US2022600A - Basket liner - Google Patents

Description

26, 19350 T. R. MCDONALD 2,022,600

BASKET LINER Original Filed April I0, 1953 IN VEN TOR.

I W W ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASKET LINER Application April 10, 1933, Serial No. 665,447 Renewed September 9, 1935 3 Claims.

This invention relates to liners of the type used when packing fruit, vegetables and the like in containers such as a bushel basket in order to prevent the fruit from becoming bruised or oth- "erwise marred by contact with sides of the basket and one object of the invention is to provide a liner formed from a single sheet of tough paper which will conform substantially to the inside diameter of the basket and when in use have its end portions firmly secured in overlapped relation to each other to prevent any danger of the end portions slipping out of their proper positions and permitting contact of the fruit with walls of the basket.

Another object of the invention is to provide end portions of the strip with improved joints of such construction that while the strips will be initially fiat, they can be quickly united to form a frusto-conical liner which will not only retain its shape during use but also when a form is removed to permit a basket to be set in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and very effective when in use.

With these and numerous other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application:

Figure l is a view of a blank or strip from which a liner of the improved construction is formed;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a liner formed from the strip illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken vertically through Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a View of a modified form of blank or strip;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a liner formed from the strip shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken vertically through Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view of another modified form 01 blank or strip;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a liner formed from the strip illustrated in Figure v7; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken vertically through Figure 8.

A liner constructed in accordance with this invention is employed when packing fruit such as moved and a cover set in place and secured. 10

Since the shaper is removed in order to set the basket in place, it is important that the liner which is formed from an initially flat sheet of tough paper or similar material have its ends firmly secured and thereby prevent the liner from 15"..

opening and spilling the fruit. It is also important that end portions of the liner remain united after the basket has been turned upright and a. cover applied as the fruit must be pre' vented from contacting with walls of the basket :0

in order to prevent the fruit from becoming bruised or skin of the fruit becoming torn by contact with sharp edges of thin strips of wood from which the baskets are formed.

In the accompanying drawing, several embodi- 25 v ments of the invention have been disclosed. In each embodiment, the liner is formed from an initially fiat strip of tough paper and referring to Figures 1, 4 and 7, it will be seen that this sheet or blank I is arcuate longitudinally. That 30 is to say, the side edges of the sheet constitute arcs of a circle extending parallel to each other and end edges are cut straight and converge in one direction. When a liner is to be used, end portions of a blank or strip are moved towards each 35 other and united in overlapping relation thereby forming a liner 2 which is open at its ends but completely closed entirely about its circumference. It should also be noted that when the ends of the blank are united, a liner which is 40' frustro-conical in shape will be formed and this liner will fit snugly in a bushel basket with its walls in close contacting engagement with walls of the basket. In view of the fact that end portions of the blank or strip are firmly interlocked, they 4511*- cannot slide away from each other and permit fruit to contact with the walls of the basket and as the strip is formed from tough paper, it will not be torn by the weight of the fruit in the basket. 50 Referring particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that one end portion of the blank or strip has been cut to form a slit 3 leading from the outer or upper side edge of the blank while in spaced relation to the inner or lower side edge of the blank, there has been formed a slot 4 extending longitudinally of the blank. Therefore, the slit and slot extend transversely of each other with one extending transversely of the blank and the other longitudinally thereof. The other end portion of the blank is cut as shown at 5 to form longitudinally extending tongues E5 and I having depending bills 8 and 9. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that when the end portions of the blank are overlapped, the tongue 6 extends through the slit 3 with its bill engaging the other end portion of the blank below the inner end of the slit and the bill 9 of the wide intermediate tongue or flap '5 projects downwardly through the slot i. The tongue or corner portion It) of the blank below the bill 9 bears against the overlapping end portion of the blank beneath the slot 4 and assists in bracing the overlapping end portion of the blank. With the end portion of the blank so connected, they will be firmly held in overlapping relation to each other and prevented from moving longitudinally out of their overlapped position. Therefore, pressure exerted by fruit in a filled basket cannot cause the 3% united end portions of the liner to slip out of their proper position.

In Figures 4, 5 and 6, the blank has one end portion which is indicated by the numeral II formed with slots I2 spaced from each other transyersely of the blank and extending longitudinally thereof. While three slots have been shown, it will be understood that any number desired may be employed. The other end portion [3 of the strip or blank is out from its end edge to form slits is extending diagonally at an upward incline and defining tongues 45 disposed at a downward incline and having their free ends tapered to sharp points. By this arrangement, the tongues may be inserted through the slots I2 and serve ".very effectively to retain the end portions i I and I 3 of the blank or strip in overlapped engagement with each other.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the end portion [6 of the "blank is cut from its end edge as shown at Hi to In each embodiment of the invention, the liner is formed from a blank which is initially flat and therefore a number may be cut from a stack of paper by a single stamping operation and also they may be formed into compact packages for shipment and storage. It should also be noted that when the liners are to be used, the end portions of the blanks may be very easily and quickly united and when so united, they will be firmly held in overlapped relation to each other and prevented from slipping. Therefore all danger of fruit being damaged by end portionsof the liner separating will be eliminated and also there will be no danger of the fruit spilling during transfer due to ends of the liner separating when a shaper is removed and a basket set in place.

From the foregoing description of the construc- 5 tion of my improvedliner, the method of applying the same to use will be readily understood. It will be seen that I haveprovided a simple, inexpensive and efiicient means for carrying out the objects of the invention and while I have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes in form, proportion and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to,

without departing from the spirit or sacrificing 15 with a slit leading from a longitudinal edge of the g5 strip and adjacent the other longitudinal edge I being formed with a slot extending transversely of the slit, the other end portion of. said strip being out to form tongues extending longitudinally of the strip and having bills facing trans- 30. i

versely of the strip, one tongue being passed through the slit with its bill engaging the strip adjoining the inner end of the slit and the other tongue having its bill engaged through the slot.

2. A liner for use in packing fruit and the like 35 i comprising a strip of material bent to dispose its end portions in overlapped relation to each other and form an open ended liner of a diameter to fit within a basket in close proximity to walls thereof, one end portion of said strip being formed with 0 1? a slit leading from the upper longitudinal'edge of the strip and a slot being formed longitudinally of the strip adjacent the lower edge of the strip, the other end portion of'said strip being cut to form an upper tongue and a lower tongue, the 455;

upper tongue being engaged through the slit and provided with a depending bill engaging the strip below'the inner end of the slit and the lower tongue having a depending bill engaged through the slot and together with the bill of the upper 50' TI tongue holding the end portions of the strip against longitudinal movement out of overlapped relation to each other.

3. A liner for use in packing fruit and the like comprising a strip of material bent to dispose its end portions in overlapped relation to each other and form an open ended liner of a diameter to fit within a basket in close proximity to walls thereof, one end portion of said strip being formed with passages extending transversely of each other and the other end portion of the strip being cutto form tongues having bills both extending transversely of the strip in the same direction and passed through the passages and engaging the strip adjacent ends of the passages to retain the 5 end portions of the strip overlapped.

THOMAS R. MCDONALD.

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