US2050108A - Shipping crate - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l km a W D. J. McCLARY SHIPPING CRATE Filed April 1'7, 1955 6- D. J. M cLA Y 2,050,108

SHIPPING CRATE Filed April 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 will be substantially prolonged.

Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OF F l @E SHIPPING CRATE Application April 17, 1935, ScriaLNo. 16,853

7 Claims.

This invention relates to shipping crates and particularly to crates forshipping and handling milk-bottles or other similar containers.

It is the general object of my invention-to-improve the construction of such shippingcrates in such manner that the useful life of the crate I also effect economy in manufacture and simplify :the procedure in assembling the crates.

An important feature of my invention relates to the provision of a unitary-bottle-spacing and supporting structure which maybe separately assembled and which may be removed as a unit from a worn or broken crate and maybe placed in a new casing when desired.

I also construct and support this unitary structure in such a way-that shocks to the supported bottles in handling is reduced.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will behereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Two forms of the invention are shown in the drawings, in which Fig. l is a plan view of one form of myimproved shipping crate;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partial end View;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial sectionalelevation, taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional plan "view, taken along the lineE-B in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the bottle-spacing and supporting structure, separated from'the casing;

7 is a partial front elevation thereof;

Fig. 8 is a partial end View thereof;

Fig. 9 is a partial plan view of a modified spacing and supporting structure, and

Fig. 10 is a partial front view, looking in the directionof the arrow H! in Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a shipping crate particularly designed for holding mill: bottles and comprising anouter casing, commonly of wood, and an inner bottle-spacing andsupporting structure which constitutes a separable unit.

The outer casing comprises a front portion 23, a back portion 2i and end portions 22, all firmly secured together, preferably by corner reenforcement members 23 and 24 (Fig. 5) and rivets 26. The inner reenforcement members 24 may have upwardly projecting end portions 21 which facilitate nesting of superposed crates.

The parts thus far described are of the usual commercial construction and in themselves form placement. .bottom rods .31; and are covered by U-shaped .no part of rny :present invention, which relates particularly to the bottle-spacing and supporting structure shownseparatelyin Figs. 6, '7. and 8,

and in another form in Figs. 9 and 10.

The structure shown in .Figs. 6, .7 and 8 com- 5 iprisesaplurality of longitudinally extendingbottom rods 30 (Fig. 6) which extend through bosses 31 in end plates 32 and which are headed over :within the bosses to prevent endwise'dis- Cross rods 33 ('Fig. 4) overlie the 10 shields 34 which are perforated at each side to :permit'passage therethrough of the bottom rods 38. The rods 33 also extend through the lower ends-of :upright members 35 and are'preferably headed over outside of these members. The shields 34 abut :the inner faces of the members 35 and accurately space them apart.

The specificconstruction of the bottom or supporting structure is to some extent illustrative, :the .main requirement being that the bottom members beattached to and form a part of the unitary interior structure.

Longitudinal upper spacing members All and longitudinal lowerspacingmembers M are pro- ;vided, together with transverse upper spacing members 42 and transverse lower spacing mem- .bers 43. These spacing members may be formed of 'flatstrips of sheet metal riveted together at :their crossing points, as indicated at 44, and

twisted between the crossing points to provide vertically disposed bottle-engaging portions.

The end portions 45 of the upper longitudinal spacing members ill are extended downward as indicated in Fig. '7 and at their extreme lower ends are secured-to the end plates 32 by rivets 46. The end portions 41 of the lower longitudinal spacing members 4| areextended upward, as also indicated in Fig. 7, and the members 45 and 41 are .provided with aligned openings to receive rivets '48 by which the spacing and supporting structure maybe secured to "the end portions 22 of the shipping crate.

A bend or loop 45 (Fig. 4) may be provided in each end or suspension portion 45 of the longitudinal spacing members 40, so that the bottom structure may yield slightly if a loaded crate is dropped and the shock to the bottles may be correspondingly reduced. This manner of suspension also permits the rods to bend slightly and the end plates to spring inward away from the ends of the crate to relieve shock and thus avoid permanent displacement of the rods.

The end portions of the upper transverse spacing members 42 are extended downward to provide the upright members 35 previously described and to which the cross rods 33 are secured. The end portions 50 of the lower transverse spacing members 43 are extended upward and the parts 35 and 59 are provided with aligned openings to receive rivets Si by which the spacing and supporting structure is secured to the front and back portions 20 and 2! of the shipping crate.

At certain of the crossings of the longitudinal and transverse members, spacing posts 54 (Fig. '7) are provided, by which the upper and lower members are held in spaced assembled relation.

From the above description it will be seen that the bottle-spacing and supporting structure as a unit is secured to the outer casing of the crate by the rivets 48 and 5| only, and that the entire inner structure may be removed by driving out these rivets 48 and 5|. It will also be noted that the rivets 48 and 5| are widely spaced from the bottom edge of the crate and are so located that splitting of the wooden casing members is effectually avoided.

Furthermore, the assembling of the crates is much simplified, as the entire bottle-spacing and supporting structure can be assembled and secured together at a riveting machine or on the bench, and the only work required after the supporting structure is placed in the casing is the insertion and heading of the rivets 48 and 5!, which are relatively few in number.

In Figs. 9 and 10 I have shown a modified bottle-spacing and supporting structure in which the bottom rods 69, end plates 6i, cross rods 62 and shields 63 are all formed and assembled as previously described, but in which longitudinal spacing rods 65 and transverse spacing rods 66 are substituted for the fiat strip spacing members shown in Figs. 1 to 8.

The longitudinal spacing rods 65 are headed into vertically disposed members 67, to the lower ends of which the end plates 6! are secured by rivets 68. Similarly the ends of the transverse spacing rods 66 are secured in upright members 10, to the lower ends of which the bottom cross rods 62 are secured.

Rivets l2 secure the upright members 67 to the ends of the crate and rivets i3 secure the upright members 70 to the front and back portions of the crate, all as previously described.

Having described two forms of my invention, it will be seen that I have provided a shipping crate in which the metal parts forming the spacing and supporting structure may be assembled and handled as a unit, and in which said metal parts may be easily and conveniently secured as a unit in the outer casing or may be removed therefrom.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:-

1. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing, an article-spacing and supporting structure forming a complete and separate unit and slidable as a unit into said casing, and a single series of fastening devices widely spaced from the bottom edge of the casing and forming the sole securing and supporting means for said unitary structure.

2. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing, an article-spacing and supporting structure, said structure being secured as a unit in said casing and comprising longitudinal bottom rods, end plates for said bottom rods, cross rods, upper and lower longitudinal and transverse spacing members and upright end members to which said cross rods, spacing members and end plates are secured, and means to secure said upright end members to said outer casing.

3. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing, an article-spacing and supporting structure, said structure being secured as a unit in said casing and comprising longitudinal bottom rods, end plates for said bottom rods, cross rods, upper and lower longitudinal and transverse spacing members and upright end members to which said cross rods, spacing members and end plates are secured, and means to secure said upright end members to said outer casing at points only which are remote from the lower edge of said crate, said end members and securing means supporting the entire load carried by said inner structure.

4. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing, an article-spacing and supporting structure, said structure being secured as a unit in said casing and comprising longitudinal bottom rods, end plates for said bottom rods, cross rods, upper and lower longitudinal and transverse spacing members and upright end members to which said cross rods, spacing members and end plates are secured, and means to secure said upright end members to said outer casing each by a single fastening device and at a point remote from the lower edge of said crate.

5. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing, an article-spacing structure having upper and lower longitudinal and transverse spacing members and upright end members to which said upper and lower spacing members are attached, means to secure said spacing members in assembled relation as a unit, and means to support and secure said upright end members to said outer casing at spaced points remote from the bottom edge of said crate, said securing means forming the entire support for said spacing structure in said casing and said spacing structure being insertable and removable as an assembled unit from said casing when said securing means is removed.

6. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing and article-spacing and article-supporting elements forming a unitary structure, said structure having suspension members secured to said outer casing at points remote from the bottom edge of said crate, and said members having longitudinally yieldable parts providing a slightly resilient suspension for said supporting elements.

7. A shipping crate comprising an outer casing, a unitary article-supporting structure slidable as a complete assembled unit into said casing, means to space the supported articles in said structure, and means to secure and support said structure as a unit in said casing at points only which are relatively remote from the bottom edge of said crate.

DAVID J. MCCLARY.

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