US1509832A - Crate - Google Patents

Description

C. E. GERBERICH can:

Filed June 18 1923 2 Sheets-Shoat 1 l||l Z ll IIII'IIII' .l nlllll'llnll patented Sept. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES I mean PATENT oFFicE.

QLARENQE E. GERBERICH, OF AURORA, ILLINUIE, ASSIGNOR '30 LYON METALLIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

CRATE.

Application filed June 18, 1923. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARE-Non E. Gnu BERIGH, a citizen of the United States, re siding at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Crates, of which the following is a specificatime.

My invention relates to crates, particularly of the collapsible type, and the object of the invention is to provide a skeleton crate by which such objects as locker doors and frames may; be shipped safely and without unnecessary weight in the crate. While my invention is applicable to other structures having similar characteristics it is particularly adapted for shipping the door frames and doors of sheet metal lockers, and I have illustrated the invention as applied to articles of this character.

Steel lockers are usually shipped knocked down except that it is desirable to assemble the doors and door frames at the factory and hence it is desirable to provide means by which these assembled units may be shipped safely and with as little weight in the crate as possible. These units, comprising the assembled door frames and doors, are somewhat awkward to pack as they are tall and comparatively narrow and thin. It is my purpose to provide an advantageous form of crate by which a number of these units, for example as many as ten, may be brought together in a single package and held rigidly together by mere surface contact in distinction to the use of bolts or other fastening devices penetrating the units themselves. As a result of my construction it is possible to ship a number of doors and door frames in a package which is of convenient size and shape and in which the parts will be held without rattling and without permitting injury to them in any way.

I accomplish my object in the manner illustrated, in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the crate and contents.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1, a portion of the crate backs being broken away to show the internal construction;

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a pair of backs with their tie rods.

a sectional view on the line hinged to frames comprising lintels 2, sills 3 and side members i. lllhesc latter are flanged at the edges in accordance with usual custom, the purpose being to stiilen the structure and improve its appearance Referring now to the parts embodying my present invention, backs 8 are arranged in pairs parallel and opposite to each other, the same being horizontal when the doors are vertical as shown in perspective in Figure 1. These backs, which are shown on an increased scale in perspective in Figure 3, have longitudinal channels 10 which protrude outward. One function of these channels is to stiffen the construction. Air other function is to make it possible to form countersinks 12 for accommodating the heads and nuts 14 of the tie rods 16 which hold the backs together when in transit. The arrangement is shown sectionally in Figure 5 where it will be evident that the countersinks are apertured at the center to receive the tie rods and are of such size as to readily accommodate the heads or nuts 14 of the rods.

On the inner side the backs are provided with stalls which are thei'nselves channeled and bridge the channels in the backs. According to one construction the backs and stalls are of sheet metal and the central. portion or base 18 of each stall is spotwelded to the upper and lower portions of the backs. Such spot welding is indicated at 20 Figure 4. The flanges 22 of the stalls extend inward toward the opposite back and by preference they are slightly divergent as illustrated. The purpose is to make it easier to insert the door frame and also to hold the door frame snugly in place when the backs are drawn up tightly. In other ,words, the frames are wedged into place when the tie rods are drawn tight.

While it is not essential it is desirable that the stalls be formed of a single piece of sheet metal and in some of the stalls illustrated in the drawings it will be observed that two of them are made from a single piece of metal, the stalls thus occurring in pairs. This in-ei ases the capacity of the crate. The stalls are spaced apart to accoznmediate the tie rods 16 which pass between them. This also affords space for the door knobs 1'4. In the body of the structure a tie rod occurs between each double stall.

The operation will now be readily understood. l i hen it is desired to make a shipnient, a group of door and door frame units are brought together in approximately cor rect position and the backsare applied to the frames in such manner that the edges of the frames will enter the stalls. The number of pairs of backs employed may varied according to circumstances and in Figure l l have shown a package consisting of three pairs of backs with their EICCOIR- panymg tie rods. The tie rods are then tightened and the door frames become wedged tightly and seated in the stalls the result being that when the assemblage is complete the entire package will be still and will not wrack in any way. 'lhe package may then be safely shipped and by arranging the faces of the doors inward all danger of scratching the outer faces during shipment is avoided. It will be evident that the weight of the crate elements adds very little to the weight of the goods to be shipped, which is of course a great advantage as it saves weight both in shipping the goods to the point of destination and in returning the crates to the factory in case it is found desirable to do so. it will be evident also that the backs are all alike, there being no rights or lefts, or tops or bottoms. The result is that they may be used interchangeably and may occupy any position in the package.

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

1. A crate con'iprising backs designed to be arranged parallel and opposite to each other, stalls on the inner faces of said backs, said stalls consisting of channel shaped elements having their flanges facing inward and the central portion secured to said backs, some of said stalls being spaced from each other, and tie rods extending from one back to the other at the spaces between stalls.

2. .a crate com rising hacks for arrange ment parallel and opposite to each other, stalls on the inner faces of said bucks consisting of channel shaped elements having their flanges extending: inward and diverging from each other. the central portion of the stalls being secured to said backs. and said stalls being); spaced from each other, and tie rods extending "from one hack to the other at the spaces lJJtWCQn the stalls.

3. fr crate conipiisiiin SlMGi; nu hacks for arrangeniezil parallel and opp site to each other, stalls on the inner faces of said backs consisting oi channel-amped elements having their flanges extending inward. said stalls consisting of single pieces of configurated sheet metal. some of the stalls l)l'lll f spa-c lroni each other. and tie rods extending from one back to the other ill the spaces between the stalls.

4. A crate comprising sheet metal backs tor arrangement parallel and oppisitc to each other, each back heme channeled lengthwise and the channel protruding outward, stalls on the inner laces of said backs bridging the channels therein and themselves con "lug: oi channeled. members L whose flanges extend inward toward the opposite back, and tie rods lior drawing said backs towa d each other.

5. A crate comprising sheet mei'ul bucks designed for placement parallel and opposite to each other. each back being channeled lengthwise and the channel protruding out ward, stalls on the inner laces of said backs; running transverse to the hacks and bride ing the channels therein, some of the slalls on each back being spaced from each other, and tie rods extending from one back to the other for drawing the backs toward each other, the channeled portions of the backs being countersunk at spaced intew vals whereby the heads oi the tie rods may be countersunk in the backs.

In witness whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name.

CLARENCE ll (-1 EBB lilhlCl-l.

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