US1534006A - Box partitioning and method of making the same - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1925. 1,534,006

L. E. LA BOMBARD ET AL BOX PARTITIONING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed July 2 1921 Fig.6. gw

Patented Apr. 14,, 1925.

ASSIGNORS TO SPECIALTY AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHELSEA, MASSA- I 1,534,005 UNITED STATES PATENT orrrcs LEON E. LA BO'MBARD AND MELVIN n. sinnsotrneivr, or CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS,

CHUSETTS, A OORLPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

BOX PARTITIONING AND METHOD OF MAKING- THE SAME.

Application filed July 2,

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEON E. LA Borr- BARD and MELVINTL SrnnBo'rrIAM, citizens of the United States, and residents of Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box Partitioning and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to partitions of the folding or collapsible type adapted to be so opened or set up and placed in a box as to form substantially square cells or pockets for receiving'fragile articles such as eggs. Partitions of this type are usually made of pasteboard in the form of strips partially slotted or slitted transversely to enable the strips to cross each other and be interengaged. Some devices of this character heretoforemade consist of strips having narrow slits made by simple cuts without removing any material and others consist of strips having enough of the material cut out to form slots. Those of the first type retain relative positions, by friction, fairly well, but the strips are difficult toassemble or interengage, and besides are not entirely satisfactory in use because when opened up and set in a boX the cells for the articles are not square. This is due to the fact that when the assemblage of strips is opened from collapsed condition the mouths of the slits are spread laterally by the action of the continuous portions of the other strips which are in those slits, so that, when forced into a box, the opposite sides or edges of each-slit mouth bears against the continuous material traversing said mouth at points quite far apart. The result is to distort the several partitions of the unit so that it is not easy to fit the unit into a boX and square cells are not presented.

The other well-known type referred to, having material cut out to form. slots instead of slits, can be opened readily to pre sent square cells, but unless the strips are' formed with some interlocking members they fall apart too readily. And the formas tion of interlocking members adds to the expense of production.

l/Vith either type, so far as we are aware, it is impracticable to assemble the strips by machinery to form units in collapsed condition excepting by machines which also form 1921. Serial No, 482,033.

the strips, cutting them from a web of ma terial.

An important object of our present invention is to provide a structure which will enable the strips to be assembled automatically by machinery, such as illustrated in Let-- tors Patent No. 1,523,652, granted to us JanuaryQO, 1925, the strips being made from pieces of material such as those resulting from cutting various forms of boX blanks and which have been regarded as waste.

Another object of our invention is to pro vlde a structure that will enable the strips to hold together by friction and not require interlocking portions of the strips andyet will enable the collapsed unit to be opened up for use and present square cells, and which will also enable the strips to passby right angular relative positions. In other words, the strips will fold in either direction from right angular relative positions.

With these objects in View, our invention consists in the cell partitioning, and the method of producing the units substantially as hereinafter described and claimed,

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cell unit as it appears when opened up ready for insertion in a box.

Figures 2 and 3 are elevations of the longitudinal and transverse strips;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating steps in the formation or assemblage of the strips to form a collapsed unit The unit illustrated is designed to fit a popular form of box for holding one doze-n eggs, said unit comprising two strips a and three strips b. Since, for such form of box the strips a are longer than the strips 6, the former may be termed longitudinal strips and the latter transverse strips. Except for the difference in length and the consequent; difference in the number of slits and notches therein, the strips a and?) are substantially1 duplicate of each other. It is to be understood of course that we do not limit ourselves to the employment of a total of live strips, nor to the specific proportions illus--' trated, as the same may vary according to.

bottom of each notch communicating with a relatively short cut or slit 3/ the lower or inner end of which terminates at said midwidth. This slit is preferably formed with a knife which will out without removing any of the material so that, when the several strips are assembled as presently described, the sides of each slit will necessarily bind on so as to frictionally engage the opposite surfaces of the crossing strip in line with a slit thereof. As these slits z are short and only near the mid-width thereof, there are no edge walls adjacent to the edges of the strips to spread laterally and abut against the crossing strips to interfere with opening up the unit to present square cells, or interfere with collapsing the unit in either direction.

In order that the strips may be assembled by the machine illustrated in the patent hereinbefore referred to, or by the manually effected method presently described, the slits g are, as shown in the drawings, of less length than the depth of the notches a which communicate therewith. It is, of course, es-

sential that the lower or inner ends of the slits shall terminate substantially at the midwidth of the strips so as to limit the relative movements of the strips when assembled to correct positions with the edges of all strips in uniform planes. Therefore, in order to provide notches deep enough to support the cross strips '6 in the positions shown in Figure 4 during the assembling as 1 presently described, the slits y are quite short as stated.

The slits {1/ are not slots, but are formed without removing any of the material of the strips and therefore the spaces formed by the slits (if they can be termed spaces at all) are of less width than the thickness of the material of the strips. As will presentlybe understood, this structure ensures the retention of the strips of the entire unit in proper relative positions for shipment or use, without employing any locking shoulders or securing cords. slits bear with suflicient friction against the surfaces of the engaged strips to hold all of the assembled strips in the relative positions shown in Figure 6. r

The method of assembling the strips to form a unit is illustrated by Figures i, 5 and 6.

First, either manually or by suitable appliances, or by automatic machinery, two strips (1 are caused to occupy upright parallel positions with their notches 00 presented upwardly, and then three strips 6 are dropped to the positions shown in Figure 4 with the apexes of their downwardly opening notches resting in and crossing the apez ces of the upwardly opening notches of the strips (1. The notches are so wide that this assemblage requires no particular man- The sides of the ual skill or mechanical accuracy. And the notches are so deep that when the strips Z) are dropped as explained they will rest in the slanting position shown in Figure t without being held or steadied. That is, the notches being deep, the strips a steady the strips 6 in positions sufficiently near to upright to enable the next step to be performed. The said next step consists in moving one of the strips a longitudinally relatively to the other strip a, or in moving the two strips a, a slightly in opposite directions, letting them also approach each other. This swing-s the strips 5, b, 7), toward each other until they lie in substantially the position shown in Figure 5, with their side surfaces in alternate contact, or near contact, with the side surfaces of the'strips a, a. Vith the strips now in this position, and whether held in their upright collapsed condition by hand or by elements of a machine, the strips aand b so steady each other that it is easy to push the three strips b, '1), 7), down to cause all their slits y to simultaneously slide down through and past the slits 3/ of the two strips a, a to the position shown in Figure 6, the unit being then ready for shipmentor storage with others, until such time as set up to the form shown in Figure 1. Whether the unit is folded as in Figure 6, or open as in Figure 1, the strips are held together solely by the frictional engagement of the sides of the slits with the surfaces of the strips engaged thereby. As a matter of fact, the machine illustrated in our patent hereinbefore referred to performsall the operations described, the strips in the condition shown in Figure 5 being carried along between two closely adjacent belts while a presseracts on the strips 6, 'Z), Z), to push them' down.

The deep- V-notehes serve three purposes, viz: they facilitate the assemblage of the strips a. and b, they steady the strips 1) b 5 while in the position shown in Figure 4, and they prevent the existence of any slit edges to obstruct collapsing in' either one direction or the other. Said notches also permit the upper and lower portions of all the strips to yield laterally so that, no matter which way the set up unit is fitted in a box, each and every cell presents yielding walls at its mouth or entrance. This facilt tates the placing of eggs in the cells or their removal therefrom, because the top of each cell can be spread. As eggs are largest at about their mid-length, said largest portions are in the plane'of that portion'of the unit where the slits y operate to prevent shifting of the strips out of their proper relative positions for use. It is .su'flicient, for all practical purposes to cooperatively brace the strips at only their mid-width. This is accomplished by the short slits 3 while the deep V-notches 00 permit the walls of each cell to yield at the mouth thereof when placing or removing an egg.

Having now described our invention, We claim:

1. Box partitioning cinprising two sets of strips crossing each other, each of said strips having notches formed in one edge only and a slit made without the removal of material communicating with the apex of each notch, the slits of each set frictionally engaging uncut portions of the other set, the said notches having such depth that prior to complete assembly the strips of the upper set may be temporarily supported in substantially vertical positions by the sides of the notches of the lower set.

2. The method of making partitioning for boxes, consisting in forming two sets of strips each having notches formed in one edge only and a slit made without the removal of material communicating with the apex of each notch, supporting the strips of the lower set substantially vertical with their notches opening upwardly, depositing the strips of the upper set loosely crosswise on the lower set and permitting them to restin substantially vertical positions with vthe apexes of their notches resting on and loosely supported by the apexes of the lower set, then collapsing the strips to flatwise relationship to steady them against each other, and then shifting the strips edgewise to cause the cooperating slits to frictionally engage uncut portions of the strips.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our I signatures.

LEON E. LA BOMBARD. MELVIN H. vSIDEBOTHAM.

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