived portions being of the same width, they will overlap in such a manner that their aggregate thiclmess will, at every point, equal the thickness of the sheet of pulp fiber or pulp board from which the suitcase body is made. The walls of this body will therefore be of uniform thickness.

The edges and corners of the inside mold are preferably rounded so as to give the edges and corners of the suitcase body the rounded shape shown in Figs. 2 to 5. The

pulp boardin its moist condition is exceedingly plastic, and the rounded edges and corners for the receptacle may be readily fashioned by tamping them from the outside against the corresponding portions of the mold. The

panels

1, 1, 2, 2, become firmly united not only with one another at the skived portions, but also with the bottom panel 3 at edges such as A B and A B.

The suitcase body so formed, still connected With the inside mold and the outside frame is baked in a suitable heating apparatus, this application of heat causing the pulp to shrink and giving it remarkable strength. The (collapsible) mold and the said frame are removed at the end of the baking operation.

The lid 5 may "be of any suitable construction, for instance it may be made from a blank of the same character as the body blank, and in the same manner as described above. In the finished article, the oblique joints generally are not visible but if visible much less so than indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

By my improved method of producing the body or the lid of the suitcase or other receptacle in one piece, I avoid the necessity for connecting separate pieces by additional securing means such as thread or other stitching, rivets, etc. Another advantage of this method is that it gives the finished article in all its parts, a practicall uniform resistance to rough handling, w ereas the thread, rivets or other securing means employed in previously existing constructions necessarily cause the article to be materially weakened at certain points. Ihe article resulting from the use of my improved method is exceedingly light and strong, being much lighter than receptacles of the same character as made hitherto with corner caps or other reinforcements required when such receptacle is made of separate sheets united by sewing, stitching, riveting, etc. The carrying out of the method does not require any particularly expensive apparatus, nor unusually skilled labor, and thus the introduction of my improved method will ofler no difliculties of an economic character, and the cost, of production will not be increased materially, if at all.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described method of forming box-like receptacle members which consists in producing a fiber board in a moist, plastic condition and while in said condition producing therefrom a sheet-like blank, said blank having a central panel and edge pan-.

els to form integrally the bottom and side walls of the receptacle, skiving the adjabending said edge panels into mutual con- I tact, with their reduced ends overlapping in such a manner that their aggregate thickness will be substantially equal to the thickness of the unreduced portion and uniting said overlapping portions.

3. The herein described method of forming box-like receptacle members Which consists in producing a fiber board in a moist, plastic condition and while in said condition producing therefroma sheet-like blank, said blank having a central panel and edge panels of sufficient length to overlap, said panels being adapted to form integrally the bottom and side walls of said receptacle, bending and molding said edge panels into close overlapping contact and subsequently drying and hardening the article by the application of heat.

t. The herein described method of forming box-like receptacle members which consists in producing a fiber board in a moist, plastic condition and while in said condition producing therefrom a sheet-like blank, said blank having a, central panel and edge panels to form integrally the bottom and side walls of said receptacle, reducing the thickness of adjacent end portions of said edge panels from opposite surfaces, matting the end portions of said edge panels and bringing the matted portions into close overlapping contact, and baking the article thus formed.

5. The herein described method of forming box-like receptacle members which consists in producing a fiber board in a moist, plastic condition and while in said condition producing therefrom a sheet-like blank, said blank having a central panel and edge panels to form integrally the bottom and side walls of the receptacle, the ends of the edge panels being reduced in thickness from opposite surfaces, bending said edge panels, while in a moist, plastic condition into mutual contact with their reduced ends overlapping, and baking the article thus formed.

FREDERICK L. MILLER.