US1975127A - Package and container for fragile articles - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 2, 1934. F. H. SHERMAN 27 PACKAGE AND CONTAINER FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Original Filed oct- 31, 1929 Invenior: FramasHShern-zan by B H,

Patented Oct. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES racxaca AND comma Foa mama aarrcms Francis H. Sherman, Palmer, Mm.

Application October Renewed 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to packages and containers for holding a plurality of fragilearticles in spaced and cushioned relation, being particularly adapted for use in packaging eggs in small lots for retail distribution. It aims to provide a simplified and inexpensive device of the class described.

In the drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention, by way of example,

I Fig. 1 is a perspective of the container in open position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the closed container, the open position thereof being indicated in dotted lines; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations of two of the parts used in forming an article spacer or socalled filler for the above container.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the container or wrapper comprises two main portions 5, 5, de-

sirably interchangeable in use, but herein referred to, for convenience of description, as a lower or bottom portion or tray and an upper or top portion or cover. These portions may be separately formed but conveniently are hingedly connected along one of their edges, as indicated at 6. In the device as illustrated the two portions are made integral and are scored or otherwise arranged for hinging along one side edge, as at said line 6, but it will be understood that these so two main portions of the box or container, if manufactured as separate members, may either be hinged together in any suitable manner or may be merely superposed, in opposition, and tied, clipped or otherwise held in place during use.

In the illustrative embodiment of my invention the container is fashioned from fibrous or cellulosic material reduced to a pulp and adapted to be formed up or molded by a pulp-sucking process. One convenient and inexpensive source of such material is found in newspaper or other used paper, which is macerated and beaten or reconverted to a pulp stage. By the use of molds of the desired shape, either single or in pairs, the device such as illustrated is immediately produced in its final form. The resulting material of its walls, which may be termed pulp-board, is of sufficient weight or substance to be self-supporting and to possess the necessary rigidity to withstand ordinary crushing stresses, but has a relatively soft texture as compared with ordinary card-board and has adequate flexibility to afford a cushioning effect for the fragile contents.

As illustrated, the side walls "I, '7 of the respective container parts 5, 5 are outwardly inclined from their top or bottom walls 8, 8, as best seen 31, 1929, Serial No. 403,110 January 21, 1933 in Fig. 2. The container side walls, or one or more of them, are preferably set-over or flared at their edges, to form the flanges 9, 9 of suflicient width to provide a seat for the two portions of the container, one upon or against the other. The provision of such rim or flange, either continuously or at suitable spaced locations, upon one or both of the box members serves also to increase their rigidity and generally strengthen them, as well as affording a protective rib or lat- 6 eral cushioning means for the container. Additional strengthening and cushioning may also be obtained, as herein illustrated, by the provision of ribs 10, 10 respectively extending about the peripheries of the top and bottom walls 8, 8 of the two container portions 5, 5, see particularly Fig. 2, and whereby said top and bottom walls are set in from the adjacent edges of the side walls, so that they are normally out of contact with any fiat surface upon which the container may be 36 positioned, whichever of the two container portions is placed lowermost.

By reason of the inclined side walls a number of the containers may readily be nested for packing, shipment or storage. In the case of hingedly connected upper and lower parts, these parts are nested'in pairs in their open position, or where the members are formed separately they may be stacked individually in nested relation.

In accordance with my invention I provide a filler or cell-forming means particularly cooperating with the described container. For this purpose I have shown a filler comprising crossing sets of upright members 11 and 12, see particularly Figs. 3 and 4, adapted to be assembled and interlocked in crossed relation to provide the desired number of cells. The container may be variously proportioned, to accommodate fillers having different numbers or arrangements of cells, such for example as 2x6, 1x6, 2x3 or others, including the 3x4 arrangement such as illustrated by way of example. The members of one set, herein the longer ones or stringers 11 have slotted formations 13 extending in from one edge, while the members of the other set, herein the cross-pieces l2,have cooperating slot formations 14 along an opposite edge, whereby the two sets of members may be interengaged to form cells, substantially as in Fig. 1. The two sets of members which comprise the filler may be interlocked in any suitable way, as by the provision of tongues 15 projecting laterally from a side wall of the slot formations of one set and adapted to be received in cut-out formations 16 in the other set of members.

In order to position the filler firmly within the container and to enable it to aiford the maximum reinforcement to the container walls,'the ends of one or both sets of elements 11 and 12 of the fillet are projected or shaped to conform with the inner faces of the walls of the container. In the form shown, the ends of said pieces are oppositely and inwardly inclined from approximately the longitudinal median lines of j the pieces, substantially in the manner illustrated at 1'7, 1'7, 18, 18, giving them a maximum width at midheightgin the closing plane of the two main portions of the container. These filler pieces are proportioned to the dimensions of the container so that the filler may readily be dropped into the open tray portionof the latter, but by reason of their described end construction they are adapted to act as abutments or braces resisting end or side pressure as well as vertical pressure exteriorly of the container.

It will be particularly noted that each of the two main parts 5, 5 of the container is 'of less height than the filler, being but one-half that height in the illustrated example. Thus when the container is'open, the upper portions of the contained articles are wholly exposed, making an attractive display and facilitating inspection. It will be understood that the two portions of the container need' not be of the same height, but

'that one of them may be made deeper than the 'other, and the filler ends correspondingly varied. Also, the side walls are riot necessarily inclined although such construction is found desirable because' 'oi the greater ease with which the parts may be nested, and for other reasons, particularly in connection with their manufacture.

If desired, the corner portions of the filler members may be rounded or bevelled oil, for example, as illustrated at 19, 20 for ease in inserting the filler or in closing the container and. to promote a circulation of air about the contents, this latter effect being also increased by reason of the peripheral ribs"10, 10 which, interiorly oi' the container, afford the channels 21, 21.

The container may be held in closed position in any suitable manner, as by adhesive stickers or strips or by one or more clips 22 such as illustrated in Fig. 2. Where the upper and lower parts of the container are not hinged together, similar securing means or clips may also be applied to the superposed rims at the opposite side of the container, or at any desired point or points about its periphery. In some instances the two members may be hinged together by means of a strip of adhesive paper or the like but preferably the two parts are formed integrally in the pulpmolding process, and scored or otherwise marked for folding one onto the other. 7 7

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof herein illustrated and described, its scope being set forth in the following claims.

I claim: r a. 1. A package for eggs, comprising, in combination, a'container of cellulcsic material including oppositely mating top and bottom trays, said trays together being of a depth to receive eggs in substantially upright position, each tray comprising a horizontal top or bottom wall, enclosing peripheral walls diverging outwardly from the periphery of the horizontal wall at substantially similar angles, and a, laterally projecting peripheral flange adjacent the free edges of said peripheral walls for seating, reinforcing and cushioning purposes, ali of said walls being continuous and imperforate and meeting in seamless rounded comer formations, and a cellular partitioning element constructed and arranged for position ing reception within said container, said element comprising crossed, interengaged vertical wall.

members, each of maximum length at the level of the meeting plane of the container traysand each having its outerends oppositely and inwardly inclined from its points of maximum 7 length, for engaging reception wholly within and [against said outwardly diverging walls of the trays, the upper and lower outer corner portions of said partitioning element and the adjacent portions of the trays being formed for cooperatively aflording air-circulation pusages.

2. Packing means for eggs, comprising, in combination, a container constructed of fibrous pulp deposited on a form, said container including oppositely mating top and bottom trays, said trays together being of a depth to receive eggs in substantially upright position, each tray comprising a horizontal top or bottom wall, enclosing peripheral walls diverging outwardly from the periphery of the horizontal wall at substantially similar angles, and a laterally projecting peripheral flange adjacent the free edges of said peripheral walls for seating, reinforcing'and cushioning purposes, all of said walls being continuous and imperforate and meeting in seamless rounded corner' iormations, and a cellular partitioning element constructed and arranged for positioning reception within said container, said element comprising crossed, interengaged vertical wall members, each of maximum length at the level of the meeting plane of the container trays and each having its outer ends oppositely and inwardly inclined from its points of maximum length, for engaging reception wholly within and against *said outwardly diverging walls of the trays, the

upper and lower outer corner portions of said par area of an outer'surface of the top tray being sub-- stantially flat.

i FRANCIS H. SHERMAN.

Images