US1877038A - Hinged box and method of assembly - Google Patents

Description

p 13, 1932- M. PARTIOT 31mm) BOX AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 20, 1950 Patented Sept. 13, 1932 UNE'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAURICE PARTIOT, or rA'rERsoN, NEW JERSEY HINGED BOX AND MET OD or ASSEMBLY Application filed January 20, 1930. 'SeriaI No. 422,033.

hinge parts together without further manipulationor use of tools.

Heretofore, one of the simplest and cheapest methods of hinging a cover to a'metal or 19 other box has been to form hinge knuckles on the box, one or both of which knuckles are spread or cut open to receive oppositely extending pivots on the cover, and are then bent back or folded over the pivotsto hold them in place. .Whether the hinge knuckles are opened lengthwise or sidewise, an extra operation is required to close the open edges through which the pivots are inserted. This extra operation requires precision, and sometimes weakens the hinge structure so that it will open up subjected to strain.

My invention is an improvement over previous box hinges and methods of assembly in that it entirely eliminates the step of closing 5 the hinge knuckles after the pivots on the cover are inserted therein, and thus makes the step of bringing the parts together the final operation. This reduces the number of forming operations, simplifies the assembling and materially reduces the over-all-cost of manufacture. V

In carrying out the invention I form oppositely extending hinge pivots onthe cover, preferably by cutting out and curling the metal along one edge. The box portion is stamped .to provide a pair of spaced bulbular hinge knuckles with openend's facing each other, but with their remaining sides closed and merging into the box portion, and a longitudinal slot is out about half way throughone hinge knuckle from its open end. There are several methods of assembling the parts. Accordingto the .preferred method, the cover is inverted and oneof the r hinge pivots is inserted in the slotted knuckle on the box portion so that the metal edge directly under this pivot slips into the slot in said knuckle. This telescoping action permits the opposite hinge pivot to register with the opening in the other knuckle and to with the'cover closed;

be inserted therein by aslight canting movement in a direction to withdraw the metal edge from the slot in-the first knuckle, thus securely locking the hinge parts together so that they are free to pivot without danger of accidental detachment. I

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: I

F 1g. 1 is a rear view of my improved box p with the cover detached and shown in section with the hinge pivots in position for insertion in the knuckles on the box portion;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing'the'first step in securing the cover to the box Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the box assembled with the cover in open position;

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the assembled box showing the position of the hinges Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2 showing the hinge pivot on the cover enteringthe slotted knuckl on the box'portion; Y V Fig. 6 is a fragmentarysection taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 showing the position of the hinge parts with the cover closed;

Fig. '7 is a section similar to Fig. ,5,but showing a different method of assembly;

Fig. 8 is a rear view, partly in section, showing amodified form of hinge;

' Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section showing the cover of Fig. 8 in inverted position;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectionshowing a nodified form of cooperating hinge parts; an I Fig. 11 is a similar section showing still another form of the invention.

The box shown in Fig. 1 comprises acup shaped box portion 1 of any desired shape, preferably made of thin sheet metal, and a cover 2 having the usual flange 3 adapted to overlap the edge of the box when in closed position. I

Thelrear wall of the boxportion is stamped to provide a central depression 4 and hinge I knuckles 5 and 6, respectively, on opposite sides of said depression to receive oppositely extending hinge pintles 7 and 8 onthe cover. The hinge knuckles 5 and 6 are in-the form of raised bulbs having open ends facing each other, and their remaining sides closed and merging into the box portion. One of these knuckles is preferably longer than the other, the knuckle here being shown twice as long as the knuckle 6.

, The flange 3 of, the cover has a central. section 9 slightly higher than the rest of the flange and in the same general location as the depression 4: in the boX portion. The hinge pintles 7 and 8 are preferably'formed by undercutting the opposite ends of this raised section at so that the pintles par tially overhang the recesses or cut-out portions 10. The metal co-extensive with the pintles 7 and 8 is then fluted inwardly of the cover to form a continuous ridge of substantially semi-circular cross section which will pivot in the depression 1 of the box portion after the cover is attached. I

A slot 11 is cut lengthwise in the metal preferably at the bottom of the elongated hinge knuckle 5 and transverse to the opening in the end of said knuckle, and is just wide enough to receive the single thickness of thin flat metal 12 at the inner edge of the recess 10 immediately below the hinge pintle 7. The slot 11 preferably extends about halfv the length of the knuckle 5 and hence does notimpair the strength or rigidity of the knuckle.

In order to assemble the cover on the box portion the parts may be held as shown in Fig. 1 with the cover inverter so that when the pintle 7 is slipped into the knuckle 5 the edge of the flat metal 12 under the pintle will be exactly in line with the slot 11. In this position the pintle 7 is inserted in the knuckle 5, by a relative movement between the cover and box portion, thereby guiding the flat metal 12 telescopically into the slot 11 until it strikes against the edge of the slot 11, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. lVith the parts in this limiting position the cover is tipped or canted upwardly as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, bringing the pintle 8 into alignment with the knuckle 6, and is then moved to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 so that the pintle 8 enters the knuckle 6, at the same time completely withdrawing the flat metal 12 from the slot 11 as shown in Fig. 3. The cover is thus locked securely on the box portion with the pintles 7 and 8 pivoting in the knuckles 5 and 6, respectively, and may be freely moved to the closed position. shown in Fig. 41. The device can be taken apart by reversing the sequence of operations.

Fig. 7 shows an alternative method of assembling the box and cover illustrated in Fig. 1. Since the metal of the curved pintle 7 is of the same single thickness as the flat metal 12, this pintle may be worked through the slot 11 in the box portion by first inserting the longitudinal edge of the pintle in the ('3 slot and then canting or curling it through the slot into the knuckle 5. To assemble the parts in this manner they are held as shown in Fig. 1. The pintle 8 is first inserted in the knuckle 6 as far as it will go, so that the end of pintle 7 will be opposite the slot 11 at the bottom of the knuckle 5. The edge of pintle 7 is next inserted in the slot 11, the cover 2 being tipped upwardly as shown in Fig. 7, and is then curled through the slot by canting the cover in the direction of the arrow, completing the assembly. Regardless of the method of assembly, accidental detachment is prevented because the pintle 7, being substantially semi-circular in cross section, will not pass through the slot 11 except when specially manipulated as previously described. I 1

Figs. 8 and 9 show a modification of the invention in which the hinge pintles on the cover are formed by a wire 13 clamped in place by the raised section 9 of the flange 3 which is doubled over the wire so thatits ends stand out. In this modification the overlapping portion of the metal 9 is cut away at the end adjacent the fiat metal 12, as shown in Fig. 9, leaving only the single thickness of metal 12 to be inserted in the slot 11. The method of assembly is the same as in Fig. 2.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10 the slot 11 is at the top of the hinge knuckle 5 instead of at the bottom, and the hinge pintle 7 is curled outwardly of the cover instead of inwardly as in Fig. 5. The method of assembly is analogous to Fig. 7, the edge of the pintle 7 being inserted lengthwise in the slot 11 and then curved through the slot by closing the cover as indicated by the arrow.

In the modification shown in Fig. 11 the slot 11 is at the top of the hinge knuckle 5, but the hinge pintle 7 is curved inwardly as in Figs. 1 to 7. The method of assembly is by curling the pintle 7 through the slot 11, and therefore the recess or cut out portion 10 below the pintle is somewhat deeper than in the forms previously described so that it will fit over the knuckle 5. If the cut out portion 10 were not deep enough to span the knuckle 5 the flange 3 of the cover would strike against the knuckle and prevent the pintle 7 from entering the slot 11. Also, the inner longitudinal edge 14 of the pintle 7 is preferably flattened, .as shown, to facilitate its entry into the slot 11. When the edge 14 is inserted in the slot 11 the cover is canted upwardly, thus curling the pintle into the knuckle 5.

It will be evident that the invention is capable of various other modifications and adaptations not specifically described but included within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A hinged boX comprising a section having two fluted hinge pivots of substantially circular cross section adjacent one edge, and a second section having two spaced hinge Ill fadj acent one edge, and another section having two spaced hinge knuckles with open ends facing each other, one of said knuckles having a longitudinal slot extending part way inwardly from its open end narrower than the cooperating hinge pivot but wide enough to telescope with the edge of the first mentioned section when the pivot adjacent said. edge is inserted into the open end of said knuckle.

3. A hinged box comprising a section having two oppositely extending hinge pivots adjacent one edge and another section having two hinge knuckles of unequal lengths with open ends facing each other, said open ends being closer together than the ends of the respective hinge pivots, and a longitudinal slot in the longer hinge knuckle extending part way inwardly from its open end to receive the edge of the first mentioned section when the pivot adjacent said edge is inserted into the open end of said knuckle, thereby permitting the opposite pivot to be fitted into the shorter hinge knuckle.

4. A hinged box comprising a cover having two oppositely extending hinge pivots adjacent one edge, and a box portion having two hinge knuckles of unequal lengths with open ends facing each other and with their other sides closed and merging into said box portion, the open ends of said knuckles being closer together than the ends of the respective hinge pivots, and a longitudinal slot extending part way through the bottom edge of the longer hinge knuckle from the open end thereof to receive the edge of the cover when the pivot adjacent said edge is inserted into the open end of said knuckle, thereby permitting the opposite pivot to be fitted into the shorter hinge knuckle.

5. A hinged metal box comprising a section having two projecting hinge knuckles with open ends facing each other, another section having oppositely extending hinge pivots adapted to be inserted in said hinge knuckles and having recesses below said pivots to span the outer faces of said hinge knuckles, and a slot extending transversely outwardly from the open end of one hinge knuckle narrower than the maximum thickness of the cooperating hinge pivot but wide enough to telescope with the edge of one of said recesses when the adjacent pivot is inserted in the open end of said knuckle, thereby permitting the opposite pivot to be moved longitudinally into the open end of the other hinge knuckle by a relative canting move ment between the two box sections to lock both hinge pivots in the respective knuckles.

6. A hinged box comprising a section having a portion of its edge formed to provide two oppositely extending hinge pintles of curved cross section, and another section having two projecting hinge knuckles with open ends facing each other to hold said pintles and a slot extending transversely out- Wardly from the open end of one hinge knuckle narrower than the maximum thickness of the cooperating pintle but wide enough to admit said pintle when canted edgewise therethrough.

7. A hinged metal box comprising a section having a portion of its edge rolled to provide two oppositely extending hinge pintles of substantially semi-circular cross section, and another section having two projecting hinge knuckles with open endsfacing .each other to hold said pintles, one of said hinge knuckles having a longitudinal slot communicating with its open end narrower than the maximum thickness of the cooperating pintle but Wide enough to admit said pintle when canted edgewise therethrough.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 17th day of January A. D., 1930.

MAURICE PABTIOT.

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